Page 114 of Dignity

Sometimes, when I have two or three quiet minutes to myself on a plane ride or in a bathroom, my mind wonders whatmight have happenedhadI called Chris back then.

We wouldn’t have Shae. We wouldn’t be planning to move into the White House.

I wouldn’t have Lauren’s friendship, most likely.

There are a lot of things that would be drastically different about my lives—all of our lives—but not necessarily in good ways. It’s impossible to say.

I’m so exhausted after such a long day that if they’d simply wantedto cuddle and go to sleep, I would’ve been cool with that. It’s been a grind to get to this point. Shae is still a Senator, too, for another few weeks. She’s going to be juggling double duty with that and the transition.

Fortunately, we have a solid team in place to begin that process.

Chris and Shae help me undress. I thought tonight we’d focus on our girl as a reward for how hard she’d worked,but it seems I am overruled and they settled this while I was gone.

I’m in the middle tonight.

When you spend so many months in an increasingly frantic grind, having a little “off” time makes the silence thunder in your mind in an uncomfortable way.

Chris has the answer for that, too. He puts me over his lap for a bare-handed spanking that I hope he’s warned the Secret Service agents outsideto ignore the sound of.

“Don’t come, boy.” That’s all the warning I get before he starts.

It surprises me in a good way when Shae climbs under me and swallows my cock.

Holy hell, it’s a sweet kind of torture to endure, the pain helping me hold back my release from Shae’s perfect mouth.

The delicious buzz of subspace slams into me. It’s been months since Chris and I have been able to scene.We’re lucky if we get five minutes to ourselves to snuggle before falling asleep, most nights.

Until “Play the Game” plays, and that makes me start laughing, which makes Shea laugh.

“Okay, I get it!” Chris says, making me get up. “Jimmy Buffett channel, it is.”

“Noooo,” I protest, flopping back on the bed. “How about Imagine Dragons?”

“Fine.” He plugs that in and “Second Chances” starts playing.

I snort. “Pandora giveth, and Pandora taketh away.”

Shea positivelycackles. “You might as well give up. The music gods apparently either love or hate you.”

Chris dives on top of her, tickling her and making her howl with laughter before he catches her and starts spanking her.

Here I am, naked in bed with the newly elected President of the United States and her husband, and we’re rolling aroundin it like three college students.

I’m forty-four years old and still trying to comprehend I’m even here.

Not the job—these people.

I remember leaving for dinner that first night after returning to Washington and wondering if I could find a way to drive a wedge between Shea and Chris.

Now?

I feel ashamed for those thoughts.

I roll to the far side and smile as I watch the two of them tussling.It’s always hot when Chris goes full-on sadist on her.

“Hey, you there, buddy?”

My eyes snap open to Chris leaning in.