A Vote For Lust: A Bad Boy Political Romance

By Molly Thorne and Natasha Tanner

**SIX**

Just one more job. One more kill. And then I'll be free from this life.

Did it have to be the guy who could become president?

I shouldn't have taken the job. Now I'm stuck. Because right when I was about to do it... I saw her.

Should I follow my best instincts and get rid of her? Or should I keep her safe, even if it means they will be after me forever?

I may have made the biggest mistake of my life.

**SADIE**

He was supposed to kill me. But he saved me instead. Now, we're both on the run.

I am afraid of this man. He's a cold-blooded assassin with a hard edge. But I'm also undeniably attracted to him...

He took a single shot, and he torn my life to pieces. As election day approaches, I see my political aspirations go out in a puff of smoke.

I'm not supposed to even be near this guy. But damn if I'm not aching to go down on him in more than one way.

I guess I have my dark side too.

**This is a romantic novel with no cliffhangers and a happy ending. And action. And sex. And plot twists.**

• Language: English
• Publisher: Eros Shrugged Publishing
• Release date: Jan 27, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370127627

Molly Thorne

Molly Thorne is a new voice in the romantic literary landscape. She appeared in the scene by teaming up with rising star Danielle Slater for a series of stories about billionaire bad boys, those irresistible men whose wealth and power only make the prospect of "taming" them even more enticing. But she has many more stories ready to publish, on a variety of subjects in the realm of romance, and her pen is aching to write more! If you'd like to be notified every time Molly releases a new book, you can subscribe to her new releases mailing list: http://eepurl.com/bPCB5X And there is another list you can sign up for, to receive all her romance books for free, before they come out! The only thing Molly expects from you is that you leave an honest review once the book is published. You can subscribe here: http://eepurl.com/bTYUGv

Book preview

A VOTE FOR LUST

A BAD BOY political ROMANCE

NATASHA TANNER & MOLLY THORNE

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© 2016 Natasha Tanner, Molly Thorne

First Smashwords edition

Eros Shrugged Publishing, January 2017

Cover design by Kasmit Covers

All Rights Reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locations is purely coincidental. The characters are all productions of the authors’ imagination.

Please note that this work is intended only for adults over the age of 18 and all characters represented as 18 or over.

The persons depicted in the photo are models and are not related to the events narrated in this story, which are fictional.

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* * *

* * *

SIX

Just one more job. One more kill. And then I’ll be free from this life.

Did it have to be the guy who could become president?

I knew I shouldn’t have taken the job. And now I’m stuck. Because right when I was about to do it... I saw her.

I wasn’t going to let her be raped, that’s sure. Even a hitman has morals. But now I have to decide what to do. Should I follow my best instincts and get rid of her? Or should I keep her safe, even if it means they will be after me forever?

I may have made the biggest mistake of my life.

SADIE

He was supposed to kill me. But he saved me instead.

Now, we’re both on the run.

I am afraid of this man. He’s a cold-blooded assassin with a hard edge. But I’m also undeniably attracted to him...

He took a single shot, and he torn my life to pieces. As election day approaches, I see my political aspirations go out in a puff of smoke.

I’m a lawyer, a young promise with a great future. I’m not supposed to even be near this guy. But damn if I’m not aching to go down on him in more than one way.

I guess I have my dark side too.

This is a romantic novel with no cliffhangers and a happy ending. And action. And sex. And plot twists.

* * *

A VOTE FOR LUST

Babe I’ll take the fast train

They’ll be waiting in the black rain

Only thing to kill for is me and you

—Tove Styrke: Decay

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. THE DAY I STOPPED BELIEVING

2. FAST TRACK OUT

3. HIT THE ROAD, SIX

4. OUT OF SCOPE

5. THE YOUNG PROMISE

6. A BULLET WITH MY NAME

7. TOGETHERNESS

8. GAME OVER, PLAY AGAIN?

9. SEVEN SINS

10. EVERY TIME I CLOSE MY EYES

11. GOING SOFT

12. THE TALL WOMAN

13. A HOUSE IN GREY GARDENS

14. BUILDING MATERIALS

15. LEAPS OF FAITH

16. RESIGNATION NOTICE

17. A WALK WITH FOUR

18. A TEMPTING OFFER

19. THE HAND CLOSES

20. HOW TO VOID A CONTRACT

21. THE BOGUS BUYER

22. A STITCH IN TIME

23. AS SEEN ON TV

24. ELECTION DAY

25. THE LIVES OF A CAT

26. THE DAY I STARTED BELIEVING

* * *

THE HITMAN’S CODE

1. Only the assignment exists.

2. The target will die.

3. No witnesses. No loose ends.

4. No payment, no job.

5. Never turn your back on the buyer.

6. One job at a time.

7. A hitman is invisible.

8. A hitman has no heart.

* * *

1. THE DAY I STOPPED BELIEVING

SADIE

Present day

The first thing I saw were his eyes. Clear, sharp, luminous green eyes; all around them, the world was darkness.

