Saul winced. She was leaning over him, and she made a vicious snipping motion toward his genitals with her fingers.
He put his hands protectively in his lap. “You would never do anything like I did to Tricia, would you? You’d never treat a man so badly.”
“I feel sure I wouldn’t.”
He sprang the trap. “Not even if you could be President if you dumped him? And if you had no chance if you stayed with him.”
“Jesus. I should have seen that coming.” Yasmin stood up. She had removed her shoes, and she began to prowl silently up and down in front of the dark fireplace. “Nolo contendere, isn’t that what crooked politicians usually plead? You’re right. For a chance — for half a chance — I’d do the exact same thing you did. Though you say you didn’t really dump her, and she ought to have known that. But if she thought you had, I’m still surprised she didn’t come along one dark night and castrate you.”
Saul thought, Maybe she did. I’ve been no use since. He said, “So she was angry and disappointed and bitter, and she ran off and married someone else. I decided that for myself, long ago. What I don’t understand is why she would call me, out of the blue, and say she wants to see me again.”
“God, men can be so naive.” Yasmin approached Saul’s chair and hovered over him. “Isn’t it obvious? She’s divorced again, and she’s hunting.”
“Tricia isn’t divorced. At least, she wasn’t a couple of months ago. Since the supernova I don’t think anybody could get a divorce no matter how much they wanted one.”
“So I’m wrong. Did you agree to see her?”
“I’m having dinner with her tomorrow.”
“Without her husband?”
“I suppose so.”
Yasmin stared at him steadily, until he went on, “I mean, I feel sure her husband won’t be there.”
“And you still claim that she’s happily married?” Yasmin spun away and went back to the fireplace. She rested her forehead on the cold stone mantelpiece. “You should ask Tricia what she wants from you. Don’t ask me, because if I say something all you’ll do is defend her. Why did you really come here?”
“I told you. I wanted to talk to you, to make sure that you were all right.”
“Nonsense. You could have done that with a call. If I could contact the White House from here, I’m sure you could have reached me from there. You know why you came. It had nothing to do with my welfare.”
Saul could hear the pain in her voice. He knew he was causing it, but he didn’t know how. He stood up and went to stand behind her. When she did not move, he took her by the shoulders and gently turned her toward him.
“I didn’t just call you, Yasmin. I came to see you. Why did I come? You say I don’t listen, but I’m listening now.”
He put a hand behind her head and pulled it forward to rest on his shoulder. For a moment she stood rigid, then he felt her relax.
“You came because you’re scared of her.” Her voice was muffled against his chest. “I don’t know what that woman does to men, but it’s quite a trick. Look at her track record. What Tricia Goldsmith wants, she gets. She didn’t snag you the first time around, but only because you had one thing in your life, at that particular time, that you put above her.” Yasmin straightened up and stared at Saul fiercely. “But damn it, I still don’t understand. In fact, the more I think about this, the less I understand it.”
“About Tricia and me?”
“About Tricia. Let’s forget you just for the moment and concentrate on her.” Yasmin stepped back. “I’m going to try to be Tricia. Tell me if this sounds right — and don’t go out of your way to defend everything she has ever done. All right, here goes. I was born poor and a nobody. But ever since I became a teenager, I’ve been climbing steadily up the ladder of fame and fortune. True?”
“I suppose so. Of course—”
“I’ve reached the point where I have plenty of money. I’ve picked my husbands very well, so I’m also sitting well up on the social scale. You don’t get much higher than the Chartrains. And now I’ve got Saul Steinmetz curled around my little finger. No, don’t start denying it.”
Saul had been ready to speak, but he managed to hold back.
“And now Saul is running for President. I’ll be First Lady! There’s only one condition: I have to wait a few months, until after the election, before we can be married. But that’s no big deal. We’ll still be having sex, though we’ll have to do it more discreetly. And when he sees how sweet and reasonable and understanding I’m being about this, he’ll love me more than ever. So I’ve got it made, if only I’m a little bit patient. And what do I do?”
“If Tricia—”
“I screw up and throw away my chances completely — at least for the time being — by marrying another man. He’s rich, but so is Saul. He’s part of the old monied set, but I’ve been there, done that. I’ve never been First Lady, though. And that’s something I would really love. So what happened, to make me mess up so completely?”
“I don’t know.”
“Neither do I. But it makes absolutely no sense, psychologically. Do you mind if I, Yasmin, try to find out what really happened?”
“I wish you could.”
“Can I say this is for the White House?”
“N-yes, all right. Look, if Tricia did decide she had made a mistake when she ran away, why did she wait two years before she contacted me?”
“I don’t know, but I’ll make a guess. It’s the Virginia property laws. There’s more than one way to screw a husband.”
“You hate her, but you never even met her.” And when Yasmin did not respond, “Look, I don’t want to go on talking about Tricia all night, and what you’re saying doesn’t make sense. Even if I were scared of Tricia — I’m not, I’m going to dinner with her tomorrow — how would my coming here to see you change anything?”
“You don’t want to talk about Tricia anymore? All right, let’s talk about you. You’re not scared of her in the usual way. You’re scared in a different way, because you know quite well, even if you won’t admit it, that one crook of her finger at you and you’d hop into bed with her again.”
“I don’t think that would work.”
“Why?”
“There are . . . reasons.”
“Well, I’m damn sure it would.” Yasmin stepped back again, so that they were at arm’s length. “How much honesty can you stand? You already told me tonight that you might have to fire me. Well, I’m going to give you a good reason to.”
“You haven’t said or done anything offensive.”
“Just give me a minute. I know you weren’t born rich, but you weren’t born dirt-poor, either, the way I was — the way Tricia Goldsmith was, from what you’ve told me. She’s come up a long way, but she’ll remember. She learned to read men as self-protection. When you’re poor they all assume you’re available. Ever since I was a teenager I’ve watched men look at me, and I’ve heard them talk. They say, I’d like to help you with your career. But their eyes say, I’d like to fuck you.”
“You think that’s why I came to see you?”
“I asked you, how much honesty can you stand? I wish that had been why you came, it’s so much better than the alternative. Sometimes in your office I wanted to grab you, but I didn’t dare. When you said you were coming here I thought things might be different. There, now I’ve shocked you. Didn’t you feel anything between us before this?”
Saul reached out and ran his finger along the smooth line of her jaw. “I felt it, of course I did. But there are things about me that you don’t know.”