Fixer: A Bad Boy Romance by Samantha Westlake Read Free Book Online Page B

her cause the furthest. No, all those tempting little secrets were instead hidden in the heads of those "connected Washington insiders," men like Keegan Tanner.
    But Tanner had to have visited her for a reason, something more than because he wanted to get his dick wet by taking advantage of a young and inexperienced new elected official. Alicia didn't know what his mission might be - maybe just fact-finding for the Republicans, maybe something more sinister - but right now, she'd have to keep that concern on the back burner.
    She needed to maintain perfect control of the situation.
    For the moment, Tanner was thrown off his mark, confused - but he would quickly recover. Alicia needed to keep him guessing, keep him off balance. If she never gave him the chance to figure out her plans, figure out her real goals, she could lead him to the path of least resistance.
    So, still holding onto his tie, still perched on the chair beside him where she'd moved so that she could flirt more heavily, Alicia forced herself to relax. Shoulders back, don't hunch. Give him a little glimpse of the girls as you stretch your chest. Keep your legs crossed, letting that pencil skirt ride up just a tiny little bit, just enough to let him catch the quickest little glimpse of leg without seeming totally improper.
    Watch as his eyes take the bait, darting to your chest, your legs, and then guiltily back up to your face.
    Got you, Keegan Tanner. You're mine now.
    All I need to do is reel you in.
    Alicia's smile broadened, and this time she didn't need to make any effort for it to appear genuine. She muted it - no need to appear too eager - but inside her own head, she felt herself smiling like a cat, with a mouse trapped, helpless, in front of it.
    She had Keegan Tanner right where she wanted him. She would convince him that he should take her side, would realize that she could see through all his bullshit. Of course, she suspected that this wouldn't be enough, on its own, to crush whatever was on his hidden agenda - but Alicia had faith that she'd be able to figure that out, too, and kill it before he could bring her down.
    "Oh, Keegan," Alicia sighed, confident in having outmaneuvered her opponent. "Did you really think that it would be so easy to bring me down?"

Chapter Seven
    *
    Sitting in Senator Alicia Stone's office, Tanner felt the blood in his veins turn to ice as he realized, a little too late, that he'd made a horrible miscalculation.
    He couldn't sit up, couldn't pull his head back, not with Alicia's grip on his tie threatening to strangle him. "What?" he managed weakly, thoughts still reeling.
    Next to him, her legs still prettily crossed, Alicia shook her head. "Oh, Keegan," she said. "Did you really think that it would be so easy to bring me down? You thought that I was a rube, straight out of the sticks, someone that you could sweep off to bed with your big city charm and a few glasses of appropriately expensive wine? You could just steer me, young and malleable little me, in whatever direction your bosses wanted?"
    "No, that's not..." Tanner trailed off, not even sure what to say. She'd outmaneuvered him, completely and horribly. He didn't even have a response, couldn't see a way to dig himself out of this trap.
    He was screwed.
    After giving it one last tug, Alicia finally released her grip on his tie. Tanner quickly sat up, tugging the tie out of her reach as he slid one finger in between his neck and shirt to loosen it back up. Looking over at Alicia, he saw the same little smile playing about her lips that he'd spotted before.
    This time, however, that smile wasn't sexy. That was the smile of a tiger, watching the final struggles of its helpless prey.
    Alicia just sat there, watching him. Again, Tanner sensed that she was toying with him. He ran quickly through his options, but came up empty. He didn't have any other cards to play, no other smokescreens to hide behind. His shoulders slumped as the realization hit him.
    "Fine." The