I guess that, even though my assignment was a failure, we succeeded in what was our purpose. The country stands with Austin and now … now I'm no longer needed.
"I'm going now," I tell Tracy, going up to my feet. With all the confusion in the room, I can probably sneak out without anyone noticing.
Except Austin has other plans.
"One more thing," Austin says into the mic, his strong voice booming over the loud celebratory ruckus. Everyone quiets down in response, and even I turn on my heels to see what else Austin's going to say. And when I turn around, I realize that he's looking straight at me.
"Even though my relationship with Ashley started the way it did … " He takes a deep breath, a few cracks showing in his poised posture. "She's the best damn thing that has ever happened to me. And I don't want to lose her just because I'm unconventional." Still looking straight at me, he goes around the podium and starts walking down the aisle, heading toward me. I remain frozen in place, my mouth slightly ajar as I try to wrap my mind around what Austin has said.
Did I dream it? Or did he really say he didn't want to lose me?
Coming up to me, Austin takes both my hands in his and offers me a gentle smile. The cameras are all focused on us, and everything that's happening is being broadcasted to the entire world. I'm on the world stage now, billions of eyeballs on me.
"What are you doing, Austin?" I tell him in a whisper, my heart's racing so fast I wouldn't be surprised if it simply jumped out of my chest.
"The right thing. The country needs a First Lady like you," he replies with a whisper of his own and, without waiting for a reply, he goes down on one knee.
"You're the best thing that has ever happened to me, Ashley. I love you like I've never loved anyone or anything … and I need you by my side." With that, he reaches inside his jacket and brings out a small box. Popping it open with a flick from his thumb, he shows me the most beautiful ring I've ever seen, something antique and with a discrete diamond cresting the golden band. "Will you marry me?"
"I … " I stammer, not knowing what to say, but then every single thought inside my head falls into alignment. "Yes! Yes, I will!" I tell him, biting down on my lower lip as I feel the sting of tears in my eyes.
Smiling gently, Austin takes the ring out of the box and, grabbing my hand, he places it on my finger. It fits perfectly, almost as if destiny wanted that ring to be mine.
"It's beautiful, Austin," I whisper as he stands up in front of me, his eyes on mine.
"It was my grandmother's. And now it's yours, Ash," he tells me, placing one hand on the nape of my neck and leaning in to kiss me.
All around me, the room seems to explode with the flash of cameras and the quick chatter of reporters and onlookers. But I don't care about any of that, and I barely even register any of it.
Right now, I'm the happiest woman in the world.
30
Ashley
We left the conference room, both our bodies and souls begging for us to surrender to the moment. Ignoring the millions of questions raining down on him, Austin simply grabbed my hand and lead the way out of the room. I walked after him as if I was living a dream, corridor after corridor, hallway after hallway.
Everyone we passed smiled at us, but no one dared say a word. They all knew this moment was one to be shared only by Austin and me. Now, completely lost inside the White House, I halt to a stop and force him to look at me.
"Where are we going?" I ask him, my heart beating fast inside my chest.
"The Oval Office, of course," he replies in a single breath, and then starts walking again, dragging me after him. The moment we step foot inside the Oval Office he simply closes the door behind us and locks it.
"What about Tracy? She probably needs to talk with you right now?" I ask, but my body doesn't care about any of that. The only thing my body cares about is the man standing right in front of me.
"Don't worry. I left her a message telling her to run interference for a couple of hours. This moment is just ours, Ashley. And I want you to know that … That you're my everything. I don't know what would be of me if I didn't have you by my side."
"I'll be by your side … Always," I tell him, looking into his eyes and feeling my heart beat at a happy pace. I've never felt this happy, this complete … Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd ever felt like this. And it has nothing to do with the fact that Austin is rich, or that he's the President. No, I would love him if he was just a struggling musician, or a waiter at a restaurant. I would love him no matter what. "I love you, Austin … I really do."
