andra took the early shuttle from New York to D.C. the next morning. The capital suited her purposes better, so she didn't mind the inconvenience. For one, seeing him in D.C. was easier than seeing him in New York, where he was seldom in his office. She would have had to either go to his house or call him there for an outside meeting, and she preferred not to.

Perhaps Margo knew about her affair with the senator, but perhaps not. Despite her own stupidity in telling Richard about the abortion when she should have kept her mouth shut, Candra didn't believe in unnecessarily hurting or humiliating anyone. Margo might not care how many women Carson banged, but she definitely wouldn't want him banging them in her house. Knowing what she knew about him, Candra wouldn't be surprised if he insisted on having sex right there in the office, before he even knew why she was there. She smiled thinly, humorlessly. First he would fuck her, then she would fuck him; she thought that was fair.

She had taken extra pains with her appearance that morning, not to attract attention but to avoid it. On went the black business suit, the staid black pumps with one-and-a-halfinch heels. Her earrings were plain gold hoops; she left off all rings and exchanged her wafer-thin, impossibly elegant Piaget wristwatch for an old Rolex, one her father had given her when she was sixteen. She doubted it had cost more than a couple of thousand. A Rolex wouldn't stand out in the capital, where status was everything and Rolexes were as common as embassy plates.

She brushed her hair more severely and toned down her makeup. She wouldn't stand out; she would look like thousands of businesswomen or lobbyists. She didn't want to be memorable, should anyone see her. It was, perhaps, a foolish precaution on her part, but then she had never before blackmailed anyone and she thought some discretion was needed.

Today was Margo's regular day at Elizabeth Arden; since the trip to Rome had been postponed, she would go about her normal routine, and Margo was a fanatic about pampering her looks. With Margo safely in New York, Candra didn't worry that Carson had told her to come to his town house in the capital. Doing so actually suited her better, because she wouldn't have enjoyed the crassness, the utter distastefulness, of being screwed on an office desk with a troop of aides just outside the door.

At the airport, she hailed a taxi and sat quietly in the backseat, not encouraging the driver's occasional attempts at conversation. To her surprise, she felt the beginning flutters of excitement and anticipation she normally felt when she knew she was going to have sex. Until now her mind had been completely on what she would say afterward, but now she began to think about the act itself. Carson had little technique but a lot of vigor, and sometimes, when she was feeling a little nasty, that was just what she wanted.

He had to be in his office at ten-thirty. She would have an hour with him. That would be sufficient.

Carson met her at the door himself, smiling and saying all the inane social things in case anyone was listening. He had staff here, of course, at least a cook and a housekeeper. He was very good looking, Candra thought, smiling up into that almost classical face. How odd that she actually preferred Richard's more rugged looks. Richard was one of those men who was so overtly male a woman couldn't help looking at him. She gave herself a small mental shake; she had to stop thinking about him, because she had lost him. That part of her life was over, and she had to make a success of this new chapter or lose everything.

"You said there was something urgent you needed to discuss with me," Carson said for the benefit of anyone listening, smiling smugly as he escorted her into his office and shut the door, locking it behind him. He thought he was being smooth about it, but Candra was listening for that small click. She was glad he was taking care they wouldn't be interrupted, and if he hadn't locked the door, she would have done it herself.

He grabbed her breasts the moment he turned around, and maneuvered her toward the large sofa. She barely had time to place her bag on the floor before he bore her down on the expensively upholstered cushions, already tugging her skirt up and his zipper down. "We have to hurry," he panted, shoving into her and immediately moving into a fast, pounding rhythm. "Before Margo comes down."

"What?" Candra gasped, instinctively pushing against his shoulders. All her initial excitement was gone. Ugly scenes didn't appeal to her, and she had no doubt Margo could enact the ugliest of ugly scenes.

The senator pulled her hands away from his shoulders and pinned them to the sofa, his face set. He didn't intend to let a little thing like his wife's presence in the house keep him from doing what he wanted. Candra held herself still and silent, not wanting to either slow him down or draw attention to the office. Mentally she urged him to hurry. God, the stupid arrogance of the man! Regardless of how much Margo enjoyed the status of being a senator's wife, or how much she looked forward to the White House, there was a limit to what she would turn a blind eye to. Knowing about Carson's indiscretions was one thing; seeing them for herself was very different.

Clinically she watched as his face turned red from effort, and the veins in his neck stood out. He hadn't even loosened his tie. His thrusts moved her back and forth on the sofa.

