Forever Love (Arabesque) (4 page)

“I’m not concerned about everyone right now. I already beefed up security for the remainder of your personal appearances, including press conferences.”

Blake nodded. “Do what you need to do, but still take the evening off—no arguments.”

Keith nodded. “Okay, I will. I have a few things to catch up on at the office. Call me if you change your mind. Thanks for the ride.” He closed the door and watched the car drive off down the street. A few seconds later he breezed through the main lobby and headed up to the top-floor law offices.

Megan, while still texting on her cell phone, met him as soon as he stepped off the elevator. “Hey, I just spoke with the governor’s aide. We’ve confirmed. He’ll be in the city next week and he wants to get together with the mayor and give his official endorsement,” she said.

“Good, that’ll work,” Keith said as he walked past the reception area and down the hall toward his office, “but not at an official press conference. Let’s find a venue that’s more informal.”

Megan nodded and followed Keith while still texting on her cell phone. Kate, Keith’s administrative assistant and the office’s senior manager, followed close behind with her computer pad in her hands. “Keith, you have a teleconferencing meeting in half an hour with Senator Kingsley. Your mail is on your desk and the contracts you were expecting just arrived,” she said, handing him an unopened overnight express package.

“Thanks,” Keith said, taking the package, “and, Kate, I need you to get my mother on the phone. I’m working here late this evening. She may be in court. If so, leave a message for her to call me when she’s free. Also, I need you to pull a few hard-copy files before you head out. Check my email in-box for the list.”

She nodded, turned and went back to her desk. Keith and Megan continued into his office. “Okay, I have that information you wanted on OCC,” Megan said. “It’s not complete, but it’ll give you an idea of what we’re up against.”

“Let’s hear what you have,” he said, sitting at his desk and opening his laptop.

“Okay, Organization of Community Change, OCC, is a nonprofit. According to the information I have so far, and from their website, it was organized in the late seventies to bring attention to the political corruption and unlawful police brutality stemming from the Powelton Village incident. From there it grew into a political action and community service organization. Julia Banks was the primary listed until three years ago when her granddaughter took over.

“The organization became more focused on political policy and eliminating political corruption during the last administration. They took an aggressive stance and led the recall. They are also noted as being responsible for outing a few political figures in the eighties and nineties. Their endorsement can carry a lot of weight in some circles. The older constituents still rely heavily on them. Right now they’re critical of the mayor. We could use a bump in the polls, and they could give it to us.”

“I agree. We need to connect with them. No, I need to connect with them. I want you to follow the money trail. Who are their leading contributors?” he asked, pulling the tab from the overnight express package and taking out several contracts.

“Their main funding is unknown and I haven’t been able to track it so far. But they get a considerable amount from the Emma Washington Foundation headed by—”

“Louise Gates.”

Megan looked up from her computer pad. “Yeah, that’s right, your grandmother and her older sister.”

“Tell me about Julia Banks’s daughter.”

“Audrey Duncan grew up lower middle class and married rich. She had one daughter out of wedlock, Gia Duncan. The birth certificate lists Gia’s father’s name as Samuel Duncan of Duncan Real Estate Development. Audrey and Samuel married later. She died of bronchial pneumonia and myocardial fibrosis when Gia was twelve. Gia was at the community center today.”

“Wait, Samuel Duncan is Gia Duncan’s father?” he questioned. Megan nodded. “So that means Lawrence Duncan is her—”

“Yes, Lawrence Duncan, who owns almost an eighth of the city’s prime real estate, is Gia’s paternal grandfather.”

Keith nodded, smiling. “Interesting, she’s got some serious money behind her. So that’s her unknown funding.”

“Actually, I’m not sure about that part. Rumor has it there was some kind of family feud a few years ago and she was cut off.”

“There’s cut off and then there’s cut off. What about Julia?”

She nodded. “Julia Banks had a major heart attack three years ago. That’s when Gia moved here from Boston and took over. Then six months ago she had a stroke. She’s currently in a nursing home in west Philly. Gia Duncan is heading the OCC with her lead associate, William B. Axelby the Third. There are also a number of lower-level associates, including Axelby’s half sister, Bonnie. OCC’s main focus and objective is to hold accountable the procedures and practices of local politicians and to...”

Keith continued listening as he read through emails and updated his father’s planner for the following day. He cleared the morning for last-minute news feeds, an online video promo he planned and any Q&A from local news agencies. He didn’t have to do any major damage control since the OCC had basically shot themselves in the foot with the last few questioners, but he needed to be ready for the next time. They’d tipped their hand too soon. Now he knew exactly what to expect.

