“Yeah, with a slut. How do you think this will play out for reelection?” Delilah smirked, lifting her brow.
“These games won’t work. I’ve already talked to Carlton.”
“Who?”
“Stop playing stupid. I know you’ve been meeting up with him.”
“He’s a friend,” she replied and took a seat on the couch.
“I’d rather you stand; you won't be here long.”
She opened then closed her mouth. “What happened to you?” Delilah asked.
“Here’s what you're going to do: Pretend you don’t know me—I don’t care—but you will stop spreading lies to the papers about Laila.”
“She’s putting you up to this.”
“All we had was sex, and that wasn’t a regular thing. I’m trying to not get out of character with you, Delilah.”
“She’s the one who was a fucking escort, and you deem me not worthy of your love?!” she yelled.
I blew out a breath in frustration. “I don’t need to explain my reasons for anything. If you continue trying to hurt her, I will make it my business to end you,” I snapped, pointing in her face.
A knock came on the door, and Claudette stepped in with security.
Delilah chuckled and stood. “Son of a bitch!” She tried to smack me across the face.
I grabbed her hand before she could. “Please escort Miss Jones off the property,” I said.
“This isn’t over!” Delilah screamed, storming out.
“What do you think her next move will be?” Claudette leaned against the edge of her desk.
“Keep someone on her.”
“I don’t trust her—or Carlton.”
“Carlton knows we have too much on him. He’ll go along with what we say,” I said.
“What did you ever see in her?” Claudette joked.
“I was single and didn’t want anything serious.” I shrugged and walked out of her office. I went back to the Oval Office and finished working.
LATER IN THE DAY, I had Tony drive me over to Laila’s office. I got out of the car and went through the back of the building, so as to not disturb anyone, and I headed down the hallway toward her office. I noticed her talking to her assistant, Joanne, at the receptionist desk.
“Mr. President,” Joanne said.
“How are you, Joanne?” I asked and reached over to give her a hug.
“I’m great, sir,” Joanne responded.
I smiled at her.
“What are you doing here?” Laila checked her watch; it was going on one in the afternoon.
“I wanted to take you out to lunch,” I said.
“You're lucky; you came at the right time. I just finished with a client.” Laila locked our arms together, and we went back into her office.
“This is the first time I’ve ever really gotten to see you at work,” I said.
“It’s smaller than the White House, for sure.” She grabbed her purse and coat.
“We can go to your choice of restaurant.”
“How about we go to the loft for lunch?” she replied.
“Are you really hungry for food?” I teased, pinching her ass.
“Ouch!” she giggled.
I chuckled at her. “I take that laugh as a no.”
“How was saving the world today?” Laila queried.
I held the door open to let her walk out to the car. “Boring,” I said, not bringing up the Carlton situation.
“Well, maybe I can do something about that.” She patted me on the chest.
I winked at her and pulled her into my arms. I kissed her chin, and she gripped my dick. “Are you trying to get fucked in the car again?” I asked.
“Mr. President, I’m here to serve at your pleasure,” she said.
My shaft twitched at her statement. “Get in,” I demanded, closing the door as we left to go home.
I was happy that she’d finally agreed to move into the loft. Even though I would have preferred to stay with her all the time, I knew she wouldn’t want to make the leap to move into the White House after the way our relationship had begun.
Tony took us back to the loft. I had arranged to have lunch delivered, so we could spend some time talking before I went back to the White House.
The car pulled up, and we jumped out. I grabbed the keys to the front door and walked in behind her while the chef was packing things up.
“Mr. President, you’re set, sir,” Jeffrey said.
I thanked him with a nod.
“You ordered lunch?” Laila asked.
“I did, but we could skip it if you have other plans.” I gripped the side of her waist while we stood at the table.
“This looks good. Baked mac and cheese, salad, and pot roast.” Laila bent down and lifted the lid off the pot roast.
“Relax. I have an hour, and then I need to be back at the White House.”
“Thank you, baby.” Laila leaned back and stared into my eyes.
“What are you looking at?”
“You. I know I gave you hell early on, but I’m happy.”
“Me, too.”
“Even though it was rocky.”
“It makes it more worthwhile when you have to fight for it, Laila.”
“Delilah tried to make it seem like a sex thing only.”
“Never listen to Delilah. This is bigger than her. I love you.”
“I love you, too, Sebastian,” Laila said and kissed me on the lips.
“All right, time to eat before I fuck you on the table,” I stated, pulling a chair out for her to sit.
She chuckled, and we laughed and ate for the next hour. We talked about work and possibly setting up a vacation together.
That night, I was back at the residence, talking to her on the phone before she went to bed. Carlton had done as we asked and voted on the terms we’d set up. I’d signed the bill into law. Delilah had gone public and said there was never a relationship between us, and some gossip blogs wanted to know why she’d lied. I was grateful to move forward without any more drama in our lives and focus on the country as a whole—not my love life.
The phone rang.
“Hello,” I answered.
