Chapter 9

"What if we just stayed in this shower forever?" Olivia asked dreamily.

"That sounds like heaven to me," Fitz said huskily. He held her wet, naked body tightly to his and dropped a kiss on her lips.

Olivia couldn't stop smiling. There just couldn't be a better feeling than being held so tightly by the person you loved. Olivia and Fitz had been standing in the big, bright shower in their pool house for about forty-five minutes. The shower had twin faucets, so they were both drizzled in warm, relaxing water as they embraced.

Olivia sighed ruefully. "I guess we should go ahead and get out. We've been in here for ages…look, you're all pruny!" She held up Fitz's hand and smiled at his fingertips. They were shriveled and vaguely looked like large pink raisins.

Fitz laughed. "I would happily stay right here with you for the rest of the night…pruny or not…but you're still calling the shots tonight, so it's out we go."

They both carefully stepped out of the shower, still smiling from ear to ear. Fitz grabbed a huge bath sheet from a cabinet and dried Olivia off before drying himself. He then wrapped them both in the bath sheet together.

For a moment, Fitz and Olivia just stood there, wrapped up together in the bath sheet. They both closed their eyes, overwhelmed with gratitude for each other. It was things like this that Olivia had always wished for- just the opportunity to make memories like this one. She finally had everything she wanted- Fitz had gone public with their relationship, he was getting a divorce, and she finally wasn't running from his love. And to think- she had seriously considered marrying Jake! She had come to her senses at the absolute last second. At that thought, Olivia shuddered.

Fitz felt her shiver. He looked down at her, concern in his face. "What's wrong, baby? Are you cold?"

Olivia didn't want to ruin their magic night by bringing up Jake. She wanted nothing to do with him, and frankly she didn't give a damn whether she ever saw him again. He was obsessive, jealous-hearted, violent, and just generally vile. He was a creep- the biggest liar she had ever met. An ugly wave of guilt washed over Olivia. She couldn't believe she had almost betrayed Fitz's love by marrying Jake. How could she ever forgive herself for nearly marrying him? How could Fitz forgive her?

How could she apologize for almost marrying Jake without bringing him up and spoiling their night?

Doing her best to push those thoughts aside, Olivia gave Fitz a small smile. "No, I'm fine, but I have a job for you. I need you to grab some candles and light them up in the bedroom."

Fitz looked interested. "May I ask what for?"

Olivia disentangled herself from his embrace and smiled at him. "Yes, you may. Tonight I am giving you a candlelight massage. Do we have any massage oil here?" She asked in a husky voice.

Fitz's face clouded over with desire. "Yes, there should be all kinds of stuff in that cabinet there. But I thought I was your love slave tonight-shouldn't I be massaging you?"

Olivia grabbed a small bottle of honeysuckle massage oil from the cabinet that Fitz had indicated. She had a mischievous gleam in her eye.

"You are my slave tonight. And I'm telling you to lay back and just let me handle you. You're getting spoiled tonight whether you like it or not. So don't fight it, baby."

Fitz grinned. "No, I love it. Your wish is my command, Ms. Pope."

"Good. Now go light those candles, Mr. President."

Fitz smiled at her and went to the bedroom to do as she requested.

After he stepped out, Olivia stared at her naked reflection in the mirror, preoccupied. She squeezed the honeysuckle oil in her hands, then rubbed it all over her damp body, still deep in thought. Fitz hadn't acted upset that she almost married Jake…in fact, he hadn't even brought him up at all. He was just happy they were finally together after so many things had conspired to keep them apart.

Maybe it was time that she just felt the happiness instead of the guilt, too. She could spend the rest of her life showing Fitz how much he meant to her. The idea of that made her very happy.

After having successfully pushed the troubling thoughts out of her head, Olivia went into the bedroom, the honeysuckle massage oil in her hands. Fitz had lit five sweet-smelling candles around the large bedroom. The room was bathed in a romantic amber glow. The candles smelled faintly like strawberries and vanilla, her favorite scents. Olivia smiled to herself- Fitz had really thought of everything. She motioned toward the King-sized bed.

