Seducing The Capitol: Seduction In The City, #5

By J.F. Lowe

A journalist must follow the clues, no matter how far that takes her or what it takes to get it. Danielle Carter, driven environmental journalist, bloodhound on the trail of corruption, cool, calm, and collected to the very core, but staring at the senator across from leaves her completely loss for words. He looked nothing like the old-moneyed oil baron that was tearing this country apart with his short-sighted policies and money-grubbing ways.

But was it all ruse? Was Senator Andrew Hunt, son of the Texas oil tycoon hiding the truth?  Could she risk it all to expose him?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Seduction and Sin Publishing
• Release date: Feb 15, 2022
• ISBN: 9780645351644

J.F. Lowe

USA Today bestselling author, J.F. Lowe is renowned for writing spine-tingling thrillers, heart-Wickedly Innocent military romances with laugh-out-loud dialogue, alpha males, and absolutely sizzling sex scenes.

Book preview

Seducing The Capitol

By J.F. Lowe

Seducing The Capitol

J.F. Lowe

Published by Seduction and Sin Publishing

Copyright © 2022 J.F. Lowe 

Edited by Bailey Macks

EBook ISBN: 978-0-6453516-4-4

Print IBSN: 978-0-6453516-5-1

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.

This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination and are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or establishments is solely coincidental.

Warning: The contents of this book for a mature audience.

Acknowledgements

I want to say a special thanks to the people who make this series work. As my husband and I traveled around the United States of America in 2019, we were lucky enough to go to some of the amazing places and to meet some absolutely fabulous people. These places and people were my inspiration. Like the other books in this series, Seducing The Capitol was inspired by our trip to Washington, DC, and our tour not only of the Capitol building but all the monuments and integral parts of American political history.

Through this novel, I refer to the United States Capitol Building and how easily one could not only get lost in the building but get lost in its beauty. So here is a little more about the capitol building and where my inspiration for the story came from.

The United States Capitol Building is located in Washington, D.C., at the eastern end of the National Mall on a plateau 88 feet above the level of the Potomac River, commanding a westward view across the U.S. Capitol Reflecting Pool to the Washington Monument 1.4 miles away and the Lincoln Memorial 2.2 miles away.

At the U.S. Capitol, the Senate and the House of Representatives come together to discuss, debate, and deliberate national policy; develop consensus; and craft the country's laws. As the nation has grown, so has the U.S. Capitol: today, it covers well over 1.5 million square feet, has over 600 rooms, and miles of corridors. It is crowned by a magnificent white dome that overlooks the city of Washington and has become a widely recognized icon of the American people and government. The U.S. Capitol's design was selected by President George Washington in 1793, and construction began shortly thereafter.

The U.S. Capitol is among the most architecturally impressive and symbolically important buildings in the world. It has housed the meeting chambers of the Senate and the House of Representatives for over two centuries. Begun in 1793, the U.S. Capitol has been built, burnt, rebuilt, extended, and restored; today, it stands as a monument not only to its builders but also to the American people and their government.

As the focal point of the government's Legislative Branch, the U.S. Capitol is the centerpiece of the Capitol Campus, which includes the principal Congressional office buildings and three Library of Congress buildings constructed on Capitol Hill in the 19th and 20th centuries.

In addition to its active use by Congress, the U.S. Capitol is a museum of American art and history. Each year, it is visited by an estimated 3-5 million people from around the world.

A fine example of 19th-century neoclassical architecture, the U.S. Capitol combines function with aesthetics. Its designs derived from ancient Greece and Rome evoke the ideals that guided the nation's founders as they framed their new republic. As the building was expanded from its original design, harmony with the existing portions was carefully maintained.

Today, the U.S. Capitol covers a ground area of 175,170 square feet, or about 4 acres, and has a floor area of approximately 16-1/2 acres. Its length, from north to south, is 751 feet 4 inches; its greatest width, including approaches, is 350 feet. Its height above the base line on the east front to the top of the Statue of Freedom is 288 feet. The building contains approximately 540 rooms and has 658 windows (108 in the dome alone) and approximately 850 doorways. Doorways that I found could lead to more than just politics.

