Page 26 of Primary Season
“Okay,” Doug said later that night in the hotel conference room. “Turning to foreign policy. Senator Blanco, you’ve served on the Senate Armed Services Committee. Tell us…what is your assessment of the growing threat of North Korean nuclear weapons?”
“Well, that is a very complicated question.” Patrick smiled at Doug from behind the mock podium set up in the front of the room. “Can we talk about it over pizza? Maybe a beer?”
Doug, Heather, and I laughed. We were well into the second hour of debate prep, and while all of us were exhausted, Doug had insisted on pushing ahead with questions.
“Fine.” Doug threw up his hands in mock surrender. “I give up. We can take a break. We’ve all had a very long day.”
“Good, because I need a glass of wine and a hot bath.” Heather stood from the hardback conference room chair she’d occupied for most of the last two hours. “Nothing on the schedule for tomorrow until the debate. Just rest, relaxation, and study.”
Patrick gave her a mock salute. “You’ve got it, General.”
“You gave some great answers,” I said, standing up as well. “I don’t think they’ll be able to trip you up as long as you stick to your major talking points and keep yourself calm.”
“Calm is my middle name.”
“I’m going to look-up a few articles tonight,” Doug said, as he stretched. “Something doesn’t sit right with me, so look for an email in the morning.” He turned toward Heather and me. “Shall we?”
We nodded and gathered up our things, each of us saying goodnight to Patrick.
“I think I’d like to spend a few more minutes studying the debate-prep binder.” Patrick winked at me when Heather and Doug turned their backs on us. Something fluttered in my chest and tightened in my lower belly. “After all, an intern spent a grueling two days putting it together.”
The three of us had almost left the room by the time Patrick called out to me. “Alex, if you don’t mind staying behind, I just thought of something we need to look over one more time.”
“Of course.” My cheeks warmed and I averted my gaze, glancing toward Doug and Heather. “Goodnight guys, I’ll talk to you all tomorrow morning.”
I closed the door behind them and then waited about thirty seconds before I crossed the room and met him near the podium. In those seconds, the air between us changed. It had a magnetism, a charge.
“What do you need?” I asked in a low voice, guessing full well he didn’t need a damn thing.
“I’m a little…stressed,” he said. “It’s been a long day, and we have an even bigger one tomorrow.”
“What you need is a good night’s sleep.”
“Maybe.” His tone deepened with a raspy edge. “But I can think of other things I want.”
I glanced at the door, then back at him with a raised eyebrow. “And what’s that?”
Patrick dropped the binder, gripped my upper arms, and slammed his mouth into mine, kissing me for the first time that day. Hunger and a need for him overtook me when he pressed his body flush to mine. “Damn it,” he murmured. “You are so fucking gorgeous.”
I kissed him back, of course. No question about that. Just like every other time, I couldn’t have resisted him if I’d tried.
“Now,” he whispered as our embrace deepened. “I want you now.”
He picked me up, carried me over to the large conference table, and laid me on top of it. He kissed me again and I opened up to him, not caring that we weren’t in the hotel room, not really thinking about anything at all.
Just Patrick.
“I’m going to fuck you. Right now.” His mouth moved down my jawline and across my throat, then along the soft edge of my cashmere cardigan. “On this table.” He punctuated his words with kisses on my collarbone. “Right now.”
“What if someone walks in?”
He moved his lips to my ear. “Then you’re going to have to be quiet, Alex, so no one can hear you.” Patrick pulled me closer. “Do you think you can do that?”
“Yes.” I moaned, closing my eyes and allowing the intensity of emotions to pour over the two of us like a tidal wave. “Whatever you want. Anything you want.”
Patrick drew the sweater up and over the swell of my breasts. “What I want is you. Wet. Ready for me. Only me.”
“Only you.”
