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believe one word of what he had just told his best friend.

Chapter Ten
    “J essica, it’s me, Jack. I have to talk to you.”
    “It’s two in the morning. What’s wrong with you?”
    “I’m at the gate. Let me in. I flew all night to get here.”
    “You know the rules. We meet when I say we meet.”
    “This isn’t about sex. It’s urgent and it concerns your future, your life.”
    Koshani was silent for a moment. Then the gate swung open and Carson ran a hand across his face. He was a mess. Ever since his first night with Jessica Koshani, he had been her slave. He craved her the way an addict craves his drug. He was besotted, and he lived for the infrequent times she permitted him to see her, times she rationed out slowly so that the days between became sheer torture. And now this. Everything he’d worked for could crash and burn.
    The senator was terrified that Koshani’s house was under surveillance, so he was wearing jeans, a dark jacket, sunglasses, and a baseball cap, and he parked in the shadows so his rental car could not be seen from the gate. The front door opened and he rushed inside. Koshani was wearing a black see-through teddy, and the sight of her near-naked body stopped his breath.
    “We’re in trouble,” he blurted out, praying that the CIA had not bugged the mansion.
    “Stop,” Koshani commanded, and he obeyed. “We’ll talk upstairs in my bedroom.”
    Koshani turned and Carson’s eyes followed her tight, swaying buttocks as she walked up to the second floor. It was difficult for him to think so close to her. Despite the danger, he grew hard.
    When they entered the bedroom, Koshani turned and looked at him with contempt.
    “Why are you here?” she demanded.
    “I shouldn’t be. I’m taking a huge risk,” he babbled.
    “Get to the point.”
    “Our committee met this afternoon,”
    “What committee, Jack? You’re an important man,” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “You sit on many committees.”
    “Intelligence. There’s concern—real concern—about a terrorist plot. One of your companies was mentioned. The FBI suspects it’s being used to launder money for terrorists to finance an operation.”
    “Nonsense. What company did they mention?”
    “InCo, the import-export company. Jessica, if you’re questioned, you can’t mention me.”
    “Who does the FBI suspect the company is aiding?” Koshani asked.
    “I . . . I can’t tell you that. It’s classified. I’d be in big trouble if they found out I came here to warn you. I just wanted to make sure you know you might be questioned so you won’t be surprised and get me in trouble.”
    “Why in the world would you think that I’d place your well-being over my own?”
    “Look, if it’s money you want . . .”
    Koshani swept her hand around her beautifully appointed bedroom. “Does it look like I need your money?”
    “Please, Jessica.”
    Koshani studied him the way an entomologist studies a common and uninteresting insect. Then she walked over to a cabinet and took out a DVD, which she inserted in a slot in a DVD player that stood beneath the plasma TV across from her bed. She clicked the remote and a picture appeared.
    “This is your last session,” Koshani said. Carson blanched and he felt as if he might throw up.
    On the screen, a woman in black latex was holding a leash attached to a dog collar worn by a naked man, who was on all fours. The woman’s identity was concealed because the camera was behind her. United States Senator Jack Carson’s face was clearly visible.
    “You are a good boy and you deserve a reward,” the woman in the DVD said. “Do you want a reward?”
    “Yes,” Carson said, his voice hoarse with desire.
    “Is that the way I have trained you to answer?” the woman asked angrily.
    Carson cowered. Then he said, “Yes, mistress,” and kissed the woman’s foot.
    Koshani clicked the remote and the picture disappeared.
    “How would your wife and children react if this