She heard him say something about “continuing this later,” and she mumbled the words “bathroom,” “find my date,” and “see you at work,” as she bolted for the door. Matt looked confused but he let her pass and she could hear him ask the Chief about their VOP as she plunged into the crowd. Once she was surrounded by strangers, safe in the crush of the party, she started shaking.

Fighting against waves of revulsion, Natalie made for the nearest bathroom. Her feet were throbbing, her skull ached, and she wished she could find fresh air that didn’t smell of teriyaki. Pulling the door shut behind her, she replayed the scene in the kitchen. Did that just happen? She must have misunderstood. He wouldn’t do that, not in public. He’s a family man. Heart of gold. With shaking fingers, she opened her clutch to find the extra blue pills Matt had given her earlier. “Plenty more where they came from,” he’d said.

She put a pill in her mouth and, feeling her heart race, decided it wouldn’t hurt to take two. She swallowed and slid down onto the floor, leaning back against the wall and closing her eyes, trying to slow her breathing and her frenzied thoughts.

When she jerked awake, there was a pounding at the door.

Shit. She’d dozed off. How long had she been in here? The buzz had definitely kicked in.

Standing up, she cupped water from the sink to help wake her up and checked her reflection in the mirror.

You look tidy. You look professional. You’re good, she repeated like a mantra in her head. Feeling like she was in a fugue state, she did a quick reset of her makeup and headed back out, apologizing to the people in line outside the door.

She had just stepped into the foyer when she ran into James. She resisted the temptation to press her face into his chest and start to cry.

She must have seemed slightly wild-eyed because he gazed at her, concerned. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere. Are you okay?” he said.

“I don’t know,” she said quietly.

He tilted his head and, without a word, pulled her in for a hug.

With her head pressed against James, Natalie felt an explosion of warmth. He was nothing like the Chief. James was kind and good—and tall. I could get lost in you, she thought.

His voice was a low caress as he asked, “Want to get out of here?”

She pulled back, looked up at him, and nodded. “Yes. I really do.”

THE EARLYBIRD™/ SATURDAY / 7:33 A.M.

THE E-NEWSLETTER TRUSTED BY WASHINGTON'S POLITICAL ELITE

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