Author's Note: I just want to apologize for not updating sooner, I could give you a list of reasons why, but they would just be a bunch of excuses. Thank you to all the people who are reading this story, who cared about reading the next chapter. Your reviews and feedback mean a lot to me. Thank you.
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If Donna didn't know any better she would have sworn that Josh was out to sabotage her date, but that didn't make any sense since the date was with Josh. It was just that any time it looked like the meeting with Whitney was about to wrap up and they could both leave for the night the congressman would bring up a new point of contention and the meeting was extended for another hour, and that was before Mary Marsh entered the building.
In fairness, Josh didn't screw up, per se, although sitting in a McDonalds in the middle of the night was probably not the dream date Donna had been imagining. It wasn't his fault. Really, it wasn't. It was as though the stars and moon, along with a bunch of Republicans, or whatever, had aligned, and were out to get him.
He had spent hours, literally hours, talking to Whitney about jumping ship. Usually meeting with the old crone of a congressman only felt like hours, but this time it was not hyperbole, it actually took 5 hours of repeating and reframing the same argument before Josh got Whitney back on their side. But unfortunately not before Josh had to sit through an unfortunate encounter with Mary Marsh.
By the time a truce of sorts was reached between both parties it was nearing midnight. Every restaurant besides the local fast food chains was closed. Josh had wanted to postpone the date to another night, but Donna was adamant that it wasn't the location that mattered to her, but the company. And that was how they found themselves as the only customers at the local McDonalds eating cheap hamburgers instead of a 4 star meal.
"That may have not been the worst night of my life, cause you know getting shot is pretty hard to top, but it was a close second," Josh complained as he scrubbed his hand across his face.
"Oh, poor baby," Donna offered without sincerity.
"You don't know what it was like Donna. Spending time in an enclosed room with Mary Marsh? It's disconcerting. I get the feeling that every time she tells me 'I'll pray for you', it's really just Christian code for 'fuck off.'"
Donna chuckled quietly, "So did you guys reach an agreement?"
"Kinda, although the president is not going to be happy. We got the funding for the schools, but only if they promise to teach abstinence only, argh," Josh ran his hand through his hair, "How can anyone think in today's day and age that abstinence only is going to stop teenagers from having sex? It wouldn't have stopped me in high school, I mean – I'm sorry what was that noise you just made?"
"Who? Me? I didn't make a noise. I'm just eating my fries."
"No, no. You definitely made a noise. It was like a 'ha', but a 'ha' filled with scepticism, cynicism and disbelief."
"Wow, I must be really something to put all of that into one little syllable." Donna responded with a cheeky smile.
"I did fine in high school I'll have you know. I had girlfriends."
"Okay."
"I had sex."
"Okay."
"I had sex with my girlfriends."
"Okay.
"Stop that!"
"Stop what? I'm agreeing with you."
"Yeah, but it sounds like you're only humouring me," he paused slightly, "Wait, all the times you agree with me are you really just humouring me?"
Donna's only response was a snarky smile.
"You're a mean woman, Donna Moss." Josh continued, "Anyway, my point is abstinence only is not going to stop teenagers from having sex. Republicans can't just stick their heads in the sand like a bunch of ostriches and pretend teenagers aren't having sex."
"Well you know what they say, 'ignorance is bliss'."
"Yeah, well, ignorance may be bliss, but for the rest of us who have to deal with the ignorant it's a pain in the ass."
"You know what my dad always used to say? That in sex ed class they should make the kids figure out how to install a car seat. That would serve as deterrent enough."
"Your dad sounds like a smart man."
"Well, obviously. He is my father." Donna replied good-naturedly, before continuing. "Well, I for one think we have spent way too much time talking about Mary Marsh, this is supposed to be our first date after all."
"You're right, and what a date it is." Josh replied sarcastically.
"Hey, let's get out here, then. It's pretty nice outside. Let's take a walk."
Josh and Donna bused their trays and exited the fast food restaurant. It was nice outside and the two of them strolled through the streets talking about nothing and everything. Before they realized it, they found themselves in front of Josh's apartment.
"You wanna come up? Have some coffee?"
"Why, Mr Lyman? Are you trying to get me upstairs?"
