“I’m enjoying this,” Hawk said. “I’ve got a full selection of security cameras to choose from and a microphone to use if I want to bug you.”
“This isn’t a game, Hawk.”
Hawk chuckled. “I know. But it sure is fun to be on the other side of this for once.”
“I prefer we not make a habit of this, okay?”
“Roger that.”
Alex proceeded to get a drink and strike up a conversation with a leading political author she’d seen on television before. He droned on about his latest project and how the “the other side” was unfairly lambasting it just because it didn’t agree with their political position. After three minutes, she moved on.
“There’s a reason I never pay attention to politics,” Alex said. “Too many petty people bickering over things that don’t matter.”
“Meanwhile, nobody pays attention to the things that do matter,” Hawk added.
“Exactly.”
Alex glided from one dull conversation to the next until she grew tired and sat down.
“What’s the matter?” said a man, who took a seat next to Alex. “Nobody here interesting enough for you? Some people are just too enamored with their own brilliance to bother to even take notice of the world around them.”
Alex cast a glance at him before returning her gaze to the sea of people.
“You’ve noticed this too?”
He shrugged. “At times, but I know it must be true since there’s an exquisitely beautiful woman sitting all alone here.”
Alex blushed. “At least someone noticed.”
“Yes,” he said. “Would you look at her?”
He pointed across the room toward another woman sitting by herself.
“Not a soul around her.”
Alex felt sheepish for even considering that the man was referring to her before he broke into a laugh. She hung her head and nodded with him in agreement, trying to play off what she’d just done.
“I’m teasing you,” he said. “Of course I was referring to you. Besides, that woman is my wife and I know for a fact that she’d rather be alone in a room with a book than talking with some stranger about the latest scandals in the political cycle.”
“Charles Freeman,” he said, offering his hand. “MIT, Professor of Thermodynamics.”
“Impressive,” she said, trying to avoid a discussion that involved talking about herself.
“And you are?”
A short pause. “Parched and dying to meet President Michaels. Isn’t that the only reason anyone ever comes to these things anyway? To drink and meet famous politicians?”
Alex got up and walked toward the bar to order a drink. But she didn’t make it that far. A man wasn’t looking where he was going and spun around, crashing into her and spilling his drink.
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” the man said. “Here let me help you.”
He rushed over to get several napkins from a nearby waiter carting drinks.
Alex eyed the man closely before studying the drenched portion of her gown. It wasn’t that noticeable given the dark color, and she was getting far more attention than she wanted. A small crowd had gathered around her, mostly women gasping and murmuring about the horror of getting a dress soiled.
“I’m really sorry,” the man said, returning with a stack of napkins.
“It’s okay,” Alex said as she took the napkins and blotted her gown.
“No, it’s not. I wasn’t paying attention and should have been more cautious. The fact that I didn’t see a beautiful woman like you means that I really am completely self-absorbed. Shame on me. Let me make it up to you.”
“Don’t fall for it, Alex,” Hawk chimed in.
“Wait, I know who you are,” Alex said. “You’re the actor who—”
“Stop right there,” the man said. “Just call me Brad. Don’t look at me any differently just because you’ve seen one of my films. I’m just a normal person, just like everybody else.”
“Oh, no, I haven’t seen your movies, but I’ve heard about you,” Alex said.
He laughed nervously. “You can’t believe what you read in the tabloids.”
“Well, Brad, thank you for the napkins,” Alex said, satisfied that she’d thwarted his aggressive advances in an effort to remain virtually invisible.
“That’s not all you’re going to thank me for, Ms. —”
“Harper. Christina Harper,” she said offering her hand. “Really, I must be going.”
“Nonsense. I’m going to make it up to you by introducing you to the president.”
Alex swallowed hard. “What did you say?”
“Let’s go meet the president,” Brad said. “I hosted a fundraiser for him in Hollywood last election. We filled his coffers with fifty million dollars. I’m sure he’ll take a minute to speak with me.”
Alex’s original plan to meet the president consisted of befriending—and charming—Francine Dobbs, a senator from New Hampshire, who had Michaels’ ear on all things related to women. Alex aimed to share with Dobbs her equal pay campaign that included a green wristband to signify standing in solidarity with women fighting to reduce the gender pay gap. Michaels had sung a constant refrain on the campaign trail about reducing the pay gap. He’d yet to take any action, but it was a popular stance among his constituency—even though his opponent held the same view on the issue.
But Alex opted to go a more direct route when she realized that she might actually be able to get an audience with Michaels in a different manner, especially one that included an A-list celebrity standing right next to her. With the agents likely to be focused on and enamored by her superstar escort, she figured she’d be able to accomplish what she needed to do with a simple handshake.
“I take that back, Alex,” Hawk said. “Roll with it.”
A faint smile spread across Alex’s lips. She was already thinking the same thing.
“In that case, you better buy me a drink first,” Alex said to Brad. “I wasn’t prepared to meet the most powerful man in the world like this.”
“Of course,” he said as he hustled off to the bar.
He returned shortly with her drink before placing his hand on the small of Alex’s back to guide her toward President Michaels.
“The president is a really nice guy,” Brad said. “He can be a little moody sometimes, but
