Her Tiger-Print Heels

17 Chairman's Lapdog

Johnny heard a knock on his office door and, instead of getting up from his desk, he called, "Come in, it's open."

Paul Raton appeared.

"What do you need?"

"The Chairman wanted to know how the town hall went and people's reaction."

"I did it," he replied bluntly. "I cut down the project. I said we need to do another environmental study on its impacts on the wildlife and the river. They thought they were good ideas too, as far as I could tell. That good enough for you?"

"That's what I like to hear. I will pass the word to the Chairman. He'll be pleased. Expect a vote on the bill in committee and on the Senate floor soon," Raton said with a grin. And he left.

Johnny recalled his report to Raton and then remembered what Rachana had said to him over dinner after the meeting.

Was he Chairman Dean's lapdog, doing whatever the old man said?

Johnny rejected the accusation that he does what the Chairman ordered. The Chairman may be a little heavy-handed, sure. But Johnny knew he could, and would, buck leadership, if, and when, necessary. For this bridge project, he would bring it to his district in due time. It may not come in the next year, or in two or three years.

Around 8 o'clock, Johnny packed up and headed down to the bar. He walked in to hear weak cheers from Nelson and Claybaker.

"Johnny, where have you been?" Claybaker asked.

"Here and there. Getting a lot of work done."

"Hey," Nelson said smiling proudly, "how was the Red Room I told you about? Did it help you 'unfreeze' some bridges?" He nudged Johnny.

"Hold up," Claybaker interjected. "You took a girl to the Red Room? Don't tell me it was that Transportation chick."

"Then I won't tell you anything." Johnny turned to Nelson instead. "The Red Room was a good choice. She wanted me so bad. I know it would have been a good night. She knew what she was doing. Had her own games. They had me so angry."

"And you left her, right?" Nelson asked.

"Yep. Just left her." He snapped his fingers.

Claybaker interjected again. "Yeah, but you would've gone home with her. Don't try to tell me otherwise."

"Then I won't tell you anything," Johnny said flippantly. He turned to Nelson. "There's more though."

Johnny explained the town hall meeting, that Rachana showed up, how angry she had become. "She was ready to stab me with her fork. You may never've seen me again. Luckily, the waitress and cook were there."

"She's playing you still, man," Nelson said.

"She's playing dirty."

"So have you told Dean about the town hall meeting and that she showed up?"

"Ol' Raton came by my office tonight. The snitch." He grimaced at the thought of him. "I told him only what he needed to know, that I did what the Chairman wanted."

Nelson leaned back in his chair, eyeing Sexton. "What the Chairman wanted, eh."

"For you now, yes. I have other plans though. This is only a temporary action, a minor move," Johnny said. He took a swig of the beer the waitress had just brought him. "I want the Chairman off my back. He's threatening my career here, you know. So I've got to show him I'm on his side, that I agree with his objective to hogtie the Governor."

Nelson peeled the label off his beer bottle. "You're in a tough spot. You have to decide what's more important for you. Delivering to your constituents or making sure you can gain status in the Senate. Are you a legislator or a politician?"

"I'm balancing that line. You know we all have to walk the fine line between the two."

Both Nelson and Claybaker nodded.

"What about the girl?" Claybaker asked.

"She's my secret from now on. The old buzzard doesn't need to know anything about that. Anything at all." He eyed Nelson and Claybaker warily. "And he better not find out."