**Disclaimers** "Long Time Running" - The Tragically Hip from "Road Apples" CD
"The Weight" - The Band "Greatest Hits" CD
And once again, I don't own any WW characters...big surprise.
Does your mother tell you things?
Long, long when I'm gone?
Who you talking to?
Is she telling you I'm the one?
It's a grave mistake and I'm wide awake
We don't go anywhere
Just on trips
We haven't seen a thing
We still don't know where it is
It's a safe mistake.
It's been a long time running
It's been a long time coming
It's well worth the wait
This was a nightmare. Donna braced herself against the door to Sam's apartment and tried to resist the impulse to bash her head against the heavy wood. How could this have happened? Not only had Amy become the Queen of Darkness and Malice Aforethought, but also Josh now knew...what did he know exactly? How much of that catfight-because, really, that was all it could be called-had he heard? Just the part when she basically said he had feelings for her, or even more, like when Amy had taunted her with a rather descriptive account of her sexploits with him? It was nothing less than a hellish mess.
And now she had to go into the apartment and put on a show for Sam, pretending nothing had happened at all. Absolutely brilliant bit of luck going on for her this week.
She knocked softly on the door, half-hoping Sam wouldn't answer because then she wouldn't have to lie to him. She didn't want to lie. Lying to Sam was something she never thought she would have to do. Things were so good between them, or had been, and would be again if she had anything to do about it. This whole Josh disaster-zone would fade away if she just ignored it long enough. It always had in the past, right? Besides, what was he doing eavesdropping on what was obviously an extremely personal and private conversation? Just like a man, sneaking around like that.
At that precise moment, with her lip curled in resentment and her eyes giving out a baleful glare, Sam opened the door.
"What did I do?" he asked immediately. "Seriously, Donna, I didn't steal any bagels or blueberry danishes from Ginger yesterday. I don't know what you've heard, but you've got to believe me."
Her eyes began to swim from pent-up emotional overload as the anger at Josh faded, replaced just as quickly by the horror of dragging dear sweet Sam into this ungodly state of affairs. His arms came around her just as the tears began to fall.
"Hey, hey now. It's not that bad. Whatever it is, you can tell me."
"I can't!" she cried, holding him as tightly as she could. The sobs racked her body. "I can't...tell you...because I don't....don't know myself!"
He tilted her head up so that he could see her face. Gentle thumbs brushed away the tracks of tears and then softly rubbed against her lips. He kissed her briefly and, like a holy balm, it healed a small piece of her soul. Then he kissed her nose, her eyelids and pillowed her head against his shoulder once more. When the sobs had dwindled to hiccups, she felt it was safe enough to ease her grip on his shirt.
"Donna? What do you want me to do?"
Biting her lip, she looked up at him, hoping that her words wouldn't be misconstrued. "I want to go home."
"That's fine."
"Will you come with me?" she asked shyly. His smile made her feel strong enough to last for a few more minutes.
"Of course."
As he moved about the apartment grabbing his shoes and coat, Donna lingered in the doorway. She caught sight of one of Sam's favourite photos on the hall table. It was of her, Sam and Josh on the night of the President's Inaugural Ball. The men looked smart in their tuxedos, and for once a photo of her had turned out well enough to reject any notions of tearing it up. Her dress had been an icy blue and for the first time in her life she had truly felt like Cinderella. Except for the small point that there had been no prince waiting for her at the ball that night.
As she looked closer at the framed photo, she noticed her body language for the first time. Josh's arm was about her waist, holding her close to him while his other arm was flung around Sam's shoulders. For years it had seemed like such a casual pose, displaying her final acceptance into the President's inner circle of friends. And previously she had always taken it as a sign that Josh could trust her again, after that humiliating episode of returning to Dr Freeride.
Now, as she looked at Josh's arm around her body, remembering the smiles and laughter the three of them had shared that night compared to the emotional quagmire they now found themselves in, it was enough to make the sobs break forth once more.
Sam moved behind her and held her to his chest, hugging her until the pain lessened. She was probably scaring him, acting in such a crazy way, but she didn't know how else to react to the tumult of feelings thrown at her in the last few hours.
"Donna?" His arm came around her as he led her out into the hallway. "Can you give me just an inkling about what's going on?"
Dabbing at her eyes with the handkerchief he had already pressed into her hand, she swallowed the last of her sobs and tried to focus on a point just beyond his shoulder.
"Amy and I had words before I left the office."
"Words? What does that mean?"
"We got into a fight, all right? That's all I want to say about it for now."
"Sure, sure." He didn't say another word until they were in his car. Donna knew her mind was preoccupied since she had walked the entire way to Sam's place, forgetting about her little Honda in the parking lot. Sam reached for the ignition and then stopped.
"Where was Josh during all of this?"
Donna's head snapped up. "What?"
"Where was Josh?"
"He was in Toby's office. He was there the whole time. He didn't hear a thing until the very end."
Sam nodded in relief. "Well at least he showed up eventually. He has got to learn to keep that woman under control. Josh may be our team's pitbull, but Amy's like a rottweiler without a leash."
"Let's just agree that she's a dog, okay?" The faintest hint of a smile crossed her face. He reached across and brushed a few stray strands of white-blond hair off her face.
"Now I know you're feeling better," he joked. "You're always spunkiest when you're getting your dander up again."
"My dander?" That really did make her laugh.
"It's a word!"
Donna let out a deep breath as the engine roared to life and Sam drove them out onto the street. As she wiped the last tracks of tears off her cheeks, her mind wandered.
"What are you thinking?" he asked when they came to a red light.
"I was just remembering that scene from “Steel Magnolias” where Dolly Parton says that laughter through tears is her favourite emotion. It makes sense."
"I wouldn't know," he replied. "I've never seen that movie."
"Sam!" Donna cried in disbelief. "How can you have not seen that movie? Everyone has seen that movie! They must play it about fifty times a year on TBS."
"I drew the line at “Terms of Endearment.” After seeing that, no other cry-jerker starring Shirley MacLaine could compare."
He tried to keep a straight face as Donna's jaw continued to hang open. Finally temptation was too much to resist and he leaned over to gently close her mouth for her.
"I don't think there are any flies in the car, but just in case," he teased.
Donna smiled, her eyes glazed over with tiredness, and relaxed for the rest of the drive, her head comfortably tucked into Sam's shoulder.
Everything was going to be fine. At least until tomorrow morning.
It wasn't until Sam's firm arms were holding her tightly against him as they spooned together in her bed that Donna felt she could let her guard down. But instead of feeling exhausted, she was wired. Sleep would not come easily tonight, that was for sure. As the soft, steady pattern of Sam's breath hit the back of her neck, her thoughts turned to the man lying next to her. And what a man.
He was so different from Josh, but at the same time they could be brothers. If Josh was like the sun in her world, bright, invigorating and satisfying, but also with the capability to burn, then Sam was like the moon, constant yet ever-changing as time went by, reflecting her beauty in a way that she felt was completely undeserved.
The zeal and devotion she felt towards him grew each day, somehow having the ability to remain separate from any tempests emerging on the Josh front. That was something to be thankful for, no matter what repercussions the morning brought for her when she stepped back into the West Wing.
She didn't want to wake him as she worshipped him, so ever so slowly she eased out of his embrace and pulled the sheet back. Starting with the soft skin around his ankles, she traced indiscernible patterns with the pads of her fingers. The hair on his legs was coarse, but in the most pleasurable of ways, and when sleep made him roll onto his back, she took the opportunity to straddle his thighs, loving the feel of his muscles beneath her.
