Carson surveyed the men seated on the comfortable leather furniture in his study.

The leader, Walter Simino, a.s.sistant Chairman of the California State Republican Party, set his Waterford tumbler of scotch down on the coffee table in front of the sofa.

"You know why we're here, Carson. The women are waiting and we've got supper ahead of us. I don't see any reason to p.u.s.s.yfoot around. We came here for one reasonto convince you to run for state a.s.sembly."

They had discussed the possibility at length, of course, and he had given the matter plenty of thought.

Carson leaned forward in his chair, his gaze going to each man in the group. "I'm extremely flattered. You all know that. But going into politics isn't a step to be taken lightly. It takes years of commitment, years of struggle and hardship."

"That's right, it does." This from Ted Meyers, CEO of McMillan Pharmaceutical Labs, a tall man with thinning brown hair. "But what we've got in mind would be worth the hard work and it might not take as long as you think."

"We're talking about more than just the a.s.sembly, Carson." Walter looked him straight in the face. "A man like you, with your reputation, you could win the a.s.sembly seat and in the next election, run for state senate. From there, with the right backing, you could make a run for a seat in Congress. You're the right age, Harcourt, only thirty-six years old. You've got the looks and the charisma, your background seems to be clean as a whistle, and you've got the kind of connections that can take a man all the way to the top."

He'd been thinking that same thing. He had connections that went back as far as his fraternity brothers at the USC. With the right moves, the right people behind him A vision of the White House popped into his head, but he quickly shoved it away. It was way too soon to be thinking like that. Still, as Walter had said, there was no limit to how far he might go.

"There's just one thing." Paul Castenado looked a little uneasy and Carson knew exactly his concernthe nemesis who had plagued him since he was a boy.

"My brother."

"That's right. We need Zachary on our team. It's no secret there's bad blood between you two. It wouldn't look good if your brother opposed your bid for office."

Carson worked to keep his voice even. "I can't guarantee what Zach will do. He's a wild card. He always has been."

"Maybe," Walter said. "Then again, maybe with the right motivation, we can convince him to our way of thinking. That's the reason I asked you to invite him here tonight."

And amazingly, Zach had agreed. Carson didn't like it. Not one bit. But the fact remained, the men were right. It didn't look good for a member of a candidate's family to oppose his bid for office. Even if he and Zach were only half brothers.

While the others waited, Ted Meyers disappeared out the door and a few minutes later, Zach walked into the study. Meyers closed the door behind them.

Walter pointed to an empty seat, but Zach sat down in a chair closer to the door.

"I'm here as requested," Zach said. "What can I do for you, gentlemen?" His brother's deep voice held the slightly mocking tone Carson had always despised.

"Thanks for coming, Zach." Charles Hobson's smile was friendly. Hobson was a big-money real estate developer in Orange County who was fairly well acquainted with Carson's brother. Through his legal work, Zach knew a lot of important people in Southern California. "Let me introduce you to the group, then we'll tell you what it is we've got in mind."

What they had in mind, Zach discovered a few minutes later, was to win his support for his brother with promises of future paybacks. A quid pro quo kind of deal. Zach would agree to back his brother's bid for a seat in the a.s.sembly and in return, Carson would use his influence to help Zach get a judgeship in L.A. County. The money wouldn't be nearly as good as what he made now, but that kind of power was worth a lot.

Or at least that's what Walter Simino and the rest of the committee believed. And the fact was, with a judgeship he could do a lot of good.

"Once Carson's elected," Simono said, "he'll garner a great deal of influence. If your brother were to run again when his term came to an end, maybe pick up a seat in the state senate, his power would be even greater. He could be a tremendous help to you, Zach. Who knows, maybe sometime in the future, even a seat on the California Supreme Court might not be out of the question."

They were tossing out a powerful lure. Not that he believed it would actually happen. As the conversation progressed, Zach mostly kept silent. As he listened, he kept thinking of his brother running for political office. He had heard rumors, but he'd never asked Carson about them. Now that he knew those rumors were true, somehow it didn't surprise him.

Even here, as Carson sat across the room, he wore a politician's smile.

The conversation reached a pause and Zach rose from his chair. "I think I've heard enough. To be honest with you, there is nothing any of you or Carson could offer me that would be of the slightest interest, not even the idea of a judgeship. In regard to his campaign, I won't promise my support."

His brother's jaw faintly tightened.

"On the other hand, I won't do anything that could hurt him. I won't take part in anything that might be construed as opposition to his bid for office and I won't endorse anyone else. That is the best I can do. Have a good evening, gentlemen."

