Andy Keeps Trying - Chapter 11

ANDY KEEPS TRYING

Chapter 11: Andy deals with the press

I did not break up with Adrian. We did not have a fight either, but things did slow down between us.

I suppose it was quite natural after weeks of being glued to the hips and (so much) intense sex (everywhere). 

The honeymoon period can only last so long.

As expected, the problems began in September when the primary campaign began getting more and more traction, becoming the subject of multiple news articles each week.

As its name entailed, the Daily Philly News was coming out every single day with exception, meaning that Adrian worked a lot, but also that there were many opportunities to create friction in our relationship. 

The journal was known to criticize republican policies so I could not be mad at that, but it was tough to remain impartial when the critics were directly addressed to Rebecca.

One article written by Adrian himself made more waves than the others.

“Crown's Sugar-Daddy Urges Her to the Throne: At Any Cost

Isn’t it amusing to see Republicans telling us they need to cut school or healthcare budgets when they waste hundreds of thousands of dollars on their internal campaigns?

Amusing or disgraceful, we’ll let you decide. 

Even more ironic that they're organizing the most outrageous “charity” gala in the State next week when they could save millions and actually do something about cancer research if they weren’t (1) spending their money on a primary campaign that virtually no one cares about, and (2) cutting the actual research budget all over the country.

Come on, are they really that blind to not see the paradox here?!

The thing is, when Rebecca Crown campaigns, she goes all in.

Every outfit she wears in public is easily valued at more than ten thousand dollars (see below), her jewelry being worth even more. Not to mention, the dozens of clips she runs on every local channel promoting herself and disparaging the competition.

Broadhall is a fascist twat, but there must be something in the respect of too much campaigning.

There is so much Rebecca Crown outdoor advertising that you can no longer cross a street in Philadelphia without seeing her smug face.

Why would she care? Daddy is paying for it all— and lobbying on her behalf. 

Make no mistake: Crown is not a resilient, cheated-on wife who was miraculously turned into an opportune candidate.

Just like her husband, who had to give up the race last April, Rebecca has been handed her career, political influence, and candidacy by her dear father, Richard Pallow. 

Pallow was recently made a new billionaire, although he comes from (very) old money.

That's the American Dream in a nutshell for our conservative friends: take your parents' money and estate, grow hyper-privileged, and walk into a world designed for your success. 

Then, pretend that the rich are rich because they deserve it and that the poor are poor because they don't try hard enough.

But if it were only that…

Richard Pallow is not only Rebecca's father and David's father-in-law. He also has high financial stakes in the upcoming governor's election.

While Alicia Jan is fighting to regulate A.I. and force tech companies to be more transparent about how they design their algorithms to share (or manipulate) information, Pallow obviously wants his businesses to be free of these norms. 

Moreso, he wants them to benefit from tax breaks designed specifically for six of the eight companies he currently owns.

How convenient that his daughter just announced a plan to "boost high technology" and "invest in the future” of Pennsylvania. 

Have you heard her last speech? To compete against China, it is “imperative” to invest in certain good old American companies— consequently granting her father’s private funds billions of dollars more!

Could they be any more obvious about their conflicts of interest?

Daddy can buy the nice dresses; he'll be rewarded when the time comes!”

It was just the intro.

The article then went on and on about how Rebecca was the second-choice candidate working in the sole interest of her evil father, the real puppet master.

It was bylined Adrian Park.

I knew we had our separation rule between work and our relationship, and we could not talk about the campaign, but this time I could not keep my mouth shut.

“What is this about?” I showed Adrian the article.

“Just doing my job…”

He sipped on his coffee. We were at his place and I was reading the paper over breakfast, post-morning sex. 

“Reporting false information?”

“Nothing in the article is false.”

“Those numbers aren’t real. The dress wasn’t that expensive.”

“The entire outfit was.”

“More importantly, there’s no conflict of interest. For the primary campaign, Rebecca can be helped by any private fund and there was no promise made to any company you mentioned. None.”

“Look, Andy, just because you don’t know about it, doesn’t mean it isn’t true.”

“I’m working in that office 50 hours a week!”

“Yes, and Rebecca is on that campaign 100 hours a week. She’s relentless and you don’t know the half of it… Forget it, we shouldn’t be talking about this.”

“Where do you get that information from then?”

“It is precisely because I cannot answer that question that, I repeat, we shouldn’t be talking about the campaign.”

“So, I don’t even have a way to know if you’re telling the truth or just lying to tank her candidacy.”

“Listen, if you had no idea about Pallow’s plan, good for you. I know you’ve been worrying about people thinking you might give me intel; it can’t be you, since you’re visibly out of the loop.”

Was he trying to get me upset on purpose? 

“So, there’s a mole on the team?”

“God, stop it…”

“Fuck, you won’t even tell me if someone on our team is actively working against us?”

He let out a long sigh. 

