by C R Riley
She steps inside as she gives him her answer. "Sorry. This is a private meeting. I'll update the rest of the team in the morning. Go home and make sure to check your email when you wake. I'm sure I will send one out as soon as I am done here."
"Are you sure?" He sounds a little perturbed with her answer.
"I am." She informs him as he backs away so the elevator door can close.
When he walks away, Johannah notices a slight hitch in his step. She presses the open-door button so she can peek out. Watches him shake it out after a few steps. She starts to brush it off as nothing, but then decides to at least question him about it. "Anton? Did you do something to your leg?"
He spins and winks at her. "Just an old football injury, ma'am, one that acts up every so often. Nothing to worry about, it won't affect how I do my job."
"Carry on then. See you in the morning." She steps back in the elevator and tries to not overthink it.
Taking out her phone, she sends herself a message to pull Anton's folder sometime tomorrow. Something is bothering her about him showing up like that out of the blue. She supposes if he was getting off duty and heard about the briefing, then it's acceptable for him to check to see if he could sit in on it. It's something she would have done as a junior agent, endeavoring, to make a name for herself.
As she steps off the elevator, she pulls up the assignments for the day. Sure enough, Anton Paul was scheduled to be at the White House today. He came in around noon and left a little after ten. The hours are odd, but the weekends sometimes are. Allowing them to accommodate family time and break up the routine.
When she looks up, Director Greene is waiting for her outside one of the conference rooms. It does not surprise Johannah when she walks into the room and finds President Andrews seated at the head of the table. He stands as she enters, then smiles the kind of smile that alerts her she is going to want to slap him in about two seconds.
"I'm disappointed in you, Jo." He motions for her to take the seat next to his.
"Why's that, sir?" Johannah unpacks her briefcase, doing her best to not look up at him.
"You ran off and got married and didn't even notify anyone of your plans. I was kind of looking forward to attending such an event. It's not every day a woman, such as yourself, finds a man willing to put up with her." He chuckles as he takes his seat again.
"I'm not sure he fully understood what kind of woman he was marrying until early this morning. I've had to put him in his place already." She sends them all an electronic invitation so they can view her notes.
"Heard you pointed your gun in his face." Andrews is letting her know he has read the report thoroughly already. "Who knew that would turn a man on? Although I am going out on a limb here and going to assume it wasn't necessarily the fact you pointed your gun in his face, as much as it was what you were wearing when you did so."
Closing her eyes, Johannah struggles to keep all thoughts of murdering the man at bay. He seems to enjoy ruffling her feathers as much as her brother does. Just what she needs, another brother to stick his nose where it doesn't belong.
That statement gets Noel McDaniel to bite. "Why? What did you have on exactly?"
Both Nelson and Tyron snicker openly. Of course, Nelson has no problem clearing it all up for her. "What every husband out there wishes his wife would wear to bed, I imagine. I know when my wife..."
"Can we please not go there, Mr. President?" Johannah groans. "I'm sure Rosetta would appreciate it if you didn't share bedroom secrets outside of the bedroom."
"Oh!" Noel finally gets the picture. "Guess it's a good thing you didn't chase down the suspect then, isn't it? I can see the headlines now. United States Secret Service Agent, Johannah..." She pauses as she glances down at her notes. "...Cristiano arrested the man responsible for breaking into her home today. We are sorry we had to blur out all the photos, but it seems she was in the buff when it all went down."
Johannah decides to just go with it; there is no point in being embarrassed about it now. "I forgot I was in the buff. It's not like I typically sleep like that. Jaxon's security guys got an eyeful when they came bursting through the doors to offer us their assistance.
"I'm not sure what was worse. Standing there like that. Not realizing it until it was too late to do anything about it, or going over the surveillance tapes with them for hours. Reliving my oversight time and time again. I'm so glad the lighting out on the balcony was poor. You really couldn't see anything. Not to mention, that it has all now been deemed classified and will remain that way until I die."
