License to Love Read Online Free PDF Page A

Candlelight, wine, candy and flowers—they might be cliche but they never failed. He was a virtuoso at cultivating the attraction, escalating the sexual tension. When he carefully turned up the heat, they proceeded directly to the bedroom.
    His campaign was so familiar to him, he could conduct it by rote. Lately he had been.
    But this was different; she was different. He had always been careful not to become involved with any woman whose path crossed his in the legislative/lobbyist world. There was his business life and there was his social life, which he regarded as two very separate entities. Steve didn’t believe in mixing the two. He’d seen the result when others had.
    A serious conflict of interest could arise and lead to mutually damaged careers. But there was an even greater danger when a man and a woman with education, business and other common interests came together in an affair. Marriage! Steve had seen it happen time and time again and vowed it was not going to happen to him—at least not for a long, long time. Marriage would interfere with his work, his life, his golf game!
    It hadn’t been too hard to maintain his resolve. He admired his female colleagues in the political world; he respected them and enjoyed their company. But he wasn’t attracted to them. Michelle Carey made him rethink his pledge of not mixing business with pleasure. Suddenly the prospect seemed tempting, not foolish. Exciting, not unthinkable. Even the inherent danger of it appealed.
    But he didn’t reach for the phone to make the call that would kick off his official courtship campaign. Steve Sara-ceni was cool and calculating, a man not driven by impulse or passion. He would give himself time to see if his attraction to Michelle Carey was merely a passing trifle. He wouldn’t see her until the committee lunch and if he still wanted her, then he would decide whether or not to pursue her.
    Smiling, feeling pleased with himself, he called a client with an update on the House reaction to their most recent proposal. Thoughts of Michelle, women and sex were promptly evicted from his mind. Nothing distracted Steve Saraceni from the business at hand.

    The committee was unable to accept Steve’s invitation to lunch until the following week. He entertained them in style at Rillo’s, Harrisburg’s top-ranked restaurant, located on the west shore. Rillo’s marvelous food, generous portions and lively, bustling atmosphere made it a favorite among the capital crowd. Even Governor George Lindow was often spotted there.
    Michelle ordered one of the house specialties, swordfish steamed with vegetables, a lunch far removed from the sandwich and piece of fruit she usually brown-bagged at her desk. She wasn’t near Steve at the table. He had seated himself by the key committee members, those wielding the most influence, which she definitely was not. But she found herself watching and listening to him through most of the meal. He fascinated her.
    Steve was the perfect host, chatting with each of the members about a wide variety of subjects. He was well versed in everything. Books—he’d read all the bestsellers; movies—he’d seen all the latest ones; and sports—he could discuss any sport and any team and was a wealth of information about the upcoming Super Bowl. In fact, he had tickets for the big game. He made a few dry remarks about the drubbing he had taken during his blessedly short college football career.
    “I did the team a favor by leaving,” he said with a wry grin. “My replacement turned out to have the most talented hands in college football and Penn State had their choice of bowl bids that year. I still get thank-you notes from Coach Patemo.”
    Michelle watched and listened as he deftly engaged the committee leaders in a discussion of the bill. He had a smooth, sure presentation. His arguments for choosing Allied Medical Technologies Incorporated seemed so logical, so practical and advantageous for all involved that it