About this Book

A journalist must follow the clues, no matter how far that takes her or what it takes to get it. Danielle Carter, driven environmental journalist, bloodhound on the trail of corruption, cool, calm, and collected to the very core, but staring at the senator across from leaves her completely loss for words. He looked nothing like the old-moneyed oil baron that was tearing this country apart with his short-sighted policies and money-grubbing ways. But was it all ruse? Was Senator Andrew Hunt, son of the Texas oil tycoon hiding the truth? Could she risk it all to expose him?

Chapter 1

Andrew Hunt sat alone in front of his dressing room mirror, peering into the face of a man that he didn’t recognize. How long had it been since he’d taken a good, hard look at himself? Not just a passing glance to make sure that everything was in order for yet another public appearance, but an actual look?

Since before she died, that was for sure. Probably years before she’d passed, if he was being honest. Once he’d met her, he’d relied on her to tell him when he looked good and when he needed some touching up. She’d stared hard into him, both inside and out, so that he didn’t have to. And he’d done the same for her. They’d been mirrors for one another, but now she was gone, and Andrew Hunt was all alone.

A chorus of approaching, laughing voices announced that at least part of his loneliness was soon to be assuaged though. A man didn’t get to be in his position and get too much time alone with himself. No, the duties of being a senator were already intruding once again.

His staff filed into the dressing room, a collection of starry-eyed youngsters that he’d grown to be mildly affectionate of.

There was Johnny, the frat boy that had at least a little more going on under the surface than met the eye. As best Andrew could tell, his dad had wanted him to take up the family oil business, but he’d expressed an interest in politics instead. That was something that the senator could relate to on a deeply spiritual level, but he sure wasn’t going to say it out loud. Instead, he had just tried to guide the boy as best he could.

How’s it going, boss? You see the new intern they have over at McClellan’s? She’s smokin’. Johnny leaned against the wall in a pose that he’d surely practiced a hundred times just to get the right balance of casual and flirtatious.

Andrew didn’t have to sigh. Fortunately, he had Emily there for that and to add a dramatic roll of her eyes on top. The blonde took her position on the other side of Andrew, as far away from Johnny as possible.

If Johnny could have a polar opposite, it was Emily. Straight A’s throughout school, absolutely driven and dedicated, no time for anyone’s crap. Andrew was pretty sure the two of them would be dating in under a year.

Johnny, if you think that girl would give you the time of day, you’re completely out of your mind. To say that she’s out of your league would be a dramatic understatement.

Oh yeah? Johnny shot back with a cheeky grin before Andrew could nip this silliness in the bud. Speaking of leagues, why were you chatting up that musclehead out front? I saw you yesterday, no need to play coy.

Andrew could see Emily blush violently through the mirror. A year ago, he’d been pretty lost as to how to handle these three, but he’d picked up a thing or two since then, and now it just felt like family.

And what do you think, Katherine? he asked the third and final staffer, who’d slipped in, unassuming as always, and taken to standing where she would be least noticed.

Katherine was the quietest of the bunch by a long shot, but he’d been quite determined to change that.

I think that maybe Johnny doesn’t actually care about the new intern, and Emily doesn’t much care about the fellow out front. They really just care about the other one knowing about it. Her voice was soft but carried a unique charisma, and everyone that knew her stopped and listened when she spoke. Even the two that she happened to be her targets.

Johnny and Emily both took it exactly as expected, huffing and turning away to hide their respective embarrassment. Thank God he wasn’t the only one that could see through these silly games. Katherine had it in her to be a real winner one day, in whatever field she wanted. A part of him thought she would be wasted in politics, but who knew what the future would hold?

He met her eyes in the mirror, smiling reassuringly at her. The tiny smile she gave in reply was tough for her, and he treasured it all the more for that. Of the three, she was the one that had benefited the most from his mentoring.