Since their second or third night together they had slept in the nude, savouring the small opportunities to feel each other that were forbidden during the day. Checking again to make sure that his eyes were still closed, she leaned down to breathe softly against his shaft. The lightest of feather touches caused him to rise into her grip, but the man still slept. Another breath of hot air tantalised his cock before she moved up to kiss up the trail of hair leading to and from his navel.
By now Sam was making small sounds, not quite grunts or gasps, but nearing it. Donna's hands moved up past her mouth to run across his chest, teasing his nipples and running down his ribs. As she stretched out further along him, her eyes caught sight of his, and she gave him a sassy smile.
"Couldn't sleep?" he whispered.
"Do you want me to try to?"
"I think we can try later."
"Good thinking."
Her lips had reached the centre of his chest and she moved first to the right, then to the left, licking at his salty skin and using her teeth to entice him further. When she was lying fully on top of him, hip to hip and eye to eye, his hands finally grasped her head and pulled her down for a searing kiss. Even when at a disadvantage, he could still plunder her mouth, searching for that elusive part of her that, when found, drove her to unparalleled frenzy.
Slowly she leaned back, easing her weight off of him, and he followed until they were sitting in the centre of the mattress, legs straddling each other. It was his turn now to torture her with the silken movements of his tongue and the magic touch of hands and fingers and lips. When the need became too great for both of them, he raised her just enough to enter her warm depths, letting her sink down and impale herself on his cock in her own time.
For a moment, connected in the most timeless and constant of ways, she cupped his face in her pale hands, memorising the look of adoration pouring out of his deep, endlessly-blue eyes. The strain of not moving was hitting them both, but she couldn't stop gazing at that face in the darkness, feeling the contours of his jaw and cheekbones beneath fingers grown cold in the night.
She began to lift her hips, ready to rock them both into oblivion, but the pressure of his hands on her waist stilled her movements. Now it was his turn to hold her cheek in one hand, softly running fingers against the smooth skin.
His eyes bored into hers, and she could almost see the words bubbling up inside of him, words so precious and longed for they could change everything-but to hear him say that magic phrase was beyond her breaking point. It was simply more than she could bear.
And so she kissed him, stopping any vows or declarations, hoping that her action would speak louder than his unspoken words. His mouth parted slowly beneath hers, and then they were both lost as the ancient rhythm overcame them.
He thrust up into her as her hips descended, changing the angle slightly to rub even more against her over-sensitised clit. She rode him faster and faster, desperate to get to that place where time stopped and nothing mattered more than the moment at hand. His cry of completion sounded just a second before her own, and they slowly collapsed, more than satisfied, into a sweaty sweet tangle of limbs.
Before closing his eyes, Sam smoothed her hair away from her face. "Sleep now," he whispered, kissing her temple.
At first she thought the pounding was the garbage trucks coming far too early yet again. Still half-asleep, she raised her head to check the time on her alarm clock, and her fuzzy brain took in the fact that it was still dark...the time was only 2:30AM.
The pounding started again, three constant heavy beats...it was definitely not garbage trucks.
Some people have the ability to wake up instantly from a deep sleep and be fully coherent and aware of their surroundings...and then there were those like Sam, who could sleep through an alien invasion. The problem was, it wasn't aliens who were invading Donna's apartment at this ungodly hour-the sleep-disturber could only be one person in the entire city.
Josh.
Donna sat up, listening for the pounding on her door one more time before moving. As the noise continued, coupled with the faint mumble of someone yelling in the hallway, she leapt into action.
"Sam! Sam, wake up!"
"Whhhaaa...?"
"Get up! It's Josh!"
He sat up slightly, the sheet falling down to puddle around his waist. The owl-like blinking of his eyes confirmed her fear that he was still out of it.
"Sam!" she hissed loudly. "Josh can't find you in my bed at 2 in the morning. Come on!" She pulled the sheet back and quickly pushed Sleeping Sam out of the bedroom and into the hall. It was a simple miracle that Peyton, her latest roommate, was in France on holiday with her fiancé, and Josh knew from painful experience that her room was out of bounds no matter how drunk he was.
Rushing, she dragged Sam into Peyton's room and quickly searched through the chest of drawers to find something to wear. Just her luck that Peyton only wore Victoria's Secret teddies to bed.
"Am I naked?" Sam asked, his voice scratchy as he rubbed one hand against his eyes.
"Shush!" Donna whispered as she finished putting on the teddy. "Stay in here and don't make a sound!"
As the door clicked shut behind her she breathed deeply, girding her loins for God knows what, and then went to let Josh into the apartment.
"What took you so long?" he whined as soon as the door opened.
"What are you doing here?"
"I...I want...we need to talk."
Still blocking the way inside, Donna glared at him. "Maybe we do, but not like this. It's the middle of the night, Josh! And you're drunk!"
He put his hands on his hips and posed like Superman. "I'm always drunk when it's important."
She waited a moment more, wanting the entire night to just stop, and then relented. "Fine, come in. But you know this was not my idea."
"Fine."
He didn't say another word until she had closed the door behind him. She was just locking the deadbolt when she felt his eyes on her. Turning around slowly, she leaned against the door, and looked at him. It was the closest Josh had ever come to looking like a cartoon character, with his jaw hanging wide open and eyes bugging out of his head.
"Donna?" he squeaked.
It was then she remembered the teddy. Damn, damn, double damn! Her first instinct was to run to the kitchen and hide behind the counter, but her feet wouldn't move. Instead, her breathing grew faster and her nipples rose with a will of their own under his heated gaze. And, of course, the teddy being silk made her body's rush of arousal absolutely exquisite.
The sound of a soft thud coming from Peyton's room pushed Donna back into reality, though Josh remained dumbstruck.
"Go lie down on the couch," she ordered, pointing at the sofa in the middle of the room. When he failed to move fast enough out of his trance-like state she walked up to him and gave him a shove. "Now!"
His eyes had stayed in contact with her stiffened nipples right up until the moment he tripped over his own feet. Donna rolled her eyes and quickly moved off to the bathroom to grab her robe. Why hadn't she worn it from the beginning? She couldn't think of a good enough answer as she slung it around her body.
Peeking into Peyton's room, she saw Sam lying on the bed, attempting to read a hardback romance novel despite his eyes' inability to stay open. "I dropped the book," he whispered.
Under any other circumstances, Donna would have laughed, but this was hardly a normal situation. She moved her finger to her lips, miming him to be quiet, and closed the door again.
As she walked back into the living room she could make out one of Josh's legs draped over the back of the couch. She moved it before throwing a mohair blanket over him.
"It was one of Peyton's cats,"
"What?" He looked up at her through glazed eyes.
"The noise. It was one of the cats."
"I thought she left them with her mother."
"Not this one," Donna answered too quickly. She let out a sigh and shook her head. "You've got to stop doing this, Josh. We agreed months ago that my place was off-limits when you get drunk now that you're with Amy."
He blew a raspberry at her and smirked. "Whatever."
Okay, so there was no doubt that Josh was giving yet another stellar performance as Drunken Idiot of the Year. Which meant that he wouldn't remember what they said to each other. Which, in turn, meant she could do a little digging to figure out just what the hell was going on.
"Josh? Why did you get drunk?"
"Cuz."
She leaned a bit closer from her perch on the armrest. "Are you like this because of tonight? Because of Amy?"
"Phsssh! Amy who? I don't know her," he mumbled, waving his hand around in the air to dismiss the notion.
"Yes, Josh, you do," Donna replied in her most condescending voice. "Amy is your girlfriend, or was...no, she is...isn't she?"
For a moment she thought his eyes cleared and that maybe he wasn't as drunk as she had thought. "No," he said softly, his eyes boring into Donna's face hovering above him, "really, I don't know her. I don't know her at all."