“Mr. President, we have a situation that needs your attention,” Claudette said.
“I’ll be there in a second,” I said and hung up. I jumped out of bed and went to the bathroom to shower and head back to work.
I made it to the Oval Office with my team, where I was briefed on an overseas operation. I went to the situation room to get briefed by my senior advisors. Everyone stood when I walked inside, and I held my hand up for them to take a seat. “Update me.”
“Mr. President, we have the Prime Ministers of France and England,” Declan Sims, the Secretary of Defense stated, and the video monitor clicked on.
“Mr. Prime Ministers, what can you tell us?” I asked.
“Mr. President, thank you for joining us in getting this situation under control,” Raphael Aspen, the Prime Minister of France, said.
“What can wen do to make sure everyone is safe?”
Our call lasted for a few hours before we came up with a solution to let their team negotiate before we sent in backup. I still approved to have a few troops on standby and sent along our diplomats to help negotiate peace overall. That’s what I ran my campaign based on, and I intended to keep any talk of war at a minimum.
Chapter 18: Sebastian
One Day Later
THE DOOR TO THE PRESS room opened, and I marched inside to the flashes of cameras, and reporters calling out my name. Last night, Claudette had called about a hostage situation overseas in France, with American citizens holed up in a hotel that had been overtaken by a militia group called Falcon. The hostages were released without being harmed in the middle of the night after negotiating with the government of France to remove certain restrictions on healthcare, improve wages, and abolish unjust violence by the police. I decided to give updates to the American public to keep the narrative focused on the
safety and security of our people.
“Thank you. Please have a seat.”
All the reporters sat, and I read off a prepared statement and answered a few questions.
“Mark Stanley from the Washington Post,” a reporter said. “Mr. President, have you spoken to the families?”
“I have briefed the families and spoken with the prime minister about getting them home safely.”
“Jamie Brewers from the Boston Globe,” another reporter said. “Mr. President, is it true that Congressman Carlton Stewart teamed up with your ex, Delilah Jones, to interfere with your relationship?”
“The only thing we're commenting about is the families being reunited,” I said and waved. “Thank you.”
“That’s all for the president,” Kaitlin said and continued answering questions.
I walked off and went back to the office. My phone vibrated in my pocket. I checked the message from Laila.
My Love: You slipped out early this morning.
Me: You were sleeping, and I didn’t want to disturb you.
My Love: Will I see you today?
Me: Probably not, baby.
She sent me an emoji with a frown, and I chortled, strolling back to the Oval Office.
Me: I love you.
My Love: Love you, too.
Me: Dinner at the residence?
My Love: If that's the only way.
Me: Today is pretty hectic.
My Love: The life of the presidency.
Me: Indeed.
I closed the message thread and put my phone on the desk. Joanne was setting down a fresh cup of coffee. “Do you need anything else, Mr. President?” Joanne asked.
“This is fine, Joanne. Thank you.”
“Claudette and Charles are ready for you,” she said and left.
“Thank you. Send them in for me.”
Claudette and Charles stepped in and took a seat on the couch. I stayed at my desk and stretched my arms behind my head.
“Sir, we got word that the hostages are on their way back to the U.S.,” Charles said.
“Good. Make sure we get our people to talk with them after they’re checked out.”
Claudette flipped through my schedule for the day. “You have a luncheon with the governors, and then a call with the small-business administrators.”
“What do you think about Laila moving in here?”
Silence filled the room.
“You mean in the White House?” Claudette asked.
“Yeah.”
Charles cleared his throat. “Do you think it’s wise to do that right now, sir? I mean, the public is just getting used to you having a girlfriend,” Charles explained.
“Am I supposed to be single for the rest of my life?” I questioned and jumped up.
“Mr. President, I believe what Charles is saying is that maybe you should give the people a little more time to get used to you as a couple,” Claudette stated.
“She’s going to be in my life forever.”
“We understand,” Charles replied and left, leaving Claudette and me alone.
“Back in college, you said you’d always be a single man because you thought finding that one person would never happen,” Claudette recalled.
I clasped my hands in front of me. “I also said I could live off cheeseburgers for a month, and we saw how that ended up.”
She laughed at my comment. “I’m happy for you,” Claudette said.
“In the beginning, I thought you were about to quit.”
She sighed. “The two of you drove me crazy with your back-and-forth.”
“Ray would agree with you.”
“Do you get along with her parents?” Claudette asked.
“You know, I’m good with her parents; they love me.”
“Sebastian Hunter, President of the United States,” Claudette muttered to herself.
“...which means anything can happen,” I commented and took the schedule out of her hand. We left the Oval Office to handle the governors’ lunch for the day.
AFTER NOT TALKING TO Laila since our text message, I’d had Tony arrange to bring her to the residence for dinner, and I asked to bring her parents. The residence was filled with laughter and conversation. Laila sat opposite me, and her parents sat next to her. I was planning on asking her to move in with me, and I wanted their blessing, in case she objected. My parents were still out of town, but Claudette, Ray, and Charles took up the rest of the seats for dinner.
