A knock on the front door interrupted her thoughts. She got out of her chair, no longer surprised by the arrival of guests at odd hours. Her apartment had become the go-to spot for confused or curious co-workers, it seemed. She flung the door open without checking the peephole, resigned to the fact that it would be someone from the office. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of Madeline, soaked to the skin from the rain.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. Words would have only interrupted the intensity of the stare they shared. Looking deeply into Madeline's eyes, Jo felt her body tense, her every nerve tingle. She wanted this woman more than she had ever wanted anyone.

She cleared her throat. "Do you want to come in?"

"Thanks," Madeline said, stepping into Jo's apartment unsteadily.

She was drunk. Jo checked quickly to see if she had driven over and was relieved not to spot her car in the parking lot. Thank G.o.d Madeline's hotel was within walking distance-for her sake and that of everyone else on the road tonight. "Are you okay?"

"I shouldn't be here," Madeline said. "But I needed to see you."

"I'm glad you are," Jo said. "I have something I need to tell you."

"It can wait," Madeline said, throwing her arms around Jo's neck.

Everything inside of her told her to run, but Jo couldn't resist. Like a magnet, she was drawn into Madeline's embrace and easily melted into her arms. Powerless to resist anymore, she kissed her pa.s.sionately. Madeline tugged at the T-s.h.i.+rt she had been lounging in.

"We shouldn't," Jo replied weakly as Madeline clawed at the material covering Jo's body.

"f.u.c.k what we should and shouldn't do. I want you," Madeline replied hurriedly, running her hands down Jo's arms and then across her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. She circled the now-hardened outline of Jo's nipples, causing her to gasp.

As Madeline's thumbs continued to brush her nipples, Jo knew there was no turning back-not for her, at least. The tension that had been building between them for weeks was demanding to be unleashed.

"Are you sure?" Jo didn't know if she could stop now, but she didn't want Madeline jumping into something if she wasn't ready.

"I'm sure," Madeline said in a sultry voice.

"You let me know if you want to stop at any point, okay?" Jo offered, hoping Madeline would never want to stop.

Madeline's only reply was to push Jo to the couch and position her body over Jo's. She slipped her tongue into Jo's mouth and ma.s.saged it against Jo's tongue, continuing to tease Jo's nipples with her fingers.

Jo wasn't about to let Madeline have all the fun. She reached up, pulling Madeline's s.h.i.+rt over her head and expertly unhooked her bra, allowing Madeline's beautiful b.r.e.a.s.t.s to bounce free.

"You're beautiful," Jo said, savoring the sight of Madeline before grabbing a breast in each hand. "So beautiful."

She leaned up and flicked one of Madeline's hard nipples with her tongue. To her delight, Madeline moaned. Not wasting another second, she wrapped her lips around the nipple and began to suck, laving Madeline's hardness with her tongue.

Madeline had begun to pant. "Oh, Jo," she moaned, twisting her body in pleasure.

Jo paused for a moment to steal a kiss, trying to convey her hunger and her intent to please Madeline as she had never been pleased before.

"Tell me what you want me to do."

"f.u.c.k me, Jo. I want you to f.u.c.k me." Madeline's bright blue eyes were on fire, burning with l.u.s.t.

"I will." Jo teased Madeline's other nipple with a flick of the tongue. "But not just yet. I want to take my time with you."

"Please," Madeline begged, as though she couldn't wait much longer.

Jo responded by sucking one nipple again while she rolled the other around with her fingers. She knelt by the couch, removing Madeline's pants and underwear to reveal what she had been hungry for all this time.

Madeline was hot, and Jo was going to enjoy every second of this. She laid Madeline down on her back and climbed on top. Jo kissed her again and then trailed down to kiss her neck and nibble her ear. With each caress, each kiss, Madeline moaned more loudly and breathed harder.

Gently and tenderly, Jo kissed her way down Madeline's body, caressing each inch with her tongue. Glancing up to look Madeline in the eye, she saw there a hunger every bit as real as her own.

She made her way in between Madeline's legs, though she wasn't ready to give in to Madeline's begging just yet. She licked her thighs, making Madeline moan and lift her hips up, pleading with Jo to release her.

Jo breathed in, mesmerized by the scent of Madeline. Finally, she tasted her. Madeline was wet and tense, and as Jo's tongue went to work, Madeline went off like a rocket.

"Jo!" she screamed as she arched her back, exploding in a release of ecstasy.

As she finished, Jo smiled and moved to lie beside her on the couch. She kissed her gently and wrapped her arm around Madeline's still quivering body.

"That was incredible," Madeline finally managed.

"My pleasure," Jo whispered, kissing the back of Madeline's neck.

"I want to do the same for you."

"I want that too," Jo replied. "But this was about you. We should get some rest."

Jo wanted badly to let Madeline return the favor. She also knew that Madeline was exhausted and drunk. And she had enjoyed making love to Madeline almost as much as she enjoyed having a good o.r.g.a.s.m. So, overall, it was a glorious night.

In fact, Jo decided, there was nothing that could ruin this night. The question that had been plaguing her had been answered: Madeline wanted Jo every bit as much as Jo wanted her. And soon there would be nothing to make what they were doing wrong. With a smile, she grabbed Madeline's hand.

"Do you want to stay?"

Concern and confusion clouded Madeline's eyes again. Apparently, she had sobered up enough to remember all the reasons they shouldn't be together.

"You don't have to," Jo said. "But I would like for you to, if you want." She leaned down and kissed her, gently this time. "It's totally up to you."

"I want to stay, very much," Madeline answered. "But is that crossing a line?"

"I think we've already crossed that line," Jo said with a laugh.

"Just one night," Madeline agreed.

