Summer Rain (Lightning Strikes Book 3) (13 page)

"Good. The senator wants an update on the port studies. I'd like to keep that the focus of your meeting. Do you understand?"

She understood perfectly. Erica did not want her to say anything about Patrick Kane to the senator. "Of course."

Erica nodded approvingly. "I like you, Dani. I think you'd make an excellent legislative director one day."

"I hope to continue learning and moving up," she said carefully.

"You might move up sooner than you think. Bruce has let me down a few times. He may be looking for another position. If you play your cards right, it could be yours."

She didn't know what to say. She had a feeling those cards involved Patrick.

After Erica left with that departing shot, she let out a breath. Now she had something else to think about—like whether or not Erica was offering her some sort of bribe for silence.

Bribe or not, the rest of their conversation had been quite clear—stay away from Patrick Kane.

As if on cue, her phone rang. It wasn't Patrick, but it was a woman she'd reached out to earlier on his behalf. "Hi, Fran."

"You're in luck, Dani. I found an extra ticket to the gala. Do you still want it?"

The question suddenly seemed very important. She felt as if she were standing on a precipice, and it would be really easy to fall.

Maybe she wasn't that close to the edge of the cliff, she rationalized. If Patrick showed up at the gala, no one had to know it was because of her.

"I'll take it," she said.

"Great. Do you want to swing by my office at lunch?"

"I'll be there at one," she said, glancing at her watch. "Thanks again."

"I hope he's worth trading a night of babysitting my three monsters for an extra ticket," Fran said with a laugh.

"I hope so, too."

* * *

The gala was in full swing when Dani arrived just before eight. As she walked into the stately and elegant Dunsmuir Hotel, her gaze immediately swept the lobby for any sign of Patrick. She'd left his ticket at the front desk of his hotel and sent him a text that it was there, but she'd made sure not to see him or speak to him. If she was ever going to break the connection between them, she needed to start by creating some distance.

But while she'd kept some physical space, emotional space was another story. She'd been thinking about him all day, and even now she felt a little tingly at the thought of seeing him again. She really needed to get a grip.

She walked toward the ballroom and saw some of her fellow staffers in line for one of the outside bars. She decided to join them.

"Dani, you clean up well," Kirk Robbins said with an appreciative grin.

She smiled at the twenty-six-year-old press assistant, who, like her, was living out his dream in DC. They'd both arrived in the office about the same time, and even though she had several years of experience on Kirk, they were both new to the Beltway.

"You look beautiful," Tracy Bertrand added, another legislative assistant. "You must be getting more money than me, Dani, if you could afford that dress."

The long, strapless, black designer gown would have cost her a month's salary if it hadn't had a small tear along the hem that she'd been able to sew up herself. "I got it at a discount. You look gorgeous, too."

"Thanks. Hey, there's the senator," Tracy said, tipping her head.

Dani turned to see Senator Dillon and his wife Kimberly walking down the hall. They were a stunning couple. The senator was tall and thin and looked handsome in his black suit, his brown hair showing not a speck of gray. His wife was a beautiful willowy blonde who'd had a ton of cosmetic work done and despite her sixty-plus years, there wasn't a wrinkle anywhere in sight. She wore a sequin-studded gown, with diamonds on her wrist, her fingers, and around her neck.

Erica walked behind the couple, along with Stephen Phelps, the senator's press secretary. Stephen was one of Erica's hires. She'd managed to get rid of the former press secretary about a month into her job, another reason why Dani needed to stay on her good side. There was no question that Erica was working hard to make sure that everyone on the senator's staff was loyal to her.

As the group grew near, the senator's gaze connected with hers. He paused, then smiled, and motioned for his entourage to move towards them.

"Hello, everyone," he said.

"Senator," Dani said, as Tracy and Kirk muttered rather awestruck hellos. Since they'd never worked in the Texas office, they'd had little contact with the senator.

"You remember my wife, don't you, Dani?"

"Of course. How are you, Mrs. Dillon?"

