Page 167 of Drama Queen

“Yes, sir,” Patrice replied.

“What about the rest of us?” Phillip asked.

“You’re my think tank. You’re going to give me talking points, reactions, perspectives, and anything else you can think of. Keep it short and sweet. You’re going to read my drafts, have your input, and help me refine this fucker until there is no escaping the message we choose to put forth. We will sway this conversation away from violence and towards a more productive outcome. There’s no other option.”

People started moving, calling assistants and leaving singly or in pairs, heading deeper into the building, until only she and Leonard were left.

“If you can give me the keys to your apartment and any specific instructions, I’ll have some of our people move you into one of the ambassadorial suites.”

Fuck! She’d forgotten about that.

“Uh, yeah, I’ll need my laptop, which is back at Grace’s office. I’ll also need a fresh change of clothing and stuff for a shower. How far away is my new residence?” Grace’s office andapartment were in the same building, much closer to where the humans governed the nation. The Seat, however, was clear across town. It was apparently a security move backed by both the shifter and human governments not wishing to create too large of a target for unsavoury elements. They could take out one form of government or the other, but not both at the same time.

Leonard smiled at her, the predatory look returning to his eyes, although his complexion was still pale from the stress of the situation.

“They’re right here at The Seat,” he informed her. “When Grace has returned to work, we can look into something more permanent for you, but for now your furnishings will be moved into storage at our expense, and your belongings will be moved here for your convenience.”

It was hardly her convenience, when the whole reason she needed to move was for the government, however, not having to commute from home to work would be a bonus, especially for the next few weeks. She was sure that after then, she’d be sick of the place and desperate enough to move wherever they suggested, which was possibly part of why he would make her stay here in the first place. As much as she liked the president, Charlotte wouldn’t put it past him to manipulate her for his own reasons.

“Wilson?” Leonard said, only slightly louder than his normal speaking voice.

“Sir?” The man who had brought in the phone entered immediately, proving he had only been just outside the room.

“If you would see to Ms Baileys’ things, she’s going to need a suitable outfit for a joint press conference with the human president, whatever is in her shower caddy, and fresh undergarments. She will be moving into one of the ambassadorial suites here for the duration of this crisis, or until such time as Ms Diaz is fit and able to return to work.I’ll authorise the payments for her furniture to be placed into storage, but make sure anything else is easily accessible for her to decide to keep or store. Perhaps if you give her a multi-room suite, everything but the larger items could be moved in the other bedrooms until we can sort out something more permanent.”

Wilson looked from her to the president and back again. “One of the suites on the fourth floor?” he asked, carefully.

“Yes, yes, wherever you deem fit,” Leonard answered breezily.

What was the deal with the fourth floor? If she didn’t have anything more pressing on her mind, Charlotte would have pushed for an answer, but as it was, she was rather busy.

“If you could give me your keys, madam, and instructions on how to enter your apartment, I’ll have one of our female attendants find you suitable clothing for the next few days, and we’ll have a moving service arrange for everything else to be transferred.”

“My lease—” she began to say, but Leonard interrupted.

“Will be taken care of for you. Don’t worry about that now, you have a speech to write, and I have calls to make.”

She nodded, of course. He was the fucking president, and he was taking time out of his day during a crisis to ensure she was safely housed somewhere so she could do her job. The task was well beneath what he normally would do, and Charlotte flushed in embarrassment. This whole day was just becoming more and more strange, and she wondered when things would start to settle. They wouldn’t be normal, she knew that. After a day like today, when her world had been tipped upside down, nothing would be the same as it was before, but some stability would be nice.

Tonight, she figured. Tonight after this first press conference was over, and she’d done her best for the speech, when Charlottewas soaking in a bathtub with a glass of wine and her vibrator. Tonight she would work this excess tension out of her skin, and then start to build her life into this new reality. Right now, she had to get her head in the game, and stop bothering the fucking president with the trivia of her belongings.

Quickly Charlotte fished her keys and keycard out of her handbag, passing them over to Wilson with a brief set of instructions on how to get in. Then she gave him one of her business cards with her mobile number on it for good measure.

“If they have any questions or problems, get them to call me on that number. Goodness knows I’ll have it on me at all times right now.”

“And you might be on a call,” the president corrected her.

“Shit, yes, you’re right,” she stammered. “Uh, here, give me that back and I’ll write my private number on there. If she can’t get me on the work line, then try me on my private one. I’ll have both of them on the table beside me, scout’s honour.”

“Were you a scout?” Leonard asked, surprised.

Charlotte shrugged. “Nope, but he knows what I mean.”

With a chuckle, Wilson promised that he would deal with everything and not to worry about it any further. Which meant once again she was alone with the president.

“I’ll call Sean and get him to take me to Grace’s office to get my laptop, thank you for all your help, sir,” Charlotte told him. “I promise, I won’t let you down.”

The man’s head tilted to the side as he regarded her critically. “I never thought you would, Charlotte. I have the utmost faith in your abilities. You’ve wrangled Grace for almost a year now with more aplomb than any of your predecessors. I’m just wondering why you need to get your laptop yourself, rather than sending Sean to get it for you?”

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