“The pieces have come together slowly, but my supposition at this point is that when I wouldn’t cooperate, the Bratva took matters into their own hands and ordered that hit. As soon as I realized that my father was involved with the Bratva, I took steps to cut all ties with him. I’ve removed my fortune from his control, I’ve been disowned by him, and none of that really matters, but you have to understand why I didn’t tell you immediately.”
She nodded, and he continued. “I know my father. He would never have agreed to that assassination attempt, if for no other reason than he’d never allow me to be put in danger. And while he’s obviously corrupt, he’s not a killer. So, at first, I stayed quiet because I didn’t think he was a threat, only that the Bratva had gotten beyond his control, and we were all investigating their connection already. But when I discovered that President Abbas was involved…”
He took a deep breath, trying to harness the chaotic thoughts that pinged around in his brain. “I was caught. By telling you, I can be charged with treason. I have put the interests of a foreign president ahead of the interests of my own. And there is no turning back from it now. Abbas is involved with the Bratva, he is facilitating the shipment of drugs from Russia to the Middle East, and he is trying to sabotage the accord against the wishes of the Egyptian parliament. I do not know if he was aware of the assassination attempt before it happened, but he is capable of such a thing whereas my father is not.”
He gazed into her blue eyes, willing his heart to slow and his mind to calm. She had to believe him, had to know that he wasn’t keeping things from her to harm her, that he would never do anything that he knew to be a threat to her.
Slowly, as if she were in a dream, she reached out and cupped his jaw, her soft, delicate hands causing waves of longing to rock him from head to toe.
“You have just betrayed your country.”
He nodded, sadness washing through him.
“For me.”
“I would do it over and over again,” he answered, his voice rough with emotion.
“I am so sorry,” she murmured, leaning down and kissing him gently. “So sorry that you had to make that choice.”
“It’s worth it if you believe that I would never, for any reason, try to harm you.”
She nodded then. “I believe you.”
He smiled, and relief poured into his heart. “Then I’ve done the right thing.”
“I won’t let them take you,” she whispered fiercely. “There will be no trial for treason because they will never remove you from United States soil. You have to resign your ambassadorship at once and request asylum. The attorney general will act on it immediately, and then you’ll be safe here in the US.”
And in that moment, Kamal’s heart expanded to ten times its normal size, because never in his life had anyone been willing to fight so hard for him. He was typically the one to fight for others. Provide his money, his expertise, his connections, his knowledge. But to have this woman willing to provide those things to him was something he’d never even dreamed of.
He stood, pulling a worried-looking president with him, before he clasped her against him and kissed her long and hard, dipping his tongue into her sweet, decadent mouth, running his hands over her formfitting dress, relishing the warm curves it molded.
She moaned, melting against him until all he craved was to be skin to skin with her, to feel her flesh give way under his, to know the hot, wet pleasure of sinking into her tightness.
“Promise me,” she gasped.
“Promise what?” he responded, his mind in a fog of lust.
“That you’ll request asylum. Immediately.”
He reluctantly pulled away from her irresistible lips. “It will ruin your presidency. There is no way to keep it out of the press, and once they discover that we’ve had a personal relationship, they will accuse you of trying to circumvent the law to protect me. They’ll say I’m a criminal and you’re providing sanctuary.”
Jessica held his arms firmly, looking at him with as much determination as he’d ever seen her show. “I don’t care. And it won’t be true. Your treason is being committed to provide information to the United States that protects not only her president but her national security. There was no way for you to do that and still protect your own national interests. You had to choose. It is only right that the nation you chose to protect will protect you back.”
He stepped away from her, pacing the room as he spoke. “You’ve given up years of your life, Jessica. All for John’s legacy, to make sure that the Hamptons were given not only a presidency but an ending to their family dynasty that they could be proud of.”
Jessica followed him to the other side of the room, her heels sinking into the thick carpet each time she stepped.
“And that was fine when it didn’t involve someone’s life. But your life, your safety is far more important than any legacy. It’s more important than the Hamptons’ family name. I’m a Hampton by marriage. They can distance themselves if it gets ugly.”
Kamal shook his head vehemently. “No. I won’t allow you to undo what you’ve sacrificed your own happiness for.”
Then Jessica reminded Kamal that no matter how imposing he was, how used to being obeyed, how much he might control their life in the bedroom, he wasn’t in charge here.
“I don’t need your permission. I’ll have the attorney general process it immediately, and then they won’t be able to extradite you. I’ll also require you to hand over your Egyptian passport. You’ll be unable to travel, unable to turn yourself in. Don’t test me on this. You are not going to an Egyptian jail as long as I sit in this office.”
Kamal turned and stared at her. She stood with her arms crossed, blue eyes flashing with fire, red hair perfectly coiffed, outfit spotless and the height of fashion. The only sign that she wasn’t entirely in charge of the free world and everyone in it was the slight smudge at one corner of her lips, and it was that Kamal’s attention focused on, because he’d done that. Mussed her. Created a fissure in the perfect façade. Yes, Kamal had found the real woman underneath, and now there was no putting her back. But as he stood and looked at her, he realized that right before his eyes, Jessica the woman and Jessica the president were merging, and the result was going to be absolutely extraordinary.
