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Plans
(Three Little Words: Chapter 3)
Warnings: This is a sequel to Three Little Words and Flustered. Warning this seems to be turning into a series!
Author's Notes:
Thanks
again to Bekki the beta from heaven – she has helped take Josh and give
him a good talking to – Donna seems to like me and helps me out in my
fiction. Josh on the other
hand... well he’s a little argumentative.
To
Jo: yes I meant you in my last author’s notes – you are the best
person to ever get feedback from.
An
enormous thanks to everyone who keeps sending feedback – it is really so
much better than chocolate! And
everyone’s honesty is needed when dealing with a sulking Josh.
Disclaimer: <closing
my eyes and wishing hard.> damn not mine, guess Aaron
still owns them. Suing will only result in someone owning three
demonic
cats.
I
can't believe the conversation I had with Donna - I mean talk about
idiotic. How could she possibly feel that she's bad for me?
Her?
But an hour of holding her while she cried and explained why we can't be
together told me all that I needed to know. I'm not going to
persuade her with clever words. She's the smartest person I know and
that's never going to work.
I kissed her gently and told her she was wrong but I would abide by her
decision to try to put this behind us.
So basically I lied.
Now I'm sat here in CJ's office, at 5.30 in the morning, after returning
from
I can't help it; a small part of me is frightened of her.
Okay make that a big part of me.
Very
big.
I'm so deep in thought I don't hear her approach - so the door swinging
open startles me. Shocked, I jump up from the couch in her office
with a cry.
"Joshua!" Papers fly into the air as C.J screams in fright at me
popping up from beside her.
Oh just great! As if I wasn't worried enough about talking to her, I
have to admit to being terrified now.
I kneel down and start to scrabble around trying to grab the papers that
she was carrying and in my haste fail to notice that she is doing the
same.
Do you know how hard the human head is? Neither do I but when
applied with some force to another person's head it's hard enough to hurt
- badly.
"Ow!" C.J.’s yell penetrates the raging pain in my own head.
"You idiot, what are you doing here? Now? In my
office?"
This is so not going how I thought it would.
"C.J...” I start, and my voice has that odd high thing going on
again. Why is it that I can't control that?
"Oh god, what have you done? Don't tell me you've slept with
some foreign ambassador's daughter and we have an international incident
on our hands." C.J.'s studying my face and I don't like the predatory
gleam in her eyes.
"Ambassador's daughter, C.J? Honestly do you think I would be that
dumb?" I regret those words the instance they leave my mouth.
Because for a moment I forget that I'm working with probably the most
honest bunch of guys that I know - and we're in politics!
"Yes I think you are exactly that dumb. To be honest, at 5.30
in the morning it's the worst thing I can think of."
It is? Well okay maybe this is going to be easier than I thought.
"With the exception being that you'd slept with Donna but that's even
pushing the boundaries of idiotic for you." She jokes.
I think silence may be my only friend now. Yep definitely going to
stick with silence.
C.J. has frozen, her back to me, as she realises that I'm not joining in
with the funny. Slowly she turns to look at me.
"C.J…." I begin because I've gotta say something to remove
that look from her face. She's a dear friend and I don't think I can
take her looking at me like that.
"Don't," she growls as she starts to pace the room,
concentration on her face. "Deniability is a wonderful thing and as
of yet I am in denialville."
It must be bad - she's making up words again.
"C.J. please?" This isn't how I pictured it at all.
"Joshua Lyman - tell me you didn't sleep with your assistant."
"No C.J. - I didn't sleep with my ASSISTANT." I'm starting to
get a bit annoyed now and I think it's beginning to show.
She looks confused "You didn't?"
"No.
I slept with Donna - someone I'm falling in love with. Not my
assistant." I'm annoyed that she could even call Donna that.
I mean… okay she is my assistant but C.J. knows that it’s more than
that. And I don't like how she is making this sound so sleazy.
I'm expecting her to bite my head off but instead I see her face softening
and I realise that for once I said the right thing.
"Josh," she moves and sits down next to me. "You
couldn't have picked a worst time to start falling in love with
Donna."
