His gentle snore, the warm solidity of his body curled around hers, the kiss he greeted her with in the morning, and if they had time, some wake-up sex. Georgie now had a whole new appreciation for wake-up sex. And shared showers. And drinking coffee sitting at the breakfast bar in Clay’s kitchen.
“We are in sooo much trouble,” she told her reflection in the mirror.
Racing through her morning routine, she was out the door, travel cup in her hand, and headed for the Metro well before her normal time. With fewer commuters to contend with, she arrived at the office almost an hour early. The security guard at the door greeted her with a smile as she folded her umbrella. With a wink, she passed him a vanilla chai from the coffee shop next to the Metro station, where she’d gotten a refill before walking to the building.
The door to Clay’s office wasn’t locked and she wondered if Evelyn, his secretary, had also come in early. None of the other staff had keys.
“Ev, it’s just me.”
No one answered her greeting. Moving cautiously, she headed deeper into the warren of offices. Maybe the “boys” had come back early. Ev’s desk, situated just outside Clay’s office, was empty and showed no signs of being recently occupied. His door was closed and locked, with no light showing beneath it. The hair on the back of her neck prickled as she crept down the hallway. Boone’s office, next to Clay’s, was also devoid of life. She heard a loud thump and muttered curse. The sounds came from her office, through the partially opened door. Her office should have been locked, too.
Georgie pulled out her phone and scrolled to the number for the senate security office. Her thumb hovered over the call button as she peeked through the door.
A man in a well-tailored business suit was pulling things off the shelves in her bookcase. He was in his midthirties and nice-looking in a slick, Madison Avenue way. A woman, a bit older, also in an expensive black power suit, stood behind her desk emptying every personal item on her credenza into a box.
Georgie hit Call, her presence announced when she spoke into her phone. “This is Georgeanne Dreyfus. There are intruders in Senator Barron’s office. I need security code red.”
The couple paused and exchanged a look. Then they looked her up and down. The man’s expression turned speculative while the woman dismissed her out of hand with a curled lip and a sniff.
“Why are you here?” the woman asked, obviously the one in charge.
“This is my office. I’ll ask the questions.”
“No, this is my office. You’ve been fired. You were supposed to be cleared out by now so I could move in.”
“Fired?”
“Yes, fired. As in your services are no longer required, what with the senator running for president and all. Mr. Barron assured us that we’d have access starting today.”
“Mr. Barron? The senator’s father?”
“Is there another Mr. Barron?” The woman looked at Georgie as if she was a total idiot.
“I don’t work for Mr. Barron. I work for the senator.”
A male voice called from the reception area, “Miss Dreyfus?”
“Back here, officer.”
Her friend from the front door and another guard appeared. “You got a problem, ma’am?”
“I do, yes. I am Sylvia Camden.” The woman spoke before Georgie could. “I’m in charge of the senator’s campaign. This woman has been fired. We are packing up her personal items to make sure she takes nothing of a proprietary nature with her. You will stand by until we are done so you can escort her from the premises.”
Georgie felt her mouth drop open and her eyes widen at the woman’s audacity.
“Ms. Dreyfus?” The guard looked uncertain now.
Punching her phone again, she called Boone, making sure the call was on speaker.
“Hey, sugar. What’s up?”
“Boone, is the senator nearby?”
“Sittin’ across the table from me havin’ breakfast. Why?”
“Would you put me on speaker? You both need to hear this.”
“Georgie?” Clay’s voice washed over her and she had to remember to breathe.
“Sorry to interrupt your meal, sir, but we have a situation at the office.”
“What’s wrong?” His voice sharpened.
The woman strode up next to Georgie and in a strident voice announced, “Senator Barron, I’m Sylvia Camden, your campaign adviser. This woman has been fired and we’re clearing out her office.”
“Georgie, do you have security there?”
“Yes, two officers.”
“Good. Then they can hear me. Ms. Camden does not work for me. She is to be escorted from the building and banned.”