Knights and Kink Romance Boxed Set by Jill Elaine Hughes Page B

down.
He didn’t seem much in the mood for work at all, let alone a futile
attempt to revive his political career. “I don’t suppose you wanted
to respond to any of the allegations that are swirling in the press
personally?” I asked, timid. “The Post says you’ve been
charged with solicitation and public indecency.”
    “That’s right,” Grayle sighed. “My lawyers told me
to plead no contest. They said that would be the fastest way to
make everything go away. I’ll get off with a fine and time
served.”
    “The people of North Dakota have been very loyal to
you over the years,” I offered. “And they don’t like Democrats,
either. You might still win re-election despite all of this.”
    Senator Grayle laughed despite himself. “Now don’t
be jetting yourself off to fairyland, Jasmine. We both know that
ain’t gonna happen.”
    “We can always hope,” I said, though I knew it was
hopeless. “You do have several requests for interviews with all the
major media. My cell phone has been ringing off the hook with them
since yesterday afternoon.”
    “I’m not doing any more interviews, Jasmine,” Grayle
snapped. “You’ll just have to handle the press yourself. From here
on out, I’m a lame duck, and I’m going on vacation.” He stood up
and took his coat from a hook on the wall. I noticed he had a
suitcase already packed, too. “I’ll be staying on the ranch back
home until the end of the year. And I won’t be taking calls while
I’m gone, either.”
    My eyes flew wide. “But—but you can’t just leave in
the middle of your term!” I stammered. “You’re due on the Senate
floor in twenty minutes for a vote!”
    “Only place I’m due to be right now is on a plane
the hell out of Washington,” Grayle retorted, and stormed out.
    I slumped in my chair, stunned. What was I supposed
to do now? My career as a PR staffer was over before I’d even had a
chance to do any undercover work for Rodney Doyle. So much for my
future as an investigative reporter. I figured I might as well hop
on the same flight Senator Grayle was taking back to North Dakota
and call it a day.
    Rebecca rushed in, her face a pale white slate from
shock. “What happened? Senator Grayle just left and he wouldn’t
tell me where he was going!”
    “He said he was leaving Washington for good and
heading back to the ranch,” I said. “He said he needed a
vacation.”
    Rebecca sucked in her breath. “What?”
    “It’s over, Rebecca. Senator Grayle won’t do any
interviews, he won’t even campaign for re-election. He’s pleading
‘no contest’ to the criminal charges. As far as I can tell, he’s
giving up.”
    Rebecca sank into a chair. “I guess I’ll need to
start polishing off my resume.”
    “We both will,” I said. “Excuse me for a few
minutes, Rebecca. I’ll need to make some calls.” I headed for the
door, but Rebecca stopped me.
    “Go ahead and use Senator Grayle’s private office if
you need to,” she said. “It’s pretty clear he’s not going to need
it anymore.” Rebecca headed back to her cubicle, dragging her feet
with every step.
    I shut the door behind her and made for Senator
Grayle’s private land line. As a senator, he was guaranteed the
privilege of a high-integrity fiber-optic line that was practically
impossible to wiretap. I needed to make a very important call, and
didn’t want to risk it on my cell. With the press swarming like
vultures around Senator Grayle’s office and law enforcement
probably watching him closely as well, I didn’t want to take any
chances.
    I sat behind the senator’s giant teak desk, and
instantly felt powerful. I picked up the receiver and dialed Rodney
Doyle’s number. His assistant answered. “Rodney Doyle’s office,
this is Marie speaking.”
    I remembered Marie, the tiny trophy-wife type poured
into a Prada suit. “This is Jasmine Rand of Senator Grayle’s
office,” I barked at her, trying to sound authoritative. “I need to
speak with