Page 233 of Innocent

It takes me a moment to register he just hit on me. “Thanks. I think.”

His smile widens. “Care to have a drink with me tonight?”

He’s hot, smart, and nearly as sarcastic as I am. If I wasn’t already doubly taken, yeah, I’d gladly have a drink with him.

I glance at my watch and, yay, I have the perfect excuse. “Sorry, I can’t. We’re going wheels-up from Andrews in two hours, and I need to stop by the residence and make sure everything’s packed and ready to go.”

I stand, pull my phone out, and check my schedule. I don’t want to totally blow him off, because he is a nice guy. But this is also a great way to throw up a smokescreen and hide my relationship with Elliot. “How about Thursday night? I’ve got about an hour while the vice president is having dinner?”

He checks his phone. “No, I can’t. I’m heading to Iowa Thursday morning for a week at headquarters out there.”

“I guess I’ll take a rain-check, then.”Whew.

“What do you do for fun, Jordan? When you’re not working?”

I head toward the door. “Who says I’m not having fun?”

“You work for VPOTUS, and when you aren’t, you’re here. You must have a hobby or something.”

“Well, you know what they say. Do what you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life, right?”

“What are your plans after the election?”

He’s really not letting up on this. “Rumor has it I might be in the running to be the personal aide to POTUS. I kinda know a guy.Shh. It’s a secret.” I smile.

Now he’snotsmiling. “You know you could easily be making a half mil a year as a campaign consultant. Right? Say the word, and I could hook you up with at least five firms who’d readily shank each other for a chance to hire you.”

I drop the act and turn back to him. “Look, I appreciate it. Really. But Vice President Woodley’s my best friend. He’s…family. Him, and President Samuels and her family. There will always be consulting firms I can talk to, especially if he wins re-election. That’d make three campaigns I fought my way through. But I only get eight more years, at the most, to work in the White House where I am right now. Besides, I genuinely enjoy what I’m doing. And you know, if after he’s out of office he asks me to keep working for him as his chief of staff or something, I’ll do that, too.”

“Think of all the money you’re walking away from.”

“I’ve got a savings account. The money’s still sitting there, waiting for me to finish my master’s degree. My biggest regret is that my grandmother didn’t live to see me accomplish what I have. My second biggest regret is leaving DC for six months and missing my adopted family. There’s not enough money in the world to make me walk away from everyone again. Especially before we’ve finished what we started.”

He smiles as he slowly shakes his head. “You are a rare one, Jordan. Especially in this city.”

I reach for the door. “Not the first one to tell me that.” I gather my things and let the detail know I’m ready to leave. The car’s waiting for me downstairs.

As I ride back to the residence, I think about Elliot’s blue eyes staring up at me as he swallows my cock.

I think about the hunger in Leo’s brown gaze as he watches us together from across a room.

The pride also there.

Yeah, like hell will I ever walk away from either of them again.

Like Leo himself said, I might be a dumbass, but I rarely make the same mistake twice.