Ann

 

 

~ One year later ~

 

 

I often wonder how differently things could have turned out.

What if I had never decided to write that story about Violent Delights? What if I had never decided to sign up for their catalog?

What if I had never met Jared King on that fateful day?

What if he had never met me?

Would he be a Congressman today? Maybe. Maybe he would have followed through with his plan to take on something new, to make his voice heard on a new playing field. If he didn't have to worry about his character credentials as much, if he hadn't been haunted by those demeaning rumors again and again. If politics was less about kissing ass left and right, less about making the right friends and displaying a proper but false picture of yourself, and more about substance, maybe he would have gone through with it.

But it isn't, and Jared is too much of a self-dependent businessman to comply with a set of rules that inherently forces him to do nothing but appear to be someone he isn't, until he's finally allowed to make his voice heard where it matters.

We talked about this a lot. After all, our whole arrangement was based on this campaign he was about to embark on. The campaign and preserving his public image were the main reasons for me to become part of his life. But neither one of us saw this coming.

Jared and I, we have a lot in common. Unfortunately, we also share a number of negative traits. We've both been lone fighters as long as we can remember, and neither one of us is used to taking another person into consideration when it comes to making big life decisions.

That's why I didn't find out about Jared's decision until after he finalized it. He no longer wanted to run for office, and instead focused on his business - and he made that decision all by himself.

"Letting go of my company didn't feel right from the start," he told me. "I guess in the end I am more of a businessman than a politician."

I will never forget the day he said that to me. It was a few weeks after he thought I'd be able to sell him out. Things were still shaky between us, but progressively moving forward, mainly because we both held on to that one goal.

To get him elected to Congress.

And then he pronounced that goal was dead, and all of a sudden, my position in his home was no longer dependent on a contract.

"What about us?" I asked him, fearing his answer.

And he just looked at me, raising his eyebrows in question. "What do you mean?"

I was so startled that I got mad at him for not understanding what I was asking.

"I'm here on contract, to help you become a Congressman," I said. "If you no longer plan to do that, then..."

He looked at me, standing there in his unbuttoned shirt, his tie loosened after a long day, his hair ruffled because I greeted him with a passionate kiss as soon as he walked through the door, and looking utterly confused. It's as if he completely forgot about our deal.

"I mean, you don't need me anymore, do you?"

I felt silly for saying it because I knew that it wasn't that easy. But I still needed him to say it.

Jared came over to me, and if he'd be any other man or we'd be any other couple, he would have given me a hug at that point, or a kiss. Instead, he reached up for my throat, not really choking me, but threatening to do so, and a dark smile graced his handsome face.

"You're not going anywhere," he whispered. "And if you try, I'll just have to tie you to the bed until you understand just how much I need you, Button."

I smiled at him then, and he closed his hand around my throat, squeezing gently.

"I don't think that'll be necessary, Sir."

And that was that. Neither of us is very good or practiced at talking about our feelings, especially toward each other. We worked around the L word for months, even though we both knew how we felt. When it finally did slip from my lips, it was right after he'd made me come, my hands tied at my back while he had his way with me, a collar closing in around my neck instead of his hand. He pulled at it, and when my climax hit me, the words followed on instinct. I was more shocked at it than he was. His only response was a repetition of the same, a whisper, heavy with meaning. "I love you, too, my little Button."

That was about three months ago, and since then, we've been acting like the most obnoxious couple in love, walking around with a silly smile and giving way to our insane desire for each other.

The fact the he's no longer running his political campaign had another pleasant side effect for me: I was able to work as a journalist again.

However, it wasn't easy to get back in the game, despite my initial excitement to do so. I'd only been out for a few months, but for a lot of newspapers and journals, that was long enough to forget about me. In some aspects, it was almost as hard as if I was starting out again, a completely fresh start. I no longer have to work for money, but I have to pick up stories that may not excite me, but could be crucial for bringing my name back into the game.

Jared has always been as supportive as he can be the entire time.

But I wonder what he will think about this one. I just finished up a phone call that could change my life, an opportunity so big that I never even dreamed of it. It was a pure coincidence, really, but I'm sure the fact that my name was brought into play can also be linked to my activities during the past year at the side of Jared King, the business prodigy who dipped his toe in the murky water of politics, just to realize that it wasn't for him.

I was asked to join the press team of yet another promising political figure, a candidate who's running for a much higher office than what Jared strived for. It's actually the highest office.

I was offered a chance to write for a presidential campaign. Of course, this is gigantic news, great news, but it comes with its own hardships and conditions. Traveling, for example. Working in an environment that Jared has actively secluded himself from. I'd be busy as hell, leaving less time to be with him, at least for a while. It would put our young relationship to a test, and I don't know what he'll think about it or how he’ll react.

