Taking a long sip, Poppy let out a sigh and said, "Thank you. I needed that." Dropping to his knees next to the tub, he began to massage her feet. Instantly, she began to moan her approval. The only thing Poppy liked more than a foot rub was a foot rub whilesoaking in a tub full of bubbles. The more he rubbed, the more she moaned.
"Oh my God. That is so good," she groaned as he continued to increase the pressure on her instep.
"Anything for you," he replied.
After several more glorious minutes, Poppy gave him a very sexy look and said, "So, should I let some water out so you can join me in this big old tub you insisted we needed?"
Bennett continued to work magic with his hands and said, "Nah, that's okay; I’m good just seeing how much you are enjoying this."
Poppy's eyes widened, and she pulled her feet out of his hands. She sat up in the tub so quickly it caused water to slosh over the side. Spearing Bennett with a look, she said, "Okay, out with it. What have you done?"
Feigning shock, Bennett replied, "What? Can't I just give my wife a foot massage for no reason?"
"A foot massage. Yes. It is all of the other things you have been doing in the last hour that make this suspect. First, you volunteer to clear a hell of a mess in the kitchen when you have never, not once in ten years, willingly cleaned anything. Then you show up with wine and a killer foot massage. Next, you forgo an offer of water sex in order to continue to give me a killer, never-ending foot massage. No, something is up. I hate it when you do this. Whatever it is, just tell me."
Bennett raised his hands in a gesture that showed he surrendered and said, "I haven't done anything. At least not yet."
When Poppy responded with only a raised eyebrow and pursed lips, he added, "But, there is something I need to talk to you about."
"Oh Lord, please don't say you have already been asked to take on another special case to prosecute. We just got you back. You promised you wouldn't." Poppy hated the whinny sound she heard in her voice, but the last two years had taken a toll on all of them.
He patted her leg and reassured her, "No, nothing like that. But I have been approached about a new opportunity, and I want to see what you think about it."
"New opportunity? What kind of opportunity? And by whom?" asked Poppy. After almost ten years of marriage to Bennett, Poppy had learned that new opportunities often meant more time away from the family.
He had just been a small-town lawyer in private practice for the first six years of their marriage. Over the years, she realized he needed more excitement and challenge than the job offered. But she longed for the simplicity of those days when he made it home for dinner every night and was all in on their little family. Even then, though, she sensed something was missing in his life. He had had such a successful, illustrious public career before him.
Many times over the years, she had felt guilty about all he had given up for them, especially during election season. She knew he missed many of the aspects of his old life.
She had to remember that whatever this new opportunity was, he obviously was more than a little interested in it, or he would not be so secretive. She had to try and support it if at all possible.
Realizing the water had gone cold and the conversation was about to heat up, Poppy stood and handed Bennett her wine glass. She grabbed a towel and said, "Let’s continue this in bed."
Fifteen minutes later, Poppy was lotioned, dressed in her most comfy pajamas, and sufficiently plied with alcohol to discuss "new opportunities." Bennett paced around the room like a caged animal who could not find a comfortable place to land.
Poppy was nestled on her side of the bed. Taking a final sip of Dutch courage, she said, "Okay, I am ready. Tell me all about this new opportunity."
Bennett looked at her with a deeply serious look as if he were searching for where to begin. Running both hands through his dirtyblond hair, he swallowed hard and said, "I have been approached about running for governor."
Incredulously, Poppy looked at him and asked, "Governor? Like for the state of Arkansas?"
Holding her gaze, he nodded. "Yes, governor, like for the state of Arkansas."
Bennett held her gaze and tried to gauge her feelings over what he had just said.
For a moment, Poppy said nothing. Then, she asked, "But how? Why? You can't run for office. You left all that behind years ago. You know what will happen if you do. The press will be all over us. It will be just like it was ten years ago."
"I want you to know that I will only do this if you are totally on board with it," he rushed to reassure her. "You and the children come first." Pacing back and forth around the front of the bed, he talked as fast as he was walking. Poppy could literally see how nervous he was even discussing this with her. Stopping and looking directly at her, he added, "Of course, I need Benjamin and Taylor's permission as well. This is their story, too. But, again, I won't do it if any of you are uncomfortable with it."
Uncomfortable with it? Of course, they would all be uncomfortable with it, Poppy immediately thought. But that was not what she said. Instead, she asked, "I don't understand. You win a big case, and suddenly, all the reasons you walked away from politics are gone?"
"Not gone, just different," he responded. He was so focused and passionate that she could almost imagine him as he had once been on the Senate floor, arguing for a cause he was passionate about. Only this time, she was his audience, and what he was championing was his long-dead career that she had helped kill. He continued to make his case, saying, "The world is a different place now than it was ten years ago. We have all survived a pandemic," he added,using much of the same rhetoric Jameson had used earlier to pique his interest.
The longer he talked, the more the words poured out of his mouth. Once he got going, it was as if he had to get it all out. "Williams says that the last two presidential races have changed what voters want in a leader. They are less concerned about their private life and more about their policies and leadership abilities. I still have strong name recognition in the state, and winning the case has certainly helped. If we tell our story honestly, I think the people of Arkansas will see that our love is a story of survival and perseverance. If they can understand why we made the decisions we did, then I believe we can make the whole thing a non-issue."
The more he talked, the louder the buzz in her head became. All she could think about was seeing her face plastered all over the news with the tagline, "Poppy Thompson-Senator's Mistress and Baby Mama."
She could not go through that again. Most of what Bennett was saying was not registering. He kept droning on about spinning the story and controlling how much was shared. She was too much in her head to really listen. All she knew as he rattled on about how he would not do anything she was uncomfortable with and how the decision was up to her. She knew she was never going to be okay with it. The one thing she knew for sure was that as much as she did not want Bennett to run for governor, that was how much he wanted to.
