Now You See Her Linda Howard(25)

"I'll miss you, too. You always brought the sunshine with you. Smile now, and let me see how pretty you are. My, my, your eyes are as blue as heaven. That's a mighty nice sight. . . "

His voice became gradually fainter, as if he were walking away from her. Sweeney watched him fade, becoming more and more transparent until there was nothing left except a faint glow where he had stood.

The chill was gone. She felt warm again, but frightened and sad. She wanted to be held the way Richard had held her that morning, but he wasn't here, and he wasn't hers. She didn't have him. She was alone, and for the first time in her life she didn't like it.




Chapter 6


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Candra took the early shuttle from New York to D.C. the next morning. The capital suited her purposes better, so she didn't mind the inconvenience. For one, seeing him in D.C. was easier than seeing him in New York, where he was seldom in his office. She would have had to either go to his house or call him there for an outside meeting, and she preferred not to.

Perhaps Margo knew about her affair with the senator, but perhaps not. Despite her own stupidity in telling Richard about the abortion when she should have kept her mouth shut, Candra didn't believe in unnecessarily hurting or humiliating anyone. Margo might not care how many women Carson banged, but she definitely wouldn't want him banging them in her house. Knowing what she knew about him, Candra wouldn't be surprised if he insisted on having sex right there in the office, before he even knew why she was there. She smiled thinly, humorlessly. First he would fuck her, then she would fuck him; she thought that was fair.

She had taken extra pains with her appearance that morning, not to attract attention but to avoid it. On went the black business suit, the staid black pumps with one-and-a-halfinch heels. Her earrings were plain gold hoops; she left off all rings and exchanged her wafer-thin, impossibly elegant Piaget wristwatch for an old Rolex, one her father had given her when she was sixteen. She doubted it had cost more than a couple of thousand. A Rolex wouldn't stand out in the capital, where status was everything and Rolexes were as common as embassy plates.

She brushed her hair more severely and toned down her makeup. She wouldn't stand out; she would look like thousands of businesswomen or lobbyists. She didn't want to be memorable, should anyone see her. It was, perhaps, a foolish precaution on her part, but then she had never before blackmailed anyone and she thought some discretion was needed.

Today was Margo's regular day at Elizabeth Arden; since the trip to Rome had been postponed, she would go about her normal routine, and Margo was a fanatic about pampering her looks. With Margo safely in New York, Candra didn't worry that Carson had told her to come to his town house in the capital. Doing so actually suited her better, because she wouldn't have enjoyed the crassness, the utter distastefulness, of being screwed on an office desk with a troop of aides just outside the door.

At the airport, she hailed a taxi and sat quietly in the backseat, not encouraging the driver's occasional attempts at conversation. To her surprise, she felt the beginning flutters of excitement and anticipation she normally felt when she knew she was going to have sex. Until now her mind had been completely on what she would say afterward, but now she began to think about the act itself. Carson had little technique but a lot of vigor, and sometimes, when she was feeling a little nasty, that was just what she wanted.

He had to be in his office at ten-thirty. She would have an hour with him. That would be sufficient.

Carson met her at the door himself, smiling and saying all the inane social things in case anyone was listening. He had staff here, of course, at least a cook and a housekeeper. He was very good looking, Candra thought, smiling up into that almost classical face. How odd that she actually preferred Richard's more rugged looks. Richard was one of those men who was so overtly male a woman couldn't help looking at him. She gave herself a small mental shake; she had to stop thinking about him, because she had lost him. That part of her life was over, and she had to make a success of this new chapter or lose everything.

"You said there was something urgent you needed to discuss with me," Carson said for the benefit of anyone listening, smiling smugly as he escorted her into his office and shut the door, locking it behind him. He thought he was being smooth about it, but Candra was listening for that small click. She was glad he was taking care they wouldn't be interrupted, and if he hadn't locked the door, she would have done it herself.

He grabbed her breasts the moment he turned around, and maneuvered her toward the large sofa. She barely had time to place her bag on the floor before he bore her down on the expensively upholstered cushions, already tugging her skirt up and his zipper down. "We have to hurry," he panted, shoving into her and immediately moving into a fast, pounding rhythm. "Before Margo comes down."

"What?" Candra gasped, instinctively pushing against his shoulders. All her initial excitement was gone. Ugly scenes didn't appeal to her, and she had no doubt Margo could enact the ugliest of ugly scenes.

The senator pulled her hands away from his shoulders and pinned them to the sofa, his face set. He didn't intend to let a little thing like his wife's presence in the house keep him from doing what he wanted. Candra held herself still and silent, not wanting to either slow him down or draw attention to the office. Mentally she urged him to hurry. God, the stupid arrogance of the man! Regardless of how much Margo enjoyed the status of being a senator's wife, or how much she looked forward to the White House, there was a limit to what she would turn a blind eye to. Knowing about Carson's indiscretions was one thing; seeing them for herself was very different.