The four of them all start laughing, and it feels good to do just that. There hasn't been a lot to laugh about lately here at work. A good laugh is always necessary, and if you can't laugh at yourself, then you take things way too seriously.
They spend the next several hours listening to the information Johannah has for them. Together they are able to come up with a strategy on how they should move forward. It is almost two in the morning before they break up the party, heading their separate ways.
Johannah sends out her text to Alicia. Fifteen minutes later the three of them are seated in the back of a taxi, headed to her place off Olive Street. It is going to be nice crawling into her own bed, cuddling up next to her new husband, and letting sleep take over.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Jaxon was opposed to Raphael entering Hannah's apartment to clear it first. He knew Hannah would not want anyone else to perceive what a slob she truly was. Except there was no telling his head of security no, and because of recent events, he knew it was the right thing to do.
So, he waits in the hall for Evie and Raphael to return after their inspection. The smirk on Raphael's face informs him that Johannah is going to let him have it when she hears about this.
"All clear, sir." Raphael clears his throat. "So out of curiosity, are you aware..."
Jaxon finishes his thought for him. "That Hannah has a problem finding the clothes hamper, unloading the clean dishes from the dishwasher, and never makes her bed."
Evie finally joins them. "Bedroom is clear."
"You had her check the bedroom?" He slants his head at Raphael.
"I thought it best not to invade her private space since Evie was here. My eyes are still recovering from our earlier incident." He reminds his boss about what Trace and he witnessed. "We will station two men outside, rotating them every couple of hours. Harrison and Daniel will take the first shift."
"Thank you. I will start searching for a new place this week. One that will make things easier for all of us." Jaxon informs him as he grabs the handle of his suitcase and begins pulling it through the door.
"If I may speak freely, sir." Evie requests and waits for Jaxon to encourage her to continue. "I believe Jo lives here for convenience, mostly. If you consider how close it is to her job, along with the hours she puts in. I know you like your space. I also enjoy that. In order to get something like that, you would need to look outside the city. Making her commute longer and giving her less time to relax at home. Just something to keep in mind when you are considering properties."
Jaxon is very well aware of that fact, which is why he has been searching for two separate residences. One in the city that is bigger and will give them both the space they crave. The other with some land, that is secluded and one day will make a great family home for them. They could stay at the larger home on weekends and holidays until Hannah decides it's time for her to retire from the USSS.
He believes she had a five-year plan in mind at one time. He is fine with that, as long as it is still what she wants. If she wanted to quit her job tomorrow, he'd support her. He'd also offer her a job with his security company. She'd be an impressive addition with all her experience in the field. Plus, after watching how she handled Raphael. Not at all intimidated by him or the members of his team. Showed Jaxon that she possesses powerful leadership skills. Not that many people out there know how to deal with the egos those men can dish out.
"Thank y
ou for the advice. I'll keep that in mind when I'm doing my search." Jaxon tells her as he dismisses them and closes the door.
He does a quick glance around the entrance and can't help but chuckle. The laundry is neatly piled up next to the washer as if waiting to be loaded, so that's the first thing he does.
Next, he walks into the living room area and finds it is pretty much the same as last time. There are a few throws wadded up in her chair, a book face down on the small table next to it. On the coffee table, there is an empty coffee mug and a bowl with the spoon still in it. Other than that, this room is acceptable.
He picks up the bowl and mug and takes off for the kitchen. Smiling to himself when he notices the sink full of dishes. The red light on the dishwasher indicates they are clean, so he empties it. It takes him a while since he has no idea where Hannah keeps things, but it doesn't take him more than ten minutes. Once it is empty, he reloads it and then turns it on. His goal is to empty it again in the morning to keep the dishes from piling up. Other than that, the kitchen is spotless. Well, except for the overflowing trashcan.
Once he has taken the trash down to the dumpster, he decides it's time to brave the bedroom. Evie hadn't made a big deal out of it, so maybe it won't be that bad.
