It all started six months ago.
He and CJ and Josh had been having a late-night meeting, and the points of the meeting had given way to an off-topic conversation and jokes and laughter. He reached out and squeezed the back of her neck, playfully threatening to strangle her for pretending to offer him up to the press corps, and her knees buckled.
Josh caught her, steadied her, but she stayed remarkably close to Leo for the rest of the meeting. He guessed she wasn't really sure what had happened---but he knew that he was sure, and he was willing to bet that Josh was sure, too. There were things he knew about his staff, especially his deputy, since he used to be friends with Josh's father, and he could put the pieces together quickly enough.
Six months later, he was looking forward to every Friday, since it marked the beginning of every weekend and the time he and CJ spent together with very few interruptions.
That particular Friday, he was humming under his breath as he packed his briefcase for the weekend. It had been a hellish day and as much as their weekends were about tending to CJ's needs, he tended to his own by serving her. He knew she would be kneeling on the floor, at the foot of his bed, with her hands clasped behind her back and he could hardly wait to see her.
When Josh knocked on his door, he almost ordered his deputy to scram---and as quickly as humanly possible---but he refrained from doing so when he saw the look on the younger man's face.
"What's up?"
"I... you're going to see her now."
Leo nodded. "Yeah," he said, without excuse, diversion, or apology.
"Do you... do you know what you're doing to her?"
"Do I---" he stopped short and tilted his head. "Josh, I'm a responsible adult. You don't need to lecture me on---"
"I saw the---" he had been yelling, but he stopped and then shut the door. Josh shook his head and sighed. "I saw the marks on her wrists, Leo," he said, in a much quieter voice.
"You saw the what?"
Josh frowned. "Last Sunday, we all got called in when the hostage situation escalated. We were alone. She started to take off her sweater... I saw the marks on her wrists, Leo, and the collar. I'm not an idiot."
"Neither is she... and neither am I, Josh," Leo pointed out. "She's not trapped in a dangerous relationship, and I'm certainly not putting her in harm's way."
The younger man paled and Leo wondered if he was going to remain upright. But, then he sucked in a sharp breath and resumed speaking. "How can you say you're not putting her in harm's way?" he demanded. "I know what happens to leave marks like that and I'm guessing those aren't the only ones! Of course she's trapped! You marked her. She wears your collar on the weekends!"
"She wears jewelry, Josh---"
"It was a collar!" Josh exploded, his body vibrated with concern and frustration.
Leo sighed and looked away from his deputy for a moment, gathering his thoughts.
"So what if it was?" Leo challenged.
"You... you sucked her into an abusive---"
"Is that what you think?" Leo asked. "You think I get off on beating women in fits of anger? You think that's why Jenny left me?"
"Leo, I---"
"Oh, no, you can't put the toothpaste back in the tube this time, Joshua," Leo interrupted, his voice gruff and firm. "I didn't suck her into anything. Maybe she didn't know what was happening right away, but I didn't trick her. Do you think anyone can pull the wool over CJ's eyes and get away with it? Really, Josh. We have a verbal agreement, we have safewords, and we care about each other. We care deeply about each other."
Josh whimpered. "But... but she didn't understand. She dropped down into her submissive---"
"She asked me what happened, and I told her," Leo cut in, "and she decided to explore it. I didn't suggest anything. I didn't coerce her, Josh, and I resent you thinking that I did."
"It's just... we trust you to do so much and..."
Leo tilted his head and he felt his body language soften when he saw how lost Josh looked.
"We have safewords," Leo said quietly. "And I don't do anything that will leave lasting marks."
"How do you know..."
"Lots of practice and knowing how to read people," he told the younger man. He paused and watched Josh. Then, he asked, "You had a dom once?"
Josh laughed nervously, snorting a little, "Uh, Leo, don't think just because I---"
"She... he? Whoever it was didn't respect you. Am I right?"
"Leo... I... really, you shouldn't make assumptions about... about me."
