Work Text
If you prick us do we not bleed? If you tickle us do we not laugh? If you poison us do we not die? And if you wrong us shall we not revenge? – The Merchant of Venice, Act III, Scene I. It was a chilly November but Kent was too agitated to notice the bite in the air. He was sat on the end of the bed watching the news. His hair was damp from the shower and he hadn’t yet buttoned up his shirt. They had been forecast an easy win, but the polls were now slipping away.The bathroom door opened. He glanced towards it. Sue strolled out. She dropped the towel to the floor as she walked over to him. She put her slim, narrow hand on his shoulder. Her body wash made her skin smell of lemon and honey.‘Get dressed,’ she said.‘That “President Snowflake” meme is taking a bite out of our returns,’ Kent said.She squeezed his shoulder. ‘Get dressed,’ she said. ‘The snowflake needs you, and I want to watch the peons grovelling to you.’Kent smiled slightly as she put on her earrings. ‘Put on some heels and you’re done.’She twitched an eyebrow. ‘Better than whatever designer nightmare FLOTUS-to-be will be wearing,’ she said.Kent buttoned up his shirt. ‘We’re going to have to do something about that,’ he said. ‘FLOTUS in a dress is fluff. FLOTUS unfavourably compared to a flamingo serial killer is a distraction.’Sue was putting on her bra. ‘That dress was hideous. She doesn’t know the difference between fashion and style.’Kent pulled on his pants. ‘Perhaps Amy can be more assertive. She always appears quite smart and conservatively dressed.’Sue stepped into a yellow sheath dress. She turned to let him button up the back. ‘Doubtful. They do not get on. Amy’s only there because she was promised a job in the administration. She’s utterly wasted working for FLOTUS.’‘And Ben wanted someone in her camp.’Sue smirked as a thought struck her. ‘Perhaps Bill Ericsson can... take FLOTUS in hand. He’s always well dressed.’Kent smiled ruefully. ‘Don’t even joke about that.’‘Snowflake still has no idea?’‘None,’ Kent said. ‘He would have a breakdown if he knew. It’s why Ben hasn’t told him. He would like nothing better than to loosen her grip on our future president.’Sue sat sidelong on Kent’s lap an pulled on her shoes. ‘Imagine, a woman with the temerity to support her partner’s career.’Kent pulled a face. ‘That’s not the issue. She protects Bill.’‘And Bill is Team Teddy,’ Sue said. ‘The woman has no moral centre. Allowing Teddy in the administration is disgusting.’‘He doesn’t have any morality either,’ Kent said. ‘Or any sense.’‘Which is why he needs you as chief of staff,’ Sue said. ‘When Ben retires, we will need you to keep POTUS from nuking France for being “pussy” or North Korea for not respecting his authority.’Kent smiled. ‘It’s better if you do the voice.’She gave him a severe look. ‘I do not do imitations of cartoon characters.’‘Spoilsport.’Sue rolled her eyes. ‘Don’t diminish this. You deserve chief of staff. He owes it to you. The entire party owes you and if they won’t give it to you then we’ll make them.’***This was either, depending on your point of view, the worst or the best part. The months of campaigning and the years of work added up to this: a few hours to find out if it was all over or just beginning.Kent had his laptop. Sue had hers. They were here to work and they would carry on working until they either had no jobs, or the celebrations grew too raucous.Kent set up in a corner of the room, and all the noise and disturbance faded away. In one window, he was monitoring the polls, in another the results, and in a third he was assessing staffing and potential implementation plans. It would be weeks before any handover of course, but Kent didn’t leave things to the last minute.‘Mr Davison?’The outside world returned in a rush as Kent looked up. Leigh had blossomed the last few years from an awkward girl into, well, into an awkward young woman. But Sue was browbeating a reflexive self-esteem into her.‘Ms Patterson. May I help you?’She had dressed up, anticipating good news. Makeup, hair loose around her shoulders, and a flowing green dress. He hoped all the effort wasn’t wasted. He hoped the pollster’s art had not gone horrifically astray.‘May we speak privately?’ she whispered.