"Lay here, Mr. President. Face down on the bed, please," she said in a low voice.

Fitz took one look at her oily, naked body and quickly did as she requested. Olivia lowered her tiny frame onto his backside, the oil still in her hands. Olivia spread the oil on her hands, inhaling the sweet scent of it. She rubbed her hands together, heating the oil. She started by rubbing the hard muscles in Fitz's shoulders, then she moved her hands down to his hard back. Fitz let out a groan of contentment as she continued to knead her hands up and down him, rubbing and caressing the beautiful body of the man she loved. She slid her hands firmly all the way down the back of his legs, then she ran both her hands back up to his back. Olivia worked out an especially tense area in Fitz's lower back, and he groaned in pleasure again.

"You've got really strong hands for someone so little," Fitz said lazily. Olivia had relaxed him so well-he couldn't remember feeling this relaxed since he had become president. He snuggled further into the bed, enjoying himself.

Olivia, while still straddling him, leaned forward next to his face. "You know that's not all that's strong about me," she said huskily. She nibbled his ear teasingly.

After hearing this, Fitz abandoned all traces of laziness. Olivia only ever had to give him the slightest flirtation and he was completely ready for more action. He rolled over and grabbed Olivia, his cock already springing to attention.

"Whoa!" Olivia laughed. "What are you doing?"

"I think it's time I paid you back for that massage," Fitz said slowly, his voice deep with desire. He grabbed the massage oil and looked back up at Olivia, his eyes telegraphing his desire.

"Okay, Mr. President. You know how much I love your massages," Olivia said, her voice low.

She stretched her nude, moist body out on top of the soft sheets on the bed. She buried her face in a pillow and smiled. Olivia loved feeling completely submissive to Fitz, and Fitz being on top of her this way reasserted his dominance. She felt Fitz straddle her from behind, being careful to control his weight so he wasn't too heavy for her. Fitz poured a slim trail of oil down Olivia's back and backside. He gently kneaded his large hands on the sides of her neck, then down further down to her back, taking special care to massage the toned muscles that lined her spine. He ran his hands down her lower back and slowly kneaded the tight, supple area there, and then he slid his hands further down.

The feeling of Fitz's hands caressing Olivia's toned rear made her start to feel that familiar twinge between her legs. Olivia sighed in pleasure as he languidly caressed her slippery backside. He moved his hands sensually all over her bottom, never staying in one place for long. Olivia gasped sharply when she felt Fitz's hand gently caress her valley from behind. He moved his hand lightly over her entrance, mercilessly teasing by never putting his fingers inside of her. Olivia moaned at his contact- his hands felt heavenly on her. Fitz bent his head down to her ear and licked it gently.

"Time for me to flip you over, baby," Fitz said huskily in her ear. He got up from Olivia's back and guided her body so that she laid face up on their bed. He dripped more oil on her front, an erotic gleam in his eye. He had a full view of Olivia's perfect breasts, her slim thighs, and her beautiful sex. Fitz licked his lips- he loved seeing her naked. He couldn't see her body enough.

He gently rubbed the front of her shoulders, kneading gentle circles with his thumbs. He slid both hands down to her chest muscles, rubbing them deeply, languidly. Then, with slow, passionate motions, he ran his hands over her breasts, kneading them erotically. Fitz had Olivia so entranced- her body was so in tune with his touch that she could feel all the ridges in his fingerprints caressing her supersensitive nipples. She moaned, too aroused to speak.

"You like that?" Fitz asked huskily. He gently teased both nipples with his fingers.

Olivia simply moaned in response.

Fitz looked down at the damp, nude body of the woman he loved. He could see that she was beyond turned on-her eyes were closed, and she was steadily biting her lower lip in response to his touch. She was gripping the sheets so tightly in anticipation of what he would do next that he could see the whites of her knuckles.