It doesn't help that we're celebrating our anniversary today. We never had something that we'd classify as "the talk,” but both Jared and I agreed that the day he came home to me, finally realizing that I was not out to get him, and I had come to a similar realization of my own, that that day would be our day. It has been exactly one year since then, and it feels like almost a farce that I received this offer now. It's been in the talks for a few days, and being who I am, I didn't share any of it with Jared until now. I received the actual offer today. All I had to do was to say yes.

If only it was that easy.

Jared is at the office all day, but he's made reservations for us at the same restaurant where we met for the very first time. It's a special day, so I took extra effort to look good for him, wearing a new purple Gucci dress, and letting my long hair fall down over my shoulders in elegant curls. He loves it when I wear my hair down, and I'm sure he'll appreciate the work I put into making my hair curl this way.

I'm nervously pressing my purse against my abdomen, as if it was a barrier for protection. My nerves calm down a little, when I see the look on his face as I walk through the door.

"You look stunning," he greets me, getting up from his seat and placing his hands on my hips as he pulls me in for a kiss that may be a little too sensual for a public place. It does wonders for my shaky emotional state. I instantly feel calm and protected, confident that he'll support me no matter what.

He's wearing a black suit with a silver tie, his hair gelled neatly to the side, displaying his edgy undercut that I've always found extremely attractive. The suit must be new. I can't remember ever seeing him wear that particular suit.

He's a true gentleman when we're out in public, pulling the chair out for me and making sure that I have a glass of champagne in hand as soon as I'm seated.

Meanwhile, I feel like I'm going to burst if I don't tell him. We clink glasses, and he can tell by the way mine is shaking that there's something on my mind.

"Tell me," he says, ominously smiling at me. "What's troubling you?"

I throw him a coy smile. "There's no place for secrets with you, is there?"

He shakes his head. "Not when it matters. Now tell me, Button. I can tell that something is up."

I take a deep breath - and another sip from my glass of champagne. The restaurant is busy, and the dining area is dipped in warm candlelight and unobtrusive background music. We're sitting at a table at the far end of the dining room, rather secluded from everyone else right in front of a big window that allows for people watching on the street.

"I got a job offer," I begin, catching his attentive eyes. "A pretty good one."

He smiles. "That's great! What kind of job?"

"Working for a presidential campaign," I continue. "I was asked to join the press team for Gregory Coldman."

Jared arches his eyebrows. "Let me rephrase that: that's beyond great, Button! How the hell did you pull that off?"

I give him a cautious smile. "It's... I know it's great. But it would mean that I'd be busy as hell, and I'd have to do a lot of traveling, especially if he makes it as far as becoming a candidate."

Jared nods.

"I understand that," he says. "But it's a great opportunity for you, far bigger than what we are."

"Nothing is bigger than we are," I correct him, feeling slightly hurt at how easily he's ready to part with me.

His face changes into a solemn smile. "Of course, you're right. Which is exactly why you need to do this. If that is what you want."

"It is," I say. "I mean, I know you didn't exactly feel comfortable in that area, but I think it could be really exciting. And I wouldn't be gone that much, at least not at first. And if it ends up becoming super huge, then-"

"Then we'll deal with it," he finishes my sentence. He leans forward, fixating his attention on me with his dark eyes while reaching for my hands. "I'm so fucking proud of you."

I blush at his praise. Him telling me, the man I love, that he's "fucking proud" of me is the most wonderful thing I could think of. I never doubted his respect for me, despite the way our dynamics change once we're playing, but the way he looks at me now, the way he understands, respects, and loves who I am... what else could I ever ask for?

"But there's one thing that worries me," he adds, knitting his eyebrows.

"Yes?"

"You, out there, all by yourself," he says, his eyes locking onto mine. "My sexy Button, turning every man's head with her beauty, her sass, her talent. You're more than most men would ever dare ask for."

I blush and let out a helpless chuckle. "I don't think th-"

"Let's just make sure that everyone knows you're mine," he says, cutting me off.

I don't know what he's trying to say, until he gets up from his seat, still holding my hand while he walks around the table, coming to a halt right next to me.

"Jared, what..."

My voice breaks when he goes down on one knee, a smile that never lacks his characteristic obscurity appearing on his face.

"You're mine," he says. "My partner in crime, my equal, my savior, my everyday challenge, and my everyday delight."

He pauses, smirking at my reaction as he produces a little jewelry box from the inside pocket of his jacket and drops to his knee. He opens the box, revealing a simple twisted split band ring with a round diamond setting.

"Ann Porter, will you do me the honor of wearing this ring and letting the world know that you're my everything, my wife-"

"Yes!" I cut him off, before I drop down from my chair, falling right into his open arms, tears threatening to betray my idea about being a strong and self-sustained woman. "Yes, yes, yes."

"And here I was, thinking that this could be the last time you'd let me have the final word," he breathes into my ear. "My sassy Button."

"Never," I reply, between showering him with kisses. "You're mine just as much as I'm yours."