Audrey grabbed Miranda’s arm, but then immediately let it go. She was in front of media; she couldn’t look scared or pushy. It would only invite more inquiry. So instead, she faked disappointment. “Sorry, Ethan. There’s no room at my family’s house for another guest. We’ll have to keep the interview to this afternoon.”
“I’ll stay at a hotel. What time do we leave in the morning?”
The urge to slap a smile off of someone’s face had never been stronger than that moment. Until Miranda beamed back at her over this horrible plan.
“Ethan, excuse us for just one moment.” Audrey turned and walked away, knowing Miranda would follow. Striding calmly to the break room was harder to pull off, since every muscle wanted her to run, despite wearing her black two-inch heels. She craved something to quench the rumbling in her stomach, and soda wasn’t cutting it. The vending machine became her new target.
“What are you thinking?” Audrey spat under a breath. Miranda joined her side instantly, gripping her phone. “That man broke the story of the Dallas county commissioner’s embezzling scandal, and you just invited him to join me home for Thanksgiving?”
“Keep your friends close and enemies closer. It’s the perfect strategy.”
“I haven’t been home in ten years, and my first trip back you want me to drag along a scandal seeker?” More like rabble-rouser. Audrey was familiar with those. And her hometown’s reaction to them. Audrey scanned the vending machine’s limited options and settled on animal crackers. She yanked a dollar from her wallet and inserted it into the slot. When it shot back out at her, she snatched it and flipped it over.
“What’s there to be nervous about? You have nothing to hide. Once he sees how wonderful you are and your small town roots, he’ll write the piece we need to clinch the election. If he’s convinced, everyone else will be, too.”
The dollar spit out at her again and Audrey clenched her fists.
“Here.” Miranda pulled out change from her pocket and pushed it into the slot.
“You’ve never met my family,” Audrey continued as she waited for the animal crackers to fall. “For all you know, they could be redneck hicks with a billion embarrassing stories about me they’d love to sell to the highest bidder.” Unlikely, since they haven’t visited me since I left. But Miranda doesn’t need to know that either.
“Doubtful. They raised you, didn’t they? The Peacemaker. And you came out mostly normal for an obsessive control freak.”
“Don’t call me that. It’s a dumb political label from the media.” Audrey rolled her eyes and ripped open the bag. The first animal cracker couldn’t get down her throat fast enough.
“Dang, hyena! Slow down.”
“I didn’t have breakfast.”
“You were that nervous? We really need to help you get over this aversion to cameras.”
“It’s not the cameras, Mandy. It’s the people behind them. News people. And if they have to exist, I’d rather them behind cameras and not in my home.”
“Audrey.” Miranda placed her hand over the bag and caught Audrey’s eyes. “We need this. Poll numbers show you’re neck and neck with Wyatt, and we need something to bring you over the top. Tanner has the highest read column in Dallas. If you can convince him how great your ideas are, the election is ours.”
Miranda was right. Audrey didn’t want to say it, since something in her gut roiled again. She expected a little bird to appear on her shoulder and whisper into her ear you’ll regret this. But there were so many who needed her help. Who’d sat in her office and begged her to make a difference in their lives. The Crisis Center needed her to win the election. There was only one gut-wrenching conclusion. To win, she needed Ethan Tanner, the worst newsman. Audrey grimaced.
Chapter Two
“This is gonna be better than I thought,” Ethan laughed into his cell phone. “And when I nail this story, McGevin, you’re going to give me the referral I deserve.” Ethan shoved a set of socks and boxers in his overnight bag that sat amongst the dirty laundry scattered across his mattress in the studio apartment. He’d have to lug his clothes to the Laundromat when he got back from nailing Audrey Allen to the wall.
Oh, what a scrumptious image. An unlikely one though, once he found the dirt for his article, thereby ruining yet another politician. She had a sweet pair of legs and perfectly rounded ass hidden under her silk suit. Audrey Allen was prettier than most female politicians he’d met, in a woman-in-the-coffee-shop kind of way. Wavy, dark chocolate hair to her shoulders and blueberry eyes accentuated her deep rose lipstick. Those thin lips must have spent most of her life frowning, but when she smiled, even the fake ones lit up her whole face. It took all his energy not to lean in and see if she tasted like raspberries.
