Catering With Benefits (3) - An Appetite for More - 11. The Independent

At the Labor Party conference, Price failed to get pre-selected for a chance to stand at the next federal election. Virginia was still on her trip with Desmond so Price sought out company to listen to his tail of rejection, and called Jared, who was still taking time off.

“Is Mrs P back already Jonathan?”

“No, but I need you here.”

“Mrs P told me to have the week off.”

“Maybe, but you’re still being paid and you’re still the personal trainer here, so you need to get back to your duties.”

“Fair enough, will tomorrow morning be ok with you?”

“I suppose it will have to be if you’re not available tonight.”

“Is it something urgent Jonathan?”

“No tomorrow will do, see you bright and early, I’m ready to start my gym work.”

“That’s excellent, I’ll look forward to it.”

<>

Jared arrived back at Crystalline by 9.00am and found Jonathan breakfasting in the garden.

“Good morning Jonathan.”

“Good morning young man, good to see you. Can I order you some breakfast?”

“No, thanks, but I’ll help myself to some coffee, if that’s alright?”

“Go ahead.”

Jared poured coffee for himself and asked “How was the political conference?”

“Interesting for the first day, listening to their policies. I quite agreed with many of the speakers. But a bit disappointing on the second day, when they held a round of pre-selection voting.”

“Oh, why disappointing?”

“I was not pre-selected for any seat. I didn’t get a single vote. It was as if I didn’t exist.”

“Are you planning to enter politics?”

“I was hoping to, but it seems the Labor Party doesn’t want me.”

“Did you say Labor Party, I thought you were friends with Malcolm Turnbull, so why not the Liberal Party?”

“I don’t subscribe to the Liberal Party’s policies and quite frankly neither did Malcolm, I believe that was why he was deposed by Morrison. He joined the wrong party but it was not entirely his fault. I was told, while at the conference that he was also rejected by the Labor party many years ago. Now I’m apparently not wanted by the Labor Party, perhaps that’s why Malcolm joined the Liberals.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, I think they missed out on a good man joining their ranks.”

“Thank you Jared, that’s quite a compliment.”

“So what will you do now, wait till the next round of pre-selection voting?”

“That’s another three years away, I don’t want to wait that long. I’m thinking of standing as an independent candidate.”

“That’s a tough way to get into politics, with no major party support structure. How will you do it?”

“Firstly, I can afford to mount my own campaign, without party support. That’s money the Labor party missed out on, now they’ve rejected me. I’ll set up a campaign office either here or in my city office and gather staff and supporters as I go. It’s about six months till the next election.”

“Wow! that’s brave. What seat will you contest?”

“I’m going to stand for Sydney East and my Potts Point apartment is in that electorate so I already have a presence there.”

“Sounds like a plan. Let me know if I can help in any way.”

“Thank you, I may take you up on that offer.”

“There’s one thing I can do right now, and that’s to get you fit and healthy for the campaign trail. Are you up for that?”

“I am, let’s do it now.”

“Not so fast. It looks like you’ve just had a big breakfast, so leave it at least an hour.”

“As you say, you’re the expert. So in the meantime let’s discuss my campaign plans.”

“But I don’t know anything about campaigning for an election.”

“That’s ok, we’ll learn together. Now I was thinking I need a good organiser to be my campaign manager.”

“Do you have someone in mind, or will you advertise the position.”

“I do actually, but not sure if he’s available. That’s where you can help.”

“Me, I don’t know anything about that.”

“Maybe, but you know the person I have in mind. I want Thomas to be my campaign manager. Do you think you can help me convince him, if he’s reticent?”

“But have you discussed this with your wife?”

“No, why?”

“Because he’s her PA, she may have some opinion on that.”

“Oh she’ll survive without him and besides she’s already offered her support for my political ambitions.”

“Did that include Thomas?”

“Not as such. But don’t you worry about that. I want you to work on Thomas and get him interested.”

“Jonathan, you’ve put me in a difficult position here. I work for Mrs P as does Thomas. It seems a bit inappropriate for me to poach Thomas away from her.”

“Poaching, interesting way to put it. What if you weren’t working for my wife, would you do it then?”

“I don’t understand Jonathan.”

“I want you to work for me as well.”