He turned and headed for the study door.

"What about supper?" Carson asked, amazed, it seemed, that he was leaving.

"No, thanks. But it's hot as h.e.l.l out there. If you don't mind, I'll have a drink on my way out." He left the study and made his way back to the parlor. As he had walked into the house, he had spotted Liz Conners near the bar, speaking to the wives of the men in the study.

Curiosity led him in that direction. Curiosity, he told himself, nothing more.

Ignoring the women, he walked straight over to the bar. "Diet c.o.ke with a lime," he said to the young man pouring drinks.

"Coming right up." The bartender poured the drink and set the crystal highball gla.s.s down on the bar. Zach picked it up and took a swallow, his gaze on Liz Conners. There was a break in the women's conversation and Liz walked off by herself. He made his way over to where she stood.

"Zachary Harcourt I have to say, I'm a little surprised to see you here."

"Why is that? You don't think I'm the political type?"

"Actually, no."

"Then you'd be right. As a matter of fact, I'll be leaving in just a few minutes. I thought I'd come over and say h.e.l.lo before I took off."

Her gaze moved over his face as if she was trying to figure him out. A dark auburn eyebrow went up as she noticed the drink in his hand.

"Diet soda," he explained. "I do have a drink on occasion, just not when I'm driving. I was never an addict or an alcoholic. I was just stupid."

"So you really have reformed."

"For the most part. I hope I'm never as dull as my brother."

Her mouth tightened for an instant. She had a pretty mouth, he thought, full lips softly curved, colored a nice shade of pink.

"You don't think much of each other, do you?" She looked great tonight, even cla.s.sier than she had that night at the banquet. He wondered how a psychology counselor afforded such expensive clothes. Then again, maybe his brother bought them for her.

"I try my best not to think of Carson at all. Speaking of whom, are you two an item?"

She took a sip of her champagne. "You mean are we seeing each other?"

"I mean, are you involved with him? Are the two of you sleeping together?"

Liz stiffened as he had figured she would. He was testing her, he knew. Still for some odd reason, he really wanted to hear the answer.

"You know, Zach, I don't think you've changed as much as you'd like to believe."

In some ways, he supposed it was true. "Maybe not." He drank some of his Diet c.o.ke. "So you aren't going to tell me?"

"My relationship with your brother is none of your business."

He looked away, trying not to imagine Liz Conners in Carson's bed.

"We're friends," she finally conceded. "We barely even know each other."

Zach found himself smiling. "No kidding."

"Look, Zach. I know you and your brother don't get along. Maybe paying attention to me is your way of goading him, I don't know, but"

"My interest in you has nothing to do with Carson," he said, surprised to discover it was true. "I just I don't know. I always thought you were different somehow. I guess I wanted to know if you still were."

"So am I?"

From the corner of his eye, he saw his brother and the rest of the men returning to the room. "I don't know." He took a long drink of his Diet c.o.ke and set the gla.s.s down on the bar. "You'll enjoy the supper. Carson brings in some of the best chefs in L.A."

Turning, he started toward the parlor door. For an instant, he thought Liz Conners watched him as he walked away, but it was probably his imagination.

Elizabeth pulled her gaze from Zach Harcourt's tall, lean figure as he disappeared out of the room. She could still feel a faint buzz of electricity from their brief encounter. He had a way of getting to her, of challenging her, and at the same time looking at her as if he found her incredibly attractive. It annoyed her. And it intrigued her.

Zach Harcourt might no longer have a problem with drugs and alcohol, but he was just as irritating, just as overbearing as he'd been as a boy.

Still, she couldn't deny she found him attractive. There was something about him, something dark and mysterious that appealed to her in a s.e.xual way. Women always seemed to like bad boys. Apparently, in some primal way, she did, too.

Carson walked up to her just then and her gaze swung to his. He must have noticed where she had been looking because his mouth seemed a little bit tight.

"I hope my brother wasn't bothering you. He can be fairly obnoxious at times."

She thought of that day outside Marge's Cafe. "I thought he was supposed to be a changed man."

"Zach's a lawyer. What can I say?"

She laughed at that. Lawyers never seemed to be anyone's favorite people. She wondered if Zach was a good one. He seemed a little too outspoken, a little too caustic for a job that often required a good deal of finesse.

"Dinner's ready," Caron said. "Why don't we lead the way into the dining room?"

"Good idea, I'm starving." Elizabeth smiled, determined not to spare another thought for Zachary Harcourt.

An hour later, it still hadn't worked.

