Inside This House
© 2007 by Linda Crist
Chapter 16
Two wave-runners rounded the boathouse and shot around the cove, their occupants laughing wildly as they spun in circles, finally coming to a stop at the dock. It was a glorious October weekend, sunny and in the 70's. Kennedy coasted into the boathouse and tied the personal watercraft off to a cleat, then hoisted herself up onto the dock next to her, as Carson followed.
"That was awesome!" Carson smiled, raking a hand back through her wet hair, ordering it.
"Hot tub?" Kennedy gave a tug to the long zipper pull at the back of Carson's short black and purple wetsuit. Though the sun was warm, the water was already cool, but the two women couldn't resist the chance to let off a little steam under the perfectly cloudless, blue sky.
"How about a hot shower?" Carson glanced at her watch. "It's less than two hours until we have to be there."
"Is it that late?" Kennedy looked at her own watch. "Sure is. Wish we could blow it off."
"I know." Carson reached out and took her hand. "But Chip's been working so hard since you got him reinstated. Besides, I think it might be fun."
"An interfaith harvest celebration?" Kennedy studied her quizzically.
"It's better than a banquet with rubber chicken on the menu," Carson retorted.
"True," Kennedy acquiesced. "At least we don't have to get dressed up. You know Sanderson's going to be there, don't you?"
"Yeah. I know." Carson twined their fingers, swinging their arms as they made their way up the back steps to the house.
"It doesn't bother you?" Kennedy held the door open as they entered the house.
"It did at first, but then I decided to not let it get to me. Auditorium Shores is a big place. Hopefully we won't be running into him at every turn." Carson paused and picked up Daisy, who was happily trailing at her heels. She gave the dog a snuggle. "Besides, I'm looking forward to dancing with you under the stars."
"Even in front of Sanderson?" Kennedy poured food into the animals' bowls, watching as Carson set Daisy down and she joined the others in a tail-wagging happy meal.
"Especially in front of Sanderson." Carson filled a couple of water bowls and set them near the laundry room.
"Good." Kennedy followed her into the other side of the house. "Because I was thinking it was time for people to see us being a couple. They've seen us at formal dinners and seen us standing together. They've even seen our rings on television. But I don't think they've seen us being romantic together. Before those folks make their way to the voting booths, they need to understand that I am part of a couple."
"You think they don't see that now?" Carson shed her clothing and stepped into the shower, dropping the wetsuit in the corner to rinse out later.
"No, I don't. I think they see me as a single woman sharing a house with a female roommate." Kennedy reached around her, turning on the water. "Ah, that feels good." She stepped under the warm stream, peeling off her own wetsuit and tossing it next to Carson's.
"You think they see what they want to see?" Carson poured shower gel onto a natural sponge and scrubbed Kennedy's back as it was offered to her.
"Yeah, I do." Kennedy turned, returning the favor as the shower washed the citrus-scented suds down the drain. "They can hear me say we're engaged all day long, but I don't think most of them see it as the same thing as when they got engaged. I want that to change."
"Speaking of --" Carson closed her eyes as Kennedy washed her hair, tilting her hair back to rinse. "I was thinking." She turned, handing Kennedy a razor. There were some things a woman had to do for herself.
"Yes?" Kennedy propped her leg up on a step designed for just such purposes, lathering up with shaving lotion before she drew the razor carefully up and along her skin in smooth even strokes.
"I was thinking Gillette would sell a million razors if I filmed this and sent it to them." Carson laughed and Kennedy smiled, graciously accepting the compliment. "No, I was thinking, why don't we just have the joining ceremony here, outside by the water?"
"Might be cold in winter." Kennedy finished shaving her other leg and laid the razor aside.
"I was thinking about that, too." Carson picked up her own razor. "Whistler is going to be freaking cold in winter. We should wait for spring - have a nice ceremony here where it's warm, then go up to Canada for spring skiing."
"Hmmm." Kennedy washed her own hair, since she'd have to stoop for Carson to do it. "That might be perfect. Maybe we could build a gazebo down by the lake."
"Ooooo. I like that idea." Carson rinsed shaving gel off her legs and stepped closer. "Get joined here."
Kennedy wrapped both arms around her. "And then get married there." She tilted her head, kissing Carson, lightly nibbling, tasting a hint of the lemonade they'd drank at lunchtime. "You know." She kissed Carson again. "If they could see us now, I don't think they'd have nearly as difficult a time with the concept that we're a couple."
"If they could see us now, half of them would die of heart attacks." Carson nuzzled Kennedy's breast. "Lot fewer people to worry about that way."
"You know what I think?" Kennedy slipped her knee between Carson's legs.
"We're going to be late for the festival?" Carson continued exploring the curves at eye level.
"Yep." Kennedy shivered pleasantly as Carson teased her with a series of little nips. "And we're leaving it early."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was a perfect fall evening: slightly cool but not cold, and clear skies. The sun was starting to set and a light breeze could be felt blowing off Town Lake. Carson passed a canopy covering rows of picnic tables where children were painting faces on jack-o-lanterns. She paused near the edge, watching as two twin red-headed boys eagerly painted a ghoulish red and black devil face on a rather large pumpkin. One of the boys became frustrated with his brother's interference, and reached across, slopping a big, red streak across his brothers left cheek. Carson laughed lightly.
The boys' mother shook her head, then looked up and smiled. "You have kids here?"
"No, no kids. Not yet at any rate." Carson looked down at her ring.
"But you plan on having them?" The woman stood, swiping her hands on an apron provided by Whole Foods Market, their logo emblazoned across the front. "I'm Joelle, by the way. We just moved here from San Francisco. My husband designs computer hardware and was hired by Dell."
"Nice to meet you, I'm Carson." Carson held out her hand. "We do plan on having kids, but not for a while. We're getting married early next year."
"Oh, congratulations!" Joelle shook her hand and flipped back long, light brown hair that came to her waist. "Is your fiancé here?"
"Yes." Carson looked over toward Kennedy, who was standing about thirty yards away, leaning against a pecan tree, surrounded by a group of people all eagerly asking questions. "Over there."
"Talking to Ms. Nocona?" Joelle followed Carson's gaze.
"You know her?" Carson asked in surprise.
"I haven't met her personally, but my husband Jack and I live in Lago Vista, in her district. We've been volunteering for her campaign." Joelle hesitated. "I hope that doesn't put you off. I know there are a lot of Republicans in this area, but where we come from -- it's nice to be able to campaign for someone who shares our values."
"Not put off at all." Carson felt a huge grin tugging at her own lips. "My fiancé isn't talking to Ms. Nocona, my fiancé IS Ms. Nocona."
"Oh, wow. Wow!" Joelle gushed. "I can't believe I didn't recognize you. We've seen you a few times with her on TV. Jack!" She looked over toward a picnic table where a group of men were sitting, drinking cold longnecks and tossing darts at a board nailed to a tree. A tall red-headed man looked up. "Jack, honey come here. I have someone I'd like to introduce to you."
Jack said something to one of his companions, then amiably joined Carson and Joelle. "Hello, I'm Jack." He held out his hand.
"Honey, this is Kennedy Nocona's fiancé." She turned to Carson. "I'm sorry, what is your name again?"
"No worries. I’m Carson." Carson gave Jack's hand a firm shake. "Nice to meet both of you. You know, since we all live in Lago Vista, y'all should come over to the house for dinner one night. Bring your boys. We have a pool and horses and a large yard they could play in."
"That would be nice." Joelle beamed. "We've only been here for four months and other than a few of Jack's co-workers and a couple we met volunteering, we haven't made too many friends yet,."
"Well, let me get yall's phone number." Carson retrieved her Treo and programmed in the number as Joelle gave it to her. As she finished saving it, she felt a familiar presence at her back, accompanied by slightly-awed expressions on Joelle and Jack's faces. "Hi, honey." Carson turned. "This is Jack and Joelle. They're from San Francisco, but now they live up by us and have been volunteering for your campaign."
"Very nice to meet you." Kennedy took each of their hands in turn, quickly engaging them with her smile. "Thanks for your support. It means a lot."
"What you stand for means a lot," Jack replied. "One of the most difficult hurdles to jump when we moved here was realizing our boys were not going to grow up in the liberal environment both of us did. If Joelle and I had it our way, the entire Texas government would be filled with people like yourself."
"I appreciate that." Kennedy peered past them, spotting the twins. "Yours?" She glanced at Jack's hair and he laughed.
"How could you tell? Come on over. I'll introduce you. Jason and Jeremy have seen your picture on fliers we have at the house. I think Jason has a little crush on you." He smiled and Kennedy laughed lightly, following him over to the table where she quickly became involved in the pumpkin-decorating project.
"She's good with kids," Joelle observed.
"Yeah." Carson felt a surprising jolt of maternal instinct kick her in the behind. "She has five nieces and nephews, all of whom adore her. She's going to be great with ours when we have them."
"May I ask --?"
"We'll adopt, most likely." Carson correctly answered the half-asked question. "Although her older brother looks just like her." Carson unconsciously patted her own belly. "So you never know."
"It's nice to have kids that look like your spouse," Joelle commented. "But there are a lot of kids out there who need good homes."
"I know." Carson glanced at Kennedy, then back at Joelle. "That's kind of what we were thinking, but with the way things are right now, it may be legally safer for one of us to give birth. If the wrong laws get passed --" Carson shook her head. "Though I feel sorry for anyone who would ever try to take our kids away from us."
"She's pretty protective?"
"We both are, but yes." Carson looked over again, just as Kennedy looked up at her, a huge grin on her face. Kennedy made a funny face and held up her hands, which were covered in paint, then dove back into the project with Jack and the boys.
"She's such a goof sometimes." Carson laughed, then noticed a few flashes and turned to see a couple of familiar news photographers snapping pictures of Kennedy and the boys. "Hope you don't mind seeing your kids on the front page of the Metro section tomorrow." Carson rolled her eyes.
"You must be tired of that by now." Joelle gave her a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.
"You have no idea." Carson shivered internally, remembering the topless photographs, which surprisingly, had not appeared in any major publications as far as they knew. Kennedy pointed out that after her invitation to the press to view them, and the manner in which the invitation was made, she suspected the desire to not appear to be a jackass trumped the desire to scoop each other by being the first to publish them. Carson was convinced the photographs were probably up on some blog, somewhere. The human race was simply not that trustworthy.
Movement in her peripheral vision distracted her, and Carson turned to see Roy Sanderson, who had commandeered Kennedy's former spot under the tree and was now surrounded by a completely different crowd than the one that had been there before. "Speaking of jackasses," Carson mumbled.
"What did you say?" Joelle smirked. "And for the record, if you said what I think you did, I agree with you. That man is the biggest hypocrite, ever."
Carson started to agree with her, and then stopped, turning the words over in her head. "Hypocrite?" She tilted her head in question. It was an interesting choice of words. "How so?"
"Oh." Joelle waved a hand idly in the air. "It's one thing to have conservative views. To each his own, I suppose, though why anyone would want to return society to the Victorian era is beyond me. But it's another thing to be spouting off about family values on the one hand, while the other hand is doing something entirely different."
"What do you mean?" Carson perked up.
"I probably shouldn't say anything." Joelle leaned in conspiratorially. "But Jack went to dinner a few weeks ago with one of the big-wigs at Dell and heard some interesting things about a couple of the local Republican politicians. Sanderson was one of them."
"Such as?" Carson drew her over to a table. "Beer?" She eyed an iced down tub as they passed it. "My treat."
"Fat Tire." Joelle responded. "Thanks!"