If he noticed her lack of response, he didn't care. Within two minutes he stiffened, his pelvis jerking and his face twisting into a carnal parody of pain. Odd, she thought, how something that was exciting when she was turned on was distasteful when she wasn't.

He pulled out of her, panting, and took out a handkerchief to wipe himself clean. "Do you have another of those?" she murmured, and seeing his blank look, added, "The handkerchief."

"No, this is the only one." He started to fold it and return it to his pocket—disgusting—but Candra took it from him and folded it herself, touching it as little as possible, and tucked it between her legs.

He looked uneasy. "It's monogrammed."

"I'll give it back to you," she said impatiently. "Or would you rather I destroy it?"

"Burn it," he said, but he still looked unhappy about her having his handkerchief. Too bad he didn't apply that caution to the rest of his behavior, she thought.

She sat up and straightened her clothing, within moments looking as if nothing had happened. Nothing had, for her, she thought.

"Sit down," she said. "I do have something to discuss with you."

"Of course, anything I can do to help." His own clothing restored to respectability, he sat down behind his desk, made of good old American oak. He was always careful not to flaunt his wealth where his constituents might see, here in his D.C. home and in his office. His home in New York, however, was as luxurious as a palace, with imported everything.

He smiled at her now, the smooth, urbane smile of a man who knows he has power. In coming to him like this, he thought she was going to ask him for a favor. His hazel eyes glittered; during their sporadic relationship, Candra had firmly refused to do anything more than occasionally accommodate him. Carson was accustomed to calling the shots, accustomed to having women do his bidding, and her cool distance both annoyed and challenged him. Of course, she had further annoyed him by making their encounters as memorable as possible.

"Two years ago," she said, "I had an abortion."

"I trust you had good care. I've always supported legislation to—"

"I'm not interested in what you've supported," she interrupted. "Carson, the child was yours. But when Richard found out I'd had the abortion, he thought it was his. That's the basis of the trouble between us."

"Really." He leaned back in his huge leather chair, steepling his fingertips together. "How interesting. But why are you telling me this?"

His expression hadn't even flickered at the news that she had supposedly aborted his child. That wasn't the reaction she had hoped for. "Richard is being difficult about the settlements, and without going into detail, he's in a position to win. I could use some financial help, just this one time."

"To the tune of how much?" he asked mildly.

Unease prickled her spine. This wasn't going quite as she had imagined. A million would take care of all her debts, letting her start fresh, but because she was uneasy she said, "Half a million."

"That's a lot of money." He shrugged. "Your pussy isn't that good."

She didn't react to the crudity. She was aware, after all, of just how crude he could be.

"I wonder just how you managed to get pregnant," he mused. "You always told me you were on birth control pills."

"An accident. I had a respiratory illness, and the antibiotic I took affected the pills."

"Unfortunate. However, I sincerely doubt the child was mine. I had a vasectomy some years ago."

Anger curled in her stomach, but she controlled it. He thought he had just played her for a fool. If, however, he thought that was her only approach, he would be unpleasantly surprised. "Did you? You never mentioned it to me."

"Why would I? You were on the pill anyway, and I've never been fool enough to think I was the only man fucking you. The vasectomy was insurance against this kind of blackmail."

"Now, that's interesting," she said smoothly. "I took out a form of insurance, too. I've never underestimated you, Carson, but I do believe you've underestimated me."

"In what way?" To her gratification, he did look a little wary.

She leaned over and took an envelope and a tiny tape player from the large bag she had carried. His face went stony when he saw the tape player.

"Oh, it isn't on," she said. "It doesn't record, anyway; it's just a player. Our little tryst was private. Others, however, weren't." She punched the "play" button and sat back.

With satisfaction she watched his face blanch as voices filled the room, scratchy but recognizable. She had made the tape at a raunchy little orgy she had staged at the beginning of their relationship, while Richard was in Europe for several days and she had plenty of time. She had done it deliberately, of course, because she had never had any illusions about Carson and suspected that one day she might need a club with which to bludgeon him.

She turned the tape player off, ejected the cassette, and tossed it to him, then placed the envelope on his desk. "Keep it," she said. "It's your personal copy. The accompanying pictures are in the envelope."

His jaw bulged with rage, and he flushed a dark red. "You bitch." The words were low, as if he couldn't manage anything more.

"I don't suppose I have to tell you I have the originals, in a very safe place."