“In that specific case, I didn’t get the information from anyone on the campaign. It came from people working for Pallow’s companies. But to be clear, I couldn’t tell you if I was getting intel from the staff.”

“That’s… weird.”

“Yes, I know.”

“And like, why attacking Rebbeca? That’s dangerous. Literally dangerous for our lives— we cannot have the fascist clown win over her.”

“I want Alicia Jan to keep her position next year, let’s start with that. Regarding the republican campaign, we’re dishing both contestants. Haven’t you read my article about Broadhall’s crazy plan to revoke the rights for contraception methods and make them illegal?”

“I did…”

“But what?”

“When I do my surveys, the data shows that a woman being criticized for an expensive outfit hurts her more than a man being criticized for his insane policies. It’s sad but that’s just how politics work.”

“I wasn’t criticizing an outfit; don’t make it look as if I’m like that. I was pointing out the fact that Rebecca Crown’s campaign is financed by her father, that she’s in favor of cuts for the poor when she comes from one of the wealthiest families in the country, and that Pallow will expect things in return for his companies.”

“Pallow is literally paying my salary, and now my boyfriend is directly targeting him!”

Adrian made a face.

“So what? Should I stop reporting, or stop working altogether?”

“No… I don’t want you to sacrifice your career. I don’t want to stop working for Rebecca either— I do strongly believe now that she’s the best candidate… It’s just…”

Adrian relaxed and put his arm around me.

“I know this is fucked-up… I’m just trying to cover the campaign as I would have if my boyfriend wasn’t the data analyst for one of the candidates. Trust me, I’m really trying to protect you even if it doesn’t seem like it, that’s why I don’t share my information with you and I don’t expect anything from you either.”

“Okay… What do we do then? We have sex to forget this? Again?”

He smiled.

“I mean, it doesn’t seem like the worst idea right now… I think I could go for round two.”

I chuckled.

Once again, our sexual chemistry would save us.

It would also make me late for work.

Morning fucks are risky when your partner has a lot of stamina and has already jizzed a half hour prior. He could bang me relentlessly.

As our relationship progressed, Adrian’s performance in bed did as well.

I was an eager boy and he could literally fuck me for hours on end, until I would beg him to cum in my wrecked asshole.

It was quite athletic!

We did make out and make up following the article and it only came to bite me in the ass a couple days later.

Rebecca asked to see me in her office, which was usually not a good sign.

As I went, Kendrick and Laurie wished me luck.

Speaking of fancy clothes— she was wearing a tailor-made Gucci suit that day.

Maybe my boyfriend had a point.

“You wanted to see me, Rebecca?”

“I called you into my office, so yes.”

“Right…”

It did not start off well, but to be fair, this was just the way she was with everyone, so the cold welcome did not mean anything.

“I have two things I want to talk to you about.”

“Should I sit?”

“No need. It'll be brief.”

“Okay…”

“First, when were you planning to tell me that you were dating a journalist who is smearing my campaign?”

Shoot.

Here we were.

Laurie had warned me that Rebecca might be angrier about me dating Adrian than she was about her husband sleeping with me.

“I… It's still fairly recent, and this is… That's my private life.”

I did not have to tell her, right? I should not have felt bad about this.

“We're doing politics here. Private, personal, public— it's all mixed together. You and your new boyfriend should be well aware of that, given your history.”

“We're keeping things very separate.”

“Oh, really? And how does that work exactly?”

“Rebecca, I didn’t know the article about your father would come out.”

“You’re well aware that Richard Pallow doesn't intervene in the campaign. Philips and I define the policies according to what I believe is best for Pennsylvania and partly according to the data YOU provide. Period.”

“I’m aware. I told Adrian that.”

She made a satisfied face. “I thought you kept things separate.”

“I was upset when that specific article came out. That’s all.”

It was difficult to win any kind of argument with Rebecca, she was very good and she would not let anything fly.

“Thank goodness none of our potential voters read that liberal nonsense. Although, maybe I should ask you to run some data on that, just to be sure.”

“That doesn’t seem necessary.”

“See? This is a conflict of interest; a real one! Not the financing of this campaign.”

“I get it, Rebecca. Do you want me to step down?”

“Please don't tell me you're going to leave a job you're excellent at, where you're paid more than market price, just because of someone you've been dating since… since when?”

“About a month, a little more than that.”

She rolled her eyes but did not seem that angry.

“Andy White, what am I going to do with you?”

“I swear, I don't like those articles, but I'm not sharing anything that goes on at the office with Adrian, and he never tells me what he's working on either. I’m always the most surprised when I read what he writes.”

“What’s the point, then? You’re dating a journalist, and you’re not even trying to sway him or get information from him?”

Now, I saw where she wanted to take the conversation.

“I wouldn’t play those kinds of games.”

“Who did he talk to get that misleading information about the campaign?”

“I don’t know, and I don’t want to know.”

She puffed. 

“Thompson is going to be mad about the bad publicity caused by your boyfriend.”

