"It's that important," he said. "Will you help me?"
She nodded silently.
"Good." He patted her hands. "Between us, maybe we can keep Gene on the track."
"I'll try, Mr. President. If it means so much, I'll try. I can promise no more."
"I have complete confidence in you."
"But I draw the line at having a baby," she said defiantly.
He grinned the famous grin so often captured by photographers. "I can order a war, and I can order men to die, but not even the President of the United States has the power to order a woman to become pregnant."
For the first time, she laughed. It seemed so strange, talking intimately with a man who wielded such incredible power. Power was indeed an aphrodisiac and she began to feel the bitter disappointment of not being taken to bed.
The President rose and took her arm. "I must go now. I have a meeting with my economic advisers in a few minutes." He began guiding her toward the door. Then he stopped and drew her face to his and she felt the firmness of his lips. When he let her go, he looked into her eyes and said, "You are a very desirable woman, Mrs. Seagram. Don't you forget that."
He escorted her to the elevator.
20
Dana was waiting on the concourse when Seagram departed his plane.
"What gives?" He eyed her questioningly. "You haven't met me at the airport in ages."
"An overwhelming impulse of affection." She smiled.
He claimed his luggage and they walked to the parking lot. She held his arm tightly. The afternoon seemed a faraway dream now. She had to keep reminding herself that another man had found her alluring and had actually kissed her.
She took the wheel and drove onto the highway. The last of the rush-hour traffic had faded away, and she made good time through the Virginia countryside.
"Do you know Dirk Pitt?" he asked, breaking the silence. "Yes, he's Admiral Sandecker's special projects director. Why?"
"I'm going to burn the bastard's ass," he said.
She glanced at him in astonishment. "What's your connection with him?"
"He screwed up an important part of the project."
Her hands tightened on the wheel. "You'll find him a tough ass to burn," she said.
"Why do you say that?"
"He's considered a legend around NUMA. His list of achievements since he joined the agency is second only to his outstanding war record."
"So?"
"So, he's Admiral Sandecker's fair-haired boy."
"You forget, I carry more weight with the President than Admiral Sandecker."
"More weight than Senator George Pitt of California?" she said flatly.
He turned and looked at her. "They're related?"
"Father and son."
He slouched in a morose silence for the next several miles.