‘Certainly.’ He led her out onto the balcony.She shivered in the sudden cold, her fair skin prickling in protest. Kent put his jacket around her shoulders.‘Thank you,’ she said. She wetted her lips, the tip of her tongue circling her lips. ‘You’ve always been good to me, Sir, and Miss Wilson has been very kind.’Kent waited, but she seemed uncertain and uneasy. ‘What’s wrong?’ he prompted.‘I’m not sure,’ she said. ‘The last couple days Mr Cafferty has been a lot of closed-door meetings with the snowflakes.’Kent winced. ‘You mustn’t let anyone hear you call them that.’‘Mr Cafferty does,’ she protested, wide-eyed.‘Not to them,’ Kent said. ‘He can say it to his subordinates. Not the other way around.’Leigh nodded. ‘Yes, Sir.’Kent put his hands on his hips. ‘You think there’s something going on?’Leigh nodded. ‘I’m sure there is.’‘Any idea what?’Leigh hesitated. ‘I heard Sue’s name,’ she said. ‘That’s all.’Kent stiffened his back. ‘Sue’s name.’‘Full name,’ Leigh said. ‘Sue Wilson. Definitely her.’Kent tapped his foot. ‘Okay. Thank you.’‘Do you know what it’s about?’ she asked.‘Not yet.’ Kent squeezed her shoulder. ‘But I will.’She gave him back his jacket and he went back to his laptop. They were definitely hurting. The snowflake stuff had bitten more deeply than they could have imagined.He looked up when there was a spike of sound: calls of welcome. The presumptive vice president had arrived to pretend that he was important as anything other than a placeholder. A suit filler.***It was going to be a win. That was clear. But it wasn’t the huge win that they expected. That they needed. They’d lost seats in both houses. The self-proclaimed “Real Americans,” so unapologetically racist that they boasted it, had three congressmen.The mood in the hotel room was turning. They were going to win and instead of celebrating they were beginning to panic.‘It’s all getting a little tense,’ Owen Pierce said. He was gripping a Styrofoam cup of coffee in a shaking hand.His wife, an owlish blonde with glasses, was on his other side. It looked like she was keeping him from fleeing.‘We need to keep calm heads,’ Kent said. ‘This will be taxing but we are all capable of meeting a challenge.’Owen’s uncertain gaze was wobbling. ‘My Daddy always says that all evil takes is for good men to do nothing.’Kent looked at him blankly.‘Racists,’ Mrs Pierce murmured.‘We shouldn’t work with those assholes calling themselves “Real Americans,” they’re not real Americans. They’re… buttmunches!’ Pierce turned to his wife. ‘I apologise for my language,’ he said. ‘They make me so angry.’‘We can’t ignore them,’ Kent said.‘But –’Kent held up his hands. ‘However, we need to form alliances to work around them, to neutralise them. You, Sir, need to begin forming alliances among the house and cabinet.’Pierce was an idiot, a safe, harmless idiot. Everyone knew that. It was why he had been tapped as the running mate. It was why he would be confirmed as the vice president.He was an idiot, but he was smart enough to think about Kent’s words.‘My staff is very enthusiastic,’ Pierce said. ‘We’re all on the same page absolutely.’ He leaned closer. ‘We don’t know what we’re doing,’ he admitted. ‘I’d appreciate any help you can give me.’Kent shrugged. ‘That’s my advice,’ he said. ‘Make friends. Make as many friends as you can as widely as you can.’‘That’s the best advice I’ve heard in a while,’ Tom James said. He introduced himself cheerfully to Mrs Pierce.‘So, Ben’s retiring,’ Tom said when the Pierce’s excused themselves. ‘And you’re the heir presumptive.’‘If called upon to serve... etcetera,’ Kent said.‘We’re weakened in the house,’ Tom observed. ‘Listening to what you were saying to Pierce, would I be right in thinking you’re in favour of a more cooperative, less dictator-y, approach to governance?’Kent nodded, scanning the room to see who else might be listening. ‘The prospective cabinet has a wealth of experience, ability, and intelligence.’Tom lowered his voice. ‘Which is more than can be said for the prospective president.’Kent shrugged and said nothing.‘Your discretion is quite a change to Ben,’ Tom said.Kent clasped his hands together. ‘Ben has an open door, open opinion policy.’