EMDS - #1 - A Congressman's Temptation (MxM)

c.4

We all headed downtown in support of my father. All of his hard work was for this moment. The results from tonight would show us who was who, and what to expect going into the general election. We entered into the government building and into my fathers’ study.

“ They’ll be bringing some food up for you guys in a bit, I know you’re starving. “ he told us.

“ Might as well get comfortable, it’s about to be a long night. “ Erica lied down on the small couch.

“ How long until voting closes? “ I asked my father.

“ About two hours. “ I nodded at his reply.

“ Come on now, Charles, just relax. “ my mother massaged his shoulders as he finally sat down in his chair. He let out a sigh as he seemed to begin relaxing. “ Everything is going to work out just the way it needs to. “

“ Maybe I brought you guys in too late? Maybe I...... “

“ Charles? “ she interrupted his rant. “ Everything will be fine. “

“ Okay. “

The two knocks on the door grasped our attention as the long cart of food was pushed inside. As Keenan, Erica, and my mother began attacking the small bar, my father floated over to his shelf and scanned the millions of books. Reading was something that always calmed him down. I placed the book that I was reading on the table and pushed myself off of the couch.

“ Just remember to breathe. “ I joked.

“ You would know. “ he chuckled. “ They probably have to tell you that all of the time. “

“ Yeah, that’s true. “ I began to run my finger along some of the necks of the books but stopped once the familiar titles struck my curiosity. “ How many of these have you actually read? “

“ s**t. “ he grabbed one book from the shelf and opened it to show me a table that he had made. It contained the dates that he started reading and the dates that he had finished. “ This will give you your answer. “

I pulled one of my books from the shelf, opening it to see that he had read it three times. I pulled another and he had read that one four times. I settled for one more and saw that he had read it only once. I looked at the cover and saw that it was my most recent.

“ You didn’t know I actually read your work, did you? “ I couldn’t respond. “ How could I not, ‘Lijah? “

“ Things just haven’t been the same, dad. I know we sat down and talked about it, but....nevermind. “ He grabbed the book out of my hand and placed it back on the shelf. He grabbed the one titled A Broken Child, which was almost a reflection of my life at home.

“ You know where you get this from? “ he waved the book. I didn’t know what he was referring to. “ God gave you your skills, but you get it from me if we’re referring to genetics. “

“ What are you talking about? “ I smiled a little.

“ Before I met your mother, I used to write little articles in the city newspaper. I was pretty damn good at it too. I read to each of you in the womb but I went the extra mile with you. Erica told me that one day, she had a dream that she would have a writer for a brother. Her reputation was unmatched, so I went with it. I told you what verbs were. Conjunctions. Sentence structure. Your mother loved it so much that she would look forward to it every night. She’d be sitting in bed, holding her belly just waiting for me. “ He recalled. “ And look at you now, ‘Lijah. I enjoy reading your work, even though I skip through the s*x scenes. I’m not there just yet. “ we both shared a laugh. “ The way your mother and I did things back then was what we thought was best. We figured that having a pre-organized life would be easier for all of you; neither of you wanted that. You still went off to L.A., your sister went to beauty school against your mother's wishes, and Keenan just didn’t listen worth a damn. " he smiled. " I’m proud of all of you, but you more than anyone else. It takes courage to be a black man in America, but it takes balls to be a homosexual black man in America. “

I embraced him as he embraced me back. I was on the verge of tears at that point, but I had to hold it all in. There was another knock on the door as my father and I let go of each other. Andrew walked in, followed by two other women. He greeted my family and made his way over to where my father and I were standing.

“ Are you ready, old friend? “

“ As ready as I’ll ever be. Why don’t you guys relax, we have some food here. “ they shook hands as Andrew moved over to sit down on the couch. My father returned to my mother and she looked over at me, giving me the eyes.

“ How are you? “

“ I’m good, and yourself? “

“ I’m missing you, that’s for sure. “ He used his hand to move his slick hair away from his face.

“ I miss you too. “ I smiled as I sat down beside him. “ I called you yesterday but you didn’t answer. “

“ My apologies. I literally worked from the time I woke up to falling asleep at my desk. “

“ I understand. “ I slapped his leg, lightly.

“ How’s your dad holding up? “ he stretched his arm across the back of the small couch. Bold he is.

“ He’s doing okay. My mother is the only thing keeping him sane. “

“ I can only imagine. I admire the solidarity of their relationship. They feed off of each other. “ He held my hand in his and interlocked our fingers.

“ What are you doing? “ I panicked, looking back and forth between him and my father.

“ I got this. Just sit here and look good, as you always do. “ he sighed as I re-opened my book and picked up my reading.

After about two hours, the sun had set and the polls were finally closed. They were now tallying up the votes. The anticipation that had subsided just hours before was back in raging effect. My father wouldn’t even sit down at this point and it was driving my mother crazy. The television displayed the news as they changed the scene to the reporter.

That’s right, Jim, all votes have been counted and confirmed. Three names have been tossed into the ring for the candidacy. Of course, we have Senator Dexter who led the polls with a ninety-two percent turnout this evening. He has made history as the very first Florida Senator to accomplish this. We congratulate you and we wish you the best of luck!

