Scandalous

“They’re on your desk. Do you want coffee or should I send out for breakfast?”

“Coffee will be fine. I want to get my notes together for the staff meeting.”

“I’ll be right in.”

Justin waved and nodded acknowledgment to the bevy of staff members that made up his team as he wound his way through the maze of offices that led to his own. Once inside the soundproof room, he hung up his coat, rounded his desk, and punched in the extension for Sean’s line.

“Good morning, Phillips here,” came the distinctly feminine voice.

Justin smiled broadly. “How can that man of yours ever get any work done if you’re in his office doing who knows what when I’m not looking?”

Khendra’s husky laughter filtered through the phone. “Who says we’re here to work? We just come in to get a change of atmosphere,” she teased, enjoying the bantering that went on between them. “I presume you want to speak to my handsome, brilliant husband,” she added, giving her husband a quick wink.

“Well, only if you’re not keeping him too preoccupied to talk to me, of course,” Justin joked.

“Let me just check and see if he wants to be distracted, by business, that is, this early in the morning.” Khendra chuckled. “Listen,” she said, switching gears, “I was just going over the reports on the Harrison murder case. I think we should take it, Justin. I know I can pull this off.”

“Great. Bring your notes. We’ll discuss it at the meeting.”

“Here’s Sean.”

“Hey, Justin. What’s up?” Sean’s voice came over the wire.

“I was hoping you, uh, had some free time this morning, before the meeting.”

Sean immediately caught the hitch of hesitation in Justin’s voice. His thick eyebrows arched. Justin was never hesitant about anything.

“Sure. You want me to stop in now?”

“Yeah. Barb is bringing in coffee. Have you had breakfast?”

“We just finished. I just need to make two short calls and I’ll be right down.”

“Thanks.”

“Justin?”

“Yeah, Sean.”

“Is everything all right? You don’t sound like yourself.”

Justin thought for a moment and almost laughed out loud. He wasn’t himself. “Everything’s fine. Better than fine. That’s what I want to talk with you about. See you in a few.”

Justin reached again for the phone. His smile was broad. This time he dialed an outside number to the local florist.

Shortly there was a light knock on Justin’s office door.

“Come in.”

Sean strutted in, the picture of polish, power, and control. Sean was a connoisseur of fine clothing. His instincts and tenacity when it came to criminal law could be paralleled only by his wife, Khendra. But Sean knew when to relax and enjoy the good life he’d built for himself. He spent hours in the gym and on the racquetball court, which was where he and Justin had met nearly eight years before. They’d become fast friends, sharing a variety of similar interests. Justin had come to rely not only on Sean’s legal judgment, but on his personal judgment as well.

“What’s up, partner?” Sean asked, breezing in and taking a seat opposite Justin.

Justin stood up, slinging his hands into his pockets. He turned dark eyes on Sean. “I’m thinking about making some…changes.”

Sean’s eyebrows rose in question. He remained silent and listened as Justin revealed a side of himself that Sean hadn’t known existed.

The morning flew by with blinding speed. Before Vaughn had completed half of her tasks for the day, it was time to meet her father for lunch. She’d had Tess order two jumbo salad specials, knowing that they would be both filling and in keeping with her father’s diet, which he readily ignored.

Her midday interview with Channel 6 had gone off smoothly; the statements she’d made to the reporter from the Herald would be in the next day’s paper. She’d gone through half her mail, returned nearly a dozen phone calls, and remained sane through it all. To cap off a morning of success, she’d just received a huge bouquet of two dozen red roses from Justin. The whole office was buzzing. And she knew that as soon as Crystal was finished with her meeting, she’d be beating down her door for some answers. She’d tried to call Justin to thank him for his thoughtful gift, but he was tied up in a staff meeting.

In the meantime, she had her father to deal with. She checked her watch. Ten to two. He’d be arriving in minutes. Vaughn straightened her desk and crossed the parquet floor to the small conference table that held their lunch. She looked over the array of salads, breads, and low-calorie dressings. Everything was in place.

The brief knock on the door signaled her father’s arrival.

“A little noisy around here today, I see,” Elliott commented, hanging up his coat on the rack. He took out his pipe and slipped it between his teeth.

Vaughn crossed the room and gave her father a quick kiss. “I took the liberty of ordering lunch,” she said, crossing to the table. “I thought we could eat and talk.”

Elliott took a seat without comment. He looked across at his daughter and waited for her to be seated.

“Would you like some spring water, or tea?” she asked nervously, the ominous look of her father rattling her. He waved the offer away. She sat down like an errant schoolgirl waiting to be reprimanded. She became angry at herself. She influenced all sorts of men and women and changed government policy. So, why did her father still have the ability to rattle her nerves?

“I want to get straight to the point of this meeting,” Elliott began without preamble. “I just received a report today on your activities over the weekend.”

For an instant she was sure she couldn’t have heard correctly. “You what?”

“You were seen at the docks on Saturday, with that Montgomery fellow in a very compromising position to say the least.”

Vaughn felt the heat of embarrassment and anger burn her face. She shot up from her seat. “Are you saying that you had me followed?” she asked, her voice rising in indignation and disbelief.

Elliott cleared his throat and shot her a thunderous look. “Let’s just say that your activities have been brought to my attention.”

Vaughn spun away, barely able to contain the fury and humiliation that welled inside her.

“Sit down!” Elliott ordered.

“I will not,” she tossed back, spinning around to confront him, her face a blanket of outrage. “How dare you? How dare you have me followed? What right do you have to interfere in my private life?”

“I have every right,” he countered. “Wasn’t your experience with Paul enough to teach you a lesson? And Brian,” he added. The impact of his last comment had the desired effect, he noted, as he saw her resistance crumble.

The cold, on-target remark was like a splash of ice water. Vaughn felt her eyes sting with tears that threatened to overflow. Her throat tightened. She would not allow him to see her cry. Never again, she vowed. She remained standing, stiff and defiant, meeting her father’s eyes head on.

“Vaughn,” he said, almost gently, “I have only your best interests at heart. I want to protect you. Now is not the time for you to get…involved.” He cleared his throat. “The last thing you need is for the tabloids to pick up on any relationships you may be having. They’ll eat you alive. You’ll have enough to contend with without the added burden of a relationship that couldn’t possibly go anywhere. For heaven’s sake, child, you only just met the man. I gave you more credit than that.”

“Did you really?” she asked hollowly. “I didn’t think you gave me much credit for anything, Daddy.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Of course I do. If I didn’t believe in your abilities, do you think I’d have guided your career for so many years? I want the best for you, sweetheart. But I want you to realize your ambitions before you make any commitments. You need to be sure of who you’re dealing with and ultimately of what they want from you. Everyone wants something, Vaughn; you know that as well as I do. It’s the nature of our lives. A mistake now could be disastrous for your career.”