“I know.”

Stephanie placed both hands on the desktop and leaned forward in thought. “I suppose a bomb up his ass would be too subtle. There’s gotta be a way to fix this.”

“Well,” Roc said with an obvious hesitation, “we could ask him to come along with us.”

“Absolutely. Let’s ruin our great plans so he can get his way and sabotage the whole thing.”

“Oh, it could be fun,” Roc said, his mind reeling. “He does know that it’s a gay thing but he doesn’t know to what extent.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning that if we all really camp it up then he might get so uncomfortable that he’d leave early.”

“Maybe,” Stephanie said while briefly considering this idea. “But in the meantime we have to put up with the son of a bitch. No, I’m not letting him mess this up.”

“I don’t see any other way out of it. Either he goes or I don’t.”

“Let me think on this a minute… there’s gotta be a way.” Easing herself into her usual chair she planted her hands firmly on the armrests as if to ground herself to the great cosmic forces floating freely about the room in order to divine a solution. “I don’t suppose you could come down with something contagious in the next two hours.”

“I don’t think he’d buy that. Besides, he’s so convinced that he’ll be made president if he develops that report that I doubt if a little virus will stop him.”

She shook her head. “No, I mean if you tell him you’re too sick and contagious to be around he’s not gonna want to expose himself to the possibility of being sick. He thinks you’re at death’s door, you’re up in the mountains and out of reach… perfect.”

“I don’t think he’d fall for it.”

Stephanie shook her head. “Yeah, you’re probably right. Well, why not just flatly refuse?”