by Shayla Black
He stared at her belly, emotion naked on his face.
Was she going to have this child and keep her from her father? No. She would never do that. It wasn’t fair to the child or to Mad. In fact, Sara would put up with a lot simply so her daughter had a relationship with her father.
She sighed. She and Mad did have things to work out. But she needed to make something clear to him.
“If you’re doing all of this to get me back, it won’t work. I’ll be civil with you for our daughter’s sake, but I’ll never love you again.” It was a total lie. She couldn’t not love the man in front of her. The sad truth was, she simply couldn’t trust him anymore. So they couldn’t share their lives the way she’d dreamed of. They couldn’t grow old together.
“Well, then all my work will be for nothing because, while we need to be civil, I also love you and I refuse to give up on us.” He let out a long breath. “Now, we have a nice kitchen and I made you cookies. Don’t get excited. They were break-and-bake, but they’re your favorite—peanut butter—and I also made them stock herbal teas I know you love. So let’s have a snack. I’ll rub your feet and tell you all about the exciting job we have ahead of us. We’re going to go through all of Joy’s old notebooks and a ton of press clips about her to figure out if or how she was involved in this conspiracy. Did I mention I was keeping ten years’ worth of her day planners just for you? We’re going to have so much fun.” He winked.
He was so damn charming when he wanted to be, and he knew exactly where her weaknesses lay. Peanut butter cookies for sure. Actually, she craved all things peanut butter even when she wasn’t pregnant. And damn it, how did Mad know her feet hurt? When she thought about it, he owed her one hell of a foot rub since he was responsible for her weight gain. And for all he’d put her through.
“Fine. I’ll take the foot rub. Maybe you could do my shoulders, too. But I’ve got a hard-core no-no zone, and it’s all your favorite parts. Take me to the cookies.”
The light was back in his eyes…and her heart threatened to melt. “All your parts are my favorites, and you have no idea what I could do to your toes. I’m incredibly creative. Not that I’m going to. These will be perfectly respectful fingers…for as long as you want them to be.”
He headed toward the back of their appointed prison, and Sara prayed they wouldn’t have to stay trapped together for long because being this near Mad might break her resistance—and her heart all over again.
* * * *
Three days later, Zack watched Elizabeth as she paced the Oval Office, staring down at her cell phone. She wore one of her power suits, this one a scarlet red. The skirt brushed halfway down her thighs and showed off those shapely legs that looked so damn good propped against his shoulders as he drove into her.
They’d been together for six days. In that time, he’d done his damnedest to make up for all the time together they’d lost. When they’d returned from Camp David to the White House, they’d had a brief argument about her living arrangements going forward. She’d actually thought she would go back to her apartment each night. Foolish woman. Of course she needed to keep it for appearance’s sake, but she wasn’t sleeping anywhere but beside him. He’d ended the argument by showing her just how soft and perfect for sex his presidential bed was.
He liked his new morning schedule. Wake at five thirty. Fuck Elizabeth. Six fifteen: shower with Elizabeth that would probably lead to fucking her again. Seven: breakfast with Elizabeth, and often with Gus and Roman. Seven thirty to midday: work. Noon: nooner with Elizabeth. Oh, and food…when they had time. Occasionally, he had to be flexible with lunches because he often played host to some congressional windbag or foreign dignitary, so he had to behave like a choir boy. Then, he often made do with a quickie in Elizabeth’s office where he shoved his face in her pussy or she sucked him off. Afternoons were the worst because she seemed to think she had to work and he should do the same, but when the day ended at six thirty, they hit the sheets and didn’t stop for more than a quick bite until they both fell asleep.
All in all, as long as no global skirmishes or natural disasters plagued him, it was a great schedule.
“Zack? Have you heard a word I’ve said?”
Nope, but he could guess what she was talking about. It was the only thing she’d talked about since they’d put their plan in motion. “The press is paying attention to the story about Joy and Roman in Capitol Scandals and you’re worried.”
When he’d put the gas pipeline on hold, he’d put the Russians on notice that he wouldn’t make any rash decisions. Now, he was letting the air out of their balloon, so to speak.
The first thing they had done was take care of the worst of their problems.
“Yes,” Elizabeth replied, standing in front of him, the Resolute desk between them. “Today it’s just a whisper because apparently someone assassinated the head of a large South American drug cartel and all his important underlings. Strangely enough, it’s the same man mentioned in the blackmailer’s letter, the one who threatened to come after Connor and Lara.”
“Well, now he can’t, so problem solved.” Zack didn’t see an issue since Connor had worked fast and clean. In fact, he was already on his way back to the States. When he returned, they could start a soft roll-out of the second part of their plan. “And he used sustainably sourced bullets so Lara can’t be too mad at him.”
“What does that even mean?”
“I don’t know. I made it up. Show me your breasts.” He picked up the phone and dialed his new favorite number. “Freddy, I need a blackout in the Oval.”
“Sure thing, Mr. President, and might I add I really like the bunker. I don’t know what Sara is complaining about. I think it’s awesome. And you’re dark,” Freddy said over the line.
