Alpha Billionaire Series

WILLOW

Peter's face was a continuous scowl as he followed me and Charles around at the picnic. I loved the yellow sundress which he had mentioned looking lovely on me. Charles had told me the entire sequence of events that led to the compliment which I found to be very amusing. Nina wore a stuffy suit, dangling off Peter's arm, but having her eyes glued to my husband the entire time. Not that I was possessive of him at all—he could have the bitch if he wanted, but I didn’t like her one bit.

“I just love the vibrant colors everyone is wearing.” I made the comment tactfully, as another senator's wife passed by wearing a dress very similar to mine, only hers was a very floral pattern. I adored it, honestly, and if they'd had that on the rack when I bought this one, I'd have purchased it too.

“Yes, lovely.” Peter grumbled beneath his breath, and I hid a snicker.

“Charles, I'm getting hungry. I think we should eat soon.” I hugged his arm to my chest. A few times I thought maybe he had rubbed his elbow across my breasts on purpose. He used to do that when we were dating. Maybe it was an old habit, or maybe he liked my dress too. I didn’t mind. It made Nina glare at me, and that was reason enough to allow it.

“Yeah, let's go see what they have.”

Charles led me toward the long row of tables, complete with decorations and tablecloths. Whoever had planned this Fourth of July event had really gone all out. Red, white, and blue centerpieces coordinated with patriotic plates and bowls. Matching cutlery and even a few desserts with the American flag emblazoned on them stood out to me. I wasn't as patriotic as all of this, but it was nice that Charles felt right at home amongst the pomp.

“Oh, Charles, remember that time we had dinner in Alexandria with the Kennedys?” Nina stood a little too close to Charles, nudging him closer to me. I could see the way she purposely leaned forward, letting her breasts peek out of her top. Charles didn't even look in her direction. “They had these same little toothpicks.” She picked one of them uy and pinched it between her thumb and forefinger, making it spin.

“Yeah, same one.” Charles picked up a plate, offering it to me as he got another for himself.

Nina's attempt at starting a conversation with him hadn't worked. I smirked. “We've had plenty of lunches with toothpicks, not as impressive as the Kennedys though.” Charles smiled at me, shrugging as he collected cutlery and napkins for both of us.

“It's not as rich as all that. It was a cousin of a cousin or something. Kennedys and politics go hand in hand like thes green beans and the bacon grease they're slathered in.” He put a heaping scoop of beans on his plate and offered m one. I accepted them with delight and eyed Nina who followed behind us, sulking and filling her plate with food.

We piled the food high, rolls, vegetables, fruits, pinwheels, sliders, you name it. Whoever had arranged the food had hit every sweet spot. I knew I'd be coming back for seconds. Just smelling all the different scents made my stomach growl. I couldn't wait to dig in. We found a spot close to the buffet line and settled in, Peter and Nina across from me and Charles.

The meal started as any meal normally would. We focused on the eating more than conversation, but soon another couple joined us, two people I hadn't met before, but Peter spoke to them like they were old friends. I gathered from the conversation that the gentleman was a former client of Peter's whom he helped win.

“Charles, you remember Heath? When you win and take office, you'll be working in the office next to his.” Peter introduced them with a smile, and Nina was attentive, as if she had an edge I didn't. I could care less. This picnic was all about schmoozing with other politicians to build a reputation. I wasn't interested. I focused on my food and let Nina have all the glory of political conversation.

I watched Charles spoon bites of green beans into his mouth and chat, wondering how he was so good at all of this elbow-rubbing he was doing. He'd been the shy backward fellow in law school, intimidated by others and very soft spoken. I was the outgoing one, but I sat there locked inside my own mind.

The food on my plate was dwindling, and I had saved my pinwheels for last. The creamy sauce smeared on the doug} and rolled up with meat, cheese, and vegetables looked so delicious, I'd even eaten the brownie I put on my plate first. I smelled it first, getting the hint of garlic and onions in the sauce, which only made me want to devour it faster. The first bite was like magic on my tongue, the savory flavors mingling together in my mouth and teasing my tastebuds. I'd put three total on my plate, and when the first one was gone, I wished I'd gotten ten of them.

The second one I savored a bit longer, taking a few small bites of it. The sauce was so familiar, something I'd had before but with garlic and onion added. I wanted to have Charles taste it, tell me what it was that I detected in the sauce, but he was busy talking. He had his pinwheel in his hand, ready to eat it, and I was awaiting his first bite wher a memory flashed into my mind. It was a picnic much like this one, late fall in Boston with a group of friends after a mutual took the bar and passed.

All at once, I remembered. The sauce was hummus, though this was slightly different, mixed with something else tha made it a bit creamier. My hand reached for Charles's pinwheel before my head fully registered it. He was inches fror putting it in his mouth, and I smacked it away. It landed on Nina's plate, and she scoffed.

“What the hell!” The woman jumped out of her seat, juice from the green beans on her plate having splattered the front of her stuffy dress. “Why did you do that!”

Charles looked at me in shock and the conversation around the table stopped. “It has hummus,” I blurted out. “F**k, I'm sorry, Charles. I didn't mean to embarrass you. You were about to put that in your mouth and—"

“And enjoy it?” Nina snapped, grabbing her napkin and dabbing the mess on the front of her outfit.

“And have an anaphylactic reaction.” I glared at her, shaking inside at how close Charles had come to a severe allergic reaction. My hands were instantly sweaty, my tongue clinging to the roof of my mouth.

“Wow.” Charles glanced at the offending food and looked at my plate. He picked up the pinwheel left on my plate an sniffed it, his eyes widening. “How did you see that?”

I sighed, shaking my head as the couple sitting at our table and Peter exchanged hushed comments about how lucky Charles was that I was there. “Ate a few, and they reminded me of Paul's picnic that day in Boston. The hummus, you reaction...”

He dropped the pinwheel on the plate and wiped his fingers, chuckling. “That was an awful day. I spent more time in the ER than at the picnic.” Charles glanced around the table. “I still carry an epi pen for my chickpea allergy.” He grabbed my hand and looked back at me. “That was a close one.”

“Let me get you another plate, this one without the dangerous foods.” Nina offered, scooping his plate out from in front of him. The woman just wouldn't quit. I felt like I was in a squabbling match over a toy with a toddler.

“That's really sweet of you, Nina.” The first comment Charles had made to the woman all day and she drank it up. “I'l have more of those beans. Those were delicious.”

He quickly turned his attention back to his schmoozing and I was left feeling like I'd saved his life so he could run of and win a political race instead of thanking me. I watched Nina load up his plate and bring it back with a smile. She’c be a better Holly Homemaker than I would.

I wanted him to recognize my affection for him, but with her around, all he'd do is wonder why she was serving him and not me. I wasn’t that woman. I was a career woman, not a maid. I wasn’t going to serve him food and drink and wait on him like a waiter. But I would keep him alive. Which was more than I could say about her.

I scowled, shoving the pinwheel into my mouth and devouring it. The rest of the day was going to be a pissing match between me and that busybody. I just knew it. And I wanted to go home and forget about it entirely.