At that point, she probably wouldn’t be receptive to any kind of night with him.
“You’re slicker than hot syrup, Ethan,” Bose McGevin replied. “Only you could have pulled off an entire weekend trip with Audrey Allen. Your idea?”
“I’d love to take credit for it, but it was her campaign manager’s idea.” Stepping over more dirty towels and clothes, Ethan perused his bathroom shelf and debated which colognes to pack. The shaving kit and toothbrush went next, along with his phone charger and laptop.
“Wow. The brunette with glasses and phone addiction?”
“Yep, Miranda Gates. Talks like a New Yorker without the accent.”
“Never would have expected that insane suggestion from her. Must not be as smart as those glasses make her look.”
Audrey was the hottest chick in politics. Even though most of her competition was middle-aged women and pudgy good ol’ boys, her senator portrait would definitely be worthy of a men’s calendar. If he stuck around long enough after the article, he might think of pursuing a two- or three-night stand. Like she’d want one after he killed her election chances. But still, she’d chosen politics and thereby must welcome the scrutiny and brutality of the media.
Holy hell, when did I start thinking like my boss? My mother would shoot me.
Ethan yanked a few buttoned shirts off hangers and rolled them all together before he tossed them in his bag. “Her mistake is my gain. I’m sure she’s hoping I’ll see the ‘family side’ of Allen and have nothing negative to report. But there’s always dirty laundry in a politician’s closet.”
Politicians are all the same, just like my father. And he’s the dirtiest of them all.
“Easy, Trigger. Gates might not be as smart as we thought, but I guarantee Allen will be tougher. I’d say go for any means to get your story with her, but I don’t think she’ll let you closer than a pit bull.”
“I’ll wear her down. It’s what I do best. Hell, I’ve got two hours alone with her on the drive out there.”
“Where’s her hometown?”
“Mackineer? Some tiny backwoods town just north of Tyler.” The drive was the part he was most looking forward to. One on one, no interruptions, completely candid. A person’s driving revealed a lot about them, but how they reacted to outsiders in their personal space screamed volumes more. He opened a drawer and pulled out a long strip of condoms. Hmm…I really am thinking like Bose.
He tossed them in the bag.
“Small towns are prime for juicy stories. This should be walkin’ a poodle in the park for you.”
Ethan stopped perusing the books on his desk, which was shoved against the wall and littered with magazines and newspaper clippings. It had been months since he’d seen the oak underneath where he’d scratched his name on the surface as a kid. “Bose, I’m serious. When I nail this article, I want your next phone call to be your producer friend in New York. I’m perfect for the job up there and you know it.”
The hesitation on the other end of the phone felt like a threat. Don’t you dare, Bose.
“Bose, your word or I won’t give you the Wyatt Williams article I’ve already written.”
“Fine. New York will be my first call. But that Allen article better light up the phone
lines and race up the ratings.”
“I’m sure it will.” He grinned as he tossed his camera in the bag. He’d have to go out for a drink tonight and celebrate the upcoming victory. Jack on the rocks sounded perfect about now, which is why he’d settle for a black coffee, a bowl of peanuts, and the first coed who offered to buy him a shot.
“When do you leave?”
“First thing in the morning. Thanksgiving dinner with the family, tour of the town on Friday, and we come back that night. She has some big charity fundraiser Saturday night here in Dallas that she can’t miss. That gives me a full day to write the article of the year.”
“Updates twice a day. And don’t grow a conscience when you’re out there.”
Laughter murmured from inside his chest. “Not likely.”
Ethan snapped the phone shut and tossed it on the bed.
Finally. Nine years later and I finally have my shot. Screw you, Dad.
Chapter Three
“Screw you, Clayton!”
“You’re just an ignorant redneck!”
