Electing Love (The Collins Brothers Book Three) Read online

  Electing Love

  The Collins Brothers Book 3

  Victoria Pinder

  Electing Love

  Copyright©2016

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemble to actual events, business establishments, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

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  Your support of author’s rights is appreciated.

  Published in the United States of America.

  Copyright © 2016 Victoria Pinder Love in a Book

  All rights reserved.

  DEDICATION

  This book is dedicated to my students of Advanced Placement Government, both then and now. I’ve been talking about politics for a decade without using my skills as an author. So this romance novel is inspired from hundreds of questions I’ve answered throughout the years. I’m so happy to find a way to blend our conversations with my romance writing.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Gerard

  “I will not propose to a woman to win an election.” Gerard Collins pinched the bridge of his nose and shoved himself away from the boardroom table.

  “Do you want to win?”

  Yes, but he didn’t say it. He then turned his six-foot, three-inch frame away from the table, stared at the ground, and grimaced. His campaign manager, Barnie, was now silent.

  Gerard assumed he needed to give the man time to adjust. Barnie always won elections. Gerard had hired him to ensure success, so he turned toward the man and began his argument. “The Constitution doesn’t say a senator must be married.”

  Barnie adjusted his glasses and sat in his chair. “But the facts are, in America, single men don’t win elections.”

  Gerard leaned closer to the table. This was an argument he had to win, and as a lawyer he’d always won his cases. “Barnie, it could happen. I’m not on the ticket for president.”

  “The United States Senate is a federal position, and you’ve dated far too many women in the past few years.”

  “So?”

  “It’s a liability, added with the fact you are only thirty years old.” Barnie pushed his round glasses higher on his nose. Gerard pressed his lips together as Bernie explained in an even tone, “You need to appear stable. If you want to win this thing, then we need to get you a Jackie Kennedy to stand at your side.”

  In Massachusetts, the Kennedy name would never die out. It was the image the community cherished. As he rubbed the five o’clock shadow on his chin, Gerard swallowed and glanced out the window toward the autumn grayness of Boston.

  He knew he had to do everything in his power to at least try. His opponent was beyond corrupt, and connected to the worst people in the city. He sighed and shook his head.

  “I’ll get the list in order.” Barnie stood and walked away from the table.

  Gerard tried to silence his brain, but it ran with thoughts. The clock across the street read eight o’clock as the moon peeked out from behind the clouds. His mother would not like this plan.

  “Unnecessary.” Gerard reached for a file on his desk. “I can’t agree to this.”

  Barnie crossed his arms. “Without a wife, I can’t help you win this election.”

  Gerard needed to appear viable. “Marriage to the wrong woman sounds worse than life without parole.”

  Barnie took steps back toward the table. “If she’s paid, then she understands her role.”

  Gerard’s eyes widened. This plan grew worse and worse every second. “This is just numbers to you, but it’s my life.”

  “A life in public office is everyone’s business, and marriage shows the public you’re stable.”

  Gerard had put his name on the ballot to ensure the Boroni boys in Chelsea never hurt another soul. His brother’s government operation was an anti-gang coalition between his own law office, the FBI, and the Boston police. Gerard decided he’d serve his country well if he ran an anti-corruption campaign.

  Plus with Gerard Collins on the ticket, every meeting he had with police, federal officers, and politicians appeared personal and not covert in any way. Until they busted the Boronis, Gerard would remain a major candidate for the US Senate. Gerard straightened his tie. “I prefer to win on my own merits. Women are a complication.”

  “Nonsense.” Barnie opened an Excel document and pushed a tablet across the table. The man had clearly done his research. “You need to appear a stable candidate to the voters, and marriage is a perfect example, Gerard. You hired me to help you win this thing, and we can’t win without a wife.”

  “I hired you because you’re the best.” Gerard’s neck tightened and something lodged in his chest. In a flash he thought about Nicole Burns, but then her image dissipated. This responsibility was making it difficult to breathe. “There has to be another way than date some poor woman for the cameras. What if I don’t win? What do I do with her then?”

  Barnie shook his head and pointed to something on his tablet. “Marriage is needed. Not a pretty girlfriend or a fiancée. You’ve had plenty of those, and they’re a liability. Your history and your age are the primary weaknesses Thomas Cecchi will pounce on. We need to take a tactical step to minimize any damage now.”

  The thought left Gerard’s entire body cold. He’d not let more corruption ruin his beautiful home. Gerard shook his head. He’d never marry anyone Barnie had on some spreadsheet.

  Gerard narrowed his gaze on the tablet like he was reading the names.

  “We can pay for your hand in marriage, which is temporary, until you leave office.” Barnie shrugged. “I’ve successfully hired wives in the past.”

  The question begged to be asked. “What’s the rate for something like that?”

  Barnie fixed his glasses again. “One hundred thousand dollars a year.”

