Page 26 of The Senator's Rival
“I came over because I care about you, and I was worried,” Francesca replied softly, caressing the back of Margot's hand gently with her thumb. “Just like I am right now. I had nothing to do with this, Margot. And I'm so sorry it happened. You don't deserve this. You've worked your whole life to be here and have made so many sacrifices. I don't agree with everything you've done over the years, but this goes against everything I've ever stood for. You know that. Don't you?”
Margot shook her head, blinking quickly. Tears gleamed in the corners of her eyes and she collapsed down onto the loveseat behind her, placing the glass on the coffee table before hiding her face in her hands. With a heavy, sad sigh, Francesca knelt in front of Margot, placing a gentle hand on her knee and looking up at her affectionately. God, it hurt to see someone this powerful, confident, and fearless fall apart like this. Knowing she couldn't do anything to stop it made it even worse.
Without thinking, Francesca reached out to take both Margot's hands, and she leaned in so that their foreheads touched. Margot took a few shallow, ragged breaths, but slowly regained her composure, closing her eyes and squeezing Francesca's hands in return. For a while, neither woman spoke. Neither dared to move, afraid to break whatever moment they had stumbled into--sharing quiet, steadying breaths together.
Eventually, Francesca straightened up again, smiling sadly. She wanted nothing more than to embrace the beautiful woman in front of her and make it all better. The desire hit her with an almost overwhelming force: the reality of how badly she longed to make Margot feel safe, loved, and accepted. All year, they had been at the forefront of each other's minds, whether it was along with anger, frustration, confusion, longing, or desire. There was no escaping it. Somewhere along the way, she and Margot had become bound to each other. It had to mean something, and Francesca wanted to find out what that was.
“It wasn't you, was it?” Margot asked after several long moments of silence, her voice small and frail.
“No,” Francesca whispered as she caressed Margot's cheek tenderly. “It wasn't me.”
“Okay,” replied Margot, “I believe you.”
With that, she reached out and pulled Francesca close, claiming her lips with her own. It was a tentative, cautious kiss, nothing like the fiery exchanges they'd shared in the past. The instant Francesca returned the kiss, butterflies fluttered in her stomach and her heart seemed to swell inside her chest--a warm, tingling sensation spreading through every nerve ending in her body. Closing her eyes, Francesca leaned in further, deepening the kiss as her arms wrapped around Margot's waist to draw her closer.
“This is going to pass,” Francesca whispered against her lips. “It's going to be okay. And maybe, when all this is over, you won't have to hide anymore.”
“Promise?” Margot asked softly.
“Promise,” Francesca affirmed, placing another lingering peck on Margot's lips. “Everything will be all right.”
They stayed together all night in that hotel room, gently reassuring each other, exploring this newfound intimacy, and taking comfort in one another's arms. It wasn't a wild and passionate night, full of fire and desperation, as their previous encounters had been. Instead, Francesca wrapped Margot in a tight embrace, stroked her hair, and kissed away her tears. Margot returned the gesture, nuzzling Francesca's neck and stroking her face with trembling fingers. They found peace in the little touches and exchanged sweet kisses, savoring the closeness and warmth.
Somehow, that felt more intimate than anything that had passed between them before.
16
MARGOT
This should have been devastating. If there was any semblance of sanity left in the world, Margot would have felt like the whole planet was collapsing on top of her, leaving her buried alive rubble of all her dreams and ambitions. Instead, as she strode through the corridor to the conference hall in Arlington, with her chin raised proudly and her shoulders set confidently, she felt nothing of the sort.
Rather, it felt like she was floating. Like all the chains that had kept her tethered to the ground for so many years were finally falling away and allowing her wings to unfurl, lifting her up into the clear blue sky above. After years of fighting, lying, sacrificing, and enduring the stress and strain, for the first time, Margot had nothing to lose. The worst thing that could happen already had, and she was still alive. Still breathing. Still thinking, feeling, and wanting. This hadn’t killed her, so whatever came next wouldn't either.