‘Well, I for one will not miss the hysteria,’ Tom said. ‘Or the lingering aroma of alcohol at eleven in the morning.’***The cheering was deafening, which was a shame as the speech which they’d written was rather stirring. Mike had crawled back from the political wilderness to do some okay-ish work which everyone else had punched up.Kent knew there was something wrong the moment he saw Ben and Shawnee walking towards him. Ben couldn’t hide his emotions good or bad, and Shawnee was as subtle as a hungry shark.‘We need to talk real quick,’ Shawnee said.‘There’s an office –’ Ben began.‘No, let’s not make this a thing,’ she said. ‘Everyone is cheering. We don’t want to fuck that up.’Kent tried to swallow the bile that was rising in his throat. ‘What’s going on?’Shawnee looked at him. ‘You’re not taking over from Ben.’‘Jesus!’ Ben said. ‘A little delicacy wouldn’t hurt.’She rolled her eyes. ‘Rip the band aid off.’‘Why?’ Kent managed. ‘I have worked –’‘Nobody has a problem with your work,’ Ben said. ‘That’s not what it’s about. Fuck. Look, we’ve had a big backlash with the “liberal bias” shit. A president who’s a Jewish convert, half the prospective cabinet are either women or non-white. We’re clinging on by our fingertips.’ He shrugged. ‘You being chief of staff would push us over the edge.’Kent closed his eyes for a moment. ‘You are pandering to racists and misogynists by denying –’‘We can’t antagonise these fuckers,’ Shawnee said. ‘We have to engage them.’‘You’re Jewish!’‘I’m a pragmatist,’ she said. “And you’re banging a black chick, not for the first time.’Kent opened his mouth and found he didn’t know which protest to make first.Ben put his hand on Kent’s forearm. ‘This isn’t a punishment. You’re not being fired. We’re all very grateful for your hard work. Jonah’s very grateful.’‘We just need you out of the public eye,’ Shawnee said.‘Meyer is gonna be looking for a chief of staff when Richard Splett starts working with the VP,’ Ben said. ‘You say the word and I’ll make it happen.’Kent covered his mouth with his hand.‘Great,’ Shawnee said. ‘Here comes the black chick.’Kent turned as Sue marched over.‘Is there a problem?’ she asked.‘Think about it,’ Ben said, slapping Kent on the back.‘Take him to your room and fuck him hard,’ Shawnee said to Sue. ‘You owe him that.’***‘Those… fucking –’Sue squeezed his hand. They were in the elevator. ‘Security cameras,’ she said through gritted teeth. ‘Wait until we get there.’He gritted his teeth and squeezed his hands into fists. They marched out of the elevator and along the condor. They could still hear the cheering way down below. The celebrations would be going on for hours.Kent and Sue tumbled through the door.‘Those ungrateful fucking assholes!’ Kent growled. He dragged off his tie and kicked off his shoes. ‘I got them this fucking win! They owe me.’‘Tell me.’ Sue asked, watching him stalk around the room like a caged tiger.‘They don’t want me because I “fuck black chicks.” Her words,’ Kent sneered. ‘Ben didn’t want to sully himself with the arrant racism but he agreed. He stood by.’‘That makes him as bad,’ Sue said.Kent grabbed Sue by the waist and pulled her close. ‘I’d like to...’‘To what?’ Sue asked. Her dark eyes were stormy.He kissed her, hard. His hands rough against her skin.‘Tell me what you want to do to them,’ Sue murmured.‘Make them pay.’Sue offered her back to him and he tugged her dress buttons open. ‘Would you ruin them?’ she asked, looking at him over her shoulder.He dragged down her dress and peeled off her underwear. ‘I would.’Sue turned to face him. ‘You should.’He ran his thumb across her lips. ‘We could.’‘Yes,’ she said. ‘We could.’ She pushed him back.Kent stepped back and came up against the wall. He pulled Sue close and kissed her throat. She shoved down his pants. He spun the two of them around. Pushed her against the wall. He lifted her hands above her head and held them there, her wrists gathered easily in his palm. He kissed her neck, as his free hand caressed her breasts, her belly, and her thighs.‘Would you like me to beg you to stop?’ she murmured.‘Yes.’She tipped back her head. ‘Help. Stop. Won’t someone help me.’She felt him chuckle.‘That’s not very convincing,’ he said.Sue squirmed underneath him. ‘We’re in a hotel,’ she said, a little breathless. ‘Thin walls.’He dropped her arms and lifted her. She pushed her fingers in his hair and wrapped her legs around him.