  Money from his trust fund, of course.

  “I won’t ask another question.” The heaviness in his stomach settled. Then he opened his mouth to say something, but he couldn’t. What would he do and not do to win was the question that hung in his head. Instead, defeated, he nodded.

  Barnie stilled and waited to see if he would argue again. Gerard understood the confusion. He would do this, or at least pretend to. He settled on his plan to stall Barnie until he won on his own merits.

  Gerard leaned closer. Barnie seemed apprehensive about the next question, but Gerard kept his words level. “Can we plan the wedding for after the campaign? This way the contract ends and no one has expectations if I don’t win.”

  “I’ll run the numbers once the woman is not just speculation, but we’ll have to sell stability to the public. I’d rather a weekend wedding as soon as we can.” Barnie massaged his neck, and then took his tablet back to type something. “I’ll compile a list of qualifications tonight of how we need your future wife to appear to the voters to balance out your weaknesses. When the list is done, I’ll do a profile of available socialites in the Boston area and, if necessary, take the search nationwide. I can get you a wife by the
end of the week.”

  “And if this doesn’t work out according to plan?”

  “Then you get a quiet divorce. People do it all the time.”

  The men shook hands and walked into the hallway of the campaign office. Staffers and interns were everywhere, and the halls were filled with activity. At his corner office, Gerard nodded at Barnie. “You’ve done this before?”

  “One governor I worked for was gay, but his state was deep in the Bible Belt. Trust me.” Barnie continued down the hall toward his own office.

  Gerard didn’t say anything else. If he did, he could find himself down the aisle this Saturday. Barnie had worked on multiple elections throughout the country as a strategist since college, and had a long list of wins.

  Gerard closed the door to his office and found his phone. He’d have to tell his mother the plan later, much later. He stared through the window at the gray skies and down at the cobblestoned sidewalks.

  Then his mind flashed to his mother’s shaking head. She’d kill him for a fake marriage, and then she’d explain how he had committed a major sin. He took a deep breath and focused on the cobblestones outside.

  Gerard watched a family that held hands, laughed, and jumped over a puddle. His gut twisted. His older brothers, Sean and Daniel, were happily married to their perfect matches. Love did exist.

  Gerard found his cell phone and scrolled through his contact list. No name caught his eye as a future wife. Again Nicole’s faded image floated through his thoughts, but she was in another world.

  Instead, he dialed the one who had inspired his campaign—Liam, his baby brother, the FBI agent.

  The phone rang, and Gerard walked out of the brownstone that served as campaign headquarters and headed onto the street. He walked briskly as the phone rang. Liam answered on the third ring. “Hello.”

  “You encouraged me to band the politicians, the FBI, and the local police together to start this ‘end gang violence’ political group against the Boroni family and put my name on the ballot.” Gerard pushed his fingers against the bridge of his nose and stopped. “Nowhere in the ‘help end corruption’ playbook does it state that I have to get married.”

  “What? Married?” Liam asked with a crackle of laughter. “That would leave me the only single Collins boy left for Mom to harass.”

  Gerard let himself smile. The first one he’d had all day. “Barnie wants to hire a wife from his list.”

  Liam sounded surprised. “He has a list?”

  At least he wasn’t the only one shocked. Gerard pressed his lips together to keep from laughing. “Yep.”

  Liam gave a low whistle. “Mom won’t like this plan of yours.”

  “It’s not my plan.”

  “It’s your finger that would get the band.”

  “We won’t tell her.” Gerard closed his eyes for a second. Then he opened them to stay aware of everyone on the street. “She’ll never know I agreed to this in order to win.”

  “I’ve met our mom.” Liam laughed, and Gerard could picture his face bright red. “I can those hear wedding bells already.”

  Gerard clenched his fists. “No. Sacrifices must be made in order to bring criminals to justice.”

  “I agree.”

  That had been sincere. “We’ll all be better off in the long run.”

  “You break women’s hearts for breakfast, Gerard.”

  Heat rose to his face. He’d never intended to break any woman’s heart. He’d just never found that woman who could fit in his life, though he’d never given much time or effort to fall in love.

  Women floated into his life and then right back out. The women he met never struck him very deeply. “Every woman I meet wants a wedding the day after I say hello. People don’t fall in love in a moment, despite our family history.”

  “Daniel married Kate a week after meeting her,” Liam pointed out.

  “Daniel is the exception to the rule, but until Kate, he’d have agreed with me. Sean’s always been a hopeless case when it came to Gigi.” Unlike his brothers, Gerard had had exceptionally bad luck with women. He hadn’t even really dated Nicole, the one woman who haunted his dreams. Marriage was out of the question. “And I’m not boring, like our stable older brothers.”

  “No, and you do date the most interesting women,” Liam joked. “Researching their FBI files becomes a temptation every time I meet a new one.”