"Good choice." Carson paid the attendant and grabbed two cold bottles, then took a seat at a picnic table across from Joelle, away from other ears. "Spill. Please," she added, passing a bottle across the table.
"Some of the higher-ups at Dell went on a business trip to Bangkok several months ago -- before we moved here. One of them is Jack's bosses' boss. Anyway --" Joelle took a sip from her beer, her voice low with secrets. "They ended up in first class with a couple of guys who are huge contributors to the Republican Party here, along with several local politicians, Sanderson among them. It's a long flight, and by the time they reached their destination, they had all become buddies and Sanderson and his men invited Tom -- that's the bosses' boss -- and his group to join them for a night out on the town. Apparently things got pretty crazy."
"How so?" Carson casually pressed her, and felt a touch to her own back. She turned.
"Hey babe, Jack and I are going to take Jason and Jeremy over to toss darts -- the boys want to give it a try." Kennedy smiled. "You two okay here without us?"
"Sure." Carson patted her leg. "Go have fun."
"Great." Kennedy leaned over, pecking her on the cheek. It was a completely unconscious action, something she did almost any time they parted ways, unless the kiss became something more lingering. As she stood, more flashbulbs went off. At first Kennedy appeared annoyed, then her expression softened. "Guess I'm getting help with proving I'm part of a couple." She brushed her fingertips across Carson's cheek. "You owe me a dance later."
"Absolutely." Carson nodded. "I was looking at the line-up. Looks like we might get to do a little boot-scootin' before the night is over."
Kennedy looked down at her boots. "Glad we dressed for it then. I won't be long." She turned, following Jack and the boys over to the dart board, where the same group of men Jack had been playing with before were still gathered. Carson watched her, long enough to appreciate her slight swagger from behind, and to see Jack introduce her to the circle, which appeared to immediately accept her as part of the group.
"We met some of those guys while we were working on her campaign," Joelle offered.
"Ah." Carson focused her attention back on the conversation at hand. "So -- Bangkok?"
"Oh, yes." Joelle took another sip of beer, her cheeks slightly flushed. "They went out for a really nice dinner, then ended up at what Tom thought was a karaoke bar, but back behind it was a Thai strip club and massage parlor."
"With special massages?" Carson helpfully supplied.
"Very special," Joelle affirmed. "According to Jack, Tom says he was appalled. Tom is pretty liberal but he's also very much a family man, as is Jack. I think that's why he shared all this with Jack -- he was a little disgusted with some of the Dell guys who decided to partake of the local culture, if you know what I mean."
"I get it," Carson felt slightly ill. "And Sanderson?"
"Oh, that's the part I was getting to," Joelle picked up the story again. "Tom said he saw Sanderson get up and leave, and asked one of the guys in Sanderson's group if he left because he didn't approve of what they were doing. You've heard Sanderson."
"As much as I care to in this lifetime, thank you very much," Carson snorted in disgust. "So did he leave because he was getting all high and mighty on them?"
"No!" Joelle leaned in closer. "The guy told Tom that Sanderson was going down the street to another place -- that Sanderson had -- how did he put it -- more masculine tastes than the club they were in had to offer."
Carson slowly digested the information, giving the words their proper meaning. "Oh, my God." She covered her mouth for a moment. "That son of a bitch. He's gay?"
"Or at least bi-sexual," Joelle corrected her. "Tom told Jack that they told him Sanderson goes to Bangkok three or four times a year, sometimes on business for his law firm and sometimes for political purposes. Apparently he has an affinity for male-only massage parlors there."
"It's always the ones that scream the loudest --" Carson trailed off. "I can't believe this hasn't gotten out."
"It won't." Joelle's eyes grew wide in panic. "It can't. Or at least you can't tie it back to Dell. Jack would kill me and Tom would probably kill him. According to Jack, Tom said that was a one-time thing for some of those Dell guys. They're all married and if their wives found out, it would be ugly. Not to mention the bad press for Dell if they were linked to any of the politicians who were there."
"Do you know who else was there?" Carson asked hopefully.
"No, but I'll bet Jack does." Joelle finished her beer. "I can ask if you'd like, but you have to promise if you tell Kennedy that you don't mention Jack."
"I can't make that promise. Because I can't tell her a half-truth and we're trying not to have secrets from each other." Carson looked her in the eye. "But I can promise you this -- I know her, and she would never do anything that would hurt Jack. If she feels she needs to use the information, she'll find a way to do it without having to tie the information back to him."
"You're certain?" Joelle asked anxiously.
"I'd stake my life on it," Carson responded. "But don't ask him about the others. Let me talk to Kennedy first."
"I feel kind of bad saying anything. But it makes me so mad, hearing the things he's said about you and Kennedy, and the gay community in general. And all his chest-thumping and wailing about the state of morals in our society. It makes me sick." Joelle's eyes snapped with anger. "I'd be glad for it to get out, provided it doesn't hurt Jack or Dell."
"I don't know," Cason replied almost absently. She heard the sound of a violin being tuned and looked across toward the stage area, where a large dance floor had been laid down for the evening. "I mean, I don't know about it getting out. I do know Kennedy though. You don't need to worry."
"Good." Joelle appeared to be relieved.
"I think I'm going to go cut into that dart game and see if she's ready to dance." Carson stood. "Do y'all dance?"
"Not country." Joelle also stood. "But it's time for us to leave. It's going to be way past the boys' bedtime by the time I get them home and ready for it. It was nice to meet you, Carson. Really, it was."
"You, too." Carson held up her phone. "I'll give you a call later this week to set-up dinner."
"That would be great! Have a good evening."
"You, too." Carson turned, making her way toward her partner, who was standing back watching the darts game. Carson mulled over Joelle's words. How much was true, there was no telling. It was a case of he said, he said, he said. The sick feeling rose in her gut again. True or not, there was no way she could not share what she'd heard with Kennedy. It was too big to carry around alone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As Carson approached the group, Kennedy looked up, her expression immediately transformed. There was a gentle glow to her face, a sparkle in her eyes, and the slightest hint of a smile at her lips. It was an expression Carson had begun to see more and more, and one she now recognized as adoration. She'd look up and there was Kennedy, simply gazing at her as if she were the only person on Earth. Or at least the only one that mattered.
It warmed her all over, partly because Kennedy appeared utterly happy at such moments, and partly because of the knowledge that she, Carson, was an integral part of that happiness. Her own inner tension unwound and retreated to a place deep inside where it could wait. It was time to dance, Sanderson and the Republicans, and even the Democrats, for that matter, be damned.
"Hey there, gorgeous," Kennedy greeted her and stood, oblivious to the slightly-surprised expressions on the faces of the men behind her as she stood to meet Carson halfway. A quick scan of those faces revealed only surprise, not disgust or perhaps worse, titillation. They were unused to seeing two women express quite that level of affection openly in the straight world.
"Hey, yourself." Carson closed her eyes as Kennedy leaned in, lightly kissing her on the lips. Disgusted or not, it would have been a little overwhelming to watch all those eyes right before Kennedy closed in. She did, however, take a quick peek as soon as they parted and suppressed a snicker. All of the men were now studiously looking intently at anything but them.
"Is the most beautiful woman in Austin ready to dance with me?" Kennedy held out her arm.
"Not sure if she's here." Carson joked, placing her hand in the crook of Kennedy's elbow. "Will I do?"
"Always." Kennedy steered them toward the stage area. Carson knew Kennedy wanted everyone to see them as a real couple, but looking into her eyes, it was clear none of this was for show. Those eyes were drinking Carson in as if she were an oasis in the desert. Looking around, Carson realized that in a way, she was.
"Did you have fun hanging out with the guys?" Carson gave her a little bump with her hip.
"I did." Kennedy dodged around a couple sitting on a blanket, watching the band.
"They seemed to accept you right into the group," Carson commented. "Almost like you were one of them."
"Instead of one of the women?" Kennedy laughed lightly. "Yeah, they did. It was nice. I don't ever want to be mistaken for a guy."
Carson snorted. "Not much chance of that."
"Maybe," Kennedy amiably agreed. "But even though I’m not a guy, it's important to me in this arena that I'm at least treated as an equal - equally intelligent, equally capable. I don't want them to look at me and see a woman. I want them to look at me and see a colleague, as someone they can trust to get the job done. It's not too different from how I want to be treated in court or in the boardroom."
"Then why do you sometimes wear suits with skirts to court?" Carson questioned. "I know you'd prefer slacks."
"Some of the judges are really old school. I don't like it but the fact is, if I know a judge was adverse to allowing women to wear pants in his courtroom, even if by law he now has no choice, I'm not above showing a little leg if it will keep me in their good graces." Kennedy laughed. "The last thing I want to do is piss off a judge and lose for my client just because I have too much ego to swallow my pride."
"Seems a little unfair to have to play games." Carson stepped over a puppy as it ran past, then dodged a little girl chasing it.
"Hmmm, well, it is," Kennedy agreed with her. "But it's not like I have to sleep with the judge to get a fair ruling, not that I would do that anyway. If the worst thing I have to do is put on pantyhose, I can live with that. Those old guys will eventually retire or die off. Ten years from now I don't think that will be an issue anymore."
"Where do you think you'll be in ten years? Still practicing law, I guess?" They reached the make-shift dance floor, just as the band cued up a waltz.
Before she had time to think, Kennedy spun Carson around, placing one arm at her waist, the other holding their hands up at Carson's shoulder level. She pulled Carson close as they fell into a familiar pattern. "I don't know." Kennedy leaned over, her lips near Carson's ear. "As long as you're in my arms, I don't much care."
It was an easy, smooth, dance -- one that was so second nature that neither woman had to think much about what their feet were doing. Kennedy was warm, her body alive and moving beneath Carson's fingertips. The scent of barbeque reached her and she wrinkled her nose, then placed her head on Kennedy's shoulder, her cheek pressed against her chest, as Kennedy tucked Carson's head under her chin. Inhaling deeply, all she could now smell was Kennedy -- a touch of her perfume, the detergent her crisply-ironed shirt had been washed in, and a dose of her natural scent, perhaps slightly stronger than usual after their activities in the shower. It made her --
"I want you," Kennedy whispered in her ear.
Carson smiled, not bothering to look up. It felt too good exactly where she was. "Not worn out after the shower?"
"Oh, no," Kennedy burred. "That was just the warm-up."
"Good." Carson brushed her cheek against the soft cotton it was resting against. "I want you, too," she whispered back.
Kennedy wrapped both arms around her, just as the music changed tempo -- a slower pace with a decidedly sensual undertone. Kennedy turned them in lazy circles around the dance floor, their bodies pressed together as the music carried them along. Carson opened her eyes long enough to look around as they turned, and realized every other couple she could see was in a similar embrace, lost in the music and in each other. Other than their body parts, there really wasn't any difference between them and the others, was there? It was nice, to just be, not feeling like she was wearing a label or being singled out.
A few flashbulbs snapped and Kennedy deftly maneuvered them from the edge of the dance floor toward the center. "Better," she commented.
"Thought you wanted people to see us as a couple." Carson looked up.
"I do," Kennedy replied. "But do they really need a dozen pictures of us dancing together? One will do. I didn't expect to enjoy myself tonight, but I have. I'd like to remember it -- this moment -- just like this." She leaned closer, engaging Carson in a kiss of tasteful length, given their location.
"Well, well, well." A perturbed male voice sounded from behind Carson. "You make me sick."
Carson started to turn, just as Kennedy moved in front of her, between her and Sanderson, who was dancing with his wife. "Med tent is back behind the stage. Feel free to go use it," Kennedy retorted.