Seven.

The evening finally came to a close, thank G.o.d. Though Elizabeth had mostly enjoyed herself, her role as unofficial hostess had convinced her being a politician's wife had to be a devil of a job.

Since Carson had drunk wine with dinner and an after-dinner cordial, once the limo returned its pa.s.sengers to the airstrip, he had the long black Cadillac drive Elizabeth home. Carson escorted her, walking her up to the door of her apartment. She thought about inviting him in, but the evening had been long and tiring and she didn't think he was any more interested in continuing the night than she was.

"Thank you, Carson, for another enjoyable evening."

"I'm the one who ought to thank you. You were wonderful, Elizabeth. You put everyone at ease and kept the women entertained while we had our meeting. I couldn't have done it without you."

She figured he had hosted dozens of parties on his own, but it sounded nice when he said it. "I thought everything went very well. I think your guests had a good time, too."

He smiled. "I hope so." Leaning down, he very lightly kissed her. Carson deepened the kiss and Elizabeth kissed him back, sliding her arms around his neck, a little surprised she felt only a mildly pleasant sensation. Carson was a good-looking man. Still, when he let her go and backed away, she wasn't sorry.

"I'll call you," Carson said.

Elizabeth just nodded. "Good night."

Carson stood on the porch as Elizabeth went inside and closed the door. She thought of his kiss and wondered at her reaction. There was such a thing as chemistry between two people and it didn't seem to be there with Carson.

Elizabeth thought of the irritating conversation she'd had with his brother, remembered the way Zach had looked at heras if the heat in those dark eyes could burn right through her dressand ignored the fluttery feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Crickets chirped in the warm summer air and stars glittered like miniature diamonds in the black night sky. Zach couldn't see them in L.A. He supposed there was at least one good thing about the dusty little town of San Pico.

Making his way up on the porch, Zach used his key to open the door to the sprawling ranch house that belonged to Lisa Doyle. It was built in one of the better sections of town, three bedrooms, brick trim, shake roof, nicely landscaped, with a pool in the backyard. She had weaseled it out of her ex-husband in a nasty divorce settlement. Second time around for Lisa, who always seemed to come out on top when the dust finally settled.

A good reason to stay single, Zach thought.

The living room was dark when he walked in, though it wasn't really that late. She'd be waiting in the bedroom, he knew. She had a s.e.xual appet.i.te far beyond most women, which was something he couldn't complain about, except that when it came to men she was not all that discriminating. Which didn't say much for him.

As he stripped off his sport coat on the way to the bedroom door, it occurred to him that he didn't really want to be here tonight. The thought had occurred to him last week, as well, but tonight, for some odd reason, the notion rang with a clarity it somehow hadn't before.

Still, he had told Lisa he'd be in town and he had no real reason not to join her. Besides, his brief encounter with Liz Conners had left him itching for a hot round of s.e.x and it was certain he wouldn't be getting it from Liz.

"I thought you'd never get here," Lisa said as he stepped through the bedroom door. "I'm h.o.r.n.y as h.e.l.l, lover. I need a good f.u.c.k. How about you?"

She was wearing red thong panties and nothing else and she walked straight up to him. She pulled his head down for a kiss and he kissed her back. Her hand gripped his crotch through his slacks and she rubbed till he got hard.

Still, he couldn't seem to really get turned on. He couldn't seem to get his mind wrapped around the thought of another bout of meaningless s.e.x. He told himself that was exactly the way he liked itno strings, no involvement.

But even as she led him over to the bed and stripped off the rest of his clothes, his thoughts strayed back to Liz Conners, how pretty she'd looked tonight, how s.e.xy she was, yet exactly the opposite of Lisa. He shook his head, shoving the image away, and tried to concentrate on the gorgeous blonde with the big green eyes and luscious body standing right in front of him.

Oddly, it wasn't that easy.

Lisa could drive a man crazy with the tricks she knew, but Zach knew them all by now and the allure had long since faded.

Why am I here? he asked himself, but this time couldn't come up with a satisfactory answer.

"What's the matter, lover? Too tired?" Naked, he stood next to the bed. Lisa opened one of the foil wrapped packages on the beside table, rolled the condom onto his erection with amazing skill, then shoved him down on the mattress and climbed on top of him. "That's all right. I'm perfectly willing to do the work."

And so he let her. There didn't seem much else he could do and though he was a far different man than he had been before, he was still no saint. Zach closed his eyes and let Lisa work her magic. She brought them both to a powerful climax, but when she started in on him again, he rolled away.