Beyond Temptation (Forged of Steele #3)

He laughed and placed the phone away from his ear when he heard her scream. “Yes, I’d like to announce it on your show Friday morning, but there’s a catch.”

He knew that would grab her attention. “Listen up. This is how I want you to handle things.”

Gail Winston smiled into the camera. It was Friday morning and in a few seconds another segment of her local morning talk show would begin. When the producer gave her cue, she began.

“First, I want to thank our next guests who have joined forces with our local high schools to present a career fair that will be held next week. We have with us today Vanessa Steele, PR representative for the Steele Corporation. Lena Spears, a local Realtor from our area. And Jocelyn Steele, who will be the general manager of Cody Construction here in town. And it’s my understanding Cody Construction will be establishing apprenticeship training in the areas of bricklaying, air-conditioning and plumbing this fall for individuals who are interested in those occupations.”

Putting an even bigger smile on her face, Gail said, “Good morning, ladies.”

“Good morning,” the three women said simultaneously.

And for the next ten minutes, under the direction of Gail’s intense questions, they talked to the television audience about the importance of the students in the area coming out and taking part in such a worthwhile event.

After a commercial break, Gail came back on the air with the three ladies still sitting with her onstage in guest seats. “The reason I asked these ladies to remain is that two of them are members of the Steele family. And it just so happens that we have a surprise guest for everyone today. For years it’s been speculated that sooner or later one of this city’s favorite sons would enter politics, and today history is in the making. I have as our special guest someone most of you know because of his involvement in so many community affairs. Let’s give a warm welcome to Morgan Steele, director of research and development for the Steele Corporation.”

The audience applauded when Morgan walked out onstage and took the extra guest seat, which just happened to be beside Lena. Lena’s heart almost stopped when he walked out. Impeccably dressed in a dark suit, white shirt and red tie, he looked like a movie celebrity rather than a businessman and easily took the breath away of any female seeing him.

She tried to focus her gaze on the monitor and not on him, for fear of another heartbreak. She loved him, and wooing her had been nothing more than a game to him.

Morgan settled into his seat. He hoped like hell this plan worked and had felt confident that it would, but now he wasn’t all that sure, especially with the tension he could feel radiating from Lena.

Gail took control and pulled in his attention.

“Morgan has been a guest on my show before to promote numerous community causes, but this time he’s here for another reason, right, Morgan?”

He smiled into the camera. “Right, Gail. Today I want to officially announce my candidacy for the council-at-large seat here in Charlotte. However, there is one condition.”

Gail leaned forward and smiled. “And what condition is that?” she dutifully asked.

“I am a single man and there are a group of people who believe it’s important that I have a good woman by my side, and I agree. What I don’t agree with is the theory that I should choose a woman because the public thinks she and I will do well together politically as a team.”

The camera angled in on him, and the intensity in his features couldn’t be missed as he continued. “The woman I will marry is a woman I trust, a woman I know will have my back no matter what, and a woman I know is capable of being everything I could ever want in a wife. She is also a woman I love. I don’t care if some people out there think she’s not what they want for me. She is the woman I want for myself.”

He paused for a second, then said, “So many times when people are involved in politics, they marry for all the wrong reasons. They form a partnership instead of a real marriage, and that’s not what I want for myself. I could not understand the importance of the family and marriage dynamics if I didn’t have a real marriage of my own. I want to marry for love and nothing else.”

Anyone listening to what Morgan had said, whether a romantic or not, had to have felt the deep emotions he’d just conveyed in his words. Even Gail dabbed at her eyes.

“So, have you asked this young lady to marry you yet?” Gail couldn’t help asking since she knew her audience would want to know.

“Yes, but at the time I asked her for the wrong reason. Now I want to ask her for the right one. I want her to know how much I truly do love her and that more than anything I want her to be my wife and the mother of my children. And whether I win this election bid doesn’t matter as long as I have her by my side and in my life.”