Laura was finishing some last minute paperwork when the telephone shrilly ringing in the otherwise silent office startled her.
"Roslin," she snapped.
"Laura? Still working? You need to ask your boss to give you a break now and then."
"So it would seem," she replied smoothly. "It's late," she said unnecessarily. "Is there a problem?"
"No, no. Have you received the date and time for this month's Quorum meeting?"
"I'm sure our assistants have our schedules under control," she said sarcastically.
"It's going to be on Picon. Did you realise?"
"No."
"The Cabinet members will have to stay overnight in a motel."
"I see."
"You do? That's excellent. I'll see you there Laura." He terminated the connection.
She slowly hung up the phone and sighed. She hadn't heard from Richard since the charity ball and she had been lulled into a false sense of security. Now, apparently, he expected her to jump back into his bed on their trip out of town.
Quorum meetings – meetings to organise more meetings – were notoriously boring. Sub-committees were formed to 'investigate' issues and report back to other committees and Government departments. New Quorum members attended with enthusiasm and zeal. Members who had been representing their colonies for longer periods of time merely made up the numbers – sitting with disinterested and jaded expressions.
Cabinet members, like herself, were in attendance to note the current political trends of the constituents and make mental notes for the future. It would be quite possible for her to be absent and have Billy or another assistant take a transcript of the meeting, except Richard was a President who was all for appearances.
Cabinet members, dressed in the appropriate costume of the host colony, were instructed to smile for the cameras at the beginning and end of the conference. Richard liked to convey to the voters his government's camaraderie. He insisted they portray a unified front. According to President Adar, in-fighting and backstabbing only existed within the opposing party.
0.0.0
Laura was grateful that this particular Quorum meeting was running on time. As soon as she shook the last hand and posed for the last photograph, she collected her suitcase from the conference centre's reception area and climbed into the car that Billy had pre-arranged to meet her.
She stared out at the muted light of the Picon dusk, watching the trees flash past.
Richard wouldn't be particularly happy when he discovered she wasn't staying at the motel with the other Cabinet members.
She wondered, once he finally accepted their affair was over, whether or not he would continue to treat her and her position with any respect, or if he would make her political life hell.
Would she care if he attempted to oust her from her Cabinet seat?
Her political career had become dissatisfying over the past few years without any positive or negative influence by Richard Adar. She was restless. Aside from the Union debacle, which had escalated due to Richard's intervention and not her incompetence, she certainly hadn't been mentally stretched in her position of late. She'd simply been going through the motions. Maybe it was time for a new challenge away from politics.
The car stopped. She stepped out, passed through a security checkpoint, and was led to a jeep.
The jeep sped through a maze of gravel roads and came to an abrupt halt, seemingly in the middle of nowhere.
The driver looked upwards, towards the stars; she followed his suit, searching the sky and noticed a small light high above their heads. The light grew larger and larger until it came into focus; it was a Raptor. It hovered in the air, close enough that she could feel the heat and wind coming off the spacecraft.
After illuminating the tree line and roads in their immediate vicinity for a few minutes, the Raptor finally landed and the pilot completely dimmed the lights.
Then, the hatch at the side of the vessel opened. A figure disembarked and headed their way.
It bothered her somewhat how clearly recognisable the man walking toward her was.
She wasn't prepared for the way her pulse quickened and her face flushed when she took in his outfit - his usual uniform replaced by a flight suit which moulded his muscular frame.
He walked across to the jeep, his gait surprisingly graceful. She watched, mesmerised by the movement of the latex-like material that pulled and stretched across his body as he approached.
0.0.0
Bill had originally thought meeting with Laura Roslin at the Picon military base was a good idea. It would be neutral ground for them both. It was also safer for him to avoid the confinement of his quarters considering he was finding it difficult to ignore his growing attraction to her.
Unfortunately, the new setting didn't help. Even here he still faced the dilemma of being distracted by her beauty.
While riding in the jeep, her hair had billowed out behind her making her seem as surreal as a siren sent to tempt sailors in times of yore.
Now, as they followed the young cadet along the corridors of the building, he noticed several tangles and his fingers itched with the urge to delve amongst the tresses. The primitive man in him wanted to pull on her dark golden mane until she offered him every inch of skin on her neck to suckle and lathe with his tongue.
His eyes wandered, studying the lower half of her body as they walked. Not only was her skirt short, giving him a wonderful view once again of her spectacularly long legs, it was also tight. It stretched across her ass and he found himself wondering if she was wearing panties.