The two men were held back from each other across the crowded conference room by a dozen arms, including two police officers.
Audrey shook her head, amazed that she and only one other person in the room remained calm among the turmoil. Ethan Tanner leaned against the back wall, a wicked half smile on his lips as he held a recorder in his hand. What in the hell is he doing here?
The vicious words between the two men, who were still being dragged apart by police officers, didn’t crack Audrey’s resolve an inch, but Ethan’s tempting physique and debonair stance stirred up her nerves. Focus, Audrey.
She stood from the center chair in the front of the room and whistled, loud and piercing. The room silenced as both men finally stopped and glared at her. “Violence will not be tolerated,” she spoke firmly.
Her poker face consisted of calm and stern eye contact; no emotion. Unlike the two red-faced men who slowly took their seats. The relief on the cops’ faces rippled across the room. “I don’t think either of you want to spend this evening in jail away from your families. This is a passionate topic for many, but name-calling doesn’t solve anything.”
“They only care about their bottom line and whether or not they’ll have enough for Christmas bonuses!” Tommy shouted, blotch-faced and stiff necked. If the bald man had any hair, it would have been white.
“Tommy, we are so close to a solution. With the concessions both sides have already made, do you really want throw all that work away over just ten grand?”
With a shake of his head, Tommy clamped his mouth shut and leaned back in his chair.
This was what Audrey loved best. Everyone’s eyes focused on the solution. One everyone could live with. If they’d just let go of their egos and open their ears.
If only one man didn’t keep looking at her like his own personal holiday feast.
“The ranching industry is booming in this area, and we want to keep those jobs here. If it weren’t booming, we’d have a different problem on keeping people from the unemployment line. So arguments like this are a good thing.”
Reluctant murmurs of approval filtered throughout the room. A quick glance to the other side of the room and Audrey received the head-nod from Miranda, coupled with a knowing smile.
“From where I sit, you both need each other to keep this industry successful. Ranchers need Clayton’s distribution company for your product. And distributors don’t exist without the ranchers. So you help yourselves by helping each other. Calling your customer an ignorant redneck isn’t the best way to ensure repeat business.”
Clayton’s lips pursed and he crossed his arms.
“Telling your distributor to screw himself only makes him less willing to help you in the future.” Her admonished stare to Tommy brought the same response.
“Folks, ten grand is the only thing keeping everyone from getting paid and having a great Thanksgiving with their families. Which Clayton concedes his company can spread across the five-year contract.” When her eyes met the plump man on her left, he nodded. “Tommy, I’ve seen that old tractor sitting out behind your barn for the last seven years. The one you’ve meant to sell but never got around to. Driving around these parts as much as I have, I’ve noticed almost all of you ranchers have some piece of unused equipment.” A dozen more nods around the room made Audrey smile. “Something that you can either sell or donate and get the tax write-off. Things you already planned to do anyway. All of which can go toward this gap. Combine that, I bet you’ll have more than enough to cover this. Maybe enough to give you all that unexpected Christmas bonus.”
More nods and approving murmurs. Miranda gave her a discreet thumbs-up while Ethan jotted down a few notes on his notepad, juggled in the same hand as his recorder. Damn, that smile of his was distracting.
“Now, who wants to call this a done deal, leave the beef business alone and go home to fat Thanksgiving turkeys?”
When the papers were signed and the room cleared, Audrey brushed her hair from her face and gathered her briefcase. A heartbeat later, Miranda patted her on the back. “Damn, you’re good. Your former boss couldn’t get this dispute off his desk for six months, and you solve it in one meeting.”
“It wasn’t that hard to fix.” They strolled out of the room. “Think of how more productive they’d be if they spent the same passion in their jobs as they did bickering.”
Miranda handed Audrey another soda from her tote. “After you helped arrange the agreement for the homeless shelter, I told Mason you should take this one off his hands and he could retire in peace.”
“Congressman Nichols has earned it. Meanwhile, Texas has lost an incredible asset in the Senate.”
