Blake was already making a mental list of things as he approached the hotel concierge desk. After a brief conversation and a few notes jotted into his notebook, he was on his way as quickly as possible to the nearest store.
The staff, Secretary, and a contingent of her DS agents were overseas to take part in talks. It was meant to be a four day trip of which they were now on day six and to top it off, a harried member of the catering staff had not been paying attention and had dropped a tray of drinks. Which led to him scouring a foreign city for women's clothing.
Ducking into the first store on his list, he glanced around, looking for something for his boss to wear for her evening dinner event. He was scanning the racks when an assistant appeared at his side, a suspicious look on her face.
"Do you have anything in blue?" He asked.
"What is it you are looking for, Sir?"
"I need something semi-formal for a dinner for my, uh-" And it was one of those moments his job got a little weird. "Girlfriend. I wish to surprise her; I have her sizes. Dark blue if possible."
The woman turned, making her way further into the store. Blake followed, stopping almost to the back as he spotted a pair of slacks in a familiar cut. He swiftly checked the sizes, mentally making the conversions as he rushed behind her. When she pulled out a deep blue pencil dress, he eyed it over carefully. "The color is good, but this neckline, do you have anything a bit less…" He waved across the front. She raised a brow in question.
"I'm sorry, I don't believe I do."
"Okay." He turned. "Oh, that would work." He lifted a silvery wrap off a display table and held it against the dress. "Yes, that would work. Also, that blouse up there." He drew her attention to another display.
Two more stops later and Blake was rushing back into the hotel with garment bags in tow, muttering curses to delayed signings and inattentive serving staff as he went. On the right floor, he rushed past the DS agents and knocked on the door. The Secretary pulled the door open dressed in a hotel robe, fresh make-up and hair done.
"So, what was the story this time?" She chuckled as she let him in.
"I went with girlfriend, Ma'am." It was a bit of a joke now between them, what excuse he used to be buying things she needed. "Though the lady at the lingerie store expressed some concern about my prudish ideas of what should be selected." He added as she vanished into the bathroom with the bags. He heard her cackle through the door. "I went ahead and got fresh clothes for tomorrow as well, Ma'am. Hopefully, the talks will wrap up and we can get back."
She didn't answer until she pulled the door back open. "Well, I would worry, but you have such a good eye for fashion. Zip me?" She turned her back to him, holding her hair to the side with one hand while she kept the dress in place with the other.
The first time they'd done this, he'd blushed bright red and tried to avert his eyes as he'd helped her get ready. Now though, there was no blushing as he straightened the fabric where it's folded in, not even noticing the lingerie as he pulled the zip up. "Be that as it may, I feel the need to apologize for this one, I was pressed for time."
She turned to face him. "How do I look?"
"Um. As I feared that neckline is much lower than is perhaps diplomatically acceptable. I did get a wrap." He pulled it out and passed it over, unboxing the shoes as well.
"New shoes?" She near whined. "You know how much I hate wearing new shoes out before I have a chance to wear them around the office and break them in."
"I know, Ma'am, but the styles you already packed are suitable for pants, but not this."
She frowned but took them. "Fine. You're going to be by my side all night, right?"
"Yes, Ma'am."
"Good. Then at least we get a fake date to go with your cover story." She smirked.
"Blake, I think you need to take the Secretary her signature cocktail now." Nadine's voice cut through his musing at a table on the edge of the gathering.
"Where?" He looked around the room, following the Chief of Staff's line of sight. "How many?"
"Dignitaries have been plying her with champagne since she got pulled away from you. I tried to get over there, but the situation seems to have moved into your realm." At his confused look, she elaborated. "She laughed, Blake. Not the ladylike, diplomatic laugh she does, the other laugh."
"Oh." He stood, abandoning what he was doing and headed first to the bar to whisper an order for the bartender and then went in search of his boss.
It was practiced art, getting her to relinquish the stemmed glass and take the tall thin one he exchanged it for. "Your cocktail, Ma'am." He ducked his head and spoke directly into her ear, bearing some of her weight when she leaned back into him. When he looked up, he noticed a woman walking their way.
"Madam Secretary." The woman spoke. "Who is your, ah, friend? He is not the husband that was in the magazine some time ago, no?"
"Estelle, this is my personal assistant, Blake Moran."
Estelle offered her hand to him. "Personal assistant, hm?"
"He steps in when my husband can't be with me." Blake closed his eyes. It was innocent, it'd even once been an entire conversation between himself and Doctor McCord, but the way it sounded when she said it…
"I see."
"Ma'am, speaking of, you had promised to call him and the kids." He brought up the code for time to step out.
Sipping her cocktail, she looked up at him. "Is it that time already?"
"I'm afraid so." He nudged the drink up again, she took the hint and worked on drinking it. Once it was empty enough, he began to lead her out of the large room, frowning slightly at just how much she was leaning on his arm until he remembered the shoes.
Once they were outside and waiting for the motorcade to pull up, she looked up at him again. "It was a good night."
"How are your feet, Ma'am?"
"Fine, as soon as you cut them off, they won't hurt so much."
