Released July 2, 2020

The governor has just been murdered, so the investigating authorities believe, and the young lieutenant governor has to step in, in more ways than he bargained on. Meanwhile Kelly Williams unsuspectingly lands in town for a job interview, and ends up walking into the wrong place at the right time. Soon she’s unwittingly caught up in the FBI’s cover-up while they investigate, trying fool the press and public as the handsome new governor’s significant other. In a high stakes farrago of garden parties and political rallies, pretense soon begins to take on an undeniable, personal life-force of its own.

Excerpt:

“You can’t just keep running around wherever, whenever, you know.”

It wasn’t accusatory or even particularly bossy, even so she reacted, hardly knowing why. The authoritative male thing, yeah, that assertive leader types felt was their prerogative to throw around, without any particular explanation either. He wouldn’t be around much longer to say one way or another, or take care of anything. And it certainly wouldn’t do to go around pretending you would, some subdural pain landing in her gut.

“What would you suggest,” with a touch of cold derision, “actually becoming one of those Stepford wife stiffs? Though I’m sure you could find one without looking too far,” absolutely naming no names.

“You think that’s what I want?” His eyes had taken on an unusual potency she didn’t recall being there a half hour ago. “Though something between the extremes of ice and hellfire might be nice,” that quiet ferocity unabated.

Biting her tongue for approximately two seconds, then ditching it, “Then again, sometimes you have to decide between the two. Instead of just taking ‘what’s there,’ as easy and uncomplicated as possible.”

“Well, for the sake of full disclosure,” his cool matching hers and raising it a skosh, “I want something with a little more passion and excitement than that- Both in and out of the… at home,” prudently switching it out, having entirely made his point.”