“Only to gain an even better one,” Miranda smiled and gave her another pat on the shoulder. “One that will stick around for a long time to come.”
“God willing.” Audrey cracked open the soda and sipped. She had to cut this habit, but long hours of campaigning and still performing her duties as a Congressman’s aid threw her New Year’s resolution off the priority list.
“What was Ethan Tanner doing here?” She asked after she recovered from the fizzing bubbles.
“I invited him. Wanted to show him how good you are at what you do best.”
“I couldn’t concentrate. And I doubt this negotiation will be highlighted in the article he’s trying to twist against me.”
“I think he’s sweet on you.”
Audrey snorted. “Like a snake on a mouse.”
“You’re sexier than a mouse. And twice as smart.”
“Audrey Allen.” Clayton waddled across the lobby. “Brilliant work in there.”
“Thanks, Clayton.” She shook his outstretched hand and sausage-like fingers. “Amazing how much one can accomplish if you remember where your paycheck comes from: your customers.”
“Too true,” he replied with a laugh, his belly shaking like a Jell-O mold behind his thick, southern drawl. “I’ll be telling my bosses about your work here. If you’re ever interested in the corporate world, you let me know.”
“Tempting offer,” Audrey smiled, not missing Ethan’s raised eyebrow from across the lobby. “But I have a great job already.”
“Well, in the meantime you’ve got my vote.”
“And mine.” Tommy, the bulky rancher, shook Audrey’s hand. “All us ranchers have your back, Miss Allen.”
“Thanks, Tommy. Tell Cora I’ll miss her delicious corn casserole this Thanksgiving.”
“Maybe she’ll save some for you,” Tommy laughed and pushed through the double doors. A cold blast of air burst through the lobby. When Clayton moved to follow, Miranda caught up with him.
“If you’re free this Saturday, there’s a fundraiser for the Crisis Center that we’re sponsoring…”
Miranda’s campaigning drifted outside, leaving Audrey a moment of panic in the lobby with Ethan Tanner. Alone.
The man was lean, yet toned, even under that frumpy jacket.
Evidently good at more than just writing articles and shattering careers. Shattering a woman’s senses seemed a natural forte of his.
How long would a guy like that last under the covers?
Whoa! Get it together, Audrey.
“You have a gift, Audrey Allen.” His words sizzled from across the marble floor. His footsteps bounced off the walls at the same rhythm as her heartbeat. The cold air in the lobby was nothing against the urge to unbutton her jacket from the escalating heat from that man’s eyes, staring back into hers. “Blinding men by your words and three-button blazers.”
His eyes roved over her suit, slowly, lazily. Audrey moved her briefcase in front of her, shifting her weight to one leg. “I’m not surprised you can’t tell the difference between blinding someone or making them see reason. You’re too busy distorting the truth to make it fit your own need.”
“And politicians don’t? That’s a whore calling a prostitute a slut.”
“Excuse me?”
“Just a figure of speech,” his lips quirked.
“You’re a breath away from losing your interview, Mr. Tanner.”
“Lighten up.” Ethan adjusted his messenger bag strap on his shoulder. “No implication on you. On the contrary, I think you’re one of the most prudish women in politics.”
“Prudish?” Audrey couldn’t stop her raised inflection.
“Not a hint of cleavage, no skirt above the knee line…I doubt you own a single shirt or blouse that doesn’t go all the way up to your neck.”
“Perhaps because I’d rather people pay attention to my words than my body.”
Ethan’s eyes flamed and his entire face lit up. “Not possible.”
Why didn’t this creep have a dozen sexual harassment claims against him? Is this his idea of a compliment? Bringing him home to meet her family was a big mistake. Trusting the media was already difficult enough for her, but keeping an eye on this media man, as slippery and conniving as he was, would make it unbearable.
“Unlike you, Mr. Tanner, I love making a difference. Simplifying a problem, getting everyone on the same side, winners all around. No problem is impossible to solve. You just have to find the right foundation on which to build. The rest are just details. As long as you’re willing to listen and keep your libido out of it.”
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