Free By Design by J. A. Armstrong Page B

I get if I am right and Candy makes the first move?”
    “She
won’t,” Dana said flatly. Steve pouted .
“Fine, I will take you to dinner at whatever politico hot spot you choose.”
    “You
hate those places,” he reminded her.
    “You
seem confident, so am I.”
    “Wait?
How are we going to know?” he asked.
    “I
have my sources,” Dana assured him.
    “I
hope J.D. doesn’t get crushed,” he said quietly.
    Dana
sighed. “Me too.”
    ***
    Jameson
recognized many of the faces in the room. Candace had tried to keep her company
and introduce her to the crowd, but the senator’s attention was in constant
demand and Jameson inevitably lost track of Candace in the crowd. “ Kind of boring, isn’t it?” Dana said.
    Jameson
shrugged. “It’s fine.”
    “She’s
in her study,” Dana said softly. Jameson looked at her friend in confusion.
“Sometimes she needs a minute to regroup. She finds her way there every year
about this time.” Jameson nodded. “Come on,” Dana grabbed Jameson’s hand.
    “Where
are you taking me?”
    Dana
nodded toward a door. “Go on.”
    “Dana,
you just said she needed to step away.”
    “Yes,
I did,” Dana admitted. “I’m not sure you are in that equation.” Jameson looked
skeptical. “Trust me, J.D. Go on,” Dana encouraged. Jameson sucked in a nervous
breath and walked a few steps to the door. She turned back to Dana for
encouragement and received a nod.
    Steven
found his wife watching as Jameson entered Candace’s study and closed the door.
“Stacking the odds in your favor, huh?”
    Dana
shook her head. “I honestly don’t care who wins. I just hope someone does,” she
said.
    Steve
sighed. “It’s up to them. Come on.”
    ***
    “Candace?”
Jameson called across the room. Candace turned and smiled. “You all right?”
    “I’m
fine. Just needed to catch my breath,” Candace said. “Sorry, I left you to fend
for yourself with the wolves.”
    Jameson
laughed. “I’m was out in college. I’ve experienced the pack mentality a few
times,” she joked. “You certainly are popular.”
    “That’s
a relative term,” Candace said. “Anyone who offers free booze, the ability to
network, and decent food can be the star of an evening in this town.”
    Jameson
had made her way to Candace and was standing in front of her. “I think you sell
yourself short on that one,” she said sincerely.
    “Maybe
you give me too much credit,” Candace replied. “Believe me when I tell you, I
would just as soon eat chicken wings with you and Pearl.”
    “Mmm,”
Jameson pursed her lips.
    “What?”
    “You
love this too,” Jameson commented.
    “You
think so?”
    “I
do. I watched you work that room,” Jameson said affectionately.
    “You
watched me?” Candace lifted an eyebrow. Jameson nodded. “Really?” Candace tried
to joke.
    “People are drawn to you,” Jameson commented.
    “Because
they think I can do something for them.” Jameson shook her head ‘no’. “Yes,
Jameson. They are good people, but they are always working; looking for an
opening …. ”
    “They
look to you,” Jameson said.
    “I’ve
been doing this a while,” Candace replied.
    “Maybe.
That’s not the only reason,” Jameson said. Candace struggled to catch her
breath as Jameson moved closer. “It’s not just what you do,” she said. “It’s
who you are,” Jameson complimented. She looked in Candace’s eyes and instantly
lost her heart. “Maybe you just can’t see what they see,” Jameson suggested.
“What I see.” Jameson closed the short remaining distance and took Candace’s
face in her hands. She could see a hint of apprehension mingling closely with
anticipation in the senator’s eyes. She closed the rest of the distance and
placed her lips on Candace’s.
    Candace
felt Jameson’s lips on hers and closed her eyes in surrender. She wrapped her
arms around Jameson’s waist and allowed Jameson to pull her closer. Jameson
coaxed Candace’s lips to part and Candace