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DARCI slammed the door to her office. It was early still, and she was the only one here, so she had some time to reflect on what had just happened. How in the world was she supposed to do what Bradley was asking? Atleigh had always been outspoken about issues that involved women, and he wasn’t often on the right side of the argument.
He often voted for things that made life harder for women. And he had it out for the adult industry and anything that wasn’t sex within the confines of a heterosexual marriage. Since finding out who he worked for, Darci often wondered how Bradley justified his support for the man when he didn’t hold the same convictions. At least she didn’t think he held those views.
Now, the man was saying Marlie deserved to die. No, there was no way in hell she wanted to help that man. It didn’t matter how charming and convincing Bradley Givens was. Sure, she wanted the face-to-face with Atleigh but was it going to change anything? Probably not. It was time to move on to the other senators co-sponsoring his ridiculous legislation and forget Bradley Givens existed. Maybe if she refused him the benefit tickets, he would pull the senator out of the Georgetown panel. Then she could be done with both of them for good. Her phone dinged.
Bradley: Have dinner with me. Tonight.
Seriously? He has the nerve to ask me to dinner?
Ignoring Bradley’s text, she sat at her desk and drafted a blog entry berating the senator from Arizona. Her fingers flew across the keys with too much force as she let her emotions flow onto the screen.
Before she could hit publish, her conscience got the better of her. It was her general rule that she never posted while angry. She hit save draft instead and promised herself she would come back to it after she calmed down.
Jim knocked on her door as she was closing her browser.
“Hey Jim, I didn’t hear you come in.”
“Used the back door into my office. Did you read what Atleigh said this morning?” He held his phone out to her as he perched on the corner of her desk.
“Saw it. Guess who I was having breakfast with when it happened?”
“Who?” Her boss looked puzzled.
“Bradley Givens. His chief of staff. As a result, I might have an in on that face-to-face with Atleigh, and he’s going to accept our panel invitation.”
“How the hell did you manage that, girl?” he asked with a whistle.
She grinned. Her boss was proud of her. Maybe she wasn’t quite done with Bradley after all. “It’s a long story but let’s just say Givens owed me. Don’t worry, I didn’t promise not to go after Atleigh with everything we have, but I am doing him a huge favor and getting a lot of money out of him in the process.” At her bosses even more puzzled expression, she explained what Bradley had asked her to do.
Jim shifted off her desk and shoved his hands into his pockets. “I’m gonna let you handle all the press on this one, Darci. I know you have… connections to the BDSM community and will probably be better at it than I am.”
She tried not to smirk at his discomfort. Her boss knew she was kinky and was even close to several leaders in the kink community, but it wasn’t something he was into himself, so he sometimes got uncomfortable discussing it with her. He never judged though, and he was a firm ally of the community.
There had been several abuse cases and murders that had been attributed to involvement in the lifestyle. However, the organization worked hard to make sure the media understood these were posers and fakes. The legitimate BDSM community did not condone violence toward anyone, especially against women. Safe, sane, and consensual was the motto, and the community shunned anyone who did not adhere to those three tenets.
Darci wanted to give Senator Atleigh a non-consensual flogging. A giggle escaped at the thought of the uptight bastard strapped to a cross with a ball gag. She banished the disturbing thought as soon as it appeared and smiled at Jim just as her cell phone rang. She held up a hand for Jim to wait while she answered it.
“Darci Sanders.”
“Hey it’s Carrie. You want to go on Jake Holt tonight?”
She grinned at the sound of her friend’s voice. “Hey. You must be back in town. I would love to. I think I’m free. What’s the segment?”
Carrie laughed. “You have to ask? I figured you would be itching for a fight with Sean Atleigh. Well, not him directly, but we got his press secretary booked for a panel. Thought you would be a good counter.”
She grabbed a sticky note and wrote the time and name of the press secretary.
“I have to run, but find me after the show. I’ll stick around until you’re done and we can grab a drink. Peter had to stay in California for a few days, so it’s just me.”
“You got it. Can’t wait.”
She ended the call and relayed the details of the show to Jim.
“Don’t start a fight on national television, Darci. Defend our position, but play nice.” Darci scowled at her boss but nodded in agreement. He was right. Arguing with someone who would never change their opinion wasn’t productive, neither was berating Atleigh on her blog.
When Jim left, she went back to her saved entry and read it again. After changing the harshest language, she included a memorial to Marlie and a donation button, encouraging readers to give to her organization. She ended by saying;
