Jed awoke slowly, his own internal clock at work. It didn't usually work that way for him. He was a heavy sleeper and had always required an alarm, or since he'd become President, a wake up call. But, since they had left the French doors open all night the early morning sun had invaded the room and had awakened him with a gentle nudge. For the first time in a long time he had awakened feeling relaxed and content, a genuine sense of well being steeped into his very bones. He grinned as he remembered the night before and just why he was feeling so damn good. He wondered for just a moment if last night had all been a dream. He had been having some wickedly erotic ones for weeks now, but none of those dreams had even come close to the sensory overload he had just experienced the night before.

No, it hadn't been a dream. He felt the warmth of the person who had created that sense of well being lying sprawled over his abdomen, could feel the moistness of her breath against his nipple. He smiled softly and began twirling a soft strand of copper hair around his index finger as he listened to her breathe. She'd given him one hell of a birthday present the night before. His eyes fell to the open French doors remembering how she had glided in off the balcony looking naughty and sexy in black lace and garters. What a lucky bastard he was to be married to a woman who was as much mistress as she was wife, a woman who could fulfill every erotic dream and fantasy he'd ever had.

He lifted her hair back from her face and ran a tender finger over the soft freckles on her nose. She was so wiped out she didn't even stir. In the early morning sun the tempting, sophisticated seductress was gone and in her place was the sweet, sexy, rumpled woman who had been able to make his heart soar since he was 21 years old. His hand trailed from stroking her lovely face to run lightly over the swell of her milky white breast, noticing that the bruising was completely gone. He'd been so afraid to show much interest in them the night before. Abbey's words had haunted him "You say it all the time, Jed. You're perfect…so perfect. Well what's going to happen when I'm not so PERFECT anymore?"

"I don't need you to be perfect, Abbey" he whispered, tears stinging his eyes as his thumb moved gently around the areola of her rose colored nipple. "I just need YOU."

Abbey sighed in her sleep; her hand unconsciously sliding down to the part of his anatomy that was already partially aroused. He thought for a moment about waking her up for a little morning, what was the word she liked? Tryst. A little morning tryst, but his conscience got the better of him. Between jet lag and their lovemaking deep into the night, she had to be exhausted.

He sighed and gently removed her hand before his id took over from the better intentions of his ego. He eased himself away from her body and slid out of bed.

"Mmmm…Jed?" Abbey murmured sleepily, waking up at the loss of his body.

"Ssh…" He placed a kiss on her forehead. "Go back to sleep, babe. I'll be right back."

She smiled, not opening her eyes and he watched her sensuously curl herself around a pillow, her nude body tangled up in the sheets, her disheveled auburn hair so bright against her creamy skin and the white sheets, and he cursed himself for being a fool.

"I know what you're thinking," he looked down at his erection. "I'm NOT an idiot, I'm trying to be a gentleman. Yes, I know that you have needs and that there is a luscious nude woman in that bed, but don't worry, I have a plan. You'll still get your fun, you just need to be patient." Jed sighed, willing his erection to subside but Old Hickory was not cooperating with him. "Look, we aren't going to jump her, we're going to let her sleep so just get over yourself." He padded his way over the bathroom and turned the cold water on, not relishing the idea of another cold shower. He winced before he even stepped under the water, already aching from the cold and he looked down shaking his head with dismay at his barely deflated penis. "Don't blame me, you brought this all on yourself."

****

"Morning Mr. President," Charlie grinned, seeing the President in jeans and a dark blue golf shirt. He was coming down the hall with a bounce in his step that had missing for a very long time.

"Morning Charlie," he beamed, fairly radiating good cheer. "Isn't it a beautiful morning?"

"It certainly is, sir. I take it you had a good night then." Charlie bit fought to keep his grin from widening.

"How far is your tongue in your cheek, Charles."

"Pretty far, sir." The smile couldn't be restrained any longer.

His good mood overflowing, Jed had the urge to reach out and rumple Charlie's hair like he did his children's. "You shouldn't be inside on a day like this Charlie, it's too beautiful. Come on follow me. Much to Charlie's amusement the President began to sing as he made his way down the hall.