He chuckled. "You can take them off as soon as you get into the SUV."
"Sounds like a plan." In the back of the SUV, she leaned into him, eyes closing almost as soon as the shoes were off, he didn't expect any talking on the drive back to the hotel, but after a few quiet minutes, she spoke up. "The raspberry flavoring was the fake kind."
He chuckled. The end-of-evening special cocktail was flavored tea. "I'm sorry, Ma'am. When we get back, I'll be sure to go out and get the real thing for you."
She nodded into his shoulder. "I think I had more than I usually do at these things."
"I will order room service for you when we get upstairs." She turned her head, so she was staring up at him with her wide blue eyes asking without words. "I will order something greasy."
"Thank you, Blake." She gave him a one-armed hug.
When the motorcade pulled up at the hotel, he already had slid black flats out of a bag under the seat, collecting her stilettos as he trailed into the building behind her. By the time they reached her room, he also had her wrap tossed over his arm as he dialed down to room service to get something brought up. "The food is on its way, Ma'am." He shared as the door shut behind them. The Secretary was already kicking her flats against the wall as she sank onto the bed. "I'll unzip you and you can change while you wait."
With a huff, she was up again, turning her back so they could do the reverse of earlier in the evening. "I'm going to shower."
"Yes, Ma'am." He watched the bathroom door click shut before he moved on to his next task.
The following morning, he was letting himself into her room once again, this time with a bag in one hand and a tray holding two coffee cups in the other. "Ma'am." He called out as the door clicked shut. "Nadine got word, both sides are ready to sign this morning."
"That's great news!" She called from behind the partly closed bathroom door.
"I also brought coffee and found an approximation to bear claws."
The door pulled open, she was partway dressed in the slacks and a bra, one hand holding a curling iron in her hair. "Gimmie." She held the other hand out for the pastry. After the first bite, she groaned. "Oh, this is even better than…" She swallowed. "Than news the treaty is sorted."
"Of course, Ma'am." He watched her try to finish her hair and scarf down the pastry at the same time, finally standing and moving behind her. "You eat, let me do this before you burn yourself." He wrapped the next section of hair around the iron. "How are you doing this morning?"
"I'm good. Hey, do you think I can wear the boots with these or do I need to stick with heels."
"The boots should be fine."
"Good, cause my feet are still killing me."
"That's the last of it." He moved to secure the iron out of the way as she went in search of the shirt.
"Henry gives me a hard time for overpacking. The one time I listen, this happens." She turned once the blouse was on. "Good?"
"Perfect."
On the plane, the rest of the staff napped in the front cabin. Blake finished his emails before wandering through the quiet plane to locate his boss. Since they weren't travelling this time with reporters, the rear of the plane was empty. He would have missed her back there if it hadn't been for spotting the heel of her boot on the arm of an aisle seat. Quietly, he wandered back to join her. "Ma'am." He spoke softly so as not to startle her.
"Hey Blake." She whispered, glancing up at him before looking back out the window she was leaned against.
"You look… melancholy." The only reply his observation received was an equally melancholy sigh. It told him a lot. He crawled into the row ahead of her and turned so he was facing backward. "Missing Henry."
"It was all good, all business, until she mentioned it at the thing last night." She kept talking to the window. "Is it weird?"
"Weird, Ma'am?" He wasn't following.
"If I ever had an affair, I would probably see them less than you. There are times I see Henry less than you." She went quiet for a minute. "Technically you and I go on more dates than I go on with Henry these days. Is it weird that we have this… closeness that people keep commenting on?"
"I don't think so Ma'am. It's all part of this job."
"It's just a job?"
"No, Ma'am, it's far from just a job. But it is this job. A job I take extremely seriously." The quiet lasted long enough that he'd decided she was done talking and he was about to take his leave when she spoke again.
"He didn't answer."
Oh. Came to his mind. "We'll be home tonight, Ma'am." He began, only to have Nadine appear, a look of agitation on her face.
"The pilot called back, there's an issue and he's concerned about getting out over the ocean before it's resolved. We'll be stopping off in London until the issue can be dealt with." Blake watched Nadine hesitate, waiting for an acknowledgement that he knew, given the conversation she'd interrupted, wasn't going to come this time.
"Thanks, Nadine." He finally answered on their boss's behalf. When Nadine turned and gave him a worried and questioning look, he gave her a slight shake of his head. His mind wandered until a sound broke the otherwise silent cabin. Blake turned back to see a tear track down Elizabeth's cheek. Pushing back on the seat, he rose to leave and give her privacy. He didn't doubt that she was one of the strongest women he knew, but even the strongest people reached the point of being done.
He was several strides up the aisle when he heard her voice. "Please stay."
He looked back. She'd shifted position and now he could see her blue eyes over the back of the seats. "Always, Ma'am." She motioned for him to sit in the same row. He didn't hesitate to lift his arm and allow her to curl into him. When he'd first taken the job, he'd still had a social life, still dated, but as he settled into their weird work relationship, it felt too much like he was cheating to carry on. He'd committed then, whatever she needed, he would keep watch.