One glance at the floor. That is all it takes for him to conclude that his wife steps out of her clothes before climbing into bed. He picks up her discarded work clothes. Reading the labels to ensure none of them need dry cleaning. He isn't surprised to discover they are all machine washable. Johannah doesn't come across as the kind of woman who would want the inconvenience of running to the dry cleaners weekly.
When the floor is no longer cluttered with clothes. He gathers up her shoes and puts them back on the empty rack in the bottom of her closet. At least she has good intentions when it comes to being organized. He shuts all the open dresser drawers, pushing in the clothes hanging out back inside. He'll tackle that mess on a different day.
Satisfied with the progress he has made so far; Jaxon turns to the bed and exhales noisily. How in the world does she even sleep in that disheveled mess of sheets, which are twisted together? Giving it a good yank, he gathers the bedding and pillowcases and dumps them in the hall next to the washer. Next, he goes back to grab the comforter and shakes his head. It likely needs to be washed but is way too big for the machine she has in her small apartment. He pulls out his phone and calls Harrison, one of the guys downstairs.
"Yes, sir." The man answers on the first ring.
"Can you see if there is a twenty-four-hour laundromat close by? I need to wash a comforter."
"I believe there is, sir. I'll check in on it and be up in a few minutes to collect it." His men are always ready to meet his requests.
A few minutes later, there is a knock on the door. He hands the bag with the comforter inside of it off to his man and is promised it will be returned as soon as it is cleaned.
The bed has been remade, minus the comforter. The room has been vacuumed and dusted. A few candles he uncovered in her hall closet are lit, rendering the room to smell of vanilla.
He stares at the partially closed bathroom door and decides there is no time like the present. When he pushes it open the rest of the way, he is surprised to find it isn't that bad. Then he recalls the load he added to the washer before he got started. Realizes, she must have performed a quick pick up before she went to work on Friday. He locates the pine-scented cleaner under the sink and starts scrubbing like a mad man. By the time he is done, the bathroom sparkles and smells of disinfectant.
Jaxon hears the washer shut off, so he throws everything in the dryer and starts another load. Then he grabs his suitcase in the hall and drags it with him to the bedroom. Pulls out a clean pair of loungers and a t-shirt. Debates on whether he needs his boxers and decides against it. One less piece of clothing he will have to deal with later, hopefully. Grabbing his shaving kit, he heads for the bathroom, washes up, shaves, and brushes his teeth.
When he glances at the clock and notices, it’s just after one. He hasn't heard a word from Johannah yet, so he checks in with Trace, who assures him she is still in her meeting. Then informs him that Johannah promised Alicia she'd text her when she was ready to go. Making Jaxon smile, knowing he couldn't pull one over on his very observant wife.
He grabs his laptop and heads for the large chair that sets next to the window in her living room. It's one of the most comfortable chairs he has ever sat in. The fact that Jaxon is a sizable man, six-four, and over two hundred pounds. Calling a chair large is saying something. Hannah and him have plenty of room left when they sink into it together.
While he waits for his wife to get home, he might as well see if he can get some work done. After about thirty minutes, he leans his head back and closes his eyes for just a second. That second must have turned into several long minutes since when he opens his eyes again, his computer is cycling through his screen saver.
The front door opens and there are voices, muffled ones. Jaxon knows it must be his guys, so he listens carefully.
"You didn't need to do that tonight. I'm sorry if it was an inconvenience." The soft female voice whispers as if embarrassed.
"It was no big deal, ma'am. I just dropped it off and then picked it up a few hours later. Mr. Cristiano..." The male voice tries to keep his voice low.
"Is used to getting his way. I get that, but now he is married to me, so the next time he makes such a request I want you to tell him no." Her whisper disappears as her disbelief of what her husband did takes over.
"I don't believe I can do that, ma'am," Harrison responds.