It was time for him to do his very favorite thing in the world. His Livvie deserved this.

"Come here, baby." He pulled her down toward his face, her slick, oily body sliding against his.

"I want you to ride my face," he said huskily, licking his lips in anticipation.

Olivia was so forgone with lust that all she could do was nod. Fitz laid himself down on his back. He pulled Olivia all the way down with him so that her moistness laid flush on top of his face. He loved orally pleasuring Olivia with her on top of him- his face was completely surrounded by her sweetness. It was heaven to him. He moved his tongue over her pussy swiftly, flicking it in and out of her. He could feel Olivia catch her breath as he moved his tongue all over her folds, lapping at her pussy as a cat would lap up milk. He could taste the sweet flavor of the honeysuckle oil mixed with her natural sweetness as he rolled his tongue all over her slick, dripping valley. He couldn't get enough of her flavor-he swallowed over and over again as he licked her so he could taste as much of her juices as possible. Olivia moaned and started to involuntarily tremble her hips on top of his face. Fitz smiled to himself and held her bottom firmly with both hands and guided her folds all over his face- he wanted to make sure he licked every part of her.

Olivia felt as if she was in paradise. Fitz was licking her with a gentle, yet firm pressure, and it aroused her beyond belief. He flicked his tongue and lips back and forth from inside her walls to her throbbing, aroused clit. The feel of Fitz's tongue on her clit almost made Olivia lose the little control she had left. She started to rub her breasts frantically as Fitz swished his tongue all over her, both of them gripped mercilessly by desire. Olivia could feel the pressure steadily mounting inside her walls. Fitz could sense that she was close to climaxing, so he increased the speed and pressure of his tongue on her clit. Olivia grabbed on tightly to their bed's headboard as violent spasms rocked her body as she came all over Fitz's face. She let out a long moan as her orgasm trembled through her, making her body shiver uncontrollably. Her climax was so draining that she momentarily went limp. She gasped for air, her heart racing after the intense sensations she just felt.

Fitz gently pulled Olivia off his face and sat up. Olivia could see that his face was shiny with her juices. It turned her on all over again. Fitz pulled her toward him and kissed her. Olivia could taste a slight trace of honeysuckle mixed with her own salty-sweetness on his lips. She sighed as she felt his erection press into her stomach as they kissed.

Olivia broke away from their kiss but stayed wrapped in his embrace. She looked into his eyes, trying to convey the desperation of the need she had. "Fitz, make love to me. I…need your body…I need to be connected to you…please. Just make love to me."

Fitz didn't say a word. He simply kissed her passionately, stroking her slightly damp hair as he did so. Fitz pulled her back down on the bed, rubbing his hands all over her body as she pressed herself in the sheets. Her kisses, her scent, her entire essence already had him hard as steel. He gently pushed himself inside of her wet walls. As the golden candlelight flickered, the shadows on the wall reflected the two lovers locked together in the most intimate way possible. As Fitz felt her wetness hug his manhood in the most satisfying way imaginable, Olivia moaned in pleasure as Fitz pushed deep inside of her, whispering words of love the entire time. Olivia sighed in pleasure and wrapped her legs around Fitz's waist as he pressed in and out of her, going more and more deep inside of her the longer they made love. Olivia gently pushed a sweaty curl out of his face so she could look into his beautiful eyes. Fitz gazed deeply into her eyes as they moved against each other passionately, their naked, oily bodies sliding against each other as they slowly gyrated, completely in sync with each other.

Eventually, Olivia felt that familiar tingle starting all over her body. She moaned in pleasure, then tightened her legs around Fitz's waist. She closed her eyes in ecstasy and had a bone-shaking climax that shuddered through her whole body. Fitz let go right after she did, erupting inside of her with a loud groan of satisfaction.

Fitz slowly pulled out of Olivia and laid down behind her, spooning her body with his. He gathered her moist, oily, beautiful body in his arms and held her close. He felt so at home with his love in his arms. He nuzzled her neck from behind, feeling total contentment.