‘Fuck me, fuck me,’ she growled as he entered her. Her legs were tight around his waist.She yanked at his hair. Her other hand found his shoulder. Her nails scored his skin.***Kent was lay on the bed, spread like a starfish. Sue was putting an scented body lotion. He watched her smoothing the silky cream into her skin. There was something very satisfying about it. About her narrow hands and slim fingers caressing her stomach and thighs. She didn’t do it for him, he knew that. That made it more appealing, not less.‘You’re awake,’ she said. ‘Good.’‘I’m enjoying the view.’See tilted her head. ‘You have that look. The “it’s my birthday and I’m worried I’m too old for you” look.’ Kent winced.‘Why are you worrying about my commitment?’ Sue asked.He licked his lips. ‘I was supposed to be chief of staff for the president,’ he said. ‘Now I’m nothing. In three months, I might be able to work with Selina. Perhaps.’ He sighed. ‘I’m sorry.’Her expression went cold. ‘You’re sorry?’Kent sat up. ‘Sue, I –’She held up her hand. ‘Why are you apologising?’‘Don’t yell at me,’ Kent said quietly. ‘I’ve had a shitty evening.’‘They fucked you over. They fucked us over. Don’t apologise to me.’ She walked over to the bed and sat down. ‘Make them apologise to us.’Kent reached out to touch her hair. ‘I let you down.’‘No,’ Sue said. ‘You didn’t. That woman fired you for sleeping with me,’ Sue said. ‘They chose people like the “Real Americans” over us. That is unacceptable.’ She kissed him. ‘We’ll make them pay. You and me. Don’t blame yourself. Don’t demean either of us that way.’Kent watched her get up and began brushing her hair.‘You want to do this?’ he asked.She glanced at him. For someone who was rarely emotional, Sue could say a great deal with only a look.Kent nodded. ‘It’s possible. Especially with Jonah.’‘Start with Ben,’ Sue suggested. ‘He’s weak. You know his vulnerabilities.’Kent tapped his thumbs together. ‘He’s been having an affair.’‘Ugh,’ Sue said. ‘That won’t be enough to force him out. It might be enough to earn some... assistance from Joyce.’Kent raised his eyebrows. ‘Assistance?’‘Men tell their partners all kinds of secrets. They not always aware that they’re doing it.’ Sue turned around. ‘Joyce will know things.’ She raised her eyebrow. ‘She will tell you if you ask her the right way.’‘What’s the “right” way to ask?’Sue smiled slightly. ‘The way that makes her feel special, the way that reminds her how lonely and unfulfilled Ben makes her. Joyce has always liked you.’Kent felt himself redden. ‘That seems... unethical.’‘Since when have you cared about ethics?’‘Unfaithful then,’ he said. ‘We’ve never...’Sue walked across and cupped his face with her hand. ‘It’s a means to an end, that’s all. You wouldn’t be breaking faith with me.’ She brushed her fingers through his hair. ‘Do what you need to do, Kent, as long as you’re honest about it.’***Leigh was holding the cup and saucer on her lap. The cup clattered against the saucer as her hands shook. Her face was flushed red and her jaw was clenched. ‘He’s just as bad as President Meyer ever was,’ she said. ‘People are saying it’s because you’re dating Sue. Is that true? She’s still there.’Kent thought about putting his hand over hers to stop the endlessly rattling cup, or taking it off her. But he didn’t.‘I was told that was the reason,’ he said.‘But there are lots of unmarried staffers.’He almost smiled at that. ‘No, it’s not because we’re cohabiting. It’s because she’s black.’It took a moment for it to percolate through her brain. A moment of innocence. Her eyes widened slowly.‘They can’t do that,’ she said.‘They did.’‘And Mr Cafferty’s wife is Asian!’‘Yes,’ Kent said sourly. ‘Evidently that’s not as much of an issue.’Leigh looked away. He heard her breathing gradually relax. ‘But you’re going to fix this.’He sipped his coffee. ‘I’ll find something,’ he said with more confidence than he thought entirely warranted.Leigh gave him a look. ‘You don’t have to tell me,’ she said. ‘I understand being careful.’ She took a sip of her tea. ‘But I would like to help.’She turned around when the door opened. Sue walked in with an armful of dry cleaning.‘Hello, Ms Wilson.’‘Good afternoon, Leigh,’ Sue said. She put her hand on Leigh’s shoulder for a moment. ‘It’s nice of you to visit.’‘She didn’t get the memo that I’m persona-non-grata,’ Kent said.‘Self-deprecation is a sign of intelligence but it can backfire,’ Sue said to Leigh. ‘It requires intelligence to understand it.’Leigh fidgeted with her cup. ‘So, what’re you going to do now?
