Mirror Image

humid and boozy against her face. She tried to turn her head away, but he trapped her jaw with his free hand.
    “What’s with you, Carole? Do you think you’re high and mighty now that Tate’s actually in the race? What a joke! Rory Dekker’s gonna kick his ass, you know.” He closed his fingers, hurting her jaw. She whimpered with pain and outrage.
    “Now that you think he might make it to Washington, you’re really sucking up to him, aren’t you? Tonight you looked straight through me. Just who the hell do you think you are, bitch, to ignore me like that?”
    He ground a hard kiss upon her lips, smearing her fresh lipstick and making her sick by poking his tongue between her lips. She doubled up her fists and pushed with all her might against his shoulders. She tried to drive a knee into his crotch, but her slim skirt prevented that. He was strong; she couldn’t budge him. He consumed all her air. She felt herself weakening, growing faint.
    Dimly at first, and then louder, she heard approaching voices. So did he. He shoved her away and gave her a smirking smile. “You’d do well to remember who your friends are,” he sneered. He rounded the corner seconds ahead of two women who were on their way to the powder room.
    Their conversation died when they saw Avery. She quickly turned her back and fumbled with the telephone receiver as though she were about to place a call. They went past and entered the ladies’ room. As soon as the door swished closed behind them, she collapsed against the shelf beneath the public phone.
    She broke a nail in her haste to undo the clasp on Carole’s beaded evening bag in search of a Kleenex. Finding one, she wiped her mouth, rubbing it hard, ridding it of the smeared lipstick and any taste of the hateful kiss she had endured from Carole’s ex-lover. She unwrapped a peppermint and put it in her mouth, then dabbed her tearful eyes with the tissue. During the tussle an earring had come off; she clipped it back on.
    The two women came out, speaking in hushed tones as they walked past. Avery murmured needlessly into the receiver, feeling like a fool for enacting such a ridiculous charade.
    But then, she had become very good at playing charades, hadn’t she? She’d fooled one of Carole’s lovers.
    When she finally felt composed enough to face the crowd again, she hung up the telephone receiver and turned to go. As she did, a man quickly rounded the corner and ran right into her. Seeing only the front of his tux, she cried out in fear.
    “Carole? For God’s sake, what’s wrong?”
    “Tate!”
    Avery slumped against him, tightly wrapping her arms around his waist. Resting her cheek on his lapel, she closed her eyes to block out the vision of the other man.
    Hesitantly, Tate placed his arms around her. His hands stirred the silk against her body as he stroked her back. “What’s the matter? What happened? A lady drew me aside and said you looked upset. Are you sick?”
    He had immediately deserted the limelight and rushed to her assistance, even though she was an unfaithful wife. Whatever scruples she had had against sleeping with another woman’s husband vanished in that single moment. Carole hadn’t deserved him.
    “Oh, Tate, I’m sorry.” She lifted her face to his. “So sorry.”
    “For what?” He took her firmly by the shoulders and shook her lightly. “Will you tell me what the hell is going on?”
    Because she couldn’t tell him the truth, she foundered for a logical explanation. When she arrived at one, she realized that it wasn’t entirely untrue. “I guess I’m not ready to be surrounded by so many people. The crowd was overwhelming me. I felt smothered.”
    “You seemed to be doing fine.”
    “I was. I was enjoying it. But all of a sudden everybody seemed to close in. It was like being wrapped up in those bandages again. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t—”
    “Okay. I get the picture. You should have said something. Come on.” He took her by the arm.
    She dug her heels in. “We don’t have to leave.”
    “The party’s breaking up anyway. We’ll beat everybody to the valet parking.”
    “You’re sure?” She wanted to leave. To return to the banquet hall and possibly confront that gloating face again would be untenable. However, this was her audition. She didn’t want to blow it and be left at the ranch when he went campaigning.
    “I’m sure. Let’s go.”
    They didn’t say much on the way home. Avery tucked her feet beneath her