“Then I guess I’d better go write my resignation letter,” he said in a low voice. “And get a hotel room, because I am apparently no longer the ambassador to Egypt, which also means I’m homeless.”
Jessica’s face broke into a smile, and her cheeks flushed so beautifully that Kamal couldn’t restrain himself another moment. He put his hands on her waist and kissed her, on the jaw, the lips, the temple, all the while backing her up until she was pressed to the smooth, cool wall.
“I want you,” he whispered. “Here, now, I want to feel your need, I want to watch you shatter for me.”
Jessica shook her head, but her hips flexed against his, and she didn’t pull away.
He reached down and found the hem of her dress, tugging it up until he was able to touch the space between her thighs. Her expensive underwear was tiny, and he shoved the strip of fabric aside finding her so hot and wet, he could barely stifle the groan that swelled inside his chest.
He buried his face in her neck and nipped, licked, and sucked while his fingers worked their magic at her core, stroking, teasing, rubbing little circles.
“Oh God,” she whispered. “I can’t…I can’t…”
“Of course you can, love,” he answered, plunging two fingers inside her, finding that perfect spot and rubbing in rhythm. His other hand found its way to her breast, and he palmed the full flesh that strained to break free of its confines.
Jessica’s breath became short and stuttered. He pinched her nipple through her clothing at the same time he thrust his fingers inside hard and pressed the heel of his hand to her clit. She stiffened, groaning before he swallowed it with his kiss. And then, like a waterfall rushing over a cliff, she came, hard and fas
t and long, her beautiful body shuddering in his arms, her channel throbbing around his hand, her silent cries spilling onto his lips.
When the aftershocks had faded, he rested his forehead against hers and kissed her tenderly on the nose before removing his hand and smoothing her dress down.
“Mr. Ambassador, I think that’s one of the best negotiations we’ve had yet.”
Kamal chuckled. “You’re going to have to quit calling me that. In another hour, I won’t be an ambassador.”
She pulled back to look him in the eyes, her face full of concern. “And what will we do with you then? What are you going to do from now on?”
“I’m going to assist your team with finding out who did this. After that, I will decide. I’ve never been given options about what I did for a vocation, so it will be…” He paused, “interesting to have choices.”
She laid her palm alongside his cheek. “You’re certain?”
“Never more,” he replied.
“Then I suppose I should let you take care of it. We should send security with you for after you leave the embassy. We can’t have you living in a hotel without guards.”
He kissed her again before pushing away from the wall. “I will take some of my security staff from the embassy with me. I’ll put them on my payroll. They’d rather be with me than stay on for a new ambassador anyway.”
“And will you be back to see me after it’s done?”
“There’s no other place I’d rather be.”
She smiled at him, and he felt somehow liquid inside.
“Will you hold a press conference?”
She walked toward the mirror hanging on the wall and commenced straightening her hair and clothing. “I’ll get with Vanessa on it immediately. It will be necessary. We might be able to hold it off for twenty-four hours, but I doubt any longer than that.”
He nodded, straightening his own clothing and running a hand through his thick, wavy hair. “All right, I’ll get the ball rolling and settle into my new rooms, then be back. What time will you be done this evening?”
They met at the door and simply stared at each other for a moment. He pushed a tendril of her hair back into place and smiled softly at her.
“Nine o’clock,” she said.
“Jessica?” His voice was low, his throat thick as she gazed into his eyes. “I love you.”
Her breath exhaled in a rush, and she pressed her hand to his chest, her slender fingers digging into his expensive dress shirt. “I love you too,” she answered.
“Then everything else will be fine.”
She nodded. “I’ll need to tell my in-laws that this is coming.”
“Will you tell them about our personal relationship?”
“I want to do that in person. I think I should have them come here tomorrow.” She nodded to herself. “Yes, I’ll have them come for the press conference and explain it all to them then.”
He kissed her on the temple before reaching for the doorknob. “And I’ll be here to help you any way you need it. We’ll make it through. Together.”
She smiled and reached up to rub a bit of lipstick off his mouth. “We will.”
And as Kamal walked out of the White House, even though he’d just made a life-altering decision, he felt more at peace than he ever had before. Because he’d just taken one more step toward being free.
Chapter 16
“Okay, ma’am, how about this wording? Late yesterday afternoon, Kamal Masri, Egypt’s ambassador to the US, spoke to the president on a matter of national security. After hearing what he had to offer, the president determined that it was in the United States’ best interests as well as Mr. Masri’s to provide him with political asylum.”
Jessica shifted in her desk chair, wondering why she’d never ordered a new one. It was made for a man, and big, awkward, and uncomfortable. “So far so good.”
Vanessa continued. “At six forty-five p.m. yesterday, Mr. Masri resigned his post as Egypt’s ambassador, and surrendered his Egyptian passport to US officials in the State Department. His request for political asylum has been granted temporarily and will be processed through all the official channels. As that goes forward, he will remain in the US with a green card, hoping to acquire citizenship in the very near future.”