Leo nodded, allowing the truth to go unproven, although he sensed he was right. "Then, don't you make assumptions about me. All dominants aren't the same. Some are good, some are bad. Some don't care about their submissives, and some really do."
Josh swallowed a lump in his throat and then nodded. "Okay. I... I'm gonna go back to my office."
"Yeah."
"You... you won't tell her will you?"
"I might tell her you're concerned about her," Leo admitted, "but I won't get into details."
"Thanks, boss."
Leo smiled and started to follow Josh out of the office, once the door had been re-opened. "Thanks, Josh," he replied quietly. "You're a good friend. She's lucky to have you around."
Josh smiled like the conversation had been concluded, like there was some sort of finality on the subject.
But, Leo didn't feel the same way.
He was still thinking about the conversation when he closed and locked the door of his suite. He dropped his briefcase and shrugged out of his coat, before ambling into his bedroom.
"You're a sight for sore eyes," he murmured affectionately as he approached CJ's kneeling form.
She didn't respond because a response wasn't desired; she kept her head down and her hands folded behind her back. He took his suit jacket off and draped it over a nearby chair, before walking up to her and straddling her lower legs.
He massaged her shoulders, giving her a moment to drop further into the headspace required for the rest of their night together while giving him a moment to appreciate the evening and her soft skin. She liked it; she moaned and dropped her shoulders, relaxing under his hands.
When it was over, he briefly tugged on her collar and kissed the top of her head. Then, he walked over to the side of the bed, sat down, and sighed.
"Claudia, come here, please," he instructed quietly.
He was pleased to see her drop onto her hands and crawl around the bed. He liked the way her hips swayed when she moved in that way; he liked the reaction his body had to those particular movements.
"Yes, sir," she whispered, once she was kneeling between his legs.
Leo reached down and cupped her chin in his hand. "How was your day?"
"Fine, sir," she murmured.
"Really?"
She nodded and swallowed. "Yes, sir," she whispered. "No press messes, no fights with Toby... just the regular stuff."
He smiled a bit and nodded, too. "What can I do for you tonight?" he asked. "Anything in particular?"
She shook her head slightly.
"Claudia..."
"I want to please you," she whispered, sounding so unlike the Press Secretary and strong woman he knew her to be. She blushed and quickly added, "Sir."
"You've already done that," he murmured affectionately. He brushed his fingers through her hair and then over her neck. "You're a vision, Claudia, and at the end of the day... let me tell you, I've been looking forward to the weekend."
She smiled and closed her eyes. He leaned over and kissed the top of her head.
"Stand up and go over to the blanket rack," he instructed.
She rose to her feet in one fluid movement. She turned her back to him and then said, "I think it's a quilt rack---"
She yelped when he gently swatted at her, slapping her upper thigh with an open hand.
Leo chuckled and watched as she pressed her body over the blankets they left folded over the hip-high structure and put her hands on the other side as she bent at the waist.
"Mmm... that's a nice sight," he growled.
He stood up, too, and walked around her, so she could see what he was doing. He removed his tie first, his cufflinks second; he took his time, making a quiet production of his actions for CJ's benefit.
After rolling his sleeves up, he removed his belt and coiled it around his hand as he studied her folded form. She watched him---mostly his hands---the entire time, but she didn't move or say anything. He knew her legs had to be sore---standing after kneeling for at least twenty minutes wasn't exactly kind to leg muscles---but he was impressed with how she didn't shift her weight or complain.
"How many do you want tonight?" he asked.
"As many as you believe I deserve, sir," she murmured, "and as many as you want to give me."
"Mmmm... the idea of striping your ass and thighs is very appealling to me, Claudia," he admitted, growling a little. "Making it nice and rosy... hot to the touch..."
He smirked when CJ closed her eyes and whimpered in anticipation.
But, he didn't mark her skin with stripes immediately. Josh's words were still in his mind, and he couldn't shake them away. So, he spanked her with his hand, not putting much force behind it; it wasn't enough for CJ, since she hadn't reached her breaking point yet, and it wasn't enough for Leo, but he wasn't sure if he was ready to get to his breaking point---or if he should.
