Kendra...

"Only seventeen more hours before my story drops!" Iris said almost giddily as she stood in front of my desk

I was packing my things so we could leave for lunch.

"How juicy is this exposé?" I asked, wondering why she was this excited

"Girl, it's so juicy, I can't even tell you what it's about," she said smacking her lips

I giggled at her antics as I looked around for my cell phone.

"Those Hawthornes are gonna be so pissed. I can't wait!" She said with a devious look on her face

Vincent Hawthorne was one of the most respected politicians here in Washington. After serving his country in the Navy, he got married to his high school sweetheart and started his political career. He had done wonders for his constituency as Major, governor and now, senator. His name was currently one of those tossed around as a potential pick for the democratic party in the next presidential elections. But that wasn't the only thing people were talking about. Like many other politicians, this man had some skeletons in his closet. Most of them that had got out, hadn't dampened his hold on the Washington elites. But this one, according to Iris, will change everything.

Iris is a master at writing these exposés. It's kind of her thing here at Cooper's. She gained some fame from it and she was known to always have her facts straight. Always. I want to be on her level one day.

"Let's get going," I said once I found my cell phone

I saw the notification for a text from Eli but elected to ignore it. I did not want Iris using our lunch hour poking fun at me.

I got up and followed Iris to the door. But we were stopped when a blonde woman came bursting through the doors.

"I need to speak to Mr. Cooper!" She announced

I knew her, she was the mother of one of the jerks that bully my son.

"Aw shit," Iris grinned beside me

Did I mention that she was also Vincent Hawthorne's one and only daughter?

She heard Iris' comment and looked our way.

"You!" She pointed at my friend and made her way to us

"Brooke Hawthorne, how are you?" Iris smiled politely

"You better not release that article."

"What is this article you speak of?" Iris acted cluelessly

"Don't play dumb with me, you know exactly what I'm talking about!"

"Oh, you mean the one about your father and his secret dealings?" She asked

Secret dealings? Oh, this was going to be a good article.

Her botox filled face tried to make a mug, but it didn't quite get there.

"I've already handed the article over to my editor and it's been approved by my boss. It's already scheduled to be released tomorrow morning in the paper and online. There's nothing I can do at this point," Iris flaunted her fake polite voice

She was fuming, but it was kind of hard to tell. You know, because of the botox filled face.

"I swear to god if you release that article, your career in DC will be over!"

"Bring it on," Iris smiled

Iris's calmness was not making things any better for this woman.

"You will be hearing from our lawyer."

"Ours will be waiting."

I giggled at Iris's response. I wished I could be this calm and cold.

Brook heard and turned to me. It seemed like she just noticed that I was there.

"And you.." she pointed at me

I looked around acting like I was trying to find out who she was talking to. I was gonna try this whole calm and cold thing.

"You keep your ill-mannered son away from my Brad," she said

"Oh, my son is ill-mannered one?" I said pointing to my chest. My son may be going through some stuff but if anyone had a behavioral problem, it's her kid.

"And if you ever lay a hand on my son again, I will press charges."

She must be referring to when I pulled him off Kyle.

"You're lucky I didn't really lay hands on him," I said stepping forward. I felt Iris grab my hand, holding me back

I wasn't the kind to fight a broad. But when my child was involved, all bets are off.

"I will be speaking to the principal and he will be expelled," she hissed before stepping back and straightening her coat. "Better start looking for a new school for the new year."

With that, she smiled devilishly and walked out of the office.

"This bitch had some nerve coming in here," Iris said letting go of me

I would respond, but I couldn't. I tried to keep calm, tried to keep a straight face. But every bone in my body was filled with worry.

This woman is a Hawthorne. If she wanted my son out of that school, he would be out of that school.

"Let's get out of here," Iris said walking out of the office

I reluctantly followed, trying my best to stay composed. Wendell's burgers weren't going to ease this pain.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Eli...

I sat in my car, hands at ten and two, focused on the road ahead of me. I glanced down at the gauge, making sure I was within the speed limit. I had no time to be pulled over by cops. I was on a mission.

I, Eli Carter, was off to help the woman I...strongly liked.