There was a long moment when they stared at each other, neither moving, but each wanting the other to do something to break the deadlock.
"You're impossible," she whispered.
"You wouldn't treat me like this if you knew!" he snapped back. Pushing himself to a sitting position he began to rant. "If only you knew what was really going on like I know what's really going on, cuz I do, then your attitude towards me would be completely different. If only you had some idea of what I did. It would have worked, too. This all would have been different," he yelled, fling his arms out to emphasise his point. "If only you knew what I said in Hawaii."
"Hawaii?"
"Don't interrupt me when I'm being right!" he shouted. "If only you knew what I said to you on the phone in Hawaii. But you had to have a stupid stupid stupid answering machine that cuts people off just when they're getting around to their point!" He turned his head and bellowed at the offensive machine sitting a few feet away. "I hate you!"
"Then why don't you tell me what you said." Donna did her best to keep her voice calm, but the blood by now was pounding through her veins. "If you think it's so important, just get it out." Any mention of that phone message from the night of her birthday was bound to make her emotions go haywire, but to hear Josh coming so close to finally telling her what she hadn't heard made her tense for far too many reasons. "Tell me what the machine left out," she repeated.
His eyes searched her face, and his softened just a bit the longer he looked. Another thud from Peyton's room caused him to glance down the hallway towards the bedrooms, and his frowned instantly.
"No. I don't think I will."
"Fine!" she yelled in his face, finally losing control at his antics. "I don't care what you said. It wouldn't matter to me if you never told me. I don't want to know."
She stormed into the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water, and by the time she came back to yell at him some more, he had passed out. Still fuming, she ripped the blanket off him. "You don't deserve this," she hissed at him. "My blanket is better than you."
She stomped back to her bedroom, then remembered and went to check on Sam. He was asleep, the book on the floor again. Her gaze darted from his sleeping form, to the living room, and back several times. She was too tired to do any more. If Josh and Sam woke up and found each other, that was just the way it was meant to be.
Someone was rubbing her shoulders. It felt wonderful. His hands were gentle, but she could feel their strength lying just beneath the surface. Purring her contentment, she stretched the muscles in her back, wanting more attention from this dreamy masseuse.
The feel of a tongue licking down her spine told her immediately this was no ordinary dream. Blinking madly Donna flipped over and pushed the hair out of her face to see this stranger in her bed.
Sam leaned over her, his sculpted arms blocking any escape.
"Mmm," he growled, taking in her appearance, "I think I like you in this."
"What?"
He nodded towards her current attire. She was still wearing the teddy, but while asleep it had rucked up past her waist, leaving her sex exposed to the morning light.
"And what could this be?"
"I think that would be my thigh."
"Very observant of you, considering you didn't get much sleep."
"And just whose fault would that be Mr Seaborn?" she teased, winding her fingers through his hair and bringing his lips closer to hers. "I tend to remember you keeping me awake doing naughty things long past my bedtime."
Their kiss was sweet and simple to begin with, but Donna soon gave it an edge as she ran her tongue across his lips, seeking entry. He acquiesced, their tongues jousting as the kiss deepened, but when she tried to pull him down on top of her he pulled back.
"Sorry, love, but we can't."
"Why not?" she whined. "I promise I'll be bad."
He groaned at the thought, then again as her hand slipped down to tease his erection. "Donna, something else is going on."
She paused for the briefest of seconds, trying to think what he could mean. She had left work, come home, slept...oh my god.
"Josh!" she cried, sitting up so fast that she knocked heads with Sam, making him reel back and fall off the bed.
"Oof...he's not here," Sam grimaced, holding a hand to the lump forming on his forehead. Donna was halfway to the bedroom door before she froze and then turned to him.
"Did I imagine the whole thing? No, that can't be because I'm wearing Peyton's clothes and so he must have...where is he?"
"He left before either of us got up. And no, he didn't figure out I was here too."
Their eyes met and Donna rushed to kneel beside him on the floor. Her arms wrapped around his bare shoulders, holding him as close as possible as she clung to him, rocking slightly.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm so sorry."
"For what?" he murmured against her hair.
"For everything...for Josh turning up, for anything odd you found in Peyton's room..."
He chuckled and leaned back to look her in the eye. "I think I'll get over that particular trauma." His hands passed over her face, brushing against soft skin, his thumbs outlining her lips as if he were a sculptor moulding clay. The worry lines slowly cleared from around her eyes and he leaned in close to kiss her once more.
When they separated he helped her off the floor and made his way to the bathroom to get a bigger look at the goose egg on his left temple.
"I don't think anyone will notice," Donna said, coming up to look at his reflection in the mirror.
"I don't think so either. But if they ask, I'll tell them the truth."
She took a step back, puzzled. "What does that mean?"
"That means that I'm not going to hide this relationship anymore. There's no point in doing that, because I'm really not very good at lying." He shrugged his shoulders. "I never was."
"But...but," she stuttered, "you can't just go around telling anyone you like that we're sleeping together."
His tone suddenly became cold. "I would have hoped there was more to this relationship than sex. I thought it meant something to you."
"Sam, be fair. That's not what I meant, but..."
"Then what does it matter? I care about you, Donna, probably more than you realise, and I want to shout it from the rooftops. Why aren't you willing to do the same for me?"
"Because it's not so cut and dry for me!" she yelled. "When you get involved with someone it's congratulations all round, but when I date someone, I have to face a firing squad just to get enough time off for dinner!"
"And whose fault is that?" he snapped back. Donna gave him a dazed look, as if she had never seen him before, and turned back to the bedroom. "Donna! Wait! We're not through here yet."
She went to her closet and pulled on an old flannel shirt over the provocative sleepwear. Then, with a fury that surprised even her, she turned her attention to vigorously remaking the bed.
"Why did you do that?" Sam asked, leaning against the wall to the bathroom.
"Do what?"
"Put that on."
"Because I don't want to argue with you when I look like that!" she said through clenched teeth. "I'm more comfortable this way."
Sam sighed deeply and took a step towards her. "Donna, listen to me. All I want is for us to let people know that we're together. The secrecy was fun for a while, but I want more than that. I don't feel any shame in the fact that we're seeing each other, so why do I get the feeling you do?"
"I don't! I've never been ashamed of being with you. I just don't want to hurt anyone by being careless and unthinking."
He grabbed a corner of the sheet she was holding, forcing her to look at him. "And just who would be your main concern in that respect?" he asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "This is still about Josh."
"If you worked as closely with someone like Ainsley Hayes instead of Toby, you'd know exactly what I'm talking about."
"Ainsley?" Sam shook his head to clear it. "Where did that come from? Why are you bringing up Ainsley?"
"To prove a point," she growled, throwing a pillow into place. "You work with Toby day in, day out, and there's a dynamic there that's vital to who you are. I have the same thing, except people read more into it because Josh is a man and I'm his female assistant. If you worked that closely with a woman instead of one of the most masculine people in the building, you'd see why I need to be careful balancing my work life from my private time!"
He was silent for a moment, taking in her words. When he spoke again, it was very slowly, so he could be sure of every nuance. "I understand that you and Josh are close," he began, "and I know he is important to you on many many levels. But I want to be important to you as well, not professionally, but personally. If we tell everyone that we're seeing each other today, first thing when we walk through the door, it will get rid of any awkwardness, and then everything will be clear-sailing for us."
"Except Josh doesn't know yet," she said softly.
"That's because you hid me in your roommate's bedroom for the five hours he was drunk and lounging on your sofa!" he barked. "Tell me this, Donna. Just how often does he do that anyway?"
"Do what?"
"Come over here whenever he wants, knowing you'll take care of him and cosset him and attend to his every need."