  “Truthfully, I brought home the fun characters so Mom would give up on me.” The truth was that no woman had ever measured up to what he wanted, and he enjoyed being single. “I let Barnie think he could find me a bride, but I don’t know how this works. I want to win.”

  “So you’re walking down the aisle. Guess one day I’ll have to ask Barnie for this list of potential wives too,” Liam told him. “I’d love to hear who he matches for me.”

  Gerard shook his head as people passed him. “What if I immediately dislike his choice?”

  “Act overeager. A woman will never want a man already in love with her. She’s taking the money, so that’s the better strategy.”

  “I won’t act desperate.” Gerard crossed his arms, ready to argue. Then he realized how the conversation had spiraled and dropped his arms to his sides. “Once the debates end and election day is closer, I won’t play nice with anyone.”

  “If you think that will work.” Liam sounded distracted. “I have to go, bro. I can’t wait to meet your new bride.”

  “Shut up. I’ll see you Sunday at the parents.”

  Liam added at the last moment, “Bring the future missus.”

  Gerard hung up. He swallowed hard and turned into a coffee shop. On his phone, he opened a file to read as he waited to order his afternoon brew. The sooner Liam finished the FBI investigation of the Boroni secrets, the sooner Gerard could prove his opponent was drenched in corruption and connected to violence.

  The quicker this went, the faster he could avoid the tick-tock of the clock around his neck. Gerard cracked his knuckles absently.

  The words in his file didn’t make sense in his brain, no matter how many times he stared at the sentences. He shook his head and ordered from the man behind the register. “I’ll have a medium coffee.”

  A moment later, he held his coffee and diluted the blackness with a splash of milk while his mother’s lectures on health replayed in his mind. He added the lid and sipped the bitter and perfect brew.

  A wife that accepted money like a job was not one that fit into his plans. The woman he eventually married would love him. The woman he dreamed about had to be out there, even if he wasn’t looking for her.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Nicole

  Nicole Wyman checked her royal-blue dress to make sure it clung in all the right places and then stepped into the restaurant that was hosting her movie premiere party.

  Physically, she was pretty. She’d used that advantage to get where she was now. She now had multiple homes, a bank account that kept her secure, and paid for good hospital access that worked out for her half-sister.

  Her phone rang and she glanced at the number. Stella, her half-sister, had horrible timing. Nicole swallowed and silenced the phone. She’d call Stella in the psychiatric ward as soon as this event ended.

  Nicole swept through the doors of the exclusive Los Angeles club and glanced around the first floor.

  This nonsense was what made her a movie star and afforded everything she needed. Angela, her assistant, was speaking to someone on her phone. She covered the mouthpiece and stepped next to Nicole. “I’ve ordered your meal. Roy Murray is waiting for you at the bar.”

  Nicole pictured the salad that she would eat. She inhaled and didn’t say that right now she wanted to forget more movies and eat spaghetti again.

  Nicole did what was necessary to ensure she appeared perfect. Daily diet and exercise ensured that men thought her a star.

  It did not, however, ensure that she was paid the same. Male actors, like the one in her last romantic comedy and had never worked on his
craft, somehow made more. Perhaps it was time to quit or she might end up being a raging feminist out of boredom. She grimaced then walked toward Roy, her agent.

  Roy would likely tell her what project he’d found for her next, but halfway across the room, she glimpsed the television behind the bar and froze. Her body went numb, but then a lightning storm rushed through her entire body as her vision sharpened.

  Gerard Collins was on the news.

  She crossed her arms and shook her head as she stared at her past and her dream all rolled up into one person.

  He shone in a nice suit while he spoke to a crowd as the word corruption echoed in her ears. Her sister Stella, who was diagnosed as schizophrenic now, had set out to be with Gerard years ago. Nicole’s heart stirred. Her own fantasy guy that she’d never had was in living color.

  Her mind clouded. This must be why Stella had called. Her doctors would have to up her medication.

  Nicole swallowed.

  Roy stood next to two seats in the corner. “Dollface!”

  Idiot. This was the twenty-first century and men shouldn’t use words like that. She was his bread and butter, and he should treat her better. She motioned to the bartender and gave him a practiced smile. He came over and took her order. Then she turned to Roy and rubbed her nose. “My name is Nicole. It always has been, and I would appreciate if you would use it.”

  Her focus stayed on the television as Gerard spoke to a crowd. Her gaze stayed on Gerard’s flawless smile, complete with dimples. His muscular frame would rival most of her costars’. She sucked in her breath and glared at his image. What would he be on television for, speaking about corruption?

  Her body temperature skyrocketed and her pulse raced. She missed every other word and tapped her foot to bring herself under control. The Gerard fantasy was the reason her sister had self-medicated with illegal drugs and horrible choices that landed her in a private hospital, and he didn’t even know it. Her fingers curled into a fist. Her own crush on him had been destroyed in her sister’s carnage.