First Lady (41 page)

Still dripping, she donned her robe,
then
felt something tickle her nose, then upper lip. She lifted her fingers and looked at them, smearing the warm red substance between her fingers.
 
"Terrific." She retrieved a towel from the bathroom. After she cleaned her face, she sat down on the bed and pressed her nostrils shut with the cloth, allowing her eyes to close.

The phone ringing nearly caused her to jump off the bed. Her calls were being screened and since she’d made it clear not to disturb her unless the world was ending or her family was on the phone, she had a pretty good guess as to who was calling.

"Hello, sweetheart,” Devlyn said into the receiver. “I miss you and I love you."

Lauren could hear the smile in Dev’s voice, and it caused her to react in kind, her own voice unconsciously warming even further. "Same here, Devil. Why aren't you using the video phone?"

“Eh,” Dev shrugged, even though Lauren couldn’t see. “The scrambler is on the fritz and it’s not secure. We’re leaving for home tomorrow so I told them not to bother fixing it.”

"Mmm. Gotcha. Do you think you’ll make it home on schedule?"

"So far so good." Dev sniffed and removed the cloth that was pressed to her nose, only to feel a fresh trickle of blood slide down her face. “Shit.” She quickly wiped it away and pressed her nose closed again.

"Are you okay? You sound sort of funny."

Dev winced at the red stained towel. "I'm fine. Dry sinuses I think. I’ve got a little nose bleed."
 
Her words were met with a long silence on the other end of the line.

After a moment of debate, over whether to bother to ask now or when Devlyn came home, Lauren sighed. "Please get that looked at. In fact, an entire check-up would be good. You know you’re due for your annual anyhow."

"A check-up for dry sinuses?" Devlyn shook her head and said, “There’s no way I have time for that.”

“Make time.”

Devlyn rubbed her temple with one hand and told herself not to lose her temper. It wasn’t Lauren’s fault she was dragging at the end of this trip. “I have that physical coming up in a month or two where the entire world gets to know everything from my blood pressure and weight to my cholesterol count. A little nose bleed can wait until then.” Her voice softened. “It’s really nothing.”

"Don't make me call your mother." Lauren was only half teasing.

"You wouldn’t dare!" Dev squawked, sitting up straighter against the padded headboard.

“Wouldn’t I?” There was another long silence and Lauren could tell she wasn’t going to make any progress over the phone. There would be time to talk about this when Devlyn came home. “Would you like to talk to your monsters?"

"You know it." Dev smiled eagerly as she waited for Lauren, who called for Ashley first.

"Hi, Mom!"

"Hi, Moppet, did you have a good time at the play tonight?"

"It was great!
 
Emma and Jane came along too! They both said they could use a prince of their own. And Mama said she once went out on a date with a man with worse back hair than the Beast. They all laughed really loud at that. Can you come next time?”

A wistful expression chased its way across Devlyn’s face. “I hope so, baby. But you know how it goes. I’m awfully busy right now.”

“I know. It’s okay.”

But a little of Ashley’s enthusiasm had faded and Devlyn knew it. “It won’t be this way forever. I promise.”

"Okay.” Ashley sighed before adding, “I love you Mom.”

“I love you too.” Her heart ached for all these moments that she was missing with her children, and she swore to herself that she would quiz Lauren on every minute of the evening.

“Chris wants to talk to you."

Devlyn barely had time to say “okay” before she heard from her eldest son.

"Mom?"

"Yeah?"

"Next time can we go to a play for boys?” He was on the verge of outright whining.

Devlyn burst out laughing.

“It was all singing and dancing and kissing. Yuck!”

“Didn't the villagers go after the Beast?"

"Yeah, but it was so short! Two minutes and it was over. I liked the Beast better when he had fangs and fur and—"

"All right, son, I get the picture. We'll see if we can find something you'll like better for next time. Maybe something with pirates or spacemen?"

"Or dinosaurs or bugs?” Christopher prodded.

“Well, I mean, we can try, son. But how many plays are there—”

“Thanks, Mom,” Chris chirped. “Here's Aaron."