They stopped and, while the cadet fumbled with a set of keys, he discreetly attempted to hide the growing evidence of his arousal by adjusting the slippery skin-tight material of the flight suit.
He couldn't remember the last time he was this hard with only visual stimulation.
He hoped that once they sat down for their meeting, with a desk in between them, he'd have everything under control.
0.0.0
"This is a suite, sirs," the cadet said after unlocking the door. "All office facilities you should require are available – telephone, fax, electronic whiteboard etc. There is a kitchenette at the back of the room, but the mess hall will deliver you a meal when you are ready. There are two separate sleeping quarters with private bathrooms on either side of this room. And all three rooms can be locked separately." The boy handed the Commander the keys, then retrieved a laminated sheet from the kitchenette area. "If you need anything else, this is the list of extension numbers, including the mess hall."
"I'll let you freshen up before we get down to business, Madam Secretary," the Commander said after the young soldier departed. "And I need to change."
She couldn't help herself - her eyes wandered over his flight suit again. His hands were clasped together in front of his groin area. She had seen that stance before. Usually from various prepubescent students when she still taught.
He cleared his throat, drawing her attention to his face.
She studied his features. Surely she was mistaken. The Commander was hardly a teenager with scant control over his body. She also didn't think for a minute she was so desirable that he would find himself in such an embarrassing position within a few minutes in her company.
She thought about the evening she had spent with him a month ago in his quarters. He was a knowledgeable man. Their conversation had moved from topic to topic with ease and there hadn't been any awkward silences between them at all.
Now, however, she couldn't think of a single sensible thing to say and instead just stood gazing into his mesmerising eyes.
Suddenly, the mood was interrupted when her cell phone buzzed. She briefly contemplated letting it go to message bank when she recognised the number.
"Roslin," she said.
"Laura? There're a couple of agenda items that were raised today that I'd like to go over with you."
"I'm afraid you'll have to have your assistant send a list of your concerns to my office, Mr President," she said in an even voice.
"Wouldn't it just be easier if you came to the Presidential Suite and we thrashed it out in person?"
"I'm sure it would be, but I'm currently attending a meeting with the Commanding Officer of Galactica."
"Galactica? The Battlestar? Didn't you already visit there recently?"
"That was a month ago, Mr President. The Commander and I agreed to meet monthly until the decommissioning ceremony."
"Monthly? Is that really necessary?"
"The project has a budget of almost ten million cubits, Mr President. I think some of my personal attention is required. Since I'm already here on Picon, the Commander agreed to shuttle down to Fleet headquarters to meet with me. He will, of course, attend to some of his own Fleet business. This arrangement is actually saving the tax payers a great deal of money."
"So, you'll be back at our hotel later?" Richard asked.
"No, Mr President. As my meeting with the Commander is starting so late, we cannot guarantee the finish time. Admiral Lincoln has arranged accommodation at the military base."
"You're staying at the Fleet's base?" She could hear the incredulity in Richard's tone. She doubted he would ever consider staying in anything less than five star. She had noted over the last few years he had become accustomed to life's little luxuries. Richard went from people fawning over him when he was the Mayor to them jumping to attention when he was the Governor. Finally, now that he was President, he really didn't even need to lift a finger if he chose not to.
She wondered if that was why he was attracted to her - the fact that she refused to pander to his ego.
"I presume I should get the message then. If you prefer to hang out in some sterile soldier's quarters to avoid me, I should accept we're over."
She glanced over at Adama. Like any good soldier, he stared impassively ahead while she talked. There was no way she could ascertain whether or not Richard's voice was loud enough for him to hear.
"That seems like a wise idea, Mr President," she said, hoping this time Richard accepted their separation.
"Laura, if you ever change your mind, let me know," Richard said. She was surprised by the emotion she heard in his voice before he hung up.
"Is everything okay, Madam Secretary?" Adama asked once she had flipped her cell shut.
"Yes. Will fifteen minutes be long enough for you to change, Commander?"
"I would think that should be sufficient, Madam Secretary."
She finally gave in first and turned to enter her assigned room. She quickly glanced back around when she heard him turn, letting her gaze linger on his ass in the flight suit before softly closing the door to her room behind her.
She sank down onto the bed without a second thought about Richard's phone call. Instead her mind was filled with illicit images of William Adama and herself in various compromising positions.
It was three months until the decommissioning ceremony. Surely she could act in a professional manner until then.
She hoped that in fifteen minutes, once they sat down for their meeting, with a desk in between them, she'd have everything under control.