[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

she might be revealing.
The man behind the pretentious desk couldn't help but drop his eyes to the brief display, even though she
was gazing directly at him. Allan Merlson craved anything he didn't possess, including attractive women
who teased and especially those he imagined in certain scenes of dominance and obedience. She fit that
image perfectly. He'd paid plenty just to have these minutes with her in private, in part because she had a
damn good rep for accurate political analyses and an uncanny knack for cutting through the crud. The
rest was physical. She seemed immune to his sly hints and senior senatorial status, which made her even
more of a prize to be added to his list of conquests over the years. He'd paid for her advice before, but
this time her input stunk.
She continued in firm, even tones. "You sought my opinion, Senator, as you've done in the past ... like so
many others doing business in Washington. You wanted my advice on how to respond to the president's
proposal to increase taxes on the energy sector industries, meaning you were uncertain about the bill, and
I gave you my recommendation. That concludes our business this time around. I'll send you my invoice."
"But ... look ... Mary ... I can't do that! How the hell do I get re-elected if I take that kind of stand? It'd
dry up ninety percent of my contributions from those people."
How in hell did she find out about the redhead? And the ticket....
"Pfffh! I know what you have socked away for your upcoming campaign, and precisely how much you
have in banks and all those IOUs in your back pocket, but you can forget having any more than a quarter
of that for the next election if you don't take my advice. You do want to stay in this business, don't you?
Or are you planning retirement at age fifty-one?"
Merlson ran his fingers through the politically long mane of gray hair. "Mary, listen to me--"
"I have other appointments, Senator. Time's up. Have a nice day." She abruptly turned and strode from
his office, making a point to glance at her watch on the way through the door.
Merlson bit his lower lip, staring at the curves and shapely calves disappearing all too soon. For the
amount he'd paid, she could have at least stayed a half hour or so, damn her to hell! Who cared about
long term? That money had to come in now if it was going to do his personal finances any good. How'd
she know how much he'd set aside in the first place, and how could she possibly know who he had in his
back pocket? When it came to skimming, neither of those counted anyway. There was no way to skim
IOUs or money on record. The only way was to do it when the money was on its way to the bank, or
with cash that'd never find its way there in the first place. And, come to think of it, how on earth did she
know about that speeding ticket? It was just yesterday, and he'd paid off the trooper on the spot.
Slipped a hundred dollar bill under the license and registration. He'd been in too much of a hurry to note
the trooper's name, or that man would be looking for another job right about now.
Mary was a smart bitch, but too damn abrupt, a loose cannon without a trace of the finesse needed for
really getting along in D.C., dashing around like some circus juggler keeping six balls in the air at one
time. That wasn't how it was done, not at all. You took your time and applied the niceties of political give
and take if you were going to survive and get anything out of it. Like horse trading, in a way. The spoils
went to whoever knew best how to work things to his advantage. Even Abe Lincoln knew how to get the
best in a horse trade, or so it was said--that time when some crafty dude tried to put one over on ol' Abe
by goading him to trade horses blind. Neither man would see the other's horse up front. Well, as the
story went, the dude brought in the boniest old swayback nag anyone could imagine. Abe brought in a
sawhorse! That was the kind of understanding needed anywhere in government to make things come out
right. That was what constituents and special interests expected of their man--or woman. You had to
deliver for them, all the time.
Mary didn't operate that way. Everything was black or white, never gray. Her latest pearl of wisdom
wasn't worth a nickel. Throw support to an energy tax that would hit the petroleum giants hard? Why, it
would be political suicide! He'd sit on her fee, that's what he'd do. On second thought, that would
backfire for sure. She had far too much influence in Washington to try that. Whenever she got aggravated
at someone she took no prisoners, and everyone knew it.
How had she ever get so much power and influence in the first place? And where was she getting her
information? She couldn't have done it by herself, a woman in her early forties, even if she did get a few
male pulse rates doing double time, his included. She had to be sleeping with someone influential, [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]