"Roy --" Sanderson's wife tugged at his arm, her expression reproachful. "This isn't the time or place to --"
"Hush, Nancy." Roy shook free of her grasp.
"Nice." Kennedy crossed her arms in a defiant manner. "Are you allowed to talk at home?" She addressed the ash-blonde woman.
"My personal life is none of your business." Sanderson stepped closer, though still well clear of Kennedy's left hook.
"Ditto!" Kennedy roared.
"Yours is different!" Sanderson roared back. "Mine isn't breaking God's laws."
"I --" Kennedy started to speak when Carson edged past her.
Stepping closer to Sanderson, Carson suddenly realized even Nancy Sanderson towered over her by a good four inches. She swallowed and held her ground, looking up. "Roy, I feel sorry for you."
"Oh, you do, do you?" Sanderson mocked her, mimicking her tone. "You're a dyke living in sin. What on Earth could make someone like you feel sorry for me?"
"I feel sorry for you because your life is obviously so miserable, you feel the need to hurt people who aren't doing anything to hurt anyone else." Carson took a breath and continued. "At least we're not hiding from who we are."
"Hiding? What do you mean by that?" Sanderson suddenly appeared a tad bit uncomfortable.
"Bangkok," Carson replied succinctly, low enough that only the four of them could hear. "Come on Kennedy." She took her partner's hand. "Let's get out of here. I think I’m the one who needs to visit the med tent."
"Bangkok?" Kennedy followed, glancing back at Roy, who was as pale as the moon over their heads. Nancy merely looked up at him, obviously waiting for an explanation.
"I shouldn't have said that," Carson berated herself, as they reached a spot under the trees, away from the light poles around the dance floor. "I don't think she knew about it."
Cameras scrambled after them, as the media present realized something had happened. Kennedy spun around, facing them. "Scram!" She grabbed the camera from one persistent operator, just as he was about to snap a picture. "Take it and I'll break it." She pointed a finger, gesturing toward all of them. "This shows up on the news tomorrow and -- oh, hell." She dropped her hand and placed the camera back in its relieved owner's grasp. "I don't care anymore. I've done far worse and by some miracle my numbers are still up. But now -- scram! I need a moment alone with my fiancé. For crying out loud, go take pictures of the governor. He's been here for fifteen minutes and none of you have even noticed."
"The governor's here?" One surprised reporter looked around. "Come on!" She left, followed by the rest of the posse.
"Sheesh." Kennedy turned her head from side to side, hearing her neck vertebra pop into place. Turning back around, she placed her hands on her hips and studied Carson. "Bangkok?"
"We should probably go home to have this conversation," Carson answered sheepishly.
"Alright." Kennedy fished in her pocket for her truck keys. "Probably a good idea, regardless. My fist was starting to itch back there, talking to that asshole."
"I noticed that," Carson held out her hand as Kennedy took it. "The Dems are finally happy with you again. Another knock-down drag-out with Sanderson, and I don't know if that would stick, especially if it were to make the front page of the Austin-American Statesman tomorrow."
"True." Kennedy led the way to the parking area. "Is that why you cut me off with him?"
"Sorry about that." Carson looked back once at the dance floor, then kept going. "And no. I think -- what he was saying -- I probably would've said it anyway, even if you were offering to sit down and have high tea with him instead of Jonesing to punch his lights out. Damned hypocrite."
"Well." They reached the truck and Kennedy dis-armed it. "This, I can't wait to hear."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They got settled in the 4Runner and Kennedy started the engine. At that moment, her phone rang and she grabbed it without looking at it, keeping her eyes on the parking lot as she backed out. "Kennedy Nocona."
"We need to talk," Sanderson's voice boomed in her ear and she held the phone away from her head.
"I'm all ears," Kennedy responded. "Ball's in your court."
"I've known for some time that the president is willing to offer you a federal judicial appointment if you're willing to end your run for the state house," he answered. "All I have to do is ask and he'll set it in motion. There's a place open on the bench in the bankruptcy court in Amarillo. I know you don't practice bankruptcy law, but you'd pick it up fast enough. It's a sweet appointment."
"Roy, have you been to Amarillo?" Kennedy retorted. "I'd go flip burgers at the Lago Vista Sonic before I'd move out there, and I'm a vegetarian." She put the phone on speaker and set it down in a cup holder. "Will someone please tell me what the hell happened in Bangkok?"
"You -- you don't know?" Sanderson stammered, his voice incredulous. "Aw, shit!"
"No, Roy. Never been there, never thought much about it until the past five minutes."
"Then how --? Put the blonde on the phone." Kennedy swore she could hear him sweating.
"I'm right here, Roy," Carson answered. "Listen, about what I said. I owe your wife an apology."
"Forget her. She knows all about -- dammit! I've had one too many beers. I should know to keep my head clear around you two," Sanderson yelled, his frustration growing. "You listen to me, little girl --"
"Roy, find some respect or I'll end this call right now." Kennedy turned onto Barton Springs, headed for MoPac.
A few heavy breaths were her answer, then Sanderson's over-controlled voice sounded across the airwaves. "Ms. Garret, I don't know who in Washington you've been talking to, but I can assure you, you don't know what you're talking about. You start messing with slander and the Oval Office will be on you like a duck on a June bug."
"Who said anything about the Oval Office?" Carson answered sweetly. "Or Washington?"
"Dammit!" Sanderson bellowed. "You don't know anything do you?"
"Not much, other than something happened in Bangkok, judging by all that panting and slobbering I'm hearing," Carson replied.
"Who've you been talking to?" I demand to know!" Both women cringed at the decibel assault.
Kennedy picked up the phone and handed it to Carson. "Lower the volume, please?"
"Absolutely." Carson took it and punched a few buttons. "Roy." She set the phone back in the cup-holder. "You can demand all day long, but you're wasting your time. You've said way more than my original source did."
When there was no answer, Carson picked up the phone and studied it. "Well, I'll be. He hung up."
"Praise Jesus," Kennedy muttered.
"I thought you didn't believe Jesus was a deity."
"I don't." Kennedy took the phone and placed it back at her belt. "Okay, so Sanderson and someone from Washington -- possibly the president -- did something in Bangkok they weren't supposed to. I know what goes on in Bangkok. Am I on the right track at all?"
"Right one and coming around the stretch," Carson answered. "You want the long story or the short one?"
"Short, please." Kennedy took the ramp onto MoPac, wishing they were already home. She wanted a drink.
"Okay, I'll try." Carson shifted, facing her as much as she could without unhooking her seatbelt. "Now, keep in mind this is sort of like a game of six degrees of separation. I was talking to Joelle and she said that Jack said that his boss said that a group of Dell execs hooked up with a group from the Texas legislature on a flight to Bangkok. They all went out to dinner and then ended up at a brothel disguised as a karaoke bar. According to the story Joelle told me, Sanderson was there but he left the party to go to a gay brothel. She said he goes there a few times a year."
"And you believed her?" Kennedy was a little surprised at Carson engaging in gossip, as it wasn't something she perceived to be in her nature. Then she thought better of it, realizing the subject matter was probably too much temptation for her to avoid.
"I didn't know what to believe," Carson responded. "I'm four persons removed from the source. Sanderson just made me so mad, I popped off. I know." She appeared chagrined. "I have a hot temper."
"No, really?" Kennedy deadpanned.
"I was planning to tell you when we got home. I didn't know if there was anything you could or would do, but I thought you should hear it, for whatever it's worth." Carson looked down, twiddling her thumbs. "I figured it had been greatly embellished, until I saw Roy's face back there."
"He was pretty damned flustered, wasn't he?" Kennedy chuckled. "It's a little bothersome he's stuck his foot in his mouth and implicated the president. It's even more bothersome they've discussed offering me that judgeship. From the day I entered the race, I knew he was afraid of me, but I always thought it was simply fear that I'd win and he'd lose his seat. Now it makes me wonder if there's something more he's afraid of."
"Should we do anything about it?" Carson reached over, touching Kennedy's arm. "Messing with the fed is big, K. They can make people disappear."
"I know." Kennedy bit her lower lip. "I don't want to do anything right now. Partly, I don't want to win that way. If I win, I want it to be because people are voting for me, not because they're voting against Sanderson. I'd hate being the vote between the lesser of two evils."
"That makes sense." Carson sat back, looking up at the truck ceiling. "What about after the election?"
"If Sanderson is going to Bangkok and getting his jollies with other guys, that's between him and his wife. My only concern would be if he's using taxpayer money to pay for it. If he's flying on legitimate government business and seeking out his entertainment on the side in off hours on his own dollar, that's one thing. If he's stupid enough to pay for his trysts with his government Visa card, that's a whole other ball of wax." Kennedy made the exit onto Highway 183. She couldn't get home fast enough, and checked her speed to make sure her foot wasn't out of control. "If I win, he'll no longer be holding public office. I'd be inclined at that point to call for a discreet, private audit of his expense reports during his tenure in office, and make him reimburse the government if we find anything amiss. Then leave it at that."
"What if he wins?" Carson released a long, heavy breath. "I really hate this. I wish I'd told Joelle I didn't want to hear her story."
"Too juicy to pass up, babe." Kennedy gave her a sympathetic pat on the leg. "Don't beat yourself up. If he wins, I'll probably talk to some of the connections I've made during the campaign and try to convince them to keep the audit private unless they find expense account abuse."
"And what about the president?" Carson clutched at her own stomach. "I feel sick, K."
"You need to pull over?"
"No." Carson swallowed. "Can we sit out by the pool for a while when we get home? I'd like to get some air."
"Sure." Kennedy gave her leg a squeeze. "Did Joelle mention the president?"
"No." Carson shook her head. "Just guys from the state, at least when Jack's boss was in Bangkok."
"So the only mention of the president is a vague reference on Sanderson's part?"
"Yes." Carson looked at her. "Not much to go on, is it?"
"No," Kennedy agreed. "It would be easy enough to research where all the President has been since he took office. It's not like he has much of a private travel schedule. The newspapers publish his every move. I don't think I'd take it any further than that unless it turns out he's been jetting back and forth to Thailand every chance he gets. Once again, I'd try to talk to some people I think would launch a private investigation. We don't need another Lewinskygate in this country. I'd wager half the guys in Washington have dropped their pants for someone other than their wives. Unless they're abusing taxpayer dollars, I really don't much care who they're sleeping with."
"I agree one hundred per cent." Carson sounded relieved. "I'd like to stay as far removed as possible from all this. I'm not ready to go into the witness protection program. I'm just now getting to live the life I always wanted to live."
Kennedy was charmed. "Me, too." She gave Carson's leg another squeeze, her fingertips just grazing her inner thigh. Making the turn onto the last farm to market road before their private road, she opened the sunroof, enjoying the cool, night breeze.
"Lots of stars tonight." Carson looked up. "And to think we're seeing light that started this way millions of years ago. Some of those stars might not even be there anymore."
"Deep thoughts, my love." Kennedy brushed a denim-clad leg with her thumb. The mention of feeling sick, combined with the tiny wrinkle between Carson's eyebrows, was enough to set off silent alarm bells. Whatever was going on in Carson's head, worry was mixed up with it. "You okay?"
"Yeah. I like thinking about it," Carson looked over and smiled. "It reminds me that all of this -- stuff -- we're dealing with is pretty insignificant in the grand scheme of things."
"That it is," Kennedy whole-heartedly agreed. "There's only two things I'm certain of."
"That would be --?"
