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18
HARRISON
As I tee off on the third hole of the day, my body is weary, but my mind is racing. I have been having a shit round of golf with my brothers so far and just to prove that I am consistent, my ball now soars over the lush green of the fairway and lands with precision into the bunker.
“Shit,” I mumble, yet not at all disappointed. My smile is a mile wide because I can still smell her scent on my skin.
“That is a shit shot, asshole. Why the hell are you still smiling?” Tennyson says, looking at me, dumbfounded. I would say he is grumpy this morning, but he is always like this, so I just shrug and walk back to my bag.
“Did you get laid last night?” Ben asks, and Eddie laughs.
“None of your business,” I say to them, as I walk away from their glaring stares, throwing my club back into my golf bag and standing near the cart, waiting for the rest of them to take their shots. My emotions are a mix of delight at having Beth in my bed and tasting every inch of her body, to confusion at waking up to her gone.
She left me a note, telling me she had to get home, but I wish she had woken me. Clearly, all the exercise we did had me out cold, and I was looking forward to more of her this morning. But I know that one night is not the end, and a woman like Beth needs to have space to think through our decision.
I want her, in every way. But I also want to be governor and if I could win both, then that would be amazing, but since I am just starting my campaign, I can’t be seen publicly romanticizing a new woman, especially one who is on my team. No matter how much I want to be with her. She knows it, and I know it. So we will be professional out in the open, and I hope to repeat our activities from last night each and every night to come. I just hope she still feels the same.
Ignoring my brothers, I answer my vibrating cell, seeing it is Oscar. I have been waiting all day for his call. The first approval poll results of the governor campaign are being released today, and I need to know how I am positioned so early on in the campaign.
“The poll results are in,” Oscar says down the phone, and I am trying to interpret his tone.
“And?” I ask as Eddie comes to stand next to me, while my other two brothers are chatting to each other over near the golf tee. About work, no doubt.
“You're in the lead by a small margin. Your current approval rating sits at fifty-two percent, which is good. The opposition is sitting at forty-eight percent, though, so it is close.”
“That’s good. Are you happy with that?” I ask him as Eddie nods at me with a small but proud grin.
“It’s great, but we still have a bit of work to do. Have you seen the Baltimore Business afternoon edition?” he asks hesitantly.
“No. Why?” I ask him as Eddie gets busy bringing up the news outlet on his cell.
“They have a small story about you. About the event last night. It is fine, no issue, but you may want to look at the image they ran with. I’ve got to run, talk later,” he says, before he ends the call, and I look over Eddie's shoulder.
Up on his cell screen is a picture of Beth and I on the front page. She looks stunning, throwing her head back in laughter, me looking at her adoringly. I remember the moment clearly. It must have been taken when we were mid-conversation when we first arrived last night—before I got bombarded with people and dragged away from her. Eddie and Oscar were right next to us, but have been conveniently cropped out of the image.
Ben walks up, looking over Eddie’s other shoulder. “So, Beth, huh? You couldn’t keep your eyes off her last night.”
“Beth is great. Just don’t fuck it up,” Eddie says to me as he pockets his phone, and I wonder if he is talking about my campaign or Beth. I file it away to ask him later.
“She is hot. I wish I had spotted her first!” Tennyson adds, stepping into the conversation. Like a true bloodhound, his reputation as a lady’s man is almost as big as my father’s was. Nowheis a playboy. My eyes thin at him, while I try hard not to grind my teeth.
“Shit, you really like her? Does she mean something to you?” Tennyson prods, knowing he hit a nerve.
“The last thing I needed was her. The last thing I was looking for was a woman. You know that. But she flew into me and now she is all I can think about,” I say, running my hand down my face.
I grab a golf ball and my driver to take another shot. I might as well, my game can’t get any worse.
My three brothers watch me as I position myself at the tee and hit the ball strongly down the fairway again, but this time, it lands in the scrub at the side.
“Shit,” I say again, walking back to where they are standing.
“Get your head in the game and off your dick,” Tennyson jibes.
“What’s wrong with my dick?”
“Nothing, you have a great fucking dick, almost as big and beautiful as mine,” Tennyson says with a smirk.
“Can we just leave your dicks out of this?” Eddie chimes in from behind me.
