Page 4 of Senator

“You’re a traitor to conservative values, Stanton.”

“Hello, everyone.” Veer George confidently approached us in the way he always maneuvered through a room. He stepped in between Decker and me, making Decker move out of his way, something the former senator couldn’t mistake for anything but a slight. “I thought I’d come over to see how you’ve enjoyed the party.”

Veer Kiran George, the first Independent governor of Texas in the modern era, was a sight for sore eyes. Women always took a double-take when he entered the room. He wasn’t handsome in the traditional sense, but in a bad-boy way that made one think of all the trouble he could get you into.

Tonight, he’d dressed in a tailored suit, custom made to accommodate his towering height and the chiseled form underneath. The jet-black hair he usually wore in a messy style was slicked back in the image of a Bollywood movie star. The stubble on his jaw that I knew he hadn’t shaved on purpose, combined with the scar running along the right side of his face, gave him an almost rakish, piratical look. He oozed sex appeal, making me have visions of fanning my lady parts.

“Hello, Jaci.” Veer kissed my cheek, lingering for a second longer than was appropriate.

My stomach jumped as I inhaled the rich spice of his cologne.

As he pulled back, he greeted Kevin, all but ignoring Decker.

Decker had questioned Veer’s military record a few years ago, and Veer had never gotten over it. If there was something Veer George took pride in, it was his service in the Air Force.

“How is everyone? Are you enjoying the evening?” Veer searched my eyes, motioning with his chin toward Decker and asking if I was okay.

I gave a slight inclination of my head. I would never let Decker see how much I wished he’d fall off the nearest cliff.

Very few people knew everything I’d endured to become the darling of the conservative movement. Veer happened to be one of them.

Politics was brutal, but if you were a female, it was twice as hard. Those in positions of power would use their pull to shame and intimidate to keep their opponents in check.

“This evening has been lovely. I’m so glad you were able to convince Sam and Devin to come down,” I said, glancing behind him to my family. “Are we still on for the cookout?”

He flashed me a wicked grin, sending a shiver down my spine. This man was too good looking to be a politician. When he stared at me the way he was right now, all I could think of was what he’d look like naked with only his bowtie fastened to his neck.

Besides his sexy-as-sin body and face, he was the son of a technology and real estate mogul. Veer had decided to serve the country his father had immigrated to before Veer’s birth instead of taking over a billion-dollar company.

He believed in paying things forward, and enlisting in the Air Force was his way of showing his appreciation for a country that had afforded his family such great success.

“Only if Kevin promises not to do anything behind the grill.”

“I only burned the burgers one time. It wasn’t as if I planned for the insurgents to attempt an attack on the base.”

Before the lighthearted conversation could go any further, Grey decided it was the opportune time to interject his presence again and said to Kevin and me, loudly enough for everyone around us to hear, “Isn’t it inappropriate for the two of you to fraternize with those who don’t hold our moral standards? The voters are going to see you for the liars you are.”

I groaned and saw a twitch pulse on the sides of both Veer’s and Kevin’s jaws.

“Grey, I think you need to lay off the alcohol. You are a guest in my home and attacking Jacinta and Kevin, two of my closest friends, will only make you look the fool.” Veer’s gaze bored into Decker’s. “Remember when you said all’s fair in politics? You’re the one who hired someone to destroy the reputation of Samina Kumar-Camden, a person I consider family. Jacinta only used the information to expose you for a fraud and not the morally high standard man you pretend to portray.”

He motioned to someone who then approached Decker and escorted him away from us.

“If you’ll excuse me.” Veer took my hand in his, kissing my knuckles. “I’ll see you later, much later. Enjoy your evening.” He nodded to Kevin, who inclined his head, then walked into the crowd of guests.

“He wants in your pants, like yesterday,” Kevin said. “And from the look on your face, I’d say the feeling’s mutual.”

“It’s complicated.” I sighed. “If only it didn’t have such a big price.”

“The best things never come easy, Jaci.”

Chapter Two

Around three in the morning,after strategizing with Kevin at his hotel room for what felt like days, he dropped me off at home. We were both exhausted and desperate for some sleep before all of our friends invaded my house for a weekend house party. Finances, budgets, and planning were all part of the road Kevin and I had joined together to follow. I just sometimes wished I could take a break from it all.

I dragged myself up the steps of the hundred-and-twenty-year-old Victorian mansion my mother had given me when I’d decided to move to Texas after law school.

My mother was the eldest daughter of a Texas oil billionaire, who had inherited the large Austin estate and a sizeable trust fund following my grandfather’s death. No matter how much she loved the beautiful historic home, she rarely used it. Dad’s schedule kept both my parents too busy to get away for more than a few days, and the travel from New Orleans, where my parents’ home was, to Austin was too long to endure and keep up the pace of their lives.

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