Chapter 3 - "A Night to Remember"
"Um, Donna, I should go."
"So you keep saying. And yet you stay."
"And yet I stay."
"And why is that Joshua?"
"Because, as you so eloquently reminded me earlier today, Donnatella, you are a goddess. And you make it very hard, and I do mean that in the literal sense, for me to leave you."
"Joshua! Shut up and kiss me."
I don't really have to tell him this because he can't *stop* kissing me. Every time he gets out the door, he ends up coming back for just one more kiss. It's incredible. I've dreamed about Josh kissing me so many times, but I have to say, this is nothing like I imagined. I guess it's because he is normally so full of himself, and quite the egomaniac, that I always thought it would be all about him when it came to kissing and all the other things that can go with that. But, oh, it is *so* not about him. He's making it all about *me* and I love him that much more for it.
"God, I don't want to leave you."
"I know. But you really have to. It's late and you're tired. And I'm tired. And we have to be at work in three hours."
"You'll call me in the morning? I mean in three hours?"
I smile and kiss him again. "I'll call you."
"No. Don't call. Come in late. You need to sleep."
"Josh. I'll be there at my usual time. But thanks."
"Okay, but it could be a really long time before you get that kind of offer again."
"I'll take my chances. Besides, who in their right mind would want to be home in bed sleeping when she can spend the day with you?"
"Hmmm.. Another of those *rare* valid points."
"I'll have you know I have many more than just the "rare" valid point."
"Donna. Shut up and kiss me."
And so it went for another half hour or so until Josh finally left. Of course I didn't sleep. I mean, really. How did I expect to sleep after Josh kissed me. I swear I lay in bed all night with the silliest grin on my face. I bet Josh did, too.
So now it's Thanksgiving Eve, three weeks since the night in my apartment. I've relived it a thousand times, since there's been no repeat performances since then. So like Josh. Leave them panting in the aisles, then act as if nothing ever happened. Oh, okay, he isn't acting as if *nothing* happened. There have been the occasional "accidental" brushes against my body, the longing looks from his office. Sometimes I look up and catch him staring at me. He just smiles and does this little wave thing. It's really kind of cute. Kind of high school but still, when he does it I'm stopped dead in my tracks by a strong wave of desire. It also happens whenever I think about the way he kissed me and the way he said he loved me. I guess it has to be enough for now. But I'm here to tell you; I may explode if something doesn't happen soon. I'm like a junkie now that I've had a taste of Josh Lyman. I just want more and more and more. And I'm getting next to nothing.
"Donna!"
His bellowing voice pulls me from my daydream.
"Josh, I'm right outside your office. You don't have to yell."
"In my office. Now!!"
"Yes sir."
I grab my paper and pen and go into his office as he comes around the desk toward me. "Why are the blinds closed? You never close the blinds." He gently pulls the paper and pen from my hands and reaches behind me to close the door, then takes my hands, as he backs me up against the door.
"Um, Josh, what are you...?"
"What am I doing?" He leans into me, his mouth inches from mine. "This...just this." And his lips are on mine, kissing me. Passionately. Wow. I was so not expecting this. We're all groping hands and desperate kisses. We come up for air, finally.
"God, I needed that. I just couldn't take another minute." I swear he's panting.
"Um, me too. But, Josh..."
"Hmmm???" He whispers against my mouth.
"Is this a good idea? I mean...I needed this, too, but..."
"But, what? No one can see us. I've closed the blinds, remember?"
"Right."
We kiss some more, and pretty soon I feel his hand, warm and soft, under my sweater, moving around to the front until it's on my breast. This is uncharted territory for us. Now I'm panting and I feel my knees start to buckle. I want him right here and right now. I'm just about ready to throw him down on the desk and have my way with him. I *need* to have my way with him. And I sense he feels the same. In fact, I can *tell* he feels the same.
Suddenly I hear a knock from the other side of the door. Josh seems not to hear as he continues to kiss me.
"Josh.," I say breathlessly.
"Yea?"
"Door."
"Door?"
"Um, someone is knocking on the door."
"Oh, shit. Shit."
He pulls away from me and hastily and nervously straightens his clothes before sitting behind his desk again. He motions for me to open the door. I'm a mess. We're both a mess, because this was so not a good time for us to be interrupted. I try to pull myself together as best I can before I open the door.
"Oh, Sam. Hi. Um, we were..."
He glances my way. "Yea, whatever." He dismisses me and turns to Josh as I make a hasty retreat from his office. As I'm leaving I hear him say, "We've got that thing in ten minutes."
"Thing? What thing?" Poor Josh, he really is so flustered.
"You know, the thing with Leo. I don't remember what it is."
"'k. Yea. I'll be there. I just need a minute."
_____
I take a deep breath and watch Sam leave. I couldn't stand up now if my life depended on it. Sam is gone for a minute or so, but then he comes back in, pointing toward the vicinity of my face.
