Fixer: A Bad Boy Romance (4 page)

Tanner held his tongue for just a moment longer, saving the other man's need for his help. Without him, Pribus would be caught on the horns of this dilemma, stuck searching for another way out. The old man needed Tanner's skills, knew that Tanner was likely the only fixer on the Republican payroll who'd be willing to even try to accomplish this. The man was proposing something immoral, if not outright illegal, and he knew that Tanner knew all of this as well.

"This shouldn't be a problem," Tanner said, and he bit back his smile as Pribus let out an audible sigh of relief, his shoulders relaxing and slumping back down.

"Great, great," Pribus said, trying to act as if he'd known all along that Tanner would agree. "And of course, whatever you need - you've got the usual slush fund to pay for any expenses, and we'll be sure to pay you handsomely once the bill is dead. We can set you up with whatever documents you might need, and of course if you need any more support from Republicans, maybe for some sort of quid pro quo deal, just let me know and I'm sure that we can discuss amenable terms..."

Tanner tuned out as Pribus babbled on. His eyes dropped back down to the picture sitting in the folder on his lap as he thought about his next steps.

Treat this like a chess game. The goal wasn't just to charge in and be the first to a spot. That was a sure way to get cut off, to be outflanked and surrounded, brought down like ancient hunters teaming up against a mammoth. No, he needed to instead be strategic, plot out all of his moves several steps ahead. By the time he made the first move, he'd already know the entire path to victory.

But given Alicia Stone's inexperience with Washington, with the rules of power here, Tanner didn't foresee much of a struggle. She would take him at face value, never expect for someone to double-cross her. He would slip in, earn her confidence - and then, just when she gave him the keys to everything, he'd snatch it all away.

He stood up, setting down his half-finished coffee on the corner of Pribus's desk. "I had better get started," he announced, and left the RNC leader's office.

The receptionist outside of Pribus's office gave Tanner a flirty wave, but he didn't even notice. All of his attention was on Alicia, thinking about the game that lay ahead.

Time to make the first move.

Chapter Four

*

Several hours later, Tanner rubbed at his eyes as he leaned back, away from the slim laptop sitting open on the coffee table in front of him. His eyes flicked over the remains of a ham and cheese sandwich, but he instead reached for the cup of coffee, tossing back the last gulp in the cup. He briefly considered another refill, but he'd already drank three cups while sitting here, and he could feel his eyeballs practically beginning to vibrate.

He'd put in the research, utterly focused on one person: Alicia Stone.

She was quite the impressive woman, Tanner had to admit. He'd read everything on her that he could find, doing his best to gather a complete picture of her. He needed to make sure that the persona he projected when meeting her would be calculated for maximum impact on her.

Alicia Stone, it seemed, had always been a high achiever. Second in her class in high school. "Nearly valedictorian," she'd said ruefully in an interview. "That was probably the first time when I failed at something, and it really taught me that all the hard things take real work. Until then, I'd breezed by. But after losing out for that top spot, I declared that I wouldn't coast my way through anything else."

Apparently, that high standard also applied to the men that she dated - or that she didn't date, more accurately. Tanner switched over to another tab on his browser, this one displaying the video from an interview with her when she'd been running for the Senate seat. "Nope, no significant other in the picture right now," she told the interviewer, smiling at the camera and flashing a dimple. "Focused on my career right now, and helping the good people of Colorado. I think that, before I start thinking about getting into a relationship and whatever might come after that, I need to work to make sure that this world is good enough for whatever the future might hold."

Carter paused the video there, taking a moment to make a little gagging face at his computer screen. That little quip just screamed soundbyte, and Alicia and her team of speechwriters had probably reworked it a dozen times before settling on the final phrasing. It made it clear that she wasn't going to be distracted with romance as she did her job, but also gave a little hint to the possible future of a husband and children; the good American wife doing some public service to better her country before returning home to care for her two and a half children in the perfect little apple-cheeked family.

Still, even if speechwriters had polished the final quote, it came from Alicia's lips. She was a high achiever, career focused woman for the moment, but possibly looking for more in the future, not the kind of woman who wanted to just mess around and have a bit of short-sighted fun. She strove for the best, and wouldn't settle for anything less.

A little bit of Tanner's spirit flared up, perhaps sensing a kindred soul. Not that they truly had much in common, but he respected Alicia's refusal to compromise. Tanner compromised all the time - he knew that this was how the real world worked, after all - but each time he settled for something that he knew was less than perfect, a little part of his mind winced.

Fortunately for Tanner, Alicia still faced the problem that nearly every freshman arrival to Congress encountered. Sure, running a campaign was a big challenge, but it didn't usually translate well to acting as a sitting Senator or Representative.

In short, Alicia needed help getting organized for tackling the challenges of Washington.

And that, he decided, would be his opening.

Tanner closed his computer, pulling out his phone instead. He opened up his contacts, scrolling through the long list, searching for the perfect name. He needed someone to make the introduction, someone trustworthy but not totally rock solid. Just enough for him to get the interview - and then, face to face, he could seal the deal. Throw in just a tiny bit of flirting, enough to keep her off balance ever so slightly, and she'd be open to his ideas. He knew exactly how to run a staff here, and he'd easily land the job, giving him full access to Alicia.

And then, from there, he'd just need a little more work to build up her trust, and she'd soon be willing to spill everything.

Pausing for a moment as he scrolled through a seemingly never-ending list of names, Tanner stopped, trying to decide how he'd play the endgame. He could send Alicia home with her tail between her legs, of course; that would be as easy as pulling the same "pictures leaked on the internet" scam that had worked so well with Senator Waltz. Women were even more susceptible to that approach than men, he'd found. Even though both men and women were equally at blame, the social stigma always seemed to predominantly target the woman. A honeypot trap would ruin her.