“Thompson is always mad, to be fair.”

“You're not wrong about that. Okay, let's just move on. I'll let you know if I want to fire you in the next few weeks.”

“Cool, I guess…”

I turned around to leave the office, but then I thought about what she had told me.

“Excuse me, Rebecca. You mentioned two things when I walked in.”

“Oh, right. I almost forgot. How is Zach doing?”

The image of him and his bare ass in the shower with Victor immediately popped into my mind.

Did she know about that, too?

“What… what do you mean?”

She was surprised.

“How would you describe his work? What else would I be talking about.”

“Nothing, of course.”

“Setting aside the fact that I’m his mother, I want pure honesty. He’s leaving after the gala, so now is the time to assess how he’s been doing.”

“I…  He’s been great.”

She made another face showing she was starting to get exasperated with me.

“Right now, in here, I'm not his mother; I'm his boss. I'm also your boss, and I'm asking you for an objective review.”

“My objective review is that his work has been excellent. Zach was quick to learn and adapt. He helped me get things done faster and showed real interest in the material. I wouldn't have asked to keep him on my team all summer if that weren't the case. To be honest, I'm dreading the moment he'll leave, especially since the campaign is only going to get more intense from this point on.”

“Well, I'm happy to hear that.”

For once, she looked genuine.

“Yes, and it’s not only his work. It can be tough to join an already established team, and I think everyone in the office likes him. Right away, he fit in with the whole team.”

“Between you and me, he got that from his father…  I don’t know how they do that, it’s just natural for them. Probably genetics.”

“I thought so too. Is that all?”

“Yes. Enjoy Zach while he’s still here for a few days. You can go.”

Things had not gone as badly as I thought they would. 

Of course, she had tried to use my relationship for information and political gain, but who would have expected anything less from Rebecca Crown?

I was sincere about Zach, though.

I would miss him.

I wondered if he was still seeing Victor, but since it was top secret, I never brought it up to him, especially not at the office. 

“What did she want?” Laurie asked.

“She knows about Adrian. Did you tell her?”

“How can you ask me that? Of course not!”

“I’m sorry. I don’t know how she found out.”

“Well, you're not very discreet, fucking all around town.”

“We've never been caught. But you’re right; our relationship isn't a secret. Besides, like half the journalists in the country are dating politicians. And I’m not even a politician, anyway. Who cares?”

She played with her hair.

“That's the spirit.”

“Okay, guys, everyone to the meeting room in five. We need to review every last detail for next Saturday.” Thompson called us in.

“Good Lord! It's the Philadelphia Conservative Annual Charity Event, not the MET Gala!” Laurie whispered.

I laughed, and Thompson looked at me as if he wanted to kill me.

He was even more explicit about it than usual, meaning that he probably knew about Adrian as well.

Because of work, we were barely able to see each other all week, so we did not have the opportunity to argue about the campaign.

On Thursday, two days before the gala, I came home from work after midnight for the first time in months.

When I arrived home, I found Cody Hope wearing a black and white suit and holding a beer.

“What are you doing?”

“Oh, you're here. I thought you were sleeping at Adrian's.”

“I'm too tired for a full night of sex.”

“God, I'm starting to regret the time when you were a shy, awkward, nerdy guy. You don’t have to tell me everything, you know.”

I chuckled. “I'm still a nerd, and I've always liked sex.”

“Good for you, I suppose.”

“Why are you wearing a damn suit?”

“I’ve purchased it today but I’m not sure it fits… I feel weird in it. Definitely not my style or what I’m used to. It was expensive, too.”

“Why? You look good. And what’s the occasion?”

“Saturday night. I’m going to the gala.”

“You are?! That’s dope!”

“I’ll be Laurie’s plus one. It isn’t weird, right?”

“No, it's going to be the event of the year, and we're allowed to bring our partners. It makes sense. Actually, it's great. I was afraid it was going to be boring with all those pompous conservatives.”

“Are you going with Adrian?”

“He’s going as a journalist, and I’m going as Rebecca’s staffer.”

“So, the answer is yes.”

“No, we’re not going together. We’ll both be there for different reasons.”

“I’m not sure I see the difference, but whatever crazy story you want to tell yourself. Do you think I look good?”

“Turn around; let me see everything.”

With a cheeky smile, Cody played along.

There was no denying it; the suit pants made his ass look great. I am a little ashamed to admit that I even popped a boner.

“So?”

“That's nice. The formal look is working for you.”

“Do you think Laurie will like it?”

“She will. How’s it going with her?”

“Really well. Better than before the breakup. I think the break was necessary. She… She might be the one for me.”

“Wow! Cody! That’s a lot to realize.”

He chuckled.

“I know. That's cheesy.”

“It's not. Why would it be? When you love someone, it's not cheesy or cringe; it's just… beautiful.”

“You love Adrian?”

That was an excellent question.

“I don't know. The campaign’s making everything messy. Once the primary is over, I think I’ll know.”