“Dating...single and lives on—”

“Hold up, hold up, stop,” Keith said, paying attention again. “Go back.”

“As for Gia Duncan’s personal life, she dated a stockbroker, before that a businessman, both very wealthy. Before that she dated a lawyer who turned out to be married. She ended it when she found out. It doesn’t look like she’s dated at all since she’s been here in Philly.”

“She hasn’t dated in three years?” he questioned.

“No, no one we can find. All she does now is work twenty-four-seven.”

“Sounds like she needs some excitement in her life. I think that’s my in,” Keith said, smiling, knowing the exact approach he’d take. “What else?”

“She’s twenty-eight, single and lives on Delaware Avenue—actually not too far from your city apartment. She went to boarding school, college and grad school in Boston, then returned to the area to work with her grandmother at OCC three years ago. She has a law degree from Harvard and was top of her class in the LLM Masters of Law Program with a focus on human rights.”

“Harvard LLM, impressive. So she’s a lawyer,” Keith said as he went through the contracts in the package.

“Yes, she was in Boston, but she obviously doesn’t practice now. As a matter of fact, the OCC has used this law firm several times in the last few years.”

“Used us?” he questioned. Megan nodded. “Assigned to whom?”

She shook her head. “Closed records. It doesn’t say.”

Keith’s private office phone rang. Megan stopped reading as soon as he answered. It was his secretary informing him that his mother was headed back to court and would call him back later. “Megan, we’ll finish this up later. Send me what you have.” She nodded, got up and walked out.

Keith sat at his desk a few moments thinking about the events of the day. Gia’s last comment in particular made him smile. He shook his head, intrigued. She had no idea what she’d started.

He had felt the burn instantly, and her crooked little sexy smile sealed his interest. He opened the file his associate had emailed him and read through it quickly. She was still working on it, but what she’d sent him so far made him even more curious. She was a Duncan and that meant deep pockets. She was the only granddaughter of Lawrence Duncan and that meant power. He wondered what a presumably wealthy woman, as Gia obviously was, would be doing in a nonprofit organization policing politicians. There had to be something more to this.

Seeing the OCC’s phone number, he opened his cell phone, then closed it and smiled. Just calling OCC wasn’t the definite impact he wanted to make. His smiled broadened. Showing up in their office was. He chuckled to himself, closed his laptop, got up and headed to the office door. He stopped at Kate’s desk. She looked up as he approached. “Kate, check with the firm’s records. I need to know who handled the OCC account. I’m not sure when.”

“It was three years ago. Drew caught the case.”

Keith smiled. He should have known that Kate would know. When it came to the law practice, she knew everything. “Thanks. Is Drew in today?”

“Yes, he should be in his office.”

“Let me know when the conference call is ready. I’ll be with Drew.”

She nodded. “I’ll have those files pulled,” she said.

“Thanks,” Keith said, turning and headed toward his brother’s office a few doors down. He knocked at the slightly cracked door. He opened it a bit more and stepped inside. Drew was on the phone. He looked up, saw his brother and motioned for him to come in. Keith walked in as Drew ended his phone call.

He grabbed the remote control and turned the sound up on the TV across from his desk. “Hey, what happened today? Dad’s all over the news.”

“An unfortunate miscalculation of intent,” Keith said, sitting down in the seat across from the desk. “We were upstaged by a few members of a group called OCC. But Dad handled it admirably as usual and came out on top.”

“Organization for Community Change,” Drew said.

“You worked with them?” Keith asked.

“Yeah, I did a few pro bono jobs for them a few years ago. I worked with Julia Banks. I understand she had a stroke a while back. I heard that her granddaughter’s taking over.”

“She has. What do you know about her?”

“Not much. She wasn’t around a lot at the time. It was during her move down from Boston. I know she’s attractive, intelligent, distant and a half minute from being openly hostile.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean she has a chip on her shoulder that’s the size of a giant sequoia.”

“Why’s that?”

Drew shrugged. “I don’t have a clue. I assumed it had something to do with her father and grandfather. I heard they disowned her since she didn’t go into the family business.”

Keith smiled. “So she chose working with her grandmother at a nonprofit over making millions with Dad and Granddad.”

There was a knock on Drew’s office door and then it opened. Kate poked her head inside. “Keith, your conference call will begin in four minutes.”

