Present Day
“I TALKED TO HIM AND hopefully things will get cleared up soon,” I said.
“If you need me to give you any information, let me know,” Penelope replied.
Carol came back with our drinks. “Are you two ready to order?” Carol asked.
“Yes. I’ll have the salad-and-soup special, please,” I answered, handing her my menu.
“What about you, ma’am?” she asked Penelope.
“Bring me a salad and the baked fish filet, please,” Penelope replied.
Carol picked up the menus and left.
“Have you heard from Carlton?” I asked.
“No, but he won’t be a problem for long.”
“What do you have on him?” I investigated, leaning forward with my elbows on the table.
“Carlton isn’t stupid; he knows I can have him dead in the water if he doesn’t fix this,” Penelope said.
“I appreciate you, Penelope. I know you weren’t expecting this to happen.”
Penelope lifted an eyebrow and took a sip of her wine glass. “I’ll do anything for my girls.” She squeezed my hand, and I covered it with mine. We laughed and caught up on business, and the possibility of her retiring from the business soon.
ONCE LUNCH WAS OVER, I met up with Cristin at her place for drinks and relaxation. I knocked on her door, and the last person I expected to see was standing in front of me.
“Don’t be mad at me,” Cristin said, with Sebastian standing behind her.
“What is he doing here? Don’t you have a country to run?” I asked. She stepped aside for me to come in, and I hesitated.
“Laila, I need to talk to you.” Sebastian reached a hand out for me to take.
“Fine.” I placed my palm in his and let him walk me inside.
Cristin started to leave. “Call me if you need anything,” Cristin said.
“Where are you going?” I questioned.
“Out with a friend for drinks.” She winked and walked out.
I looked around her apartment and didn’t see anything set up for our movie night. This had all been a setup to get me there.
“How have you been?” he asked.
“Fine.”
“I heard you went to see Carlton.”
“I did.”
He stepped forward and pulled me against his chest. “We’re better than this, Laila.”
“We no longer have an agreement, Sebastian.”
“That doesn’t stop how I feel about you.” He bent over and kissed the side of my neck.
I moaned at the touch of his lips against my neck. I pushed him off me and put distance between us. “We’re not good for each other.”
“Baby, stop lying to yourself.”
“Sebastian, are you sure you want to throw your career away for some pussy?”
“I’m not with you for sex!” he shouted.
“I forgot; you bought me for my glowing personality,” I snapped and sat on the couch, rubbing the right side of my neck.
“You're angry with me, and I understand, but I gave you space. I gave you a week.”
“That’s not enough.” I jumped up.
He raised his hands to his head and rubbed his temples. “Please come here.” He reached out a large, soft hand, and I placed my palm in it. He pulled me in close, captured my lips, and slid his tongue into my mouth. I melted into his arms. I clung to his jacket and whimpered at his touch when he groped my ass. “I want to meet your parents,” he said, pulling back from the kiss.
“Why?” I lifted my head and stared into his eyes.
“I need to meet my future in-laws, and I want you to meet mine,” Sebastian said.
“I hate you.”
“You can’t hate the President.”
“Sebastian,” I whined, gliding my hands up his chest.
He kissed the left side of my cheek, kneading my waist. I felt his arousal against my stomach. “Dinner tonight,” Sebastian stated and stepped back to give me space.
“Okay,” I responded and ran my palm across my mouth, feeling my swollen lips. Sebastian extended a hand for me to take, and I followed him out of Cristin’s house, toward the car parked outside. “What about Carlton?” I asked.
“He’s going to be tied up with a few meetings from the Judiciary Committee,” Sebastian said.
“What did you do?”
Tony stood with the door open, and I got inside.
He came up behind me. “I had some people look into his finances, and why he really wanted to keep the percentage low.”
“What was it?”
“He had part-ownership in the company through an offshore dummy account,” Sebastian explained. Sebastian took his phone out of his pocket, scrolled through, and held up an article that showed Carlton being investigated for misuse of funds, and corruption.
The car pulled away, heading down the road into traffic.
“Did Penelope send you this?” I asked, thinking back on what she’d said earlier at lunch.
“I can’t give out my sources.”
“All right. Where are we having this dinner, anyway?” I asked.
“Our loft,” he replied.
“You never got rid of it?”
He shook his head. “I made some mistakes about us and bombarded you with demands, and I want to make up for that.”
“How?”
“If you agree to dinner tonight and to take us seriously, then I’ll draw up a new contract.”
“What do I get out of this?” I stared out the window.
He laid a hand on my thigh. “The old agreement is null and void from the first time we met.”
“Okay, I agree to dinner with your parents. But don’t take risks with your career for me.” I was never a selfish person and seeing him throw away everything he’d worked hard for because of Carlton’s lies and deceit wasn’t right.
“I promise to always protect you—even if it’s from me,” Sebastian answered, caressing my cheek.
The car arrived at the loft he’d rented, and I stepped up to the front door and slid my key inside. I already had clothes there that he bought for me whenever I came over. I opened the door and looked around the room. It was still freshly clean from the maid service he’d had coming over to clean up twice a week.