"Come on," Jo said, standing and extending her hand to Madeline. "Let's go to bed."

Together, they walked to Jo's bedroom. Jo took off her clothes. "I want to lie with you, skin on skin, if that's okay with you."

Madeline nodded and smiled, drunk on a mixture of tequila and pleasure. She lay down, and Jo lay beside her, draping her arm around Madeline. In seconds, both were asleep.

Jo leaned down and softly kissed Madeline's neck.

Madeline stirred, having fallen asleep after being pleasured a second time. A sweet smile crossed her face, relieving Jo's fears that she might wake up unhappy about what had happened.

"Are you ready to go again already?" Madeline asked, pulling her in for a kiss.

"I'm always ready to go again," Jo said with a laugh, "but right now, I'm just taking it all in."

Lazily, Madeline reached up and fondled Jo's b.r.e.a.s.t.s. "You're pretty d.a.m.n hot, Jo," she said.

Jo laughed. "So are you." With a soft kiss, Jo broke their contact.

Reaching across to her bedside table, Jo grabbed the envelopes sitting there. Now was the perfect time to tell Madeline what she had been planning.

"These are for you," she said, handing them to Madeline.

"What are they?"

"The last two things I will ever write for you," Jo said. "My letter of resignation and your own resignation speech-should you choose to use it at some point."

Jo couldn't gauge the look on Madeline's face.

"You're quitting?"

"Yes. I can't do it anymore," Jo said.

"Well, that's probably a good thing," Madeline said, a smile growing on her face.

"Why's that?"

"Because otherwise you would be fired," she said, laughing.

"What for?"

"For f.u.c.king your boss," Madeline said, pulling Jo back on top of her.

Jo kissed her pa.s.sionately before pulling back. "What about the speech?"

"We'll talk about that after round three," Madeline said, reaching down to touch Jo.

"Fair enough," Jo said, giving in to the moment of pleasure.

Chapter Twenty-One.

Like fireflies insisting on maintaining their place in the sky at dawn, nerves kept flitting hither and thither, ruining Jo's antic.i.p.ation of freedom. She had made up her mind, but she couldn't help but wonder at what she was doing. Was she totally stupid to abandon a steady job? Where would she go from here?

Still, there was no going back. In the end, she had made her decision not based on her feelings about Madeline but because she wanted to stop fighting so d.a.m.n hard every second of every day. She could stay here and live under a microscope, trying to hide every detail of her personal life, or she could make the bold choice...and run like h.e.l.l toward freedom.

Choosing to run, she walked boldly up to Ian's open door and knocked on the door frame, causing him to look up with a quizzical expression.

"Good morning, Jo," he said with a bit of surprise. "You're early-even for you."

"I know," Jo said, clearing her throat. "I need to talk to you, if you have a minute."

"Of course," he said, waving her in. "What can I do for you?"

"Well..." Jo took a steadying breath. "To start with, I want to say thank you for everything."

"I'm not sure I'm following."

"Thank you for taking a chance on me, for making me part of your team and for teaching me everything that you have," Jo said.

"Wait a second," Ian interrupted. "This doesn't sound good."

"No, I think it is good. I think it's for the best, actually," Jo continued. "You see, I need to move on-and I think that the whole Stratton team will be happier this way."

Ian looked like he wanted to protest but couldn't find the words.

Before he could say anything, Jo reached into her briefcase. "Here," she said, handing him a sealed envelope. "This is my resignation. Like I said, I thank you for everything-but I just can't continue down this road."

"Things are going to get better, Jo. This scandal will blow over," Ian finally said.

"I hope so, but that's not the issue. I've decided that politics is not the right place for me anymore, at least not these kinds of politics. Leaving will also resolve some workplace relations.h.i.+ps that have become awkward."

Jo regretted those final words even as they left her mouth.

"What do you mean-'these kinds of politics' and 'awkward workplace relations.h.i.+ps'?" Ian asked.

"I just mean that it's best for me to go," Jo said. Knowing she owed him some kind of explanation, she tried to divert attention from her slip-up. "I'm tired of being in the public eye in any way. I grew up with that lack of privacy, and I don't want my work life to mirror my childhood. I want to try something new." As soon as she said the words, she stood.

"But what about Madeline's upcoming speeches?" Ian asked. "Can you stay on until we find a replacement?"

"I can't-at least not in the office. I'm sorry. I'm resigning immediately. After I clean out my desk, you can email me what needs to be done if you want, and I'll take on what I can on a freelance basis." She knew that staying would only complicate matters, and she couldn't-wouldn't-put herself or Madeline in that position. Madeline had too much to lose. She had tried to resist crossing the line, but given what had happened between them, there was no going back. She clicked the off b.u.t.ton on her work BlackBerry and handed it to him, completing her termination.

He nodded tight-lipped and she walked to her cubicle, finally letting out the breath she had been holding. It was done. She put a few personal things in the box she had brought with her and wrote down the computer pa.s.swords for whoever would replace her. She was thankful that she had chosen to come in extra early; she didn't want to face anyone. With only Ian and an intern in the office, things had gone smoothly. Nothing could have prepared her, then, for the jolt she felt when she heard Madeline's laugh coming from the direction of the front desk.

"Is Jacquelyn in yet?" Madeline asked the intern sitting there.

"No, ma'am," he stammered. "She called to say she would be working from home today."

"That's perfectly fine." Madeline's laugh filled the office. "G.o.d knows I've taken my share of personal days lately."

The sight of Madeline walking toward her in her perfectly tailored red suit made Jo smile. She was breathtaking.

"Good morning, Josephine," Madeline said, stopping in front of her cubicle.

"Good morning, Mayor," Jo said with a smile.