"I didn't just start C.J., I've been falling for a very long time and
I think she just caught me. And I know that there couldn't have been
a worst time for this to happen politically but emotionally I'm not going
to make this without her. Believe me C.J., you aren't the first
person to say this to me. Donna
has already beaten you to it. I've had the whole "this isn't
good" lecture from her and I don't think I can take it again right
now."
Her hand takes mine as she searches my eyes. "Okay."
I can see her mind going over what I just said. Her mouth turns
upwards in a slight grin and she leans into me slightly. "So
she told you that you should wait, right?" She waits for my slight
nod. "And now you're here with some bright plan? Spill it
Inflation boy."
I shake my head at her unique way of reminding me how my plans aren't
always well thought out.
"Nice and slow and plenty of romance. I was thinking of going
back to basics and trying some old fashioned courting."
C.J. gently laughs at the thought of me courting and I've got to admit I'm
not the naturally courting type. But I’ve just got this urge to
smother Donna in gentle love and let her get to know me properly.
Okay
- I’m starting to worry that I’m turning into a sap and I know for
sure that I’ve got a stupid goofy grin on my face.
This isn’t on. I’m
Lion Lyman, terror of the political circuit, I don’t do goofy – hear
my political roar!
"You know - that's a good plan." C.J. snaps me out of my self
criticism and she almost sounds surprised.
"Really? Cause I'm sure there would be more objections
here."
"Oh I've got objections, like you waiting a few years, but that's not
going to happen. So, here's the plan. You are going to take
this slow and gentle and we are going to take this relationship into the
open."
And with that she is up and pacing in the way that C.J. does.
"Let's face it Joshua, there are going to be two types of people as
far as this is concerned. There are the type who won't give a damn, who
will see this as two single people who have started a relationship and
wish them good luck. And then
there are the people who are going to focus on the idea that a boss
shouldn't see his assistant romantically and that politically this is a
sordid affair."
She
moves and sits on the edge of her desk. "What we have to do is
make this as open as possible from the beginning. So we will start
by making sure that neither of you mentions the sex again!"
One look in her eyes and I cross my legs as I fear for certain parts of my
body if I don't follow her instructions carefully.
"We are going to sell this as romantically as possible and the cynics
out there are still going to call it a sordid affair but they aren't going
to have the evidence to back it up. You will take it slow and at no
point jump the gun. You will not spend any time alone with Donna
Moss outside of work unless you have my express permission."
I nod and I start to smile as I realise that C.J. is on my side.
"Hey, no grinning! Now explain your idea of romance to
me."
Oh… well I never saw that coming.
She takes one look at my blank face and realises that I hadn't come that
organized.
"Josh… you can't just go into this unprepared and you need to be
ready to accept that this might not work."
I know. I've already thought about what I will do if Donna remains
resolute in her plan to wait.
I might explode. Literally.
"I know, C.J. The first thing I suppose I should do is talk to
Sam. I think I might need help with writing a suitable letter to
Donna. One full of hints of romance and undercurrents of woo without
making her feel like I'm trying to start anything here."
I can tell that C.J. is trying very hard not to start laughing
hysterically at the idea of the word woo coming from my mouth. But
I'm serious about wanting this to work and woo is the way to go.
C.J. starts to walk towards me. She looks very predatory and I
suddenly feel the urge to act like a mouse and head for the nearest mouse
hole. "Actually Josh, I think that your first call needs to be
to
WHAT!!?
Wisconsin!?
I
think I may have just paled a little.
No,
I’m pretty sure I’ve just gone white.
Did she just suggest what I think she suggested? Because suddenly
I'm hearing tiny feet scurrying away and I think I should follow.
C.J. leans down in front of me and whispers to me. "That's
right Joshua, you need to call Donna's dad and ask for permission to woo
his daughter."
I start to protest then remember my vital parts and C.J.'s punishment for
not following instructions.
"Back to basics Josh – you said it.
I feel that old fashioned courting should involve the parents.”
Oh
dear.
Well…
this should be fun… not.
Coming Soon:
The phone disturbs me from my dreams of Josh in his tuxedo and I curse
whoever is ringing me at this ungodly hour.
Why is my mum ringing me at 4.00 in the morning?
Did she just say something about Josh?
Did my mother just say woo?
Oh ... dear... God...
Go to Three Little Words Chapter 4: Jelly Beans
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