By the time she arrived at her new home, Sam had worked up a steaming head of pissed off.
At the checkpoint, the young agent on duty did a double take when he realized the first lady was driving her own car. Or maybe it was the steam coming out of her ears that had the young man taking a step backward as he waved her through.
Lilia was waiting for her inside the door, looking prim and proper and put together, right down to the elegant strand of pearls and the leather portfolio she carried. She looked the way a first lady ought to, whereas Sam resembled something the cat had dragged through the mud.
They walked through the red-carpeted hallways from the East Wing to the West. Only the fact that she’d get to see Nick in the next few minutes kept her from completely losing her shit. “It’s too bad we can’t pass you off for me. You’d be much better at this than I’ll ever be.”
“Pardon me?”
“You heard me. What would it take for you to play the role of the first lady during the day around here? I’ll handle the nighttime shift, so there’d be no sex involved for you. Just interviews and public appearances and freaking meetings. What do you say?”
“Uh, have you had a stroke or something?”
“No, but I’m about to. I’ve got threads to pull everywhere I look on a fifteen-year-old cold case, and where am I right now?”
Lilia glanced at her as if uncertain whether the question required a response.
“I’ll tell you where I am. About to sit through a pointless meeting where a bunch of gray-haired dudes are gonna mansplain to me why I need a full detail and to be driven everywhere I go.”
“Ah, I see now.”
“What do you see?”
“You’re irritated because of the meeting.”
“Irritated,” Sam said with a huff of laughter. “That’s one way to put it. I agreed to let Vernon and Jimmy stalk me and to be accommodating as possible to them. What more do they want from me? Why do we need a freaking meeting in the middle of my workday? I have to take annual leave for this.”
As they traversed the corridors, various staffers nodded to her with murmurs of “Afternoon, Mrs. Cappuano.”
Sam was still getting used to the fact that everyone in the world knew who she was, which made her yearn for the anonymity she’d once taken for granted. What she wouldn’t give… But that would mean not being with Nick, and since that wasn’t an option she cared to entertain, she would suck it up and deal with the dreaded fame that came with being one-half of the most famous couple in the world. But she didn’t have to like it.
Thankfully, Lilia knew the White House campus inside and out, because Sam would’ve taken a right when Lilia hooked a left and delivered her right to the Oval Office. She filed away the information for the next time she needed it.
To the woman working the desk outside the Oval Office, Lilia said, “Mrs. Cappuano is here to see the president.”
“He said to send her right in,” the woman said with a smile for Sam.
In a low voice, Sam said to Lilia, “I thought he had his vice presidential staff coming over here to work with him.”
“Eventually. They’re trying to find other jobs in government for Nelson’s staff. Many were with him for more than twenty years.”
“Ah, I see.” It was another reminder that many lives had been upended by David Nelson’s untimely death.
“Go ahead in and see your husband. I’ll wait out here until the others arrive.”
“Thanks for letting me vent. I’m sorry to be a miserable cow.”
“You’re not, and I get it. Most people have months to prepare for the possibility of this happening and then the reality of it. You had a matter of minutes. It’s only natural you’d need some time to adjust.”
“You’re too kind, and I am a miserable cow. I promise not to take it out on you too often.”
“I’m here for you, for whatever you need. I’m your girl.”
“You’re the best. Let me say in advance—thank you, and I’m sorry for whatever I do to drive you insane over the next three years.”
“I’m made of sturdy stuff. I can take it.”
“Oh, I hired a social secretary, and her name is Shelby Faircloth Hill.”
“Fantastic choice. I’m looking forward to working with her. What about communications?”
“My friend Roni Connolly is on board for that, but I haven’t heard when she can start. I’ll figure that out soon.”
“Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”
The door to the Oval Office swung open, and there he was, her love. Who also happened to be the president of the United States. Dear God. How in the world had this happened? Before she could fall into that rabbit hole full of what-the-fuck, he held out a hand to her.
When she joined her hand with his, the storm inside her subsided just that quickly.
“Come in.”
Sam swore she heard the woman working the reception desk sigh as he led Sam into the most important office in the world, closing the door behind them.
“What’s the matter?” he asked, smoothly removing her coat, tossing it over a chair and putting his arms around her, all in a matter of seconds.
Sam relaxed into his embrace, inhaled the potent scent of home and had to resist the urge to purr like a contented kitten. “Nothing. Now.” She slid her arms around his waist and held on tight. “Like always, you make everything better.”
“What was wrong before?”
“It’ll make you mad if I tell you. This is the loveliest minute of my day so far, and I’d hate to ruin it.”
“Tell me anyway.”
