At the Pleasure of the President (The Perfect Gentlemen 5)

“Ma’am, I’ve been instructed to bring you to the president.” The agent stared at her with a cold, stony expression—a seeming prerequisite for getting a Secret Service job.

Was Zack finally going to let her go and he’d elected to release her in person? Why couldn’t he kick her to the curb via text? Isn’t that what all the hip people were doing these days? That would be far less humiliating.

Liz frowned in confusion. “Why? Isn’t he at Camp David with his friends?”

“Yep, but I’m getting nabbed, too. And Roman isn’t answering his phone to explain. He’s so in the doghouse.”

So she wasn’t getting fired, most likely. Then Liz had no idea what this presidential summons was about or why he’d roped Gus in too. But she didn’t want to see Zack, not after Wallace Shorn had made the staff’s perception of her relationship with the president clear. Not when she was feeling a bit maudlin and vulnerable.

“What if I don’t want to go?” she asked.

The agent’s lips curled up. “I’ll be forced to bring you. And I have a pair of handcuffs you would look spectacular in.”

Well, at least he was flirting with her. Made a girl feel wanted. She needed it because she was pretty sure she wasn’t going to feel wanted in the least after this meeting with Zack. “Fine. But I want a limo—and there better be booze in it.”

“No luck,” Gus said. “We’re taking a chopper, and I’ve been informed they’ve already nabbed Holland and Lara. Since they seem serious about getting us there, I suspect they’re intending to cordially command Everly and Sara, too. But I stole a bottle of tequila.” Gus held a ridiculously expensive bottle of the booze in her fist.

“Ma’am, I don’t think…” When Gus sent him the kind of stabbing glare that would make any human bleed, the agent stopped and nodded. “We’ll try to keep the flight smooth for you ladies.”

Even the Secret Service feared Gus, so that was one small blessing. But something was up. There were only so many reasons the Perfect Gentlemen would want the women to crash their boys’ weekend, none of them good.

Liz followed the agent and her friend, her heart in her throat.

* * * *

Sara Bond stared out the window of her room in her brother’s DC condo, the lights of the city flickering on in anticipation of the coming night. The condo had a majestic view of the city, but then Gabe always sprung for the best. Their parents had taught him that. Money had never been a problem in her life.

She put a hand on her growing belly. At least she had that security. Her baby wouldn’t lack for food or clothes. When she thought about her life from that perspective, she hadn’t been dealt a bad hand. Her child would grow up with the love of a father figure because her brother would step in and play the role for his niece. She had a good, secure future. As single momhood went, she’d hit the lottery.

So why wasn’t that enough? Why did it always feel like she was missing something vital?

“You ready? Damn, girl. That dress is stunning on you.” Her sister-in-law walked in, giving her a once-over. “You’re rocking that bump. But…are you sure you want to risk this? There could be photographers. A lot of people are interested in Gus and Roman since they got engaged.”

Her “bump” was growing, and she wouldn’t be able to hide it much longer. She’d disguised it well until now, but in the last week she’d had no choice except to wear maternity clothes. The dress she’d donned tonight was definitely designed to accommodate her swelling middle, and Sara was surprised by how much she liked seeing the evidence of her precious baby growing inside her. That made needing to hide it for as long as possible even more odious.

“I know the press will find out I’m pregnant at some point. For now, I’ll drape a long sweater around my body and try to stay in the middle of the crowd. I’m going to talk to Liz tonight about how to announce my pregnancy to the public soon.”

As it was, people would speculate about the baby’s father. Mad had left all his worldly possessions to Gabe, who intended to hand Crawford over to her after the baby’s birth. When she took the helm, speculation would become outright gossip. People would probably guess Maddox had fathered her child. The business world would almost certainly respond, and the tabloids would splash her across their pages. At some point, she would have to admit that Maddox Crawford had gotten her pregnant and dumped her. Then…he’d died.

All these months later, that was the most crushing reality of all. She was still trying to come to terms with it.

“I’m glad Liz is coming with us. I was worried she would back out.” Everly looked chic and camera ready in her vibrant orange sheath and killer heels. Everly didn’t have to wear black to give the illusion that she hadn’t swallowed a basketball.

Oddly, though, black felt right since she was still in mourning. How could she hate a man and yet mourn him with her whole heart?

