One whole week had passed since they'd left D.C. and hit the campaign trail. Meredith had been growing increasingly restless. She was still trying to cope with the sudden change in the lifestyle she'd known in college.

Sure, she was no stranger to sleep deprivation back in New York. But that had been due to late nights spent partying or studying. Here, her lack of sleep was all because of work. Being on the road constantly hadn't helped either.

Stepping off the bus, she dug in her bag for her phone and dialed Mitch, her editor. She needed to check in with him and report on all the information she'd gathered about Elijah Scott so far. It wasn't much, but maybe Mitch would find some of it useful.

Wheeling her suitcase into the hotel, Meredith’s expression turned sour when she heard Mitch's only question for her.

“Have you heard anything about Elijah's love life?” he asked. She almost tripped and stumbled.

“Can't say that I have,” Meredith replied, careful to keep her tone neutral. But her face must have given away her distress, since Sosie looked at her and frowned. Meredith quickly plastered a smile on her face and nodded as Sosie handed her the key to her room.

“Oh come on, Meredith. You have to have heard something by now. A guy like that is irresistible to women,” he replied as she got in the elevator.

Of course he was irresistible to women. She had firsthand knowledge of that fact, not that she could tell Mitch how she'd come by that knowledge.

“I know, Mitch. But I haven't heard anything about it yet,” she said apologetically. “Besides,” she added, “I hardly even see Elijah.” She hoped he would just drop it.

She got off the elevator on the fifteenth floor and quickly headed straight to her assigned room. She was so tired she just wanted to collapse into bed and sleep until tomorrow.

“Dig around some then, would you? See if you can get him alone. Do whatever it takes to make him talk. You know, use your charms,” he suggested as she stopped in front of her room.

Meredith scowled, completely offended. What did he take her for?

She bit her tongue to keep from swearing at him. But she knew he hadn't meant anything by it. He was just doing his job, and part of that job was nagging the field reporters. God, she couldn't wait for this summer to just end already.

Meredith took a deep breath, trying to stay calm.

“I'll do it my way, Mitch. And you know as well as I do you wouldn't have suggested that if I were a guy,” she grumbled.

He laughed, and she grit her teeth in annoyance.

“Don’t take it personally, Mer. It’s just part of the job. I know that every editor is asking their reporters the same thing.”

“I know. And I understand. Look, I'll call you when I get something, okay?” she said, then hung up. She couldn't stand to hear any more nagging, especially when she already knew what needed to be done.

Getting inside her room, her mood lightened somewhat upon seeing the freshly made bed. Finally, she'd have some downtime alone. Forget about grabbing a shower and dinner – that was time she'd rather spend getting into pajamas and sleeping.

She checked the time, then flopped onto the bed. It was five in the afternoon. She thought she'd call Lily and see how she was doing. It had been awhile since they'd last talked.

After a few rings, Lily answered, sounding very hoarse and tired.

“Hello?”

“Hey. Is this a bad time?” Meredith asked when Lily’s face registered on her screen. She looked disheveled, but still beautiful.

Lily yawned.

“No, no. I’m just about to go to bed, actually,” she said, settling against a pillow.

“What? Didn't you just go to your yoga retreat?” Meredith asked. How late – or early – did her friend intend to stay awake?

“Hah! No. Bali is like… party central, Mer. Tonight, I went to this party on a billionaire’s yacht… it was craaaaazy!” Lily informed her, her expression completely changing. She looked excited just by the thought of said gathering.

Meredith couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy. She should be there, living it up with Lily, not spending her summer working her ass off.

“Really?” she asked excitedly, wanting to hear about more of her friend’s getaway trip.

“Yeah. Gosh, I’m going to need a yoga retreat after all this partying! It’s exhausting,” Lily replied after an exaggerated sigh, making her smile. “But enough about me, what about you? How’s the life of a journalist?”

She rolled her eyes. She didn't want to talk about it. It wasn't like there was anything to brag about, unlike Lily's trip.

“Well, I’m on a presidential campaign…”

“And?”

“And… well, you absolutely can’t say anything…”

“You already hooked up with someone, didn’t you?” Lily interrupted.

“Let me finish, will you?” Meredith said, irritated.

“Okay,” Lily responded, giggling.

“Hmm… remember your goodbye party?” she started out, not really sure how to properly spill the beans about Elijah Scott.

“Yeah.”

“You can’t tell anyone. Swear,” Meredith said.

“I swear! Now tell me already!” the redhead ranted impatiently.

This wasn't going to be easy. But at least she had someone to talk to about it. She really needed someone to confide in, because the whole thing was driving her crazy.

Or more accurately, Elijah Scott was driving her crazy.

“I recognized someone here from the party,” she said.

“What? Who?”

“The candidate. Elijah Scott,” Meredith answered after a moment of silence. And she wanted to take back her words when Lily bolted up in bed. Her best friend was the one of the worst gossip girls she had ever known.

“Wait, really?”

“Yeah,” she reaffirmed.

She'd thought about telling Lily that Elijah was the man she'd given a drunken lap dance to, the man she'd almost slept with that night. But Meredith decided not to say anything after all.

“No way. No freaking way! That’s… what do the papers call it?” Lily said, completely losing it as she tried to search for the proper words. “A big scoop!” she said finally.

She rolled her eyes.

