accomplishing great things. To conceal their motives for voting a certain way, his modern predecessors hid behind the badges of conservative and liberal, and those of party loyalty. He would have none of that. The presidency of Max Masterson would transcend politics.
CHAPTER 3
I
have come to the point in my life where I realize that I can’t make anyone do anything, and now they want me to be the head manipulator,” said Max, fresh from his morning swim and speaking to the only person within earshot, his Vice-President,
Scarlett Conroy.
“You are not expected to be a manipulator,” she responded. “You
are the dream-maker, remember? That’s what you told me when you
asked me to be your running-mate, and I believed you. When I saw
the size of the crowds that turned out for you—rallies that you never
bothered to attend in person—I knew you were at risk of winning.” Max stood in the kitchen of Fairlane, his home on the banks
of the Potomac. The water from his morning swim dripped onto
the terrazzo floor. He was oblivious to his casual status: standing
in front of the Vice-President barefoot, clad only in his swimming
trunks. “You can have all of the speech-making, except the State of
the Union, and you can sit in meetings while I’m out doing important stuff. You can even do most of the big parties, except the ones
I’m attending. I’ve already been informed that the President and
Vice-President don’t appear together in public. Something about if
terrorists get to one of us, the other one has to take over to prevent chaos, or something like that.” Max was rambling, and Scarlett was ignoring him. She was intent on sipping her morning tea while she
scanned the news and an intelligence report on her iPad. Scarlett didn’t like Max—sometimes her disdain bordered on
contempt—but she respected him more than she would admit.
From their childhood days in training for future political office,
she secretly bore a crush for the brash, handsome son of a retired
senator. She watched as Max grew into adulthood, and she saw his
easy way with women. For Scarlett, her relationships were more of
a distraction from her core purpose.
Women in politics are the serious pursuers of perfection and
principle, and she simply did not have time to pursue him or any
other man. She was single-minded in her quest to become the first
female president of the United States, and she ran for every elected
position that she considered to be another rung on the ladder that
led to her goal. She had done well.
Elected to the House of Representatives at the age of 25 from
by her home state of South Carolina, she defeated long-time
congressman Dempsey “Bubba” Chambers after he was caught up
in a scandal caused by his sleeping with a string of buxom prostitutes. His long-suffering wife and five children back in Charleston
had no clue about his philandering until Bubba was the feature of
a five-part video expose. The salacious report showed him out on
the town with a different woman each time he was in Washington,
seemingly oblivious to the fact that he had been married to the same
woman for 28 years.
All Scarlett had to do to score her first win in national politics
was to run campaign ads before and after each report. She used a
clip of her speech to the League of Women Voters. She was seen
dressed in a conservative blue dress, her red hair standing out against
a white blouse, with the American flag proudly displayed on her
lapel. Her words were succinct, and her message clearly contrasted with the public image that Bubba’s indiscretions had created. She calmly announced, in her best Charleston accent, “Now is the time for a woman to take back South Carolina and restore dignity to our state and all of our citizens. Women in politics simply don’t do those
sorts of shameful things.”
When Scarlett was 30 she was elevated to the Senate by default.
Senator Terrell Parks, an icon in the South for having been the first
African-American
CHAPTER 3
I
have come to the point in my life where I realize that I can’t make anyone do anything, and now they want me to be the head manipulator,” said Max, fresh from his morning swim and speaking to the only person within earshot, his Vice-President,
Scarlett Conroy.
“You are not expected to be a manipulator,” she responded. “You
are the dream-maker, remember? That’s what you told me when you
asked me to be your running-mate, and I believed you. When I saw
the size of the crowds that turned out for you—rallies that you never
bothered to attend in person—I knew you were at risk of winning.” Max stood in the kitchen of Fairlane, his home on the banks
of the Potomac. The water from his morning swim dripped onto
the terrazzo floor. He was oblivious to his casual status: standing
in front of the Vice-President barefoot, clad only in his swimming
trunks. “You can have all of the speech-making, except the State of
the Union, and you can sit in meetings while I’m out doing important stuff. You can even do most of the big parties, except the ones
I’m attending. I’ve already been informed that the President and
Vice-President don’t appear together in public. Something about if
terrorists get to one of us, the other one has to take over to prevent chaos, or something like that.” Max was rambling, and Scarlett was ignoring him. She was intent on sipping her morning tea while she
scanned the news and an intelligence report on her iPad. Scarlett didn’t like Max—sometimes her disdain bordered on
contempt—but she respected him more than she would admit.
From their childhood days in training for future political office,
she secretly bore a crush for the brash, handsome son of a retired
senator. She watched as Max grew into adulthood, and she saw his
easy way with women. For Scarlett, her relationships were more of
a distraction from her core purpose.
Women in politics are the serious pursuers of perfection and
principle, and she simply did not have time to pursue him or any
other man. She was single-minded in her quest to become the first
female president of the United States, and she ran for every elected
position that she considered to be another rung on the ladder that
led to her goal. She had done well.
Elected to the House of Representatives at the age of 25 from
by her home state of South Carolina, she defeated long-time
congressman Dempsey “Bubba” Chambers after he was caught up
in a scandal caused by his sleeping with a string of buxom prostitutes. His long-suffering wife and five children back in Charleston
had no clue about his philandering until Bubba was the feature of
a five-part video expose. The salacious report showed him out on
the town with a different woman each time he was in Washington,
seemingly oblivious to the fact that he had been married to the same
woman for 28 years.
All Scarlett had to do to score her first win in national politics
was to run campaign ads before and after each report. She used a
clip of her speech to the League of Women Voters. She was seen
dressed in a conservative blue dress, her red hair standing out against
a white blouse, with the American flag proudly displayed on her
lapel. Her words were succinct, and her message clearly contrasted with the public image that Bubba’s indiscretions had created. She calmly announced, in her best Charleston accent, “Now is the time for a woman to take back South Carolina and restore dignity to our state and all of our citizens. Women in politics simply don’t do those
sorts of shameful things.”
When Scarlett was 30 she was elevated to the Senate by default.
Senator Terrell Parks, an icon in the South for having been the first
African-American
Similar Books
The Wolf in His Arms (The Runes Trilogy)
Adrian Lilly
A Bad Night's Sleep
Michael Wiley
The Detachment
Barry Eisler
At Fear's Altar
Richard Gavin
The Portuguese Affair
Ann Swinfen
Dangerous Games
Victor Milan, Clayton Emery
Four Dukes and a Devil
Jeaniene Frost, Cathy Maxwell, Tracy Anne Warren, Sophia Nash, Elaine Fox
Fenzy
Robert Liparulo
Sonnet to a Dead Contessa
Gilbert Morris