John heard the doubt creep into her voice. She was retreating into her day planner brain where professionalism and schedules reigned supreme. If Victoria didn’t stop this tired self-flagellation, she was in danger of sabotaging herself. “Look,” he said, tightening his grip on her chest. “We’ve worked on this long enough for you to bring the president a finished product. Just skip ahead in the chain of command.”

She planted her bare feet on the mat and pushed her hips upward, a vain attempt to pull away from his locked legs. “I could do that,” she grunted. “But I’m already doing a shitty job of tiptoeing around Kenneth. The man ultimately determines my future and I’m a constant thorn in his side.”

“No man determines your future,” John said forcefully. He knew he certainly couldn’t. Even though she was stuck in his grip, Victoria still held all the cards when it came to his heart. “You’ve got good ideas. You don’t need his permission to voice them.”

Victoria raised one of her free hands and touched the side of his face. “John.”

His chest tightened at the sound his own name. She knew when to say it and what inflection to use. The way it rolled off her tongue made him want to release her and kiss her anxiety away. “It’s true.”

She gave a light and breathy laugh as she blindly held his cheek. “I wish I had your confidence around my mother.”

Behind them, the door opened and Chris cleared his throat. “Looks like the doctor is in a pickle.”

“I’m not,” she called out. “It’s just going to take me a minute to get out of this.”

John craned his neck towards the doorway. “It’s going to take her more than a minute.”

Chris walked in and quietly assessed the situation. “Well, I’m not surprise she got you on the floor,” he addressed John. “She’s a lot faster than you.”

“Exactly,” Victoria said in a strained breath. “I took him down almost immediately.”

Chris crouched down. “I saw. You got him in a lock a couple of times. What happened?”

“He cheated,” she muttered.

John rolled his eyes as Chris nodded. “Sounds about right.”

“Mr. Donovan ran out of cards and behaved like a cad,” Victoria said.

His friend’s gaze slid over to his. “You can’t underestimate a desperate man,” he said with a smirk. He raised himself to full height and looked down at their embrace. “I’ll let you in on a secret, Dr. Reese. Johnny’s ticklish.”

“Chris...”

His boyhood friend betrayed him with a chuckle. “Nothing a little belly tickle won’t fix.”

Before she could reach downward, John quickly released her and wriggled out from under her. “Okay, okay!”

“I win,” Victoria shouted with glee.

“Point to Dr. Reese,” Chris said with an extended arm in her direction.