concluded that what you did evidenced strength, not weakness, of
character.”
Russell struggled to see where this was going. “Then may I correctly
assume that you do not want my resignation?” 44I The President bent
forward, took one of her hands.
can’t recall you ever mentioning the word, Gloria. I can’t imagine
breaking up our relationship after we’ve come to know each other so
well. Shall we leave it at that?”
Russell rose to go. The President went back to his desk.
“Oh, Gloria. I do have a number of things I want to go over with you
tonight. The family’s out of town. So perhaps we can work in my private
quarters.”
Russell looked back at him.
94it might be a late night, Gloria. Better bring a change of clothes.”
The President didn’t smile. His stare cut right through her, than he
went back to his work.
Russell’s hand trembled as she closed the door.
JACK POUNDED ON THE DOOR SO HARD HE COULD FEEL THE thick, polished wood
cut into his knuckles.
The housekeeper opened the door but Jack shot through before she could
say a word.
Jennifer Baldwin swept down the curved staircase and into the marbled
entrance foyer. Dressed in yet another expensive evening gown, her hair
tumbled down her shoulders framing significant cleavage. She was not
smiling.
“Jack, what are you doing here?”
“I want to talk to you.”
“Jack, I have plans. This will have to wait.”
“No!” He grabbed her hand, looked around, pushed open a pair of carved
doors and pulled her into the library, shutting the doors behind them.
She jerked her hand free. “Are you insane, Jack?”
He looked around the room with its huge bookcases and well-fed shelves
of gilt-edged first editions. All for show, none of them had probably
ever been opened. All for show.
“I’ve got one simple question for you to answer and then I’ll leave.”
“Jack —21
“One question. And then I’ll leave.”
She eyed him suspiciously, crossed her arms. “What is it?”
“Did you or did you not call my firm and tell them to fire Barry Alvis
because he made me work the night we were at the White House?”
“Who told you that?”
“Just answer the question, Jenn.”
“Jack, why is this so important to you?”
“So you did have him fired?”
“Jack, I want you to stop thinking about that and start realizing the
kind of future we’re going to have together. If we-2′
“Answer the goddainned question!”
She exploded. “Yes! Yes I had the little shit fired. So what? He
deserved it. He treated you as an inferior. And he was dead wrong. He
was nothing. He played with fire and he got burned and I don’t feel the
least bit sorry for him.” She looked at him without a trace of remorse.
Having heard the answer he expected to hear, Jack sat down in a chair
and stared at the massive desk at the other end of the room. The
high-backed, leather desk chair faced away from them. He looked at the
original oils adorning the walls, the huge windows with perfectly pooled
flowing drapes that probably cost more than he could even guess, the
ornate woodwork, the omnipresent sculptures of metal and marble. The
ceiling with yet another legion of medieval characters marching across
it. The world of the Baldwins.
Well they were welcome to it. He slowly closed his eyes.
Jennifer swept back her hair, looked at him, more than a hint of
anxiousness in her eyes. She vacillated for a moment and then went to
him, knelt beside him, touched his shoulder.
The scent of her perfumed body cascaded over him. She spoke low, close
to his face. Her breath tickled his ear.
“Jack, I told you before, you don’t have to put up with that sort of
behavior. And now that this ridiculous murder case is out of the way we
can go on with our lives. Our house is almost ready, it’s gorgeous, it
really is. And we have wedding plans to finalize. Sweetheart, now
everything can go back to normal.” She touched his face, turned it
toward hers. She looked at him with her best pair of bedroom eyes and