The King
AN: When in Rome… Enjoy! Or hate it! I expect more of the latter…
Blake quickly crossed the cobblestone and pulled open the passenger side door. He watched Elizabeth's face, waiting for the smile that he knew would appear once she realized that this was the surprise that he had been withholding from her this afternoon. And he hadn't been disappointed.
"How'd you manage this?"
Her smile was brighter than the lamp lights that lined the streets.
His lips shrugged as he looked over the car. "I pulled a few strings." The color nearly matched the shade of blue her eyes took on when standing near a body of water.
"You always do." She tilted her head. "Matt agreed to this?" She asked before she glanced over her shoulder towards where the men stood near the front of the hotel. When she turned back, she was sporting a smirk and an arched brow.
His lips twitched. "He can be persuaded."
Her smile grew as she stepped towards him. "Can you persuade him to let us put the top down?"
Blake chuckled, looking towards his shoes. "One coup at a time." He offered her his hand. "Shall we?"
~MS~
She smiled when she paused to quickly sip from her wine glass, and he encouraged her with a grin of his own before she started in again on her mindless ramble about a weekend trip she and a friend had taken to Italy while they were at boarding school.
He'd decided long ago that he could listen to her for hours. Seeing the way her eyes lit up when she spoke about something she was passionate about never grew old.
He leaned back in his chair as his eyes drifted down to her lips.
"You're enthralled."
Her words faded as they met the air, wafting away as he breathed in the scent of red wine and the smell of her perfume.
She'd swapped her white linen pants for a breathtaking one-shoulder gown that was modestly embellished with rhinestones and a cascading georgette cape at the shoulder. He'd struggled to keep his eyes on the cobblestone streets as he drove them towards the restaurant. With her tanned skin and gold accessories, she nearly blended in with the locals of Rome.
"Are you listening?"
His eyebrows jumped as he reached for his glass. "Of course."
She continued, but his mind drifted as his eyes wandered.
Her hair was loose tonight, dropping just below her shoulders. He scheduled her appointments at her salon, but she persisted in growing it out— A change he attributed to the divorce. While he liked the length, the stylist held a different opinion. There were more updos that required an extra hour or two of prep before events which affected him and Nadine more so than Roxanne but adding another hair artist to the team apparently made Roxanne's job that much harder.
A warm breeze swept across the square, and the ends of her hair slightly moved with the wind. He swallowed down a large gulp of wine as he imagined what the strands would feel like between his fingers.
"You're enthralled."
He didn't think it was a terrible thing to be fascinated with Elizabeth McCord, but Nadine's eyebrows had shot up towards her hairline after he'd told her that he was taking Elizabeth out tonight.
"You're taking our boss out on a date?" Nadine had asked as she'd slid her binder onto the coffee table.
"It's not a date," he had tried to argue, but he felt as the heat rose in his cheeks.
"Fine." She'd sighed. "Where are you taking her?"
"Casa Coppelle."
Nadine snorted.
"What?"
"You're taking our boss out on a date," she'd told him.
As he sat there, he realized that if he hadn't wanted this dinner to be a date the hairs on the back of his neck wouldn't have raised at the realization that the woman across the table from him wasn't wearing a bra.
A waiter appeared at their table, refilling their glasses of wine at Elizabeth's request.
"May I interest you in dessert?"
The young man rambled off the specials, but one look at Elizabeth and he was promising Gabriele a very generous tip if he could get his hands on a slice of cheesecake.
"I'll see what the chef can do," he said, tucking the menu beneath his arm before he disappeared back inside.
"You're spoiling me."
He mimicked the way her hand rested atop the table, causing the tips of their fingers to nearly brush.
"Someone has to look after you," he whispered.
When their eyes met, she smiled softly.
~MS~
She told him that she wasn't ready to head back to her room, so he'd suggested a walk. Hotel de Russie was only two minutes away from Piazza del Popolo and it was about ten to the Spanish Steps, but she wanted away from the tourists, so they stayed on the grounds of the hotel and headed towards the Secret Garden.
Elizabeth held onto his arm as they walked along the lit paths, admiring the rose bushes, the orange trees, and the other greenery.
"It's lovely," she said as she gazed up at the sky.
So was she, he decided as he stared at the side of her face.
In recent months it seemed that every time she stepped into the sun it looked as if she were glowing, but the image of her now, beneath the moon and beside lanterns that cast a yellow shimmer over her skin, was astounding.
"Wow," Elizabeth muttered as she slowly moved towards the rail. Her hands curled over the edge of the stone as she stared out over the tables below.
It was quiet tonight. A wedding, and of course their group, had kept capacity low this weekend, but the more privacy the better.
His hand found her back when he stepped up and stood beside her.
"I've never seen anything more beautiful," he said as he stared down at her.
Her face turned up and she flashed him a smile as she pressed into his side. His hand slid from her lower back to her hip.
"Elizabeth?" He turned into her when she faced him. He stood, staring down into her eyes. The faint sound of laughter drifted up from the tables as he lifted his hand and cupped her cheek. When she leaned into his touch he whispered, "I want to kiss you."
She didn't move away.
He inched forward, bringing his face closer to hers as his left hand found her waist.
"I'm going to kiss you," he told her as he leaned in the rest of the way.