"We're all going to die someday, and your love for me." Kennedy glanced at her as long as she dared, then looked firmly back at the road ahead of them. "What I do -- my job, running for office -- in the end none of that matters. What matters is that I live life to the fullest, give back what I can, and love you well."
"I can attest to complete success in the latter department, so far." Carson covered Kennedy's hand with her own.
"Ditto." Kennedy turned onto their road, making the winding turns down to their electric gate. "Nice night," she commented, as they got out of the truck and closed the garage door. "You wanna go sit by the pool and wait for me to go check on the horses, or do you want to go with me?"
"Oh, yeah." Carson joined her. "I forgot Alexis was staying in town tonight."
"Yeah. She's been doing that a lot lately. What's up?"
"New boyfriend."
"Ah." Kennedy smiled. "She does know we're okay with him staying with her in the garage apartment, doesn't she?"
"Yeah." Carson chuckled. "I tried to explain that to her, but she just blushed. I think she's busy overcoming a Catholic upbringing."
"We're all busy overcoming something, I guess." Kennedy held the barn door open, reaching inside and turning on the lights.
"Can I just say how glad I am you have this place heated and cooled?" Carson studied the thermostat, which was set at 68 degrees. The whir of the heater could be heard, the thermometer reading 65 outside.
"I imagine the horses appreciate it, too." Kennedy gave her a little pat on the behind.
"Hey!" Carson flipped her foot up, lightly kicking Kennedy on her backside.
"Is for horses." Kennedy kicked back, and a wrestling match ensued, starting at the barn entrance and ending in a tangle of arms and legs in a corner near the last stall. Kennedy deftly flipped Carson onto her stomach and sat on her, holding both arms behind her back.
"Let me go!" Carson struggled, but her pleas were mixed with laughter, as Kennedy tickled her with her free hand. "K, please!"
"No." Kennedy stood and picked her up, tossing Carson over one shoulder like a potato sack. "Never letting you go." She quickly made the rounds of the stalls, pleased that Alexis had filled both water and feed troughs adequately before she left. Both horses nickered at her contentedly and went back to grazing. "Good. Now --" Still carrying Carson, she stumbled toward an empty stall, privately acknowledging Carson was more solid than she looked.
"K, put me down! Oof --" The world spun and Carson heard a fluffing sound, then landed on her back on a soft cotton blanket covering a pile of hay.
"As you wish." Kennedy flopped down beside her, folding her arms behind her head and placing a strand of hay between her lips, chewing on it. "Long night."
"Tired?" Carson gave her a little poke in the ribs.
"No." Kennedy poked back, smiling when she felt more return pokes. Sex with Carson was always good -- serious, quick, slow -- it was all good, but when playtime turned into sex, that was the best of all. They'd both lived through fairly serious childhoods and she loved it most when they were able to cut loose and play together on their giant lake of a playground or anywhere else for that matter, including the bedroom.
They poked each other a few more time and then Kennedy pounced, caging Carson in with her arms and legs. Ignoring Carson's tickling fingers she slid down, pulling Carson's knit shirt up with her teeth, using her hands only when she needed to get the bit of clothing over Carson's head. Carson's bra quickly followed and Kennedy let out a playful growl. "Haven't stopped wanting you since we got off that dance floor." She nuzzled a breast, hearing a gurgle of pleasure from Carson's throat. Kennedy rose up, tilting her head to one side, looking into Cason's eyes, her expression predatory.
"You look like you're going to eat me alive." Carson visibly shivered.
"Oh, yeah." Kennedy nuzzled the breast again, then closed her lips around a succulent nipple, spending a long time there before she switched to the other breast. It was an oral fixation she could never get enough of, especially with Carson's murmurs and sighs almost in her ear. Reluctantly, she released a nipple with an audible smack and kissed her way along Carson's collar bone, lightly flicking her tongue up her throat to her chin and then her lips.
"Mmmmm." Kennedy took her time, exploring Carson's lips. She reached down between them, unbuckling Carson's belt and popping the button on her jeans, lowering the zipper and giving Carson a couple of teasing strokes through her jeans, before she cupped her. "I need some Ginger ale." She pressed Carson's earlobe between her lips, then suckled it.
"Unghhh." Carson ground against her hand. "Bar's open, babe. Ginger's ready and waiting." Carson gave a little push to the top of Kennedy's head.
Kennedy laughed wickedly, scooting down and tugging off Carson's boots and socks, tossing them in the corner with a thud against the wooden walls. She worked Carson's jeans off, then once again used her teeth to pull down her underwear. Kennedy's nostrils flared, taking in her lover's scent. Burying her nose in reddish-blonde curls, she inhaled deeply. Slowly, she kissed her way back up to Carson's ear, teasing the baby soft skin below it with her teeth. "I love your scent."
Capturing Carson's lips, she kissed her deeply, hovering over her, braced on her forearms and knees. Carson wrapped both legs around her, pulling her down, and she brushed her fully-clothed body all along Carson's naked one, groaning as her own passion rose, settling solidly in her gut and between her legs.
"Feels so good," Carson gasped.
"Gonna feel even better real soon." Kennedy rose up and winked at her, dragging her thumb across Carson's mouth. She kissed a direct path down between Carson's breasts and along her belly, then settled down, planting slow, wet kisses along both inner thighs.
"Not soon enough," Carson grumble.
"Patience." Kennedy tisked, then bit down lightly at the inner apex of Carson's leg and hip, causing her to levitate for a moment. She laughed and once again nuzzled Carson's curls, then reached down, spreading her open and kissing each of two freckles, before getting down to business. The first taste was heavenly and Kennedy moaned in unison with her lover. "Need to feed on you for a while." She stretched out, grasping Carson's backside and pulling her up toward her.
"Oh, god." Carson draped both legs around Kennedy's shoulders, then gave into her body's rhythm and dropped them again, digging her heels into the blanket and rising up to meet the teasing lips and tongue. "K --" Carson sighed and whimpered, one hand resting lightly on top of Kennedy's head.
Grabbing handfuls of flesh, Kennedy squeezed Carson's backside rhythmically, matching her rolling hip motion. Her fetish for Carson's behind had only grown over time, and she mused that it just didn't get much better than this. She felt Carson grow still, her hips thrust into the air, and she increased her pace, just as Carson let out a yell, her stomach and hips rolling over and over again with her release. "Ahhhhh." Carson finally dropped her body, her hand still resting on Kennedy's head.
Kennedy flipped her over, lavishing both buns with licks and kisses. "Can't get enough of your ass." She kissed her way along Carson's bikini tan line, reaching between Carson's legs and quickly bringing her up one more time, her cries of release muffled against the soft blanket.
"No more!" Carson rolled to her back and Kennedy stretched out beside her on her side, rubbing Carson's stomach and occasionally lightly cupping her breasts, teasing her nipples. "You are determined, aren't you?" Carson smiled and grabbed the wandering hand, stopping it.
"I think I could go all night." Kennedy grinned.
"I think you're very, very horny." Carson reached over, unbuttoning Kennedy's blouse and the front hook closure of her bra.
Kennedy glanced down, watching her as she worked. "It would be difficult to walk back to the house in my current state."
Carson laughed. "Poor baby." She pinched each nipple and Kennedy closed her eyes, murmuring her approval. Without warning Carson stood and moved next to the open stall door, leaning back and crossing her arms, a smirk planted firmly on her face.
"Babe," Kennedy practically begged. "I'm in pain here."
Carson beckoned her with a crook of her finger and Kennedy rose to her knees. "All the way up," Carson encouraged her. As Kennedy stood, Carson reached over and closed the lower half of the stall door, latching it securely closed. "Closer," she cooed.
Kennedy obeyed, closing the distance and pressing completely against Carson, belly to belly. She ducked her head and they kissed, a playful warring of tongues and lips and just as before, Carson suddenly pulled back, grasping Kennedy's wandering hands and holding them still with one hand. With the other hand she unzipped Kennedy' jeans. "Lean over and brace your hands on top of the door."
If she was in pain before, she was positively aching now. "Yes ma'am." Kennedy obeyed without question, realizing where Carson was headed, her gut clenching in anticipation. Carson moved behind her and she felt her shirt being slowly lifted, as Carson kissed her way up her spine. She lifted Kennedy's hands only long enough to slide her shirt and bra off, then pressed her bare stomach against Kennedy's back. "You feel divine," Carson purred.
"Mmmm. You're the angel." Feeling hardened nipples pressed against her back, Kennedy closed her eyes, biting her lower lip. Carson reached around, teasing both of her breasts, then trailed her hands down Kennedy's sides until she reached the waistband of her jeans. Kennedy felt a tug as the soft denim slide down her legs, the slight chill of the air around them welcome against her overheated skin. Feeling a nudge to her ankle, she stepped out of the jeans on one side, and with another nudge, she spread her legs wider.
She could feel Carson's breath against the back of one calf, then just the lightest flick of her tongue, sending a very pleasant shiver up her spine. Carson repeated the action a few times, then switched to the other leg. It was agonizingly slow. "I've changed my mind," Kennedy gasped. "You're the devil."
Carson laughed and kissed her way up, switching back and forth between legs as she went. "I know you're an ass girl." She slowly stroked both hands up Kennedy's legs, squeezing each calf. "I'm a leg girl myself." She finished her trail of kisses and paused, then Kennedy got a much more intimate sensation of that breath, before Carson gave her an even more intimate kiss. "Oh, my god." Kennedy leaned forward, glad her arms were strong. Her legs suddenly felt like rubber.
Carson kissed her a few more times then stood, planting one hand flat against the center of her lower back and reaching around in front, between Kennedy's legs, with the other. Carson teased her lightly at first, then began a series of steady, firm strokes. Kennedy widened her stance, shamelessly grinding against Carson's hand. She could feel a trickle of sweat running down her back, then felt Carson catch it, licking it away.
She felt Carson's hand slide lower down her back and then Carson slipped just the first digit of her pinky inside her. "God, yes!" Kennedy cried out, glad they'd both shed their aversion to backdoor play.
"Mmmm." Carson pressed her lips against Kennedy's butt cheek, making a humming noise that vibrated against her skin. She increased her pace of her hand in front and Kennedy felt everything tighten up inside. "You're so wet," Carson whispered. "Need to be inside you." She slid her back hand lower, entering her.
"Oh, god." Kennedy felt everything tighten even more, then blessed relief as her body spasmed over and over again. Slowly, Carson eased her motions and Kennedy collapsed backward onto the blanket, taking Carson with her. She wrapped herself completely around the shorter woman from behind, gasping for breath as their sweat-covered skin made contact all along their bodies. "That was fanfuckingtastic!" Kennedy nipped at an earlobe. "Wanna hold you like this all night."
"You wanna go inside?" Carson turned in her arms, tangling their legs together.
"Yeah. Then I wanna hold you like this all night." Kennedy kissed her several times, then rubbed noses with her before planting a kiss on Carson's forehead. "You rock my world, you know that?"
"That sentiment is mutual, babe." Carson snuggled against her, enjoying the sensation of being surrounded completely by her lover.
After a long bit of time, they both reluctantly rose and gathered their clothing. As Kennedy untangled her jeans, her phone, which clipped to its waist, rang. She frowned and looked at the caller ID. "Oh, my god. Sanderson." She hit the button to send the call to voice mail. "It's almost midnight. He can kiss my ass."
"No, he can't." Carson moved in front of her and pulled her close, grasping her backside as she kissed her before they parted. Carson squeezed her with both hands. "Your ass is mine."
