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Sarah raised her eyebrows. “Chalkstone Zoo.”
“It’s all PR. There’s a joint project with WEST, the World’s Endangered Species Trust. Have you heard of them?”
Sarah nodded, finding it hard to concentrate as she studied Kendra’s lips.
“The zoo is doing some great work to become self-sustaining. I thought you might like to pop in and see Haley over the weekend because you have a constituency meeting on Saturday.”
Sarah ran her finger across Kendra’s lips just to feel the soft, wet flesh that she wanted to kiss and lick. “That’s a great idea.”
The office door opened.
Kendra stepped back from Sarah, shoved her hands in her pockets, and looked towards the desk.
Mark looked from Kendra to Sarah. “Sarah, Jeremy needs to talk to you.”
Jeremy entered the office with a manilla folder in his hand. He glanced towards Kendra and then focused his attention on Sarah. “If you have a moment, in private,” he said.
“I’ll go,” Kendra said and closed the door behind her.
Sarah sat at her desk, shifted a piece of paper from one pile to another to settle herself, and took a sip of her drink. She hadn’t liked Jeremy’s tone, but she looked at him and smiled.
He held out the folder then dropped it on her desk. Mark’s frown deepened.
“What is it?” she asked.
“See for yourself.”
Sarah opened the folder and pulled out the contents. She scanned through the photographs of her and Kendra visiting the site of HS2, one of Kendra pointing, one of Sarah laughing. “So what?” She shrugged and inched the folder across the desk.
“Through to the end,” Jeremy said and slid it back to her.
She stared at the last photo, her heart thundering in her chest. It was of her and Kendra walking through the field in the dark. The image was grainy, but she knew exactly when it had been taken. Just before she had kissed Kendra. “Is this it?” she asked, keeping the disinterest in her tone.
Jeremy shook his head, rested his hands on her desk and leaned towards her. “This is more than enough, Sarah.”
She took a deep breath and leaned back in her chair. “There’s nothing to get excited about here, Jeremy. This is a legitimate business activity. I was taking a shortcut back to the station.” It sounded lame when she heard the words. “What the fuck am I supposed to do?”
Mark widened his eyes, and she knew exactly what was going through his mind. He’d seen her and Kendra stood close together, and had it been Jeremy rather than him who had walked through the door, Jeremy’s concerns would be validated. But it hadn’t been Jeremy, and the pictures didn’t give away anything.
Jeremy gathered the photos and put them back in the folder. “Last time something like this happened, you were a nobody, Sarah. It was easier to quash the rumours, but these people don’t forget. Fortunately, this is one of ours,” he said, referring to the fact that the reporter who had taken the images was a supporter of the party. “Had it been the opposition, this would be headline news tomorrow, and your integrity would be called into question. You’re a somebody now, Sarah. We can’t afford mistakes.”
Sarah shook her head and avoided looking directly at Mark. “There aren’t any mistakes being made, Jeremy. I work closely with Kendra, as I did with Haley. And that’s not going to change, so you’d better get our messaging sorted out and quash anything before it gets blown into something that it isn’t. I don’t have time for this bullshit.”
Jeremy stared at her. “I’ll deal with it, but you need to watch your back. A smear campaign will make your position untenable. We don’t want that.” He nodded to Mark and left the room.
Sarah held her head in her hands. “Don’t say anything. Please.”
Mark knelt beside her chair, cradled her to his chest, and sighed. “If you need to talk, Sarah. I’m here for you.”
She bit back the tears and allowed herself to be held. “I don’t deserve you,” she whispered and eased out of his embrace.
“We’re in this together, remember. But Jeremy’s right. The vultures will be circling over your every move. One foot out of place, and they’ll have something nasty to say about it. What they don’t know, they’ll make up.”
Sarah nodded, and Mark left. She closed her eyes at the click of the door and waited for her heart to settle. Her stomach knotted thinking about Kendra. Kendra hadn’t done anything to deserve having her name and reputation slated by the press. If they so much as hinted at a relationship between them, she would sue the bastards.
12.
SARAH SMILED, AND THEcameras flashed as she got into the car to leave Chalkstone Zoo. Kendra took the driver’s seat and set off, while their hosts clapped and cheered in the background. “You must be wasted.”