Dev wondered briefly how much sugar Christopher had consumed that night.

"Hi, Mom.”

“Hi, Aaron. How was the play?”

“It was totally awesome!”

Dev blinked. “Really?”

“Oh, yeah.
 
A girl threw up again and again in front of the food stand. It was really, really gross. It happened when Agent Tucker was taking Chris to the bathroom and he missed it all! It was great!”

Dev opened and closed her mouth a few times as she tried to think of an appropriate response. “Uhhh… That sounds… errr…” Disgusting. Vile. Nasty. “Interesting.”

“Oh, it was. When you coming home?"

"Tomorrow, okay?"

"In time to read us a story or play Candy Land? Ashley’s been teaching me how to cheat.
 
Oops, I wasn’t supposed to tell. It was gonna be a surprise.”

“Oh, I’m surprised,” Dev told him flatly. She shook her head, hearing Christopher and Ashley telling off Aaron. Then there was a set of muffled squeals before Lauren came back on the line.
 
"Having fun yet, Lauren?”

Lauren laughed. "You could say that. Tell me honestly, Devlyn, how are you?
 
I saw you on television this afternoon. You looked beautiful and the press is loving you, but you sound so tired."

"I am tired, but I’ve cleared this weekend entirely.
How about a couple of days at
Camp David
?"

"I think that's the best thing I’ve heard all day. I’d love to have some time alone with you.”

“Can we work on the next Adrian Nash novel? I’ve been coming up with lots of ideas. I have an entire notebook of them. It’s what I do to relax between speeches and overcooked chicken luncheons.”

Lauren winced in empathy. Since coming to
Washington
she’d endured a few million of
those
herself.
 
“Sure. As long as we don’t kill her off we can pretty much go crazy.”

Dev clamped her hand over her mouth. It almost stifled her yawn.

“Devlyn, honey?” Lauren drawled. “I miss you and God knows I love talking to you, but go to bed.”

For once, Devlyn didn’t bother to argue. “Yeah,” she sighed sleepily and took the towel from her nose. The bleeding had stopped and she tossed the soiled cloth into the waste paper basket that sat next to the bed. “I am. I think I’ve finally reached my limit. I don’t care if it is early. Campaigning for myself is one thing. But doing it for everyone else is about ready to kill me.”

Lauren wasn’t sure whether that answer made her feel better or worse. Devlyn’s schedule had been so ridiculous that for the first time she’d talked to Liza and David without talking to Devlyn first, in an appeal for sanity. But they’d both thrown up their hands, saying that Devlyn, herself, had insisted on all the cities and the pace of this tour, determined to capitalize on her surge in popularity.
 
“Tomorrow then. I love you.”

“I love you, too. Night.”

Lauren hung up the phone, but continued to stare at it for a long time, her eyes unfocused. You can’t be all things to all people, Devlyn. No matter how hard you try. Before she knew it, all three kids were back in the den, wearing their pajamas, their breath smelling of toothpaste. She gave them each a kiss and a hug, and they headed for their bedrooms for the night.

Lauren looked at her watch and debated heading back to her office. She stood, but paused when a photograph of Devlyn trying to catch her tenacious pug, Gremlin, who was running around the Rose Garden with one of Devlyn’s shoes in her mouth, caught her eye. A tiny smile quirked the corner of her mouth, and she brought the photo to her lips and gently kissed Devlyn’s head. “Sleep tight.” She sighed, worry marring her youthful features. “And for God’s sake, take care of yourself.”

L
AUREN LOOKED AT HER dinner dress in the full-length mirror and smoothed the blue silk where it continued to roll at her midsection. “Damn thing.”

Dev exited the bathroom, placing eye drops in each eye, blinking and dabbing at the corners with a tissue. “What’s wrong?”

“This dress won’t lie right.”

“Mmm… You’ve lost a little weight lately.” Dev crossed the room and placed her hands on Lauren’s hips from behind, smiling a little as she gave the material a little tug to the right, settling it into place. She glanced up at the mirror to find Lauren smiling, too. “There.” She kissed her partner on the cheek. “You don’t have to be nervous, you know.”