"Oh, what a beautiful mornin'
Oh, what a beautiful day
I got a beautiful feelin'
Ev'rything's goin' my way

Holding her bathrobe tight to her neck, CJ opened the door to her room, gazing out into the hall with sleepy eyes. "Sir, isn't it a little early for Rodgers and Hammerstein?" She asked.

"Get your butt out of bed, CJ, it's a glorious day." He continued to sing causing CJ to smile. His good mood was truly infectious.

"All the sounds of the earth are like music
All the sounds of the earth are like music
The breeze is so busy it don't miss a tree
And a ol' weepin' willer is laughin' at me"

"What the hell is going on out here?" Leo crabbily opened his door, followed by the rest of the senior staff in various stages of undress.

"The President's having a good morning," Charlie informed them. Jed looked their way and grinned, then continued on his way down the hall.

”Oh, what a beautiful mornin'
Oh, what a beautiful day
I got a beautiful feelin'
Ev'rything's goin' my way
Oh, what a beautiful day.”

All eyes turned toward the closed doors of the presidential suite.

"What the hell went on in there last night?" Sam shook his head.

"You gotta ask?" Bruno lifted an eyebrow.

"Abbey was right," Josh said staring straight at those closed doors. "We really do need to get laid."

"I believe she told you to get girlfriends," Leo scowled. "Not to get laid." He alone had not been affected positively by the President's good humor and when he shut his door, just a little harder than normal they all stared uneasily at it.

"He's still not over her," Josh sighed.

"Over who?" Bruno looked puzzled.

"You don't want to know," Sam said, resignation in his voice. "You REALLY don't want to know."

****

Abbey snuggled into the pillow, her eyes opening and closing as she slowly woke to a room filled with sunshine. She stretched and smiled sleepily her body still languid and relaxed from Jed's lovemaking. As he had done earlier she wondered for just a moment if it might have all been a dream, but the wetness that he had left between her thighs in climax attested to the fact that it hadn't been a dream at all.

Just thinking about the previous night caused her to tingle in all the places he had touched. She was slightly perturbed to find that he had left their bed so early. She wouldn't have minded another round before they dressed. As her hand moved over his pillow she felt a piece of paper. Frowning, she picked it up. It was a short note, brief and exactly to the point. "STAY NAKED". He had written it in large dark letters, knowing she wouldn't have her glasses on.

Hmmm…wasn't it just like her husband to think that he could start calling the shots all of the sudden. Last night she had been the one in control, SHE had been the one to initiate their lovemaking, their positions, she'd had the power over him, but all along she had known that it was only because he was allowing her to do so. Had he chosen to fight for the power a sexual battle would have ensued, something that happened quite frequently with them, and when it did, no matter who won the battle they both ended up the victors.

Still, she wasn't going to let him get away with thinking that he could start bossing her around simply because she'd been willing to play his sex slave the night before. Nope, she was going to keep the upper hand here. She got to her feet and slipped on a very short red silk robe before she made her way to their balcony.

It was another scorching day, the air already hot and wet with humidity. No early morning sweatshirts needed here. She leaned out over the iron rail, inhaling the scent of the jasmine and bougainvillea that grew profusely in the courtyard below. She allowed the utter peace of the moment to take her over, listening to the soothing sounds of the gurgling water from the fountain by the pool, and the birds chirping. New Orleans was not quite awake yet at this early morning hour. She assumed everyone was sleeping in after the excesses of the night before. A fine sheen of perspiration already touched her skin and she opened the top of her robe trying to catch the hint of a breeze.

"Good morning, Mrs. Bartlet." It was Ron's voice warning her that there were agents present.

Abbey closed her robe quickly, clutching it tightly at her breasts with surprise and looked down into the courtyard below the balcony. Sure enough there were agents milling about at the periphery, several of which were looking up at her. She should have known that she was not alone. She was never alone anymore. It surprised her that she was taking this so well, that she was merely resigned to the fact that there had been agents posted out below their balcony last night and that the doors to their room had been left open. After four years was she finally getting used to the fact that there were pretty much no parts of her life, especially not her sex life, that were private anymore?

"Ron, do you know where my husband went?" She called down to him.

"He went to get some breakfast. He knew you'd be tired so he didn't want to wake you."