"Yes, see my first step in the Josh Lyman seduction plan was to woo you with the finest of Washington cuisine and the next step involves inviting you up to my messy apartment where I can wow you with my limited beverage selection and witty repartee."
"Well, how can a girl say no to an offer like that?" Donna said, and made her way up the stairs to Josh's apartment.
Josh opened the door to his apartment. He threw his coat and tie onto the sofa and walked into the kitchen.
"I just have to make sure the milk hasn't gone bad," he yelled before taking the coffee tin out of the freezer. "Make yourself at home."
Donna kicked off her shoes and plopped down on the sofa. She looked around the apartment, while there was a pile of newspapers on the coffee table, a dirty mug, and a few jackets lying about, the apartment was pretty clean. "I think you must have tidied a little since the last time I was here. It's not as messy as usual, Josh."
"Ha, not messy? Wait until you see the bedroom."
"Wow, that was smooth," Donna laughed.
Josh came jogging out of the kitchen, "I didn't mean it like that. I just meant my bedroom is really messy. Not that you were going to see my bed or the room that it's in. I was in no way implying that you would be spending time in my bedroom tonight."
"Josh."
"Yes?" He gulped.
"Why don't you show me your bedroom?" Donna whispered, hoping she sounded more confident than what she was currently feeling.
The words echoed through the room. Without hesitation, Josh offered his hand to Donna and drew her off the sofa. He led her into his bedroom. He walked over and sat on the bed. She moved to stand directly in front of him and met his eyes. She didn't say anything; she didn't need to. Within seconds, he had pulled her down onto his lap and covered her lips with his.
The kiss was darker, more deliberate, more intense than any they had previously shared. Donna could feel the blood coursing through her veins. His tongue stroked her bottom lip as his hands roamed over her, freeing the buttons of her blouse, deftly shucking the shirt off her shoulders and down her arms before pulling the hem of her shirt from the waist band of her pants.
His warm hands settled on the soft bare skin just above her pants, and he took the opportunity to deepen the kiss even more. He searched and stroked, sending ripples through her. She was wonderfully overwhelmed by the combination of sensations from his mouth and fingers.
He claimed her mouth once more, while simultaneously sliding her blouse up and releasing her mouth only long enough to pull her shirt off of her completely. Resuming the kiss, he tossed the shirt aside, the pink cloth fluttering through the air, landing in a pile of his own dirty laundry. Next, his hands reached up to slowly draw the straps of her bra down her arms; he deftly unclasped her bra and threw the pink garment on to the same pile that her blouse had landed on.
Immediately, he placed his mouth to her flesh, he loved the feel of her skin. He left red love marks on her skin, running his tongue and teeth across every inch he came into contact with. Her hands moved of their own volition, her fingers running through his soft dark hair to hold him close to her as her own head tipped back, her body heavy with desire.
His hands reached around to keep her steady as his mouth suckled on her gently, sending waves of excitement through her. He moved his attention to her other breast, and then lifted her as though she weighed nothing and rearranged her so that she straddled his lap.
Suddenly, his hands were everywhere, kneading her bottom, caressing her legs and breasts, lifting her mass of blonde hair to bare her neck to his hot, wet kiss. He followed the column of her neck up to lick the soft lobe of one ear, then back to rain kisses along her collarbone and down to her straining chest once more. His worshiped her chest, suckling and licking as her hands travelled beneath the collar of his shirt, over his broad shoulders down the muscles of his arms and chest. Her fingers tugged at the buttons of his shirt, determined to get him naked as quickly as possible.
She raised her head to look him in the eyes, "I really want you to be wearing fewer clothes right now."
"Believe me, the feeling is mutual." Josh responded, voice heavy with desire.
He shrugged out of his shirt, lifting her off of him momentarily to do so. Once out of his shirt, Josh let himself fall back onto the bed, clasping her hips tightly as he did so. Pushing against her gently, he watched as she sighed in pleasure at the slight pressure. In response, she smiled boldly and ground himself against him in a firm, circular motion. His hands moved instantly to her hips to hold her tight to him.
