“I’m sorry, but I don’t see anything wrong with women doing things to please men.”

“As long as you can back that up with men doing things to please women.”

A wicked look flashed in Barrett’s eyes. “Of course. I make it my mission to please women—many times.”

I rolled my eyes. “Spare me.”

Marshall cleared his throat. “Miss Monroe, perhaps we can find a compromise. Maybe you can merely lighten your hair, rather than completely dyeing it?”

“Here’s a thought: what if I don’t do anything to my hair and we propagate the idea that Barrett likes me for me and not for my hair?”

Barrett stroked his chin. “Actually, that could work. It would make sense that as a brunette, Addison is different from the other women I’ve dated.”

I blinked my eyes as I processed what Barrett had just said. “Did you actually just agree with me?”

“In a way, yes, but don’t hold your breath waiting for me to do it again.”

“Trust me, I won’t.”

“Okay, so I’ll just make an addendum here about the hair,” Marshall said as he scribbled on his paper. As we worked our way through the remainder of the contract, Barrett and I continued to bicker, and I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the woman who ended up with Barrett as her real husband—that is, if the man-whore player actually ever tied the knot.

Senator Callahan emerged from the hallway just as we finished signing the contracts. “Everything go okay?”

Barrett scrubbed his face with his hands. “I don’t see how this is possibly going to work.”

“Considering you just met, isn’t it a little early to be waving the white flag of defeat?”

I drew in a deep breath as I tried to thoughtfully weigh my words before I spoke. “With all due respect, sir, I’m afraid what originally looked good on paper might not be feasible in real life.”

“And I think you just need time to work the kinks out. That’s why the next step is vital to the success of this plan.”

“What is it?” I asked warily.

"Trial by fire,” Senator Callahan replied.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Barrett questioned.

"It means you spend the next forty-eight hours together here at the Jefferson."

"What?" I demanded as Barrett bellowed, “Oh hell no!”

Senator Callahan shook his head. "You two need to bond. We need you to be a cohesive couple to hit the campaign trail on Monday. It is essential that you two have time to get to know each other before you're thrown into the intensity of public scrutiny."

I wrinkled my nose. "But I can hardly stand being in the same room with him. Surely I can learn more than enough about Barrett simply by googling him."

With a wink, Barrett countered, "Make sure you click the dick pics. That way you can speak more knowledgeably about how good our sex life would be."

"You're seriously disgusting."

He held his hands up. "Fine, maybe you shouldn’t look at them. I'd hate for you to be ruined forever by seeing what you can't have."

"I'm sure I'll manage just fine."

Crossing his arms over his chest, Barrett said, "Admit it, you're kinda curious."

"I know this will be a shocking blow to your overinflated ego, but trust me, I'm not the least bit interested."

Okay, that was a lie. I was more than a little bit interested since I'd heard he'd been nicknamed the Bear because he was hung like a bear. The three prior lovers I’d had were moderately endowed—growers not showers. I’d never had the pleasure of a well-endowed guy.

"Your loss."

“Again, I’m sure I’ll manage just fine.”

Marshall cleared his throat. “I’m just going to run these into the office to prepare the final versions.” I wasn’t sure if he actually needed to do that or if he just wanted an excuse to get away from us.

“Thank you, Marshall,” Senator Callahan replied. He then turned his attention back to Barrett and me.

“Let’s sit down for a moment, shall we?”

ADDISON

Although we didn’t argue, Barrett and I did stomp over to the couch like petulant toddlers before sinking down at opposite ends. When he saw what we had done¸ Senator Callahan gave us a disappointed look. Reluctantly, Barrett and I both started easing our way down the couch until we bumped into each other.

“I’m going to speak as freely as I can with the two of you.” He narrowed his eyes at Barrett. “You have got to start respecting women as more than sex objects, but most importantly, you need to respect Addison. No more talking to her like a jock in a locker room. Be a gentleman by treating her with the respect that is her due.”

Barrett started to open his mouth to argue, but then he closed it back. “Okay. I’ll try.”

“Addison, while you have every right to want to throttle Barrett, I need you to internalize that anger. Neither one of you can afford to be volatile when you’re at a rally or fundraiser.”

“Yes sir.” I was sure I sounded a lot more confident than I felt, but at the same time, I did realize that going off on Barrett wasn’t going to do any good. Unfortunately, he was who he was. I just had to treat this like a job and him as an infuriating coworker I had to deal with.

“I know I don’t need to remind the two of you what is at stake here. Our country is in a perilous state. My opponents do not have the experience or the wherewithal to meet the needs of the American people like I do. I’ve spent the last thirty years of my life trying to help the people of Virginia. I’ve done that because it was what I was called to do. When I was fighting my way through the jungles of Vietnam, I promised God that if he got me out of there alive, I would spend the rest of my life trying to make this country a better place and in turn, the world. I know both of you are patriotic and want to see this country be the best it can be. That’s why you have to band together and make this engagement work.”