"Sam, don't."
"Don't what?"
She raised her eyes to his and looked at him calmly, her body completely still. "Don't be jealous of Josh," she said, her voice barely raised above a whisper. "You don't need to be jealous of anything. Nothing has ever happened, and nothing ever will. If there ever was a spark, we both snuffed it out a long time ago. His coming here last night was a mistake, and I told him that. But it's a habit of his when he's troubled and it's been going on for years."
"And you've always been there." The words shot out of his mouth like venom.
"I've never had a reason not to be," she exclaimed. "Never...until now."
His expression changed from one of fury to shock, then to quiet hope. "Do you mean it?" he whispered.
She smiled and held out her hand. "Of course I do."
Their fingers touched and suddenly he was crushing her to his chest, needing to feel her against him so that he could know that she was real and not about to fade out of his life. He cupped her face and touched his lips to hers with such ferocity and passion, it could have been the last kiss in the world.
Tears streamed down her face as they gazed at each other, trying with a thousand looks to apologise for a thousand things. "Try to believe in me a bit more often, okay?" she sniffed, placing her hand on his cheek and holding one of his hands against her breast.
He didn't say a word in reply, but took both her hands and held them firmly in his grasp, then raised each one to his lips in turn, sealing his vow with a lover's kiss.
Josh hoped he was being casual as he strolled up to Donna's cubicle. There was so much that had to be said and he for one couldn't wait another minute.
"We need to talk," he announced.
She turned quickly to look at him. Only Josh would think to have a private conversation in the middle of a busy bullpen. Idiot. "We can't talk here," she grimaced through a fake smile.
"Of course we can."
"You want to get into all of this in front of Larry, Ed and the dozens of Republican microphone bugs picking up every word out here?"
He immediately looked up at the ceiling and the corners of the bullpen, trying to suss out just where the stealth equipment could be. He scowled briefly as his attention turned back to Donna, and then suddenly seemed to become aware of the amount of activity buzzing around them. "Fine, my office. Now."
Josh shut the door quickly behind her, phrasing the words one last time in his head before he dared to open his mouth. Bad things happened when he spoke before he thought...and even though it was obvious Donna was teasing, what if there really was a bug in his office...
Nope, not possible. Must move on to more important matters.
"Donna, about last night..."
She cut him off before he could say another word. "Nothing happened last night."
"Excuse me? Did I hear you correctly?"
Donna's eyes blazed into his-this was definitely not a joke.
"I think you did. Nothing happened."
He couldn't breathe, his chest felt so tight. How could she be acting this way? With every passing second his frustration mounted higher and higher, until he either had to end the silence or go completely mental.
"So, it's going to be like this, is it?" he asked, teeth clenched.
"Like what?"
"You pretending nothing is going on."
"Josh," she sighed, "I work for you. You're my boss."
"I know all this."
"You're also my friend." She crossed her arms in front of her chest, trying to keep herself from scattering off into nothing. "Whatever you think you heard last night when I was talking with Amy...it was just...well...it just happened and it's not up for discussion."
She couldn't stand the way he was looking at her, his head shaking slightly back and forth, refusing to believe her. Josh's disapproval was one of the few things she hated. It was also an automatic way for her to get extremely defensive.
He sighed deeply, the breath leaving his body in such a way that he almost looked in pain. Maybe he was in pain. God knows ever since that fight with Amy she had felt trapped on a wheel of agony. He walked over to lean against the desk, his body next to hers but touching. The heady scent of his cologne made her close her eyes and breathe in deeply.
"Josh, last night has to stay in the past. You know that. Besides, walking in on a private conversation between two people late at night-especially when it's two women who haven't exactly had the warmest of feelings for each other-it's not a good way to find out what's really going on."
Their heads turned to look at each other and his eyes met with hers, burning brightly. "Aha! So you don't like Amy!"
"Oh please," she scoffed as she rolled her eyes, "it's not exactly like I've hidden it or anything...and I think most people working here would agree with my take on her. Even you did up until a while ago. Remember that whole definition involving Parker Posey and the bitch from “Dazed and Confused”?"
His eyes hadn't stopped looking at her-it felt as though her skin burned wherever his gaze rested. "Donna," he said softly, "stop trying to change the subject."
"I'm not trying to!"
"Then for the love of all that's holy," he yelled, jerking away from the desk, "tell me what is really going on!"
"I can't!" she cried, hanging her head down so that she wouldn't have to look at him any longer. Even if she was willing to explain things, she wouldn't know where to begin.
"Donna, I heard what you said! You can't just pretend like those words didn't come out of your mouth!"
"You don't even know what you heard," she responded scornfully. "How can you have any idea what was happening at that moment, when you weren't there when Amy began to rip into me? I was provoked into admitting that thing about you...us...me, whatever!"
"I'm not listening to this!" he snapped back. "What I can't even begin to comprehend is how you can declare that something more is going on between us and then not four hours later be screwing around with some other guy in your apartment!"
"That is none of your business, Josh! You don't know what you're saying and all you're doing is making it impossible for me to be around you."
He moved to block her way to the door. His stance wasn't threatening so much as it was undeniably unyielding "Answer me, Donna. What kind of game are you playing at?"
"Me?" A look of absolute disbelief froze on her face. "I'm the one playing games? That's the pot calling the kettle black if I ever heard it. If I'm playing games I'm just following your example."
"What?"
"Are you still with Amy?"
"Excuse me?"
"Well, if we're crossing the line into personal territory, what were you doing sleeping with Amy again if you had already broken up?"
His jaw hardened. "I don't see how that relates to the thing about you and me."
"You don't?"
"No, I don't."
"My God!" She began to move around the office, pacing as she spoke before finally stopping to stare out the window. "You're really incredible sometimes, aren't you? I can't even think of enough words anymore to describe you...and I don't think anyone could begin to come up with enough things to say about her."
"For the last time," he yelled, "we're not talking about Amy!"
"Are you still dating her?"
He paused, trying to have some semblance of composure before answering. His voice when he spoke again was low and rough with emotion. "It's not that simple."
"Isn't it?" Her arms were crossed in front of her again as she gazed out, not seeing anything.
"Stop it! I'm thinking about you here, not her!"
"What?" The disbelief was back in her voice, but the edge had softened as she hesitatingly looked back over her shoulder.
"Please look at me."
She turned to face him, but still couldn't look into his eyes. Things were still too much for that.
"Look," he continued, "I'm sorry for my part of last night-for showing up at your place drunk...again. I broke the rules."
"You did."
"And...and I know that you had company-that I was...you know...interrupting whatever was or might have been happening..."
"Josh..."
"Come on, I think we both know that wasn't one of Peyton's cats thumping around in the other room."
"That's how you could tell?" Her eyes narrowed as she fought as hard as she could against smiling even just a little.
"Well, that and the fact that you weren't wearing flannel boxers."
And there was the olive branch. Donna stopped looking at that place on the wall beyond his shoulder and took a fleeting glance at his eyes. With Josh everything was always in his eyes.
"No," she agreed, "I wasn't. I don't know how you could possibly remember that, given how drunk you were."
"I always notice the important things."
There was nothing furtive about the looks they gave each other now-it was visual feasting in the extreme. His hair looked extra curly tonight-no doubt because when he yelled some static thing happened to his head-and now that the anger had ebbed away his face looked more haunted than offended at what had happened between them in less than two days.
She hadn't even noticed before that he'd changed after five o'clock-now he wore one of his favourite Harvard sweatshirts and that beaten-up pair of jeans that fit him so well, but left just enough to the imagination.
