Page 128 of Steal My Heart

Mayor: I’m not joking.

Laurie: Sorry, I tried, but Angelo shut down that convo fast.

Ah, now it makes sense why Laurie was so interested in my candidate pick.

Mayor: Then I want dirt on the man. A little birdie told me that you and Angelo were seen canoodling at the Art in the Park fundraiser.

Laurie: I’m not going to mess up my shot with Angelo.

Mayor: Then I’d hate for your “questionable” handling of charity funds while I was a board member to be brought to light now. How embarrassing would that be for the current Chairman of the Board to learn of such scandalous behavior by his paramour…

Laurie: Really, James? Blackmail is it?

Mayor: Nonsense. It’s politics. Scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours. You need all that cash laundered anyway.

Laurie: I’m listening.

Mayor: Let’s meet for lunch.

Mayor: Why have I not heard from you?

Laurie: I’m trying, but you’ve met Angelo Calvani. The man is all business. Getting anything personal out of him is like pulling teeth. I’m not a dentist!

Mayor: You can’t tell me this man is a saint. What about in the bedroom? Anything I can embarrass him with?

Laurie: Vanilla as they come, sadly.

My head tips back with laughter.

Laurie was right; Iwasvanilla as they come. But now, I have a little Cajun seasoning in my life.

“That wasn’t the reaction I was expecting.” Maks blinks.

Reading the entire thread, I get out my own phone, making a flurry of phone calls; setting the wheels in motion.

“Now what?” Maks asks me.

“And now, we sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.”

“You know how to relax?” he jokes.

I’m learning.

Remi

“What do you expect me to do when I’m tossed in the water with my arms tied behind my back?” I throw up my hands in frustration.

“This is too extreme,” Alessandra interjects.

“I expect you not to drown.” Maks looks like he wants to point at me, but he can’t because his hands are tied behind his back. But not just his hands, his legs are also bound together at the ankles. He cranes his neck, staring Alessandra down. “It’s called drownproofing, and she will master it.”

“What are the odds of that happening to her again?” Alessandra argues.

“What are the odds of her going into the Mississippi River twice now?” he counters.

“You two are talking about me like I’m not here.” I stomp my foot.

“She will learn.”