She moved her thumb to trace slow circles on the scar on his chest, then she leaned in and set her mouth to his wound. She could feel the thrum of his heart and she traced her lips across his warm skin. Not wanting to dwell on the memories of that horrific night, she moved her mouth until she found his nipple and laved the straining flesh.
He hissed in a breath, plunging his fingers through her hair as she repeated his earlier caresses with warm strokes of her tongue. He allowed her to explore with her mouth until he couldn't take it anymore, finally pulling her up for another kiss.
Eventually she broke away from the kiss, slowly standing on shaky legs in front of him. Boldly she took his hands and placed them on the fastening of her pants. Almost immediately he removed her pants and underwear until Donna was standing naked before him.
Josh took a moment to appreciate the vision that was Donnatella Moss, his hands stroking down her body, molding to her skin, flushed with passion. His hands moved up her thighs, until he slid one warm finger inside her, prompting a gasp of pleasure to escape from Donna's lips. His thumb rubbed gently through her aching flesh. She arched into his caress. He continued to trace circles with his finger, drawing frustrated cries from Donna. Soon a second finger joined the first.
Donna focused on his hand, on the deep slide of his fingers as they worked her into a frenzy. She rocked against him, begging for more, gasping his name. Suddenly, he spun her around, changing positions so that she was reclining on the bed. And then he was between her legs, spreading them wide and holding her down as he put his mouth to the place where his fingers had just been. His tongue licked and laved with an intensity that she couldn't stand. She let her hands fall to his head, her fingers clenching wildly in his hair as he worked her with his fingers and tongue until she thought she might explode. She could feel a wave of pleasure building, higher and higher as his caresses became faster and harder. She lifted her hips off the bed as she felt the crash of pleasure coarse through her, leaving her feeling exhausted and elated at the same time.
He touches slowed and he soothed her flesh before lifting his head, looking up at her. She extended one hand, beckoning him closer, so that he stretched out beside her. Her hands ran along his side, stroking down where she could see the straining fabric of his pants. This time, she was in control. She slowly lowered the zipper to his pants; sliding her hand inside until she grasped him firmly in her hand. This one touch from Donna ignited a fire storm within Josh. Suddenly his pants and boxers were off and he was above her, settling between her legs, allowing her softness to cradle him. He kissed along the column of her neck, his hands stroking her breasts until they were begging for his mouth. He placed his lips to her chest, reveling in the soft mews of pleasure coming from Donna. Her hands roamed across his shoulders, touching his warm skin,
He pressed his hips against her once more, feeling the warmth and wetness that waited for him. He moved slowly against her creating a sweet friction, which drew a low moan from Donna. He thrust again, gently rubbing against her.
Donna drew in a ragged breath, "More Josh. I want more."
He placed a line of soft kissed along her collarbone as he settled between her open thighs. Her breath caught as he pushed inside her. He rocked against her, gritting his teeth against the sublime pleasure he felt as he moved inch by inch, going deeper on each smooth thrust, then he pulled out only to thrust back in while Donna writhed in pleasure. Josh began to move rhythmically in deep, smooth strokes while Donna moved beneath him, canting her hips to increase the pressure of his thrusts. Josh shifted to accommodate Donna's body's request, increasing his speed and force. Donna began to cry out, little mewling cries of pleasure that had him struggling for control over his body.
Finally Josh placed his thumb at the centre of her once more, pressing and stroking while he thrust deep and fast. Donna cried out his name, running her fingernails across his shoulders as she convulsed around him, her muscles tightening. Soon Josh followed her over the edge as well. He collapsed onto her, his chest heaving in unison with Donna's.
He lay there for a few minutes, until his breathing evened out and lifted himself off of Donna to lie at her side. Minutes went by slowly as the pair fell asleep.
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Donna lingered in the doorway that separated the ballroom, lined with tables waiting for dinner to be served, lost in her thoughts. She was trying not to be paranoid. It wasn't like she was constantly looking over her shoulder or anything. Really her cynicism was simply a product of her less than stellar track record with men. And it wasn't like Josh had done anything wrong; in fact, things between them had been close to perfect since the night they had spent together 3 weeks earlier. Maybe that was what was bothering her. Nothing was perfect; perfection simply didn't exist, and she was just waiting for the other shoe to drop. She was waiting for something or someone to come along and ruin their tentative relationship.
