The Perfect Candidate (2 page)

Running her mind over the idea all morning kept Ashley far too occupied to concentrate on her own work.  Part of what alarmed (and secretly thrilled?) her was that the idea wasn
’
t completely abhorrent to her
…
  Michael Reese
was
a very handsome, very charismatic man, added to which, he might just be the most powerful man in the world in just a few months. 

Not that any of that would do her any good at all, not if she were only pretending to be his girlfriend,
Ashley reminded herself sharply.

When it was finally time for lunch, Ashley pushed herself back from her desk and went in search of her prospective
‘
boyfriend
’
.  She rapped sharply on his office door and was asked to come in. 

Ashley was about to launch straight into her argument, when she saw that Mr. Reese was on the telephone, and so she was forced to hold her tongue.  Michael waved a hand towards a chair, motioning her to sit down, and then he carried on with his conversation.

Ashley perched herself on the edge of a hardback chair, and tried not to notice the way that Michael kept dragging a hand over the top of his head, ruffling his graying hair in a manner that made it look like he had just crawled out of bed.  Ashley toes curled in their shoes involuntarily at
that
thought.

Michael finally finished his telephone conversation and turned the full dazzling force of his attention on Ashley.

“Miss Kendall,” he smiled.  “What can I do for you?”

Ashley blinked. 
Surely he could guess?  Perhaps he had already forgotten about it and the whole plan was off?
  She didn
’
t want to consider why that made her feel disappointed instead of relieved.

“You
do
remember what you asked me this morning?
”
she asked warily.

“I think I asked you to be me First Lady?” Michael grinned, eyes twinkling in a highly dangerous manner- highly dangerous for any woman within fifty feet of him that was, Ashley amended uncomfortably.

“Yes, you did… and was just wondering…
have you lost your mind?
” she blurted.  It was hardly the most eloquent turn of phrase she had ever come up with, but she was working at a disadvantage here!  To her surprise, and annoyance, Mr. Reese’
s grin widened.

“I don’
t believe so, Miss Kendall,
”
he chuckled. 
“
And I must say, you
’
re selling yourself rather short if your think a man would have to be insane to take an interest in you.
”

“I- OOH!  That’
s
not
what I meant!
”
Ashley spluttered.

“What did you mean?”

“That this whole scheme of yours-”

“Actually it’
s Norm
’
s scheme,
”
Michael sighed wearily. 
“
If you have any complaints you should really take them up with him.  I
had
to agree to find a girl to pretend to date just to get him off my back.
”

“How flattering for me,” Ashley hissed icily. 

Michael didn
’
t look particularly perturbed by her disdain.  In fact, he found it rather refreshing, in a sort of strange, perverse kind of way.  It was entertaining at least.  He leant back in his chair and pressed his fingers together, and studied Miss Kendall thoughtfully over their tips.

“You’
re on my team, aren
’
t you?
”
he asked slowly. 
“
You
are
working to help us win the election?  This would just be another part of your job.
”

Ashley looked completely unconvinced. 
“
I
’
m afraid you
’
re going to have to do better than that, Mr. Reese.
”

Michael nodded. 
“
You
’
re right, it
’
s not fair for me to get something for nothing,
”
he agreed silkily. 
“
What do you want?
”
he asked thoughtfully.  He was pleased to see that Ashley looked surprised by this tactic, and it took her several moments to manage a reply.

“What do you mean, what do I want?” she asked suspiciously.  “What exactly are you offering?”

“A permanent position on my staff when I’
m elected?
”
Michael suggested.

Ashley raised an eyebrow. 
“
Don
’
t you mean
if
you get elected?
”
she said dryly.

“I prefer to be optimistic,” Michael grinned.  “Which is why I choose to believe that you’
ll come around to my way of thinking,
”
he said smoothly. 

He didn
’
t entirely know why he was pushing so hard for this when it was something that he had always been opposed to whenever Norm suggested it
…
  There was simply something about Miss Kendall that brought out the competitor in him.

Ashley rolled her eyes, but she stopped fighting him for a minute. 
“
The electorate won
’
t be fooled,
”
she said, shaking her head.

“Of course they will be,” Michael argued, sweeping away her concerns in a single confident sentence.  When he saw the flash of irritation in Miss Kendall’
s eyes he grinned. 
“
Well there
’
s only one way to test which one of us is right,
”
he pointed out, no longer surprised to find that he was enjoying himself.

Ashley didn
’
t look quite so happy. 
“
This is a bad idea,
”
she said, folding her arms across her chest.

Michael sighed, and donned a more serious visage. 
“
Why do you think this is a bad idea, Miss Kendall?
”
he asked gently.  The look that she shot him seemed to say that her reasons should be obvious.

“Apart from it being dishonest you me?”

Michael leant forwards in his chair and rested his elbows on the desktop. 
“
Miss Kendall, you must believe in this campaign, you wouldn
’
t be working as part of it if you didn
’
t, correct?
”

“Well, of course-”

“Well then, do you think it’
s fair that Walter Vance has an advantage over me because he
’
s married?  Do you think he
’
ll be able to run the country any better, because he has a wife?
”

Ashley frowned. 
“
Well, the First Lady
does
play an important role in-
”
she started to say, but quickly fell silent when she saw how Michael was glaring at her. 
“
Um, I mean- no, he wouldn
’
t be able to run the country any better that you, Mr. Reese, sir,
”
she said obediently.

Michael smiled, although this time the smile didn
’
t quite reach his eyes. 
“
Then I don
’
t see why we need to give him that advantage, do you, Miss Kendall?
”
  Ashley found herself shaking her head before she even knew what she was doing. 
“
Excellent!
”
Michael cried. 
“
Then we
’
re agreed.
”

Ashley opened her mouth, and then shut it again.  There didn
’
t seem to be any way of winning this argument. 
“
But
…
won
’
t people thinks it
’
s a bit
odd
that you
’
re suddenly involved with your speech writer?
”

“No, why would they?” Michael asked.  “We see each other virtually every day.  What could be more natural than for us to strike up a relationship?”

Ashley looked doubtfully.  She might see Michael almost every day, but she would have bet her life savings that he had never looked at her twice before, not in all the time that they had worked together.

“I still think-” she started to argue, but was cut short when the telephone on Michael’
s desk began to ring.  Ashley made to excuse herself while Michael answered the call, but before she could get out of the room he shouted after her.

“Dinner tonight, Miss Kendall,” he said.  “It’
s the least you can do for me, since you made me miss lunch,
”
he added with a chuckle, grinning when he saw she was going to argue against this too.  Michael then turned his attention back to his phone call and Ashley was able to slip away.

What
had she got herself mixed up in?  She asked herself, and she hurried back to her office to try and get her head around things.  Mr. Reese couldn
’
t really be serious, could he?  He was bound to come to his senses
…
and yet, Mr. Winterson had spoke to her too.  What would happen if they were both determined for her to carry out this charade?