A Dangerous Game: The Interview

A Dangerous Game
By Misha

Disclaimer- Not mine. I’m just borrowing them for a little while and will return them when I am finished.

Author’s Notes- Thanks to Lizeboredom for helping me with this part. I hadn’t originally intended to do the interview but I’d gotten some requests to see it and after talking with her, I realized it actually fit perfectly into the plot.  For the timeline, we’re about 3 weeks into their marriage and about 7 weeks into the arrangement as a whole.

Rating- PG
Summary- It’s time for the interview and Lilith realizes how easy it is to sell the lie.

Words- 1479

Chapter Ten: The Interview
(Series Timeline can be found here)

“Ready?” Lisa asked me, knocking on my door, where I’d finished dressing for the interview.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I told her honestly, smoothing the skirt of my dress. I cast one last look at myself in the mirror, barely recognizing myself, but that was the point.  I needed to look sweet but sophisticated, polished but not fake, and like I belonged in Adam’s world without looking like I’d been bought and paid for.

“You look great,” Lisa assured me, “you’ve got this. Just follow the Senator’s lead and you’ll be ok.”

That was true. Adam was a professional, he knew exactly how to sell a story, and he wasn’t going to let me get in over my head. But I also wanted to prove that I could do this because once I committed to something, I aimed to do it well.

Almost as soon as she said his name, Adam appeared in the doorway. He looked handsome as always, though dressed more casually than usual in slacks and a sweater, which made sense since this interview was about us inviting America into our home, meaning a more natural approach.

“The camera crew is done setting up,” he told me, “they’re ready for us.”

I nodded and crossed the room to his side. He immediately took my hand, bringing it to his mouth for a quick kiss.

“You look stunning,” he assured me and then he led me into the living room where the reporter and the camera crew was waiting. I saw Paul at the side, his face set in a blank mask and part of me still had the feeling that he wanted me to fail, or at least not succeed.

“Karen, it’s lovely to see you again,” Adam said smoothly, dropping my hand to shake the reporter’s hand.

She smiled, “you too, Senator, it’s always a pleasure to interview you.” She turned to me, her smile still in place though not quite as warm. “And of course, it’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Vega.”

“Thank you,” I told her, taking the hand she offered, “I’m a big fan of your work and when Adam told me that you’d be the one interviewing us, I was happy because I knew that meant we’d be working with the best.”

“That’s gratifying to hear,” she told me, her voice gaining a tad more warmth. “Let’s get started.”

We took our seats, Karen in a chair, Adam and I on the couch. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and I curled into him trustingly. It was only partly for show, I knew this was America wanted to see, but I also just felt more confident like that.

“First, let me congratulate you on your recent marriage,” she began, “Senator, America was beginning to think you were a perpetual bachelor, so news of your marriage was certainly a surprise, especially given the quick timeline. What brought on the change?”

“Meeting the right person,” Adam said simply, “the reason I was a bachelor for so long was that I hadn’t met the person I wanted to spend my life with and I didn’t want to marry for the wrong reasons.” He smiled at me, the warmth in his gaze made me blush despite myself. “As soon as I met Lilith, I knew she was the one.”

“And how did the two of you meet?” Karen inquired, just like we’d known she would.

“At a gala hosted by Colin Harper last March,” I answered, like I had in practice, “I was a guest of Sofia Martinez, who just released her second novel, No Rules.”

“And I was there because Colin is an old friend,” Adam interjected, gazing down at me warmly, “and now I’m forever in his debt.”

I smiled, leaning into Adam slightly. “We were introduced and I had a chance to tell Adam how much I’d always admired him and ask him a few questions and then one thing led to another and I’d realized I’d monopolized his attention for almost an hour.”

“Not that I minded,” Adam continued, his voice full of rich intimacy, “I knew right away that I wanted to get to know her better.”

“And I felt the same way,” I confessed, “Though, a part of me couldn’t believe it was real. I kept double checking his number in my phone, sure I’d made up the whole encounter. I couldn’t believe my luck when he asked me to lunch and then… Well, it just went from there. I think we both knew from the start it was special.”

“Yes,” Adam agreed, taking my hand in his and lifting it to his mouth, “which was why I was selfish with our time together at the start, I didn’t want to share Lilith, not yet, I also wanted time to explore what there was between us before introducing her to my world.”

“Was your reluctance to introduce Lilith to your world because of the substantial age gap?” Karen asked, her voice conversational even though the question was not.

“That was a factor, of course,” Adam answered smoothly, “being with me in a public capacity means certain sacrifices and given Lilith’s age and where she was career-wise, I wanted her to have to time to decide if this was the life she wanted before creating additional pressure.”

Karen nodded and focused on me. “And what about you, Lilith? Did you appreciate that or did the secrecy bother you?”

“I was grateful,” I answered instantly, “one of the things that drew to me Adam was how considerate he was, I always feel like priority, but I also appreciate his honesty and the fact that he was open about the future, from day one, and what he wanted, what it would mean.” I gazed up at him. “I also enjoyed that time, because while I know I married a US Senator, I fell in love with a man.”

For a moment it was like Adam and I were alone in the world as I kept looking at him. A part of me was surprised by how easy the lines came, how easy it was to put on a show.

After a minute, Karen reclaimed our attention and the interview continued. I just focused on selling a love story, leaning on Adam for strength, taking comfort in his closeness and reassuring smiles. It was easy, for the moment, to believe that this man loved me and that we were just telling our story, instead of selling a lie.

I navigated the questions about politics with ease, remembering what Lisa had instructed. Thankfully, none of the questions were particularly difficult, Adam’s staff had done well choosing Karen for the interview.

“Senator, many are wondering if your marriage is a sign of your long-term plans,” Karen commented as the interview was growing to a close, “there have been rumors about your future ambitions, with your single status being seen as a liability. Now that that is no longer a factor, can we take this as a sign that there is truth to the rumors?”

“My marriage has nothing to do with politics,” Adam answered firmly, “as I said, I was merely waiting for the right woman. I won’t deny that I have been considering what the future looks like, that it is something Lilith and I have talked about together. However, it’s still early and a lot can change before 2020.”

Karen smiled, obviously satisfied with that answer, “Thank you, Senator, I’m sure we are all eager to see what 2020 will bring.”

She said a few more words to the camera and then that was it, the interview was done.

Lisa approached me, a wide smile on her face. “That was fantastic, you’re a natural.”

“I don’t know about that,” I said with a shrug, “but it wasn’t as terrifying as I’d assumed it would be.” Because I’d been able to lean on Adam, which was a little frightening because I knew I shouldn’t trust him and yet it was so easy to look to him for support.

“You came off charming,” Lisa assured me, “and more than that, your marriage came off as real, all of America will now buy into your love story.”

I nodded, knowing that was a good thing, but on some level, it disturbed me that it had been so easy to sell that lie. It had felt natural to smile at him, to lean into his embrace, and on one hand, he was my husband and my lover, but on the other, he was still a dangerous monster and this was an arrangement.

I needed to remember that. After all, it was one thing to sell the lie to America, but I couldn’t start believing it myself.

This wasn’t a love story and there was so no way it was ever going to be.

**