“Good. That’s all fine.”
“And what is our stance when they ask about the information he provided?” The press secretary asked.
“That it’s part of an ongoing classified investigation, and we will provide more information when it’s appropriate to do so,” Jessica responded.
“The press is never going to tolerate that, ma’am.”
Jessica looked at her press secretary and grimaced. He was right, she knew it, but to provide any more information would only muddy the waters when they still hadn’t pinned down who specifically ordered and carried out the assassination attempt.
She sighed and rubbed the back of her neck, which was aching and stiff. “I know, but that really is all we can give them at this point.”
“What do we say about the accord? It was a huge part of your final legacy.”
“Yes, it was, but we cannot go forward until this mess with Egypt is sorted, so simply tell them that we will be giving information about that in the very near future as well. Vanessa, do we have the teleconference with the Egyptian prime minister set yet?”
“Yes, ma’am, it’s at eleven p.m., which is five a.m. his time.”
The press secretary leaned forward, elbows on his knees where he sat on the sofa a few feet from Jessica’s desk. “This is a very risky proposition, Madam President. The prime minister and President Abbas are in the same party. By all reports, they’ve worked together very well the last couple of years. If the prime minister doesn’t side with you on this, then you’ve lost any chance of gaining the parliament’s support. You could end up with Egypt as a true enemy if not an official one.”
“Yes, and if he does side with us and asks the parliament to impeach Abbas, we might end up with Egypt destabilized. They’ve only just recovered from the issues they had in 2011 and 2012. The stability is tenuous there.”
The press secretary nodded. “Yes, you’re right. There really isn’t anything easy or good about any of this, is there?”
“When it looks like a foreign leader has been involved with an assassination attempt on the president of the United States?” Vanessa scoffed. “Yeah, not much good is going to come out of that.”
Two hours later, Jessica entered the living room of the residence and welcomed Marjorie and John senior.
“Thank you for coming,” she said as she hugged each of them. “I’m glad you could make it on such short notice.”
“Well, when your president requests your help, you answer the call,” John said, holding Jessica’s hand in both of his. “Now, sit down, and tell us what this is all about.”
Jessica joined them on the sofa and sighed. She hated doing this. She knew it was going to come as a great shock, and that they would most likely be very unhappy, but it had to be done. There was no way she could keep this from them when it threatened to break out in the press at any moment.
“I am holding a press conference this afternoon, and I wanted to tell you about it beforehand.”
John senior grunted his approval, while Marjorie waited, smile firmly in place.
“I am going to tell you classified information, because I know that no matter what you may think of it, you respect this office too much to violate my trust.”
Marjorie sucked in a breath. “Why of course, dear. We would never betray you or the national security.”
Jessica patted her mother-in-law’s hand. “I know, I just have to give the disclaimers.” She took a deep breath and pushed on. “Yesterday, the ambassador from Egypt came to me and gave me information that relates to the shooting here at the White House.” She went on to tell them about President Abbas’s apparent involvement with the Bratva and his opposition to the accord.
“So, Masri
gave up his country to do the right thing?” John senior asked, his brow furrowed in concentration.
“Yes, he did.”
“I’d like to shake the man’s hand,” the elder statesman said gruffly. “I feel for him. A country is a terrible thing to lose.”
“That’s kind of you, and I hope that you’ll have a chance to meet Kamal in the next day or two. But before you do, there’s something else I need to tell you.” Her heart pounded as she cleared her throat and gathered up the courage to come clean for the first time with anyone but Fiona.
“Kamal is a good man, and I think he would have done this no matter what, but I’m not sure he would have done it so soon. I imagine he would have tried to find other options before giving up his entire country and career.”
Marjorie pursed her lips in sympathy with the former ambassador.
“But he did this willingly and gave up everything he did not only because it was the right thing, but also because he and I are…personally involved.”
“You’ve been working on the accord together. That tends to form bonds between colleagues,” John senior said almost dismissively. But Marjorie sat, eyes wide, lips trembling.
“That’s not what she means, John,” she said softly.
“What?”
“Senator, Kamal and I are involved romantically.”
The air in the room grew heavy, and the antique clock on the mantel was the only sound for seconds that seemed to drag on into hours, everyone and everything frozen in a moment of shock.
“But what about John?” Marjorie asked, her voice shaking much as her hands were now.
Jessica breathed quietly, and her eyes burned. “Marjorie, I can’t remember what his voice sounded like,” she began before pinning her mother-in-law with her gaze, heart. “I have to look at a photo to conjure up his image. Sometimes I go days at a time without thinking of what he would do or say or want.” She paused. “I loved your son.” Her voice was full of grit now, and she pushed past that thing that had lingered between them for so long, it was like a curtain that kept them blinded to the reality of his loss, the truth of his absence. “I loved him with all my heart, but he is gone. And I am alive. And I’ve been alone for a very long time.” Her voice faded, and she swallowed the lump that rose in her throat.
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