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
There was a dip in the noise level when Sue walked over to the table. It was momentary, and several of the ladies greeted her warmly, but it was there.Joyce gave her a hug. It made Sue stiffen with discomfort, but that was nothing new. Shawnee looked like she’d been sucking a lemon, but that was nothing new either. Sue considered herself a pragmatist, but there was something about Shawnee that rankled more than her racism. Perhaps it was the naked manipulation, or perhaps it was disgust that she would choose to cling to a stupid-but-easily-manipulated man rather than make her own way.‘What’s Kent doing now?’ Joyce asked.Shawnee rolled her eyes. ‘It’s been like a day and a half. He’s probably sat on the couch scratching his ass.’‘I’m sure he’s not,’ Joyce said, before Sue could answer. ‘He’s very... dynamic. Not like Ben.’Sue sipped her wine. It was the only thing that made “lunch with the girls” tolerable. ‘Kent is doing some consultancy work,’ she said. ‘Unfortunately, that means he’ll be travelling a good deal.’‘I wish Jonah would,’ Shawnee said. ‘Absence is the best aftershave.’Joyce made a face at Sue, whose lips twitched in a smile.‘In fact, I dislike Kent being away,’ she said.‘Well aren’t you just the devoted love birds,’ Shawnee said.‘You should get married.’ Joyce said. ‘He wants to.’‘Oh God, no,’ Shawnee said. ‘Don’t marry him. You are in the perfect position right now, Susan. You can just walk away any time that you want.’Susan. Sue gripped her glass.‘That’s why people get married,’ Joyce said. ‘To encourage them to work problems out. If it’s easy to leave them people have no motivation to stay!’‘Ben has been married multiple times before,’ Sue pointed out. She sipped her wine. ‘I have been married before. It has not left me in a rush to repeat the experience.’Shawnee put her chin in her hand. ‘You were married before? Spill.’‘That was Sean, right?’ Joyce asked.‘I married him on the rebound,’ Sue said with a small shudder. ‘I knew it was a mistake almost immediately.’Shawnee pulled a face. ‘Beats knowing before and doing it anyway.’Joyce shot Sue an impishly amused glance. ‘Men,’ she said. ‘But we’re stuck with them.’Sue raised an eyebrow. ‘Not necessarily.’Shawnee gave Sue a slow, calculating look. ‘What’re you gonna suggest, we start fucking each other?’‘No,’ Sue said. ‘None of you are my type.’‘Father likes to watch two young ladies together,’ Mrs Furlong said, speaking for the first time.They looked at her. Shawnee silently pushed her food away.‘I like a man, ‘Joyce said, a wistful tone in her voice. ‘I like the bulk and heft of them.’‘Plenty of fat women around,’ Shawnee said.‘It is different,’ Sue acknowledged. ‘Overall, I do prefer men. However there have been women. I have enjoyed my time with them.’‘Wow,’ Shawnee said. ‘Does Kent know?’Sue nodded. ‘He and I have no secrets, least of all sexually.’ She took out her cell. ‘He even sent me photos from their “fact-finding mission” last month.’‘To the hospital?’ Joyce asked.Shawnee rolled her eyes. ‘Hospital my ass. Lemme see the pictures. Jonah was so drunk he couldn’t remember if he’d done anything terribly stupid.’‘How is that different from when he’s sober?’ Sue asked.Shawnee thought about it. ‘If he was sober, he’d remember that he paid the stripper a thousand dollars to... ew.’Her pitying glance at Joyce said more than enough. Joyce took the phone, looked at the photograph, and swallowed sharply.‘What is it?’ Mrs Furlong asked, taking the phone.‘Boys being boys,’ Shawnee muttered. ‘Kent sent you those? In one of them he had his hand on a stripper’s thigh.’‘That’s all he did,’ Sue said. ‘He tells me everything. Honesty is far more important than outdated ideas of sexual ownership of each other or petty jealousies.’Joyce got up abruptly, and ran towards the bathroom. Someone handed Sue’s cell back to her. It showed Jonah leering at a stripper. In the background, Ben was receiving oral sex.