Stop looking at his crotch, she told herself as the distance between them began to get smaller-she couldn't tell if she was moving towards him or if it was the other way around. But suddenly he was so close and all she could see were those brown eyes, those damn brown eyes that had held her spellbound for so long. And now that they were inches away and finally willing to show her everything, she couldn't have them.
Because for the past few weeks she had learned to treasure blue eyes so very much.
His hand was a hairsbreadth away from touching her arm, but he held back, hesitating. Something happened-he saw something in her face as her mind turned ever so briefly to Sam, or perhaps he was thinking of those certain feisty brown eyes that were so different from her blue ones-and he broke away from their mutual trance.
Running a hand through his hair he backed off, opening up the distance once more. "Anyway, I'm sorry if I ruined your sleep over."
"Do you always have to be such a snarky jerk every minute of the day?" she snapped.
"I think so, yeah. Most of the time anyway."
There was a long pause that ended as Donna closed her eyes and slowly exhaled. In the silence she thought of Sam, and how their arguments now ended with a kiss. This was definitely not one of those times.
"I think we've said enough for tonight, Josh. I'm tired, I'm worn out, I've been on my feet all day long and all I want right now is a bath. So if it's all right with you, I'm going home now."
"Yeah, sure," he shrugged, then moved out of the way so she could get past him. Her hand was just reaching for the door when he stopped her.
"Donna, I'm being serious here. Take as much time or space as you like, that's fine. But the thing that happened last night isn't about to disappear."
"Why can't you let it go?" she asked softly, looking at the floor.
"Do you really want me to?"
She didn't say a word in reply, but looked over her shoulder to see him standing behind her, his powerful gaze flooding her with too many instincts and emotions to count.
Not breaking the eye contact, he shoved his hands into his front pockets. "We're not through talking about this."
Her eyes swimming now with unshed tears, she nodded ever so slightly, then turned away and opened the door.
"Donna! Come have lunch with us!"
CJ's holler echoed around the bullpen and Donna leapt to her feet before Josh could come out of the office and stop her.
"Who are we having lunch with?" she asked, pulling her purse over her shoulder.
"You'll see," CJ smirked in reply. They entered the foyer and Donna felt an arm drop around her shoulders.
"Donna, I'm so glad that CJ could steal you away," said the First Lady. "Zoey and I were hoping you could join us."
"Thank you, Ma'am," Donna replied, casting a smile over at Dr Bartlet's youngest daughter. "Where are we going?"
"Well, as we're planning what basically amounts to a state secret, I think we can only have lunch at the Occidental."
"Besides," piped up Zoey, "it's practically next door."
The women were seated in the private secured room upstairs reserved at all times for members of the First Family. The First Lady rhymed off an expensive bottle of French red to the waiter and then turned her attention to Donna.
In fact, Donna noticed all three of them were staring at her. Why?
"So, ah, Donna...you know it's Annie's birthday next weekend, right?"
"Yes, Zoey, I've had it marked down in my calendar for weeks. Josh is supposed to send her a bottle of Victoria's Secret Heavenly perfume, mainly because my roommate can get her hands on it pretty quickly."
"There's been a change of plans," said Abbey, "though of course my granddaughter would love any present Josh somehow is able to give her. We have decided to hold a large party for Annie's birthday this year back in Manchester. The President and I feel that if the worst happens in November, we should take advantage of our position just this once so that Annie can have the world's most amazing fifteenth birthday."
Donna smiled, but continued to look puzzled. "I think that's great, Annie's a wonderful person. But, why are you telling me all of this?"
CJ reached for her glass of wine that had just been filled and then spoke once the waiter had left the room. "Bruno has had the idea of making Annie's birthday a rather large celebration that will include all of the senior staff and assistants. Plus anyone else the Bartlets feel like inviting."
"Are you saying there is going to be press coverage there?" Donna sounded more than slightly horrified. "Aren't there unwritten rules with the President about using the family for campaign purposes?"
"There used to be," Abbey replied. "Then Bruno was able to change the President's mind, just a touch."
"What happened."
"I'm not exactly 100% clear on the details, but I think it involved a speech about hooking kelp or barnacles...something like that." Abbey rolled her eyes. "Anyway, there will be only one photographer and one journalist there..."
"We still have yet to decide who gets the exclusive," added CJ.
"And Jed thinks it would be just wonderful if the Staff really gets involved in the party and made it more than just a photo op. And to that end, my wonderful granddaughter has made a request."
CJ, Zoey and Abbey shared a mischievous look, saying nothing.
"Oh my god, what do you want from me?" squeaked Donna.
"Nothing, Donna," CJ reassured her, giving her a wink. "It's not you that Annie wants, it's Josh."
"Josh?"
Suddenly Zoey couldn't contain herself anymore. "Annie wants him in the dunk tank!" she burst out. Donna's mouth hung open for a moment, and then all four women began to howl with laughter.
"Oh, this is perfect," cried Donna, holding her sides that hurt from giggling too hard.
"What we need you to do," continued CJ, "is to get Josh up to farm, hell drag him if you have to, and then have him where the guys can jump him and put him in that sweet cage before he knows what's hit him."
"CJ, do I get the sense that the staff is just a little bit more than in favour of Annie's idea?" Abbey asked, smirking.
"Let's just say that Toby has started a sign-up list to see who dunks him first and the damn thing is already four pages long!"
"So," smiled Abbey, turning to Donna, "can you do it? It probably means you will have to drive him, or at least be in the same car so that he can't high-tail it out of there once he sees Leo in clown shoes or something equally painful. But what am I saying? You two always travel together for everything. It won't be such a mission impossible after all!"
Donna wanted to say something, but she didn't know what. Confessing to the First Lady, the White House Press Secretary and Zoey Bartlet that she'd rather travel with Sam since then they could pull over and make out for hours probably wasn't the wisest thing to do. At least, not while she was still sober.
"It won't be a problem at all," she said, raising her glass in salute. Oh no, chimed in a little voice in the back of her head, no problem except for the small fact that it's going to be an absolute disaster. But then again, I'm rather used to that these days.
"Yes, Sam, I'm sure we can get him to do it. After all, if Toby's involved it's not like he'll have much of a choice."
"I still think we should maybe give him a small heads-up, otherwise we'll both be in the doghouse for years to come."
"And we're not already edging into that territory?" Donna cradled the phone against her shoulder as she shut down her e-mail account. Most of the staff had left the building but, surprise surprise, she was still there. The President had insisted people take a bit of a break that weekend for Columbus Day, even though it wasn't a holiday most people thought about that much. She could hear the noise of people around Sam coming through his cell as he walked around the grocery store. Just a one or two more hours and she could be gone for the weekend as well. Though, of course, how much of a relaxing weekend it would be depended on how well Annie's birthday went up in Manchester the next day.
"Look, you can tell him what you want about Annie's plans for his role tomorrow, but I don't want to be around when you do, okay?"
"That sounds fine. I just need to grab a few more goodies for the car ride and then we can head out of here."
"Okay, I'll see you then," she said, signing off. The glare of her computer screen was bothering her eyes tonight, and she just wished Josh would accept the notion that his schedule was clear of any heavy election business for at least the next seventy-two hours and get them out of there.
"So, you talking to the gomers again?"
His voice coming out of nowhere spooked her enough that she jumped. She looked over to see Josh walking up from CJ's office.
"I'll have you know that I have never dated any gomers."
"Yeah, sure," he said sarcastically, sitting with a hip up on her desk. "Here, I got something for you." A Crispy Crunch dangled from his fingers. "Think of it as a peace offering for any future gomer comments."
Donna bit her lip, weighing the power of the chocolate bar against further Joshua Lyman-inflicted torment. The chocolate won.
"Fine, I accept," she quipped, grabbing the bar from his hand and immediately tearing it open.
