Free The Perfect Candidate by Stephanie Sterling

end to it, but the other man simply guffawed.
     
    “Oh yes!  I can imagine just what sort of important role Miss Kendall must play on your team!  That would be your personal team, right, Mike? ”
     
    Michael could feel an angry heat rise into his face.  He felt bad for Ashley, having to deal with this, he could see her posture stiffen, and if getting these men ’ s money wasn ’ t so important to the campaign he would have walked straight back out of the hotel!  His displeasure must have been obvious, because Monsieur Rousseau quickly stepped in to defuse the situation by asking everyone to take their seats.
     
    Michael couldn ’ t decide which of the men he would rather risk Ashley sitting next to … she selected for herself however, sitting on the end of the table next to Michael and opposite the young, quiet retailer.
     
    “You looked like you were going to kill Mr. Roberts, ” she whispered into his ear when on one was listening.
     
    “You want me to?” Michael whispered back.  “I’ m pretty sure I can remember all of my army training. ”
     
    Dinner went … slowly.  Nobody (except Michael, Ashley suspected) was in any hurry to start talking business.  It wasn ’ t a subject that was even raised until they were waiting for dessert to arrive, and then, unsurprisingly, no one could agree on anything! 
     
    Ashley hadn ’ t expect things to be easy for Michael, but she was frankly disgusted by how relatively little the businessmen were prepared to donate to the party, especially when she heard how much they expected Michael to give them in return!  She was surprised, but also impressed, by how calmly and composedly Michael was able to hear their offers however.  Perhaps he had been expecting them to play this way? 
     
    As time wore on, and the evening became increasingly late, it became obvious to everyone that nothing was going to be decided on tonight.  Ashley hoped this meant that she and Michael could leave soon!  She still had a few hours worth of work do on the speech, which she was determined to finish by the next morning on principle!
     
    However, before anything had been mentioned about them leaving, the maitre d ’ hurried into the room and spoke quietly into Monsieur Rousseau ’ s ear.  The Frenchman frowned, and then laughed and turned to speak to Michael.
     
    “Well, Monsieur Reese!  It seems you will not be escaping back to Chicago until we have reached an agreement after all!”
     
    “Oh?” Michael murmured.  He sounded curious and mildly amused, but Ashley had seen his shoulders tense.
     
    “ Oui, oui!   Look!” Rousseau laughed, getting up from the dinner table and then walking across the room to the large windows.  He pulled back the heavy drapes, which had been drawn to afford them more privacy, and revealed a winter wonderland outside.
     
    “It’ s snowing! ” Ashley gasped.
     
    “Oui, mademoiselle,” Rousseau chuckled.  “I am afraid Pierre has just heard from the airport.  All outbound flights have been cancelled.”
     
    Ashley glanced again at Michael, and tried to work out what he was thinking.  Were they really stranded here … together?  A shiver traveled down Ashley ’ s spine all of a sudden, and it didn ’ t have anything to do with the snow!
     
    “Then it appears we will have to trespass on your hospitality for a little longer, monsieur,” Michael murmured, frowning out at the snow.
     
     
     
    “Oh!  It is no trespass!  I have the perfect suite for the two of you,” he assured them, bowing before briefly disappearing out of the room.  Ashley assumed that he had gone to sort out their room… room s ?
     
    “Michael?” she whispered.  Only she and Michael had followed Rousseau to look out of the window.  The other men were too busy drinking and joking to pay them any attention.  “Michael we can’ t share a room! ” she hissed, however much she might like to …
     
    Michael looked down at her with one eyebrow