"Hi. I'm Amy Gardner. You must be Donna."
Well, I deserved that, Donna thought. It was like looking in the mirror and saying Candyman's name 5 times. You couldn't really complain if you got hacked to death by a one armed man with a hook for a hand if you called for him in the first place.
"Yes. Hi. Nice to meet you," Donna responded automatically. But was it nice to meet Amy? Oh, stop being so suspicious of everyone. What do you think she is going to do to you?
"Have you seen J? I need to talk to him about this Sex Education bill. Funds for only schools that teach abstinence only is unacceptable."
"J?" A confused Donna asked.
"Yes, J. Josh. You are Donna right? You are his secretary; you should know who he is." Amy explained in an impatient huff.
"I know that his name is Josh, not J." Donna said through clenched teeth.
"Whatever. Do you know where he is or not?"
"He was with Leo in the Roosevelt Room a few minutes ago." Donna offered.
Without even a 'thank you' Amy left in search of Josh.
What an unpleasant woman, Donna thought to herself. What did Josh see in her?
"What are you doing standing here all by yourself?" A wonderfully familiar voice spoke quietly into her ear. A shiver ran up Donna's spine as she turned toward Josh.
"Well, I was having a sparkling conversation with your ex-girlfriend, but thankfully that's over now."
Josh's face scrunched up in confusion, "Mandy's here?" He asked, the apprehension apparent in his voice.
"God, I hope not. No, I meant Amy Gardner. A real charmer that one."
"Oh, thank God. I really don't have the energy to – wait, Amy Gardner was never my girlfriend, therefore she can't be my ex-girlfriend."
"Well, whatever she was to you, she's looking for you. She wants to talk about the Sex Education bill."
"Why do I get the impression it's not to tell me what a wonderful job I did on getting that bill passed."
"See, that's why you're the third most powerful man in the country, your ability to read people's minds."
"Hmm, if I read your mind right now, what do you think I would see? Us? Somewhere else? Somewhere where we could both have a lot less clothes on? Maybe in a bed?" He leaned over her shoulder, whispering the seductive words into her ear.
"Josh. This is not the time, nor the place." Donna attempted to steer the conversation to a safer topic.
"Maybe it's not the time, but you can't tell me you've never thought about us being together in the White House. I've thought about it a million times. You and me, a dark closet, hell, my desk features prominently in many day dreams I've had about you."
Josh surprised her with a quick tug on her arm, moving through the open doorway from the stifling ballroom out in to a small, secluded hallway. She turned to look at him, silhouetted in the moonlight streaming in through the windows.
"So, do you also have hallway fantasies?" She asked lightly.
"I have had every kind of fantasy when it comes to you, Donna."
Donna was at a loss for words, all she could manage was a small, "Oh." She was still trying to accept the fact that after all these years she was finally with Josh. Harvard educated Josh Lyman actually wanted Wisconsin born college dropout Donna Moss.
He lifted her chin, cupping her cheeks and turning her head just enough to ensure the perfect angle for a kiss. He nipped at her lips, teasing her with playful kisses along her soft, full bottom lip before taking her mouth in a deep, passionate kiss that weakened her knees. His tongue stroked at her bottom lip, pushing inside her mouth. She sighed into his mouth, eager for more, desperate for them to be anywhere but here, while she may also have had many White House fantasies, she was no exhibitionist, and the thought of anyone catching them in a compromising position was more than a little embarrassing.
"Oh, God. I'm sorry. Must have gone down the wrong hallway. Was looking for the bathroom. This place is so con – Donna?
"Casey. Hi. What are you doing here?" Donna asked while attempting to smooth out the skirt of her dress.
"I'm covering the State Dinner for the website. Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt, I just got lost on my way to the bathroom. Hi, Josh."
"Hi, Casey. Bathroom's that way," Josh replied roughly, eager to resume his previous activities with Donna.
"You know Josh?" Donna turned to Casey in surprise.
"Yeah, we've met a couple of times now. In fact, looking back on it, all those conversations make a lot more sense now," Casey replied with a small laugh.
"What does that mean?" Donna asked.
Suddenly Josh was overcome with an overwhelming need to get Donna away from Casey.
