Catching Stephanie’s witty licentiousness, Daniel smiled in spite of himself.

“Your testifying tomorrow in front of Senator Butler’s Health Policy Subcommittee is not going to be a walk in the park,” Stephanie continued. “That’s a given. But in spite of what happens there, we’re going to at least take the memory of a nice experience back to Cambridge.”

“Couldn’t we have had a nice experience at a slightly less extravagant hotel?”

“Not in my book,” Stephanie declared. “They have a health club, a masseuse, and top-rated room service, all of which we’re going to take advantage of. So start relaxing and unwinding. Besides, I’ll pick up the tab.”

“Really?”

“Sure! With the salary I’ve been pulling down, I should give some back to the company.”

“Oh, that’s a low blow!” Daniel remarked playfully, while pretending to reel from a make-believe slap.

“Look,” Stephanie said, “I know the company hasn’t been exactly able to pay our salaries for a while, but I’m going to see that this whole trip goes on the company charge card. If things go really badly tomorrow which they very well might, bankruptcy court can decide how much the Four Seasons will be paid for our indulgence.”

Daniel’s smile erupted into a full laugh. “Stephanie, you never fail to amaze me!”

“You ain’t seen nothing yet,” Stephanie said with a smile. “The question is: Are you going to let your hair down or what? Even in the taxi, I could tell you were wound up like a piano wire.”

“That was because I was worried about whether we were going to get here in one piece, not how we were going to pay for it.”

“Come on, big spender,” Stephanie said, urging Daniel forward. “Let’s get up to our suite.”

“Suite?” Daniel questioned, as he allowed himself to be dragged toward the registration desk.

Stephanie hadn’t exaggerated. Their suite overlooked a part of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal with the Potomac River in the background. On the coffee table in the sitting room was a cooler chilling a bottle of champagne. Vases of freshly cut flowers graced the bureau in the bedroom and the expansive countertop in the generous-size marble bathroom.