Eternally Yours by Brenda Jackson Read Free Book Online

you.”
    Syneda watched as he left the room, closing the door behind him. She tried going back into her mind, into central control, to reset her emotions. She was not ready for the thoughts and feelings she’d begun having around Clayton.

    “Senator, I’m glad you’re back, sir. How was your trip?”
    “The trip was nice, Braxter. It’s always good to get away and spend some time with an old friend.” Senator Nedwyn Lansing studied the young man in front of him. As a senator’s top aide, Braxter Montgomery at the age of thirty was the best there was. A graduate of Georgetown University, he had begun working for him over six years ago, serving him through almost two full terms. During that time he had gotten to know Braxter as well as the other members of his immediate staff. They were people he could depend on. But only a few he felt he could trust completely. Braxter was one of them.
    “Is something bothering you, Braxter?”
    “There’s nothing bothering me, sir. But there is something I’m concerned about.”
    “You worry too much.”
    “I’m supposed to. That’s part of my job.”
    The senator nodded. “All right. Let’s sit and talk.”
    The two men took seats that were facing each other. “Okay, let’s have it, Braxter. What’s so concerning that you’ve missed lunch?”
    Braxter eyed the forty-nine-year-old, light-complexioned black man with hazel eyes sitting across from him. He was a man he highly respected. Most people did. Where most senators did good things for their image, Senator Lansing did good things for the people he represented. He was often referred to by the media as the “people’s servant.” His life was an open book.
    It was a known fact he’d been a sharecropper’s son from a small town in Texas not far from the border. His mother had died when he was five. With hard work and dedication, he had completed high school and because of his academic achievements, he had obtained a four-year scholarship to attend the University of Texas in Houston.
    It was also well-known that he had never been married, although he’d been steadily dating a law professor at Howard University for the past couple of years. The only thing that had always puzzled Braxter was the senator’s annual trip to Texas this time every year; the one he had just returned from. It was a trip he never talked about, other than to say he had gone to visit a friend.
    “What I’m concerned about, sir, is your blockage of the Harris Bill.”
    Senator Lansing raised a brow. “What about it? That bill needed to be blocked. I flatly refuse to support any legislation that proposes cuts in education.”
    “Yes, Senator, and I agree with you. But blocking that bill won’t be a popular move on your part. Especially with certain people.”
    The senator nodded, knowing Braxter was referring to the creator of the bill, John Harris, and a few other senators who were considered Harris’s cronies. “I can’t waste my time worrying about some people, Braxter. I want to do what’s right for the majority of the people in this country, not just a limited, socially acceptable few. Every child regardless of race, creed, color or social standing is entitled to a good education.”
    Braxter smiled. He enjoyed seeing the senator fired up over an important issue. But his job as a senator’s aide was to make him aware of what he could possibly be up against. Especially since the kickoff for his reelection campaign was less than two months away.
    “I totally agree with everything you’re saying. And according to recent polls, the American people are behind you all the way.”
    “Then I guess those people whose noses are out of joint will just have to get over it.”
    “I really don’t know if they will, sir. By blocking that bill, you’ve stepped on a few toes. I have a feeling they’ll step back.”
    Senator Lansing smiled. “Let them. I have nothing to hide.”

    “Do you remember the first time we met, Syneda?”
    Syneda