Dirty Little Liars (19 page)

“How do you know that?” Courtney asked.

“Because Winston likes me more than he likes you, and I bring him baked goods on a regular basis. Let me in.”

“No,” she said. “I’m calling security.”

“The moment you call anyone at the hotel I will call the press, give them your location, and invite them for an up close and personal interview with the scorned lover of Tyler chase. Hell, maybe I’ll even do my own interview on your behalf. Tell them all about our torrid love triangle.”

The door to the hotel room snapped open and Courtney pulled Juliette inside. “What the hell do you want from me?” she snapped as the door slammed shut.

“I want you to help get Tyler Chase elected.”

“Oh please, like he stands a chance of actually winning this race.”

“Riightt….”

“Oh don’t look at me like that. Like I’m supposed to believe you two actually have feelings for each other. You’re nothing more than a dark-haired D-cup distraction. Even if he wins, he’s never going to keep a girl like you on his side.”

“You better hope he does,” Juliette said. “Because if he does anything to piss me off I just might have to leak some stories of my own, stories about your father and his investment with Covington.”

“What are you talking about?”

Juliette reached into her bag and pulled out the enlarged copies of the photos she had snapped inside Robertson’s office. Photos of newspaper clippings of Governor Anderson, Dean Covington, and Senator Reis all smiling together at the ribbon cutting for the Old Post Office Pavilion.

“This doesn’t prove anything.”

“Oh really. So I can call a reporter up right now and let them know that your father is one of a handful of elected officials doing business with Dean Covington?”

Her eyes widened at the thought but then she scrunched up her face in anger. “You’re trying to blackmail me?”

“Not trying, sweetheart. I am blackmailing you and your father both.”

“For what? What do you want from me?”

“I want you and your father to release a statement to the press. I want you to tell them that you called off the engagement, not because your fiancé was cheating on you but because
you
were cheating on
him
. Say that you fell in love with another man, and the guilt was eating you alive. You thought Tyler could take the fall when you found the surveillance photos of me and Ty, and so you lied.”

“They will never buy that.”

“Sure they will. You go on TV, you cry. You tell them that you couldn’t go on lying to the public, that Tyler is the right man for this office and you don’t want to see him punished for your mistakes.”

“What if it doesn’t work?”

Juliette took a step closer, the humor now gone from her face. “You better hope like hell it does.”

Chapter 41: Election Day

The day of the election Juliette was a complete mess.
How did people do this, year in and year out?
Never had she been more terrified in her life. People invested so much time and money into winning an election and still on that fateful day in November it was out of their hands. They turned it over to fate and eight million people living in the state of Virginia.

They had done all that they could to make Tyler look like the better choice; still she was certain it was going to be close. Most people seemed to be eating up the many twists and turns of the campaign. Tyler caught the attention of every major news program in the country. One person had even approached them about book deals and movie rights. It was a juicy story; there was no doubt about that. But what if they lost? Would it all be worth it?

Juliette, Tyler, and Winston sat in a small closed-off bedroom at the Hay Adams hotel. Soon they would need to join the throng of reporters, politicians, and campaign volunteers awaiting them in the ballroom downstairs. But for now, until they had the final tally on which way the election would go, they waited in Ty’s all-too-familiar hotel suite. Winston had set up three different monitors on the small desk in the corner and was reviewing poll counts from each major news outlet. When he wasn’t looking at the screen he was on his blackberry, chatting directly with volunteers across the state. They were waiting for results in two counties. Both of them were rural and had a history of going Republican. But they had low turnout in the traditional Republican areas and Robertson hadn’t gone down without a fight. If enough people were turned off by the constant scandal that seemed to follow the Tyler Chase name, it might be enough to swing the election in Robertson’s direction.

Juliette wanted to drop to her knees and pray. She couldn’t remember doing so in the past, at least not since her parents died and left her an orphan. But now, here she was, pacing the room with Ty, practically begging for some sort of divine intervention.

Winston froze. “Guys.” He started just as the phone on the nightstand began to ring. “I think we just won the election.”

Chapter 42: Deal with the Devil

The days following the election were a blur, filled with speeches, interviews, and parties galore. Tyler and Juliette had officially come out in their relationship and were suddenly one of the hottest couples in town. Rather than ruin his campaign, the entire scandal seemed to make them ripe for any media coverage they could have dreamed of. And being in the spotlight suited them both.

Juliette curled up beneath the covers and draped a hand across Ty’s chest.

“What’s on the menu for today?”

“I was thinking about playing a little hooky.” He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it softly.

“I think it’s a little early to start calling in sick. You haven’t even been sworn in yet.”

“Exactly.”

Both of their cell phones began to vibrate on the nightstand. Ty ignored his and reached after Juliette when she spun to grab her own.

“Ignore it,” Ty said.

She looked at the message. “It’s Winston. We should answer it. It might be important.”

“Whatever it is, I promise it can wait ten minutes.”

“Ten minutes? Is that all I’m worth now?”

He smacked her ass. “Damn straight.”

Juliette ignored him and dialed Winston’s number. He answered after the first ring. “What’s up?”

“Is Ty with you?”

“Of course he is.”

“Good. Put me on speakerphone.”

“All right, but I can’t guarantee he’ll listen. He seems to be in an ornery mood this morning.”

“He will want to hear this,” Winston said and Juliette stiffened.

Ty’s hand stopped caressing the curve of her thigh. “What is it?”

Juliette put Winston on speakerphone and set the phone between them.

“I just hired your new chief of staff.”

“Excuse me?” Ty said.

“Wait, I thought you were his chief of staff.”

“Nah, it’s not a job I want. My goal was to get him elected. I did that. But I don’t want to be tied down. I work better off the field, under the radar, so to speak.”

“So then who did you hire?” she asked. Juliette had never given it much thought. Winston had always seemed the perfect choice.

“Courtney Anderson.”

“What?” Juliette and Ty exclaimed at the same time. Winston waited as they hurled a flurry of questions and curses his way. Tyler had jumped out of the bed and was stalking around the room half naked as he argued with an invisible Winston. Finally, Juliette picked up the phone and cut Ty’s rant off.

“Why?”

“Because we owe her. And she’ll be good at the job. And did I mention we owe her?”

“What makes you think she’ll even take the job?”

“She already told me yes.”

“You asked her without even consulting me! You can’t fucking do that!”

“Jules,” Winston pleaded softly on the other end of the line.

“Relax. I’ll work on Ty, if you really think this is the right decision to make.”

“I do. We owe her,” he said again. Juliette nodded though no one was in the room to see her. Ty had stomped into the bathroom and she could already hear the shower running. Winston hung up and Juliette clutched the phone to her chest as she fell back into the pillows.

What in the world had he gotten them into?

To Be Continued…

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About the Author

Missy Lynn Ryan is the author of the contemporary romance series Dirty Little Liars. A lover of whimsy and magic she has been telling stories (mostly ones of fiction) since she was able to string together her first sentences. Missy currently lives in the Midwest and is a current graduate student in the Seton Hill Writing Popular Fiction Program. She looks forward to the day when she can relocate to the sunny beaches of the south and spend her days writing in the sand.

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