"Good." There was a slight pause before his dimples showed, and Donna knew she'd walked into a trap. "So," he continued, "if this guy you've been talking to for the past ten minutes isn't a gomer, then who, or should I say what is he?"
"He isn't anyone you should concern yourself with." The tension between them for the past week had been impossible to ignore, but if he was getting back into the banter, it had to be a good sign. Maybe her faux-pas about their feelings for each other in front of Amy was now a shelved issue, at least for the weekend. Maybe.
"What, is he that lawyer you yapped on about a while ago?"
She looked up at him, intrigued. "You remembered me saying that?"
"Maybe."
"But that was months ago. I didn't think your memory was that good."
Josh didn't give her an answer, but kept on looking at her, his eyes twinkling. Unable to look at him for too long whenever he cranked out the mischievous charm, she went back to the computer and began to shut it down.
"You might call him a lawyer...kind of," she muttered as she bent down to turn off the power bar.
"Kind of?"
"He's not a lawyer like you. He actually went to law school intending to practice law. Think of that!"
"Hey!" Josh yelled, "I'm a real lawyer!"
"Yeah, sure you are. And I'm the newest blond on 'Baywatch'."
"It all comes back to David Hasselhoff with you, doesn't it?" he grumbled, moving off the desk and heading back to his office.
"Maybe," she hollered back at him. Looking up at the clock on the wall, she groaned internally as it registered the time as past nine. "Josh? Can we get out of here already? It's a long way to Manchester in the dark."
He came out of the office wearing his coat, his ubiquitous backpack slung over one shoulder. "Yeah, I guess so. I still think it's wrong to not freak over the campaign just now...I told Leo he was making a mistake making us all go to this sissy party at the farm."
"You and Annie love each other really, admit it." She stood up to put on her own coat and turn off the lamp on her desk.
"Well, I suppose the squirt does have her good points, but you know that's all coming from her grandfather's influence and genetics."
"Oh, and Abbey or Elizabeth or Craig had nothing to do with it?" Donna asked extremely doubtfully.
"Craig is her dad, but she's nothing like him. And the kind of gumption that kid shows is massive. Don't get me wrong, Abbey and Elizabeth are fabulous, but I doubt that Annie's naturally devious nature could come from anyone but a politician, albeit one that's not crooked."
"Your reason continues to astound me, even after all these years," she deadpanned.
"Come on, Twinkle-Toes," he insisted, propelling her out of the bullpen with one hand comfortably clamped above her elbow. "I told Sam we'd be by to pick him up at his place around five minutes ago."
"Sam?" Donna asked, suddenly losing feeling below her waist.
"Yes, Sam. He said that we should car-pool up to Manchester and save the earth or something. That's okay, right?" He looked at her as they walked out of the building, and she knew that one wrong move could start a snowball effect into giving everything away. And that was certainly no way to make sure Josh ended up in a dunk tank.
"Yes, that's fine. The sooner we get to his place, the sooner we can get on the road."
Josh nodded and they set off to the parking lot. So far, so good.
"Great, but there's no way in hell we're not taking my car."
Damn.
"Donna, turn that off right now."
"Josh!"
"I mean it, no more."
"Josh," Donna warned, her voice getting edgy.
"Look," he barked back, "I don't care if you were Canadian for two years or two seconds, you're not playing any of that Celine Dion crap in my car. It's just not going to happen."
It was nearing midnight and since there had been an unforeseeable traffic jam getting out of DC late at night, they were still a couple hours away from the farm. The Secret Service would be pissed to hell when Josh's car drove up after 1AM. Sam had conked out in the back seat, giving Donna shotgun and all music privileges that went with it. So far, her mix had been anything from 50's rock to 90's pop-Josh had only tried to destroy two of her CDs, which was quite restrained for him. But now it looked like she'd pushed the envelope a bit too far.
"Josh, I like this song."
"Don't care...off, now." He started groping for the eject button in the dark while Donna kept batting his hands away.
"I'll have you know some people think Celine Dion is a very talented woman."
"Yeah, and they're either deaf or stupid."
She turned around in her seat and threw an empty water bottle at Sam, sprawled in the back.
"Sam! Are you going to support me on this or not?"
He blinked his eyes several times, trying to figure out what kind of Josh-Donna brawl he'd landed himself in now. "Whaaa?" he mumbled.
"Don't go bringing Mr Cheesy Romance into this, Donna-it's not fair."
"Hey!" said Sam, suddenly feeling very awake now that he was being insulted. "Why don't you just concentrate on driving the car?"
"This is how I concentrate...I bicker," Josh said, glaring back at Sam in the rear-view mirror. "Come on, Sam-don't pretend you're not the absolute Lord of Velveeta when it comes to sappy songs." They kept looking at each other in the mirror, waiting to see who would back down first.
With a sigh, Sam leaned forward and grabbed the offensive CD out of Donna's hand. "Donna, listen to Josh. No Celine in the car."
"But!"
`
"No!" yelled Josh. "That's it, no more. I'm putting my foot down-my car, my music, end of discussion." He pushed a beat-up mixed tape into the tape deck and cranked the volume as The Band blared out of the stereo.
I pulled into Nazareth, was feeling 'bout half past dead
I just need some place where I can lay my head
Hey Mister, can you tell me, where a man might find a bed?
He just grinned and shook my hand, 'No' was all he said
Sam continued to lean forward into the front seat, his arms resting on either headrest. The three of them shared a grin before launching into the chorus together:
Take a load off, Fanny
Take a load for free
Take a load off, Fanny
And you put the load right on me
A relaxing peace settled on them as they continued singing-Donna could feel some of the tension easing out of her at last, though she didn't dare lean her head back enough to brush up against Sam.
After a few minutes Josh signalled to pull over. "Go on, Donna," he said, pointing out at the rest stop. "I know you've needed to pee for about forty-five minutes now."
She gave him a flashing smile, then turned and looked at Sam. "While I'm in there, I think you should tell him."
"Tell him?" Sam's voice squeaked at the end of his sentence.
"Yes," she nodded, desperate for him to understand through some kind of sixth sense. "I think you should tell him about what Annie has planned for him tomorrow."
"Oh, right. Of course."
"Good."
"Um, hello?" Josh waved his hand in between them, interrupting their silent glances. "Earth to you two! Man, I thought I was the only one who had telepathic conversations with Donna," huffed Josh. "What are you talking about? The squirt has something in mind, like she wants me to pose in photos with her and all her young teenager friends?"
Donna rolled her eyes as she shut the door. "Yeah, Josh, that's it exactly." She had made it at least thirty feet away before she could hear the explosive scream coming from the driver's seat of the car. Sam was going to have his work cut out for him to make sure that Josh wasn't driving back to DC by the time she returned.
"And I'm doing this why?" Josh whined as he made his way out of the main house onto the large grassy lawn. Autumn had begun in New Hampshire and here he was heading outside in trunks and a towel on a bright sunny Saturday morning.
"Shut up and keep moving," growled Toby. "We've got lots of eager politicians lined up to nail you."
"Wait, you mean lots of small children with party hats, don't you?"
"Yeah, them too, I guess." He pushed Josh towards what was basically a carnival set up on the Bartlet farm. The closer Josh got to the tank, the more he felt like he was being used...and not in that good way that guys fantasise about.
Annie Bartlet-Graham was in for the birthday party of her life. There was a virtual cavalcade of games, popcorn stands, cotton candy machines, bouncy air castles, horses to take out on circuits of the farm, hay rides...it seemed that the President and First Lady had only just stopped short of a full-blown Ferris-wheel.
"Josh!" Donna came running up wearing a baseball cap, tight jeans frayed at the waist and bottoms and a plain white t-shirt. "Come on already! Everyone's waiting."