"Come on Donna, we're going to miss dinner," Josh tugged on Donna's arm to lead her back to the ballroom.
"Well, when I offered you the job I didn't realize that you and Josh were, you know..." Casey coughed to cover his discomfort, "Anyway, I get why Josh was so upset, I mean I was trying to poach his girlfriend, I think that threatening to destroy my company was a little overkill, but to each their own." Casey finished with a small chuckle.
Donna whipped around to face Josh. "Did you do that? Did you threaten his company?"
There was a beat as Josh searched for the right answer. "Donna," Josh pleaded.
"I'll take that as a yes." Donna turned back to Casey, struck by a horrible thought. "When? When did he threaten you?"
"When? Oh, probably a few months back, I'm not exactly sure. Look, I wasn't trying to cause any trouble." Casey finished lamely.
"It's okay; none of this is your fault. Oh, and the bathrooms are down the next hall on the left hand side."
As Casey left, Josh took a step towards Donna, but she backed away.
"You threatened him? Threatened him not to offer me that job. Even though it would mean more money and more responsibility for me? What wouldn't you do to keep me chained at my desk as your assistant?"
"It wasn't like that."
"Oh my god! What wouldn't you do?" Donna whispered, instantly sick to her stomach. Josh didn't want to be with her, he never wanted to be with her. He just didn't want to lose his faithful assistant. His faithful lapdog.
"Donna?" Josh asked softly. He could see the colour leave her face. Her beautiful alabaster skin was practically translucent. She suddenly looked unsteady on her feet. "I know what you're thinking but you're wrong."
"It all makes sense now," she whispered, the sound so sad, so raw that Josh thought his heart would break. "You're so competitive, you can't stand to let anyone else win, take away something that you think is yours. The last 3 years you've never shown any interest, but all of a sudden I'm offered a great job, a nice guy wants to date me and then you..." she stopped abruptly. "I should have known that you didn't really... you couldn't really...why would you, you're Josh Lyman and I'm just me..." She trailed off. She took a deep breath before looking at him, her wide blue eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I wouldn't have taken the job. I would have stayed with you. I would have done anything you asked me to."
The realization of her past unwavering devotion to him hit her like a slap in the face; tears began to track down her cheeks and she wiped them away in irritation. She could barely hear the sound of the people gathered in the ballroom as the blood pounded in her ears as a familiar wave of insecurity crashed over her. She had been so very very stupid. How many times had she told herself that Josh wasn't for her? God, he had told her himself that day in his office. Yet, he had taken her to bed, played with her future, played with her emotions as though she were a toy.
He opened his mouth to speak, to explain everything, but she cut him off. "No, you don't get to talk, Josh. Oh, don't worry, I'm not quitting my job, you've seen to it that I'm stuck where I am for now. And I'll stay through the election; I won't abandon the president now. But things between us are over. The Josh and Donna story ends here, right now."
"I -" He started to speak again, but stopped, unsure of how things had gone so wrong so fast. He watched her standing in front of him, so full of anger and pain. He followed the tears as they pooled in her beautiful blue eyes. "I-" He tried to speak again, but for the first time in his life he didn't know what to say, he was completely speechless.
She was so tired, so emotionally spent that she couldn't even look at him anymore. "Do you remember that night after you hurt your hand?" She whispered, "Do you remember what you said?"
"Yes," he replied hoarsely.
"Do you remember that you promised me a favour? I said that I reserved the right to a favour in the future."
A feeling of cold dread settled in the pit of his stomach. "Donna, please." He practically begged.
"I'm cashing in that favour. I'm asking you to stay away from me."
The pain in her voice was heartbreaking. Josh itched to touch her, comfort her, take away all the pain that he had caused. "Donna, please don't do this."
She held up her hands, as if to protect herself. "Please, Josh. If you care about me at all, please, just go away and leave me alone."
And because he didn't know how to fix this, how to fix Donna, the least he could do was the one thing she asked of him. So he walked away.
Donna stood against the wall, the tears that she had wiped away earlier she allowed to roll down her face, soon she was overcome by an all encompassing sadness that came with the knowledge that anything she had experienced with Josh had been a lie.
TBC...
