Alone.
I find him on the phone and, when I stand in his doorway and lightly rap, he waves me in and motions for me to close the door behind me.
Once he’s finished with his call he hangs up and leans back in his chair. “I think I’m going to have to spank my wife extra hard for putting me through this torture. I spent decades doing advance work for POTUS and dignitaries, and now I’m stuck picking out china patterns. What’s up?”
“Can I sit, sir?”
“Sure. What’s on your mind?” He grins. “And drop the ‘sir,’ shit. We’re alone.”
I slide into one of the chairs in front of his desk and realize I don’t know exactly how to word this. “We’ve been through a lot together,” I start. Which is a totally chickenshit lead-in, and even I realize it.
He nods. “We have.”
“You also know I’m not in the habit of coming to you and asking for things. For…favors.”
He nods again, this time more slowly, already realizing there’s an ask. “Correct.”
I mean, ofcoursehe’s already realizing it. He’s not an idiot.
“You know how you’re hiring for permanent positions at the White House?”
“Yes?”
“I need you to hire Jordan. Please,” I belatedly add. I’m definitelynotused to asking for favors.
Especially from Chris.
He scowls. “Jordan?”
“Jordan Walsh.” Although I know damn well he knows exactly who I mean.
He studies me for a long moment. “Hire Jordan…permanently?”
“Yes.”
This is the man now codenamed Priest, my former co-worker and boss from the Secret Service, not my buddy Chris, the husband of my current employer.
I wait him out.
He slowly leans forward, elbows braced on his desk, hands clasped as he levels his piercing green gaze at me. Man’s fucking handsome. Had I known for sure how he swung before all this happened, I would’ve gladly made a pass at him myself. Except I’m one-thousand-percent certain he’s a complete alpha Top, and so am I.
That’s a recipe for relationship disaster no matter how you cut it.
He studies me for an almost uncomfortably long moment. “What’s going on, Leo? I thought Jordan was returning to Tallahassee once his job ended. That he was a temporary…distraction.”
“He won’t leave if he has a job here in Washington. He won’t have to.”
He looks understandably confused. “Isn’t he working on his master’s degree?”
I take a deep breath. “I need a reason for him to stay. That means I need Jordan to have a White House job. One where he will have frequent andplausiblecontact with the vice president.”
His left eyebrow slowly arches. “Why?”
“Because, otherwise, it’ll be really weird to haul him out of the shadows, out of absolutely damn nowhere, to be Elliot’s body man when he officially kicks off his campaign for POTUS at the end of Shae’s two terms. Provided she’s re-elected.”
It’s understandable that Chris now looks confused. “I thoughtyouwere going to be Elliot’s body man when the time comes? Shae told you she’d be okay with that.”
“It’s…complicated.”