“Thanks, Kate, I’ll be right there.”

She nodded and left. Keith looked across at Drew. “I think Gia was the mastermind behind this afternoon’s sideshow.”

“What are you gonna do?” Drew asked.

“Get them out of the way until after the election.”

“How?”

“I have a few ideas. Either way, I think it’s time Gia and I got better acquainted,” Keith said, standing to leave. “Oh, any words on the arrival date?”

“No. Jeremy and I were just talking about that. Neither of us has heard anything. We were thinking it was a false alarm. Maybe she’s not coming.”

Keith shook his head. “Nah, she’s coming. The question is when.”

“You’re that sure?” Drew asked. Keith nodded. “Okay, I’ll be at the courthouse in a few hours. I’ll try to catch up with Mom and see if she knows anything. Either way I’ll let you know what I find out.”

Keith nodded again. “Good, I’ll talk to you later.”

Drew chuckled and shook his head. “Hey, good luck with OCC. I have a feeling you’re gonna need it.”

Keith waved his hand as he walked out the door. He knew he didn’t need luck. She was a woman and that’s all he needed.

Chapter 4

G
ia placed her elbows on her desk and rubbed her temples. Her head was pounding. The headache she had felt coming earlier was now here. It had been a long day and right now all she wanted to do was lie down, close her eyes and rest, but she knew she couldn’t. She’d made a dozen calls and was now waiting to get information in order to plan the organization’s next move.

“Hey, are you coming back out to the party?” Bonnie asked as she walked into Gia’s office.

“Yeah, I’ll be there in a few minutes,” Gia said without bothering to look up.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, fine, just a little headache. I’ll be right there.” Bonnie nodded and left. Fifteen minutes later Gia was still sitting at the desk in her office. Now the television was turned on and she was watching the latest news report. An ice-cold half-eaten slice of pizza on a white paper plate sat in front of her. She glanced at it and crinkled her nose, then picked up the bottle of water, forgetting she’d emptied it an hour ago.

Optimistically, she’d watched the news reports over and over again. Of course nothing ever changed. They all rolled the same footage repeatedly, and each time she hoped to see something different. She didn’t. She grabbed the remote control and changed channels—more of the same.

She took a deep satisfied breath and decided that by all accounts it was a good day. She’d succeeded and done exactly what she intended—she got OCC noticed. They had had their fifteen minutes of fame and now she needed to make sure they stayed in the spotlight, front and center. People were interested and the office phones had been ringing all evening. They’d made their point and they planted the idea that the people of Philadelphia needed and deserved more than lip service and politics as usual from their mayor and city council members.

The news report continued with Keith Washington standing outside the community center. A reporter asked him a question about OCC and what had happened inside. His answer was respectfully dismissive of OCC while still on point with his father’s campaign message. The reporter’s eyes seemed to haze over as she smiled up at him. It was exactly as she expected—after all, he was a lawyer and a Washington. His charm and charisma sparkled right through the television. Gia wondered how long it would be before he threw his hat in the political ring. The crowd around him cheered and she knew right then she would be taking on two consummate professionals, father and son.

She heard a cheer and applause from the front, then looked up at the slightly cracked office door. She could see that a few of the organization’s volunteers were still there even though the main celebration had long since wound down and most volunteers were already gone.

A news clip of Keith speaking repeated on a different channel. She muted the volume and just watched his face as he spoke. He was everything any woman could want, beautiful white teeth, long dark lashes, dark sexy eyes and lips that could very likely send a woman through the roof. Yep, Bonnie was right, he was gorgeous. Everything about him screamed
sexy
. And right now having a little sexy in her dull, boring life wouldn’t be such a bad thing.

She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a date or had even gone out to have fun, for that matter. Like with her grandmother, the OCC had taken up all of her life. She’d pushed everything back for the greater good and right now that greater good was holding Blake Washington accountable to his constituents. Her thoughts eased back to Keith and his broad shoulders, sexy smile and gorgeous eyes. She wondered what it would be like to be with him.

She reached over and picked up an envelope on her desk. It was an invitation to the mayor’s Initiative Conference. It had come two weeks ago. With everything going on, she had completely forgotten about it. It was a new program that was started by the mayor’s office three years ago. The OCC had never once been invited. Now they had. She originally had declared she was going, but now she wasn’t sure. But seeing Keith once again might be interesting.

