The Lives Between Us by Theresa Rizzo

“However...to be fair, I’ve heard that female models make more than their male counterparts.”
    “Heard that, have you?”
    He nodded.
    And just how would a business/scientist guy know about models’ paychecks? He’d probably dated one. One? Heck, a guy as charming, smart, and good-looking as Mark probably had his pick of models.
    “Really?” Skye raised one eyebrow and gave a superficial sniff. “I’ll have to take your word for it. I don’t pay much attention to the world of high fashion.” Obviously, I’m hardly a clothes horse. Skye lifted her wine glass and then looked at the TV in the corner. “Him again,” she murmured.
    “Hm?”
    Skye gestured toward the TV and the newly re-elected Senator. Handsome, fit, and well- dressed, Edward Hastings looked nothing like the interfering moralistic asshole Skye knew him to be. First Niki died and now Faith’s life was jeopardized all because Senator Edward Hastings couldn’t resist imposing his morals on everybody. If he’d just allowed and encouraged funding of embryonic stem cell therapy, there’d have been no need for Faith to get pregnant.
    The camera closed in on Hastings’s face. A comforting maturity etched in the lines of his forehead and crow’s feet at the corners of his eyes made the senator’s face interesting to study. Premature gray at his temples added to his distinguished look. He probably added that graying touch just for effect.
    “You can’t leave the house without seeing Hastings on TV, radio, or in the news. Do you think he actually does any work?” Skye kept her voice casual. Hastings might have Mark fooled, too.
    “Not a fan, eh?”
    “Hardly.” Skye thought about explaining how the senator’s interference had crushed Niki’s chance of a cure, but that was too intimate for first date conversation.
    Congratulations banners waved high above the people. Hastings smiled and bent to talk to someone in the crowd, taking flowers from them like a rock star at a concert. Then he searched the cluttered stage and moved toward a pretty brunette with long, straight hair. His wife?
    At the touch of his hand on her back, she looked up into his eyes and moved into his embrace. He bent to speak into her ear, creating an intimate pose photographers capitalized on with repeated rounds of flashes, then presented her with the bouquet. The woman lowered her head and then looked away, making thousands of viewers wonder what intimate thing the senator had said.
    How cute . Skye wondered how many times they’d practiced that.
    “Pretty wife,” Mark observed.
    “She is.” Wonder if she’s as righteous as her husband. Skye turned away from the TV. “I’m politicked out. There’s so much butt-kissing and posturing that it’s no wonder our country’s in the mess it’s in.”
    Mark caught their waitress’s eye and gestured for the check. “Oh, I don’t know. I think they’ve gotta be pretty smart and devoted to do that job. They’re certainly not doing it for the money.”
    No, he’s doing it for the power. He gets to play God and decide who lives and who dies .
    The check arrived; Mark scanned the bill and waved Skye aside when she pulled out her wallet. “I invited you.”
    “Thank you.” Skye didn’t want to argue with Mark, but she couldn’t let his insinuation that politicians were so altruistic stand unchallenged. “I bet there are a lot of perks that go along with public office. And they do get paid.”
    “They could probably make more money in their chosen professions.” He trapped the pen in the black bill case. “Ready?”
    Mark stood and waved one arm, indicating Skye should lead the way. Mark held the restaurant door open for her, and they strolled through the back parking lot. Skye liked all the little courtesies. As a matter of fact, she liked a lot of things about Mark Dutton. He seemed too good to be true.
    “Are you married?” she asked.
    Mark came to an abrupt stop a few feet away from her car. “Pardon