High Stakes (Vegas Vampires #1)(59)
Author: Erin McCarthy

They all looked very normal.Acted very normal. It was all civilized. Just like an election in any other democratic country.

Ethan didn’t look annoyed by Donatelli . He just smiled. "The truth is that we have prospered as a nation for the last forty years.

No deaths by mortals, zero poverty, low crime, and a stable source of blood through the banks we’ve established. I don’t have to lie. The facts- speak for themselves.Including your criminal record."

Go, Ethan.

Donatellipounded the podium. "I am not a crook."

Hello, Nixon. Alexis fought the urge to roll her eyes.

"Read my lips." Donatelli turned to the audience. "I stand for your interests. No new laws, no new restrictions. No new taxes.”

Alexis frowned and glanced down at Seamus. Did he notice anything odd here?

"My goal is to see a blood bag in every refrigerator."

The sudden need to giggle overcame her.

"We will bury you, Carrick."

Alexis slapped a hand over her mouth and smothered her snort. Now Donatelli was borrowing from the Cold War Russian dicta tor , Kruschev .

Seamus shot her a glare.

Ethan just raised an eyebrow and gave Donatelli a cool look of dismissal. He turned to the moderator. "Next question, please."

Thirty minutes later her butt was numb, but she had a whole new respect for her vampire lover, soon-to-be roommate. He handled himself with dignity and intelligence, and an excited Seamus actually smiled at her as Ethan and Donatelli left the stage.

"He didgood ," Seamus said, his shoulders sagging in relief.

She grinned back at him. "That’s awesome. I’m sure all the prep you did with him helped quite a bit."

Now he was the one rolling his eyes. "You don’t do well as a suck-up."

" Brittany ‘s better at it than me. Maybe because she’s sincere and I’m really not," Alexis admitted.

Seamus laughed. "I guess if Ethan finds it necessary to marry a mortal, at least he chose a lawyer. You should understand how to play politics."

"Yes, I do. And my sister’s half-vampire. That should count for something."

"It does."

"Plus I sort of speak Spanish."

"Sort of?"

"Probably more than you," she defended herself.

"I speak English, Gaelic, and French," he said.

"Ooh, la, la." Alexis glanced around the room, noticing everyone was standing up and milling around. "What now? Can I leave? What’s Ethan’s schedule for the night?"

"He just needs to get his microphone off and speak to a few political analysts. Then he’ll be heading upstairs to rest. We’ll go over the results and opinion polls tomorrow night. And it would be smart if you’re there so we can discuss your roll."

"Perfect." But tonight her roll was vamp vixen. She had the idea to hot-tail it upstairs and be ready for Ethan when he got back.

The idea of going down on the president had some real appeal. Too bad she hadn’t been successful projecting her thoughts to Ethan. She could wing that one his way now that he was offstage.

"Okay, I’m taking off then."

"Take your guards," Seamus said firmly.

"Sure thing."

Donatellithrew down the mike in the dressing room Carrick had provided for him. He hated giving these speeches. He was much more persuasive one on one. And it had thrown him off when Carrick had strolled into the room with the sister of an Impure on his arm, looking very much a couple.

The crowd had lapped that up, and it had thoroughly irritated Donatelli .

After an early mistake he had never remarried because he’d rather cut his own head off than be latched on to a vampire wife for all of eternity. And mortal women were excellent for affairs, but he’d never enjoyed any of them enough to propose marriage, no matter how short term.

Carrick was a fool, in his opinion, if he intended to chain himself to a mortal. Then again, he’d always thought Carrick a fool.Which was why Donatelli needed to overthrow him and his concept of government. They were undead. Vampires possessed uncommon speed, skill, and agility. And what did they do? They hid among mortals, imitating their weak democracy.

Donatelliwas going to restore the Vampire Nation to its previous glory, when men trembled in fear at their immortality and power was rightfully theirs. It would be his.All of it.Unless Carrick won the election.

The dressing room was well appointed, with buttery leather sofas and a minifridge stocked with blood bags. Carrick was ever the gracious host.

Donatelliwondered how gracious he would be when he went upstairs and discovered a corpse in his suite.

The thought of that was the only thing that kept him from flinging the glass coffee table through the wall.

Alexis ditched her bodyguards at the elevator when it stopped on the twenty-fourth floor.

"I know it’s your job to escort me, but see, the thing is, I can’t have you in Mr. Carrick’s room with me."

"But Miss Baldizzi , that’s what Mr. Fox told us to do. We’re supposed to wait with you until Mr. Carrick returns."

"I know, but Mr. Fox isn’t Mr. Carrick, and which do you think Mr. Carrick would prefer when he gets back?Me hanging around playing Scrabble with you guys or just me naked in bed waiting for him?"

Both bodyguards blushed profusely, their jaws dropping open, which was kind of cute. Alexis was getting rather fond of their silent, brawny presence, but she had to draw the line at the elevator door.

"Exactly, boys, just what I thought. Thanks for theride, I’ll see you tomorrow night." She waved cheerfully from the hallway, pushing the elevator button so the door closed and it started to descend. "Good riddance."

Swiping her key card, she entered Ethan’s suite. She didn’t have time to prep in her room, so she was just going straight for the kill. The minute she was in the door, she unzipped her dress and let it drop to the floor. Retrieving it so Ethan wouldn’t trip onit, she gave a sigh of relief. The thing had been cutting her across the armpits all night long.

There were no lights on and she felt along the wall for the switch, hoping Ethan had closed his blinds since she was in her bra and panties. Not just any bra and panties. This was a red-hot push-up bra made up of a sheer material that showed everything and then some.A scrap of similar fabric that covered her in the front down south and nothing but a piece of red string masquerading as a thong in the back.

Impulse panties.Bought in one of those rare moments where she’d longed to get in touch with her femininity. Hopefully in about ten minutes, Ethan would be touching her femininity.

Her hand found the switch. She flicked the light on and squeezed her eyes shut reflexively at the sudden flood of brightness from the kitchenette. Saluting the hound dog standing sentry by the front door, Alexis strutted down the hall to the living area and tossed her dress on the wet bar, debating whether to leave her heels on or not.