I called Kendra last night, wanting to step up our mode of communication from texting to phone calls. This was a big deal for me. After what happened at thanksgiving dinner with Iris, the plan was to flirt my way into a date. But the plan had to be ditched when she was worriedly trying to find new schools for Kyle. It didn't take long for her to explain Brooke Hawthorne's little visit to Cooper's.

I've only met the woman a few times, but I knew how rude and unbearable she could be. Hell, all of Washington knew. But she was a Hawthorne, and everyone knew not to mess with her and their family. Well except for Iris and Uncle Bernard. I've never met two people who had such a hate for that family.

After hearing how worried Kendra was, I decided to do something I haven't done in years. Something I hated doing from the time I understood who I was. For some reason, I was willing to do that thing for her.

I felt like our night at Iris' changed everything. She had opened up to me, became vulnerable. I had knocked down a wall or two and she didn't build it back up.

She let me hold her. God, I loved holding her. She would have let me kissed her too if Kyle hadn't shown up. I liked the kid, but he kinda ruined a moment.

I don't even know what possessed me to want to do that. I was about to give an epic monologue about parenting and being a good mother but I got lost in those sparkling liquid brown eyes of hers. And then I made the mistake of looking at her lips. I was a goner then.

Even though I didn't get to kiss her, that didn't stop me from imagining what it would feel like if I did. It probably made me a creep, but I wasn't going to stop until I actually get that chance.

I pulled into the parking lot of my destination. It wasn't as busy as I expected it would be.

Perfect.

I got out of the car and headed to the entrance. I pushed them open and walked down the quiet halls. I could hear voices as I passed by doors on either side of the hall. It didn't take long to find the one I was looking for. I straightened my tie and jacket, pushed the door open and walked up to the petite brunette secretary at the desk. It was time to put on the persona of the man my father wanted me to be.

"I'm here to see Principal Thompson," I told the woman

"He's in an important meeting right now, so you'll have to wait," she said pointing to the chairs

"I'm afraid this is important. I need to see him right away."

"Sir you can't. Like I said he's in an important meeting with parents," she said trying to hold back his annoyance

"Tell him Mr. Grant is here."

Her ears perked up and her eyes widened.

"Grant as in..."

"Yes, that Grant," I confirmed and her eyes got wider. "Can you please let him know I'm here."

"Yes Mr. Grant," she quickly said and clumsily got out of her chair

She went through the door with Mr. Thomson's name on it. I heard voices on the other end. It only took a minute for those parents to be out and me in.

"Mr. Grant, so nice to meet you," the elderly principal said coming out from behind his desk to shake my hand

"Nice to meet you too Sir," I gave a firm shake. My father said it was a great way to show authority.

"How is your father?" He asked

"He's...doing well," I lied

"That's great to hear," the man returned to his seat and pointed to the chair in front of it. "What brings you to Winston this fine day? Are you here for a tour of the school?"

"No, I'm afraid I'm here for a more...disturbing matter."

He got uneasy.

"What is it?"

"I've gotten word that there has been bullying occurring at this school."

"Bullying? That is not tolerated at my school, Mr. Grant."

"Are you sure? Because according to my source, a star athlete here, who I might add got into this school on his own merit, is being bullied by his teammates. You only suspended them for a week. You even suspended the victim."

He stuttered, trying to explain himself, but I kept going.

"And to make matters worse, I heard that the parent of one of those bullies has, or is going to ask you to expel that boy for defending himself."

"We'll never do such a thing, Mr. Grant," he quickly defended

"I hope so. My father doesn't dump thousands into this school so that victims of bullies can be expelled. If that were to happen," I then winced, "He may cut down on the funding. Hell, he may even stop funding altogether. And we don't want that now do we Mr. Thomson's? Because we both know how much this school depends on my father's generosity."

I stared at the man's wrinkled face, into his old weakening eyes. These green eyes of mine could do more than just charm the panties off a beautiful woman.

"N-no sir," he stuttered again

I held back a triumphant smirk.

"Good," I said before pulling out that charming Grant smile. "It was good talking with you, Mr. Thompson. Have a great day."

With that, I turned and left his office.

My mission was complete.

And there you have it. Struggled a bit with this chapter so tell me what you think in the comments. And don't forget to leave a vote.