LITMIR.BIZ

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lead for tomorrow morning’s column.”

      “Won’t that be fun?” Melanie muttered, then brightened. “We could use this, you know.”

      Richard and Mack both stared at her.

      “How?” Richard asked.

      “He wants a juicy tidbit. Let’s give him one. Let’s end the speculation right here and now and tell him that you are definitely considering a run for Alexandria City Council and that you’ve hired me to advise you.”

      Richard was already shaking his head. “I’m not ready to announce that yet, not without a campaign manager in place, and we’re at least a couple of weeks away from that. The earliest I intend to announce is mid-January.”

      “You’re not announcing it,” Melanie explained patiently. “You’re only conceding what everyone already knows, that you’re thinking about running. Then you acknowledge our business relationship and, poof, we get rid of the speculation about a romance. The truth will be so boring, he might not even print it.”

      Mack laughed. “Very clever. Listen to her, Richard. I know this guy. He thrives on scandal and innuendo. This will sound way too tame for his readers.”

      Richard finally nodded. “Okay, then, let’s go feed him this dull little tidbit and pray that Destiny hasn’t seen fit to give him an entirely different scoop.”

      “Such as?” Melanie asked, not entirely sure she wanted to know the answer.

      “News of our imminent engagement,” Richard said.

      “She’s seen us together once,” Melanie pointed out.

      “But she has an active imagination,” Mack said. “And she does love to embroider the truth when it suits her purposes. If she has a chance to prod along this budding romance, she’ll grab it. Unfortunately, Richard has a point, too.”

      “We could duck out right now, before Forsythe sees us,” Richard suggested.

      “No way,” Melanie said, refusing to be daunted by Richard and Mack’s dire predictions. “That’s exactly the wrong thing to do. If Forsythe hears we were here or has caught even a glimpse of us, he’ll go wild wondering why we disappeared during the hors d’oeuvres. He’ll probably run right into the lobby to check the guest register to see if we slipped away upstairs.”

      “Our names won’t be there,” Richard reminded her, then grinned. “Unless…”

      “Forget that,” she said succinctly as Mack tried to smother a laugh. “Besides, it won’t matter what he finds. He’ll just conclude you bribed the desk clerk. Tomorrow morning we’ll be reading all about how we disappeared to be alone together. I still think my original plan is best. We have to march in there as if we have absolutely nothing to hide, which we don’t. Beyond that, it’s a very crowded room. It’s possible we can meet and greet, make our presence felt and get out without ever crossing paths with Forsythe. He can pick up the word about why we’re here together from other sources.”

      Mack nodded his agreement. “I’m with Melanie, bro. I’ll go in first and run interference,” he suggested with a look of pure anticipation.

      Richard frowned at him. “I thought you always hid behind those huge offensive linesmen.”

      “Very funny,” Mack retorted. “Either way, I’m more experienced at this sort of thing than you are.”

      “Running interference or avoiding Pete Forsythe’s speculation?” Richard asked.

      “Both,” Mack said succinctly.

      “By the way, where’s your date?” Richard asked.

      “I came alone,” Mack said. “Less fodder for Destiny. Besides, I didn’t want to steal your limelight.” He grinned. “You know, in case you decided tonight was the night to make your big announcement.”

      Richard gave him a dire look. “You are going to be such dead meat when Destiny sets her sights on your love life. I’m going to help her in every way I can.”

      Melanie grinned at the brotherly byplay. “Richard, I’m not so sure it’s wise to antagonize the man who’s going to throw himself between us and Pete For-sythe.”

      Richard held up his hands. “Okay, okay. Do your thing, little brother. Get us to Destiny unscathed.”

      Mack proved to be remarkably adept at maneuvering through the crowd. Apparently all that experience eluding tackles was paying off, Melanie concluded as they made their way toward the head table where Destiny was holding court with several distinguished-looking gentlemen. To Melanie’s astonishment, she realized that two of them were senators and one was a top aide to the president. She suddenly felt as if she’d fallen down the rabbit hole and landed at the Mad Hatter’s tea party. She was definitely out of her usual element in such lofty company.

      Destiny welcomed them with a beaming smile, then performed the introductions with a graciousness that made Melanie sound as if she owned a top-flight firm on New York’s Madison Avenue. The men regarded her with an automatic respect she wasn’t used to garnering after an introduction. She was used to having to prove herself and her right to work in such exalted circles. Heck, she still hadn’t proved herself to Richard.

      “Richard, you fox,” Senator Furhman said. “Leave it to you to find someone who’s beautiful, smart and talented, while the rest of us are stuck getting advice from balding old fogies.”

      Melanie waited to hear what Richard would say to that. It would tell her a lot about his diplomacy and tact, to say nothing of hinting at his opinion of her professional skills. Not that he had much to go on yet.

      He met the senator’s gaze. “I’d recommend you hire her yourself,” he said, then grinned. “But not until I’m in office.”

      “Then you are definitely running for Council in Alexandria?” the presidential aide asked.

      “Definitely considering it,” Richard admitted as he and Melanie had just agreed.

      Listening to him, she decided he was going to be a quick study, which would make her job much easier.

      “Why not for Congress?” Senator Furhman asked. “Waste of time, a man of your caliber starting at the bottom like that.”

      “Public service at any level is never a waste of time,” Richard said, an edge in his voice.

      “Well, of course not,” all three men were quick to say.

      Melanie grinned at the smooth way Richard had put them in their place without overtly offending them or suggesting that their own ambitions were in any way suspect. He was going to be a good candidate, no question about it. No one would rattle him.

      “Gentlemen, if you’ll excuse us, Melanie and I have things to discuss tonight.” He leaned down and gave his aunt a kiss. “Sorry. We can’t stay.”

      Melanie and Mack both gave him a startled look. Richard merely gave them an enigmatic smile.

      “You ready, sweetheart?” he asked her.

      The seemingly deliberate use of the endearment caught Melanie off guard. It was impossible to tell if it had been meant for Destiny’s benefit or for that of her friends or maybe even for Pete Forsythe’s ears.

      “Darling,” Richard prodded when she remained silent. “Ready?”

      Melanie nodded numbly. “Sure.”

      Not until they were outside in the cold night air waiting for the limo to reappear did she face him and demand, “What was that about?”

      “You mean the hasty exit?”

      “That and the hint that we had more fascinating ways to spend the evening? I thought we’d decided that was a bad message to be putting out there.”

      “You thought so. I don’t. Besides, this message

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