"You can and you will. If I can tell the President of the United States no when he makes a ridiculous request, then you can tell my husband no. I won't let him fire you, I promise. In fact, if you tell him no, I'll make him give you a very nice raise. Now thank you for escorting me upstairs and carrying that for me. It was nice meeting you, Harrison. Oh, and for the record don't call me ma'am, it's Jo, I insist."
"My pleasure, Jo." Harrison chuckles. "Have a good night."
The door closes and locks.
A few minutes later there is a dip in the chair next to him. He hears her close his laptop and then feels her remove it from his lap. He waits, and when nothing else happens, he pries open his very heavy eyes.
Hannah is scowling at him. "You are one crazy man; you realize that, right?"
"Why am I crazy again? Was it because I married this brilliant woman, who seems to have a problem?" Jaxon stretches and yawns.
"I don't have a problem." She emphasizes the last word. "I have a very demanding job. Case in point, the reason I am just now getting home and will be up in a few hours, heading right back out there to do it again. Thanks for cleaning the place; it looks great."
That makes Jaxon smile. "And with me here to help now, it will continue to look great."
Johannah stands and extends her hand to him. "Don't hold your breath. Come on, I am so ready for bed."
Jaxon has had just enough rest to feel his second wind kick in. As soon as he stands, he spins Hannah around and tosses her over his shoulder.
Hannah screeches out in surprise. "Put me down."
"I will when I get you to the bedroom." The trek down the hall is short, and as soon as they enter the room, he tosses her on the bed. "Strip."
Not at all amused by the order, she glowers at him as if he has lost his mind. "I'm too tired to have sex, Jaxon."
"Who said anything about sex? All I said was strip." He walks over to the drawer he remembers seeing a few nighties inside and opens it. Digging around until he finds what he is looking for.
"I hate to disappoint you, Jaxon, but I don't own anything sexy. I was all about comfort and warmth prior to this union." Johanna, still lying on the bed, unsnaps her jeans and wiggles out of them.
Jaxon tosses a dark purple, silk boyfriend style gown at her. When he sees her struggling to kick her jeans off, he marches over to the bed and grabs the waist, and peels them off o
f her. He can't help but stare at her lying in the middle of the bed. Wearing nothing but her long sleeve t-shirt and lacy panties, black ones at that. Then when she sits up, jerks her shirt up and over her head, drops it on the floor behind her, he feels his hand twitch.
Hannah has gotten ready for bed like this a ton over the years—minus the man ogling her, that is. Often too tired to care where her clothes end up, and certainly too tired to stand while undressing. She reaches behind her and unfastens her bra before she tosses it over the headboard. As she goes to reach for the oversized sleeper Jaxon pulled out for her, she suddenly finds herself on her back with him looming above her.
"Just a taste." He whispers as he drops his head to her chest and takes one of her nipples in his mouth. "Delicious. Get dressed before I decide I need more." Rolling off of her, he once again tosses the purple sleeper at her.
"You just can't make up your mind tonight, can you?" Johannah slips the silk material over her head, and scoots to the edge of the bed, so she can get up and use the bathroom. "Strip. Get dressed. It's all rather confusing you know."
Jaxon watches her grab a washcloth from the pile stacked in the basket behind the door. She washes her makeup off and brushes her teeth. Then the door closes, and he can hear her using the toilet. After a few minutes, she is strolling back into the room, looking as lovely as ever. If she weren't so tired, he'd be tempted to see if he could convince her into a little rolling around with him.
Very aware that her husband is scrutinizing her every move, Johannah tries not to let it annoy her. She is a little irritable at the moment. If the pains in her back. The tenderness of her breasts. And the aching in her lower abdominal region are the signs she believes they are. Then she understands the reason.
She so hates the fact she is about to start her period after only being married, and sexually active, for one full day. She probably has a few days before things down there get ugly. But just to be on the safe side, she will need to start wearing her period underwear. Hers aren't like the ones Paige wears when Aunt Flow visits. They aren't at all sexy, but necessary to keep things securely in place. The timing couldn't be any more dreadful and aggravating.