Sometimes he worried letting Freddy squat in the bunker might mean he would become the phantom of the White House, but he wasn’t about to tell the man to move out. Freddy had immediately figured out how to handle the CCTV that followed Zack around. It had saved him from making many a sex tape in the last few days. “Give it about twenty minutes, then turn it back on. And I’ll make sure the juice boxes get resupplied.”
Freddy seemed to survive on a steady supply of beef jerky and apple juice. He wouldn’t want to be that man’s doctor, but he was more than happy to have him shut off the cameras so he could seduce Elizabeth.
He set the phone back down but Elizabeth’s gorgeous breasts were still secure behind her blouse.
“Zack, this is serious. You didn’t mention that you would be assassinating people.”
“He was a drug dealer also known for using slave labor to grow and harvest his product. I did the world a favor.” He wasn’t supposed to say that. “Or rather someone did. We can’t possibly know who it was. Come sit on my lap.”
She bit back a frustrated groan. “What else haven’t you told me? I knew about leaking the Roman/Joy story, and I know Gabe and Everly are in Moscow now. Will anything else be coming around to smack me in the face?”
“Only if you get on your knees, baby.” Getting her mouth on his cock would be an excellent way to start the afternoon. He had to meet with a group from the House this afternoon and listen to them harangue him about everything from infrastructure to world events. It would be boring as hell, and having the memory of Elizabeth’s mouth on him would make it all bearable.
“You are incorrigible, Zack.” She shook her head, but her lips curled up in the sweetest smile. “Is this what it’s like to be a woman in the Perfect Gentlemen’s inner circle? Always wondering what mischief y’all will cook up next?”
“Come here and I’ll show you.” He turned his chair so she could move in.
With a sigh, she skirted the desk and lowered herself to his lap. She cupped his cheeks. “I really can’t resist you, even when I know I should.”
She shouldn’t ever resist him because he couldn’t stand the thought of not having her. Now that she was in his bed and with him nearly twenty-four seven, he unde
rstood what a real partnership should be.
Except he was holding back from her. He wasn’t telling her everything.
“There’s no need to resist me. After all, I’m the president.” He drew her down and kissed her, loving that moment when their lips met. He’d never been a big fan of kissing before, but now he realized he’d treated all his other sexual relationships like they were part of his job. With Joy it had been almost required in the beginning, a way to procreate the two point five kids he needed to look good. Not that he wouldn’t have loved those kids, but it hadn’t happened for them. When they’d realized it probably wouldn’t, they’d stopped having sex altogether. And Zack hadn’t missed it that much. He’d certainly never wanted Joy the way he craved Elizabeth. He could spend hours simply kissing her and letting his hands roam her body.
“I have so many good reasons to resist you,” she said, laughing as he kissed her neck. “The staff is starting to gossip.”
“They’ve gossiped about us for years.” He couldn’t care less. He’d had far worse things said about him. He would take gossip about sleeping with the most beautiful woman on the planet any day.
“But then, they were always wrong,” she pointed out. “I have to think about how to handle the truth coming out so we get ahead of the story. There’s about to be a lot of relationship drama surrounding your administration, and I would like to douse those flames before they start a wildfire.”
She seemed determined to work, and Zack could only keep those cameras off for so long. He was going to have to multitask.
He got his hand on her knee and started working his way up. “You’re the press expert. How would you play our relationship if you weren’t in it?”
“Well, I would be pissed off for one thing,” she admitted.
She made him laugh. So few people had ever been able to make him forget all of his responsibilities and simply enjoy the moment, but it was hard not to when she was around. “Pretend we’re talking about someone else then. Not me, because I don’t want you to ever see me with another woman again. Not even in your head. So I’m this dumpy politician who somehow has managed to snag the hottest chick in his administration. I’m single and a famous widower. How do you manage the press around that relationship?”
“Dumpy?” She shook her head, but he could see her thinking. It was good because it was likely distracting her from the fact that his fingers were inching closer and closer to her pussy. Once his hands reached nirvana, she would melt for him. She responded passionately to him each and every time he made love to her.
“I’m not vain. Proceed.”
She relaxed against him, letting him pull up her skirt a bit. “I would advise the couple to go on a few low-key dates, ease the public into the situation. The politician in question is a beloved figure and respected, but it’s been a long time since he had a relationship, temporary skanks aside. So as long as the woman is First Lady material, I think it would be fine.”
She was thinking ahead. He liked that. “First Lady material?”
She’d thwarted his first inclination—get her pregnant so neither of them could dodge the issue of matrimony. It had almost worked for Mad. But if he needed to marry Elizabeth for the good press, then that was just what he’d have to do.
She stiffened in his arms. “I didn’t mean it that way. I just meant if the woman is respectable, I don’t think there would be much backlash.”
He stopped and forced her chin up so she would look him in the eyes. “You’re perfectly respectable. If it gets out that we’re having an affair, it won’t surprise too many people. I think my dating the way I have the last few weeks has done far more damage to my reputation than anything I might have done with you. I’ve heard certain tabloids have taken to calling me the Player President because they think I broke your heart. You’re beloved, Elizabeth. Don’t ever think otherwise.”
