Free Politically Incorrect by Jeanne McDonald Page B

date the night before.
    I flattened my hands over my stomach, glancing around the room for my first target. Okay, more like my first victim. Hell, they should’ve smelled me coming a mile away, and if they didn’t it was because they were rookies and I was about to pop their political cherries. Not to mention their oversized pocketbooks.
    “You look beautiful.” Harper stepped up behind me, resting his hands on my satin covered shoulders.
    I turned around and gave him the once over. “You look pretty sharp yourself.”
    He tugged on the hem of his jacket. He hated suits but understood this world as well as I did and wore them when necessary. That didn’t mean he was going to wear a tie, however. Instead he finished his outfit with a gold bolo tie bearing the Lone Star of Texas. Very typical of Harper. “Well, what do you think of our little turn out?”
    I shifted back around to view the room. It was packed with the who’s who of Democratic Texans and some of DC’s finest. “Not too shabby, but I have to know, how on earth did you get Gerald Samford here?”
    Gerald Samford was a money man from way back. We’re talking, he was around when Plato wrote the Republic, kind of way back. While he might’ve been the oldest son-of-a-bitch alive, every Democratic candidate would give up their first born child to garner Samford’s support. His name spun gold in Washington. To have him in attendance was an honor, more so because his feeble body didn’t usually allow for travel. Hell, a good strong Texas wind would topple the poor bastard over. Probably a good thing we weren’t in Lubbock. He wouldn’t have made it out of the limo.
    “He called me,” Harper admitted.
    I glanced up at my friend. “Really?”
    “Yeah. Apparently the word’s out that Liam’s preparing to announce his candidacy.”
    I huffed, blowing my bangs from my eyes. “Dammit. I was hoping it’d stay quiet until tomorrow, but oh well.” I jerked my shoulder in a jagged shrug. “I should’ve known once the paperwork was filed there’d be no secrets.”
    “Meh. You’ll still have your epic announcement.”
    I laughed, patting Harper on the back. “We both know I always get what I want. No one’s taking that away from me. So, where’s our golden boy anyway? I expected him to be down here by now.”
    Harper grabbed two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter’s tray. He handed one to me. I took a sip of the bubbly liquid, but nothing more. I needed to be clear, sharp, and on point tonight. My job was to get Liam in front of the right people at the right time. These folks were ready with checkbooks in hand. They simply needed me to supply them a pen.
    “He said something about a call to his office regarding a bill or something. He and Aaron were going on about it. I kinda zoned out.”
    I glanced up at Harper, swirling the rim of my glass with my fingertip. “For someone who puts as much money into politics as you do, you really are clueless about the on goings.”
    Harper shrugged, downing his drink. “That’s what I have you for.”
    “My, oh, my,” I chortled, handing him my glass. “We better get out there.”
    Harper sucked down what remained in my glass in one gulp and grinned. “I’m already out there, my dear. They’re in my house. That’s all I need to do.”
    I rolled my eyes. “Suit yourself. I have some fundraising to do.” With a wink, I left Harper shaking his head and laughing.
    I made my way around the room, hobnobbing with the best of them. At one point, Gerald Samford latched onto my arm. I didn’t complain, because the more I could talk up Liam to him, the better chance we had of gaining his support.
    Amidst all of the hustling, because let’s face it, that was my job, I caught sight of Liam near the staircase with Aaron. My eyes grazed over him, stopping at his neck. Yet another hideous tie dangled there like an electric blue beacon.
    Was there an ugly tie store I was unaware of?
    I forced my gaze to