Chapter 10

The last debate was a resounding success for Logan Wakefield. The public adored the handsome candidate and his beautiful wife, and, in public, they played their parts to perfection. In private, Logan was growing more and more frustrated. He had put off Elaine, telling her that there was too much going on with election preparations and it was vital that he avoid any hint of scandal. He promised her that their time would come, and she had to accept it, since she was as eager to see him become president as he was. She had to be satisfied with spending her time making sure that Logan got constantly favorable publicity. So Logan's constant hunger for rough sex was finding no outlet. He stayed at his office late nearly every night, and Renata was relieved to have him gone even while she was concerned that he might do something stupid in order to satisfy his sexual needs. She thought about using sex to control him again, but the idea left her feeling nauseous.

Jacques approached Mallory Bishop at a night club and spent an evening getting her interested in him. He plied her with drinks and flattery, and on the third evening they spent together, she invited him to her place. He stopped on the way there and bought two bottles of really fine wine and kept her glass filled while he kept her talking. He deftly got her to reminisce about her early days working for Elaine, before the newswoman had made a national name for herself.

"So you were with Elaine from the beginning," Jacques said admiringly. "You must have been a real asset to her, or she wouldn't still have you with her now."

Mallory nodded earnestly. "I was her right hand. I handled everything for her. There was nothing that she couldn't trust me with."

"That's really impressive. The news business is usually pretty cutthroat and you've been as steady as a rock. And look what happened; Elaine became a real star and you're still with her. What was her real turning point?"

Mallory gave him a crafty little smile. "This is just between you and me. I probably shouldn't tell you."

"Oh, come on. I won't repeat it to a soul, I promise." Jacques made a cross over his heart.

"Well, everything changed after she met Logan. He was just beginning to make his climb, just beginning to be recognized by important people. So Elaine decided to do an in-depth piece on him. I think she found out something big, but that's one thing she never shared with me. Anyhow, she set up an interview with Logan, and after that, he started seeing her a lot. He pulled some strings for her with some of the people he was getting to know, and she got some big stories. She did a great piece on Logan, and they basically pushed each other into the public eye. And the public liked both of them. They never had a personal relationship out in the open, but they sure did in private. And then Elaine went to New York for a couple of years and Logan ended up meeting that bunch of jet setters from Portugal, and a year or two later, he met Renata and married her."

Jacques refilled her glass and said, "Interesting. I wonder what it was that she found out about Logan."

Mallory took a long sip of her wine and shrugged. "I don't know, but it must have been important. It was enough to get Logan to do a lot for her. And it obviously worked out well for them both."

"Who were some of the people that Logan was pulling strings with, you know, to help Elaine?"

Mallory thought for a long moment and then said, "I know one of them was George Russell. And they've still got a close alliance today." She thought again and then named off a few more names, all of whom were wealthy, powerful men. "I never did find out much about it, although there was some gossip about that bunch at the time."

Jacques poured again and asked, "Oh, really? What kind of gossip?"

Mallory leaned forward and lowered her voice. "Well, there were some whispers going around about money laundering. Big time money laundering, involving people from the U.S. and from Portugal. It never came to anything, though. You know how gossip is, especially about rich people."

Jacques looked sympathetic. "Yeah, they make great targets."

Mallory nodded emphatically. "Exactly!" Her eyes glazed over and she swayed a little as she finished her wine. A moment later, she slumped over on the couch and her mouth opened as a little snore escaped her.

Jacques smiled and pulled her legs up, so that she rested more comfortably, and covered her with the throw that hung over the back of the couch. "Sleep well, Mallory." He locked the door behind himself as he left.

The next day, Renata slipped out again to meet Gabe and Jacques. Jacques filled them in on what he had gotten from Mallory, and the three of them carefully examined the names she had mentioned along with George Russell. Renata frowned over the list, and suddenly, her head shot up. In a trembling voice, she said, "I think we have something big." She grabbed her files and looked swiftly through the early history of the information she had gathered for so long. "That's what I thought! Look at this." She pulled out a carefully written page and a couple of newspaper clippings.

Gabe read quickly and said, "That's a clear connection to Portugal. And that's the general who was at the center of the weapons scandal in Portugal."

Renata let out a long breath. "Yes, it is. And he died mysteriously a few months after the scandal broke."

Jacques gave a low whistle. "This is worse than even we thought."

Renata was agitated. "I need to go to Portugal."

