ass. She needed his insider knowledge, but he needed to get close to her. He suspected that she knew he would keep on trying to bring her down - but if he backed off now, he'd certainly never get another chance.
"It seems that I don't have much of a choice," he admitted wryly.
"Oh, you've always got a choice," she replied immediately, smiling at him. Dammit, he thought, she really even had a nice smile. The kind of smile he could get used to seeing, if it wasn't attached to such a smart and calculating mind. "But in this case, at least, I think that you made the right one."
Without waiting for him to respond to that comment, she pushed back her chair and rose to her feet, flipping closed a leather folder that lay in front of her. "Now, come along," she said, stepping out from behind the desk and heading off towards the door.
Tanner rose to his feet and moved after her, annoyed that she'd seized control of the situation so firmly, but not sure what else to do. This whole "seeing right through him" thing had really knocked his mind for a loop, and he kept feeling off balance, like he was trying to stand on one foot and not fall over.
"Where are we going?" he asked, after a minute of walking.
"I've got a meeting with some of the senior Democrats, discussing the rough draft of my education bill," she called back over her shoulder, not slowing down as they left her office and cut through her staff area. "And since I barely know any of them, I figured that I'd bring you along and see if you can help me out."
"Great. And what exactly am I supposed to do to help out?" He saw Duecent glaring at him as he passed out of the offices, following after Alicia like a dog trailing behind its owner. Great. Duecent, you don't know the half of it.
He tried to get his mind back on track. Alicia said she was meeting with some senior Democrats? This seemed like the perfect place to try and kill Alicia's bill, rather than advance it - in her own party - but Tanner gloomily suspected that the woman had already foreseen this possibility, and knew how to counter it.
Alicia turned and beamed at him. "Think of this as the real interview," she suggested, her eyes practically laughing at him, mocking him. "If you help me get through this, I'll keep you around, and not announce that you're the biggest scumbag in Washington since Joseph McCarthy left."
She really was playing with him! Tanner fought furiously to keep his face neutral, while inside he gritted his teeth and imagined himself shoving her down a flight of stairs.
Instead, he held back, trying to think as quickly as he could as he followed Alicia into a meeting room. Sure enough, Senator Harrison Reed himself was there, along with half a dozen other senior Democrats that Tanner recognized. He hadn't blackmailed or otherwise faced off against any of these men, but he knew most of them - or people on their staff teams. He took a seat slightly behind Alicia and hoped that she wouldn't call on him.
As the other politicians and their staff were filtering in, however, Alicia turned back to face him. "So, give me the details on them," she whispered.
Tanner just raised his eyebrows at her. She wanted to use him? That didn't mean that he had to put up with her demanding information from him, like he was some kind of flunky.
Observing his intentions, Alicia made a show out of rolling her blue-green eyes at him. "Oh, get off your damn high horse," she hissed at him. "This is your chance to change my mind about you, remember? Just tell me what things I really ought to know for this meeting, and prove that you're more than just a barracuda in a three thousand dollar suit."
"Fine," Tanner gave in. "Senator Reed has a lot of power to call the shots, but he almost never does. He doesn't like getting caught in anything that ruins his image as a bipartisan leader. Not that he's actually useful for bipartisan negotiations, since he folds like a cheap suit whenever his precious integrity is
"It seems that I don't have much of a choice," he admitted wryly.
"Oh, you've always got a choice," she replied immediately, smiling at him. Dammit, he thought, she really even had a nice smile. The kind of smile he could get used to seeing, if it wasn't attached to such a smart and calculating mind. "But in this case, at least, I think that you made the right one."
Without waiting for him to respond to that comment, she pushed back her chair and rose to her feet, flipping closed a leather folder that lay in front of her. "Now, come along," she said, stepping out from behind the desk and heading off towards the door.
Tanner rose to his feet and moved after her, annoyed that she'd seized control of the situation so firmly, but not sure what else to do. This whole "seeing right through him" thing had really knocked his mind for a loop, and he kept feeling off balance, like he was trying to stand on one foot and not fall over.
"Where are we going?" he asked, after a minute of walking.
"I've got a meeting with some of the senior Democrats, discussing the rough draft of my education bill," she called back over her shoulder, not slowing down as they left her office and cut through her staff area. "And since I barely know any of them, I figured that I'd bring you along and see if you can help me out."
"Great. And what exactly am I supposed to do to help out?" He saw Duecent glaring at him as he passed out of the offices, following after Alicia like a dog trailing behind its owner. Great. Duecent, you don't know the half of it.
He tried to get his mind back on track. Alicia said she was meeting with some senior Democrats? This seemed like the perfect place to try and kill Alicia's bill, rather than advance it - in her own party - but Tanner gloomily suspected that the woman had already foreseen this possibility, and knew how to counter it.
Alicia turned and beamed at him. "Think of this as the real interview," she suggested, her eyes practically laughing at him, mocking him. "If you help me get through this, I'll keep you around, and not announce that you're the biggest scumbag in Washington since Joseph McCarthy left."
She really was playing with him! Tanner fought furiously to keep his face neutral, while inside he gritted his teeth and imagined himself shoving her down a flight of stairs.
Instead, he held back, trying to think as quickly as he could as he followed Alicia into a meeting room. Sure enough, Senator Harrison Reed himself was there, along with half a dozen other senior Democrats that Tanner recognized. He hadn't blackmailed or otherwise faced off against any of these men, but he knew most of them - or people on their staff teams. He took a seat slightly behind Alicia and hoped that she wouldn't call on him.
As the other politicians and their staff were filtering in, however, Alicia turned back to face him. "So, give me the details on them," she whispered.
Tanner just raised his eyebrows at her. She wanted to use him? That didn't mean that he had to put up with her demanding information from him, like he was some kind of flunky.
Observing his intentions, Alicia made a show out of rolling her blue-green eyes at him. "Oh, get off your damn high horse," she hissed at him. "This is your chance to change my mind about you, remember? Just tell me what things I really ought to know for this meeting, and prove that you're more than just a barracuda in a three thousand dollar suit."
"Fine," Tanner gave in. "Senator Reed has a lot of power to call the shots, but he almost never does. He doesn't like getting caught in anything that ruins his image as a bipartisan leader. Not that he's actually useful for bipartisan negotiations, since he folds like a cheap suit whenever his precious integrity is
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