Out of my mind.

Anyway, I am concentrating more on how to get her back for her little coffee deal with CJ -- I mean, she's giving CJ my coffee when I totally won the bet!  Donna kissed my neck.  She practically sucked on my neck; how is this not illegal touching?  And then, her hands were sliding around--

Out of my mind.  Out!

Coffee.  Winning.

That's all I have to worry about right now.

Well, that and Stackhouse and his blustery filibuster.  And missing the exhibition game.  Dammit.  Not that I would care about the game if Donna would, you know, hurry up and lose the bet.  And then come home with me.  I could surely occupy myself all weekend--

Out!  Out!

Okay, I'm going to get some work done.  I'm going to take this opportunity, this complete waste of time, and put it to good use.  I'm going to go through this stack of non-urgent memos.  Maybe I'll even file the interesting ones.  Most importantly, I'm going to do this all without help from Donna.  Because I don't need the temptation.

"Josh!"

Karma, may I point out, is evil.

I glance up to see Donna standing in my doorway.  Beaming.

"Yes, Donna," I sigh.

She frowns at me.  "What's your problem?"

"Nothing," I answer. " I'm not at all sexually frustrated."

"Josh!" she hisses, stepping into the office and pulling the door closed.  "Quit it!  CJ will hear you."

"So?"  I stand up and my hands land on my hips.  "CJ already knows I'm sexually frustrated.  CJ is the one enforcing the me-being-sexually-frustrated rule."

Donna takes a step closer.  "You're not the only one who's sexually frustrated, Josh," she points out.

"Obviously."  I smirk at her.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Who jumped whom earlier today?"

"We're not talking about that," Donna says haughtily.  "And, besides, you claimed full responsibility."

"Only because you tricked me.  You used Bast's powers for evil, didn't you?  'Cause otherwise--"

"Josh!"

"What?"

"I came in for a reason," she says, impatiently tapping her pen on the notepad she's holding.

I positively swagger my way around the corner of the desk, then lean against it.  "Really?" I ask, my tone suitably cocky.

"Joshua, get a life.  I'm here for work."

"Fine," I say, sighing and slumping onto the desk.  "What?"

"Stackhouse has an autistic grandchild."

I stare at her for a moment.  "Stackhouse?"

"Yes."

"Has an autistic grandchild?"

"Yes," Donna nods, looking pleased with herself.  "His name is William, and he's eleven years old."

I take a moment to digest that.  "Okay.  Well, let's give him what he wants."

She grins at me again.  "I knew you would say that."

"First, we've got to get CJ, then--"

"CJ knows," Donna says.

"Okay," I answer, my eyes narrowing.  "And we've got to get the President on board; Leo too."

"The President told CJ to screw the print deadline."

I narrow my eyes.  "I'm sorry?"

"Just now," Donna says.  "In the Oval Office.  He told her--"

"Wait."  I stand up and close the scant distance between us.  "You and CJ took a meeting in the Oval Office with Leo and the President?"

"Yes," Donna smiles up at me.

"To figure out how to give Stackhouse what he wants?" I ask, just to be clear.  'Cause, you know, maybe I'm misunderstanding what she's saying.

"Yes."

"And you didn't think to bring me in on this?"

"Well," Donna shrugs, "I didn't really need you on this."

My jaw is hanging open.  Seriously.  I am stunned.  "Excuse me?" I manage, but my voice sounds all high and strange.  My -- whatever the hell she is now -- is taking meetings with the President?

"Josh," Donna says, patting my arm.  "We just needed to get the President's approval to harass some Senators into returning so Stackhouse can yield for a question--"

"And not yield the floor," I answer, dazed.  And not only because Donna's ability to retain random information tossed her way is amazing; she seems to have forgotten that her hand is lightly squeezing my bicep.

"Exactly," Donna says happily.  She is so hot.

"You just..."  I wave my hand -- my free hand; I'm not about to dislodge her possibly illegal hand from my arm -- in the air distractedly, "masterminded a political, you know, thing?"

Donna sways closer to me.  "Why, yes. I guess I did."

"You did," I confirm, and the shock is mutating swiftly to awe, pride, and healthy helping of lust.  She is just so incredibly hot right now.  "You really did, Donna."

Donna takes a small step, and ends up almost against me.  "You want me so bad right now, don't you?" she breathes.

"Yes," I admit, leaning down until we are inches away from kissing.  "I really do."

Donna grins up at me, and my drift shut in anticipation.  Then she pushes me away.  My eyes pop open to see Donna, grinning at me from the doorway.

"Too bad," she says lightly.  "We've got work to do."

"But--"

"You need to call O'Connor.  Then Schaer.  Oh, and maybe Brayton."

"But we--"

"Josh," she admonishes, "just put the whole celibacy thing out of your mind.  You'll be fine."

I nod dumbly and follow her out into the bullpen.  "Out of my mind," I repeat.

Donna grins at me over her shoulder.  "Exactly."

THE END

03.15.01