At the Pleasure of the President

by Shayla Black

  “Ma’am, I’ve been instructed to bring you to the president.” The agent stared at her with a cold, stony expression—a seeming prerequisite for getting a Secret Service job.

  Was Zack finally going to let her go and he’d elected to release her in person? Why couldn’t he kick her to the curb via text? Isn’t that what all the hip people were doing these days? That would be far less humiliating.

  Liz frowned in confusion. “Why? Isn’t he at Camp David with his friends?”

  “Yep, but I’m getting nabbed, too. And Roman isn’t answering his phone to explain. He’s so in the doghouse.”

  So she wasn’t getting fired, most likely. Then Liz had no idea what this presidential summons was about or why he’d roped Gus in too. But she didn’t want to see Zack, not after Wallace Shorn had made the staff’s perception of her relationship with the president clear. Not when she was feeling a bit maudlin and vulnerable.

  “What if I don’t want to go?” she asked.

  The agent’s lips curled up. “I’ll be forced to bring you. And I have a pair of handcuffs you would look spectacular in.”

  Well, at least he was flirting with her. Made a girl feel wanted. She needed it because she was pretty sure she wasn’t going to feel wanted in the least after this meeting with Zack. “Fine. But I want a limo—and there better be booze in it.”

  “No luck,” Gus said. “We’re taking a chopper, and I’ve been informed they’ve already nabbed Holland and Lara. Since they seem serious about getting us there, I suspect they’re intending to cordially command Everly and Sara, too. But I stole a bottle of tequila.” Gus held a ridiculously expensive bottle of the booze in her fist.

  “Ma’am, I don’t think…” When Gus sent him the kind of stabbing glare that would make any human bleed, the agent stopped and nodded. “We’ll try to keep the flight smooth for you ladies.”

  Even the Secret Service feared Gus, so that was one small blessing. But something was up. There were only so many reasons the Perfect Gentlemen would want the women to crash their boys’ weekend, none of them good.

  Liz followed the agent and her friend, her heart in her throat.

  * * * *

  Sara Bond stared out the window of her room in her brother’s DC condo, the lights of the city flickering on in anticipation of the coming night. The condo had a majestic view of the city, but then Gabe always sprung for the best. Their parents had taught him that. Money had never been a problem in her life.

  She put a hand on her growing belly. At least she had that security. Her baby wouldn’t lack for food or clothes. When she thought about her life from that perspective, she hadn’t been dealt a bad hand. Her child would grow up with the love of a father figure because her brother would step in and play the role for his niece. She had a good, secure future. As single momhood went, she’d hit the lottery.

  So why wasn’t that enough? Why did it always feel like she was missing something vital?

  “You ready? Damn, girl. That dress is stunning on you.” Her sister-in-law walked in, giving her a once-over. “You’re rocking that bump. But…are you sure you want to risk this? There could be photographers. A lot of people are interested in Gus and Roman since they got engaged.”

  Her “bump” was growing, and she wouldn’t be able to hide it much longer. She’d disguised it well until now, but in the last week she’d had no choice except to wear maternity clothes. The dress she’d donned tonight was definitely designed to accommodate her swelling middle, and Sara was surprised by how much she liked seeing the evidence of her precious baby growing inside her. That made needing to hide it for as long as possible even more odious.

  “I know the press will find out I’m pregnant at some point. For now, I’ll drape a long sweater around my body and try to stay in the middle of the crowd. I’m going to talk to Liz tonight about how to announce my pregnancy to the public soon.”

  As it was, people would speculate about the baby’s father. Mad had left all his worldly possessions to Gabe, who intended to hand Crawford over to her after the baby’s birth. When she took the helm, speculation would become outright gossip. People would probably guess Maddox had fathered her child. The business world would almost certainly respond, and the tabloids would splash her across their pages. At some point, she would have to admit that Maddox Crawford had gotten her pregnant and dumped her. Then…he’d died.

  All these months later, that was the most crushing reality of all. She was still trying to come to terms with it.

