Page 161 of Drama Queen

Cigars,whiskey, vetiver, sandalwood and something pungent and decidedly male. These were the scents her mind catalogued as Charlotte’s mind groggily rose to the surface.

“Are you back with me, sweetheart?” a voice rumbled quietly.

Something moved beneath her, and then gentle fingers stroked across her face. Drowsily, she turned her head toward them, encouraging more soft touches. Her mother had done this when she was a child, especially when she was upset. Holding her tight and gently stroking her face as she soothed away the pain.

“You’re not my mother,” she said, rubbing her cheek against the large palm now resting against it.

“I should certainly hope not,” the male replied.

He shifted again, making Charlotte realise she was draped across his lap. The notion was startling enough that reality came crashing back to her. Opening her eyes, she found what she now expected — the president’s tawny gaze staring worriedly at her, as her left cheek rested against his shoulder, and her right one was cupped by his hand.

The jacket he was wearing was the source of many of the scents, the cigars and whiskey strongest, although faint enough that she knew he hadn’t had either today.

“You should get that dry-cleaned,” she murmured, at the same time he spoke.

“Have you eaten today?”

The cross purposes of their comments silenced them both, but the president recovered first.

“I’m going to take that as a no. While I appreciate the advice, I don’t think you meant to say it aloud, nor to snuggle into me so sweetly, my cat doesn’t want to let you go.”

That last comment certainly made her brain sit up and pay attention. She was indeed draped across his lap as he sat at the edge of her own tub chair. His right arm was behind her, holding her up, and the left one mostly held her to his side, while he still stroked her face gently.

“I — No, sir,” she mumbled, embarrassed.

“Please, forgive my familiarity,” he apologised, slowly bringing her upright, yet still holding her on his lap. “I had only enough time to catch you and sit before we both fell. You were only out a minute or two, and I was just assessing your condition to see whether I needed to call for help, when your eyes began to flutter open.”

“There is no need to apologise, I’m the one who freaked out and shut down,” she replied, a nervous half giggle slipping past her lips before Charlotte could stop it.

He smiled indulgently at her. “As you said, it’s been a day, and if you haven’t eaten, it’s a wonder you’ve lasted this long.”

“I had a protein shake this morning, and a coffee while I waited for your car.”

“I see,” he said darkly, then sighed. “My cat is demanding we take you out to the food and hand feed you until the colour comes back to your cheeks.”

“But?” she asked, before she could stop herself.

“But I can’t take you into that room until I have your answer, because it changes everything if you say yes,” he replied. “I know it’s not fair, but I need you to say yes, Charlotte.”

“There’s no other way? You can’t find someone more qualified? I mean, I have the inside knowledge to steer them around most things, and I even write the speeches. There’s not a lot they could do wrong, given the announcement was only this morning and Grace already fucked that up.”

“There’s more to it, but until it goes public, I can’t share it with you. Suffice to say, what we need right now is a united front, a seamless transition, and a degree of competency and professionalism that only someone intimately familiar with the role could provide. There is a crisis, Charlotte, and we need you to hit the ground running.”

A crisis? Already? “From Grace?” she wriggled uncomfortably, trying to get him to let her go, but he only held her tighter. “And do we need to discuss this with me sitting in your lap?”

The gold in his gaze became more pronounced, the pupils flaring larger and larger, while Leonard’s dark hair lightened and grew longer. It was clear his lion was agitated and close to the surface.

“You’re not going anywhere right now, I’m afraid. He’s feeling rather protective of you. I would also recommend not moving around so much either, you’re grinding against parts of my anatomy that are also feeling rather possessive.”

Charlotte had already felt the firm length at her hip, the very reason she’d wanted to stand in the first place. Yet it wasn’t that so much that caught her attention. “Did you just refer to your penis as its own entity?” she asked, incredulous.

The dark smile that twisted his lips only made her heart beat faster. “Well, I’m certainly not in control there, and it has been known to overtake my cognitive processes from time to time.”

That moment right there went to the top of the list of improbable events of the day. She was sitting on the president’s lap discussing his penis while it hardened against her. Her mind was spiralling again, chanting ‘what the fuck’ at her over and over again, until it slipped quietly past her lips.

She was sitting in his lap, so even if Leonard didn’t have superior hearing, there was no way he could have missed it. The smile curled a little higher, making her heart flutter, but whether it was in fear or interest, she couldn’t tell.

“Perhaps we should return to the topic at hand,” he said after a moment of them staring at each other.

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