Kennedy laughed, her passion rising again. It was going to be a long night. "Let's get inside."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Continued in Chapter 17
Two wave-runners rounded the boathouse and shot around the cove, their occupants laughing wildly as they spun in circles, finally coming to a stop at the dock. It was a glorious October weekend, sunny and in the 70's. Kennedy coasted into the boathouse and tied the personal watercraft off to a cleat, then hoisted herself up onto the dock next to her, as Carson followed.
"That was awesome!" Carson smiled, raking a hand back through her wet hair, ordering it.
"Hot tub?" Kennedy gave a tug to the long zipper pull at the back of Carson's short black and purple wetsuit. Though the sun was warm, the water was already cool, but the two women couldn't resist the chance to let off a little steam under the perfectly cloudless, blue sky.
"How about a hot shower?" Carson glanced at her watch. "It's less than two hours until we have to be there."
"Is it that late?" Kennedy looked at her own watch. "Sure is. Wish we could blow it off."
"I know." Carson reached out and took her hand. "But Chip's been working so hard since you got him reinstated. Besides, I think it might be fun."
"An interfaith harvest celebration?" Kennedy studied her quizzically.
"It's better than a banquet with rubber chicken on the menu," Carson retorted.
"True," Kennedy acquiesced. "At least we don't have to get dressed up. You know Sanderson's going to be there, don't you?"
"Yeah. I know." Carson twined their fingers, swinging their arms as they made their way up the back steps to the house.
"It doesn't bother you?" Kennedy held the door open as they entered the house.
"It did at first, but then I decided to not let it get to me. Auditorium Shores is a big place. Hopefully we won't be running into him at every turn." Carson paused and picked up Daisy, who was happily trailing at her heels. She gave the dog a snuggle. "Besides, I'm looking forward to dancing with you under the stars."
"Even in front of Sanderson?" Kennedy poured food into the animals' bowls, watching as Carson set Daisy down and she joined the others in a tail-wagging happy meal.
"Especially in front of Sanderson." Carson filled a couple of water bowls and set them near the laundry room.
"Good." Kennedy followed her into the other side of the house. "Because I was thinking it was time for people to see us being a couple. They've seen us at formal dinners and seen us standing together. They've even seen our rings on television. But I don't think they've seen us being romantic together. Before those folks make their way to the voting booths, they need to understand that I am part of a couple."
"You think they don't see that now?" Carson shed her clothing and stepped into the shower, dropping the wetsuit in the corner to rinse out later.
"No, I don't. I think they see me as a single woman sharing a house with a female roommate." Kennedy reached around her, turning on the water. "Ah, that feels good." She stepped under the warm stream, peeling off her own wetsuit and tossing it next to Carson's.
"You think they see what they want to see?" Carson poured shower gel onto a natural sponge and scrubbed Kennedy's back as it was offered to her.
"Yeah, I do." Kennedy turned, returning the favor as the shower washed the citrus-scented suds down the drain. "They can hear me say we're engaged all day long, but I don't think most of them see it as the same thing as when they got engaged. I want that to change."
"Speaking of --" Carson closed her eyes as Kennedy washed her hair, tilting her hair back to rinse. "I was thinking." She turned, handing Kennedy a razor. There were some things a woman had to do for herself.
"Yes?" Kennedy propped her leg up on a step designed for just such purposes, lathering up with shaving lotion before she drew the razor carefully up and along her skin in smooth even strokes.
"I was thinking Gillette would sell a million razors if I filmed this and sent it to them." Carson laughed and Kennedy smiled, graciously accepting the compliment. "No, I was thinking, why don't we just have the joining ceremony here, outside by the water?"
"Might be cold in winter." Kennedy finished shaving her other leg and laid the razor aside.
"I was thinking about that, too." Carson picked up her own razor. "Whistler is going to be freaking cold in winter. We should wait for spring - have a nice ceremony here where it's warm, then go up to Canada for spring skiing."
"Hmmm." Kennedy washed her own hair, since she'd have to stoop for Carson to do it. "That might be perfect. Maybe we could build a gazebo down by the lake."
"Ooooo. I like that idea." Carson rinsed shaving gel off her legs and stepped closer. "Get joined here."
Kennedy wrapped both arms around her. "And then get married there." She tilted her head, kissing Carson, lightly nibbling, tasting a hint of the lemonade they'd drank at lunchtime. "You know." She kissed Carson again. "If they could see us now, I don't think they'd have nearly as difficult a time with the concept that we're a couple."
"If they could see us now, half of them would die of heart attacks." Carson nuzzled Kennedy's breast. "Lot fewer people to worry about that way."
"You know what I think?" Kennedy slipped her knee between Carson's legs.
"We're going to be late for the festival?" Carson continued exploring the curves at eye level.
"Yep." Kennedy shivered pleasantly as Carson teased her with a series of little nips. "And we're leaving it early."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was a perfect fall evening: slightly cool but not cold, and clear skies. The sun was starting to set and a light breeze could be felt blowing off Town Lake. Carson passed a canopy covering rows of picnic tables where children were painting faces on jack-o-lanterns. She paused near the edge, watching as two twin red-headed boys eagerly painted a ghoulish red and black devil face on a rather large pumpkin. One of the boys became frustrated with his brother's interference, and reached across, slopping a big, red streak across his brothers left cheek. Carson laughed lightly.
The boys' mother shook her head, then looked up and smiled. "You have kids here?"
"No, no kids. Not yet at any rate." Carson looked down at her ring.
"But you plan on having them?" The woman stood, swiping her hands on an apron provided by Whole Foods Market, their logo emblazoned across the front. "I'm Joelle, by the way. We just moved here from San Francisco. My husband designs computer hardware and was hired by Dell."
"Nice to meet you, I'm Carson." Carson held out her hand. "We do plan on having kids, but not for a while. We're getting married early next year."
"Oh, congratulations!" Joelle shook her hand and flipped back long, light brown hair that came to her waist. "Is your fiancé here?"
"Yes." Carson looked over toward Kennedy, who was standing about thirty yards away, leaning against a pecan tree, surrounded by a group of people all eagerly asking questions. "Over there."
"Talking to Ms. Nocona?" Joelle followed Carson's gaze.
"You know her?" Carson asked in surprise.
"I haven't met her personally, but my husband Jack and I live in Lago Vista, in her district. We've been volunteering for her campaign." Joelle hesitated. "I hope that doesn't put you off. I know there are a lot of Republicans in this area, but where we come from -- it's nice to be able to campaign for someone who shares our values."
"Not put off at all." Carson felt a huge grin tugging at her own lips. "My fiancé isn't talking to Ms. Nocona, my fiancé IS Ms. Nocona."
"Oh, wow. Wow!" Joelle gushed. "I can't believe I didn't recognize you. We've seen you a few times with her on TV. Jack!" She looked over toward a picnic table where a group of men were sitting, drinking cold longnecks and tossing darts at a board nailed to a tree. A tall red-headed man looked up. "Jack, honey come here. I have someone I'd like to introduce to you."
Jack said something to one of his companions, then amiably joined Carson and Joelle. "Hello, I'm Jack." He held out his hand.
"Honey, this is Kennedy Nocona's fiancé." She turned to Carson. "I'm sorry, what is your name again?"
"No worries. I’m Carson." Carson gave Jack's hand a firm shake. "Nice to meet both of you. You know, since we all live in Lago Vista, y'all should come over to the house for dinner one night. Bring your boys. We have a pool and horses and a large yard they could play in."
"That would be nice." Joelle beamed. "We've only been here for four months and other than a few of Jack's co-workers and a couple we met volunteering, we haven't made too many friends yet,."
"Well, let me get yall's phone number." Carson retrieved her Treo and programmed in the number as Joelle gave it to her. As she finished saving it, she felt a familiar presence at her back, accompanied by slightly-awed expressions on Joelle and Jack's faces. "Hi, honey." Carson turned. "This is Jack and Joelle. They're from San Francisco, but now they live up by us and have been volunteering for your campaign."
"Very nice to meet you." Kennedy took each of their hands in turn, quickly engaging them with her smile. "Thanks for your support. It means a lot."
"What you stand for means a lot," Jack replied. "One of the most difficult hurdles to jump when we moved here was realizing our boys were not going to grow up in the liberal environment both of us did. If Joelle and I had it our way, the entire Texas government would be filled with people like yourself."
"I appreciate that." Kennedy peered past them, spotting the twins. "Yours?" She glanced at Jack's hair and he laughed.
"How could you tell? Come on over. I'll introduce you. Jason and Jeremy have seen your picture on fliers we have at the house. I think Jason has a little crush on you." He smiled and Kennedy laughed lightly, following him over to the table where she quickly became involved in the pumpkin-decorating project.
"She's good with kids," Joelle observed.
"Yeah." Carson felt a surprising jolt of maternal instinct kick her in the behind. "She has five nieces and nephews, all of whom adore her. She's going to be great with ours when we have them."
"May I ask --?"
"We'll adopt, most likely." Carson correctly answered the half-asked question. "Although her older brother looks just like her." Carson unconsciously patted her own belly. "So you never know."
"It's nice to have kids that look like your spouse," Joelle commented. "But there are a lot of kids out there who need good homes."
"I know." Carson glanced at Kennedy, then back at Joelle. "That's kind of what we were thinking, but with the way things are right now, it may be legally safer for one of us to give birth. If the wrong laws get passed --" Carson shook her head. "Though I feel sorry for anyone who would ever try to take our kids away from us."
"She's pretty protective?"
"We both are, but yes." Carson looked over again, just as Kennedy looked up at her, a huge grin on her face. Kennedy made a funny face and held up her hands, which were covered in paint, then dove back into the project with Jack and the boys.
"She's such a goof sometimes." Carson laughed, then noticed a few flashes and turned to see a couple of familiar news photographers snapping pictures of Kennedy and the boys. "Hope you don't mind seeing your kids on the front page of the Metro section tomorrow." Carson rolled her eyes.
"You must be tired of that by now." Joelle gave her a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.
"You have no idea." Carson shivered internally, remembering the topless photographs, which surprisingly, had not appeared in any major publications as far as they knew. Kennedy pointed out that after her invitation to the press to view them, and the manner in which the invitation was made, she suspected the desire to not appear to be a jackass trumped the desire to scoop each other by being the first to publish them. Carson was convinced the photographs were probably up on some blog, somewhere. The human race was simply not that trustworthy.
Movement in her peripheral vision distracted her, and Carson turned to see Roy Sanderson, who had commandeered Kennedy's former spot under the tree and was now surrounded by a completely different crowd than the one that had been there before. "Speaking of jackasses," Carson mumbled.
"What did you say?" Joelle smirked. "And for the record, if you said what I think you did, I agree with you. That man is the biggest hypocrite, ever."
Carson started to agree with her, and then stopped, turning the words over in her head. "Hypocrite?" She tilted her head in question. It was an interesting choice of words. "How so?"
"Oh." Joelle waved a hand idly in the air. "It's one thing to have conservative views. To each his own, I suppose, though why anyone would want to return society to the Victorian era is beyond me. But it's another thing to be spouting off about family values on the one hand, while the other hand is doing something entirely different."
"What do you mean?" Carson perked up.
"I probably shouldn't say anything." Joelle leaned in conspiratorially. "But Jack went to dinner a few weeks ago with one of the big-wigs at Dell and heard some interesting things about a couple of the local Republican politicians. Sanderson was one of them."
"Such as?" Carson drew her over to a table. "Beer?" She eyed an iced down tub as they passed it. "My treat."
"Fat Tire." Joelle responded. "Thanks!"