  “I’m glad Liz is coming with us. I was worried she would back out.” Everly looked chic and camera ready in her vibrant orange sheath and killer heels. Everly didn’t have to wear black to give the illusion that she hadn’t swallowed a basketball.

  Oddly, though, black felt right since she was still in mourning. How could she hate a man and yet mourn him with her whole heart?

  Sara grabbed her Judith Leiber clutch and forced her feet into sensible kitten heels. She would be the shortest in the squad tonight, but she had to accept that. Her feet could not handle five-inch stilettos right now, given the slight swelling she often had at night and her sometimes irregular balance. “Why wouldn’t Liz want to come?”

  Everly’s face flushed slightly, but she shrugged. “Well, she’s been really busy since we just got back from London, and she’s handling a lot since she’s Gus’s maid of honor. Let me tell you, Gus is insistent this wedding will be perfect, so I’m going to hunker down, do whatever bridezilla says, and survive until she says ‘I do.’”

  Something about Everly’s expression made Sara suspicious. Granted, she’d been out of the game for a while, hiding away at her parents’ place in the Hamptons, but once she’d been an excellent poker player. And Everly was bluffing.

  “That’s not why. Tell me the reason Liz wouldn’t want to come with us. What’s going on? Is she upset that Gus and Roman are getting married? I assumed she and Zack were waiting until after his reelection campaign to tie the knot.”

  “No, she’s happy for Gus and Roman.” Everly sighed. “The truth is, Liz and Zack were never really together. Not in a romantic way.”

  “Of course they were.” No one could deny the chemistry between those two. “She’s basically played the role of the First Lady since day one. I know Zack has been in mourning publicly since he was elected, but he’s also crazy about Liz. I can tell. It’s only a matter of time before they acknowledge their relationship.”

  Everly shook her head. “While you’ve been in the Hamptons, you’ve been out of the loop. I didn’t want to spend our time together gossiping, but…Zack’s been dating.”

  That shook her world a bit. Zack was Superman. He always did the right thing. “Dating? But not the woman who has stood by him for years?”

  Everly frowned. “Nope. His first date was with a supermodel.”

  Sara felt a growl forming in the back of her throat. Normally, she was perfectly sweet and feminine. She was a good executive, too. Not as cutthroat as Liz or Gus, or as badass as Everly and Holland. She probably fit in best with Lara. But she fucking hated supermodels. After Mad had broken up with her, he’d gone on a supermodel tour. He could probably write a Zagat-style rating guide of the supermodels’ vaginas.

  Everly held up her hands, obviously trying to ward off the beast. “Whoa, hold your horses. There’s more at play here than Zack wanting cheap sex. Not that it’s actually cheap. I’m sure those ladies are incredibly expensive.”

  Sara narrowed her eyes because she still wasn’t getting the whole story. “What do you know that I don’t know?”

  Everly bit her bottom lip and winced. “I can’t talk about it until I discuss it with Gabe. I’m so sorry, Sara. There’s…a lot going on.”

  She waved a hand. She knew the drill. She’d been around the guys all her life, and they kept a close circle. When she’d been ready to spend her life with Maddox Crawford, she’d thought she might break into their confidence, but it didn’t matter anymore. Best to stay focused on he
r baby. “I’ll let it go, then. I know better than to meddle with my brother’s brothers. Besides, I’m probably better off not knowing. But for a bunch of manly men, you have to admit they have so much drama.”

  “You have no idea,” Everly agreed, nodding. “But seriously, don’t hate Zack. You don’t know the whole story.”

  There was one good thing about being on the outside. She could so judge. “And I never will, so as far as I’m concerned Zack might be a great president, but he’s an asshole. I can’t get drunk with the rest of you tonight. Not on alcohol, but I can totally get drunk on self-righteousness and judgment. I think Liz is going to be my bestie for the night.”

  She was actually mindful about the way she discussed Mad, especially with the ladies. She didn’t want to seem bitter and tried not to vent her emotions to others…except Gabe when he caught her in the occasional weak moment. But tonight, it would be a nice change to have someone whose man had done them wrong. Someone who understood what it meant to spend time with all the happy couples and be thrilled for them, while dealing with her own grief and loneliness.

