Free Fixer: A Bad Boy Romance by Samantha Westlake Page A

briefly through it. Notes on other senators - their recent voting records, stated positions, which lobbyists and companies had contributed recently to their campaigns. Basic stuff, the kind of thing that he already had memorized in his head.
    Alicia turned back to her own papers, but glanced up after a minute or two of silence. "You're not reading, Tanner."
    Tanner shrugged. "No need. Look, I know all of this stuff, and I also know that poring over it isn't going to get us anywhere. Come on, I've seen your speeches as you ran for election - you know that just reciting dry facts isn't enough to win the support we need. You need energy, drive - and that doesn't come from memorizing which company helped to fund Senator Carp's last reelection."
    Across the desk from him, Alicia raised one eyebrow. "And let me guess. You're suggesting that perhaps we go out for a round of golf, maybe head to a strip club where I can have a one on one talk with my constituents?"
    He'd noticed her wry sense of humor before in the occasional little remark, but this was the first time she'd directed a joke at Tanner, and he laughed out loud before he could catch himself. "Don't forget to throw in the meal with a few lobbyists, where you kindly allow them to pay for the massive porterhouse steak you order," he added, and felt a little tingle of warmth as he saw Alicia's smile grow a bit wider.
    "Of course, how could I forget?" She held a hand against her chest, briefly looking down. "Forgive me, Tanner, I'm still new to this."
    "No need to feel too guilty," Tanner fired back, watching as Alicia stood up and stepped around her desk, over to sink down into the chair next to him.
    "But I do feel guilty," she insisted, batting long eyelashes at him. She really did have nice eyes, he couldn't help noticing. "I'm just a bumpkin from the sticks, somehow elected to this position where I'm totally in over my head, and I need a wise, experienced, strong man to lean on, someone who can guide me, show me the ropes..."
    It took Tanner a second to realize that Alicia was leaning forward, once again daring him to betray himself by flicking his eyes to her cleavage, those big blue-green eyes threatening to drown him. She was pulling the fake seduction card again - but this time, he recognized it, was ready for it.
    "I can be that man for you, big and strong," he murmured back to her. This time, he left no illusion about the long, considering look that he aimed down her shirt, examining her chest before rising back up to her face. Really, not an unpleasant sight in the slightest, he thought to himself, nearly distracting himself from his own words. "But I'll need something in response from you. Your integrity, your self-respect - and probably that hot body of yours, too."
    His smile grew as Alicia's eyes widened in surprise. "Excuse me?" she started, a flush of heat entering her cheeks.
    Tanner kept leaning forward and holding her heated gaze for another second longer. "Come on, what do you say? You and me, right here on your desk, in full view of your office? That should teach them the reward for hard work. I probably won't put in my top effort, but I'm sure you won't notice, given how you're starved for sex."
    He somehow kept his face straight for another second as her eyes grew even wider, her mouth slipping in slack-jawed speechlessness - and then sat back, grinning widely, feeling a bit like a schoolboy who'd just managed to sneak his first kiss. "Hey, you want to tease me, you best be prepared to get it thrown back at you."
    The look of surprise on her face, her mouth dropping wide open, gratified him more than he'd anticipated.
    Still, Alicia quickly pulled herself back under control. "You know, Tanner, talking to me like that is definitely enough to get you fired," she pointed out, rising to her feet. "And if I fire you, well, I just might be asked to explain to my colleagues exactly what I disliked about you, why I had to let you go." She shrugged. "You know