"Good choice." Carson paid the attendant and grabbed two cold bottles, then took a seat at a picnic table across from Joelle, away from other ears. "Spill. Please," she added, passing a bottle across the table.
"Some of the higher-ups at Dell went on a business trip to Bangkok several months ago -- before we moved here. One of them is Jack's bosses' boss. Anyway --" Joelle took a sip from her beer, her voice low with secrets. "They ended up in first class with a couple of guys who are huge contributors to the Republican Party here, along with several local politicians, Sanderson among them. It's a long flight, and by the time they reached their destination, they had all become buddies and Sanderson and his men invited Tom -- that's the bosses' boss -- and his group to join them for a night out on the town. Apparently things got pretty crazy."
"How so?" Carson casually pressed her, and felt a touch to her own back. She turned.
"Hey babe, Jack and I are going to take Jason and Jeremy over to toss darts -- the boys want to give it a try." Kennedy smiled. "You two okay here without us?"
"Sure." Carson patted her leg. "Go have fun."
"Great." Kennedy leaned over, pecking her on the cheek. It was a completely unconscious action, something she did almost any time they parted ways, unless the kiss became something more lingering. As she stood, more flashbulbs went off. At first Kennedy appeared annoyed, then her expression softened. "Guess I'm getting help with proving I'm part of a couple." She brushed her fingertips across Carson's cheek. "You owe me a dance later."
"Absolutely." Carson nodded. "I was looking at the line-up. Looks like we might get to do a little boot-scootin' before the night is over."
Kennedy looked down at her boots. "Glad we dressed for it then. I won't be long." She turned, following Jack and the boys over to the dart board, where the same group of men Jack had been playing with before were still gathered. Carson watched her, long enough to appreciate her slight swagger from behind, and to see Jack introduce her to the circle, which appeared to immediately accept her as part of the group.
"We met some of those guys while we were working on her campaign," Joelle offered.
"Ah." Carson focused her attention back on the conversation at hand. "So -- Bangkok?"
"Oh, yes." Joelle took another sip of beer, her cheeks slightly flushed. "They went out for a really nice dinner, then ended up at what Tom thought was a karaoke bar, but back behind it was a Thai strip club and massage parlor."
"With special massages?" Carson helpfully supplied.
"Very special," Joelle affirmed. "According to Jack, Tom says he was appalled. Tom is pretty liberal but he's also very much a family man, as is Jack. I think that's why he shared all this with Jack -- he was a little disgusted with some of the Dell guys who decided to partake of the local culture, if you know what I mean."
"I get it," Carson felt slightly ill. "And Sanderson?"
"Oh, that's the part I was getting to," Joelle picked up the story again. "Tom said he saw Sanderson get up and leave, and asked one of the guys in Sanderson's group if he left because he didn't approve of what they were doing. You've heard Sanderson."
"As much as I care to in this lifetime, thank you very much," Carson snorted in disgust. "So did he leave because he was getting all high and mighty on them?"
"No!" Joelle leaned in closer. "The guy told Tom that Sanderson was going down the street to another place -- that Sanderson had -- how did he put it -- more masculine tastes than the club they were in had to offer."
Carson slowly digested the information, giving the words their proper meaning. "Oh, my God." She covered her mouth for a moment. "That son of a bitch. He's gay?"
"Or at least bi-sexual," Joelle corrected her. "Tom told Jack that they told him Sanderson goes to Bangkok three or four times a year, sometimes on business for his law firm and sometimes for political purposes. Apparently he has an affinity for male-only massage parlors there."
"It's always the ones that scream the loudest --" Carson trailed off. "I can't believe this hasn't gotten out."
"It won't." Joelle's eyes grew wide in panic. "It can't. Or at least you can't tie it back to Dell. Jack would kill me and Tom would probably kill him. According to Jack, Tom said that was a one-time thing for some of those Dell guys. They're all married and if their wives found out, it would be ugly. Not to mention the bad press for Dell if they were linked to any of the politicians who were there."
"Do you know who else was there?" Carson asked hopefully.
"No, but I'll bet Jack does." Joelle finished her beer. "I can ask if you'd like, but you have to promise if you tell Kennedy that you don't mention Jack."
"I can't make that promise. Because I can't tell her a half-truth and we're trying not to have secrets from each other." Carson looked her in the eye. "But I can promise you this -- I know her, and she would never do anything that would hurt Jack. If she feels she needs to use the information, she'll find a way to do it without having to tie the information back to him."
"You're certain?" Joelle asked anxiously.
"I'd stake my life on it," Carson responded. "But don't ask him about the others. Let me talk to Kennedy first."
"I feel kind of bad saying anything. But it makes me so mad, hearing the things he's said about you and Kennedy, and the gay community in general. And all his chest-thumping and wailing about the state of morals in our society. It makes me sick." Joelle's eyes snapped with anger. "I'd be glad for it to get out, provided it doesn't hurt Jack or Dell."
"I don't know," Cason replied almost absently. She heard the sound of a violin being tuned and looked across toward the stage area, where a large dance floor had been laid down for the evening. "I mean, I don't know about it getting out. I do know Kennedy though. You don't need to worry."
"Good." Joelle appeared to be relieved.
"I think I'm going to go cut into that dart game and see if she's ready to dance." Carson stood. "Do y'all dance?"
"Not country." Joelle also stood. "But it's time for us to leave. It's going to be way past the boys' bedtime by the time I get them home and ready for it. It was nice to meet you, Carson. Really, it was."
"You, too." Carson held up her phone. "I'll give you a call later this week to set-up dinner."
"That would be great! Have a good evening."
"You, too." Carson turned, making her way toward her partner, who was standing back watching the darts game. Carson mulled over Joelle's words. How much was true, there was no telling. It was a case of he said, he said, he said. The sick feeling rose in her gut again. True or not, there was no way she could not share what she'd heard with Kennedy. It was too big to carry around alone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As Carson approached the group, Kennedy looked up, her expression immediately transformed. There was a gentle glow to her face, a sparkle in her eyes, and the slightest hint of a smile at her lips. It was an expression Carson had begun to see more and more, and one she now recognized as adoration. She'd look up and there was Kennedy, simply gazing at her as if she were the only person on Earth. Or at least the only one that mattered.
It warmed her all over, partly because Kennedy appeared utterly happy at such moments, and partly because of the knowledge that she, Carson, was an integral part of that happiness. Her own inner tension unwound and retreated to a place deep inside where it could wait. It was time to dance, Sanderson and the Republicans, and even the Democrats, for that matter, be damned.
"Hey there, gorgeous," Kennedy greeted her and stood, oblivious to the slightly-surprised expressions on the faces of the men behind her as she stood to meet Carson halfway. A quick scan of those faces revealed only surprise, not disgust or perhaps worse, titillation. They were unused to seeing two women express quite that level of affection openly in the straight world.
"Hey, yourself." Carson closed her eyes as Kennedy leaned in, lightly kissing her on the lips. Disgusted or not, it would have been a little overwhelming to watch all those eyes right before Kennedy closed in. She did, however, take a quick peek as soon as they parted and suppressed a snicker. All of the men were now studiously looking intently at anything but them.
"Is the most beautiful woman in Austin ready to dance with me?" Kennedy held out her arm.
"Not sure if she's here." Carson joked, placing her hand in the crook of Kennedy's elbow. "Will I do?"
"Always." Kennedy steered them toward the stage area. Carson knew Kennedy wanted everyone to see them as a real couple, but looking into her eyes, it was clear none of this was for show. Those eyes were drinking Carson in as if she were an oasis in the desert. Looking around, Carson realized that in a way, she was.
"Did you have fun hanging out with the guys?" Carson gave her a little bump with her hip.
"I did." Kennedy dodged around a couple sitting on a blanket, watching the band.
"They seemed to accept you right into the group," Carson commented. "Almost like you were one of them."
"Instead of one of the women?" Kennedy laughed lightly. "Yeah, they did. It was nice. I don't ever want to be mistaken for a guy."
Carson snorted. "Not much chance of that."
"Maybe," Kennedy amiably agreed. "But even though I’m not a guy, it's important to me in this arena that I'm at least treated as an equal - equally intelligent, equally capable. I don't want them to look at me and see a woman. I want them to look at me and see a colleague, as someone they can trust to get the job done. It's not too different from how I want to be treated in court or in the boardroom."
"Then why do you sometimes wear suits with skirts to court?" Carson questioned. "I know you'd prefer slacks."
"Some of the judges are really old school. I don't like it but the fact is, if I know a judge was adverse to allowing women to wear pants in his courtroom, even if by law he now has no choice, I'm not above showing a little leg if it will keep me in their good graces." Kennedy laughed. "The last thing I want to do is piss off a judge and lose for my client just because I have too much ego to swallow my pride."
"Seems a little unfair to have to play games." Carson stepped over a puppy as it ran past, then dodged a little girl chasing it.
"Hmmm, well, it is," Kennedy agreed with her. "But it's not like I have to sleep with the judge to get a fair ruling, not that I would do that anyway. If the worst thing I have to do is put on pantyhose, I can live with that. Those old guys will eventually retire or die off. Ten years from now I don't think that will be an issue anymore."
"Where do you think you'll be in ten years? Still practicing law, I guess?" They reached the make-shift dance floor, just as the band cued up a waltz.
Before she had time to think, Kennedy spun Carson around, placing one arm at her waist, the other holding their hands up at Carson's shoulder level. She pulled Carson close as they fell into a familiar pattern. "I don't know." Kennedy leaned over, her lips near Carson's ear. "As long as you're in my arms, I don't much care."
It was an easy, smooth, dance -- one that was so second nature that neither woman had to think much about what their feet were doing. Kennedy was warm, her body alive and moving beneath Carson's fingertips. The scent of barbeque reached her and she wrinkled her nose, then placed her head on Kennedy's shoulder, her cheek pressed against her chest, as Kennedy tucked Carson's head under her chin. Inhaling deeply, all she could now smell was Kennedy -- a touch of her perfume, the detergent her crisply-ironed shirt had been washed in, and a dose of her natural scent, perhaps slightly stronger than usual after their activities in the shower. It made her --
"I want you," Kennedy whispered in her ear.
Carson smiled, not bothering to look up. It felt too good exactly where she was. "Not worn out after the shower?"
"Oh, no," Kennedy burred. "That was just the warm-up."
"Good." Carson brushed her cheek against the soft cotton it was resting against. "I want you, too," she whispered back.
Kennedy wrapped both arms around her, just as the music changed tempo -- a slower pace with a decidedly sensual undertone. Kennedy turned them in lazy circles around the dance floor, their bodies pressed together as the music carried them along. Carson opened her eyes long enough to look around as they turned, and realized every other couple she could see was in a similar embrace, lost in the music and in each other. Other than their body parts, there really wasn't any difference between them and the others, was there? It was nice, to just be, not feeling like she was wearing a label or being singled out.
A few flashbulbs snapped and Kennedy deftly maneuvered them from the edge of the dance floor toward the center. "Better," she commented.
"Thought you wanted people to see us as a couple." Carson looked up.
"I do," Kennedy replied. "But do they really need a dozen pictures of us dancing together? One will do. I didn't expect to enjoy myself tonight, but I have. I'd like to remember it -- this moment -- just like this." She leaned closer, engaging Carson in a kiss of tasteful length, given their location.
"Well, well, well." A perturbed male voice sounded from behind Carson. "You make me sick."
Carson started to turn, just as Kennedy moved in front of her, between her and Sanderson, who was dancing with his wife. "Med tent is back behind the stage. Feel free to go use it," Kennedy retorted.
