“I like it that he’s already a celebrity,” Ozick said. “I don’t have to invest in making him one.”

“And, if he’s elected, what do you want from him?”

Ozick looked him in the eye. “Favorable consideration,” he said.

“Can you really get a hundred million dollars’ worth of ‘favorable consideration’ out of a President?”

“I’m not just in the casino business, you know, I’ve got money everywhere, some of it in defense industries.”

“Ah, now I get the picture.”

“Do you really, Barrington?”

“I think so. You invest, then when, say, a new fighter jet is up for bids, you get the nod.”

“A contractor always wants the nod.”

“But, because you’ve invested, you expect to get the nod.”

“I hope for an improvement in my chances.”

“So, there are no guarantees. It’s like at your gaming tables—you put down your money, and you take your chances.”

“I expect to improve on the margins I get at the casino.”

“Because, by your investment, you’ve stacked the odds in your favor.”

“Barrington, you’re a lawyer, do you expect me to answer that out loud?”

“If I were your lawyer, I’d advise you to stand on your rights under the Fifth Amendment.”

“Consider that done.”

“How long have you been a big political contributor, Hal?”

“Oh, the last half-dozen elections, I guess.”

“But you’ve lost the popular vote in five of those.”

Ozick just glared at him. Before he could speak, Nelson and Clarice Knott joined the table.

Stone looked at the single poached egg on Knott’s plate. “I see you’re in training,” he said.

Knott smiled. “Always. After all, I’m on television every night.”

“Good point,” Stone said.

“How do you keep your weight down, Stone?” Knott asked, pointing his fork at Stone’s eggs Benedict.

“I chose my parents carefully,” Stone replied. “They were both as skinny as rails. Oh, and I work out three or four days a week.”

“I hate exercise,” Knott said.

“Who doesn’t?”

Holly broke in. “Last night you said that your political philosophy is to do the right thing.”

“That’s right.”

“Tell me, how do you decide what is the right thing?”

“My folks brought me up to know the difference between right and wrong. I don’t have any trouble making that decision.”

“When you make a decision, how many people do you have to please?”

“Just one,” Knott replied with a grin.

“When I’m at work, not in Maine, cruising, I go to the President just about every day for decisions on one thing or another.”

“I expect you do.”

“The thing is, she has to please not just herself, but her party, the Congress, the nation at large, and, occasionally,” she said, looking at Ozick, “a contributor. How are you going to handle that as President?”

“Don’t you worry,” Knott said. “I’ll handle it. I’m good at handling it.”