"Mmm, I thought I was supposed to be the boss tonight," Olivia said languidly. "But now I'm the little spoon?"

Fitz laughed. "You are. You're always the boss…what do you want from me right now?" He kissed her shoulder lightly.

"Just hold me," Olivia said quietly. She took in a deep breath. She couldn't remember feeling so serene in a long time. "I just want you to hold me all night. Maybe we can fall asleep together again?" Olivia felt Fitz smile behind her.

And holding the love of his life in his embrace, the President of the United States did just that.

(The next morning)

Soon, much too soon, the alarm went off. Fitz and Olivia both stirred awake at the same time. They both groggily sat up in their bed.

"Mmmm, when did morning happen?" Olivia asked sleepily.

"Had to eventually," Fitz yawned.

"Now we have to figure out what we're going to do," Olivia said, her voice slightly dejected.

The note of sadness in her voice woke Fitz completely up. He wouldn't lose his Livvie to sadness-especially since they had so much to be happy about. It was time to plan their next moves. He smiled at her bracingly.

"It's going to be fine. It's going to be more than fine, actually. I have an idea about how we should handle all this."

"What do you mean?" Olivia asked.

"I mean we just need to tell the truth," Fitz said simply.

Olivia cocked her head to the side, looking slightly confused. "About…"

"About everything. We own up to it all: about how we've had an affair for years, about how we love each other wholeheartedly, about the real state of my marriage. I announce my divorce, and then we officially announce our relationship."

"So you want to admit to having another affair during your presidency- besides Jeanine?" Olivia asked incredulously.

"No. I want to admit that it's been you this whole time. I want to come completely clean about Jeanine-I want to tell the American people that Jeanine was a lie my press team thought of to protect you. You have always been the woman I love. I want to be honest about everything, once and for all."

Olivia looked shocked. "Fitz, they'll crucify you! Just think about this- you got on television and told a blatant LIE to the public about Jeanine being your mistress! Now you want to double back on it- say 'no, I was lying about having an affair with that aide- it was really ANOTHER aide that I've been having an affair with for YEARS!' So you're admitting to lying, adultery, and just generally piss-poor judgment that's been going on for years! Who knows what the fallout would be! No, there has to be another way! There has to be!"

Fitz calmly took Olivia's hands in his. He smiled confidently. "Livvie, remember that once upon a time we agreed that the truth works. I know it's a tougher sell now- but how do we know it won't still work? It's worth trying. I want the rest of my presidency to be grounded in truth, and I want to start by being honest with the public about my feelings for you. That's the kind of president and man I want to be. And honestly, at this point, what do I have to lose? This is my second term- I only have two and half years left in office. I'd like to stay in office, but I owe it to the American people to do so truthfully. If they can't forgive me for my failings, then I don't deserve to stay in office. Period. So I want to tell the truth. My only concern is how all this will affect you."

Olivia was momentarily speechless, then she felt a surge of pride. She could see that Fitz's face was set in a calm, collected expression. He was completely at peace with the idea of being at the mercy of the court of public opinion. All he wanted to do was live his truth. This was the man who wanted to play the rest of the game above board, win or lose. This was the man she had risked going to prison for to get into the White House. This was the idealist, the believer that she still felt could have a positive, lasting impact on the country they both loved so much.

Olivia slowly smiled, his confidence rubbing off on her. "All this reminds me of an old Spanish proverb: "Toma lo que quieras, dijo Dios. Tómalo y pagar por ello."

Fitz smiled. "Take what you want, said God. Take it and pay for it."

Olivia smiled again. "Exactly. So don't worry about me. I'm ready- I'm ready to accept the consequences for my part in our relationship too. I made the choice to get involved with you, and it was the best decision I've even made. But if I have to pay for it, I will. I'm ready to be with you no matter what happens."

