The Perfect Candidate (42 page)

Michael smiled sadly. 
“
Oh, I can tell you that,
”
he murmured quietly.  He glanced back towards the other room. 
“
I love her.
”

Norman stared at Michael in absolute horror, looking as if he couldn
’
t- or didn
’
t
want
to comprehend what he was hearing. 
“
You
love
her?
”
he choked.  The words practically exploded from his mouth.

Michael held up his hands in a manner that begged Norm to keep his voice down.  He glanced nervously towards the door that they had just walked through- the door that Ashley was on the other side of...  she wouldn
’
t have heard Norm, would she? 

Norm
’
s incredulity seemed to grow. 
“
And she doesn
’
t know?
”
he hissed, looking from Michael to the door and back again. 
“
You married her- you say you
love
her- and- and she doesn
’
t know?
”
he muttered erratically.

“No…” Michael confessed gruffly.

“I think I need to sit down,” Norm muttered, shaking his head.  He sank down onto a chair.  After a few minutes he spoke again, “so, this means that the marriage is real?” he said slowly.  “We don’
t have a problem on that front?
”
  His mind was obviously in election campaign mode now. 
“
Really, it will probably turn out better for your chances this way, although getting the sympathy vote would have been useful - still, that wouldn
’
t have necessarily made up for the lack of a First Lady.
”

“Um, right?” Michael said, as he cleared his throat.  “We’
ll have a First Lady,
”
he nodded slowly, as a new, and not particularly pleasant, thought occurred to him. 

Maybe
that
explained why Ashley had married him?  She wanted to be the First Lady
…
  He had never thought of her as particularly ambitious before
…
she had always seemed to be above that kind of thing, seeing him as a
man
and not the next President, but perhaps he had been wrong?  Perhaps, like everyone else, she was only interested in him because of the position that he might soon hold?

“Well,” Norm said thoughtfully, “I suppose that’
s something then?
”
  He actually seemed to sound rather hopeful. 
“
I take it that you- ugh- want to settle things between Miss Ken- Mrs. Reese on your own?
”
he added delicately.

“Yes!” Michael barked.  He took a moment to compose himself.  “I mean- yes,” he said more calmly.  “I’
ll resolve things with Ashley.  All you need to know is that she is my wife and will be remaining as such.
”

Norm nodded.  A small knowing smile was dancing over his lips.  It made Michael frown uncertainly. 
“
Well, I
’
ll leave the two of you alone to- ugh-
‘
resolve things
’
,
”
he chuckled. 
“
I think there was um- another way out of this suite?  Give my regards to Mrs. Reese,
”
he finished with a smile.

“Okay, Norm,” Michael murmured.  He was eager to get back to Ashley, but Norman had... unsettled him a little.  He showed the campaign manager out of the suite.  There
was
another way out that led into the hallway.  Michael had Norman leave via that door- instead of parading him through the bedroom again.

Once he was alone, Michael took a moment to compose himself before he returned to his wife.  He was pleased to see that Ashley was still sitting in bed, looking just as delectable as when he had left her there. 

“Has Norman gone?” she asked nervously, the second that she saw Michael.  She glanced behind him to see if the campaign manager was following.

“He’
s gone,
”
Michael nodded, shrugging off his robe as he walked purposefully towards the bed.

“What did you say to him?  How did you get rid of him?” Ashley asked quickly, but Michael was rather smugly pleased (and relieved, because it meant that he could avoid answering her questions) to see that she was rather distracted by the sight of his naked, increasingly aroused, body.

“Later,” he growled, rejoining her in bed.  “We can talk about it later…”

They didn
’
t talk about it later however, Ashley tried to bring it up as they left the hotel and again in the car, but Michael always found some way to distract her
…
  He hadn
’
t asked her to explain herself again though
…
so she didn
’
t try to push him for answers.

They didn
’
t have a proper honeymoon arranged.  As they hadn
’
t ever intended to get married nothing had been booked.  Before things had changed, they had decided that it wouldn
’
t look too suspicious, as everyone knew that Michael would be incredibly busy with the campaign.  While this was true, Ashley did regret it a little.  She wanted to escape from the limelight for a while, and just bask in the newness of being Michael wife
.

Ashley would have new duties of her own to keep her busy though, the cookie-bake off was fast approaching for a start, but before she started to think about that, she wanted to feel settled living in Michael
’
s house
…

It was very strange- going from their very casual, laid back relationship, during which there had been occasions when Ashley hadn
’
t seen Michael for days, even weeks, at a time, to the intensity of actually living in the same house as him! 

However, if Michael shared any of her reservations about little things- like sharing a bathroom and him seeing her without her make up on- then he didn
’
t show it at all.  He was incredibly sweet about everything in fact
…
telling her that she could change anything that she didn
’
t like about the house- décor, furniture, anything- and that she should move over as many of the things from her old house as she liked.

“There’
s not really much point in me doing that, is there?
”
she asked after Michael had made the suggestion, rubbing Lolly
’
s ears as she did so.  The puppy bounced excitedly around her feet.  She was looking down at the dog, so she didn
’
t see the flash of panic that darted across Michael
’
s face.

“What do you mean?” he asked.  There was some sort of strain in his voice that made Ashley look up at him.

She shot him a puzzled glance. 
“
Well, with any luck we won
’
t be here for much longer,
”
she smiled warmly. 
“
You
’
ll be President and we
’
ll have a brand new home, isn
’
t that right, Lolly!
”
she cooed at the puppy.

“Remus,” Michael muttered the correction, as he breathed out heavily. “I might not get elected, Ash,” he pointed out.

Ashley stopped playing with the dog (much to Lolly
’
s disappointment) and gave Michael her full attention. 
“
What are you talking about?  Of course you will!  You
’
re by far the best candidate!
”
she exclaimed sincerely.

Michael wrapped his arms around Ashley
’
s little waist and tugged her against his chest. 
“
Well now, you have to say that, don
’
t you, Mrs. Reese?
”
he teased, kissing the tip of her nose, which she wrinkled.

“But it
is
true, Michael!
”
she urged firmly. 
“
I won
’
t have come to work for you in the first place if I didn
’
t believe that!
”
she pointed out.

“No,” he said thoughtfully.  “I suppose you wouldn’
t have, would you?
”
he murmured, before he tried to kiss her again, but Ashley (for once) slipped out of his grasp.

“What- what about me though, Michael?” she whispered, wringing her hands uncertainly.  When her husband only frowned in confusion she explained.  “Do you think that I’
ll- that I
’
ll make an okay First Lady?
”
she asked anxiously. 
“
I mean- I
’
m only a speech writer, I don
’
t really know anything about being the wife of a President!
”
she said, a little touch of fear creeping into her voice.

Michael, however, was beaming at her. 
“
I think you
’
ll make a perfect First Lady,
”
he said, still grinning broadly.

Ashley leant her head on one side and raised an eyebrow at him. 
“
Why?
”
she demanded sceptically, folding her arms under her breasts.