"How's Donna working out?" I ask.

"Uh... good. Yeah, good I guess."

"You think she'll stick around?"

Josh shrugs, "She seems eager enough. Knows nothing about politics though, I have to explain everything; how it all works."

"Wouldn't you rather have someone who knows what they're doing?"

"She knows what she's doing, Toby. On a cellular level I mean... she has this, I don't know... weird sense about things. It's like I don't even have to finish what I'm saying and she understands." He takes a mouthful of kung pau chicken and continues, "And she's smart and picks up on things so quickly. She's like a sponge - sucks up everything."

I raise my eyebrows, "You feel comfortable using that particular phrase?"

He ignores me. "She's been here two weeks and already she's running my life. You know what she did yesterday?"

"What?" I don't really care of course but we've only been working together for a few months and Andy seems to think I should try and get along better with my co-workers.

"She coordinated my schedule."

"So? Bonnie does that for me."

"She used colors, Toby! She has this bag of markers and she went through my schedule and outlined different things in different colors. Red is for meetings with important party members, green is for meetings with less important, yellow is for meetings with the other staff, blue for free time." He rolls his eyes with a sigh, "She doesn't let me have much blue."

"None of us have a lot of blue, Josh," I mutter and drain the last of my beer.

"It looks like a rainbow," he complains.

"Then it's a good thing you're not color blind."

Josh reaches into the cooler and throws me another bottle. "So I have this book filled with multicolored boxes and even then she tells me exactly who I have to meet and what I have to do there."

"Shouldn't you already know?"

"I do know but she tells me anyway. And everyone who calls me already knows and likes her!"

"And that's wrong because..."

"It's not wrong! She's just always there. Running my life. She yells at me when I drink too much. And she eats my food right off my plate."

"This is why you're hiding in here with me?"

"I wanted a drink," he mutters, fiddling with the damp paper label on his bottle. "And a chance to enjoy egg rolls without her stealing them from under my nose."

"You're a grown man, Josh, despite all evidence to the contrary and she's only been here two weeks. She's not being paid so if she doesn't fall into line then let her go."

Josh shakes his head, "I couldn't do that."

"So move her to someone else and stop complaining. I want to eat my dinner in peace."

"I can't move her..." he pauses and shrugs. "And I also can't let her leave; I really think she can go far with us."

"Josh..." I say warningly, "don't even think about it. It can't happen."

"Think about what?" he asks a little too quickly. "Is there any more shrimp lo mein?"

I push the carton across and point at him with a chopstick. "You know what I'm talking about. She's too young and she works for you. You really want to kill this campaign with a sex scandal?"

"She's not being paid," he counters. "And she's only like ten years younger... but it doesn't matter, I'm not thinking anything."

I roll my eyes. "God, Josh, I really don't care. If Donna's making your life easier then keep her and if she's not, then get rid of her. It's not that difficult."

"But, Toby," he whines and I hold my hand up.

"Be a man, Josh," I command, irritated because he just won't shut up about her. "You owe her nothing. Get rid of her if you're not happy."

He leans back in the chair and stares at the ceiling. "I'll give it a few more weeks."

"Good. Are we done talking about her now?"

"Done."

"Then give me the lo mein if you're not eating it." Josh pushes it back across the table and as I dig in there's a knock on the door.

"Go away!" I yell through a mouthful of food. Why can't people leave me alone when I'm eating?

A soft voice floats through the door. "Toby, it's Donna. Have you seen Josh anywhere?"

I flick my eyes over to where Josh has slid down in his chair and is shaking his head violently. "What?" I hiss.

"I'm not here," he mimes, dramatically gesticulating with his hands.

"He's in here, Donna!" I yell back to her, and scoop another lump of shrimp into my mouth.

The glare Josh directs at me switches to a bright smile when Donna pokes her head in the room. "Hey, Donna."

She surveys the table, littered with empty beer bottles and Chinese food cartons. "What are you doing?"

"Um... I'm talking to Toby?"

"Are there any egg rolls left?" she leans down and starts poking through the remnants of our dinner; Josh drops his head in his hands and gives a tiny sigh. "You didn't save me any?"

"Err, Toby ate the last one," he says quickly and I glare at him.

"How many beers did you drink, Josh?" Donna continues, her voice tinged with annoyance. "You have a meeting first thing tomorrow!"

"I can cope," Josh insists and Donna gives him a look. I know that look; I get it from Andy all the time. Donna's trying not to yell and, even though I don't care, it amuses me that Josh is so firmly under her thumb.

She folds her arms and stares down at him, "We have to go over your schedule for tomorrow. Toby, you don't mind if I take him away from you?"

"By all means, take him away from me," I say encouragingly. "He's all yours, Donna."

"Come on then, Josh," she says brightly and picks up the carton of chicken I'm about to poke my chopsticks into. "Can I take this too?"

"Sure!" Josh says quickly before I can say no. "Toby doesn't want any more food. Take what you like."

"Thanks," she grins and grabs the shrimp lo mein. "I'll just take this one as well. Can you bring me a soda, Josh?" He nods and she trips lightly out of the room.

Josh reaches into the cooler for a soda, "See?"

"Get rid of her."

"I like her," he says ruefully. "And my life is organi-" his sentence is interrupted by Donna bellowing his name. "Well, I gotta go. Thanks for dinner."

"Thanks for giving it to your assistant," I grumble. "And when you feel the need to hide from her again don't knock on my door."

"There's no one else, Toby; you're my man."

"I really don't want to be your man, Josh," I grunt. "What about Sam?"

"That's the first place she looks. She's onto me."

"And I'll be the second place she looks from now on," I point out, and he nods dejectedly.

"Damn."

"So you'll have to find someone else."

"JOOOOOSH!" echoes down the hallway.

"I'd make the sound of a whip cracking but again, I really don't care about you two," I mutter. "Just don't do what you and I both know you're thinking about doing."

"I'm thinking nothing," he insists. "She's my assistant and she'll always be my assistant. Nothing more."

"Right."

"Right," he sighs, and pulls the door closed behind him.