"Lipstick."
"I'm sorry?"
"Lipstick on your face. It's a good color on you, Josh. You should wear it more often."
"Oh." I swallow really hard as I reach up to touch the spot where I know it will be.
"I'd probably wipe it off before you see Leo. I'm just saying...."
"Yea."
"So..."
"Do me a favor, and don't..."
"I know. Don't say anything to anyone."
I see CJ in the doorway, before I've been able to remove the lipstick. "Don't tell anyone what?" Then she peers closely at me. "Josh? Did you know you have lipstick on your face?"
We are so busted. All I can do is lean over and beat my forehead on the desk.
"Is he okay?" I assume she's asking Sam.
"Yea, he'll be fine. Hey, Josh, just so you know, there's no one to tell. We all know anyway."
I look up. "That's what Donna said."
"Donna?!" CJ feigns surprise and shock. "Does *she* have something to do with that lipstick being on your face? I am so stunned."
I point to the door. "Out. Both of you. Just get out. I'll be in Leo's office a few minutes."
~~~
From my perch at my desk I've heard the whole exchange in Josh's office and my face is flaming bright red as they pass me. They both just smile, you know one of *those* smiles and say, "Hi, Donna." I hate them.
I grab a tissue and tentatively enter Josh's office again.. "Josh."
"Don't worry. It's okay." He smiles, showing me those beautiful, sweet dimples that have killed me since the day we met. "It was worth the humiliation."
"For me, too. Now, come here and let me get the rest of that lipstick off your face before you have to face Leo."
As I'm wiping the lipstick off, he grabs my hand. "Promise me we can do this again soon in a more private place. I mean, you know, like tonight?"
"But you're going to your mother's for Thanksgiving."
"I canceled."
"Josh! You canceled? Does she know?"
"She knows. I told her I needed to stay here. That there was someone here I was especially thankful for this year and that I really felt like I needed to stay."
I feel tears welling in my eyes. "Oh, Josh. That is so sweet."
"It's Sam. I'm thankful for Sam."
He starts laughing as I smack him, pretty hard, on the chest.
"Just kidding. I mean, I am thankful for Sam, but I don't want to show him how much in quite the same way I want to show you. So would tonight be too soon to show you how thankful I am for you? At my place?"
I ponder this for a minute and take a deep breath before I answer. "Not nearly soon enough, Joshua. Not nearly soon enough."
"Um, Donna, I should go."
"So you keep saying. And yet you stay."
"And yet I stay."
"And why is that Joshua?"
"Because, as you so eloquently reminded me earlier today, Donnatella, you are a goddess. And you make it very hard, and I do mean that in the literal sense, for me to leave you."
"Joshua! Shut up and kiss me."
I don't really have to tell him this because he can't *stop* kissing me. Every time he gets out the door, he ends up coming back for just one more kiss. It's incredible. I've dreamed about Josh kissing me so many times, but I have to say, this is nothing like I imagined. I guess it's because he is normally so full of himself, and quite the egomaniac, that I always thought it would be all about him when it came to kissing and all the other things that can go with that. But, oh, it is *so* not about him. He's making it all about *me* and I love him that much more for it.
"God, I don't want to leave you."
"I know. But you really have to. It's late and you're tired. And I'm tired. And we have to be at work in three hours."
"You'll call me in the morning? I mean in three hours?"
I smile and kiss him again. "I'll call you."
"No. Don't call. Come in late. You need to sleep."
"Josh. I'll be there at my usual time. But thanks."
"Okay, but it could be a really long time before you get that kind of offer again."
"I'll take my chances. Besides, who in their right mind would want to be home in bed sleeping when she can spend the day with you?"
"Hmmm.. Another of those *rare* valid points."
"I'll have you know I have many more than just the "rare" valid point."
"Donna. Shut up and kiss me."
And so it went for another half hour or so until Josh finally left. Of course I didn't sleep. I mean, really. How did I expect to sleep after Josh kissed me. I swear I lay in bed all night with the silliest grin on my face. I bet Josh did, too.
So now it's Thanksgiving Eve, three weeks since the night in my apartment. I've relived it a thousand times, since there's been no repeat performances since then. So like Josh. Leave them panting in the aisles, then act as if nothing ever happened. Oh, okay, he isn't acting as if *nothing* happened. There have been the occasional "accidental" brushes against my body, the longing looks from his office. Sometimes I look up and catch him staring at me. He just smiles and does this little wave thing. It's really kind of cute. Kind of high school but still, when he does it I'm stopped dead in my tracks by a strong wave of desire. It also happens whenever I think about the way he kissed me and the way he said he loved me. I guess it has to be enough for now. But I'm here to tell you; I may explode if something doesn't happen soon. I'm like a junkie now that I've had a taste of Josh Lyman. I just want more and more and more. And I'm getting next to nothing.