"Roy --" Sanderson's wife tugged at his arm, her expression reproachful. "This isn't the time or place to --"
"Hush, Nancy." Roy shook free of her grasp.
"Nice." Kennedy crossed her arms in a defiant manner. "Are you allowed to talk at home?" She addressed the ash-blonde woman.
"My personal life is none of your business." Sanderson stepped closer, though still well clear of Kennedy's left hook.
"Ditto!" Kennedy roared.
"Yours is different!" Sanderson roared back. "Mine isn't breaking God's laws."
"I --" Kennedy started to speak when Carson edged past her.
Stepping closer to Sanderson, Carson suddenly realized even Nancy Sanderson towered over her by a good four inches. She swallowed and held her ground, looking up. "Roy, I feel sorry for you."
"Oh, you do, do you?" Sanderson mocked her, mimicking her tone. "You're a dyke living in sin. What on Earth could make someone like you feel sorry for me?"
"I feel sorry for you because your life is obviously so miserable, you feel the need to hurt people who aren't doing anything to hurt anyone else." Carson took a breath and continued. "At least we're not hiding from who we are."
"Hiding? What do you mean by that?" Sanderson suddenly appeared a tad bit uncomfortable.
"Bangkok," Carson replied succinctly, low enough that only the four of them could hear. "Come on Kennedy." She took her partner's hand. "Let's get out of here. I think I’m the one who needs to visit the med tent."
"Bangkok?" Kennedy followed, glancing back at Roy, who was as pale as the moon over their heads. Nancy merely looked up at him, obviously waiting for an explanation.
"I shouldn't have said that," Carson berated herself, as they reached a spot under the trees, away from the light poles around the dance floor. "I don't think she knew about it."
Cameras scrambled after them, as the media present realized something had happened. Kennedy spun around, facing them. "Scram!" She grabbed the camera from one persistent operator, just as he was about to snap a picture. "Take it and I'll break it." She pointed a finger, gesturing toward all of them. "This shows up on the news tomorrow and -- oh, hell." She dropped her hand and placed the camera back in its relieved owner's grasp. "I don't care anymore. I've done far worse and by some miracle my numbers are still up. But now -- scram! I need a moment alone with my fiancé. For crying out loud, go take pictures of the governor. He's been here for fifteen minutes and none of you have even noticed."
"The governor's here?" One surprised reporter looked around. "Come on!" She left, followed by the rest of the posse.
"Sheesh." Kennedy turned her head from side to side, hearing her neck vertebra pop into place. Turning back around, she placed her hands on her hips and studied Carson. "Bangkok?"
"We should probably go home to have this conversation," Carson answered sheepishly.
"Alright." Kennedy fished in her pocket for her truck keys. "Probably a good idea, regardless. My fist was starting to itch back there, talking to that asshole."
"I noticed that," Carson held out her hand as Kennedy took it. "The Dems are finally happy with you again. Another knock-down drag-out with Sanderson, and I don't know if that would stick, especially if it were to make the front page of the Austin-American Statesman tomorrow."
"True." Kennedy led the way to the parking area. "Is that why you cut me off with him?"
"Sorry about that." Carson looked back once at the dance floor, then kept going. "And no. I think -- what he was saying -- I probably would've said it anyway, even if you were offering to sit down and have high tea with him instead of Jonesing to punch his lights out. Damned hypocrite."
"Well." They reached the truck and Kennedy dis-armed it. "This, I can't wait to hear."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They got settled in the 4Runner and Kennedy started the engine. At that moment, her phone rang and she grabbed it without looking at it, keeping her eyes on the parking lot as she backed out. "Kennedy Nocona."
"We need to talk," Sanderson's voice boomed in her ear and she held the phone away from her head.
"I'm all ears," Kennedy responded. "Ball's in your court."
"I've known for some time that the president is willing to offer you a federal judicial appointment if you're willing to end your run for the state house," he answered. "All I have to do is ask and he'll set it in motion. There's a place open on the bench in the bankruptcy court in Amarillo. I know you don't practice bankruptcy law, but you'd pick it up fast enough. It's a sweet appointment."
"Roy, have you been to Amarillo?" Kennedy retorted. "I'd go flip burgers at the Lago Vista Sonic before I'd move out there, and I'm a vegetarian." She put the phone on speaker and set it down in a cup holder. "Will someone please tell me what the hell happened in Bangkok?"
"You -- you don't know?" Sanderson stammered, his voice incredulous. "Aw, shit!"
"No, Roy. Never been there, never thought much about it until the past five minutes."
"Then how --? Put the blonde on the phone." Kennedy swore she could hear him sweating.
"I'm right here, Roy," Carson answered. "Listen, about what I said. I owe your wife an apology."
"Forget her. She knows all about -- dammit! I've had one too many beers. I should know to keep my head clear around you two," Sanderson yelled, his frustration growing. "You listen to me, little girl --"
"Roy, find some respect or I'll end this call right now." Kennedy turned onto Barton Springs, headed for MoPac.
A few heavy breaths were her answer, then Sanderson's over-controlled voice sounded across the airwaves. "Ms. Garret, I don't know who in Washington you've been talking to, but I can assure you, you don't know what you're talking about. You start messing with slander and the Oval Office will be on you like a duck on a June bug."
"Who said anything about the Oval Office?" Carson answered sweetly. "Or Washington?"
"Dammit!" Sanderson bellowed. "You don't know anything do you?"
"Not much, other than something happened in Bangkok, judging by all that panting and slobbering I'm hearing," Carson replied.
"Who've you been talking to?" I demand to know!" Both women cringed at the decibel assault.
Kennedy picked up the phone and handed it to Carson. "Lower the volume, please?"
"Absolutely." Carson took it and punched a few buttons. "Roy." She set the phone back in the cup-holder. "You can demand all day long, but you're wasting your time. You've said way more than my original source did."
When there was no answer, Carson picked up the phone and studied it. "Well, I'll be. He hung up."
"Praise Jesus," Kennedy muttered.
"I thought you didn't believe Jesus was a deity."
"I don't." Kennedy took the phone and placed it back at her belt. "Okay, so Sanderson and someone from Washington -- possibly the president -- did something in Bangkok they weren't supposed to. I know what goes on in Bangkok. Am I on the right track at all?"
"Right one and coming around the stretch," Carson answered. "You want the long story or the short one?"
"Short, please." Kennedy took the ramp onto MoPac, wishing they were already home. She wanted a drink.
"Okay, I'll try." Carson shifted, facing her as much as she could without unhooking her seatbelt. "Now, keep in mind this is sort of like a game of six degrees of separation. I was talking to Joelle and she said that Jack said that his boss said that a group of Dell execs hooked up with a group from the Texas legislature on a flight to Bangkok. They all went out to dinner and then ended up at a brothel disguised as a karaoke bar. According to the story Joelle told me, Sanderson was there but he left the party to go to a gay brothel. She said he goes there a few times a year."
"And you believed her?" Kennedy was a little surprised at Carson engaging in gossip, as it wasn't something she perceived to be in her nature. Then she thought better of it, realizing the subject matter was probably too much temptation for her to avoid.
"I didn't know what to believe," Carson responded. "I'm four persons removed from the source. Sanderson just made me so mad, I popped off. I know." She appeared chagrined. "I have a hot temper."
"No, really?" Kennedy deadpanned.
"I was planning to tell you when we got home. I didn't know if there was anything you could or would do, but I thought you should hear it, for whatever it's worth." Carson looked down, twiddling her thumbs. "I figured it had been greatly embellished, until I saw Roy's face back there."
"He was pretty damned flustered, wasn't he?" Kennedy chuckled. "It's a little bothersome he's stuck his foot in his mouth and implicated the president. It's even more bothersome they've discussed offering me that judgeship. From the day I entered the race, I knew he was afraid of me, but I always thought it was simply fear that I'd win and he'd lose his seat. Now it makes me wonder if there's something more he's afraid of."
"Should we do anything about it?" Carson reached over, touching Kennedy's arm. "Messing with the fed is big, K. They can make people disappear."
"I know." Kennedy bit her lower lip. "I don't want to do anything right now. Partly, I don't want to win that way. If I win, I want it to be because people are voting for me, not because they're voting against Sanderson. I'd hate being the vote between the lesser of two evils."
"That makes sense." Carson sat back, looking up at the truck ceiling. "What about after the election?"
"If Sanderson is going to Bangkok and getting his jollies with other guys, that's between him and his wife. My only concern would be if he's using taxpayer money to pay for it. If he's flying on legitimate government business and seeking out his entertainment on the side in off hours on his own dollar, that's one thing. If he's stupid enough to pay for his trysts with his government Visa card, that's a whole other ball of wax." Kennedy made the exit onto Highway 183. She couldn't get home fast enough, and checked her speed to make sure her foot wasn't out of control. "If I win, he'll no longer be holding public office. I'd be inclined at that point to call for a discreet, private audit of his expense reports during his tenure in office, and make him reimburse the government if we find anything amiss. Then leave it at that."
"What if he wins?" Carson released a long, heavy breath. "I really hate this. I wish I'd told Joelle I didn't want to hear her story."
"Too juicy to pass up, babe." Kennedy gave her a sympathetic pat on the leg. "Don't beat yourself up. If he wins, I'll probably talk to some of the connections I've made during the campaign and try to convince them to keep the audit private unless they find expense account abuse."
"And what about the president?" Carson clutched at her own stomach. "I feel sick, K."
"You need to pull over?"
"No." Carson swallowed. "Can we sit out by the pool for a while when we get home? I'd like to get some air."
"Sure." Kennedy gave her leg a squeeze. "Did Joelle mention the president?"
"No." Carson shook her head. "Just guys from the state, at least when Jack's boss was in Bangkok."
"So the only mention of the president is a vague reference on Sanderson's part?"
"Yes." Carson looked at her. "Not much to go on, is it?"
"No," Kennedy agreed. "It would be easy enough to research where all the President has been since he took office. It's not like he has much of a private travel schedule. The newspapers publish his every move. I don't think I'd take it any further than that unless it turns out he's been jetting back and forth to Thailand every chance he gets. Once again, I'd try to talk to some people I think would launch a private investigation. We don't need another Lewinskygate in this country. I'd wager half the guys in Washington have dropped their pants for someone other than their wives. Unless they're abusing taxpayer dollars, I really don't much care who they're sleeping with."
"I agree one hundred per cent." Carson sounded relieved. "I'd like to stay as far removed as possible from all this. I'm not ready to go into the witness protection program. I'm just now getting to live the life I always wanted to live."
Kennedy was charmed. "Me, too." She gave Carson's leg another squeeze, her fingertips just grazing her inner thigh. Making the turn onto the last farm to market road before their private road, she opened the sunroof, enjoying the cool, night breeze.
"Lots of stars tonight." Carson looked up. "And to think we're seeing light that started this way millions of years ago. Some of those stars might not even be there anymore."
"Deep thoughts, my love." Kennedy brushed a denim-clad leg with her thumb. The mention of feeling sick, combined with the tiny wrinkle between Carson's eyebrows, was enough to set off silent alarm bells. Whatever was going on in Carson's head, worry was mixed up with it. "You okay?"
"Yeah. I like thinking about it," Carson looked over and smiled. "It reminds me that all of this -- stuff -- we're dealing with is pretty insignificant in the grand scheme of things."
"That it is," Kennedy whole-heartedly agreed. "There's only two things I'm certain of."
"That would be --?"