  Everly eased beside her, walking down the hall toward the front door. “I’m just glad you agreed to come to the city and spend time with us. I hate thinking about you all alone up there.”

  “Alone? I wish. Gus shows up all the time,” she complained good-naturedly. “Or you need help shopping and no one else has my sense of style. Yeah, I caught that one, sister. Connor and Lara rented the house next to mine, then pretended like they didn’t remember I would be their neighbor when they decided to spend a long weekend in the Hamptons.”

  “We’re all worried about you. We love you.”

  She linked her arm with Everly’s. “And I love you. I’m good, Ev. I’m finally coming out from under the cloud, and I can’t thank you guys enough for always letting me know that I wasn’t alone. I’m going to forgive Mad. I don’t want to have this baby and hate her dad. I’ve decided to move on and face the future.”

  A future without Mad. Somehow even when he’d been dating other women, she’d thought he would grow up and want to see their child. She would never have gone back to him. He’d closed that door, but she’d envisioned a future where they found a way to be good parents, maybe even friends.

  Now that would never happen, and she’d finally managed to find a sad peace in that knowledge. She’d spent hours looking over the water crashing on the shore, thinking about everything that had happened, and eventually finding closure. She’d even had her own funeral for Mad on the beach one night. She’d started a fire and burned the last pictures she’d had of them together, not in anger but so she could finally let go. She’d cried and screamed and wailed out at the moonlit ocean. Afterward, she’d slept better than she had in months.

  Everly squeezed her arm. “It’s going to be okay. You’ll see. In a couple of months we’ll have a baby to love and while we’ll all miss…”

  “You can say his name.” Everly had lost a lot, too, and in the beginning Sara hadn’t been at all easy on her. Of course, she hadn’t understood why Mad had turned to Everly. Sara knew now that he’d been leaning on his sister, not a new lover. She often worried she’d overshadowed Everly’s mourning with her own.

  “We’ll have a piece of Mad to hold on to,” Everly finished solemnly.

  Sara nodded. This was what the passing of all these months had given her. “We will. God, I hope she gets her personality from me. I don’t know if I can handle a female Mad.”

  Everly laughed. “Oh, she would be a terror. But regardless, she’ll be unforgettable because this baby is going to be the best of both of you.” She sniffled and shook off the emotion that had threatened to overtake the moment. “I can’t wait for you to lead Crawford. I’m literally counting down the days.”

  “You might not be if our stock tanks when the announcement is made.” It was something Sara worried about. She had a business degree from an Ivy League school and she’d spent plenty of time working at Bond, but this would be her first time as a CEO, and she had no idea how the market would react.

  “The board will be firmly behind you. It’s going to be great, and I’ve already talked to Liz and Gus about how to garner good press. The new onsite day care and parent-friendly work environment will be amazing. We’ll take Crawford to a whole new level,” Everly promised.

  It would be a welcome challenge and a good way for her daughter to learn the value of hard work. After all, she would inherit the company one day.

  The future. That was Sara’s focus now.

  She and Everly had almost reached the door when a hard knock resounded through the apartment.

  “Must be the car service. We’re meeting at Gus’s and taking a limo from there.” Everly glanced at her watch and frowned. “They’re a little early though.”

  Sara opened the door. Immediately, she knew the man standing there wasn’t from a car service. The broad, hard-looking man in his perfect black suit wearing aviator sunglasses had never driven a bunch of partying girls around town. Nope. He was a serious man.

  She reached out for Everly because sometimes men like him came bearing terrible news. What had happened to Gabe? She could actually feel her heart constricting with fear.

  “I’ve been sent by the president to bring you to Camp David.”

  “What?” Everly asked, her voice going breathless. “Has something happened?”

  The man’s face remained stony. “Everyone is safe, but the gentlemen require your attention.”