Abbey nodded trying to be nonchalant but a pink flush rose in her cheeks. Yes she was satiated and tired, but did the whole world have to know? Her discomfort grew as she realized that she was standing in broad daylight completely naked save for a pair of skimpy lace panties and the shorty little robe that the agents below could probably look up. With one last gaze around the courtyard, Abbey turned and re-entered the bedroom just as the phone started to ring.

****

Jed entered the room carrying bags of beignets from the Café du Monde, hot steamy chicory rich coffee, and on a whim a handful of wildflowers he'd picked himself from the courtyard knowing that nobody would scold the President of the United States for doing so. He was dismayed to find that not only was his wife not still naked in bed, she was on the telephone.

Abbey smiled at him as he entered the room, holding up a finger to indicate that she would only be a minute. Her eyebrows lifted in surprise as Jed set the food down with a scowl and pulled his shirt up over his head. She tried to focus on her conversation but her eyes were riveted on her husband as he unbuttoned his jeans and did away with them. She turned her back to him when she noticed the bulge growing in his boxers. It seemed almost sacrilegious to be speaking to the Archbishop of St. Louis while her husband stripped down to reveal his hard on.

She was speaking softly when she felt his hands on her shoulders causing her to gasp and nearly drop the receiver.

"No…No Your GRACE" she emphasized for Jed. "I'm fine I just stubbed my toe."

Jed chuckled softly. "You're lying to a priest, Abbey" he whispered against her neck.

Abbey tried to ignore him but that wasn't easy as she watched his hands slide down to part her robe and slip inside to cup and massage her breasts. She pushed at those hands trying to stop him, trying to squirm away from him but when he pinched her nipples between a thumb and forefinger her body gave up the struggle for a moment and she leaned back against his warm chest. She was silent for a few long moments.

"Yes…oh yes, your Grace… I'm still here…sorry…I got…distracted for a moment." She could swear that she felt Jed's smile against the tender curve where her neck met her shoulder, in the spot where he was now sucking lightly.

She tried to turn to him. "Don't…leave a mark" she whispered urgently. "I want to wear my hair up…No, I'm sorry sir, I wasn't speaking to you." She turned and glared at Jed just daring him to laugh. She could see the mirth dancing in his blue eyes and she watched with wide eyes as his hands moved from her breasts down over her belly heading right for the juncture of her thighs.

"No!" she said quickly, trying to stop his fingers from where they were delving under the lace of her panties. "No… I'm sorry, Your Grace…I didn't mean I wouldn't mention abstinence if I'm questioned about abortion. Of course the President and I believe very firmly in abstinence."

"Really, Abbey?" Jed murmured, as he began running his tongue down her spine, feeling her shiver with sensation and need. "Do you really believe in abstinence?" His lips settled on the base of her spine and began lavishing attention on her tattoo. As his tongue began tracing the intricate lines of the small Celtic knot, he slid his hand inside of her panties, feeling how creamy and swollen she was for him, nearly groaning at the knowledge that some of that was his semen from the night before. Abbey gripped his wrist tightly trying to inhibit his invasion.

"Oh…mmm…yes…yes…yes…I agree." Abbey didn't even know what she was agreeing to anymore, her words were meant for Jed and Jed only. It was getting harder and harder to concentrate as he began to press his fingers against her clitoris stroking her lightly, but still she tried.

He was going to have to give her an A+ for effort Jed thought with a smile, but he was nothing if not resourceful and he had the advantage of knowing exactly how to get his wife off the phone. He teased the opening to her body circling it over and over until finally slipping his finger deep inside her. He felt Abbey's whole body quiver and writhe against his probing digit, felt her loosen her grip on his wrist to allow him all the access that he needed.

Abbey bit her lip hard to keep from groaning. Her legs were weak and Jed was easing her down to the floor. She knew that it was time to surrender this battle

"I'm sorry, sir, something's come up. I have to call you back." Not waiting for the Archbishops response, she hit the off button on the phone and threw it toward the couch.

Before she knew it she was on her back, her thighs spread wide and Jed was teasing her, just barely sliding the tip of his penis into her and then withdrawing.

"You do know that was the Archbishop of St. Louis on the phone, don't you?" She sighed.

"I don't care if it was the Pope, himself. I told you to… stay naked." He bit down on his bottom lip, fighting the urge to slide all the way inside.