Sara grabbed her Judith Leiber clutch and forced her feet into sensible kitten heels. She would be the shortest in the squad tonight, but she had to accept that. Her feet could not handle five-inch stilettos right now, given the slight swelling she often had at night and her sometimes irregular balance. “Why wouldn’t Liz want to come?”

Everly’s face flushed slightly, but she shrugged. “Well, she’s been really busy since we just got back from London, and she’s handling a lot since she’s Gus’s maid of honor. Let me tell you, Gus is insistent this wedding will be perfect, so I’m going to hunker down, do whatever bridezilla says, and survive until she says ‘I do.’”

Something about Everly’s expression made Sara suspicious. Granted, she’d been out of the game for a while, hiding away at her parents’ place in the Hamptons, but once she’d been an excellent poker player. And Everly was bluffing.

“That’s not why. Tell me the reason Liz wouldn’t want to come with us. What’s going on? Is she upset that Gus and Roman are getting married? I assumed she and Zack were waiting until after his reelection campaign to tie the knot.”

“No, she’s happy for Gus and Roman.” Everly sighed. “The truth is, Liz and Zack were never really together. Not in a romantic way.”

“Of course they were.” No one could deny the chemistry between those two. “She’s basically played the role of the First Lady since day one. I know Zack has been in mourning publicly since he was elected, but he’s also crazy about Liz. I can tell. It’s only a matter of time before they acknowledge their relationship.”

Everly shook her head. “While you’ve been in the Hamptons, you’ve been out of the loop. I didn’t want to spend our time together gossiping, but…Zack’s been dating.”

That shook her world a bit. Zack was Superman. He always did the right thing. “Dating? But not the woman who has stood by him for years?”

Everly frowned. “Nope. His first date was with a supermodel.”

Sara felt a growl forming in the back of her throat. Normally, she was perfectly sweet and feminine. She was a good executive, too. Not as cutthroat as Liz or Gus, or as badass as Everly and Holland. She probably fit in best with Lara. But she fucking hated supermodels. After Mad had broken up with her, he’d gone on a supermodel tour. He could probably write a Zagat-style rating guide of the supermodels’ vaginas.

Everly held up her hands, obviously trying to ward off the beast. “Whoa, hold your horses. There’s more at play here than Zack wanting cheap sex. Not that it’s actually cheap. I’m sure those ladies are incredibly expensive.”

Sara narrowed her eyes because she still wasn’t getting the whole story. “What do you know that I don’t know?”

Everly bit her bottom lip and winced. “I can’t talk about it until I discuss it with Gabe. I’m so sorry, Sara. There’s…a lot going on.”

She waved a hand. She knew the drill. She’d been around the guys all her life, and they kept a close circle. When she’d been ready to spend her life with Maddox Crawford, she’d thought she might break into their confidence, but it didn’t matter anymore. Best to stay focused on he

r baby. “I’ll let it go, then. I know better than to meddle with my brother’s brothers. Besides, I’m probably better off not knowing. But for a bunch of manly men, you have to admit they have so much drama.”

“You have no idea,” Everly agreed, nodding. “But seriously, don’t hate Zack. You don’t know the whole story.”

There was one good thing about being on the outside. She could so judge. “And I never will, so as far as I’m concerned Zack might be a great president, but he’s an asshole. I can’t get drunk with the rest of you tonight. Not on alcohol, but I can totally get drunk on self-righteousness and judgment. I think Liz is going to be my bestie for the night.”

She was actually mindful about the way she discussed Mad, especially with the ladies. She didn’t want to seem bitter and tried not to vent her emotions to others…except Gabe when he caught her in the occasional weak moment. But tonight, it would be a nice change to have someone whose man had done them wrong. Someone who understood what it meant to spend time with all the happy couples and be thrilled for them, while dealing with her own grief and loneliness.

Everly eased beside her, walking down the hall toward the front door. “I’m just glad you agreed to come to the city and spend time with us. I hate thinking about you all alone up there.”

“Alone? I wish. Gus shows up all the time,” she complained good-naturedly. “Or you need help shopping and no one else has my sense of style. Yeah, I caught that one, sister. Connor and Lara rented the house next to mine, then pretended like they didn’t remember I would be their neighbor when they decided to spend a long weekend in the Hamptons.”