"You're incriminated by these tapes, too." He was breathing hard.

"Yes, but I don't have a career to lose. Of course, your constituents are pretty liberal, they might say live and let live. I don't think the other senators would agree, though, especially those you've fucked over the years. They would enjoy having evidence of their esteemed colleague's illegal behavior." Her tone was rich with irony.

Murderous hatred was in his eyes. Candra controlled a shiver. It was a risk, crossing Carson like this, and she had walked in here knowing it. That was why she had made certain her weapon against him was so powerful he couldn't ignore it.

"This won't be an ongoing thing," she said impatiently "Just this once. You can afford the money, and I need it."

"Sure," he said sarcastically. "I'm supposed to take your word for it."

"I'll send you the originals as soon as I have the money." She meant it. What she wouldn't send him was the videotape she hadn't mentioned. She would use that only if he tried to get revenge.

Of course, he had no way of being positive anything she gave him was the original, no way of ever being sure there were no more copies in existence. Blackmail was forever.

She placed a small piece of paper on his desk. "This is my bank and account number. Wire the money into it. I opened the account just for this, and I'll close it after I get the money. I trust I won't be audited by the IRS either, so you really should hope the random audits miss me."

He didn't pick up the paper. Candra got to her feet and looped her purse strap on her shoulder. "I had the cab wait. Don't bother seeing me out." When she got to the door, she unlocked it, then paused and looked over her shoulder at him. "By the way… make it a million."

The front door had barely closed behind Candra when Margo entered Carson's office. Her face was white and rigid. "You fool," she said scathingly. "You stupid, goddamn fool, always thinking with your dick instead of your head."

"Shut up," he snarled, erupting from his chair. "What were you doing, listening at the door?"

She walked over and punched a button on the intercom console. "I opened the intercom when I found out she was coming here. You think you're so damn smart, but you never check to see if the intercom is open."

He grabbed her by the arm, his powerful fingers biting into her flesh. "Don't take that tone with me," he warned.

"Or you'll what? Divorce me? I don't think so." She jerked her arm free and picked up the envelope Candra had left. Carson made a move for it, but Margo stepped away and opened it, removing the pictures.

She looked at them, and ugly red color splotched her cheeks. She flipped through the photographs, and her mouth contorted. She whirled, her hand lashing out with all the strength in her arm behind it, catching him full across the face. His head jerked around under the impact.

Slowly he looked at her. His face was white except for the imprint of her hand. His eyes burned like coals.

Margo was shaking. "You're worse than a fool; you're the most imbecilic egomaniac I've ever known, and it takes some doing to top my father. I haven't put up with you all these years to let you fuck things up now, with everything in place for the next election. You have to do something."

"I'll pay the goddamn money. I don't have any choice."

"What if she wants more?"

"I'll handle it. Just shut the fuck up. I'm not in any mood for your shit."

"Tough." She threw the pictures at him. They hit him in the face and fluttered to the floor, eight-by-ten glossies. "I hope you've had an AIDS test."

"Don't be stupid. How long do you think that would stay confidential?"

She almost screamed with rage. "You'd risk my life rather than risk having someone find out you'd taken an AIDS test," she said, her voice trembling. "You fret about a stupid handkerchief. How in hell can you be careful about a handkerchief but let yourself be photographed having sex with a man? Those are great pictures, by the way. The only thing more ridiculous than your expression while you screw him is the look on your face while he's screwing you! Face red, mouth open—"

He backhanded her, knocking her against the desk. The contact was so satisfying he wanted to hit her again. "Shut up," he said between clenched teeth. "We had snorted some coke, or it never would have happened!"

Slowly Margo straightened, hand to her aching cheek. Her hip throbbed where she had hit the desk. Hatred and disgust congealed in her stomach. "I don't suppose it ever occurred to you not to take illegal drugs. There's a picture of that, too. Won't that look lovely on the evening news?"

"She won't release the pictures. If she does, she won't have any means of getting more money from me." He was confident of that, at least. You never went wrong betting that someone would protect their own interests.

"You don't know what she'll do," Margo said sharply. "Your track record so far isn't anything to brag about. You have to take care of this, and you have to do it now. Offer her two million for the originals."

"And you call me a fool," he sneered. "There's no way to tell if she gave me the originals. And even if there were, she could have any number of copies made."

"Then you'd better think of something." She was breathing hard, her nostrils flared. "And you'd better think fast."