The last thing I saw of him were his eyes, too. As he gave me a quick kiss and told me to wish him luck, he looked at me as if it was the last time. Maybe it is. I’m waiting for him to come back, but he might not make it.

If anyone would have told me, just three months ago, that I would end up falling in love with such a man, I would have laughed in their face. I was not made for this. I’m not the kind of girl who falls for a ruthless killer. I was an aide to a powerful man, and I was on the fast track to become a powerful woman myself; a political operator, or maybe even a representative. How would I even meet an assassin? I lived in a completely different world.

And yet... here I am, anguishing as I wait for him to come back to me. A few hours ago I didn’t even know his name. But his essence is tattooed all over my soul.

My life is in danger too, but I only care for him.

And I know that deep inside me, in its arcane world of liquid sleep, our baby cares too.

* * *

Three months ago

As I crossed the deserted parking lot, my watch denouncing the late hour, and pressed the button to call the elevator, I felt thrilled and puzzled in equal parts. It was the first time Mark called me so late to go over a proposal, and all kinds of thoughts ricocheted inside my head. Did he really want to talk about my proposal, or there was something else?

One thing was sure: I just couldn’t say no. I didn’t want to say no. Senator Mark Cross was the man of the hour, and working for him was a blessing and a huge opportunity for a young lawyer like me. In just a few months of working for the state senator, I had learned so much I could never even begin to repay him for that. Plus, his reelection was a sure thing, and all of us that were close to him were enthusiastic about the future. In just four more years, he could become the next President of the United States. Talk about blessings.

I’m so lucky that he even paid attention to me, I thought for the tenth time, as the elevator pulled me upwards and the floor numbers changed quickly in the dotted display. Word was that Mark was very picky about who would be part of his group of close aides. I had caught his eye with a proposal to eliminate formal barriers for the poor to access the court system, helping them file complaints and get answers from the authorities. Some of these people can’t even write, and those who can certainly don’t do it in legalese, I’d explained to him, vehemently, as his blue eyes were fixated on mine, studying my expression, penetrating into my young, idealistic soul. He decided to hire me on the spot.

And now, he wanted to go over my latest and most ambitious proposal, something that could not only help him secure his reelection, but also put him in front of national audiences and pave his way to the White House. This is fantastic, he had said earlier that day, visibly impressed. "You’re fantastic. And soon you’ll be writing the laws directly, or my name is not Mark Cross."

I had almost fainted at that. Me, a representative? He could put me on the list, of course; he could put anyone he wanted. In four years, his rising star could lift my own, and get me a spot in Congress as he got to the presidency. It was a wild dream, but I could feel it physically, almost touch it as the elevator door opened and I crossed the dark corridor to get into his office. He was sitting at his desk, poring over some papers, with only a small lamp throwing some light on them; the rest of the room was half dark. I recognized the papers as the proposal I’d handed him earlier. The vivid orange folder was sitting beside them, and resting on it, a bottle of expensive wine and two cups.

Hey, hi, Mark said, lifting his head to look at me. He sat up and shook my hand fervently. Please. He waved at the chair in front of his desk.

Outside, the moon was high and bright and round, sending a luminous lance through the wine bottle.

Hi, I said, sitting across the desk, expecting him to return to his seat. Instead, he reached for the bottle and cups, poured wine in both, and offered me one from behind, passing his hand over my shoulder.

Here’s to you. The youngest and brightest star in my team, Mark said, raising his cup. I honored the toast and our cups collided with a clinking sound that seemed to awake some cheerful spirit. He was still standing behind me –I noticed that he had put his free hand on my shoulder as he sipped from his cup. A paternal gesture towards his young apprentice and ally, I thought.

I won’t lie. I’d had sort of a low-intensity crush on Mark a few months ago, when I first approached him. He symbolized all the hope I had in this country, all the possibilities, the clear vision and the strength and determination to make that vision true. At the time, I wouldn’t have objected to him putting his hand on my shoulder or even way below that, but that was just a fantasy: he was much older and far more married than me, so I resisted the crush and let it turn, again, into pure, sincere admiration.

Now, it was different.

Are you OK? Mark asked.

To tell the truth, I was feeling a bit uncomfortable. He was too close and didn’t seem to want to go back to his seat to talk about the proposal. The papers were lying there and he was still standing behind me, touching my shoulder in what could be a less paternal gesture than it seemed.

I had thought that something like this could happen, but just as an aside, an extreme idea without real chances of happening. Now, I was alone with him, with presumably nobody else in the whole building, and it was late at night.

I’m fine, I said, trying not to sound too upset. Maybe I was imagining things, after all. What did you think of my proposal?

"Oh, the proposal is fantastic," he said, squeezing my shoulder gently as