One of her hands landed on his chest and then their heads tilted, but just as their lips touched, her face turned down.
"We can't," she whispered. "I'm your boss. It wouldn't be right."
He pulled back just enough so he would be able to see her face, but he continued to touch her. "I like you a lot, Elizabeth."
She looked away as her cheeks blushed.
"And… And I like you," she said quietly.
He'd found her crying at her desk late one night a few weeks before the divorce papers had been signed. As he'd sat with her, she'd told him that she didn't think she could ever love again, but he would give anything to be the king of her heart.
"I'll walk you back to your room."
The last thing he wanted to do was pressure her.
~MS~
He laid on his side, hand tucked beneath his cheek, as he watched the curtains sway from the summer air being pushed in through the open windows.
The light seeping in from the garden cast shadows over his room.
He sighed when his eyes drifted to the clothes thrown into the chair that sat in the corner.
They must have been an image tonight— with him dressed in a classic white button-down and her in that elegant black gown. The watch he wore on his left wrist even matched the gold tones of her jewelry.
He rolled onto his back.
…He'd been a breath away from kissing her.
It had probably been a horrible idea deciding to give in to the crush that had blossomed years ago.
Had he been taking advantage of her?
They were friends.
Had he made her uncomfortable?
They spent loads of time alone together when she and Henry were married, but the amount had exponentially increased since they'd split.
Henry had tried to tag along as much as possible when they traveled overseas. On days between events, he and Elizabeth would go out and explore together— mostly visiting churches and buildings that represented the local architecture. Now, nine months since the official papers had been signed, he found himself stepping into the role of her companion.
He'd quickly learned that she was a homebody.
"Henry's the one who liked to be out."
She preferred privacy… And the quiet, a rare commodity to come across in their line of work.
While the others went out, they stayed back together. Elizabeth had encouraged him to sightsee.
"Go have fun." She'd pushed him towards the door. "I'll be fine."
But he couldn't have fun knowing that she was sitting in a hotel room alone.
Recently, Nadine and Jay stayed together. A new relationship he'd believed, but according to Frankie, it had been newly rekindled. And while Daisy and Matt pretended to make their own plans, their arrival back to the hotel in the same rideshare gave them away… That left him and Elizabeth to their own devices.
He turned back to his side.
Had he wasted a hot summer night in Rome that he could have been spending with someone else? Someone that would be eager to press their lips to his.
It didn't feel like a waste… Not when he got to spend time with her.
There was a knock at his door. At midnight, he expected Ted with a security concern or an abnormal request from the Secretary that he was passing on to him, but he found Elizabeth waiting out in the hall.
He looked to the left before glancing towards the elevators. "Are you okay?" He asked as he knotted the belt of his robe.
It was late. She should be asleep, but then, so should he.
"I can't sleep," she admitted.
His stomach sank because he knew that this was his doing. Nadine would have his head when she was off her game during her meetings tomorrow.
"Elizabeth, I apologize. I shouldn't have—"
She grabbed his hand. "Blake."
He calmed, focusing instead on where their hands were joined.
"I needed to tell you something," she said as she stepped closer.
He stared into her eyes. "And what's that?"
She slowly pressed up on her toes and… And she kissed him. And then kissed him again. When she pulled away before he even had the chance to do something with his hands, he felt his heart skip a beat.
She smiled shyly. "Come to my room."
He could do nothing else but follow her across the hall.
~MS~
"You have two meetings scheduled this morning and a pre-dinner cocktail with Minister Moretti." Nadine scribbled something down in her planner, and then said, "the dinner is arranged to begin at seven." She looked up from her lap. "You'll need about an hour to get ready."
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Elizabeth nod.
"I blocked off two hours this afternoon so you can rest," he told her.
He could feel Nadine's stare on the side of his face.
"Ah." Elizabeth popped up from her seat when her cell chirped. "This is Russell." They'd been expecting his call even with the time difference. She patted his shoulder before she stepped outside.
There were a few mumbled words shared between the pair that occupied the sofa before the room fell quiet and they took to their respective tasks.
When Elizabeth laughed rather loudly their heads turned towards the French doors that had been left propped open. He watched as she walked the span of the terrace, phone pressed to ear as a smile spread across her face.
"She seems happier than she has in months," Nadine commented.
"She does," he mumbled, hoping to leave it be.
She turned to Jay. "They went out on a date."
"A date?"
Jay would heckle him the entire flight home.
"I…" He knew he was blushing.
Nadine smirked and moved on. "It's a light day and you penciled in a nap." She stared down at her planner. "Why?"
His fingers stilled over his keyboard. "We were up half the night."
Nadine stared at him over the tops of her thin-framed glasses. "Having sex?"
He was really blushing now. "Talking," he explained.
"Oh." Her eyes turned back to her lap. "About?"
He huffed. "Ourselves."
"You're enthralled," she repeated. She elbowed Jay in the ribs. "Jay, tell him that he's enthralled."
He shook his head as his gaze drifted over to Elizabeth. His lips twitched as he watched her rest her elbows against the wrought-iron parapet. The two flower boxes flanking her sides were beautiful, but he couldn't help himself when his eyes slipped down to her ass.
"I hope you know what you're getting yourself into." Nadine chuckled. "Dating the Secretary of State."