We all clapped and cheered for just a moment before she began talking again.

Right on the heels of our current Senator, we have Congressman Peter Whitman.

“ What? “

“ Are you serious? “ Andrew mumbled as he stood up and walked closer to the television. They watched the reporter smile and gesture as she continued to describe the man.

Peter polled in at a ninety percent, which is a major turnaround for the Congressman. He’s had a few bumps in the road, but Peter is proving that he is not going down easy. Good luck to you, Peter.

My father immediately grabbed his phone, I assume to call ‘Mere. I walked over to my mother as everyone else stood still.

“ So what does this mean? “ I knew what it meant, but I knew that there was more to the story.

“ Lord knows I don’t like to get y’all caught up in this business. “ she mumbled. “ I’m sure your father told you about the influence that Peter has on this state. The Whitman's claim to have controlled it once upon a time, but we can’t confirm nor deny. All we know is that Peter and his family are big on the scene, and for him to poll at ninety percent is proof enough, especially after all of the damage he’s caused. It’s tricky because no one knows if that ninety percent is family, people who still believe that he’s a good man, or if he’s just trying to prove a point. “

“ I think it’s more him trying to prove a point. “ Erica chimed in. “ This is the primary election, we all knew that dad would have the highest polling activity. What we need to worry about is how Peter got ninety percent without being on the ballot. “ her words had us lost in thought for a moment, but when it came to us, everyone in the room spoke at once.

“ Write-in. “

“ Really? I can’t imagine that many people writing his name in, it’s almost impossible. “ Keenan questioned.

“ The way the votes get counted is very unconstitutional. There is a hidden clause that states if a write-in candidate can prove to be qualified to serve in that position, their votes are doubled. Thirty to fifty votes can win an election. “ Andrew explained.

“ Basically, his family could have been the ones to drop his name in the ballot box, and because there are enough of them and he has enough experience, it gets counted. “ my mother finished. She walked away to go find my father leaving Erica, Andrew, and I.

“ You think this changes anything? “ I turned to her.

“ No, it doesn’t change a thing. Dad is going to win, but his journey to victory is not going to be easy at all. “ she forewarned. “ Which brings me to you two: stop what you’re doing before it’s too late. “

“ What are you talking about? “ I expected Andrew to speak up but he didn’t say anything.

“ It may seem like everything is perfect now, but there is something bigger on the horizon. “

Andrew stormed off as I glared at Erica. She just shrugged and returned back to sitting on the couch. I rushed into the hallway and made my way towards Andrew’s office. I gently knocked on the door and walked inside once he gave me the green light. He swiveled left to right in his giant leather chair, looking down at the city from his window.

“ She didn’t mean it...... “

“ She’s right. “ he replied. “ I’m not upset or anything, it’s just....... “ he hesitated for a moment. He then turned around to face me. “ Maybe we’re moving too fast, kid. We’re taking a huge risk and it scares me. It scares me that I can’t pull away from you. “

“ I’m scared too. “ I cooed. I slowly inched closer to him. “ We’re both in the same boat. You have a huge reputation and image to uphold, and the last thing I ever want to do is mess up what you’ve worked almost your whole life for. That’s why I’m being patient because I know how this can be. “

“ You are on my mind constantly, Elijah. When I go to sleep at night, I’m thinking about you. I think about you so much that I dream about you. I get so angry with myself when I miss your calls or don’t reply to your messages. “

“ Andrew, I told you that it was fine, okay? I miss you even more, but I know that your career comes first. “

“ But I don’t want you playing second to my career. Why can’t I have both? “

“ We will never know unless we try. “ I told him. “ We can figure this out together. “

“ Come here. “ he gestured for me to come and take a seat on his lap. I brushed my fingers through his hair as he held on to me. He sighed, losing his tenseness and submitting to the moment. “ We need a vacation. “

“ What did you have in mind? “

We were interrupted by a loud thud erupting from the hallway. The voices started out as whispers and then increased to two baritone instruments. One of the voices I recognized to be my father.

“ You think this s**t is fun and games? “ my father asked him.

“ Charlie, we both know how this is going to go. “ Peter replied. “ Does it truly matter how I got the votes? “

“ It does and you know it, Peter. Don’t sit here and act like you don’t know how the game is played. How did you talk them into allowing you to use the clause? “

“ Once you stop denying the fact that I am qualified to do this job, then you will understand. “

“ That’s a damn lie! “ my father yelled.

“ Easy, easy. “ Peter clicked his tongue. “ Don’t want anyone to find out that we’re meeting like this. “

“ What do you want, Peter? “

“ My son to marry your daughter. “

“ What pile of bullshit did you fall into this morning? “

“ We all know what you need at this point, Charlie: you need my vote. The thing is that I may not win, but you and everyone else in the city know that I can come pretty damn close with the impact that I have. We all adore the work that you do, trust and believe me, but all I have to do is snap a finger and you can be tossed from this election. “ he snapped his finger. There was a moment of silence before he continued. “ My son wants to try this whole government business on for size, and an endorsement from the senator is the only way that his son-in-law can be guaranteed a liable position on the bench. “

It was quiet again. Too damn quiet. I started to stand up but Andrew pulled me back down.