Gabe said, "Whoa, wait a minute. How can you possibly do that now? The convention is in three weeks. Why do you need to go to Portugal?"

She turned a haunted face to him. "I need to see my mother. I need to get all of my father's papers. I'm the only one who can do that."

"Logan is never going to agree to let you leave now." Gabe didn't like it.

"He's going to have to. I'll have to get him to agree. There's no way out of this. I have to have those papers."

Gabe said, "I'll go. Call your mother and explain what you need and who you'll send to get it."

"No. That won't work. My mother is very fragile, and she'd never understand that. And there's something else. I need to put her in a safe place before any of this comes out. Once it does, she'll be in danger. I won't let anything happen to her. I won't!"

Gabe had a very bad feeling about what Renata was saying. "How are you going to get Logan to agree to let you go?"

"That's up to me," Renata said shortly. "I won't be gone for long, just long enough to get what I need and to speak to someone about getting my mother protected. I'll have time for that. I can set that in motion from here, once I speak to the right person." She packed up her paperwork as Gabe watched her.

When Renata turned to go, Gabe stopped her, his hands gripping her shoulders. "You're going to do something dangerous, aren't you?"

She looked at him fiercely. "I'm going to do what I have to."

He cupped her chin in his hand and said, "Renata, please. Don't do something you'll regret."

"If we put this all together properly and I make sure my mother is safe, I won't have any regrets." She walked away, even as she trembled inside. She had a moment of stark clarity where she knew just exactly how much his touch could mean to her and she felt empty inside as she left.

Renata spent the next couple of hours making her travel arrangements after she spoke to her mother on the phone. She talked to Daria about her plans, and Daria was just as dismayed as Gabe had been. Renata had a moment of uneasiness as she wondered if she should wait to make her travel plans until after she dealt with Logan, but she steeled herself and reminded herself that the earlier she went, the better it would be.

"He's never going to agree to this, not this close to the convention," Daria said flatly. "How are you going to get him to agree?"

"He's married to me; he doesn't own me," Renata said coolly. "When it comes right down to it, he can't stop me."

"That sounds good, but do you really trust him to be reasonable?"

"No. But I trust myself to know how to handle him."

Daria took one long look at her and knew that argument was futile. "What do you need me to do?"

"You can help me pack, and then you can take off early for the day. And one other thing, while I'm gone, I need your promise that if anything is wrong here, if Logan causes you one second of discomfort, you go home and don't come back. I'm only going to be gone for four days. I need to know that you're safe."

Daria said tartly, "You say you know how to handle him, and yet you're concerned for my safety? You know, those two things don't exactly mesh."

Renata gave her a hug and said, "I'm not worried about your safety, I just don't want you to be treated with any disrespect. It will make me feel better to know that you won't be subjected to it."

"All right," Daria said briskly. "Let's go pack."

Renata spent a long hour soaking in a fragrant bath and then smoothing her favorite lotion into her skin and pampering every inch of her body once Daria had left. Then she poured herself a glass of wine and called her husband to request that he come home as soon as possible. Her tone was pleasant and, mystified, he agreed to cut things short at the office. He would be home within the hour. Renata sipped her wine calmly as she waited. She was going to pay a price for the goal she was working toward, and when she hesitated, she reminded herself of how many had paid a much higher price at the hands of the people she was after. It was worth whatever price she had to pay.

When Logan walked in the door, she was waiting with a fresh glass of wine. He set his briefcase down and approached her hesitantly. She was dressed in a short, silky robe, her hair loose and her skin glowing. He was immediately hard. She offered him a sip of her wine and he took it, savoring the taste of his favorite red wine. She slipped his jacket off his shoulders and laid it over the back of a chair. His eyes were dark, drinking in the sight of her.

Renata took another sip of wine and then said, "I have something to tell you."

His confusion growing, Logan asked, "What is it?"

"I have to make an emergency trip to see my mother."

Shocked, he was speechless for a split second and then said, "You can't go now. It's only three weeks until the convention!"

Her face was impassive. "It won't interfere with the convention. I'll only be gone for four days. The convention will go off just as it should."

"No. I need you here; this is the culmination of what I've been working for. Hell, what you've been working for. You'll have to do it after the convention."