"I'm going to damn well take my time," he snapped. "I still can't believe you got me into this. I always knew I should never have hired a woman, you're all so damn sneaky."
Donna looked over at Toby, who had a hand firmly clamped around Josh's arm, making sure he couldn't make a run for it. "Is he scared already?" she asked sweetly, causing Josh to lunge at her.
"Now, now," chimed in Toby. "Just get in the cage and stay there. You're doing this for your country."
"Leave me alone," Josh scowled as they reached the dunk tank. A small crowd of waiting contenders broke into applause as Josh headed for the ladder. "When I become Supreme Dictator of the World you're all going to be in trouble for this!" he yelled to the group. His declaration was followed up by groans and booing, only for it to turn into catcalls as he took off the towel.
"Don't worry, Toby," said Donna. "I can handle him from here."
"Are you sure?"
"Yup. I have Leo's permission to go and get the cattle prod if he misbehaves."
Josh's eyes widened as Toby walked off to take his place in the line. "A cattle prod? Geez, Donna, don't you think that could be a bit dangerous considering that I'm near God knows how many gallons of water?"
"Then don't make me mad," she teased, knocking him softly under the chin.
"Women," he muttered, shaking his head. "I could have had the world, but I had women in my life."
"Is someone misquoting my favourite movie?" Jed Bartlet walked up to them holding a large glass of cider. "I always knew that you were a good man, Joshua, when I learned you had the ability to quote Peter O'Toole movies in times of great need."
"Thank you, Mr President," Josh muttered. "When exactly do I have to go in?"
The President checked his watch and looked off towards the long driveway leading up to the property.
"Oh, I would think any time now."
As if on cue, three buses came trundling down the lane. "Oh God, kill me now," Josh whimpered, watching in horror as throngs of teenage girls started running from the buses down to the fair grounds.
"Don't worry too much, Josh," joked the President. "I'll keep an eye on you to make sure you don't drown. Of course, in this crisp fall breeze you might get a bit cold, but just remember that if you turn blue it's a wonderful plug for the Democrats."
Josh's eyes narrowed. "Thank you, sir," he mumbled and then grabbed his towel again from Donna as the President went off to find his granddaughter. He looked at Donna, smiling in the sunshine. "Aren't you going to go line up, too?" he asked.
"Oh no! I'm your barker."
"My what?"
"I'm the one who attracts people over here so they can throw baseballs at the target and plunge you into a vat of icy cold water. It's like a dream come true!" She looked at him sideways. "Didn't Sam tell you about my part in this?"
"I have a feeling Sam didn't tell me a lot of things."
"Oh well, you're learning quickly." With that, she walked towards the target set up next to the dunk tank and tried to find the baseballs.
Josh was drawn once more to watching her fanny through the snug denim jeans, made even tighter now that she was bending over. The blood began to thrum through his veins, pulsing stronger with every passing second-and this was really not a good time to get a hard-on. He looked down at his swim trunks and immediately pulled the towel from around his shoulders to cover his waist. Shit shit shit. Though, of course, spending most of his time falling into freezing water should take care of any ability to get an erection for at least the next couple of hours.
He cleared his throat, desperate to get his mind off of picturing Donna's ass, or her pert breasts, or...STOP IT! "Someone explain to me why I'm doing this?" he groaned, running a hand over his face.
"Because you serve at the pleasure of the President," Donna said as she turned around again. As she came sashaying up to him, Josh's fingers itched to be holding a water balloon so he could soak her and her little white t-shirt. That would most definitely give him a lot of pleasure. She must have seen something change in his face, because suddenly her smile became less flirtatious and her eyes seemed to grow a deeper shade of blue than he ever thought possible.
Donna felt herself drawn towards Josh, and she immediately began to devour the picture of him standing there, towel draped around his waist, his scrumptious chest naked before her. He obviously hadn't stopped working out, despite his time as Amy's slave, and Donna felt the tingling rush of arousal as she imagined his beautiful arms holding her close, pressing her up against that heavenly body, letting her belly and thighs adjust to cushion his hardening length.
"Hey! Shouldn't you already be in that tank and soaking wet?"
The moment shattered at the sound of that voice and Josh and Donna both looked away as Sam came striding towards them with Annie hot in his wake.
"Thanks a lot there, buddy," Josh shouted, causing Sam to give his best friend his most charming smile as he caught up with them.
"You look great, Josh," Sam laughed. "I can only imagine how many photos CJ and Carol are going to get of this."
"Not helping, Sam." He looked over at Annie, sizing her up. "So, it's because of you that I have to sit in this dunk tank?"
The Bartlet's granddaughter smiled broadly. "It's the best present you could ever give me, Josh. All my girlfriends think you're a fox!"
"They're not going to think that after he's been in the cold water for a while," muttered Donna.
He swung around and pointed a finger in her face. "I heard that. You're fired."
"Do I even have to say that I'm impervious anymore?"
He paused for a second, thinking. "I guess not, but be warned, I will make you pay for that last comment."
"I'm trembling Josh, really." Donna looked over at Sam, feeling energised just from his being so close, building on top of the rush she had just had with Josh. "So what's your job for the day?" she asked.
Sam puffed out his chest and tucked Annie's arm into the crook of his elbow. "I am the Guest of Honour's date for the party."
"I think she has wonderful taste." Their eyes met and Donna could feel her face getting warm-maybe she was the one who needed to cool off in the tank. "Any last orders, Annie, before Josh gets up there?"
"Nope," she replied, grinning up at Sam. "Just make sure he stays there for a very long time." Her adoration of the White House Deputy Communications Director was extremely obvious, but Donna didn't think she could begrudge her one bit.
Josh shook his head, but Donna could tell that he wasn't really ticked off with the teenager. "The things I do for this family," he muttered. "Ah well, Happy Birthday, Squirt. You owe me." He mussed up her hair and then started to climb up the ladder towards his seat above the gallons of water. A cheer went up from the crowd that was now a mix of staffers and high school students. "Shut up, all of you!" he yelled.
"Annie, do you want to have the first crack at him?" Donna asked, holding out the baseballs towards the Birthday Girl.
"I'm okay for now, Donna, but thanks anyways. I'll come back and get him after he's been up there in the wind for a while."
"I've taught you well," she said, giving Annie a wicked smile. Looking up at Sam she could see his own mischievous grin. "I guess we'll see you later?"
"You most certainly will," he replied. He winked at her as he and Annie headed off towards the hay rides.
"Right," Donna said to herself. She took a deep breath and then went around the back of the target, turning her baseball cap around so it was back to front. "Okay, people!" she hollered. "Who wants to be the first to get back at Josh for all of his lame jokes over the past four years?"
The chorus of "Me!" was deafening. She looked up at Josh, sitting primly on the platform in his navy blue trunks, doing his best to ignore the onlookers and the fact that he was doomed. She caught his eye and winked at him, and then pushed the target's bulls-eye herself.
The look on Josh's face as he realised what was happening the instant before he hit the water was absolute priceless.
Toby aimed and a second later Josh let out a girlie scream then came up sputtering and shivering. He was covered in goosebumps as he heaved himself out of the water for about the fiftieth time and he looked miserable. Still, Donna thought that the view of his back muscles rippling whenever he pulled himself out of the tank was a rare enough treat that he could stand being dunked just a few more times.
About ten minutes later, after CJ had physically dragged Toby away from the line with some help from Charlie, Donna thought she'd give the man a break.
"Right, everybody. He's spent over an hour and a half up there, so I think we'll have a bit of an intermission before Josh gets actual pneumonia."
"Thank goodness!" he said, breathing a sigh of relief.