“ Your father is not going to do it. “ he assured me in a tone that told me it wasn’t up for debate. I remained quiet.

“ I’m not doing this with you. Every time I lend a helping hand, I get pulled into the mess. Not this time. “ I heard my father turn to walk away.

“ You’ll regret this, Charlie. “

Once the footsteps ceased to echo through the hallway, we just looked at each other. I got up and walked away from his office and back to my fathers’ study. He and my mother were having a very focused conversation. Erica and Keenan sat on the couch, scrolling through social media.

“ And where have you been? We’ve been looking all over for you? “ my father questioned me.

“ I was out getting some fresh air. “ I looked him in the eye. I had the sudden urge to bite my lip, but I had to hold back if I wanted him to believe me.

“ Well ‘Mere is coming to drive you guys back to the house. “

“ You’re not coming? “ he looked at my mother as if she had asked a stupid question. I was shocked.

“ I have some arrangements I need to make. “ he walked away as both my mother and I had that same look of fear.

“ What’s going to happen? “

“ He didn’t tell me. He tells me everything. “ I wanted to tell her about what I had witnessed, but I didn’t feel that it was the right time. “ Whatever it is, I just think he’s trying to re-work it so that it aids him instead of hurting him. “

After a dreading fifteen minutes, ‘Mere pulled up to the front in my fathers’ truck. We climbed inside as he pulled away to the house. For some reason, I examined ‘Mere. He always wore a black hat, with black sunglasses and black clothes. My father always introduced us to the people that worked for him but that wasn't the case with ‘Mere.

“ How come we’ve never met ‘Mere? “ I whispered to my mother.

“ ‘Mere is for business. “

“ That’s it? That’s all you got? “

“ Some things don’t need to be explained. “ I could hear the force and frustration in her voice. I rolled my eyes, leaning my head against the window, and admired the scenery that sped by.

We made it to the house and scurried inside. I walked up the stairs, searching my closet for something to wear. Just as I was about to jump into the shower, my phone beeped. I pressed the home button to reveal the message from Andrew asking me to meet him at a small bar located on the outside of town. I had heard about it but was never able to get there.

“ Wherever you’re going, I’m tagging along. “ Erica walked into my room, unraveling her last pin curl.

“ I’m not going alone, I was....... “

“ I know who you’re going with. “ she smiled. “ Like I said, I’ll be tagging along. “

I shrugged, hopping into the shower and then moisturizing before slipping my clothes on. Before we had left the house, I texted Andrew to let him know that I wouldn’t be alone and he said that would be okay. I grabbed the keys to my fathers’ BMW and we headed towards Panama City Beach. The drive there was silent.

“ Had s*x yet? “ she asked me once we finally pulled onto the gravel pathway.

“ No we haven’t had s*x, and why would you want to know? “ I sassed.

“ I realize that my tone tonight may have been misconstrued. I wasn’t being a b***h, I was just telling you what I was told. You’re not the only one that’s going to catch hell during these next three months. “

“ What do you mean? “

“ Damn, look at your man looking all good? “ she brushed the question off as she rushed out of the car. “ Hey, Andrew! “

“ Erica, nice of you to join us. “ they hugged as I walked over to where they stood. He pecked my lips lightly as he pulled me into him. “ You smell good. “

“ So do you. “

I hadn’t noticed how long we stood there staring at each other until Erica’s grunt pulled us back into reality. We walked along the gravel until the draped lights peeked from behind the trees, revealing the small wooden dock.

“ Do you own this place too? “ I asked sarcastically.

“ I wish. “ he chuckled. “ This is just another place I can come to get away from it all. Nobody really knows me here. “

“ Well, I see something that I’m trying to get to know. “ Erica shimmied over to the empty bar and began flirting with the bartender. He fumbled to get her a drink as she sat down and they continued to converse. Andrew grabbed my hand and guided me over to the crowded dance floor. The band changed their set to an acoustic version of No One by Alicia Keys. The young lady cleared her throat before she began singing.

“ I’m in love with the vibe of this place. “ he gently placed his hand on my waist as we began to sway.

“ I knew that you would. “ he smiled and I blushed. “ You’re so cute. “

“ Whatever. “ I rolled my eyes.

“ Hey, love birds? “ Erica sang as she danced on the tall, caramel gentleman. He had brown hair that was curled and kinky, and green eyes that could make someone tell the truth by staring into them. His buff arms were stained lightly with tattoos that flowed down to his toned legs, which showed through his heavily distressed jeans.

“ Who might this be? “ I pointed as she continued to dance against the music causing Andrew to laugh.

“ This is Glenn. Glenn, this is my fine ass brother and his soon to be husband. “ Glenn gave both of us a nod before he followed behind Erica to the middle of the floor.

“ Is she always like this? “

“ Sadly. “ I shook my head.