‘Are we gonna toss a coin on who gets to tell her that “Ben’s an unfaithful prick,” blah, blah, blah?’ Shawnee asked.‘No.’ Sue stood up. ‘I’ll go.’‘Thank fuck for that,’ Shawnee muttered.Sue walked quickly towards the rest rooms. In truth, she rather liked Joyce, in small doses, and didn’t enjoy seeing her distress. She wouldn’t wish Shawnee’s “sympathies” on her or Mrs Furlong’s self-righteous warbling.Joyce was crying in a cubicle. Sue rolled her eyes.‘Joyce?’‘Sue?’‘Yes.’Joyce’s voice was thick with tears, and, after a few moments, Sue heard her blow her nose.‘Sorry,’ Joyce said. ‘Allergies, you know.’‘Allergies don’t deserve your tears,’ Sue said.Joyce sighed heavily and exited the cubicle. ‘If I ask you something, will you tell me the truth?’Sue thought about it. ‘I will try. I’m told I’m too honest.’Joyce gave a small laugh. ‘I can see that.’ She blew her nose. ‘Is Ben having an affair? Not with the stripper. With someone else.’‘Yes,’ Sue said. ‘With Bobbi Carmichael on the central committee.’Joyce leaned against the wall. ‘He promised me,’ she said quietly. ‘He cheated on her other wives but he promised me that it would different.’ ‘I’m sorry.’‘Does everyone know?’ Joyce asked. ‘Are they all at the table laughing at me?’Sue awkwardly patted her shoulder. ‘Nobody is laughing at you. You are too well-liked.’ Sue clasped her hands together. ‘I know about the affair because Kent told me. Nobody is gossiping about it.’Joyce dried her eyes. ‘It’s not Shawnee and Bill? Or Shawnee and Ross? Or Shawnee and Peter?’Sue’s lips twitched into a smile. ‘No. It’s nothing like that. Shawnee doesn’t care if she humiliates Jonah. In fact, I believe that she wants him to find out. Ben cares for you enough to make some attempt at discretion.’Joyce rolled her eyes. ‘Don’t make excuses for him. You and Kent know. You’re our best friends. If I knew that Kent was having an affair I would tell you.’Sue took a breath and released slowly. ‘That wouldn’t be an issue. Kent and I have an agreement.’Joyce blew her nose again. ‘You mean like... one of those lists of people you can sleep with?’Sue shrugged. ‘We don’t have written lists. However, we have an understanding that we can negotiate extracurricular fun if one of us wishes to.’Joyce’s eyes sparked with interest. ‘But how do you decide? What if you disagree? What if one of you gets emotionally invested? Don’t you get jealous?’‘It’s all about trust and honesty,’ Sue said. ‘Neither of us would have fun with someone looking for a relationship. But if there was someone we both liked who needed to feel desirable, cared for, or similar, then there would be no harm in that.’ Sue gave Joyce’s forearm a pat.Joyce took her lipstick out of her purse. ‘So,’ she said, fiddling with it. ‘I was thinking I might visit Kent,’ she said. ‘He’s probably a little... sore about work.’Sue nodded. ‘The other boys are avoiding him.’‘That’s awful, he didn’t do anything wrong!’ Joyce was scowling as she put on her lipstick. ‘Ben should know better.’‘I’m sure Kent would love to see you,’ Sue said, nudging the conversation a little. ‘Perhaps tomorrow afternoon?’‘He’s at home?’ Joyce asked.‘He’s flying out to New York tomorrow morning,’ Sue said. ‘But he’ll be back in the afternoon. I’ll text and tell him to expect you.’Joyce hesitated, but then she looked at the cell in Sue’s hand. ‘Great, she said. ‘It’ll be fun.’***Kent smiled when the door was opened. The little boy grinned back.‘Are your mothers home?’ Kent asked.‘Yes! Selina too!’Kent blinked. ‘You call your grandmother by her first name?’The little boy squealed as he was picked up from behind and planted on Marjorie’s hip.‘Hello, Mr Davison,’ she said. ‘The President doesn’t like being referred to or addressed as grandmother.’‘Good morning, Marjorie. Is she in? I have an appointment.’She stepped aside to let him into the brownstone.‘How is she?’‘Better. I think this Secretary of State job is keeping her going.’Andrew Meyer was coming down the stairs. Kent and Marjorie exchanged a look.‘Just been seeing to my best girl,’ he said. ‘Hi Kent. Good to see you. Heard about the chief of staff bullshit.’