I just about dragged Evelyn into a conference room. I held her arm and she complained and resisted, but I had to find out what the fuck was going on, and I had to find out right the fuck now.

As I pushed her into the executive conference room, I thought about what Wendy and I did in there this morning and felt my cock start to stir. Settle down, boy, that's not happening again.

I slammed the door and turned around.

"Sit!"

She jumped and fumbled for a chair. "Goodness, Daryl, what on Earth has gotten into you? What can be so important? I have to introduce Victoria in ten minutes. I really don't have time-"

"Quiet!"

She jumped again.

"I didn't go to the Naval Academy so that I could be played, Evelyn."

"I don't-"

"Don't interrupt me!"

Evelyn shrank in her chair.

"I joined to serve my country. To get out of this small town. I didn't realize what I'd left here, but I think, now, that nobody ever realizes what they had until it's gone."

I paced the front of the room by the whiteboard.

"I didn't build a fortune from scratch so I could be played! I built my fortune so that I would have freedom, and I dreamed of passing on my knowledge."

I paused and cupped my hands behind my back.

"I didn't get into politics to further your ambitions, nor so I could be played, Evelyn! I went into politics so I could help kids get unstuck, to help them achieve what I've achieved, not to take my slice of the pie, but to make the pie bigger."

"That's good, Dar-"

"I said be quiet!" I felt my face flush. "This isn't a stump speech. This is quite possibly the moment your career goes flushing down the toilet."

Her hand started to shake and she moved it under the table.

"What are you afraid of, Evelyn?"

"I'm not afraid."

"You're shaking like a leaf."

I sat down across from her, leaned forward, folded my hands on the table.

"Did you make a deal with Vic Lobos to launder some of his money through my casinos in exchange for that dimwitted bimbo downstairs?"

She looked down.

"Answer me," I said calmly. Because if she didn't, I was going to have an epic meltdown.

"Yes," she said, barely above a whisper.

"What was that?"

"Yes! Yes, okay? You needed a wife, that was all! And I found one for you!"

"At what cost, Evelyn? At what cost?"

She started to cry. "Please don't hate me, Daryl. Please don't hate me. I did it all for you."

"No. You did it for you."

"You were nothing before me!"

I chuckled. I leaned back in my seat and started to laugh. It became a full belly laugh, loud and hearty.

Evelyn's face soured.

"It's my fault, really. In my pursuit of a political career, I turned a blind eye to what you were doing. I knew something was up, but I never thought you'd succumb to the wiley ways of Vic Lobos. I don't know exactly how he did it, but he finally got to me, Eve, he finally got to me. He won."

"You're scaring me, Daryl."

I stood up. "You should be scared, Eve, because the FBI has all of your emails."

Her hands started to shake harder. Tears streamed silently down her cheeks. "If I go down, you go down, Daryl. All the emails are from your account. I set up that meeting with you and Vic last year. I've already signed some deals in your name. If I go down, Daryl, you'll lose everything, and you'll go to jail, too."

"What does he want?"

"He wants his daughter off his hands. She's always around and, well, you saw how stupid she is, and she almost tanked several of his deals. I don't know the details, but she's a liability to him.

"But she's the perfect wife for someone like you, someone that doesn't really want a wife, someone that claims no woman is ever good enough for him, anyway. Vic has political connections, which probably means he has dirt on just about everybody, and can grease the wheels for us. All we have to do is sell shares of our properties to him... and take his daughter off his hands."

I leaned back. "You sold me out to win this election? You didn't think I could do it on my own?"

"I didn't want to risk it! Not again, I'm not losing again, not for you, not for anyone."

"If I don't marry Victoria, what does he do?"

"He probably fits us for some size 15 concrete shoes, Daryl. Or a shallow grave in the Nevada desert. Barring that, he sings to the feds in a plea deal the next time law enforcement is sniffing around his neck of the woods."

