Scandalous by Donna Hill

know you’ll realize the truth in what I’m telling you. Put an end to this, before it gets out of hand. I know you may not agree with me now. But if you think with your head and not with your heart, you’ll see that I’m right.”
    Vaughn’s eyes trailed across the room to her desk and settled on the brilliant bouquet of flowers. Inhaling deeply, she nodded.
    Elliott rose. “Then it’s settled.” He rounded the table and briefly touched his lips to her cheek. “You won’t regret this, sweetheart.”
    Vaughn pressed her lips together to keep them from trembling. Elliott collected his coat. His goodbye went unanswered.
    Mechanically, Vaughn rose, crossed the room, andlocked her office door. She turned and pressed her back against it. She squeezed her eyes shut and fought down the tremors that raced up and down her spine. What was she going to do? Her political career was already a daunting struggle, but now she would have to put her energies into fighting her father as well?
    Slowly she recrossed the room and sank down onto the low couch that braced the far wall of the airy office. A part of her knew that her father was right. She didn’t know Justin Montgomery. Her past experiences had demonstrated time and time again that the men in her life had proved disastrous, on many levels. Was Justin any different?
    Her father was one of those men as well. For reasons she couldn’t fathom, she at times found it almost impossible to get from under his spell. Her father had dictated every aspect of her life for so long, that she felt incapable of making an independent decision.
    Vaughn sucked on her bottom lip. She’d always succumbed to her father’s demands and expectations. She stood up and took a deep breath, her face resolute, her eyes glowing with rebellion. Until now. This time she would prove her father wrong. Justin would prove him wrong.

Chapter 6
    O ver lunch in a small café on Pennsylvania Avenue, Sean and Khendra talked animatedly about the pending Harrison murder case. It was one of the most noteworthy cases to have arisen in decades. All of the players were very public people, and the prime suspect was one of the most prominent athletes in America.
    â€œI’m sure that the family will be agreeable to retaining us,” Khendra stated, taking a sip of Perrier. “We have the manpower and the experience. And the D.A. has so much circumstantial evidence, it’s almost funny.”
    Sean nodded in agreement. “Unfortunately,” he said, “circumstantial evidence has convicted a lot of people.”
    â€œTrue. But I don’t think there’s a jury in this country that will convict Harrison based on the evidence collected to date.”
    Momentarily they lapsed into silence. The waiter appeared with their order.
    â€œThere’s something else that I wanted to talk with you about, Khen,” Sean said, changing topics. He hesitated. “Well?”
    â€œI had the strangest conversation today with Justin.”
    Khendra looked at him curiously. She pushed a wayward strand of hair away from her face. “Justin, strange? What a contradiction in terms.” She slipped a forkful of pasta salad into her mouth.
    â€œBelieve me.” He paused briefly. “Justin is contemplating giving up his practice and devoting all his energies to advocacy and public speaking.”
    Khendra’s eyes widened, the fork that she held suspended between the plate and her mouth. “What? I don’t believe it.”
    Sean shook his head. “It’s the same thing I said. But he was very adamant.”
    â€œWhat is he going to do with the firm? I mean, what about the cases, the staff…?”
    Sean held up his hand. “This is the clincher. He wants us to buy him out and take over.”
    Khendra sat in open-mouthed astonishment. Her fork clinked against the china plate. She tried to absorb what she’d been told. How