Free The Candidate's Wife by Isabella Ashe

sleeping arrangements. . . ."
    Adam tossed a sardonic chuckle over his shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll take the couch tonight. Sharing a bed is definitely not part of the bargain. Besides, sweetheart," and he laughed again, "you're not my type."
    As he strode from the room, Julia stared after him. Anger and humiliation coursed through her veins. She had no intention of allowing Adam into her bed. So why did his last, dismissive words feel like four razor-sharp arrows piercing her heart?
     
    Julia woke the next morning to find Adam already gone. She didn't see him again until after lunch, when she and Danny joined him in the back of his chauffeured Mercedes for the trip to the fundraiser. She'd just completed her shopping trip, and wore one of her new outfits.
    Adam's gaze slid over her. He seemed to drink her in with his eyes. The air between them took on an almost electrical charge as Adam completed his inspection. "Nice," he said. "Didn't I tell you Lucinda had excellent taste?"
    Julia glanced down at her maroon silk blouse and the pencil-slim skirt that hugged her hips and showed off her long, slender legs. "Actually, this outfit was my choice. Lucinda was wonderful, though. I hope I didn't let her talk me into buying too much."
    Julia winced as she remembered the dozens of Neiman-Marcus shopping bags she'd filled with expensive dresses, skirts, blouses, shoes, cosmetics, fragrances, accessories -- the material things she'd lived without for so many years, when every penny went to groceries, tuition, car repairs, shoes for Danny, and a hundred different necessities. She had never before shopped without seeking out the sale items, without regretfully bypassing anything with designer labels. It had proved a heady experience.
    Adam grinned and raked his eyes over her slim figure one final time. "Whatever the cost, I approve of the results." He tapped on the glass between the front and back seats. The driver pulled away from the curb and headed for the freeway. Adam leaned toward Julia's son, who sat between her and the window.
    "So, Danny, you look pretty sharp yourself. Is that suit new?"
    Danny nodded shyly. He'd joined in for the last leg of the shopping trip. "Yeah. Thanks, I guess."
    Adam grinned. "Clothes are pretty boring, huh? Maybe the next time you can buy something for your new room. What would you like?"
    He ducked his head. "I dunno."
    But Julia could tell Danny's greedy little mind was working a mile a minute. As she leaned over to brush back a stray strand of his dark hair, she couldn't suppress a smile. The solemn expression on his sharp-featured face made him look years older, and hinted at the good-looking man he would eventually become. "Come on, Danny," she said. "You can do better than that. How about that video game thingy? What do they call it? An X-box*, or something."
    Danny's head came up. His face glowed with excitement. "An X-Box?" His eyes darted from Julia's face to Adam's. "Really? Do you mean it?"
    Adam shrugged and smiled. "Sure, if it's okay with your mother."
    "Mom, please. Please, please, please." He steepled his hands under his chin, his eyes bright.
    "I think that might be all right." She slipped into her stern, mother-knows-best voice. "As long as your grades don't slip, that is."
    "Cool!"
    Danny filled the rest of the trip with his happy chatter. Adam had made another conquest, though Julia wasn't sure she liked the way he'd done it. After all, opening his wallet wasn't nearly the same as opening his heart.
    Danny's excitement didn't last, however. Two hours later, as the fund-raising dinner began, he sat with Julia at their table near the podium and made no effort to hide his boredom. Instead, he toyed with the chicken breast and baked potato on his plate.
    Volunteers had gone all out to decorate the room. Snowy cloths covered the tables. Red, white, and blue balloon bouquets floated in every corner. Banners bearing Adam's name hung on the walls. Silver-haired men in tuxedos, well-groomed