“I’ve already agreed to be your personal trainer, that’s part of my job here anyway. What else do you want me to do? .... Wait you don’t want me as an intimate assistant, do you?”

“As tempting as that prospect is... no. I want you to be my minder and protector, sort of a body guard. You seem obscenely fit and with your combat background, excellently qualified to provide personal protection.”

“I’m flattered and could do that, but Mrs P needs me.”

“Ah, I think I can convince her otherwise. You know she’s currently away with Desmond, and between you and me, he’s not just her driver. They have history that you may not be aware of and I think things between them have....rekindled, I think is the word.”

“I do know about their history, and I do know they are sharing while they are away, but she hasn’t said anything to me about not needing my services anymore.”

“She’s a kind woman and would not want to hurt you by dismissing you. But we can make that easier for her if she knows you have another position to go to.”

“Jonathan, you’re going to make an excellent politician. You’re so devious and tactical. But on a personal level, I don’t want to hurt her either, so you should discuss all this with her first and perhaps not mention that we have already had this discussion.”

“Quite the tactician yourself.”

“Army training.”

“See, our relationship is working already.”

“Maybe it’s time to hit the gym.”

<>

“I worked out a plan for you to work out three times per week. Are you prepared to put in that much time, Jonathan?”

“If I’m going into politics, I’ll have to have to be disciplined, so let’s give that a try.”

“Good; you’ll only start off slowly at first and build up as your muscle and cardio strength increase. Now we’ll start with some cardio exercise on the treadmill.”

“And what will you be doing while I’m walking to nowhere?”

“I’ll monitor your progress by check your breathing and heart rate from time to time.”

“So can you do this monitoring in just your shorts?”

“I don’t want your heart rate to rise too quickly.”

“On the contrary, I think the pleasant view will relax me. At the very least it will relieve the boredom.”

“Anything to help.” replied Jared as he removed his T shirt and shorts, leaving him just in his jocks.”

“Good man, already you can anticipate my needs.”

“Be that as it may, you must understand this is just a look and don’t touch exercise.”

“Of course, self discipline is the plan. Now start up this torture machine.”

***

When Virginia returned from her trip south, Desmond carried her shopping up to her room, gave her a quick kiss and returned to the car. He gave it a wash, garaged it and went up to his flat for a rest before dinner.

Jonathan heard Virginia return and waited till Desmond left before entering her room.

“How was the trip, Nia?”

“Very educational and a little expensive.”

“Yes, I can see all your shopping.”

“Oh those, that’s just petty cash.”

“What do you mean?” “These bags are from some of the most expensive shops in Melbourne.”

“Yes but my real expense was in Mallacoota.”

“Is that a new overpriced dress shop in Melbourne?”

“No, Mallacoota is a town on the coast, just over the border into Victoria.”

“And what did you buy there that was so expensive?”

“A house, it’s just beautiful, right on the waterfront and even has its own jetty.”

“Virginia, you can’t go away for a week and buy a house, just like that.”

“Why, I love it and I really want it.”

“How much is it?”

“Less than a million.”

“How much less than a million, exactly.”

“Oh, I didn’t ask, you can probably negotiate a good price for me. Will you do that?”

“If you’re sure you really want this, then I could get Smidmore to negotiate on our behalf. Give me the details and I’ll pass them on to him. It could turn out to be a good investment. Capital gains on property are much more lucrative than interest these days.”

“Whatever... I’ve got an envelope, with all the details, in my bag.”

“What prompted you to buy this house?”

“Jon, in all the years we’ve been married, I’ve never really had anything that was truly mine. I found this property, I inspected it and I have chosen it, so I want it bought in my name only. That way it will be truly mine. A place I can go to whenever I like and do what I like.”

“And with whomever you like?”

“Yes Jon, as with your house in the south of France.”

“All right, if I do this for you, don’t forget your promise to support me in my political ambitions.”

“Of course not, I said I would and I will always appear to be the loyal politician’s wife, when needed.”

“Thank you Nia, it’s a deal then. The house will be yours. Now what did you mean when you said the trip was educational?”

“Oh that, well...are you ready for this?”

“You’re sounding very mysterious, what did you learn, that you consider so educational?”

“Firstly, I went shopping in a supermarket, then to the fish market to buy fresh fish, right off the boat.”

