Chapter 409

"Your majesty." The president of the United States said, bowing and smiling. "Welcome and thank you for attending today. We are pleased to have you." Christian smiled and bowed, then kissed his wife's hand. She was gorgeous. Young and fiery. They were the first Asian-American couple to fill the title of President and First Lady. They had a veracity and eagerness to change the world that Christian admired very much. The commander in chief, President Nakamura, had Japanese parents and his wife, Afina, was born in the Maldives, her father a successful business man there. They were young, 39 and 34 respectfully.

"I am in love with this tie. So unique!" Afina said. Christian smiled.

"Thank you, it was a gift." He said. "From a close friend." She smiled and nodded.

After the breakfast, Christian gave a speech about how excited he was to begin this new idea of all the leaders of the world meeting for a causal breakfast every three months. "I can only see this as an opportunity for unity and progress. I look forward to sharing ideas, talking about strategy and also, learning about President Nakamura's oldest son's soccer game. Or the Russian president's new car. Or the Italian president's last fishing trip off the Adriatic coast. These are the things that keep us aligned. The knowledge that we are all human, all sisters and brothers and all of us having something to love, something to lose, and something to hope for." He said. "The fact they we have all agreed to this is a testament to the power of President Nakamura's vision of world peace and of the commitment we all have to becoming better, less greedy, more caring and more unified as a world, as a real goal and not just an as ideal."

He thanked everyone individually for coming and the day closed with lots of laughter and smiles. It felt good to be a part of something great.

Christian arrived back at the hotel later that afternoon and was greeted by a very happy Nora.

"Oh my goodness, I watched your speech live on the news. It was amazing." She said, giving him a big hug. He smiled and thanked her. She handed him a glass of wine and lead him to the couch.

"Thank you. I needed a drink after that. How has your day been?" He asked.

She smiled shyly and looked down.

"What?" He asked.

"So, after I found out about who you really were, I spent a few days searching you online." She said. Christian scowled a bit.

"No! Not in a bad way, I wanted to learn more about you. Who you are. What you believe, your views, your work. I found all of your speeches, even ones from when you were a young boy. I have to tell you, I was absolutely blown away. This guy that I met at a bar, that I had a fling with on a spontaneous vacation, that I find myself craving more than air, is an intelligent, bright, and good man. Literally one of the best humans on the earth. And I was spending time with him, not even knowing what a treasure I had near me." She said. He smiled and blushed.

"I don't understand that about myself but I do understand what it feels like to realize you have something extraordinary in your life." He said, looking into her eyes and tilting her face with his hand. "I may be young, but I have sorted out the importance of recognizing that. I most definitely understand making sure you hold onto it." He said. She looked into his eyes and he could see how much she desired him, responded to him. He felt it. He felt love.

"Nora, I have to tell you something." He said.

"Alright." She said.

"Nora, I am in… "

"Christian, you have a call. The president. Sounds important." Derek interrupted.

"I am in… dire need of a vacation." He quickly recovered, realizing it wasn't a good time for that confession. "I will be right back." He said. Nora smiled and nodded.

After he hung up, Christian smiled and walked out to Nora.

"We have been invited to a private dinner at the White House this evening." Christian said.

"I'm sorry. I thought you said "we". You must have meant "I". She said.

"Actually no, I said "we". I may have mentioned I was seeing someone to the First Lady at breakfast today. They would like to have us for dinner." Christian said.

"But I, I don't have a dress to wear? I only brought the gown I am wearing to the gala tomorrow night and only casual clothes." Nora said, looking a bit panicked. Christian picked up his phone.

"Yes. Please have a semi formal, cocktail dress ready for pickup." He looked at Nora. "Your measurements, please." He said.

Nora looked confused.

"36, 27, 42." She said. "5'1, 130 lbs."

"Did you get that? Yes. Size 8 or 10 sounds about right then. We need it within the next two hours. Just send Derek the information when you have it. Thank you, Raye."

"Did I just hear you have your assistant order me a dress?" She asked.

"Yes." He said.

"Wow." She said.

"Get used to it. We have many more adventures in store." Christian said with a smile, finishing his wine.

"We do?" Nora asked, raising her eyebrow. He put the glass down and walked to her. He took her hand and pulled her close to him. Looking into her eyes, he said, "We most certainly do."