"You really fucked me, Evelyn."

"I'll organize a shareholder and board of directors revolt if you try to out me. Or if you try to fire me."

She really was evil.

I stood up. "Let's go, Ms. Malieux. I've got an engagement dinner to attend."

* * *

Evelyn made it back stage minutes before she was scheduled to make her announcement.

Wendy was seated at a table with Lisa. I wanted to apologize to her, but the lights went down and I lost my opportunity.

The emcee greeted everyone, made her statement, then introduced Evelyn.

She came out onto the stage acting like our conversation never happened - a big smile, waving to the audience, pointing out some of the VIPs in the front, thanking everyone for coming out tonight.

After she was done with the pleasantries, she asked for everyone's attention. A TV news crew aimed their cameras at the stage.

"I'm honored to inform you that tonight is very special. Not just for the special guests we've had, but for another reason, a wonderful reason, and we'll all have reason to celebrate in a minute. My friend and your next State Senator, Daryl Dinero has something to ask."

She stepped back from the mic, which was my cue to walk down the red carpet in the center of the ball room. More VIPs were seated along the carpet.

I caught Wendy's eye. Shit, I promised her that I wasn't getting engaged. I shouldn't have accused her of spying on me, or not believing in me. I was just angry that everything I had could be undone by Evelyn's conspiring with criminals.

Victoria came out from behind the curtain, looking radiant. Big smiles, bright white teeth behind bright red lipstick. Her hair had been done up and her skirt was tastefully short.

I felt nothing.

Wendy made me realize that I never would have been okay with a trophy wife. I lied to myself when I agreed to it. I lied to myself about a great many things in my life.

Blind ambition will be the death of me.

I got up on the stage, found the tape marks on the floor, and kneeled. I thought that there had to be something wrong with staging something that was supposed to be spontaneous and loving, something that was supposed to be such an important event in your life.

The threat of a shallow grave can really fuck with your head.

Victoria was a decent actress - she feigned surprise when I knelt and produced a small box.

This was wrong. So wrong.

The news crew and the audience snapped pictures. I tried to find Wendy in the crowd but was blinded by the lights.

A microphone was placed on a small stand so everyone could hear.

Evelyn was a brilliant strategist. No detail was missed.

I cleared my throat. "Victoria Lobos, will you marry me?"

Cameras flashed and silence fell across the ball room. I heard a chair scoot back and heels clicking across the floor towards and exist.

I'm so sorry, Wendy, I thought. I hope you'll forgive me.

"I will!" Victoria said.

I slid the ring onto her finger and kissed her. I smiled and looked out to the audience, waved.

In the rear doorway was the silhouette of a woman's figure. She watched for a moment and ran out of sight.

Balloons and confetti rained down onto the stage, they played "here comes the bride," the audience cheered, and we walked down the aisle, back toward our seats.

Lisa was just shaking her head. I didn't know what to say.

"Sorry I just got engaged and led Wendy on, but if I don't, I'm either dead or in jail?"

Back at the table, a stream of people came by to congratulate us.

Judge Chalmers shook my hand. "Congratulations, son. She's beautiful." He motioned for me to lean forward, whispered in my ear. "Don't marry this one. Marry the one I met earlier."

He looked me in the eyes and nodded, as if to say, I see what's going on here, I'm not new to the game.

And I knew this might be all for naught. The "Perfect Wife" strategy was a pipe dream concocted by a failure and paid for by my fortune. Or my life.

Victoria's voice irritated me. It was a little nasaly, not enough to really notice in passing, but more pronounced the more I listened.

And she got everyone's name wrong. Some just a little, some were way off.

"Just shake their hands and say 'thanks,' Victoria." I smiled at her and patted her leg.

"Ew, get off me." She pushed my hand away and whispered, "I only agreed to sex on your birthday and our anniversary. Which is going to also be on your birthday, FYI. And only missionary."

I've made a huge mistake.