“That would be a first for you.”

“Yes, but there’s more. I learned to cook bacon and eggs and make coffee for breakfast. I even did the washing up.”

“And you enjoyed this, because?”

“Because it was a new experience and very rewarding to know I could do it. I always thought shopping and cooking was just work, to be done by staff. I didn’t know it could be an enjoyable experience. You should try it sometime.”

“I’ll give it a pass for now, but who taught you all these new experiences? Did you do one of those tourist cooking classes?”

“No, it was Desmond of course.”

“Wait, how did you learn this from your driver, in a hotel?”

“We didn’t stay in a hotel; we stayed in an apartment, with a kitchen. It really was exciting once I started.”

“You shared an apartment with Desmond.”

“Yes Jon, don’t be so surprised. You know about us.” she said as she opened her travel bag.

“But, I thought that was over years ago and he just stayed here as your driver.”

“Well, it just may be on again, can you handle that?” she replied as she looked through the bag.

“I’ll have to think about that.”

“Well, while you’re thinking, give this to Smidmore and secure the house for me.” she replied as she handed Jonathan the envelope containing the details and contract of sale for the property she wanted. Jonathan then asked “Will you have dinner with me and I’ll tell you all about my plans to enter politics?”

“I suppose it’s the least I can do, all things considered.”

“Don’t put yourself out now.”

“I’m sorry, I’d love t hear your plans Jon.”

<>

As Jonathan left the bedroom these thoughts were going through his mind. ‘Excellent, things are going well. She’s got a new, or at least a revived, love interest. That means she won’t miss Jared when I take him from her. And this sudden interest to doing things for herself may mean she won’t need Thomas to organise her life so much; couldn’t have worked out better if I planned it myself.’

Desmond cooked for himself in his flat and Jared ate in the kitchen with the other staff, while Virginia and Jonathan had their meal served in the formal dining room.

“Thanks Carol, Mr Price will pour for me.”

“Very well, Mrs Price, I’ll bring your entree shortly.”

“Go ahead Jon, it won’t hurt you to lift a full bottle of champagne. Speaking of lifting, that reminds me, Jared says you started using the gym again. How’s that going?”

“When did you speak to Jared?”

“When I did my unpacking I found a small gift I bought for Desmond so I took it over to him at his flat. I could hear someone in the gym and I thought it might be you so I went to see how you were going, but it was Jared... pumping iron... is that what you people say?”

“What do you mean ‘you people’?”

“People who use gyms, what else would I mean?”

“Thought you meant, gay people.”

“You maybe, but Jared’s not gay.”

“Um...no...of course not.”

“Funny thing though, he was only wearing his underpants. Is that normal when exercising?”

“I suppose so, you can get quite hot working out.”

“Anyway, he told me you had your first session a few days ago and another today. How long do you think it will be before you look like him?”

“Very funny Nia; for me it’s about keeping fit and building my cardio functioning. Politics can be very demanding and I want to be in the best shape I can be at my age.”

“That’s admirable of you Jon. Now, at the risk of being bored to death, how did it go at the Labor conference?”

“Not so good for me, I didn’t get pre-selected for any seat.”

“So why all this keeping fit for politics?”

“I am going to stand as an independent.”

“Really! What does that mean?”

“It means I won’t have the support of a major political party, but it also means I can run my own agenda, not that of a party.”

“What I meant is, how do you get elected? Don’t most people just vote for a party?”

“That’s true, but if I can promote myself within the electorate and build a public profile I can appeal to some people who normally vote for neither side, but also appeal to those who are disaffected by major parties. There is a growing number of them. Also I plan to appeal to minority groups with particular needs.”

“Sounds like you intend to be ‘the man for all seasons’.”

“That’s probably a good way to put it. I’m hoping to have a broad appeal.”

“Well, good luck with it all. But how do you go about campaigning as an independent.”

Just then Carol arrived with their first course.

“Thank you Carol, tell cook this looks delicious.” said Jonathan.

“Yes Sir, she will be pleased to hear that.”

As Carol left, Virginia said “Jon, you don’t usually compliment the staff, especially those out of sight. What’s brought all this on?”

“Just being polite, why is that such a surprise to you?”

