WIP Wednesday - Where There's Smoke

For WIP Wednesday, some more from Where There's Smoke, this time from a scene where Anthony is watching Jesse give a press conference:

Even Roger couldn’t hold me spellbound like this. I’d long ago developed an immunity to even the most charismatic politicians, but Jesse worked me just like he worked everyone in this crowd. Whatever my doubts or reservations about this inexperienced candidate, one thing was for certain: Jesse was born for the podium.

It didn’t hurt that good-looking, charismatic politicians like Jesse had an advantage. They didn’t always win, but a gorgeous, clean-cut candidate with a flawless smile and perfect poise had a distinctly easier time persuading people than a grizzled, aesthetically off-putting opponent. JFK had capitalized on that in the television debates against Nixon, and while such a thing wouldn’t win an election, it certainly helped to have that point of favor in the subconscious of the public.

Which was one hundred percent why I was staring at Jesse. He was the flawless package deal: a confident, smooth talker with a stunning smile, the perfect stage presence that came from a lifetime under the camera’s scrutiny, and youthful good looks that promised “fresh, new, something different from the old” to the public. That was why I was staring. Only that. No other reason.

Oblivious to me, Jesse gestured as he spoke, and a light glinted off his wedding ring. I couldn’t help a quiet, self-deprecating laugh.

A straight, unavailable man? Again? Really, Anthony?

I’d never broken up a relationship or tried to “convert” someone, but for whatever reason, the men who piqued my interest were always either taken, hetero, or both.

Sighing, I kept watching Jesse. I mean, the press conference. I kept watching the press conference.

Stay tuned for more WIP Wednesday!