  Sara exhaled. Thank god, she could breathe again. Maybe this was some prank the boys were pulling, and she’d never been a part of that. Yes, she’d been looking forward to a night out with her friends, but it might be nice to stay home and read a good book.

  She stepped back. “I’ll be fine here, Ev. Call and let me know you got there okay, will you?”

  “Your presence is required, too, Ms. Bond,” the man in black said. “The others are taking a chopper, but the president felt, given your condition, that it would be more comfortable to drive you out. We need to leave in five minutes, so retrieve anything you’d like to bring with you now. I was told you shouldn’t worry about toiletries. They will be provided. And someone will bring you whatever clothes or other items you might need.”

  She shook her head. “I’m not married to any of the guys, so why am I required?”

  Required was such an odd word in this context…

  “Ma’am, it’s my job to get you to Camp David.”

  And he would do it. She looked to her sister-in-law for answers.

  Everly shrugged. “No idea. Maybe it’s a surprise for Gus? Let’s go with it. I’ll grab your prenatal vitamins. Need anything else?”

  “Nope. If Zack wants to kidnap me, he can pay for everything I’ll need while I’m in captivity,” she shot back with a tart smile.

  Everly went to the bathroom while Sara got ready for her night to be hijacked.

  Sometimes, like now, she really missed liquor.

  Chapter Three

  Zack sat back, taking another long drink as Mad continued to insist that he’d done what he’d done to protect them all, yadda yadda, yadda.

  He sighed. Why hadn’t he punched Mad in the face? Gabe had taken a swing before asking questions. Even Roman had threatened Mad with physical violence. Zack wished now that he had a do-over.

  “I’d like to discuss this whole conspiracy from top to bottom.” Connor sounded far calmer than Zack felt.

  He and Dax were actually taking this whole return-from-the-dead thing pretty well. Maybe the military and the Agency taught their operatives how to handle such scenarios better than the pencil-pushers at Harvard Law.

  “Yeah, but the explanation will be more complete if we include the guy I’ve been working with,” Mad explained.

  Gabe frowned, watching Mad like he wasn’t sure the other man wouldn’t disappear at any moment. “I thought you were working with the Secret Service.”

  Those two hadn’t hugged i
t out yet, but it was obvious Gabe was relieved Mad was no longer among the dearly departed.

  “Only Thomas and Matthew Kemp.” Mad’s face grew solemn. “I can’t tell you how sad I was that the Russian agent managed to kill Matt. He was a good man. But he wasn’t the brains behind this op.”

  Connor snorted. “Op? Seriously? That sounds ridiculous coming out of your mouth.”

  “Hey, I’m practically a spy now, brother,” Mad quipped, going from solemn to witty in a second.

  Then again, Mad had always been mercurial. In fact, he’d been properly named something close to the Mad Hatter.

  “But my partner is the real thing,” his recently risen friend insisted. “I admit, he’s insane and he’s got serious issues. Despite that, I’m hoping you’ll let him join us here.”

  Roman pointed out that the stranger would need clearance, then he and Mad started arguing. Zack merely watched from the sideline, taking in all his friends.

  He couldn’t quite feel anything except somehow separate from them. Suddenly, he was twelve again and just meeting this group of cool kids. That’s what they’d been back then. And Zack hadn’t been at all sure about his place in their circle. After all, he’d been the nerd always fearful of not living up to expectations. His father had made him vividly aware that, because of his difficult birth, his mother couldn’t have more children. So, their every ambition fell on his shoulders. Meeting Mad, and subsequently the rest of the guys, had been the first time he’d felt any camaraderie with other kids, but it had taken years before he’d really felt as if he belonged.

  Now he was back on the outside because he might be a Russian plant sent to destroy the country they all loved. His very DNA could make him a traitor. Hell, Mad had been investigating him. Zack wasn’t sure he should even be sitting here among his own pack anymore.

  Equally disquieting, Elizabeth Matthews would walk through that door soon. Any moment, the chopper should arrive, and the car not long after that, depending on the traffic out of DC. All the women would be here with their men—and he wouldn’t be able to touch his. Because he wasn’t sure he could trust his.