Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 108242 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108242 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
“Which is what?” Glenn asks. “One of America’s ‘most eligible bachelors’? I thought the women in the audience on last night’s show were going to start throwing panties. If drool translates to votes, Owen’s got this in the bag, thanks to his brother.”
The muscles in my neck and back tighten at Glenn’s reference to panties. I know Maxim is faithful. I don’t even think twice about it, but still, knowing your very handsome boyfriend is out in the world inspiring lust and getting offers from every Tom, Jane, and Harriet doesn’t feel great. Especially when you only see him a few times a month.
I should be happy about that because it’s easier to keep our relationship on the low, but I’m not happy about it. Talking to him every day isn’t enough. Phone and FaceTime sex isn’t enough. Nothing is enough until he’s back home and in my bed again.
“We better get out there,” I say, nodding toward the hall. “Or we’ll miss the panties.”
Glenn chuckles and follows. This is our fourth campaign together, and he’s one of the best speechwriters in the game. We’ve become friends, but when he touches the small of my back, I still pull away because…I don’t know. It feels intimate, and if Maxim were in the room, I’d be squirming and he’d be glaring.
God, what I wouldn’t do for one of his glares right now. Or a good fight, where we disagree vehemently about everything and then fuck until I sob because it’s so perfect. I’ve never physically ached for a man, but I do for Maxim.
“I wondered where you two were,” Owen says when we enter the living room where he’s seated on the couch beside his wife. He drops a kiss on Millie’s blond hair, and she tilts her head to capture his lips in a quick kiss.
So many DC power marriages are strategic alliances, negotiated with benefits for both parties involved. Millie is definitely invested in Owen’s success, but she’s most invested in him. She loves him. There’s an unexpected warmth to her, and I see why Owen is besotted. Working so closely with Owen, I see why she’s besotted with him. I’ve come to admire them both over the past few months, not just for how fabulous they are in front of a crowd but for who they are when there’s not one.
She married Owen, and that was it. Millie has a law degree from Cornell, but her own career aspirations seem to have been absorbed like a spill soaked up by a sponge. Since the beginning, Maxim has esteemed my dreams just as important as his. Each couple is different, but I’m glad he doesn’t expect me to set aside my ambition. I don’t judge Millie’s path. True empowerment is about choice—figuring out what we want and going after it. She wants this. I just want something entirely different.
It’s barely March, and winter’s not going without a fight. The fireplace in the Cades’ living room, coupled with the hot chocolate Millie made, suffuses the tastefully decorated room with warmth.
I sip my hot chocolate and chew on one of the marshmallows bobbing on its surface while the late-night show’s logo appears onscreen when the show returns from a commercial break.
“And we’re back,” the host says. “We have a treat tonight. This guy was recently voted one of America’s most eligible bachelors, and his brother just might be your next president. Please welcome Maxim Cade!”
Maxim strides out from backstage, wearing expertly tailored gray pants and a black sweater molded to his arms and broad chest. Even in understated clothes, he looks like money and orgasms. The high-pitched squeals of the women in the audience grate on my nerves.
Hussies.
“Well, hello,” the host says, motioning for Maxim to take the seat beside his desk. “Thank you for coming on, Mr. Cade.”
“Thanks for having me, Connor,” Maxim replies, his smile polite and his eyes guarded. I’m not used to this closed-off version of him, but I know this is who he has to be in the world.
“You’ve been voted one of America’s most eligible bachelors for a few years,” Connor dives in, “but this is the first time you’ve agreed to any interviews or talk shows. Is it a coincidence that your brother’s running for president?”
Maxim’s wide grin comes more naturally. He likes things straightforward, cards on the table, so that approach would appeal to him.
Point for you, Connor.
“Definitely not a coincidence,” Maxim says. “I don’t mind answering a few questions about my personal life if it means I can talk about what an amazing president my brother will make.”
“That’s right,” Millie says with a fist pump.
Owen rolls his eyes, but his mouth curls at the corners, and I easily read the pride and affection he has for his brother.
“Yet you and he don’t always see eye to eye on issues, do you?” Connor asks.