"Donna!"
His bellowing voice pulls me from my daydream.
"Josh, I'm right outside your office. You don't have to yell."
"In my office. Now!!"
"Yes sir."
I grab my paper and pen and go into his office as he comes around the desk toward me. "Why are the blinds closed? You never close the blinds." He gently pulls the paper and pen from my hands and reaches behind me to close the door, then takes my hands, as he backs me up against the door.
"Um, Josh, what are you...?"
"What am I doing?" He leans into me, his mouth inches from mine. "This...just this." And his lips are on mine, kissing me. Passionately. Wow. I was so not expecting this. We're all groping hands and desperate kisses. We come up for air, finally.
"God, I needed that. I just couldn't take another minute." I swear he's panting.
"Um, me too. But, Josh..."
"Hmmm???" He whispers against my mouth.
"Is this a good idea? I mean...I needed this, too, but..."
"But, what? No one can see us. I've closed the blinds, remember?"
"Right."
We kiss some more, and pretty soon I feel his hand, warm and soft, under my sweater, moving around to the front until it's on my breast. This is uncharted territory for us. Now I'm panting and I feel my knees start to buckle. I want him right here and right now. I'm just about ready to throw him down on the desk and have my way with him. I *need* to have my way with him. And I sense he feels the same. In fact, I can *tell* he feels the same.
Suddenly I hear a knock from the other side of the door. Josh seems not to hear as he continues to kiss me.
"Josh.," I say breathlessly.
"Yea?"
"Door."
"Door?"
"Um, someone is knocking on the door."
"Oh, shit. Shit."
He pulls away from me and hastily and nervously straightens his clothes before sitting behind his desk again. He motions for me to open the door. I'm a mess. We're both a mess, because this was so not a good time for us to be interrupted. I try to pull myself together as best I can before I open the door.
"Oh, Sam. Hi. Um, we were..."
He glances my way. "Yea, whatever." He dismisses me and turns to Josh as I make a hasty retreat from his office. As I'm leaving I hear him say, "We've got that thing in ten minutes."
"Thing? What thing?" Poor Josh, he really is so flustered.
"You know, the thing with Leo. I don't remember what it is."
"'k. Yea. I'll be there. I just need a minute."
_____
I take a deep breath and watch Sam leave. I couldn't stand up now if my life depended on it. Sam is gone for a minute or so, but then he comes back in, pointing toward the vicinity of my face.
"Lipstick."
"I'm sorry?"
"Lipstick on your face. It's a good color on you, Josh. You should wear it more often."
"Oh." I swallow really hard as I reach up to touch the spot where I know it will be.
"I'd probably wipe it off before you see Leo. I'm just saying...."
"Yea."
"So..."
"Do me a favor, and don't..."
"I know. Don't say anything to anyone."
I see CJ in the doorway, before I've been able to remove the lipstick. "Don't tell anyone what?" Then she peers closely at me. "Josh? Did you know you have lipstick on your face?"
We are so busted. All I can do is lean over and beat my forehead on the desk.
"Is he okay?" I assume she's asking Sam.
"Yea, he'll be fine. Hey, Josh, just so you know, there's no one to tell. We all know anyway."
I look up. "That's what Donna said."
"Donna?!" CJ feigns surprise and shock. "Does *she* have something to do with that lipstick being on your face? I am so stunned."
I point to the door. "Out. Both of you. Just get out. I'll be in Leo's office a few minutes."
~~~
From my perch at my desk I've heard the whole exchange in Josh's office and my face is flaming bright red as they pass me. They both just smile, you know one of *those* smiles and say, "Hi, Donna." I hate them.
I grab a tissue and tentatively enter Josh's office again.. "Josh."
"Don't worry. It's okay." He smiles, showing me those beautiful, sweet dimples that have killed me since the day we met. "It was worth the humiliation."
"For me, too. Now, come here and let me get the rest of that lipstick off your face before you have to face Leo."
As I'm wiping the lipstick off, he grabs my hand. "Promise me we can do this again soon in a more private place. I mean, you know, like tonight?"
"But you're going to your mother's for Thanksgiving."
"I canceled."
"Josh! You canceled? Does she know?"
"She knows. I told her I needed to stay here. That there was someone here I was especially thankful for this year and that I really felt like I needed to stay."
I feel tears welling in my eyes. "Oh, Josh. That is so sweet."
"It's Sam. I'm thankful for Sam."
He starts laughing as I smack him, pretty hard, on the chest.
"Just kidding. I mean, I am thankful for Sam, but I don't want to show him how much in quite the same way I want to show you. So would tonight be too soon to show you how thankful I am for you? At my place?"
I ponder this for a minute and take a deep breath before I answer. "Not nearly soon enough, Joshua. Not nearly soon enough."