“The food is being delivered from a personal chef. Your parents and mine will be here soon,” Sebastian explained.
“Let me hurry up and shower before they get here.” I went to his bedroom at the back of the loft and opened the closet to find a casual jumpsuit to wear. I picked out a spaghetti-strap jumpsuit in blue, Sebastian’s favorite color. I saw the same shampoo that was at Camp David, so I turned on the shower and put my outfit on the back of the door. I stripped out of my clothes and thought about making sure that I got back to work after taking the week off. Things would be getting crazy busy. I stepped into the shower and let the water run down my face, then grabbed the sponge and soap to clean up.
30 MINUTES LATER, I stepped out of the bedroom to the sounds of conversation. I walked out with minimal makeup on and my hair in a high ponytail. My parents were talking with Sebastian, and I noticed another couple talking to the chef.
“There she is,” Mom said.
“Hey, sorry it took me so long.” I hugged my mom and dad. Sebastian placed his hand on my lower back and pulled me in close to kiss the side of my forehead.
“How are you feeling?” Dad asked.
“Good. I see you’ve met Sebastian.”
“You mean the president? Yes, we have,” Dad responded, taking a sip of his whiskey.
“I wasn’t planning on introducing you two under these circumstances,” I replied.
“Your mother told me about your other job, and I wasn't happy about it,” Dad explained. “But I understand why you wanted to help.”
I stood on my toes to place a kiss on his cheek. I never wanted to disappoint my family because of something I’d done, and I was grateful to hear that they still loved me even after
I’d embarrassed the family this way.
“Food is ready,” Chef Joseph said as he came out of the kitchen and placed the stuffed mushrooms, artichokes, stuffed lobster, and steak on the table.
“Laila, I want you to meet my parents,” Sebastian said. “Mara and Stephen Hunter.”
I extended my hand for a shake.
“Honey, we hug in this family,” his mom said. “Finally, Sebastian let us meet you.” She put her arms out, and I stepped into her hug.
Then his Dad came over for a hug. He and Sebastian looked exactly alike: tall, with wide shoulders, a muscular build, and deep-set brown eyes.
“Sorry, that’s my fault; I kept putting it off,” I said.
“We understand; being in the public life can bring more stress than good,” Stephen stated.
“So, Sebastian told us you’re in school to be a therapist,” Mara said.
Sebastian pulled my seat out for me, and I sat next to him. His parents sat at the head of the table, and my parents were across from me.
“I went to school for psychology, and I work at Bayview Medical as a therapist,” I corrected her.
“I used to be a teacher, before Stephen went into public office.” Mara pushed a piece of hair behind her ear.
The chef opened a bottle of red wine and filled my glass.
“Thank you,” I told him, and he nodded.
“We understand you were hesitant to get involved with Sebastian,” Stephen said.
“As you know from being a public figure, peoples’ opinions can be overwhelming, and I tend to march to the beat of my own drum,” I explained.
“She ran away from me,” Sebastian joked, and I slapped him on the chest.
“You can’t blame her. You’re the president, and I bet it was hard to even get over here without a big mountain of press following you,” his mom said.
“I have a great team that sets things up whenever I want to meet with her,” he explained. “We have codes and logs to cover the bases.” He covered my hand on the table.
I took a bite of the stuffed lobster and asparagus. The chef had set multiple items on the table that I often craved and loved. Sebastian must have told him that I loved seafood.
“Have you had any backlash from anyone else?” Mara questioned, drinking her wine.
“I made a public statement that my private life is private, and I pay for everything from my personal funds,” Sebastian explained.
“I saw that your infrastructure bill got passed,” Stephen said.
“Enough votes came through, and it was passed with the 5% increase,” Sebastian explained.
Sebastian, my father, and his father continued to talk politics all through dinner, and I sat with his mother and mine, talking about having a girls’ day at the spa and brunch one day in the future. I liked his parents; they were down to earth.
Once the night ended, we snuggled up in bed after another round of sex. My leg was lying across his thigh, and I watched him as his eyes closed while he rubbed circles over my back.
“I like your parents,” I said.
“They like you, too,” Sebastian replied, sliding his hand down my back and palming my ass.
“I’m going back to work,” I informed, waiting to hear his response.
“Are you ready for that?”
“Yes, I need to focus on what I love.” I kissed his chest and rubbed my hand across the top of his head.
“I’ll support whatever you want to do, baby,” he said and turned out the lights on the nightstand. He leaned his head on my chest and fell asleep. I continued to stroke the top of his head while we both dozed off.
Chapter 11: Sebastian
I’D AGREED TO A TV interview with GNN news to discuss my administration, and how things are going in my third year in office. Claudette and my assistant had tagged along to keep the talking points running smoothly.
The lights from the camera dipped forward and shined brightly as the sound technician made sure that my microphone was set up.
“Mr. President, you're all set,” Dena Lambert, the Anchor of GNN, said.
“I’m ready.”
“Thank you again for agreeing to sit down with us, Mr. President,” Dena said as the cameras rolled.