But maybe he didn't need to fully destroy Alicia. He could perhaps steer her in another direction, crush the bill but keep the senator alive. After all, she'd be another screw that he could turn, another little toy that Tanner could use when he needed a favor, needed to help make something else happen. He had several senators already in his pocket, but there was always room for one more.

In any case, Tanner didn't need to decide on the end game just yet. He'd get in, earn Alicia's confidences, and then make the decision as to what would work best.

Almost a pity to destroy her, he mused, glancing back down at the picture of her that he'd removed from the manilla folder. He'd drawn it out so he could study it, memorize every little line and feature and detail of her face.

It really was quite a pretty face. Not the kind of face that belonged in a Spring Break video above a pair of happily bobbing tits, mind you, but the kind of face that he wouldn't mind seeing at brunch. The kind of girl that he'd happily bring home to his parents.

For a moment, that stray thought made Tanner hesitate, his conscience unexpectedly flaring up. A crack of sorrow shone through at the mental mention of his parents, like a sapling determined to break through a concrete sidewalk barrier.

Viciously, he fought it back down. He'd come this far, earned this much power and respect and command. He wasn't about to throw it all away, to back down now. He'd made his sacrifices.

Still a bit annoyed with himself, he took another bite of his sandwich, brushing away the crumbs that fell on his dress shirt and tie. He'd hung his jacket over the back of his chair, but a few crumbs still clung to the shining white linen fabric of his shirt. He carefully flicked every last one away.

Back to the task at hand. He found the number he'd been seeking in his phone, held it up to his ear as it rang.

"Hello Aaron," he said, as soon as the call connected. "Got a minute? I need a favor from you."

Patiently, Tanner exchanged a bit of small talk with Aaron Perkins, chief of staff for Senator Harrison Reed. Reed was one of the longest-serving Democrats in the Senate, but he tended to stay under the radar most of the time, not rising up to address many of the hot-button issues of the current media cycle. Reed also gave off an almost paternal air to everyone he met, like a gentle father swallowing his vague disappointment in his children. He'd be the perfect source of an introduction to Alicia and her disorganized campaign.

"Well, that's actually part of why I'm calling," he jumped in as soon as he sensed an opening in the conversation. "Aaron, I'm looking to take a step away from my current duties. And I had my eye on Alicia Stone, the new senator out of Colorado."

He paused for a moment as Aaron made a rather off-color comment, forcing himself to chuckle politely. "Yes, that one. The looker. I mean, I won't say that it's not at least a small part of how I made the decision!" He waited again as Aaron laughed again.

"But here's my problem, Aaron," he went on after the laughter subsided. "I've got a lot of connections on the Republican side - which could certainly prove useful to Alicia, you can't deny - but not so many on the Democrat side. I know that Alicia's got a big bill on her mind, and I want to offer my help."

Another pause, and this time Tanner frowned as he listened to Aaron's incredulous comments.

"I do so have a heart!" he retorted. "And listen, this is my chance to prove it to you. I've been thinking about..." he searched his mind for the best word to use. "Legacy, Aaron. Don't you think about the legacy that you'll leave behind?"

Tanner grinned to himself at the response from Aaron. That had definitely been the right word to choose. All Democrats, even their most hardened campaign staffers, ate up this bullshit like it was candy. Too focused on plastering their name on something in the future, not thinking enough about getting power today. Their perennial weakness.

"Exactly, I'm glad that you get it," he cut in after he'd let Aaron go on for a bit. "And Alicia's bill could be my chance to do something big. I've got quite a lot of favors built up, on both sides. And just because the RNC has been calling me in a lot as of late, that doesn't mean that they own my allegiance. I just want to help move things forward, make sure that everyone gets what they want." Inside his head, he made a little gagging noise at this softness. How could anyone really believe in this shit?

But Aaron evidently did. Just as Tanner had anticipated, the man's tone softened, turning affirmative. "Great," Tanner slipped in, not wanting to spend all afternoon on the phone as the chief of staff recounted all the little inconsequential things he'd done to try and secure his own legacy. "So could you get me a meeting with Senator Stone?"

He sighed. "No, not with her staff. Come on, Aaron, don't bullshit me like that. We both know that she's brand new here. She's got nothing for staff, at least nothing permanent. She's barely even set up shop here. She's still going to be scrambling. Hell, that's half the reason that I picked her."

Finally, Aaron came around. "Great. Tomorrow morning, yes, my schedule's fairly open. Just send me the details, and I'll squeeze it in." Tanner rolled his eyes again at Aaron's next off-color crack, but didn't let his annoyance show in his tone. "Hey, I'm only squeezing it in there if she gives me permission! You know how picky they get about making sure it's all consensual!"

Tanner moved the phone slightly further from his ear as Aaron guffawed. Yes, the boys' club attitude in Washington was still alive and well. Women might have made significant progress in breaking through the glass ceiling in the corporate world, but they were still barely beginning to chip away at the thick layer of sexism in DC.

He rushed through the rest of his small talk with Aaron and got off the phone at the first available opportunity. Sighing, he set the phone down, shaking his head. He forgot, sometimes, how tiresome it could be to deal with all these little toadies, each one puffed up with his own self-importance and needing to be massaged and coerced into seeing things from Tanner's point of view.

He glanced down at his watch. He'd meet with Alicia tomorrow morning, but he had the rest of the evening open. He'd need his sleep, would need to be up bright and early to get ready for this meeting. No clubbing for him tonight.

He did, however, still have the number of that blonde bartender from the Capitol Lounge. What was her name - Candy? She'd given him quite the enjoyable evening the night before, ending with a wonderfully wet and enthusiastic blowjob, right on the front steps outside her apartment building!