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and
collected Jackson seemed as he listened and smiled, and stopped twice to shake
hands with men who were having lunch in the main room. In the private suite,
Jackson looked over the room and the menu and thanked the gentleman who was
obviously relieved that all had met with his approval. As the waitstaff took
their drink orders, men in suits began arriving.
    Jackson introduced everyone to Rory and didn’t miss a beat
as the conversation ebbed and flowed. She realized she was staring, mesmerized
by his easy candor with his colleagues. He laughed freely and made each person
feel special by asking about their wives or kids, or their platforms on the
Hill. Honestly, she thought, it was like looking in a mirror because he used
the same tactics she had learned growing up around politics.
    Jackson explained an agenda item to one of the many
congressional aides, and she realized she was staring at his eyes again. He
really was so handsome it should be illegal. She looked at those lips and
whiter-than-bright teeth. She had noticed that he never shaved close enough to
be completely free of a short layer of dark stubble, and it was pretty sexy.
Her gaze dropped to his shoulders and how well they filled out the sharp navy
suit and how, as he pushed his jacket back to lean his hand on his hip, she
could tell how well his stomach was muscled. Maybe Nicole was right and she
should get laid because he made her hot as hell. Was she supposed to go without
sex her whole life? Love, yes, but sex? Everybody had needs, for crying out
loud, and having him around was like continuously watching porn.
    “Rory, come.” He took Rory’s hand and led her closer to the
door where Congressman Koepler and his aide were removing their coats.
    “Harold, Jake, welcome.” Jackson shook each of their hands.
“This is Rory Morgan, the gentlewoman from Ohio I was telling you about,
Harold.” Rory looked at him for a quick moment before taking Koepler’s hand in
a firm shake and giving him a smile.
    “I’m so happy to meet you, Congressman, I’ve heard of your
work on funding Medicare and other social programs.” She turned to the aide and
shook his hand, noticing his smiling gaze. “I believe we have similar interests
on our agendas.”
    Koepler was a portly man seemingly in his early sixties with
thinning hair on his fat head. Rory thought he looked as if he had eaten
something that was trying to fight its way back out. Unfortunately as the
conversation continued, she realized this look was not caused by a digestive
disorder, but more likely from his less-than-sunny disposition.
    “We’re in the same party, dear. I’m sure all our agendas
reflect some similarities.” Warm and fuzzy it is then , Rory decided.
    “Well, I was particularly interested in your proposal for
New York’s job training programs and how the TANF funding formula for the draw
down from Job and Family Services would change based on the proposed new
parameters. I had wondered what data you had combined to arrive at the
percentages you cited for full funding? The data you cited in the first draft
legislation didn’t hold up when I applied Ohio’s percentages.” She locked her
steely gaze on the congressman and blinked a couple times as if she were
impatient for a response. If warm and fuzzy wasn’t going to do it, she’d needle
him to death.
     
    As Jackson watched Rory command Congressman Koepler, he
wasn’t just amused at her ability to handle the grumpy prick, he was turned on
by her expertise. It was a fact that nobody liked dealing with the fat bastard
from Buffalo. But sure enough, Rory had him on the ropes. As Jackson made the
rounds and continued his conversations with the other lunch guests, he kept one
ear on the conversation between Koepler and Rory.
    It was fascinating to watch her reel the guy in, and he was
no small fish. Many had tried and failed to gain his favor. If she could pull
this one off, he would know that she was the powerhouse he suspected she