"I'm just fine," Kimberly said, with a notable Texas accent. "I miss having you at the Texas events, Dani. But I expect you're enjoying your next adventure. How are you liking the city?"

"I like it very much," she said. "I feel fortunate to be here."

"Oh, there's Laurel," Kimberly said, waving to one of her friends down the hall. "We should say hello, Ray."

"I'll be right with you," Ray told his wife. "Dani, can I have a word?"

"Yes," she said, surprised as he pulled her a few feet away from the others. They'd had a meeting earlier in the day about the port legislation, and he hadn't seemed that eager to spend extra time with her. She could see Erica giving her a not-too-happy look from afar.

"Erica tells me you're doing very good work for us," he said.

She was a little surprised at his comment, but she nodded. "I try."

"That's good. That's very good. You know how much I appreciate your loyalty over the years. It's one of the reasons I brought you to DC. I always feel like I can trust my Texas girls."

His tone was charming and a bit patronizing, but she was used to that. "I'm very happy to be working for you." She wondered if he was trying to remind her that she owed him, or if he simply wanted to make sure she knew she was valued—probably the former. She doubted if the senator wasted much time thinking about whether or not his staff members were happy.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Erica said, not looking sorry at all. "May I steal you away, Senator? There are some very important people who'd like to speak to you."

"Of course," he said. "Dani, we should chat some time, maybe after the holiday when I'm back in town."

"Whatever works for you."

"I'll have Erica set it up."

Erica led the senator down the hall, and Dani watched him shake hands with Reid Packer, the attractive and very rich senior vice president of MDT, and then with his older brother Alan Packer, the older and more serious brother who was the president and chairman of the board. She'd met both Reid and Alan at one of the senator's Texas barbecues. Not that they'd remember meeting her.

Reid was a charming ladies' man. He'd been married, divorced, and had a long history of dating models and actresses. He'd remarried several months ago, and his much, much younger and beautiful wife now stood at his side in a slinky gown that was almost see-through and very clingy. She looked more than a little bored.

Alan was quieter and seemed more stable, with a long marriage, two college-age daughters and a wife who was very active in charity work. His wife looked very middle-aged in a matronly, conservative dress.

Both men were billionaires, thanks to a family legacy of wealth as well as the defense technology company they ran, which was the biggest in the world. MDT employed a huge number of Corpus Christi residents, making it important on so many levels.

While MDT had run into a tangled web of problems in the last year, it was still a strong company doing important work in defense technology. Alicia and Jake were a lot more negative about MDT than she was, and she didn't blame them, but she had mixed feelings. MDT employed over twenty-five thousand people, and probably more than ninety-five percent of those employees were good people, so she didn't want to just write the company off as some big bad villain.

She also needed to walk a fine line because of the senator's relationship with the Packer brothers. That relationship had taken a hit during the Senate hearings, but judging by all the smiles now, the men were getting past that.

Turning away, she got back in line for a drink, noting that Tracy and Kirk had disappeared. They'd obviously gotten their drinks and moved into the ballroom.

She was four people from the front of the line when she felt a prickle along the back of her neck, a little shiver, as if someone had just breathed on her. Before she could turn around, she heard a husky male voice that was starting to haunt her dreams.

"I wanted to thank you for my ticket," Patrick said.

She refused to turn around to look at him. "You're not supposed to approach me, remember?"

"I'm just in line to get a drink. Besides, I passed all of your people on their way into the ballroom. The senator was with the Packer brothers."

"I know. I saw them together. Did you try to talk to him?"

"Not yet. I want to see if I can get him alone. I might have to stake out the men's restroom."

"That should make for a fun night."

He laughed. "I do what I have to do."

"Have you had any luck finding Ann Higgins?"

"As a matter of fact, I did find her—or at least her phone number. I left her a message."

"Another message?" she asked, starting to feel as frustrated as he was.

"Yes, but I think she might be here tonight. So maybe we'll get lucky."

"Maybe
you
will get lucky," she corrected. "You're flying solo, remember?"