"We're all going to die someday, and your love for me." Kennedy glanced at her as long as she dared, then looked firmly back at the road ahead of them. "What I do -- my job, running for office -- in the end none of that matters. What matters is that I live life to the fullest, give back what I can, and love you well."
"I can attest to complete success in the latter department, so far." Carson covered Kennedy's hand with her own.
"Ditto." Kennedy turned onto their road, making the winding turns down to their electric gate. "Nice night," she commented, as they got out of the truck and closed the garage door. "You wanna go sit by the pool and wait for me to go check on the horses, or do you want to go with me?"
"Oh, yeah." Carson joined her. "I forgot Alexis was staying in town tonight."
"Yeah. She's been doing that a lot lately. What's up?"
"New boyfriend."
"Ah." Kennedy smiled. "She does know we're okay with him staying with her in the garage apartment, doesn't she?"
"Yeah." Carson chuckled. "I tried to explain that to her, but she just blushed. I think she's busy overcoming a Catholic upbringing."
"We're all busy overcoming something, I guess." Kennedy held the barn door open, reaching inside and turning on the lights.
"Can I just say how glad I am you have this place heated and cooled?" Carson studied the thermostat, which was set at 68 degrees. The whir of the heater could be heard, the thermometer reading 65 outside.
"I imagine the horses appreciate it, too." Kennedy gave her a little pat on the behind.
"Hey!" Carson flipped her foot up, lightly kicking Kennedy on her backside.
"Is for horses." Kennedy kicked back, and a wrestling match ensued, starting at the barn entrance and ending in a tangle of arms and legs in a corner near the last stall. Kennedy deftly flipped Carson onto her stomach and sat on her, holding both arms behind her back.
"Let me go!" Carson struggled, but her pleas were mixed with laughter, as Kennedy tickled her with her free hand. "K, please!"
"No." Kennedy stood and picked her up, tossing Carson over one shoulder like a potato sack. "Never letting you go." She quickly made the rounds of the stalls, pleased that Alexis had filled both water and feed troughs adequately before she left. Both horses nickered at her contentedly and went back to grazing. "Good. Now --" Still carrying Carson, she stumbled toward an empty stall, privately acknowledging Carson was more solid than she looked.
"K, put me down! Oof --" The world spun and Carson heard a fluffing sound, then landed on her back on a soft cotton blanket covering a pile of hay.
"As you wish." Kennedy flopped down beside her, folding her arms behind her head and placing a strand of hay between her lips, chewing on it. "Long night."
"Tired?" Carson gave her a little poke in the ribs.
"No." Kennedy poked back, smiling when she felt more return pokes. Sex with Carson was always good -- serious, quick, slow -- it was all good, but when playtime turned into sex, that was the best of all. They'd both lived through fairly serious childhoods and she loved it most when they were able to cut loose and play together on their giant lake of a playground or anywhere else for that matter, including the bedroom.
They poked each other a few more time and then Kennedy pounced, caging Carson in with her arms and legs. Ignoring Carson's tickling fingers she slid down, pulling Carson's knit shirt up with her teeth, using her hands only when she needed to get the bit of clothing over Carson's head. Carson's bra quickly followed and Kennedy let out a playful growl. "Haven't stopped wanting you since we got off that dance floor." She nuzzled a breast, hearing a gurgle of pleasure from Carson's throat. Kennedy rose up, tilting her head to one side, looking into Cason's eyes, her expression predatory.
"You look like you're going to eat me alive." Carson visibly shivered.
"Oh, yeah." Kennedy nuzzled the breast again, then closed her lips around a succulent nipple, spending a long time there before she switched to the other breast. It was an oral fixation she could never get enough of, especially with Carson's murmurs and sighs almost in her ear. Reluctantly, she released a nipple with an audible smack and kissed her way along Carson's collar bone, lightly flicking her tongue up her throat to her chin and then her lips.
"Mmmmm." Kennedy took her time, exploring Carson's lips. She reached down between them, unbuckling Carson's belt and popping the button on her jeans, lowering the zipper and giving Carson a couple of teasing strokes through her jeans, before she cupped her. "I need some Ginger ale." She pressed Carson's earlobe between her lips, then suckled it.
"Unghhh." Carson ground against her hand. "Bar's open, babe. Ginger's ready and waiting." Carson gave a little push to the top of Kennedy's head.
Kennedy laughed wickedly, scooting down and tugging off Carson's boots and socks, tossing them in the corner with a thud against the wooden walls. She worked Carson's jeans off, then once again used her teeth to pull down her underwear. Kennedy's nostrils flared, taking in her lover's scent. Burying her nose in reddish-blonde curls, she inhaled deeply. Slowly, she kissed her way back up to Carson's ear, teasing the baby soft skin below it with her teeth. "I love your scent."
Capturing Carson's lips, she kissed her deeply, hovering over her, braced on her forearms and knees. Carson wrapped both legs around her, pulling her down, and she brushed her fully-clothed body all along Carson's naked one, groaning as her own passion rose, settling solidly in her gut and between her legs.
"Feels so good," Carson gasped.
"Gonna feel even better real soon." Kennedy rose up and winked at her, dragging her thumb across Carson's mouth. She kissed a direct path down between Carson's breasts and along her belly, then settled down, planting slow, wet kisses along both inner thighs.
"Not soon enough," Carson grumble.
"Patience." Kennedy tisked, then bit down lightly at the inner apex of Carson's leg and hip, causing her to levitate for a moment. She laughed and once again nuzzled Carson's curls, then reached down, spreading her open and kissing each of two freckles, before getting down to business. The first taste was heavenly and Kennedy moaned in unison with her lover. "Need to feed on you for a while." She stretched out, grasping Carson's backside and pulling her up toward her.
"Oh, god." Carson draped both legs around Kennedy's shoulders, then gave into her body's rhythm and dropped them again, digging her heels into the blanket and rising up to meet the teasing lips and tongue. "K --" Carson sighed and whimpered, one hand resting lightly on top of Kennedy's head.
Grabbing handfuls of flesh, Kennedy squeezed Carson's backside rhythmically, matching her rolling hip motion. Her fetish for Carson's behind had only grown over time, and she mused that it just didn't get much better than this. She felt Carson grow still, her hips thrust into the air, and she increased her pace, just as Carson let out a yell, her stomach and hips rolling over and over again with her release. "Ahhhhh." Carson finally dropped her body, her hand still resting on Kennedy's head.
Kennedy flipped her over, lavishing both buns with licks and kisses. "Can't get enough of your ass." She kissed her way along Carson's bikini tan line, reaching between Carson's legs and quickly bringing her up one more time, her cries of release muffled against the soft blanket.
"No more!" Carson rolled to her back and Kennedy stretched out beside her on her side, rubbing Carson's stomach and occasionally lightly cupping her breasts, teasing her nipples. "You are determined, aren't you?" Carson smiled and grabbed the wandering hand, stopping it.
"I think I could go all night." Kennedy grinned.
"I think you're very, very horny." Carson reached over, unbuttoning Kennedy's blouse and the front hook closure of her bra.
Kennedy glanced down, watching her as she worked. "It would be difficult to walk back to the house in my current state."
Carson laughed. "Poor baby." She pinched each nipple and Kennedy closed her eyes, murmuring her approval. Without warning Carson stood and moved next to the open stall door, leaning back and crossing her arms, a smirk planted firmly on her face.
"Babe," Kennedy practically begged. "I'm in pain here."
Carson beckoned her with a crook of her finger and Kennedy rose to her knees. "All the way up," Carson encouraged her. As Kennedy stood, Carson reached over and closed the lower half of the stall door, latching it securely closed. "Closer," she cooed.
Kennedy obeyed, closing the distance and pressing completely against Carson, belly to belly. She ducked her head and they kissed, a playful warring of tongues and lips and just as before, Carson suddenly pulled back, grasping Kennedy's wandering hands and holding them still with one hand. With the other hand she unzipped Kennedy' jeans. "Lean over and brace your hands on top of the door."
If she was in pain before, she was positively aching now. "Yes ma'am." Kennedy obeyed without question, realizing where Carson was headed, her gut clenching in anticipation. Carson moved behind her and she felt her shirt being slowly lifted, as Carson kissed her way up her spine. She lifted Kennedy's hands only long enough to slide her shirt and bra off, then pressed her bare stomach against Kennedy's back. "You feel divine," Carson purred.
"Mmmm. You're the angel." Feeling hardened nipples pressed against her back, Kennedy closed her eyes, biting her lower lip. Carson reached around, teasing both of her breasts, then trailed her hands down Kennedy's sides until she reached the waistband of her jeans. Kennedy felt a tug as the soft denim slide down her legs, the slight chill of the air around them welcome against her overheated skin. Feeling a nudge to her ankle, she stepped out of the jeans on one side, and with another nudge, she spread her legs wider.
She could feel Carson's breath against the back of one calf, then just the lightest flick of her tongue, sending a very pleasant shiver up her spine. Carson repeated the action a few times, then switched to the other leg. It was agonizingly slow. "I've changed my mind," Kennedy gasped. "You're the devil."
Carson laughed and kissed her way up, switching back and forth between legs as she went. "I know you're an ass girl." She slowly stroked both hands up Kennedy's legs, squeezing each calf. "I'm a leg girl myself." She finished her trail of kisses and paused, then Kennedy got a much more intimate sensation of that breath, before Carson gave her an even more intimate kiss. "Oh, my god." Kennedy leaned forward, glad her arms were strong. Her legs suddenly felt like rubber.
Carson kissed her a few more times then stood, planting one hand flat against the center of her lower back and reaching around in front, between Kennedy's legs, with the other. Carson teased her lightly at first, then began a series of steady, firm strokes. Kennedy widened her stance, shamelessly grinding against Carson's hand. She could feel a trickle of sweat running down her back, then felt Carson catch it, licking it away.
She felt Carson's hand slide lower down her back and then Carson slipped just the first digit of her pinky inside her. "God, yes!" Kennedy cried out, glad they'd both shed their aversion to backdoor play.
"Mmmm." Carson pressed her lips against Kennedy's butt cheek, making a humming noise that vibrated against her skin. She increased her pace of her hand in front and Kennedy felt everything tighten up inside. "You're so wet," Carson whispered. "Need to be inside you." She slid her back hand lower, entering her.
"Oh, god." Kennedy felt everything tighten even more, then blessed relief as her body spasmed over and over again. Slowly, Carson eased her motions and Kennedy collapsed backward onto the blanket, taking Carson with her. She wrapped herself completely around the shorter woman from behind, gasping for breath as their sweat-covered skin made contact all along their bodies. "That was fanfuckingtastic!" Kennedy nipped at an earlobe. "Wanna hold you like this all night."
"You wanna go inside?" Carson turned in her arms, tangling their legs together.
"Yeah. Then I wanna hold you like this all night." Kennedy kissed her several times, then rubbed noses with her before planting a kiss on Carson's forehead. "You rock my world, you know that?"
"That sentiment is mutual, babe." Carson snuggled against her, enjoying the sensation of being surrounded completely by her lover.
After a long bit of time, they both reluctantly rose and gathered their clothing. As Kennedy untangled her jeans, her phone, which clipped to its waist, rang. She frowned and looked at the caller ID. "Oh, my god. Sanderson." She hit the button to send the call to voice mail. "It's almost midnight. He can kiss my ass."
"No, he can't." Carson moved in front of her and pulled her close, grasping her backside as she kissed her before they parted. Carson squeezed her with both hands. "Your ass is mine."
Kennedy laughed, her passion rising again. It was going to be a long night. "Let's get inside."
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Continued in Chapter 17