The press adored her. She was quick, witty, easy to talk to, made press conferences lively, and never lied to the press. They greatly preferred her to him.
“I just don’t want you to think I’m angling for a ring.”
“I don’t think that at all.” But he had every intention of giving her one. He’d already considered this. She made him happy. She couldn’t betray him. It simply wasn’t in her nature. “So you want to grab some coffee sometime?”
It would feel good not to have to sneak around. He could finally hold her hand in public without caring how it looked.
“Are you asking me on a date, Mr. President?” The haunted look in her eyes was gone. The happiness he saw there warmed him, encouraged him.
Damn, he was in deep. “I am, Ms. Matthews. But first, we’ve only got another ten minutes or so before those cameras come on.”
She laughed but was interrupted by the door opening and Roman quickly shutting it. That was the good part. The bad part? Roman was on the wrong side of that door.
“Please tell me you haven’t turned the Resolute desk into a sex surface,” his chief of staff/best friend said with a fierce frown. “You do know there are cameras in here, right? Are you planning on having an X-rated section of your presidential library?”
He tried to keep hold of Elizabeth, but she was already struggling to her feet.
“Sorry.” She straightened her skirt.
He turned on Roman, happy there was a desk between them or his insistent erection would likely be noted. “Hypocrite. I know you and Gus have sex on your desk all the time.”
“But my desk wasn’t a gift from Queen Victoria to Rutherford B. Hayes.” Roman stalked into the space, nodding Elizabeth’s way. “Have you had any calls about the article Lara published today?”
“A few. No one from the mainstream media yet, but a couple of Internet sites have sent inquiries.” If it hadn’t been for the light flush of her face, no one would know she’d almost gotten shoved on Queen Victoria’s gift and taken hard and fast by the commander in chief.
His dick was pretty resolute about that happening soon, but it would have to wait. “She was just telling me she thinks you’re going to have to do an interview.”
“You and Gus,” she corrected quickly. “Gus was one of Joy’s best friends. The truth of the matter is, if Gus and the president aren’t upset about it, I don’t think the public can be. You need to keep being seen together. You and the president, as well.”
There was a plan he could get behind. “You two can join us for our coffee date.”
Roman’s brow rose. “Coffee date? We have coffee here. Gus just had a cup. Should I send some?”
For a brilliant man, he could be obtuse. “It’s a double date to get the public used to Elizabeth and I being together. She thinks we should start slowly, hence the double date and not an orgy. That comes later.”
Roman grinned. “I would never let that happen. My fiancée has already run through a bunch of you assholes. I don’t need for her to have more to compare and contrast. Sure, we’ll join you. Anything to get the story out there so it can go away quickly.”
“That’s the plan,” Elizabeth said. “I’ll go back to my office and start thinking about an official statement.”
“Elizabeth?” She was forgetting something, and he wouldn’t have it. His whole life revolved around rules and protocols. This was one he’d put in place. “He’s not the public.”
She flushed again but moved around the desk and leaned closer. “I’ll see you tonight.”
She kissed him and he watched her go, her hips swaying. The door opened and closed. Then his world seemed to dim a little.
“Damn it, Zack, you are in too deep with that woman.”
Zack stood, facing off with his best friend. “Her name is Elizabeth and if you call her ‘that woman’ again, I’ll fire you. Do I make myself plain?”
“You prove my point, Mr. President.” The title was proof that Roman was irritated with him. He never referred to him as anything but Zack when they were alone. “I came here to give you an update on a couple of things. I talked
to the VP and calmed him down.”
“Shorn’s pissed I’m keeping him out of the loop when it comes to the pipeline,” Zack explained as he moved around to the couches decorating the office. One of them, he’d discovered, was a spectacular make-out spot. He didn’t mention that to Roman, though. “He’s been taking a lot of meetings. I’m worried he’s making promises he can’t keep.”
“He’s grumbling about us taking our time, but he seems more measured and rational since we spoke.” Roman parked himself on the very spot where Zack had gotten an excellent blowjob the day before.
Zack sat across from him. “Have Dax and Holland come up with anything on him yet?”
The couple were investigating the vice president. The truth of the matter was, Wallace Shorn didn’t want the pipeline built for environmental reasons. It was a massive undertaking, and if it happened there would be compromises along the way. Nothing new there. But Wally’s record of concern for the environment was precisely why he’d been put on the ticket. Zack had needed some balance and found value in differing opinions. Simply because Shorn might do something the Russians wanted didn’t mean he was in league with them, but Roman could be a paranoid bastard.
“Nothing yet, but they have to be careful. I can’t imagine what would happen if the press found out we’re tailing our own VP,” Roman explained. “They’re looking for any connections beyond the ones we already know. Your father approved of him, right?”
“Yes, he balanced out the ticket in several ways.” He couldn’t help but remember Elizabeth had been on board with the plan. In fact, she’d been the first one to throw his name out.
“Holland wants a couple of days to watch him. But I came to talk to you about what’s happening with Mad and Sara.”