“Right, because I'm totally going to tell the world I was at a secret sex party,” she said sarcastically. She added, “My dad would kill me, let's be real, Lily.”

“Whatever,” Lily said, pouting. Then she perked up. “Is he at least sexy?” she asked.

Meredith fell silent, picturing Elijah. His devastatingly handsome smile, his muscular physique.

Sexy didn't even begin to describe him.

“Holy shit! He totally is! I can tell by your expression!” Lily crowed.

There was no point in lying. Lily knew her all too well.

“Shut up.”

“Ooohhhh, Mer and Elijah, sitting in a tree –“

“Okay. Okay. He’s hot! But don’t forget, you promised not to tell a soul. I mean it, Lily,” she warned. Lily grinned.

“Cross my heart, hope to die,” Lily replied, doing the corresponding hand gesture then yawned.

“Okay. I’m going to let you go. Call me sometime, though! I want to hear about all the fun I’m missing out while I’m on the trail,” Meredith said, feeling guilty for postponing her best friend’s beauty rest.

She was sure Lily’s schedule was hectic. But unlike hers, each day would be filled with laughter and meeting new people. Endless drinking, dancing and partying. She was so freaking jealous of her!

Lily batted her lashes before pressing the bridge of her nose, fighting the urge to fall asleep immediately.

“Okay, I’ll try not to get another best friend while you’re off with Romeo,” Lily teased, making her blush.

“Shut up.”

“You shut up.”

“Alright, bye,” Meredith said with a smile before ending the call.

“Romeo, huh?” she said to herself, chuckling. If only, she thought.

Her thoughts were disturbed by a knock on her door. Quickly, she opened it and saw Sosie standing outside.

“Uh… hey,” she greeted hesitantly, looking up and down the hall. Maybe Sosie had been looking for someone else and knocked on her door by mistake.

The woman eyed her for a moment, then handed her a garment bag. Meredith stared at it, confused.

“Get dressed. You're coming with us to a charity dinner tonight. You'll be taking Marie's spot; she isn't feeling well.” Meredith didn't even think of trying to argue with Sosie. Not that Sosie would take no for an answer, she suspected.

“How long do I have to get ready?” she asked, awkwardly trying to hold the bag.

“Fifteen minutes, max,” she responded after a quick glance on her phone. “I’ll text you the info for the venue. I’ll see you there,” Sosie added before turning on her heels and marching away from Meredith’s door.

Rushing back inside her room, Meredith pulled out the dress from the bag. Her jaw practically dropped to the ground as she stared at a gorgeous black gown. It looked simple, yet elegant. And she was confident she’d look stunning in it.

Aside from the gown, there were a couple of accessories inside the bag. But she settled for the simplest one – a black choker with an oval pendant that had a black crystal at the center.

A smile crept onto her mouth as excitement engulfed her. She thought that maybe this campaign wasn’t so bad after all.

Stripping off her clothes, Meredith did her best to look presentable in the short amount of time she had. She'd had to skip a shower since there wasn't enough time, but she could at least wash her face and brush her teeth before applying fresh makeup.

She was determined to look her best.

Well, not really her best best – for now – since she didn’t have a choice about what to wear. But at least she could try to make do with what she had.

After roughly ten minutes, she was surprised to find herself fully dressed and prepared as she stared at her reflection in the mirror.

Lily’s going to freak out once she hears about this, she thought while grabbing her purse with the essentials in it – cellphone, credit cards and a bit of cash.

She had the concierge summon a cab for her. Checking the time on her phone, she was glad to hear the venue wasn't far from their hotel.

When the cab pulled over, she got off without hesitation, fully unaware that it was a red carpet event she'd be attending. Meredith shielded her face from the blinding camera flashes with her purse.

Just as she got used to the photographers, a limo pulled over in front of her.

She found herself breathless when Elijah emerged, leaving her speechless at how handsome he was. He looked like a panther in his black ensemble. His broad shoulders were apparent, as was his lean body.

She thought she’d look even better by his side, walking down the red carpet together.

But her fantasy immediately vanished when Sosie got down from the limo. She was wearing a burgundy satin gown, which looked amazing on her.

Right. How could she forget about the gorgeous campaign manager? As much as Meredith didn’t want to think about it, she could sense that Sosie was definitely interested in Elijah. Just like every other woman he meets, she thought, rolling her eyes.

Clutching her purse, she took a deep breath and managed to crack a smile when the two noticed her presence. She would have turned and walked away already if she didn't think it would be inexcusably rude.

Until…

“Good evening, Meredith,” Elijah greeted her, shooting her a huge grin. “Glad you made it,” he added, looking her up and down admiringly.

She nodded when her eyes met his grey ones.

There was something in his stare that made her shudder in anticipation. Something that sent her messages of carnal awareness, like he found her to be the sexiest person alive.

Her stomach fluttered at the idea. An unfamiliar sensation engulfed her. It wasn’t lust or happiness.

Instead, she was flattered.

She must have been crazy, but that’s what she sensed.

Elijah Scott wanted her.

“Thank you for inviting me,” she replied, trying her best to keep her expression polite and neutral.

Elijah beamed at her, and Sosie scowled.

But it didn't bother her one bit. She knew why Sosie was acting that way.

The two turned and made their way down the red carpet, leaving Meredith behind. But somehow, she didn’t feel so out of place.

After all, she loved a good party.