The Blackfire Protocol by Clifford Beck - HTML preview

Chapter 41

The following week was flooded with phone calls, television announcements, social media postings, and planning. It was important for him to develop and maintain the image of the ‘nice republican’.

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People had to be convinced that he was on their side, and of particular importance was the necessity to identify with the working class, as they made up the largest segment of the population. If he could sway them, victory would be certain. Now, he finally got the chance to meet his staff. Robert Adkins was from Tulsa, Oklahoma, and had earned a Master’s degree in Business Management and another in Finance. He had been chosen by the unknown group, as had the rest of Frank’s staff, and was seen as being perfect to run his campaign. Nancy Blackwell hailed from Haverhill, Massachusetts, where she graduated at the top of her class at Cambridge University with a Master’s degree in Public Relations. She was a beautiful smooth talker with legs that could stop traffic. But it was not just her beauty that brought her to the surface, but her intelligence. Next, he had a chance to meet his press manager, and to his surprise, it turned out to be Betsy. By this time, Frank’s headquarters had been set up, and sitting in his office, heard a familiar voice as a pair of shoes clicked across the floor. She appeared in the doorway as an apparition, prompting a smile on Frank’s face. Standing up, he addressed her in a restrained manner, trying to hold back his nearly immediate arousal.

“Well,” he began. “Look what the cat dragged in.” Walking around his desk, he shook her hand and invited her to a chair. She sat in the same position she always had when they spent time together, but now things were different. Sitting at his desk, Frank leaned back and asked the one question she was expecting.

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“So,” he continued. “What brings you around these parts?”

She adjusted her skirt in exactly the manner he remembered and gave him a surprising answer. “Well,” she replied. “I’m not here by accident. In fact, I’m your new press manager.” Frank’s mouth dropped open. Certainly the two men who had repeatedly visited him knew they had a history, but he surmised that it was her education, intelligence, and aggressive nature as a journalist that made her stand out. Her job was especially important as she would be the liaison between him and the media, and in the digital age she would also be responsible for determining fact from fiction when it came to news. No doubt there would be a great deal of ‘mudslinging’ from his as yet unannounced rival, and Betsy would be charged with developing media strategies designed to capture the public’s attention while discrediting Frank’s opponent. Then there was the issue of their history and whether they could keep their hands off each other. Certainly as professionals, they saw the obligation to remain at a distance, but sometimes the past has a way of playing catch-up regardless of what one does to avoid it. How long would it be before they would give in to their attraction for each other? Time would be the best indicator.