Chapter 18

I flew back to Nashville and packed my bag. I still wanted to travel light, but I was going to need much more than a pair of blue jeans. I thought about driving to Washington, but decided that I'd fly instead and then determine if I'd rent or buy a car if I needed one. After landing at National Airport, I took a cab over to the Hay-Adams, where Beth had booked me the Lafayette Suite.

My schedule called for me to meet William Timmons of Timmons & Company to discuss our needs next Monday, but since I arrived on Wednesday, I had some time to relax. I called over and asked Shawna to dinner. We made plans to meet for drinks in the lobby of my hotel.

She strolled into the Off the Record Bar around seven, and she looked fabulous. I had on a sport coat and some slacks. I got a kiss on the cheek and we both ordered martinis, since Bud long necks just didn't cut it in DC. When she started to talk, she had many questions, so I spent the next half hour giving her some background on the trucking industry, and my involvement with the company and my role.

Next, she spent time talking about her trip abroad, and then her schooling, before talking about ending up in DC, working for Mr. Timmons as a lobbyist. What followed was a talk about several projects that she was involved in, and her surprise when she received a call telling her that she would receive the credit for landing our account. However, she let me know about a guy she was dating. He was working as Chief of Staff for one of the Representatives from the state of Texas.

I told her that the night we spent in New York on the roof of her building was memorable and inspired me to look her up. That event, and the fact that she now worked for William Timmons, a company with the highest valued reputation in the industry, and as one of the most ethical and successful lobbyists in the country, helped us tremendously in our decision to choose her company.

She told me that they assigned her to our account, and that I'd need to get some clothes to help give the right impression. We ordered some food and had a couple of more martinis before she went home with a promise to meet me at nine in the lobby. I ordered one more and watched those around me interact. Some tourists, some politicians and some after work meetings were fun to watch as I sipped my drink and then went up to my room.

I was up early for my morning workout and then a quick breakfast in a local diner down the block. The coffee was lousy, but the omelet was good. The waitress was friendly, so two out of three ain't bad. Shawna was on time, and after a hug and a kiss on the cheek, we got a cab and she gave the address of Field English Custom Tailors. When we arrived, we were the only people in the place besides William Field. He greeted Shawna and said, "You must be Mr. Britton. It's a pleasure to meet you."

I said, "It's nice to meet you too sir. Shawna says that you're the best tailor in town, so we'd like your help."

"She's very kind. What are we looking for today?"

I shrugged and said, "Whatever Shawna says, I guess. It seems that she's the expert here."

For the next thirty minutes, totally ignoring me, Shawna and Mr. Field went through all kinds of fabric with different materials, weights, colors and patterns. When they finished, Mr. Field asked me to step up and began taking all kinds of measurements. He asked about fit and style. I just had no clue, so Shawna filled in the blanks. When we walked out, I had ordered six new suits, each with two pairs of pants. I also had ten custom shirts, five pairs of pants, three sport coats, a blazer, a tuxedo and various ties and socks. Shawna made sure that one of my navy colored suits would be ready in time for my Monday afternoon Meeting.

We found another cab to take us to another store for shoes. I didn't know when I'd wear six pairs of shoes, but I let Shawna continue to spend my money. We finally got some casual clothes along with some cuff links and underwear before we made it back to the hotel, where I fell down exhausted.

We were back in the bar around six, when a guy came up to the table. He was Shawna's boyfriend, Bob Roderick. He was with another girl, Annie Bonner. Annie was a friend of Shawna's and apparently my blind date for the night. We ordered a round of drinks and talked about our days. I talked about being a cross between a human pincushion and a dress up doll. Shawna talked about how much fun it was to shop with someone else's credit card.

Bob told us about some of the legislation they were working on, and some of the needs of their district where they were providing help. Annie, who worked for a PR firm in town, was very pretty and had a killer body. She'd just spent the day working on press releases, and she was ready for a few drinks.

After we finished our daily recap, Bob asked, "So you two knew each other before Britt came to DC?"

I was not going to say anything. He was Shawna's boyfriend, so I let her say as much or as little as she wanted.

She said, "We met one time in New York a few years ago. I had just finished shopping, and had pulled up to our apartment and was getting out of the cab, when Britt came up to me and asked if I needed any help with my bags."

Bob said, "That was a nice thing to do, helping out a stranger."

Annie laughed, as I thought that Shawna might have already told her the story before she agreed to meet us for drinks.

Bob looked at her and then at Shawna who continued, "I was afraid he'd take my stuff and run, but he just wanted to get into my building and was using me as a way in."

"Why did he want to enter the building?"

"He was with some friends and they were looking for a place to get high. They wanted to get up on the roof, out of the sidewalk traffic."

"So you let him in?"

"He was nice, and I wanted to get high too, so I let him and his friends April and Angus up on the roof. Angus' mother had passed away and they were in town for the funeral and after a few drinks, decided to get stoned."

Annie said, "And he was cute."

"Yeah, and he was cute," said Shawna.

Bob asked, "So, you all got high on the roof of your building and then everyone left?"

Shawna replied, "Yes, eventually they left."

"That isn't what I heard," teased Annie.

"What did you hear?" asked Bob.

She shrugged back at him.

Shawna said, "We went back to my place and had a big orgy."

"Really?"

"No, Bob. Britt and I went into my room, and Angus and April stayed in the living room. I attacked Britt, and when he left later he only had one button left on his shirt."

"Really?"

"Bob, we had sex, but it was just a one night stand. I didn't speak to him again until yesterday."

He sat quietly for a moment and then turned to me. "Do you usually go around picking up strange women on the street?"

"No, I'm not typically on the street, so I pick them up other places, but on occasion, people have called me a slut and other names to show that they don't consider me a monogamous or celibate person. I may actually try to pick someone up here at the bar tonight." I glanced at Annie as I finished my sentence.

Bob was still a little flustered and was quiet.

Shawna said, "I think that Bob and I are going to get some dinner and talk. Annie, will you be alright if I leave you here with Britt?"

"I think I'll be OK if he takes me to dinner."

I spoke up and said, "I'd be happy to have dinner with you Annie."

Bob stood and said goodbye, and both Annie and I got a kiss on the cheek from Shawna.

After they left I said, "That didn't go too well."

"Shawna hasn't been herself since she started to date him. I wanted to give her a reason to decide if she was going to change for him or the other way around. She hasn't been happy, so I used you to bring things to a point where they'd be dealt with."

"You, in fact, used me. That behavior can lead to spankings."

"Shawna said you could be quite aggressive. I like being the dominant one in my relationships, but I also like for someone to challenge me from time to time."

When we left to have dinner, we walked over to Old Ebbitt Grill. Annie was very flirty and I was wondering what Shawna had told her. We held hands as we walked, but I'm not sure if I took her hand or she took mine. It just seemed natural to hold her hand while we walked. We didn't have to wait long for a table.

I ordered a bottle of chardonnay and we talked as we looked over the menu. Annie's firm worked for different people in government promoting ideas and people to the public. They were very busy during the campaign season, and worked with legislators, non-profits and lobbyists all the time. Public opinion is important to smooth out people's reception of your products or ideas.

I ordered a Caesar salad and some oysters for dinner and skipped the entrée section of the menu. Annie had a house salad and a cup of chowder. She asked about what I did for work. She said, "Shawna told me about your evening in New York, and that your boss had called about doing some lobbying for a trucking company, but she didn't know what you did for a living or for the company."