Tall, Dark_.Westmoreland! - Brenda Jackson [23]
“The enemy is never nice or charming, Olivia. Remember that,” the senator said, speaking to her like she was a child. “I strongly suggest that during this campaign, you stay away from him.”
She was opening her mouth to tell the senator that she truly didn’t give a royal damn about what he would strongly suggest when her father spoke.
“You don’t have to worry about Libby, Al. She’s a smart girl. She would never get mixed up with the likes of Westmoreland.”
The likes of Westmoreland? Was there something about Reggie that her father and the senator knew but that she didn’t? she wondered. Granted, that might be true, since she had arrived in the country on Friday. But still, she heard intense dislike in her father’s voice and pondered the reason for it. Did it have to do only with the campaign, or was there more? Marc Norris was the only other person at their table, and he wasn’t saying anything. But then Norris didn’t look like the type to gossip. She didn’t know him well. In fact, she had just met him on Friday evening.
“Well, if I didn’t know better, I’d think Olivia and Westmoreland had met before,” replied Senator Reed.
The senator’s words almost made her drop her fork. She had to tighten her grip on it. She thought about Reggie. Had their reaction to each other been that obvious?
There was a lag in the conversation at the table, and she knew from the brief moment of silence that the men were waiting for her to respond one way or the other. So she did. “Then it’s a good thing that you know better, Senator, isn’t it?”
She said the words so sweetly, there was no way that he or anyone else could tell if she was being sincere or smart-alecky. Before any further conversation could take place, one of the sponsors of the event got up and went to the podium to announce that the speeches were about to begin.
“Okay, Reggie. What’s going on with you and that woman at the other table? The one you can’t seem to keep your eyes off,” Brent said in a whisper as he leaned close to Reggie.
Reggie lifted a brow. “What makes you think something is going on?”
Brent chuckled. “I have eyes. I can see. You do know she’s Jeffries’s daughter.”
Reggie leaned back in his chair. He couldn’t eat another mouthful, although he hadn’t eaten much. He was still trying to recover from the fact that he and his mystery woman had officially met. “Yes, the senator introduced us. And grudgingly, I might add. He didn’t seem too happy to do so,” Reggie said.
“Figures. He probably wants her for himself.” At Reggie’s surprised look, Brent went on to explain. “Reed is into young women big-time. I once dated someone who worked at his office. He tried coming on to her several times, and she ended up quitting when the old man wouldn’t give up no matter how many times she tried turning him off. The man takes sexual harassment to a whole new level.”
Reggie’s jaw tightened. The thought that the senator could be interested in Olivia, even remotely, made his blood boil. “But he’s friends with her father.”
“And that’s supposed to mean something?” Brent countered, trying to keep his voice low. “I guess it would mean something to honorable men, but Reed is not honorable. We don’t have a term-limit law here, so it makes you wonder why he isn’t seeking another term. Rumor has it that he was given a choice to either step down or have his business—namely, his affairs with women half his age—spread across the front pages of the newspapers. I guess since he’s still married and his wife is wealthier than he is, although she’s bedridden, he didn’t want that.”
Reggie shook his head. “Well, he shouldn’t concern himself with Olivia Jeffries.”
“And why is that?”
Reggie didn’t say anything for fear of saying too much. In the end, he didn’t have to respond, because it was his turn to speak.
“You gave a nice speech, Dad. You did a wonderful job,” Olivia said once she and her father got home.
“Yes, but so did Westmoreland,” Orin said, heading for the kitchen.