“I appreciate the chance to speak to the American people.”
“So, you're in your third year of the Hunter Administration. Can you tell us how things are going?”
“Things are going as well as can be expected.”
“The poll numbers are showing you’re leading as the top choice for a second term. Is that something you’re interested in doing?” Dena questioned.
“I’m taking it one day at a time.”
“That’s not a no.”
I chuckled at her commitment. “My Chief of Staff would be ready to cut this interview short if I answered that question.”
“Lately, you’ve been in the media and blogs because of your relationship.”
“I tend to keep my personal life private.”
“I understand, but as the president, you signed up for this type of invasion.”
“I did, but my family did noto.” I answered.
“Is it true that you're in love with Laila Daniels?” she asked.
“My administration is working hard to get this infrastructure bill passed, along with other education issues,” I said, ignoring the question.
“Laila Daniels is a subject that I know the American people want to hear about from you. Is Carlton Stewart using this as a distraction?”
I clasped my hands together in my lap. “Congressman Stewart and I have many disagreements, but we’re working together for this bill.”
“What can you tell the American people when it comes to bringing back jobs?” Dena brought up.
“Everyone in Washington needs to take responsibility and come to the table with a plan.”
Dena flipped through the papers of the bill in front of her. “Your name is in a lot of gossip blogs, first from dating Delilah Jones, and now Laila. Is this what our tax money is going toward?” she inquired.
I gritted my teeth in frustration. I was exhausted by these same questions coming back about my love life, and not the about work we were doing. “Dena, as you know, I’ve been in politics for a while, and anything you do can end up in the media. I won’t comment on my private life beyond saying that my family is healthy and happy,” I said.
“Thank you again, Mr. President, for sitting with us today.”
“Thank you, Dena.”
“Ladies and gentlemen, you heard it here first, on GNN news. I’m Dena Adams, getting the news for you,” Dena said to the camera.
They called cut, and I removed the microphone from my jacket and passed it to the sound technician. Claudette stepped toward me.
Dena smirked mischievously. “Mr. President, good job. You held your own,” Dena remarked.
“Was that a ‘gotcha moment’ type of interview?” Claudette asked.
“Claudette, I was just doing my job,” Dena said.
“You were trying to do some type of celebrity gossip news.”
“I didn’t bring up her past as an escort. You should be thanking me, Mr. President,” Dena muttered and started to walk offstage.
“That’s enough, Dena,” Claudette seethed. “You crossed the line today.”
I stepped in front of them to defuse the situation. “Dena, thank you again for the interview.”
Claudette trailed me out of the studio and into the waiting car. I let her jump in first, and I followed. The door closed, and I sighed, unbuttoning my suit jacket as Claudette stared at me.
“She was just doing her job,” I said.
“No, she was being vindictive and trying to start something, Sebastian,” Claudette huffed and peeked out the window as the car drove out of the parking lot.
Claudette was the one who handled any issues before they came to me, and she kept all the drama away. But it wasn’t a great look if Dena got an exclusive interview and tried to
turn it into something that it wasn’t. Our numbers were low right now, and if we didn’t get anything passed, and the press kept talking about my personal life, then I was afraid that any chances of running again would be slim. In these types of areas, it was mostly frowned upon or forbidden for a man with as much power as I had to not divulge anything and everything.
“Call Ray, and let's meet for dinner.” I said.
“Why?”
“We need to come up with a strategy, in case things get ugly.”
“Let us do that on our own, and we’ll keep you out of the difficult situations, sir.”
“I’m already deep in this, Claudette.”
“I understand you care about her, but this isn’t helping you—or me.”
“I know.”
“Once this airs, I can’t keep the press from digging even more into her life.”
“She’s aware.”
“Talk to her.”
“She thinks you hate her.”
Claudette's eyes widened in surprise. “I don’t hate her; I just wish you would have gone about this differently.”
“Are we doing dinner or what?”
“I guess.”
“Good. We’ll do dinner, and I want to figure out how we can get this squared away without any more drama.”
“Is it wrong to use the presidency to ship your enemies away?” Claudette snickered.
I laughed at her. The car pulled back up to the White House, and we stepped out. The place was slammed with employees, rushing back and forth in the hallway nonstop.
“I wonder what’s going on?” Claudette mentioned.
We walked to my office. “What are you doing here?” I asked Ray as he walked in with Charles next to him.
“You haven’t seen it?” Ray asked.
“Seen what?”
He slid a newspaper over to me. The front page had Delilah on the front page in tears, talking about how I’d cheated on her when we dated two years ago and made her get rid of our lovechild. “Get her on the phone now.”
“We tried. She’s not taking calls right now,” Charles stated.
I tensed at his words. She was playing a dangerous game, and anyone who interfered with my relationship with Laila and hurt her would answer to me. “Keep trying her number. Ray, follow me.” Shaking my head, I thought about Delilah, and how we were back then. She’d never seemed like the type to be so vindictive to get back at someone else like this. I thought we’d ended things amicably, but obviously she held some type of resentment towards me.
Mutual Agreement(A Presidential Romance) Page 9