With the sudden silence in the room and nothing to hold his attention, Andrew found his thoughts drifting back to places that he’d really rather not go. Every day was a struggle to distract himself, every conversation a new opportunity to focus on something else. It was hard, and he couldn’t tell if it was getting harder or easier.

He had too much self-control to sigh, but damn did he want to. But then they would all pipe up to ask what was wrong, and he really didn’t want to have to get into that with them. They’d all be sympathetic, sure, but they didn’t really have the necessary life experience to grasp that kind of loss. At least he hoped they didn’t. Nobody should have to lose the love of their life.

Have you all ever… He realized that he was talking a moment too late, but he managed to cut himself off in time.

All three looked up from what they were doing to meet his gaze in the mirror. All three wore questioning looks, a single eyebrow raised. He could almost laugh at the sight. They’d all picked up that exact same inquisitive stare from watching him, hadn’t they?

It’s nothing, he said with a wave of his hand. "Doesn’t matter. Anyway, where’s the makeup girl?

Emily headed straight from the door but still had time to call back over her shoulder, I’m not sure that’s PC, Mr. Hunt. Her laugh hung in the air as she slipped out.

Andrew caught Johnny’s reaction as he stared after her wistfully. Yeah, those two were absolutely hopeless with one another.

So who’s first on the agenda, Katherine? he asked, meeting her gaze in the mirror.

She nodded and stepped forward, flipping through the binder that never left her hands. It looks like Ronny Thompson is running late, so he got bumped to the back of the line. First up is a newcomer, a Danielle Carter.

Shame about Ronny. Unsurprising, but a shame, he mused. Then again, their interviews were less professional affairs and more excuses to chat, snack, and shoot the shit. Ah well, looks like he would have to answer some actual questions today. So tell me about her.

Yeah, is she hot? Johnny chimed in from the corner.

Andrew watched in amusement as Johnny slowly realized exactly how withering Katherine’s stare in his direction was. In seconds, he was muttering something that vaguely resembled an apology and looking down at his feet.

Good thing Katherine was there because Andrew wasn’t exactly sure he had a leg to stand on if he had to give the rebuke himself. Heaven knows that he wasn’t any better at that age. He’d thought himself hot shit and probably asked that exact same question in that exact same context a dozen times over during his internship in Washington.

But then, to his surprise, Katherine produced a picture and held it up so he could see in the mirror.

That’s alright, you don’t have to… he trailed off, all thoughts obliterated from his mind in a white-hot instant. There was no way. There was simply no way.

Andrew blinked, then blinked again. There was nothing else in the world but that picture. Those dark, soulful eyes, that long flowing hair. The shape of her face, the curve of her lips…

But then he looked a little harder. No, the lips were a little too plump, and the hair too dark. And her frame was a little too slender, her eyes a little closer together.

A hand settled on his shoulder, then gave a comforting squeeze. Sorry, but I thought it was better for you to find out sooner than later, Katherine whispered in his ear.

Yes, much better to find out now that this new reporter resembled his dead wife to an uncanny degree. Much, much better to have a breakdown here than upon meeting her for the first time.

It’s alright, he said with a rattling intake of breath. He met Johnny’s eyes in the mirror and found the same concerned look. It’s fine, really.

He’d never told the three of them exactly what had happened or even commented on the depth of his feelings and loss, but they’d all figured enough out on their own. Intelligent kids were usually quite the blessing, but sometimes it felt like they knew a little too much.

Fortunately, he was saved from any further awkwardness by the arrival of the no-nonsense makeup artist, Betsy, a sturdy and efficient woman that had always had Andrew’s respect. There was no frippery or comfort with her, just an assault on the face to achieve the exact look that his publicist had said worked best for his pictures.

Emily followed sheepishly behind, but he certainly wasn’t going to chide her for it. Betsy had been haunting these halls since before he came to D.C. for