"Since when…do I…take orders…from you?" Abbey's breath was starting to ome in soft little pants and she was thrusting her hips up at him trying to get him to penetrate her.

"The rest…of the world does…When are you…going to…fall in line?"

"When pigs fly…Jesus CHRIST, Jed, if you pull out of me one more time I'm going to KILL you!" Abbey grabbed at his rear pulling him down into her just as she raised her hips. Jed groaned deeply as he slid all the way into the warm tight depths of her body and the two began to move in the age old rhythm they had perfected so many years ago.

Down in the courtyard below agents continued to mill about, their eyes turning every so often to the Presidential balcony. It was quiet enough for the closest agents to hear the earthy sounds of lovemaking, but before long almost every agent could hear the cries coming from the room.

The President, lower, deeper, as if he were in agony: "Oh yeah…oh yeah…oh yeah… oh yeah…."

And the First Lady, sharper, higher, whimpering cries as if she were being tortured: "Oh God…Oh God…Oh God…. Oh Gaaaawwwwdddd".

When all was finally quiet one of his agents turned to Ron. "I guess the First Lady found her husband," he smirked.

"It would appear so." Ron said stoically. He wished that they had shut the doors, but, after seeing how Abbey had looked that morning in the tiny silk robe, he couldn't blame the President for opting for a little dessert before breakfast. He moved away to make another sweep of the perimeter and overheard two of his agents. "I tell ya, I wouldn't mind being the President right about now, sounds like things got pretty hot in there."

"Yeah, the First Lady is a real babe. Did you see her out there on the balcony this morning in that short silky thing with her hair all curly and messed up? Man does she have great legs."

"She is a looker. The President's a lucky man."

"And he knows it. At least with him we know it's the First Lady that he's messing around with. Not like Hoynes."

Both men laughed at the absurdity of that comment. They'd both watched the Vice President enter hotel rooms with many women that were not his wife, and it was common knowledge among the service that he had a mistress in Georgetown. Thankfully they didn't have to worry about that nonsense with the President.

"That old hound will sleep with anyone."

"Anyone but Mrs. Hoynes."

"Excuse me but don't you two have anything better to be doing right now than gossiping like a couple of National Enquirer reporters."

"Yes, sir." They jumped to attention. "Sorry, sir." They started to move on.

"Hey," Ron called out. "Let's make sure to keep this gossip to ourselves. Our jobs are to protect these people not comment on or judge their personal lives."

"Yes sir."

****

They ate breakfast in bed in the nude feeding each other the small pieces of fried dough with powdered sugar, known as beignets, and sipping coffee that had cooled to lukewarm while they had been enjoying themselves on the carpet. When they were finished and had showered and dressed they left the hotel to stroll hand in hand down the streets of the French Quarter. In the daytime it was easier to see the charm of the place rather than the seamy decadence the night brought. The mixture of French, Spanish and Caribbean influences gave it a character all of it's own. The air was still hot and steamy and their clothes stuck to their bodies but both were dressed better for it today. Abbey wore a simple floral tank styled dress that just reached her knees. Her tanned legs were bare and she wore a pair of sandals. She wore her hair up off her neck and had tucked one of the flowers Jed had brought her that morning into the twist. Jed wore a pair of khaki shorts and the deep blue golf shirt he had been wearing in the morning. The air was still redolent with the smell of brewing coffee and in the distance they could hear the riverboat calliope music.

It was Secret Service nightmare to have them out wandering around. It didn't happen often, but when it did everyone was tense and on guard. The saving grace of the situation was that with the heat being so stifling the end of August was not a big tourist time, and the tourists who were there didn't generally come out until much later. The first couple did create a stir, but it could have been so much worse.

"Okay, here we are, first stop on my list." Abbey stopped in front of a boutique.

"We're not shopping for clothes or shoes right?" Jed asked. He was not a shopper, unless it was for books or antique things and he knew Abbey could spend hours just shopping for shoes alone.

'Okay, if you don't want to stop, we won't." She started to tug him along. He looked up just as they were passing the storefront that was advertising all kinds of different Victorian corsets in the window. His wide eyes gazed further up at the name and took in the name of the establishment. Trashy Diva's. He HAD to like a store with a name like that.

TBC...