“Yes, I do. This is my first formal State function as your wife. I know I’ve been to others, but this feels different.”

Devlyn shrugged one shoulder. “There’s nothing to it. Just smile, be charming, and try not to say something incredibly stupid that will come back to haunt you for years and years and years….”

Lauren’s mouth dropped open. “Gee, I feel so much better.” Devlyn rested her chin on Lauren’s shoulder and met the other woman’s gaze in the mirror.
 
“And to think I almost went to dinner tonight without hearing that sage advice first,” she deadpanned.

Devlyn gave her a puppy dog look, which was promptly ignored.

“Besides, that’s easy for you to say. You’ve done this a hundred times.” Lauren turned her head and kissed Dev’s cheek before stepping forward to dig a pair of earrings from her jewelry box. After selecting a beautiful pair of diamond studs that Janet and Frank had given her for Christmas, she held them up and waited until Devlyn nodded her approval at her choice.

“Actually, I’ve only done it 40 times,” Dev said, applying a light coat of lipstick. She tossed the tube onto the vanity when she was finished. “Ms. Strayer, don’t you pretend you were working at Wal-Mart before you accepted your position as my biographer. Your job with Starlight Publishing had you attending plenty of nerve-racking events. I happen to know you’ve had an audience with the Pope!” Under her breath, Dev said, “Something I haven’t done, if you must know.”

The corner of Lauren’s mouth curled upward as she worked on her second earring. “I was more excited than nervous then. First, no one was paying any attention to me. I was there with Cardinal O’Roarke, observing him for his biography, not participating. Second, I’m not Catholic. And third, the Pope is older than dirt! I could be standing buck-naked in front of him and I doubt he’d even notice.”

Dev leaned forward and placed her lips right against Lauren’s ear. “Honey,” she breathed in a husky voice, “That would be dead, not old.”

Lauren wrinkled her nose at the lame humor, but couldn’t help but laugh. “Do you have to make jokes when I’m nervous?”

“Does it take your mind off being nervous?”

“Mostly,” Lauren admitted reluctantly. More than anything she didn’t want to do something that would put more pressure on her already over-stressed spouse. “A watch, do you think?” She held up her naked wrist.

Dev’s grin was smug. “Then my work here is finished. And no watch. You have to stay for the whole thing, no matter what time it is.”

“Ugh.” Lauren rolled her eyes and moved from her jewelry box to Devlyn’s. “What did you say you wanted earlier?”

“The square-cut emerald necklace.”

“Mmm.” After digging for a few seconds, Lauren came up with the booty. She held it under the vanity light, which had been turned to its lowest setting, bathing the room in warm light, which wasn’t conducive to putting on makeup, but was easy on the eyes. “Wow.”

Dutifully, Dev presented Lauren with her back. She bent slightly at the knees and lifted her hair off her neck, feeling the cool weight of the stone come to rest between her breasts and the warmth of Lauren’s body as the blonde leaned close, partially to work the clasp, but mostly just because she enjoyed the intimate contact.

Lauren finally gave Devlyn’s rear end a little pat. “All done.”

Dev turned around and lifted her eyebrow in question. If there were any pug hairs on her suit, Gremlin was done. “Well, how do I look?”

Lauren let out a low appreciative whistle as she circled Devlyn like a new car buyer about to kick the tires. The whistle ended with a little moan that actually made Devlyn blush. “Gorgeous.”

Devlyn shivered from the sexy timbre that had suddenly invaded Lauren’s voice. “Let’s stay home and make out.”

The look of frank desire on Lauren’s face was more than enough to kick her libido into high gear, and Devlyn couldn’t help but think that sometimes her endless responsibilities plainly sucked. “Don’t tempt me. You know how I love it when you wear your hair swept up like that.” To prove her point, she grabbed Lauren’s wrist and pulled the smaller woman against her with a firm tug. When their bodies collided, she attached her lips to the silky-skinned, lithe neck before her and began to gently suck. “Mmm…”