"I love you too," he smiles, taking one step toward me and caressing my cheek with the back of his hand. Leaning in, he brushes his lips against mine, kissing me gently as my eyelids droop.
We kiss in abandonment, the happiness inside my chest almost too much for me to take. I could cry right now, swear to God I could. This kiss is so perfect, and it seals the love between us in such a way that I could cry a river of joyful tears.
Pulling back from my kiss, he looks into my eyes and smiles, a deep tenderness in the way with which he's looking at me. For a man as cocky and hard as he is, there are a lot of things that the world doesn't know about Austin. Such as how tender and gentle how he can, and how he has the biggest Earth out of everyone I know. The moment the voters put him in the White House, they made the best decision of their entire lives.
Breathing softly, his hands go down the side of my body, and he rests his fingers over the dimples on my lower back. Leaning in again, we kiss as I grab his jacket and push him down his arms. We let it fall down to the floor, and my fingers go straight for his shirt, unbuttoning it with a kind of slow patience. When it's finally open, I untuck it from his pants and brush my fingers over the naked wall of abs on his stomach.
Pressing his body against mine, he leans in and, instead of taking his lips to mine, he lays them on my neck, gently nibbling at my skin. At the same time, his hands go around my waist and he hooks his thumb on the hem of my skirt. My heart is beating fast, anticipation making it pick up the pace.
I can't believe we're going to fuck in the Oval Office.
Still running my fingers over the valleys between his abs, I then let my hands follow an upward line up to his chest. Holding the side of his face, I go on tiptoes and run my tongue along the crevice between his lips.
Pulling me close, he lets of my skirt and grabs my blouse, pulling it up. I lift my arms up in the air and allow him to undress me, my lace bra revealing itself to him. Looking at me with an eager smile, he pulls me back into his embrace; my breasts press against his naked chest, and my skin prickles as we make contact.
His hands go around my body and, grabbing the clasp of my bra, he unhooks it with a quick flick of his fingers. Pulling it out, he pushes both straps down at the same time, and he then throws the bra onto the floor. My nipples become even harder as the cool air in the office laps at them, and I feel a column of fire climbing up my spine.
Mimicking his movements, I grab his shirt and push it down his arms, allowing it to float down and land right on top of my blouse and bra. Smiling at him, I let my fingers hike down his naked chest before I grab his belt; unbuckling it with slow but sure movements, I then hook my fingers on his pants and pull him into me.
He grabs me by the ass eagerly, the palm of his hands fitting perfectly over the curve of my ass cheeks, and he squeezes them softly. My nipples brush against his skin, and I close my eyes, my fingers working as if they have a life of their own; I pull his zipper down and then, turning my hand around, I flatten the palm of my hand against the bulging shape tenting his boxer briefs.
Letting go, I use my index finger to trace the contour of his hard member over the fabric of his boxers. I exhale sharply as I feel him pulse against my fingers, but I just keep on teasing, fully knowing that the more I do it the bigger the payoff is going to be. And if there's something I love, it's a good payoff.
"Let's take you out of these clothes," I whisper as I nibble at his lower lip. Grabbing at his boxer briefs, I push them down and his cock springs free immediately, brushing against my fingers. Allowing desire to make my movements wilder, I push both pants and boxers down his legs. He kicks off his shoes fast and then steps out of his clothes, kicking them to a faraway corner of the office.
I take one step back, my eyes widening as I take in his naked figure. If Leonardo Da Vinci was alive, he'd make a sculpture out of Austin's body, there's no doubt of it in my mind.
My body acting with a life of its own, I lower myself to the floor. Kneeling in front of him, I rest my hands on his knees and then let my fingers slide all the way to his inner thighs, Austin's breathing growing deeper as I close in on his cock. Looking up at him, I start leaning in but I stop right before my lips touch the tip of his cock. Grinning, I part my lips and dart my tongue out, flicking it against his cock. He shudders as I do it and, exhaling sharply, he rests both his hands on the top of my head.