She opened her laptop and RSVP’d the invitation. Then she typed in Keith’s name and added the Washington & Associates Law Firm of Philadelphia for clarification. His profile came up along with a few thousand other hits. She clicked on the Wikipedia hit and waited a split second to see everything there was to know about his life. He was born in Philadelphia. He was a few years older than she was and he practiced legislative and regulatory law, specializing in politics. He had represented numerous politicians and stood before the Supreme Court. The more she read, the more impressive he appeared.

Then curiously, she checked out the images tab, seeing Keith photographed with numerous people, senators, military people, businessmen and of course women—lots of women. All were beautifully stunning in gowns, suits, dresses and even a few in bathing suits. Some of them she recognized as models and actresses.

“Hey,” Bill said quickly as he poked his head into her office. Gia jumped like a kid with her hand caught in the cookie jar. “You all right?” he asked.

She nodded. “Yeah, just a headache, what’s up?”

“I’m headed out. Remember, I have that interview taping in the morning. And just to let you know we’re all set for the press conference Friday at City Hall.”

“Wait, I need to talk to you about that,” she said, closing her laptop and turning the television off.

He stopped. “What about it?” he asked.

“We have to regroup. We can’t just show up and do what we did today. It’s a press conference and I’m sure they’ve tightened security. It worked this afternoon because we sponsored the event and were afforded the element of surprise, but I don’t see that happening again.”

“And that’s exactly why it will work. They won’t expect it.”

Gia shook her head, disagreeing. “No. I spoke with Keith Washington. He’s no fool. We just can’t walk into a closed press conference without media credentials and start asking questions.”

“Wait, you spoke with Keith Washington about what?”

“What do you think? About the town hall meeting, of course.”

“So you told him it was us,” Bill said disappointedly.

“No, of course not, I didn’t have to, he told me.”

“What do you mean he told you? How did he know it was us? You must have said something to him. He couldn’t just know without being told.”

“I don’t see why not. He’s an intelligent and perceptive man.”

“It sounds like you actually admire him.”

The day had been one trying irritation after another. She’d been confronted by Keith Washington and now she was being interrogated by Bill. Enough was enough. “Look, like I said, the man is no fool. We’re not going to do it. If we do, we’ll be put out and that’s not something I want on our record. Who’ll take us seriously then?”

“If we’re put out, then it’ll show that Blake Washington has something to hide. We’re in a win-win scenario.”

“No, we’ll look like radical fools. That’s not us.”

“Gia, I think you’re giving Washington too much credit. He’s not going to be paying attention to us. We’re probably off his radar already. That’s how these political handlers work.”

“He’s not just a political handler,” she warned, “he’s
the
political handler and his main focus is his father.”

Bill shook his head. “Wow, he really got to you, didn’t he?”

“Nobody got to me, Bill. Attending the press conference isn’t a rational course of action at this time. We’ll pass.”

“Listen, trust me on this. This was my idea, my plan, so I know it’ll work. They only look at the big picture. He doesn’t care about us. We’re just a blip on the radar to them. I wouldn’t worry about Friday. We’ll stick to our original plan and go. Did you check out the newscasts earlier?” Gia nodded. “He totally dismissed us when asked.”

“Sure, on-camera he dismissed us, but what about off-camera? No, I disagree. If we go out there tomorrow it’ll be an embarrassment. We’ll be totally ridiculed and lose everything we’ve gained so far.”

“Gia, I’ve been doing this a lot longer than you have,” Bill said, using the argument he always used when he wanted his way. In truth, her grandmother had brought him on board just a few months before she joined. “We’ll go and state our case and ask the pertinent questions no one else wants to ask. Then Blake Washington will come knocking on that door looking to make a deal.”

As if on cue, there was a knock on the door. “Yes,” Gia said.

Bonnie opened the door and poked her head into the office. “Hey,” she began happily, “y’all are missing out on all the fun. Come on out and enjoy.”

“I’ll be there in a minute,” Gia said, smiling. Bonnie nodded and then left. Gia knew everyone needed this. They worked long, hard hours sending letters, emails and making phone calls. They were dedicated and focused volunteers. There weren’t being paid, so a small celebratory party wasn’t too much to expect. It was the first real release in a long time.

“I gotta go,” Bill said with his hand already on the doorknob. “Trust me, it’ll be fine.”

“I disagree.” Gia knew a power play when she heard one. Bill always thought that her grandmother should have left him in charge, and maybe on some level she did, too. But she didn’t. She gave the reins to Gia, and she was going to do exactly as her grandmother planned—take charge. “We’re not going—end of discussion.”