A sea of reporters awaited Margot as she stepped onto the podium, accompanied by an exhausted Michael, who stood a few feet away. She glanced out at the gathered crowd and it almost made her laugh. These press conferences had always felt so important. Another vital instrument in her arsenal, something to be controlled and directed. Now it all seemed a little silly. The whole world was waiting for Margot to speak out about the scandal.
Was there really nothing more important going on than who she had slept with in college? How ridiculous.
“My fellow Americans,” she began serenely, glancing out at the expectant journalists gathered around her, “I will keep this brief. We are all aware of the controversy that has dominated public discourse these last few weeks, and I do not intend to add fuel to this fire. Suffice it to say that this matter has created a great deal of difficulty, and has compromised my ability to effectively perform the duties of a presidential candidate.”
There was a smattering of muffled murmurs from the reporters who scribbled down every word hungrily, desperate for more details. Margot merely smiled graciously and continued.
“Therefore, with regret and much consideration, and after careful deliberation with my staff and my party,” she continue, “I have decided that it is time to step aside. I have served this country for a long time, and I believe that America needs strong, honest leadership to ensure that we remain a safe, prosperous, and peaceful country. This presidential race has been marred by scandal and controversy, and for the sake of the integrity of our great democracy, such distractions have no place. My sincere hope is that this decision brings forth a calmer, more reflective conversation about the challenges facing us, and how best to navigate the difficult choices ahead. Thank you.”
Silence fell. It lasted barely a second. The next, pandemonium broke out. Margot stepped aside, and Michael rushed in to field the storm of questions now being hurled at them. She observed the chaos for a moment, then turned away, smiling sadly to herself. Security escorted her back out of the building, through the underground garage, and into a vehicle waiting to drive her back to her hotel. The whole time, that strange, calm relief persisted.
This was the right thing to do. Bittersweet, certainly, but right. Only two weeks remained until Election Day. Even if Margot had wanted to, and she wasn't sure she had, there was no way to recover from this scandal before then. Might as well bow out gracefully and let the party desperately try to pivot. It wouldn't work, of course. There wasn't time. After all of this, Election Day would be almost anticlimactic. There was no real contest now.
Maybe that should have made Margot feel bad. Guilty. It didn't, though. She had devoted her whole life to the party's causes. But the moment this had come out, the majority of them had turned her backs on her. Most of their employees had resigned, and William had taken off to Vermont to spend time with Tom--making it very clear that he would be filing for divorce. Again, Margot was unsurprised. They had only ever been useful to each other, and now, they weren't. The end of a business partnership. Simple as that. None of these people mattered. None of them were her friends. She had always known that.
The only person who truly cared was waiting at that hotel. Once Margot got there, she strode past the concierge without a second glance, heading directly for the elevators. Her phone buzzed relentlessly, so she picked it up, arched her eyebrows, and switched it off. Let the world sort itself out. Her whole life had been dedicated to serving it, to fulfilling its expectations, and to curating everything about herself to reflect what the world had expected of her. Well, Margot no longer cared. It was time to live a little.
Opening the door to the suite, she stopped short when she saw Francesca standing near the window, turning her head as Margot entered. Those gorgeous dark eyes sparkled, and her lips curved into the most breathtaking smile Margot had ever seen. For a moment, they simply looked at each other, drinking each other in appreciatively, until finally, Margot dropped her bag on the ground and hurried across the room. She pulled Francesca into her arms, pressing their bodies together and kissing her fervently. Francesca eagerly returned the kiss, winding her fingers into Margot's hair. They melted together perfectly, fitting together like two pieces of a puzzle.
“That was brave,” Francesca gasped between kisses, pulling back briefly to catch her breath, grinning at Margot affectionately. “They're going to tear you apart now, you know?”
“Mm,” Margot nodded, brushing her nose against Francesca's. “They already were. The difference is, I don't have to care about it anymore.”
Francesca chuckled softly, tangling her fingers in Margot's hair and gently stroking the back of her neck with her nails. “Are you sure you're all right?” Francesca murmured as she caressed her cheek. “Your entire career was just annihilated on the national stage.”