He ran his fingers through the hair she’d never put up in the usual workday clip and caressed her back. “I was raging to Lilia about this stupid-ass Secret Service meeting interrupting my day. I came in pretty hot, actually. I’ve got leads galore on a fifteen-year-old cold case, and all I want to do is—”
“Pound the pavement. Am I right?”
“You’re so right.”
He pulled back to look down at her with the potent eyes that were her kryptonite. “Those leads will still be there when we finish here, won’t they?”
“Don’t do that.”
His eyes twinkled with the start of laughter. “Don’t do what?”
“Don’t use reason to talk me out of a good mad. That’s annoying.”
“Will they or won’t they still be there after the meeting?”
“They will, but that doesn’t make the meeting any less stupid.”
“In my opinion, it’s the most important meeting I’ve had since I took office.”
“How is that possible? You nearly went to war with Iran to get back your secretary of State.”
“My ex-secretary of State, and alas, my adorable, cantankerous, sexy, exasperating wife is more important to me than that. But shhhh, don’t tell anyone I said that, or we’ll be in for a world of abuse from the media.”
Sam batted her eyelashes at him. “I’m more important than an international incident?”
“My love, you’re more important to me than anything, and the whole world knows that, which is what makes you so exquisitely vulnerable. And that’s what makes this the most important meeting I’ll ever have as president.”
She scowled at him. “You think you’re so smooth.”
“How’s that?” he asked, laughing as he towed her along with him to sit on one of the two sofas.
“You think if you wow me with the most romantic words ever that I’ll just turn to putty in your hands and let you surround me with an armada of Secret Service.”
“First of all, an armada is a fleet of warships—”
Her elbow connected with his ribs, which led to a swift exhale of breath and another laugh from him.
“You know what I mean.”
“Second of all, the idea of you being putty in anyone’s hands is the funniest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“I’m putty in your hands, and you know it. So don’t take advantage of that in this meeting. You hear me?”
“I hear you. Third of all, I love you, and I appreciate you interrupting your day and your cold case to come in for this stupid-ass, most-important meeting ever.”
“Whatever.” She crossed her arms and gave him her best mulish look, even though she was nowhere near as mulish as she’d been a few minutes ago. His superpower was dealing with her, and he was very, very good at it.
“Want to make out until the others get here?”
“How much time do we have?”
He checked the watch that had been her father’s. “Twelve minutes.”
“There’s a lot we can get done in twelve minutes.”
“Hold that thought until after the meeting and kiss me.”
Since Sam couldn’t think of anything she liked to do more than kiss him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and went for it. They were still kissing like teenagers five minutes later when something dropping on the floor outside the door had them pulling apart like they’d just been caught by their parents.
Nick glanced in the direction of the noise at one of the doors that led outside. “If I’m in the Oval, there’s a Marine positioned at that door. That’s how you can tell I’m here.”
Sam tipped her neck to give him access. “That’s good info to have.”
“You can come here anytime you want. I don’t care what’s going on, you’re always welcome here.” As he cupped her breast through her sweater and ran his thumb over her nipple, he said, “I’m going to love working from home.”
Sam laughed and turned her head to kiss him again, noting that his cheeks were flushed with color, the way they got when he was aroused. “We’d better quit this now, or everyone will know we’ve been fooling around in here.”
“I don’t care if they know.”
Sam pulled back, but not because she wanted to. “Time out. For now. To be continued.”
He groaned and sat back against the sofa.
“It’s your own fault for scheduling stupid-ass meetings.”
“My entire life is stupid-ass meetings these days. But I guess that’s what I signed on for.”
“I couldn’t do it. I’d go insane being stuck in meetings all day.”
“Well, they do have a purpose.”
“Still.” She glanced down at his lap. “You might want to do something about… that… before you get caught with a boner in the Oval Office.”
Blowing out a deep breath, he got up and went into an adjoining room. “Come check this out.”
“Is that code for ‘come finish me off’?”
Laughing, he said, “Not this time, but we’ll play that game after the meeting.”
Sam got up to see what he wanted to show her. Through the door, she found a sitting room and bathroom. “This is so cool. You’ve got your own place to hide out.”
He came out of the bathroom, having splashed cold water on his face. He’d also combed the hair she’d messed up during their make-out session. “They can always find me,” he said, gesturing to the official-looking phone on a table.
She went to one of the fancy upholstered chairs and ran a hand along the back of it. “This one doesn’t have arms.”
“I see that.”
“You know what that’s good for?”
“Maybe you can show me after the meeting.”
She went to him and dragged a finger straight down the middle of his tie, hooking it in the waistband of his pants. “If I have time. The faster the meeting ends, the more time I’ll have.”
“Keep that up, and my problem will be back.”
A knock sounded on the door to the Oval Office.
