Madame President - Tara Sue Me Page 0,33
And I know if I leave, the real Anna will disappear behind the mask of President Anna and I may never see the real Anna again.
“No,” I say because I’m not leaving right now. “You were thinking, you were just thinking the wrong thing.”
“Do tell, Mr. Hazar,” she says, and she’d not nearly as composed as she was seconds ago. Some perverse side of me is thrilled to see her reaction. I’m baiting her, yes, but she’s clearly latching on.
“You thought all you had to do was snap your fingers, and I’d come running like everyone always does,” I say. “You’d welcome me into the big bad Oval Office, offer me some lame, ineffective apology, and I’d roll over, beg you to rub my belly, and we’d be good. But I surprised you, didn’t I? I actually called you out on your shit.” I walk the few steps needed so I stand right in front of her, right in her personal space. “When was the last time anyone did that, Madame President?”
“I really don’t like you, Mr. Hazar.” Her eyes blaze, but she can’t hide the desire I find in them.
“And that kills you, doesn’t it?” I ask. “But that’s the funny thing. You don’t like me and you hate it, because no matter what you tell yourself, you still want me.”
“What I think is that you have a pretty high opinion of yourself, Mr. Hazar.”
I take note that whatever she’s thinking hasn’t made her back away yet. “Tell me I’m wrong.”
“You are such a….”
I chuckle because she’s trying to play the part of the good girl, still trying to ensure everyone likes her, and she doesn’t do anything to change that. She probably believes if she puts me off long enough, I’ll be nice and let her go. She’s wrong. I’ll admit there have been several times I’ve underestimated her, but this time, she’s underestimated me.
“Tell me you don’t want me. Tell me you don’t remember how good we were together.” I lower my head just a touch. “Tell me.”
“Wanting you means nothing.” She inhales deeply, but I’m standing so close, I feel her tremble. “That’s only chemistry. Hormones. All I remember is you leaving with no explanation.”
She may think I’m letting her go when I step away and leave, or that I’m letting her off the hook. She might even be able to convince herself she won this round. But she’d be wrong.
What was that famous quote? I’ve only just begun to fight?
Chapter Seventeen
Her
The White House
Washington DC
I give serious thought to calling George or Edward and telling him Navin has to leave, he can no longer be on my Press Pool. But I can’t think of a way to say it that won’t make me sound like a total idiot. What reason would I give for needing him gone? He distracted me from running the nation? I might as well label him a national hazard.
That I actually think on it for longer than five seconds proves how far gone I am.
There’s a knock on the door and when I tell whoever it is to come in, it’s Nicole reminding me I have a meeting with the National Security Council starting soon. I push all thoughts about Navin out of my mind and focus on the tasks before me.
It’s much later before I have a free minute to give in to any thoughts about Navin. I’m actually in bed, running through the day in my head, when I get to the part of the day he occupied. I remember every detail of our time together, every word spoken, every look shared, and, God help me, every carnal sensation he gave me. I kind of hate him for that last one, but I really hate him because everything he said about me was true. I had made it a point to ensure he met me in the Oval Office, and I had assumed he’d accept my apology. Hell, he was even right when he said no one ever called me on my shit. The only part he got wrong was when he said I thought he’d roll over and beg for a belly rub.
I never expected him to beg for it.
All sarcasm aside, I’d hurt him deeply with my remark about him being a law school dropout. I’d unknowingly struck a nerve still unhealed after all these years. But why? Why, if it’d meant that much to him, did he drop out, and never return? It would take nothing for