Bill held his hands up in surrender. “Okay, fine, whatever. I gotta go.” He walked out.

Suddenly, she still felt the shadow of doubt. Bill was underestimating Keith, and his dismissive misjudgment could undermine everything her grandmother had built over the years. She stood up and walked out into the outer office.

There were only five volunteers left after a roomful earlier. They all looked up as soon as she came out. They started clapping and cheering. “Okay, okay, listen, I just wanted to thank you all again. You did a phenomenal job today. Thank you so much. I’m sure my grandmother would be very proud of us,” Gia spoke over the noise. Everyone applauded again. “That said, we’re gonna pass on going to the press conference this Friday.”

They all looked at each other and then back to her. She could see the questions in their eyes. “I know, I know. We’ve been planning this back-to-back second appearance for weeks, but I think they’re gonna be ready for us this time.”

“What does Bill say?” someone asked.

Gia glanced at the man who spoke. Although he didn’t come around often, she knew him well. His name was Danny Mead. He had a relatively popular political blog and touted his conspiracy ideas and opinions to anyone who’d listen. He was also a brown-nosing kiss-up, particularly when it came to anyone with money. He probably thought that since her grandmother didn’t have big money, she didn’t either. She let him believe it. “Bill disagrees with me. But since this is my call and I have final say, we’re gonna pass.”

“Are you sure that’s the right course to take? Maybe you should change your mind and listen to Bill. I mean, no offense or anything, but he must know what he’s talking about. I mean, all this was his idea.” Danny spoke up, obviously enjoying the fact that he was taking center stage.

Everyone looked at him. “You obviously haven’t been here long, Danny, or you would know all this was not Bill’s idea. He just works here just like everyone else.”

Gia smiled as everyone in the room looked from her to Danny. He didn’t respond again. But a muscle in his neck twitched. She had shut him up. She knew he was testing her. He was the type, arrogant and chauvinistic. He pushed up at her and she was in the perfect frame of mind to put him in his place.

Bonnie smiled. “Okay, then what’s next on the agenda?”

“The governor is coming into the city next week. He’s expected to give Blake Washington his endorsement. I doubt the mayor’s gonna want to have another town meeting, and that means he’ll probably do it someplace less ceremonious. First thing tomorrow morning we need to find out where and when, then be there and be ready. But for right now, how about another slice of pizza?”

The room cheered and applauded. Bonnie opened the pizza box and placed a cold slice of pepperoni pizza on a paper plate and handed it to Gia. She took one bite and joined in the fun, staying about ten minutes. Then someone suggested they take the party to a nearby restaurant. Everyone quickly agreed and began cleaning up for the next day. Gia declined, then went back to her office. She sat down and tossed yet another slice of cold pizza on her desk.

A few minutes later Bonnie came barging into the office. “Oh, my God, Gia, you are never gonna believe who just walked into the front office,” Bonnie said excitedly. “Guess, guess, come on, guess. You are never gonna guess. I swear, never.”

“Who is it, Bonnie?” Gia asked dryly.

Bonnie’s eyes sparkled. “Keith Washington.”

Gia looked up. “What?”

“I know, I can’t believe it,” Bonnie said.

“He’s here, right now in the office?” Gia clarified.

Bonnie nodded nonstop and nearly squealed. “Yeah, he is. How crazy is that? He’s outside talking to the others.”

Danny came up behind Bonnie. “What’s he doing here? Did you call him? What does he want with you?”

Gia ignored Danny’s questions. She was too busy trying to get her senses back. Her stomach dropped as if she’d just fallen from the roof of the Empire State Building. Her heart began to race and her hands shook. She stood up and looked around the office, seeing everything perfectly in place. “Okay, fine, ask him to come in,” she said, faking calm. Bonnie nodded and hurried back to the front. A few seconds later he knocked on the open door and stepped aside smiling.

Keith Washington stood in the doorway of her office looking exactly as he had looked a few hours ago. Gia walked over. “Mr. Washington, good evening, please come in.”

“Ms. Duncan,” he said, extending his hand to shake. “Thank you for seeing me without an appointment. I usually don’t just barge in like this. I hope I’m not disturbing you too much.”

“No, not at all, have a seat,” she said as she went back to stand behind her desk. He remained standing.

“I apologize for the lateness of the hour. I won’t take up much of your time.”