“More wine, anyone?” I asked and lifted the bottle.
“I’ll take some,” Brooklyn answered, and I filled her glass.
“When are your parents coming back, Sebastian?” Timothy asked.
“Next week, sir.”
“Where did they go?” Brooklyn asked.
“Italy, for a month.”
“I’d love to travel like that one day,” Brooklyn said.
“I can make it happen,” I said.
“We saw what happened with the hostages. Have you talked with them yet?” Timothy inquired, cutting into his steak.
“We spoke with them on the phone earlier, but not in person.”
“I’m happy everyone is reunited,” Laila said.
“Me, too.” I rested my hand atop hers and squeezed. She was wearing a long-sleeved burgundy sweater with her hair pinned up in a bun. Her fire-red lipstick made me shift in my seat to calm my growing erection. I hadn’t been inside her in two days because of work, and I was hoping she’d stay the night.
“Mr. and Mrs. Daniels, have you had a chance to tour the White House?” Claudette asked.
“No, but hopefully we can before we leave,” Brooklyn said.
“Charles can arrange that,” I said.
“You sure?” Laila questioned.
I nodded that it was okay. “I wanted to ask you something.”
Laila stared at me as the table went quiet. “What is it?” Laila queried, leaned over the table and stealing a piece of steak off my plate.
I laughed, and she kissed me on the lips. “I want you to move into the residence here.”
It was dead silent except for the gasps around the table.
“The White House?” Laila motioned around the room.
“Yes, the White House.”
“But I just moved into the loft,” Laila replied.
“I know, but it would be easier to have you near me, now that everything is out in the open.”
“Sebastian, we should talk about this later, when we're alone,” Laila whispered.
“Mr. and Mrs. Daniels, what do you think?”
Laila rolled her eyes, and I lifted her hand to kiss her knuckles.
“To be honest, when this all started, I wasn’t happy about my daughter being involved with you,” Timothy remarked.
I understood; having the constant media attention bringing up all their family secrets was an issue. They were a regular family, living modestly and trying to survive, and there I was, sweeping their daughter up into a whirlwind relationship.
“If it makes Laila happy, we’re fine. Just take care of our daughter, Sebastian,” Brooklyn said.
“I plan on doing just that, ma’am.”
“Can I talk to you in the other room?” Laila tugged on my hand.
I stood and followed her into my office. She turned around with her arms crossed over her chest, tapping her foot.
“I like when you pout,” I joked. “You look even sexier.”
She sucked her teeth. “That’s not funny, Sebastian. What is this business about me moving in here?”
I bent down, making eye contact with her and grabbing her by the waist. “Are we in a relationship, Laila Daniels?”
“Yes.”
“Are you committed to me, and only me?” I pulled her close to my chest.
“Yes.” She giggled and wrapped her arms around my shoulders.
“Then please move in with me.” I started trailing kisses along the back of her ear, then ran my hand up and down her back.
&
nbsp; “Just because you’re president doesn’t mean you get your way all the time,” Laila moaned in my ear.
“I like sleeping next to you at night and waking up to you in the morning.”
“That’s the only reason?”
“Plus, hearing your soft moans when my tongue is deep in your pussy.” I started to back her up to my desk.
“Tell me more,” Laila said.
“When we're living together, I can make sure you're given a proper shower in the morning with my tongue lashing on your full breasts and ass.” I started sucking on her ear, lifting her up onto my desk.
“We have guests, baby,” Laila groaned when my hands slid between her legs.
“You’re already wet for me.” I slid her panties to the side and ran a finger across her lower lips. She arched her back, and I pulled back to see her eyes closed in arousal. “Will you move in here with me?” I covered her mouth as my finger slipped into her sex.
She moaned in pleasure. Her leg lifted around my waist, and I pulled back, removing my finger and tasting her sweet juices. “Why did you stop?” She was flustered.
“We have guests in the other room,” I teased.
She smacked me on the chest, and I helped her down from the desk. “You're not slick.”
“Come on; let's finish dinner, and we can finish talking over dessert.”
“What are we having for the dessert?” she asked.
“I’m having you; not sure what you’ll have,” I joked.
She shook her head. I went to open the door, and she stopped me. “Okay,” Laila said.
“Okay... what?”
“I’ll move in with you,” Laila said and pecked me on the lips, then walked ahead of me back into the dining room.
I stood back in awe at the woman who I would spend the rest of my life with and cherish. We’d gone through a lot over the past year, but she had managed to be what I needed, and she’d supported me in ways that I’d never imagined were possible.
I sat back down at the head of the table and poured another glass of wine. I put my hand on her thigh and squeezed. She looked over at me and smiled. I mouthed, I love you, and she replied, I love you, too.
We listened to her parents talk about her growing up, and her high school years. Once dinner was finished, I had Tony make sure that her parents got home safe. Then I brought her up to the bedroom. We showered together and lay down in bed. I massaged her head as she lay on my chest.
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