"I do remember. I just wish you didn't look so damned beautiful," he murmured, his lips so close she could feel his warm breath on her ear.

"Patrick," she murmured, fighting the urge to turn around. "You can't say things like that."

"I try not to, but then I see you…"

At that, she couldn't help but turn her head. His handsome face made her stomach flutter. His dark eyes held all kinds of promises and his sexy lips were more than a little tempting. But he—he was the enemy, she reminded herself. He was persona non grata and she'd already done all she could for him.

Still
… She let out a breath, wishing he didn't wear a black suit and tie quite so well. She'd thought he was attractive in jeans and a t-shirt, but tonight he looked sophisticated and rich and powerful, an equal match to any of the so-called movers and shakers here tonight.

"Miss?" The bartender's voice broke into her fascination with Patrick's face, and she swung back around, realizing he was waiting for her order, and there was a line of people behind her.

"A gin and tonic," she said. After she got her drink, she put cash on the bar and quickly walked away, forcing herself not to look back.

She moved into the crowded ballroom, where an orchestra played softly in the background. Two magnificent buffets were on display on both sides of the ballroom. Taking a plate, she filled it with mozzarella and tomato salad, crab puffs, a creamy lobster risotto, and thinly sliced filet mignon. Then she made her way to a table in the back of the room where Tracy and Kirk were sitting. The senator had bought two tables for the gala: one for lower-level staffers and the other for his friends, and, of course, Stephen Phelps and Erica Hunt.

Tracy and Kirk were having what appeared to be a very flirtatious conversation when she sat down, and it occurred to her that maybe they were a little more than colleagues.

When they saw her, they quickly moved apart, but there was no doubting the guilty looks on their faces.

"I don't care," she said, sitting down next to Tracy.

"What do you mean?" Tracy asked.

"The two of you are dating."

Tracy and Kirk exchanged a look.

"It's fine with me," she added.

"Well, it's not fine with Erica," Tracy said worriedly. "She's made it clear that there is to be no interoffice dating."

"I'm not going to tell her, but you might want to be a little more careful if you're worried about someone finding out."

"You're right," Kirk said with a nod. "We'll do better." He paused, giving her a thoughtful look. "I didn't realize you knew the senator's wife."

"The Texas office is a lot smaller. Everyone knows everyone there." In some ways, she missed the closeness of that office. But this is where she needed to be to grow her career, so here she would stay.

"What's Mrs. Dillon like?" Tracy asked curiously.

"She's very outgoing, friendly, has a lot of friends. She likes to throw parties. They're very social in Corpus Christi."

"But what is she really like?" Tracy pressed. "Behind closed doors."

"I haven't been behind those closed doors," she said dryly. "While they do have a social side, the Dillons also guard their family privacy."

"I think that's changing now that the kids are grown," Kirk said. "The senator never welcomed any press pieces on his family, but he just agreed to do an interview with
Lone Star Family Magazine
next month."

"Probably gearing up for a run for the White House," Tracy said. "There's been a lot of chatter the last few months. What do you think, Dani? Will he run for the top job?"

"I think he might one day, but I don't know when."

"Looks like the speeches are going to start," Kirk said, as the orchestra stopped playing, and one of the elegant women in charge of the gala stepped up to the microphone.

"With all these politicians in the room, I imagine those speeches will take awhile." Tracy raised her full wine glass. "I stocked up."

Dani laughed. "You were smart."

"You can't blame them for wanting to get behind the microphone. No one wants to miss all the good press," Kirk said. "All these people raising money for children in need. It makes a good sound bite."

"The money is real," she reminded him. "Even if the motivation is not as idealistic as one might hope."

"It would be nice if it could be both," Tracy said.

"It would," she agreed, hating that she was getting as cynical as everyone else.

As she looked around the ballroom, she saw Patrick sitting with a group of people several tables away. He had a woman on each side, and both seemed more than a little interested in him. And why not? He looked more delicious than the gourmet food on their very expensive plates.