“The picture leaves out the partwhere he nearly punched me in the face for doing it.”
“And you didn’t mention this toKiernan?” Roeder’s voice comes from the phone again.
“Roeder, it was a stupid littlekiss,” I say. “He was being an idiot, and I told him not to do it again. Ididn’t really have a reason to bring it up again.”
We so aren’t getting away withthis. I just know it. Something else will come up. Something neither of usknows about will bite us in the ass.
Roeder sighs. “Kid, we didn’t sendan agent out there so that you could fucking make a spectacle out of him. Goddammit.He’s supposed to blend in.”
Kiernan shakes his head as hestares off. I don’t think he’s listening to Roeder as much as thinking abouthis screw-up son and how he’s fucked things up for their multi-million-dollarad campaign.
“Why the fuck would you do that knowingthere was a guy flashing pictures?” he finally asks. “Do you know what peopleare going to think?”
“What do you mean?”
Debra’s voice comes from the cellbeside the one Roeder’s on: “The consensus of most of the tweets, FB posts, andunreliable news sources is that you’re whoring around with the new bodyguard.Obviously, considering Jordan Spears and the Jamaica incident, everyone’spretty sure that you’re just screwing around like you always do. Setting a badexample for kids. Making a mockery of your job. Need I go on? Linely at BrennerHughes called me this morning, and it doesn’t sound promising. They’rethreatening to pull out using the decency clause.”
Kiernan’s face turns bright red. Idoubt he’s just now hearing that tidbit, but I’m sure the reminder is enough tomake him close to losing his shit.
“What can you do about it, Debra?Can you sway them?”
“Are you kidding me? Does no oneappreciate how long it took me to calm those assholes down after the Jamaicashit? I thought I was gonna have to fly to New York and suck each and every oneof the board members’ cocks just to keep that deal. And then the wholebodyguard thing…even though it was just an inconvenience, it was annoying tothem. Now it’s like we’re spitting in their faces. If I were them, I’d back thefuck out, too.”
Kiernan waves at the phone, hislook suggesting, “See? We’re fucked!”
“I think I might have an idea ofhow to swing this our way,” Tad says.
“Oh, yes. Please. I would love tohear how you plan to spin this into gold.”
“Just hear me out. Let’s say thatBryce and I are boyfriends. We could say it goes back further than the season.That I was seeing him last spring when all those crazy rumors about me having allthis sex in Jamaica got started. Agent Roeder, would you have a way of maybealtering a few facts? Contacting the hotel I was at and getting the records tomake it look like Agent Finnegan and I were staying there together?”
“That wouldn’t be an issue,” Roedersays, “but I don’t see how—”
“Because if we can convince everyonethat he’s been my bodyguard for a while…and that we started seeing each other lastspring, then we can kill two birds with one stone. First off, we squash allthose rumors from the spring in an instant. And then this picture will shift frommaking me look like a man-whore to looking like a guy in a committedrelationship with his boyfriend. And please. The football player and the bodyguard?The media will eat that shit up. As for you, Roeder, it looks like part of thecover, so even when the FBI reveals it was all a cover, it can never come backaround as being a fucked-up thing the FBI was involved in.”
Despite the genius of his plan,there’s no way Roeder will be okay with me parading around like I’m going outwith Tad. His silence on the phone concerns me, though. What is he thinking?That he just needs to find someone else and get me out of this mess? That Istill need to be reviewed in case something really has happened between me andTad?
“How would you want to go aboutgetting that information out?” Roeder asks.
What? He’s seriouslyconsidering this?
“Debra can release a statement,”Tad says. He leans back on the arm of the couch, stretching his legs across itand settling them in Darren’s lap. He’s getting cocky now that he’s gotten awaywith this much. And I’m worried his conceit will make him sloppy. “Let everyoneknow that we haven’t wanted to be open about our relationship because it was sonew. I was worried about putting him in the spotlight, but now that it’s out,we talked and decided we want everyone to know. That we love each other andwe’re not ashamed of being in love. It’s the perfect time for this. It’ll besuicide for Brenner Hughes to drop us. People will think they’re a bunch ofbigots if they do, and since it’s all a ruse, Roeder, you can tell your peoplethat it’s just a part of his cover without having to worry about ruffling anyfeathers.”
Roeder is quiet again.
“I think it just might work,” hefinally says.
Tad has a sparkle in his eyes.Like he’s amazed we might actually get out of this without being punished.
“I don’t want to admit it,” Debrasays. “But it’s kind of perfect. If we can convince everyone they’ve beentogether all this time, which is believable since most of the renewed interestin him began at the beginning of the season, then we might be able to swaypeople’s opinions. Get them back on his side. I mean, hell, we might be able tomake him look like a misunderstood saint who’s been in this loving relationshipall the time that people have been trampling all over his career and good name.”
“Obviously the Jordan shit isn’tjust going to magically disappear,” Kiernan reminds her.
She runs her forefinger along theside of her glasses. “We need to book an interview,” she says. “With the newcouple. If the public sees them together, talking about being a couple, they’llbe more likely to believe it. I’ll see who I can get to cover it. And then Tad,being the charming and cunning guy that he is, just has to admit he mademistakes in the past and that he’s never been in love like this before.”
“Just Tad has to do that part,though,” I say. “Right?”
“Bryce, don’t you see that youhave to do it, too?” Roeder asks.