“Jon, polite you may be sometimes, but complimentary is another thing. Wait...you’re being the politician already aren’t you? This could be a nice change if I believed your intentions were genuine.”

“That’s a bit cynical, can’t a man change his ways?”

“Ok, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. Now tell me about your campaign plans.”

“I’m glad you asked, because I need your help with that.”

“Stop right there...I’m not going on the campaign trail with you...maybe the occasional dinner, if they have good champagne, but that’s it.”

“I don’t want you to campaign for me.”

“That’s a relief, so what do you want from me?”

“I need...a campaign manager...someone who is a good organiser...a man that remains cool under pressure and.....”

“That’ sounds fine, but what has it all got to do with me?”

“I want your man.”

“Jared! What makes you think he’d be a good campaign manager?”

“No, not Jared, but yes...I mean no...not for a campaign manager. I want Thomas. You have always spoken so highly of his abilities, I’m certain he would do a good job.”

“I’ll think about that, but why did you stumble over your words when I mentioned Jared, what’s going on there?”

“Ah, yes Jared. I have plans for him also.”

“To do what, may I ask?”

“As my minder, come body guard. You’ve seen how he’s built and he as all that army training in self-defence. Plus he already knows us and how our family dynamics works. Same goes for Thomas.”

“I can see all that, and I’m sure the boys would be flattered to know you think of them that way. But you’ve barely said a more than a few words to either of them, in the past. How do you know so much about them?”

“Nia, when people are on my payroll, I make it my business to know about them. I observe and I ask around.”

“And if I agree to all this, what’s in it for me, apart from being the politician’s wife, which I might add I’m not looking forward to.”

“Don’t you have some other interest now that would mean you don’t need Jared at all and quite possibly have less need for Thomas’s services?”

“I don’t know what you mean Jon?”

“Yes you do Nia. Remember I said I observe and ask around. We both know Desmond is now more than your driver. Then you return from your trip with all this interest in domestic duties and want to buy a new love nest. Oops I meant holiday house.”

“Ok, you win. Desmond and I are more than employer/employee. But you know that from years ago.”

“Yes, but I thought you put an end to that over twenty years ago and then started taking in younger men. Well, perhaps the men didn’t get younger, but you got older.”

“Yes, I know all that, and do you know why Desmond and I ended it years ago.”

“I assumed you wanted fresher meat.”

“Don’t be so crass. Is that how you people talk? And yes, I mean gay men.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude.”

“As may be, but Desmond ended it because I wouldn’t leave you and spend my life with him. I married you and despite the differences, very considerable differences, I might add. Despite all that I was still committed to the marriage, and still am, up to a point. I will support you as a politician’s wife, if you get elected, but that’s all. Who I spend my time with, outside of that, is entirely up to me.”

“I’m not questioning that Virginia, I was merely pointing out that I know what’s happening. In fact I wish you well. Desmond can’t have stayed here all these years just for the job. I think he has always been in love with you. Am I right?”

“Yes Jonathan, you are.... Now top up my glass.”

Carol then served the main course and told them cook was pleased to hear they liked her food.

“About Jared and Thomas, have you asked them if they want to work for you?”

“Not yet, I thought it was the right thing to ask you first.”

“Thank you for that. You’re probably right about me not needing Jared, so that will make it much easier, if he just transfers from me to you. However, I’m not sure I want to lose Thomas. I’ve come to rely on him so much. He even anticipates my needs sometimes. We have a really close relationship.”

“I know that Nia, but my campaigning will involve some travel and eventually spending a lot of time in Canberra. It wouldn’t be fair to split them up.”

“What do you mean, split them up?”

“Oh...nothing...it’s just that...I mean, they’ve become close friends working together here.”

“Maybe, but they’re not Siamese twins. They each have their jobs to do and independent lives to lead.”

“Of course, maybe I’m being too protective of the staff now.”

“I’ll tell you what I’ll do. I’ll speak to both of them and tell them you want them to work for you, but I won’t go into details. I don’t really understand what you want them for anyway. Then if they are interested they can talk to you. Is that ok with you?”

“Sure, I’ll wait till you do that.”

“And no prompting in the meantime. This has to be what they want. I don’t want either of them to be put in the position of having divided loyalties.”

“Fair enough... another top up?”