He kissed her and lingered for an extra second. “Let’s get this taken care of so we can get back to this conversation ASAP.”
“ASAP is one of my favorite acronyms.” She let him lead her back into the office. “As in, get rid of these people ASAP. As in, get me back to work ASAP.”
Smiling at her, he said, “Come in.”
As expected, a group of somber older men in suits came marching in.
Sam was pleased to see one stern-looking woman in a black suit, her hair pulled back into a tight twist that looked painful. She recognized the Secret Service director, Ambrose Pierce, whom she’d met before, and was introduced to each of the others, though she forgot their names as soon as she heard them.
Vernon and Jimmy were among the group that sat in the chairs and sofas around a coffee table where someone had put beverages and snacks.
She had to give props to the White House staff. Their food and beverage game was spot-on. Since this was technically her house, she helped herself to a glass of water and a sprig of grapes. She’d rather have the cheese and crackers, but she needed to watch what she ate if she was going to have twenty-four-hour food service.
“Sam?” Nick’s voice interrupted her private musings.
She looked up to find all eyes on her. “Yes?”
Nick’s eyes danced with amusement, probably because he could tell she’d zoned right out of the room. “Director Pierce was asking how things are going with your detail so far.”
“Oh. Sorry. So far, everything has been fine. Vernon and Jimmy are very good about allowing me to do my thing while they do theirs.”
“They’ve reported that, so far, things are going smoothly, and the three of you are working out a system,” Pierce said. “They’re scheduled to be with you Monday through Friday from eight a.m. to six p.m. to cover your work hours.”
Sam wanted to laugh in the director’s face. “Those are my technical hours. I often start much earlier and end much later, and I work a lot of weekends as well.”
“We’ll provide additional coverages as needed,” Pierce said.
That was better than him telling her she had to work within those hours and those hours only. Fortunately, he didn’t say that.
“We’re planning to assign two additional agents to your workday detail,” Pierce said.
Sam gave him a blank look. “Why?”
“We believe the threat level is high enough to warrant additional coverage.”
“I don’t think that’s necessary. In the course of my work, I’m usually accompanied by at least one other Metro PD officer, if not more.”
Pierce consulted his notes. “Earlier today, you were alone when you went to do an interview in the Southeast neighborhood of Congress Heights.” He glanced at her with sharp eyes that reminded her of Skip and how he’d seen right through her even when she’d tried to lie to his face. “Is that correct?”
She couldn’t believe Vernon had ratted her out, even if he was probably just following agency rules. “That’s correct, but I was going to see a woman who’s become a friend in the fifteen years since her son was murdered. We recently reopened his cold case. His mother invited me for lunch and to go over the list of questions I had. At no time was I in any danger.”
“That you know of.”
She cast a glance at Vernon, who stood behind the sofa with Jimmy and Brant. “What does that even mean?”
“It means the threats may not be visible to you or your team,” Pierce said.
“If you know about them, all you have to do is tell us so we’ll be extra aware. We don’t have to go overboard. We can simply share information and react accordingly. There’s really no need for overkill.”
Pierce looked to Nick for his input.
“I think Sam makes a good point. If you share information with her, she and her team can be more vigilant.”
Sam wanted to kiss him on the lips but held back that urge until they were alone, when he would be richly rewarded for having her back.
“Very well,” Pierce said, visibly displeased to have his recommendation shot down. “We’ll go with two agents for now and reassess as needed.”
“I want to say something.” While Sam took a second to collect her thoughts, she reached for Nick’s hand. “I have a lot to live for.” She smiled at Nick, who looked at her with love and admiration. “I finally have the family I’ve always wanted and a husband I adore. I’m always careful and vigilant on the job. Yes, things happen. Sometimes crazy, unexpected things happen, but I’m very well trained to handle those situations. I know you’d all prefer for me to be a traditional first lady, but I’m just not that person. I’ll do everything I can to support my husband in this new role and to be extra careful on the job going forward.
“I know what can happen. I understand your job is to protect our family, and we so appreciate what the agents do for us every day. My goal is not to make your jobs harder. My goal is to continue doing my job while you do yours. If the day comes when that’s truly not possible, we’ll revisit this arrangement. But until then, you’ve fulfilled your due diligence by making me aware of your concerns. I take full responsibility for the decision to keep my detail limited to two agents and to continue to drive myself on the job. I only ask that the agents be on standby for worst-case scenarios and refrain from involving themselves in any police action.”
“We appreciate your cooperation and will do what we can to make it possible for you to remain on the job while serving as first lady,” Pierce said. “I want you to know that as fellow LEOs, we admire your determination to continue working.”
“Even if it complicates things for you all?” Sam asked, smiling.
