“Julie,” she ground out. “I’m going to hurt you if you don’t zip it.”

“You’re beautiful and sexy,” she said, as if Lauren hadn’t even spoken, “and he made you feel like Ugly Betty when you’re Audrey freaking Hepburn. You need a hot man to carry you away and remind you that you are more than the sum of a courtroom or your father’s career aspirations on your behalf.”

Lauren snorted at that. “With my luck, I’d choose an undercover reporter who’d twist me into some sort of floozy which would spiral into a scandal for my father.”

Julie’s eyes brightened mischievously and then widened with delight at her own thoughts. “Actually, Lauren, maybe that’s just what you need.”

“What the heck does that mean?” Lauren asked, frowning, pretty sure what was coming. The push. Julie loved “the push,” what she called her closing arguments on anything, in or out of a courtroom.

“Your father’s about to retire, but he has that Kennedy family grandeur in his sights. He wants you to run for office. He’s not going to give up until he convinces you.” Her eyes twinkled with mischief. “So you see a scandal can’t really hurt him, but it could help you dodge a political bullet.”

Lauren grimaced. “Apparently you’ve broken our golden rule of sobriety in public and had too much bubbly, because you’re talking craziness. I work for the District Attorney’s office. I have my own career to think about, too, and you know it.”

Julie pursed her perfect lips. “I don’t know anything of the sort. It’s not like you want to run for DA anymore than you want to run for any other appointed office. And you’re in the public sector with a conviction rate that’s well above expectations, so you’re a golden girl.”

“Any scandal I bring to the office, I bring to the DA. Not to mention, I’m not exactly the scandal kind of girl.”

“Oh, good grief,” Julie grumbled. “I was just baiting you with the whole scandal thing, but the fact that you didn’t even get that is telling, and of what, I’m not sure.”

There was an announcement at the front of the room, something about cake and presents in half an hour. Lauren skimmed her hand down her out-of-character siren-red silk gown, her gaze catching on the dainty, silver watch on her wrist, the newest in a broad collection of gifts from her father. Apologies for working late, missing birthdays and any number of other things. She wondered what had earned her a gift on his birthday, and when she’d find out.

Julie touched her arm. “You okay?”

Lauren inhaled and let it out. “Fine. I’m fine. I just need more champagne.”

“Looking for a little tolerance for step-mommy dearest, I take it?”

“Don’t you know it,” Lauren agreed, dreading the inevitable ‘make-nice moments’ with her father’s trophy wife.

“Well, to heck with our sobriety pact,” Julie declared. “A bubbly dose of patience, coming right up.”

Several minutes later, Lauren sipped from a flute and waved at one of her father’s friends across the room. She wondered if the man really was a friend, or just someone jockeying for some position.

Julie leaned in close. “Oh honey, you’re waving at an old fuddy-duddy so I’ve just waved my magic wand. I have the  perfect male specimen to carry you away to orgasmic bliss. Mr. Make Every Woman Hot And Bothered himself is in the house.”

“I seem to remember you  inferring only minutes ago that there were no men capable of such splendor at these types of events.”

“He’s your ‘midnight fantasy,’” she said, a wicked smile on her lips. “Or so a certain brunette told me just last weekend, after a few glasses of wine.”

Royce Walker. She was talking about Royce Walker. Lauren’s throat went dry at the mention of the sexy State Security Advisor who also ran a private security company with his two brothers. And, most definitely, had been the object of her ‘midnight fantasies’ on more than one occasion. “He’s here tonight?”

“Over here, Royce!” Julie called out and then grinned. “He’s not only here, he’s headed our way. You can thank me later.”

“Oh dear God, Julie,” Lauren chided. “Why did you do that? I have enough stress tonight without this.” And damn it, she needed a little fantasy here and there. She didn’t want it ruined by real life.

“If you won’t take care of you, honey,” she said, reaching out and tugging Lauren’s bodice down an inch, “I will.”

“Good evening, ladies,” Royce greeted her from behind, his voice as rawly masculine as one would expect from a man with a body of a god and long raven hair he’d regretfully tied at his nape for an event such as this one.

Lauren pulled up her dress, and shot Julie a warning look. “We’ll be talking later.”

“Of course,” Julie said with a grin a moment before Royce stepped between them, towering over them. “Hey there, Royce.”

Lauren turned fully to greet him, having only an instant to take in his tuxedo, which fit him to perfection, before her gaze collided with his crystal blue stare. “Hello,” he said, his voice lower now, almost intimate.

“Hello,” she said, willing herself to say something more, but the unexpected direct eye contact sizzled her all the way to her toes and apparently stole her ability to process words.

“Shouldn’t you be somewhere keeping your brothers out of trouble?” Julie asked him.

“As tedious and impossible as that is,” he said, “it would be more pleasant than rubbing elbows with a bunch of wanna be movers and shakers. But duty sometimes requires a tuxedo and nerves of steel.”

Lauren gaped, her reaction instantaneous, her processing skills fully recovered. She might not approve of her father wholeheartedly, but she loved him. “You do know this is my father’s birthday party, right?”

“Ah,” Julie said. “I think I should say ‘Oops’ here because I thought you two had officially met. I’m assuming that’s not the case.”

Royce’s far too sensual lips curved slightly. “Nice to finally meet you ‘officially,’ Ms. Reynolds,” he said, extending his hand to Lauren. “Though we’ve certainly crossed paths at a few events.”

She ignored his hand. “You knew who I was but you still made that comment about my father’s party?”

“When your father invited me here tonight, I suggested he cancel this monkey-suit event and have a family barbecue,” he said. “I even offered to bring the beer and my brothers for entertainment. He wasn’t interested. So yes, I knew who you were when I made the comment.”

“You told my father...” She shook her head. “Did you really?”

He held up two fingers. “Scout’s honor. And while I was never a scout, I was in the FBI for 7 years, so that’s close enough.”

“And how did my father reply to your suggestion?”

“He told me to ‘wear the damn monkey-suit and get your ass to my party.’”

She laughed. “Oh my God. That’s so my father. You really did tell him that.”

“I’m not known for my decorum, not even when I was a hostage negotiator.” He held out his hand. “Shall we try again? Nice to meet you, Ms. Reynolds.”

She liked him. He was so different from, well, everyone else here, and actually, quite like Julie. She slipped her palm against his, unprepared for the instant tingling awareness that rushed up her arm. “Lauren,” she managed, and to her dismay her voice cracked. “Call me… Lauren.”

He brought her knuckles to his lips, his gorgeous blue eyes lifting to hers. “Lauren,” he repeated softly, before releasing her hand, and man, oh man, she wanted him to touch her again like she’d never wanted to be touched before.

“I see someone I need to talk to,” Julie said. “I’ll be back in a few.” With a turn, and a covert wink at Lauren that said she’d just made up the ‘someone to talk to’ as an excuse to leave Lauren alone with Royce, she disappeared.

Royce leaned an elbow on the bar. “How long have you two been friends?”

“Five years,” she said, happy to have a comfortable subject to talk about. “We met our last year of law school.” Lauren pushed herself up on a bar stool and crossed her legs, her dress riding up a bit above the knee, which she quickly righted.