"Beautiful," he whispered, cupping some of her reddened flesh in one hand and listening to her suck in a sharp breath.
"Sir?"
"Yes, Claudia," he murmured.
"Are you... alright?"
He chuckled. "Figures you would figure that out." He leaned down and kissed her lower back. "Do you... like it when I hurt you?"
"This... doesn't hurt me, sir. If anything, it helps," she whispered, "You know what you're doing and I trust you."
"Yeah, but---"
"I don't regret anything we've done together," she said, her voice firmer. It sounded like she was crawling out of that headspace; but he knew he needed to hear those words, so he allowed it. "We have an outlet here... we shouldn't waste it. So, do what you need to do... you always take care of me, Leo."
He sighed and nodded, and then slid his hand from her lower back to her neck. He squeezed the back of her neck and smiled when he felt her relax and slowly drop back into that submissive headspace she needed when they were together.
Applying his belt to her thighs and back helped, but neither of them reached the point they needed to reach to feel the weight of their responsibilities lift from their shoulders. She had a brief emotional break---she sobbed and sagged against the rack---and when he stopped she slithered to the ground, rather bonelessly, but even after she started to help him undress he knew it wasn't enough for her.
He took his time with her, positioning her on the bed, teasing her---even though she was already wetter than a glass of water---and savouring every insistent sound she made before settling her on her back and him between her legs.
The first thrust was strong and filled her to the top without any preamble. She moaned because she needed to, because he liked it when she didn't hold back her reactions, and clawed at the bedding underneath her until Leo pinned her hands to the mattress above her head.
He released her wrists, but instructed her to keep them there, and then he brought one of his hands to her throat while he supported himself on his other hand.
She arched against his body and moaned as loudly as she could with him pressing down on her throat. He dropped his mouth to hers as he thrust inside of her, brushing his lips over hers and teasing them both before he thrust again and made her buck upwards, into his body.
They moved to the edge, fast and furious the theme for their actions; CJ looked desperate to breathe, desperate to cry out, desperate to reach climax, and Leo could admit to himself that he loved every second of it.
When they finished, when they reached both physical and emotional release, CJ usually had tears streaming down her face. This time, Leo had tears streaming down his face as well.
CJ usually curled into him and cried until she fell asleep. This time, she propped herself up on her elbows and kissed his tears away.
"CJ," Leo breathed, "I'm okay---"
"No, you're not," she murmured, free to speak as she pleased, "you weren't okay when you came in here. I knew that. I'm not an idiot."
"I like you for your mind, remember?" he whispered as she wrapped her arms around his body and hugged him close. He kissed the top of her head. "Thank you."
"What happened?" she whispered into his chest. "You've never second guessed yourself before, Leo." She lifted her head. "I meant what I said. I trust you here... I trust you to help me feel better, to take care of me---more than I trust myself when I'm on my own, so that has to mean something---"
"It does," he breathed, before kissing her lips and hugging her close again.
"Talk to me," she insisted quietly, while draping one of her incredibly long legs over his legs.
"Can we just..."
She nodded and kissed his collarbone. "Yeah," she whispered, "okay."
He smiled and tucked his face into her hair, inhaling deeply.
Later, he knew he would tell her about his conversation with Josh and let her decide what to share with her friend when the time was right. But, in that moment, all he wanted to do was hold his partner---for while she was more submissive, they stood on equal ground in their relationship---and think about the rest of the weekend.
There would be time later for conversation, after a long sleep---the best rest of Leo's week---and a bath in the morning.
Then, there would be a private breakfast by the window and then some cuddling while they finished their 'homework,' followed by a return to the bedroom---as long as they didn't need to go to the White House.
They could talk later. In that moment, he only wanted to enjoy the afterglow, the satisfaction of feeling some sort of emotional release.
He had had six months of very pleasant, relaxing weekends, and he wanted many, many more.