Renata sipped her wine again and then set the glass down. She reached out and took hold of his tie, toying with it as she looked at him. Suddenly, she tightened her grip on the tie and jerked him toward her. She untied it and pulled it free, undoing a couple of his shirt buttons. She took hold of his collar with both hands and pulled his face to hers. She bit his bottom lip hard and then licked his top lip sensuously, forcing a startled grunt from him.

"Logan," she said softly, "I'm going to go see my mother for four days. I'm leaving later tonight. If you know what's good for you, you'll accept it and take what I'm offering you." Her hands moved inside his shirt, stroking his chest as she nipped his lip again and then nibbled at the corner of his mouth. When he groaned, she knew her battle was won.

Logan's arms tightened around her and he pulled her against him hard. She felt the hard length of him, trapped inside his trousers and reached for him with busy hands. He gripped her buttocks in his hands, squeezing and lifting her toward him. She was naked under the robe and her skin was like spun silk in his hands. The frustrated hunger rose inside him, and he ground himself against her crotch while he filled his hands with her hair and pulled her head back to expose the long, creamy line of her throat. He lowered his mouth to her throat and pulled her robe open so he could cup her breast in one hand, pinching and pulling at the hardened nipple.

Renata pulled his belt open and unzipped his pants, pushing them down over his hips and following them with his undershorts. She gripped his cock with her hand, stroking and pulling at it while she cupped his balls in her other hand and squeezed, massaging them almost hard enough for the pleasure to change to pain. His hands roamed over her body, unable to get enough of her. And, sure enough, when he pushed his fingers between her thighs, he found her swollen and wet with her juices. He thrust two fingers into her, and she couldn't bite back a savage cry as he probed deep inside her tight heat. He pumped his fingers into her while he rubbed her clit with his thumb, and she rocked against his hand, gasping with the intensity of her response.

Logan pressed her back until she bumped against the kitchen island, where he pushed her down so he could lower his mouth to her breasts. He went after them like a ravenous animal, squeezing, licking, sucking and biting at her engorged nipples. She tore at his back with her nails and he grunted and bit one nipple hard. Renata reached down for him and wrapped her hand around his erection, squeezing hard and bringing her leg up between his to rub against his balls. This time, he thrust three fingers up into her, wringing a strangled moan from her as he pressed his thumb against her clit again.

Logan pulled her upright and tried to push her to her knees, but Renata was not having it. She said, "Oh, no, you haven't earned that yet." She grabbed his ass with both hands and ground against his iron hard cock, rocking against him in a rhythm that made him groan. At that moment, he was putty in her hands. She let him turn her around and bend her over the island, spreading her legs in invitation. He pressed the head of his cock against her dripping wet pussy and slid into her with one hard, deep thrust, letting out a deep groan of triumph and satisfaction at being inside his wife once again. His thrusts were slow at first, but the pleasure was too much for him and his rhythm picked up quickly. In a few seconds, he was pumping into her as deeply as he could, his balls swinging heavily against her swollen clit, his hands gripping her hips.

Renata felt the orgasm building and she fought it, willing herself not to respond, but it was no use. Her body responded to the ferocity of his thrusts and the heat burst through her, sending her into spasms of pleasure that rocked her with fierce contractions that sent Logan into his own climax. He emptied himself into her with a shout of triumph, and they shuddered together with the force of it. Renata felt a renewed wave of hate as her husband lay heavily against her, still twitching with the aftermath of their coupling. When he finally moved away from her, she rose stiffly and poured wine all the way to the brim of her glass. She drank deeply as Logan gave her a self-satisfied smile. She wanted to wipe the cocky grin off his face but concentrated on the fact that she had achieved what she had intended, and she would be off to Portugal without interference from him.

"Next time, baby, I'm going to take my time with you, and you'll be ready to put those sweet lips around me, just the way I like."

Renata let herself imagine putting her knife where he wanted her lips. "You'd better concentrate on getting to the election without any problems. You're still on shaky ground with this person leaving you the notes. I haven't been able to find out anything about who it could be."

Logan said, "I think it's just someone giving me shit; maybe they think they can blackmail me. It happens all the time to men in high places."

Renata shook her head at his cockiness. "You'd better hope that's all it is. And you'd better keep trying to figure it out. If you blow this election, it will be the last day you spend as a person in high places."

"Is that a threat?" Logan looked genuinely shocked at her words.

"No, darling, that's a promise. Now, I've got to get ready to go." Without another word, she picked up her robe and her wine and strode down the hallway to the master bedroom. Logan distinctly heard the click of the lock as she closed the door.