"What about OPA?" Fitz asked, his face full of concern. "I feel like I might be asking you to sacrifice your life's work to be with me."

Olivia smiled ruefully. "Isn't that what you might be doing, too? Actually, I've been giving it some thought since…since I got back. OPA is ready for some changes. The truth won't hurt it. I'll tell you the details about it after I've had a chance to speak to my team. They deserve to hear about it first."

Fitz nodded in understanding. "All right- you know I can't wait to hear about it whenever you are ready to tell me. So we agree- the truth works?"

"It does. And if it doesn't, we'll deal with it."

"We will." Fitz nodded resolutely. "I'll go to the White House and meet with Cyrus about what's happened since the wedding yesterday. He's been calling me nonstop since yesterday, so I should go ahead and talk to him. I want to see how my crashing your wedding is being perceived by the general population. We'll need polling data, ASAP. Once we have that, we can start plotting out the whens and hows. But before I do anything-I have to talk to Mellie. I have to tell her I'm divorcing her, once and for all. Then, of course I have to talk to Karen and see Teddy."

Olivia nodded in agreement. "I understand. Of course I agree with you- take care of your family first. When the time comes, I do have some ideas about how I think you should address the public, and I'll share them with you when you're ready to hear them."

Fitz stroked her face. "What would I do without you?"

"You don't ever have to find out." Olivia smiled.

Fitz grinned, grateful for their partnership. "So what are your plans, Ms. Pope? When can we see each other again?"

"I have to go to my place to get dressed, and then to OPA to speak to my people." She sighed. "And I know this is not ideal, but I think we should avoid seeing each other for a bit-just until we see how all this is being received by the public. We don't want anything interfering with the message you want to put out- not now, anyway."

Fitz gave her a sad smile. "I was afraid you'd say that. Well- why don't you go ahead and move out of your place into this house? It's your house too, and I love the idea of you keeping this place warm for us until I can live here with you as your husband. Also, honestly, I'd feel better with you living here than in that condo of yours. This place is as secure as Fort Knox. You know how much I worry about your safety."

Olivia shook her head. "No, I think I want to wait before I move in. The optics would look horrible- your lover moving into a love nest the same time as you announcing your divorce from your wife? No, I'll wait to move in after the divorce is finalized. I just shouldn't be the focus right now- I think you should concentrate on the getting the divorce news out first, and then confirm our relationship. I know everyone knows about us, but we owe it to your family to try and make all this play out as respectfully as possible for them."

Fitz nodded. "Yes, of course you're right. I agree. In that case, I'm going to send John with you. He can act as your personal detail. He owes me his job- so I trust him."

Olivia shook her head. "Fitz- come on. Is that really necessary? I have a gun and I'm not a bad shot. There haven't been any other attacks- I don't need a shadow. It's too much. You know how I feel about my privacy."

Fitz shook his head firmly. "Livvie, no, please don't argue. We can't take any chances with you safety. Please, will you just let me protect you? It's my fault you're in danger. I can't risk you being harmed in any way. Don't ask me to."

Olivia opened her mouth to argue, but then stopped when she saw how solemn Fitz looked. "All right. If you really want John to guard me, I won't object. I trust your judgment."

"Thank you," Fitz said gratefully.

Olivia smiled and leaned towards Fitz. They shared a sweet, lingering kiss.

After they separated, Fitz said, "So I guess this is goodbye for a while."

Olivia shook her head. "Not quite yet. Fitz, before we separate, in the spirit of truth, there's some things about Mellie I have to tell you."

"Mellie?" Fitz looked surprised. "What could you possibly need to tell me about her?"

"Yes, Mellie. There are lots of things you need to know about her- and I want your approval on how we should deal with them."

A/N: You might have noticed that I've barely mentioned Mellie before this chapter :) So how is she going to react to all this? You think she'll agree to a divorce? And what secrets has Liv found out about everyone's favorite First Lady? I guess we'll see next update! Thank you for reading!