Home Office in CJ & Danny's House
Santa Monica, California
Sunday, February 3rd 2008

Danny looked up to find CJ standing in the doorway, her arms wrapped around herself.

"What's going on?"

"There's something I need to tell you before we move down the list."

"You bailing on me?"

"No. I .. just have to come clean about that night."

"Come clean?

"I lied to you."

"You did?"

"Remember when you walked into the press room .."

"Yeah .."

"And I was there and told you that I wanted to apologize for the unprofessionalism in my office and that it would be best to -"

"Maintain a purely professional relationship? Yeah. That lasted all of five minutes."

"That wasn't why I came, Danny."

"Why'd you come?"

"I .. sometimes came there when I was sure everyone had gone home."

"Why? "

She took a deep breath and looked at him a little shyly.

"The room smelled of you."

"Um .. that was all Katie."

"Katie?"

"Well, Katie and Chris."

"Press Corps Katie and Chris?"

"Yeah. They were on a mission up hook me up with anything female that moved. That month it was Bonnie."

"Toby's Bonnie?"

"Or maybe it was Bobbi. She was a reporter. Short brown wavy hair which curled at the ends?"

"I remember her."

"I'd started using a cologne that apparently she really liked. They started spraying it in the press room before they left in the evening .. so that it would smell just enough of me in the morning to set the tone for the day. She liked to come in early. They were sadistic like that."

"Are you kidding me?"

"They'd be delighted to hear they got a twofer."

His shoulders shook with laughter until he saw the look on her face.

"I resisted Bobbi's advances. In case you were wondering."

"I wasn't."

"Did you ever stop to think about why I was still there so late that night?" he asked gently.

"Why were you still there so late that night?"

He smiled at her.

"I knew you were working late. Was hoping you'd find a reason to come by. When you didn't, I took a walk to your office."

"Really?"

"Yeah. That's why I wasn't in the press room when you first got there. I was looking for you."

"If we'd been anywhere but the press room I might have jumped you that night."

He inclined his head at her.

"Well you kinda did, didn't you?"

He watched in amusement as her eyes widened.

"You knew? "

"It's kinda hard to miss that the woman you're kissing is having an orgasm, CJ."

Deep colour suffused her cheeks.

"You didn't say anything."

"First of all, I didn't know it was a thing until that moment," he continued. "Second, you practically bolted. Third, I couldn't understand how the hell it happened so fast."

"Remember I told you, lots of fantasizing that second year in office. I was primed and ready before I even came down there. And the smell did me in."

"Nothing to do with me, then."

"Absolutely nothing."

She closed the distance between them.

"So .." he said as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Are we gonna just stand here and talk about it, or do you wanna see if we can pull it off again?"

She considered the idea for a moment.

"Put on the cologne?"

"I can do that."

"It's the -"

"I know which one it is. It makes sense now why it's your favourite. I'll be right back. Anything I can do to prime you before I go?" he asked suggestively.

"In the spirit of authenticity I think I'll prime myself. Give me fifteen minutes and then come back. Bring your A game, Concannon. We can level up with this one."

He chuckled and left the room.

"Fifteen minutes," she called after him.

"Ten," he called back. "And dim the lights. It was past midnight in the press room."