She knew it would get her in trouble...big, huge, enormous trouble, but it was just too tempting to resist. She waited until she was right next to the target, and then plunged Josh into the water once more.
"DAMNIT DONNA!" he yelled as he resurfaced. "Now you really are going to get it!" She was off and running by the time he leapt out of the tank, but she could hear him racing after her. She knew what he was going to try to do, and there was no way that was going to happen. Back in the day, she'd had her own experience at the fuzzy end of the proverbial dunk tank lollipop, and making your tormentor as drenched as you were was the sweetest of revenge for the dunked.
They were well clear of the crowds of people, but she didn't slow down at all, knowing Josh would never stop until he'd won. Overcome by the need to outfox him, Donna ran into the barn, thinking she could hide in one of the horse-stalls.
She hadn't realised just how close behind her Josh had been.
The feeling of clammy arms clamping around her stomach made her scream. "Victory!" he crowed in triumph, hugging her harder to him. "How does that feel Donna? It's nice being all wet, isn't it?" She struggled against him and managed to turn herself around so that they were face to face. The water from his chest quickly soaked through her top, but it wasn't until he had finally released her and allowed her to back a few feet away from him that she realised what had happened.
The white t-shirt had been such a mistake.
Josh's eyes grew smoky as he looked at her sopping shirt, and more to the point, at the skin that was showing through it. The thrill of being chased and then the cold touch of his skin had made her nipples rise into hard pebbles, easily visible through her lacy bra. Looking down, she could see that the lace frills were also noticeable. She quickly crossed her arms over her chest and glanced over at Josh, only for her glance to turn rapidly into a heated gaze.
It seemed that over an hour in the cold water had little effect on Josh now, as Donna saw his cock hardening and becoming more pronounced as his damp trunks clung in all the right places.
He followed her intent look and tried to control his body's natural impulse on seeing one of his Donna fantasies come true, but it couldn't be helped.
"Donna..." His voice sounded strangled and low. It was enough to make Donna's toes curl in anticipation of what might happen next. He took a step toward her, watching her closely for any sign to stop.
And suddenly she didn't want him to stop, or slow down, or do anything but touch her. Years of denial fell away at the same moment that she dropped her arm from hiding her breasts. Her nipples seemed to grow tighter as he neared and the electricity running between them made the hairs rise on the back of her neck.
"Donna," he said again, softer this time, with more of a smile playing about his lips. Then the dimples appeared, and she knew she was lost.
His hands reached out the final few inches and touched the hem of her shirt, damply plastered against her stomach. She took a deep, shuddering breath as he moved his fingers to touch her skin. He smiled at her again, then ran his hands around the curves of her hips to join at the small of her back. He pulled her shirt over her head as if it was the most natural instinct in the world.
"Josh," she sighed, reaching up to touch his face. He bent his head and began to kiss the lacy edges of her bra, giving her the barest touch of his tongue. Her hands flew around his back and down his stomach, shyly approaching the damp scrap of clothing that was all he wore.
He moaned against her skin as her fingers teased the thin ribbon of hair that traced the way to his sex, and she thought she might fly out of her skin if he made another sound.
They moved without thinking and Donna found herself lying against an extremely large stack of hay, not quite parallel with the floor. Josh's mouth was sipping at her collarbone, the hot skin of her smooth neck, then up further to kiss along her jaw-line. She was hot for him, and her clit screamed for more friction and attention. Hooking a leg about his hip, she grinded against him, feeling his hard thigh and pulsing shaft even through her jeans.
His hands stroked up her stomach and then cupped her breasts, rolling his thumbs against her hard nipples, pushing her to a higher level of arousal. They paused for a moment, smiling at each other, their eyes filled with joy and delight, and then he dipped his head.
The touch of his lips against hers was not the shattering moment she had always expected it to be...it was far sweeter. His lips were still cold and without thinking she tried to warm them with the tip of her tongue. The effect was electric. They clung to each other, touching everywhere, tasting everything. His hands cupped her jaw and tilted her further back against the straw as he plundered her mouth. Their tongues tangled together, and every second seemed more intense than the last.
Donna couldn't feel anything beneath or around her-only Josh existed at that moment, touching her, tantalising every sense and nerve in her body. His body was lean, and yet so different from Sam's...
SAM!
What was she doing? Had she lost her mind completely? She couldn't tell if it had been seconds or hours since Josh first touched her, and that knowledge scared her more than she thought possible. Tension raced through her body, halting every movement and stealing her breath away. When Josh backed off to look at her face, she saw it as a blessed escape. She didn't even want to contemplate whether it was an escape from heaven or hell.
"No!" she cried out, pushing Josh away from her. She sat up quickly and began to search frantically for her discarded top, tears streaming down her face.
"Donna?" he asked, utterly confused. "What..." He couldn't complete his sentence because the moment he touched her back, she whipped around and cut him off.
"I'm sleeping with Sam!"
Nothing moved at first, and Donna remained frozen in her current position, watching Josh's face go through innumerable changes as her words slowly dawned on him.
It was one of the most painful experiences of her life.
He dropped his hand from her back, as if suddenly repulsed by her skin, and tried to breathe as the world crumbled beneath him.
"Sam? SAM?? You mean to tell me that when you said all those months ago that you were dating some lawyer...IT WAS SAM ALL THE TIME?" His voice rose so loudly that the silence following was deafening.
He looked away, disgust written on his features.
"Josh, please...let me try to explain."
"You can't."
"You have to let me!"
"I don't want you to do anything!" he shouted, unable to look at her for more than a second at a time. "Don't you realise what you've done? I was ready, Donna. I was ready for this." He waved his finger between them, emphasising the nearness of a relationship. "I want it more than anything. And now you do this to me?"
"What?" Now it was her turn to get angry. "Ready? You were ready? How the hell can you be ready for me when you're still sleeping with Amy? What's so wrong about me being happy when you're getting laid anytime you want?"
"FOR THE LAST FUCKING TIME I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT AMY!" he screamed, standing up at last. Straw stuck to the wet swimming trunks and his erection was blatantly prominent, but one look at his face was enough to know he was far beyond caring.
"This is not about Amy," he seethed, "this is about you betraying me. Again."
"Betraying you?" She stood, facing him. "By trying to have a life of my own?"
"Your life is with me, or it would have been if you weren't so damn stupid!"
"Do not...do not EVER call me stupid again. Who the hell do you think you are, walking around every day like a cocky-swaggering idiot? At least I was smart enough to wake up and try to find someone else who actually gives a damn about me."
"Gives a damn about you? Christ, Donna, I'm fucking in love with you!"
Looking back, she couldn't remember moving her hand, or even the feel of his cheek as she slapped him across the face, but she could easily remember how she had felt immediately afterwards. Her hand stung, and such a mix of anger, passion and horror raged within her, she thought she might go mad.
Holding a hand to his injured face, Josh exhaled slowly, his eyes lit from within. "Do what you like, Donna, but I doubt Sam Seaborn has ever said that to you."
This time he was ready for her assault and grabbed her hand in mid-air. Her weight had been behind it, and so she couldn't stop her body from stumbling against his, her barely covered breasts pressed flush to his hard chest. He was most mightily roused and so was she. Their kiss was immediate and powerful enough to make them both stagger, his tongue ravaging her mouth as if to prove his ownership of her soul and heart.
Neither of them heard the approaching footsteps until it was too late.
Amy's harsh voice echoed around the barn. "Well, well, well, what do we have here?"
FEEDBACK MAKES ME SMILE FOLKS! AND IT MAKES ME WRITE FUTURE CHAPTERS FASTER (HINT HINT)! ballynihinch@hotmail.com