“Even if. We’ll do everything we can for you.”
“Thank you.”
“Mr. President, you’ve requested to keep Agent Brantley as your lead agent.”
“Yes,” Nick said. “He’s done an excellent job, and we’re all very comfortable with him.”
“I’ve approved his appointment to continue heading up your detail.”
“That’s wonderful.” Nick looked at the young agent who’d become such a big part of their lives since he became vice president. “Congratulations, Brant.”
“Thank you, sir, for your faith in me. I’m honored to continue working with you and your family.”
They spent the next fifteen minutes reviewing arrangements for each of the children, including Elijah, who was now under the protection of a detail at Princeton.
“We had a few challenges working out logistics for him on short notice, but we were able to secure off-campus housing for his detail and made arrangements in conjunction with Princeton’s campus police,” Pierce said. “We expect there to be a moment of adjustment for a college junior who isn’t accustomed to being surrounded by security. But so far, he’s cooperating and understands the need.”
“If that changes, please let me know,” Nick said. “I’ll take care of it.”
“Yes, sir, Mr. President.”
The meeting ended a few minutes later with the others filing out of the Oval Office.
Sam expelled a deep breath full of relief. “That went pretty well.”
“You were so sexy when you were telling Ambrose how it was gonna be.”
“Stop it. I was not.”
“Were too, and every guy in the room thought it was hot as fuck.”
“You’re insane.”
“I’m insanely hot for you.” He somehow managed to lift her onto his lap and into his arms in one very smooth move. “Hi,” he said, smiling down at her.
“What’ve I told you about handling me like I’m a side of beef?”
He kissed her forehead, nose and lips. “Can’t remember.”
She placed her hand on his face to encourage him to keep up the kissing. “Funny, I can’t either.” Even though she had threads to pull and more to do than she could get done in a year, she gave herself ten more minutes to be held and kissed by him. “I gotta go.”
“I know.” He made no move to release her. “Thanks for doing this, for putting up with it all, for bending over backward to make it work even when you’re freaking out all over the place, for not leaving me. All of it.”
Sam pulled back so she could see his face. “Leave you? Where in the hell would I go when the only thing I want is to be with you?”
“Even here?” he asked, his gaze taking in the room.
“Anywhere. If you’re there, I’m good.”
“That’s all it takes?”
“That’s all it takes, and you know it. Don’t add to your stress by worrying about me freaking out all over the place or leaving you. I’m handling it, and I’m not going anywhere. The kids are handling it. It’s going to be great. I keep thinking about the awesome house parties we can have with everyone we love sleeping over, watching movies, bowling, swimming. And we haven’t even talked about Camp David yet.”
“That does sound fun.”
“Right? We’ll make it fun. We’ll bring back the glamour, the entertainment, the celebrities and the music.”
“That sounds perfect, babe.”
“If we have to be here, we may as well enjoy the hell out of it, right?”
“I guess so. You know that all I need to be happy is for you to be happy.”
“I’m good. Much better after this meeting and knowing there’s not going to be pushback about my job. And I’m fully aware that I have you to thank for making sure Ambrose knew that trying to talk me out of keeping the job was a nonstarter.”
“We did have a preliminary conversation ahead of the meeting.”
“I had a feeling.” She kissed him again, making it a good one to hold them over until later. “You’re the best, and I love you. If you want to talk sexy, seeing you in this room as the leader of the free world…” She fanned her face. “That is hot as fuck.”
“If you say so.”
“I say so, and we’ll discuss this further later. Right now, I need to get back to work.”
Nick got up to walk her to the door. “What Ambrose said about threats you can’t see… Keep that in mind, okay? There’re so many ways they can come for you, babe. It’s the stuff of nightmares.”
She rested her hand on his chest, feeling the rapid beat of his heart under her palm. “Don’t do that. Don’t go to worst-case. I was fine as second lady, and I’ll be fine as first lady. I promise.”
“I’m going to hold you to that.”
“Please do.”
He kissed her one more time before he let her go.
As she walked toward the reception area, a strikingly beautiful dark-haired woman wearing a red power suit and matching three-inch heels came in from the hallway. Sam took one look at her and hated her for no good reason. Her reaction was immediate and visceral.
“Oh, Sam,” Nick said. “This is Gretchen Henderson. Gretchen, my wife, Sam.”
She wanted to ask Nick who this woman was and why she was here, but she held her barbed tongue and shook the woman’s hand.
“Such a pleasure to meet you,” Gretchen said. “I’m a huge admirer.”
“Thank you,” Sam said. To Nick, she added, “I’ll see you later.”
“Yes, you will.”
Sam felt his eyes on her until she turned the corner.