‘Ten dollars in the swear jar!’Andrew forced a smile for his grandson. ‘Oh, you... don’t miss a trick, do you?’Marjorie held out the jar and, with bad grace, Andrew shoved a note inside.‘That was a one,’ Marjorie said. ‘It should be a ten.’‘Aren’t you on the ball?’ Andrew asked. ‘Selina must be going bankrupt,’ Kent said.Andrew left with barely a goodbye.‘He’s Catherine’s father and I try to respect him,’ Marjorie said. ‘But it is very difficult.’‘He comes back more times than antibiotic resistant syphilis,’ Kent said.Marjorie nodded. ‘Yes.’Kent followed her upstairs. He was momentarily concerned he was about to see Selina had taken to her bed again. Instead, he was shown into her office where Gary was having a low-key argument with Richard while Selina stood by the window smoking.‘We don’t allow smoking in the house,’ Marjorie said.Kent thought that there was a hint of tiredness in that passive voice. That this was merely the most recent skirmish in an ongoing war.Selina turned around. She looked good. Kent thought that her lips were a little more pouting than he remembered, and her breasts a little prouder. It wasn’t the first time she had been surgical “refreshed,” it wasn’t even the third or fourth time, but Selina had a subtlety and light touch in her surgeries that she lacked in every other aspect of her life.‘I’m blowing it out of the window,’ she protested. ‘Okay, fine,’ she pitched the lit cigarette out of the open window.Kent and Richard flinched.She turned a megawatt smile on Kent. ‘Great to see you. Gary, get some coffee. Richard, go do something somewhere else.’The room emptied as they scattered. Kent regarded Selina curiously. She’d never liked him. She’d never hidden her dislike, so why was she now rolling out the red carpet?She sat on the couch and patted the seat beside her. Kent sat down warily.‘Ben tells me that, despite doing amazing work during the campaign, you’re looking for a position,’ she said.‘Essentially, yes.’Selina crossed her legs, and her skirt crept up her thighs. ‘What happened, did you fuck Shawnee?’Kent gave a small laugh. ‘I did not,’ he said. ‘And Bill still has his job.’‘She’s banging Bill Ericsson?’ Selina sniggered. ‘She likes ‘em tall and dark, doesn’t she?’ She watched him in thoughtful silence for a second or two. ‘Rumour I heard is, you got booted out because you’re shacked up with Sue. A sacrifice to the racist right.’He nodded. ‘That’s the reason I was given.’Selina tapped her foot. ‘You must be all kinds of pissed, you and Sue both.’Kent licked his lips. ‘We’re professionals.’‘Sure,’ Selina said. She put her arm along the top of the sofa, into Kent’s space. ‘Obviously you know that President Elect Pinhead has tapped me for his Secretary of State.’‘It’s a good choice.’‘We both know it was your choice,’ Selina said. ‘And I’m grateful. I also know how valuable you are.’Kent sighed. ‘You’re about to say “but,” aren’t you?’She leaned forward. ‘Kent, I want you. You’re exactly what I need. But here’s my question: do you trust Jonah?’‘To do what?’‘He’s gonna screw me over,’ she said. ‘That Mike-Teavee-looking-fucker is going to steal everything I do and pass it off as his, because he can’t accomplish jack shit.’Kent frowned. ‘How have you seen Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory?’‘Uh, hello, small child in the house,’ Selina said. ‘Plus, Marjorie has a weird crush on Johnny Depp so I don’t even get the good version.’Kent shuddered.Selina touched his hand. It was a calculated gesture, manipulative in the extreme, and he regarded it with a kind of amused curiosity.‘I need you,’ she said, but what I need even more is an “in” with Jonah’s office. If I can get warning of what he’s up to then I work around it. Sue can give it you, and you can give it me. After the way they treated you, why shouldn’t you?’Kent’s phone chimed: a text message. He ignored it.‘I’ll have to discuss it with Sue,’ he said.Selina shrugged. ‘Take your time. It’s all unofficial until the inauguration anyway.’‘Indeed.’‘I hear Tom’s been tapped for treasury,’ she said. ‘That yours too?’‘Ben’s,’ Kent said. ‘Shawnee actually pushed for her father. We barely managed to squash that.’‘Well that’s terrifying,’ Selina said. ‘So, where’s that coffee?’***Kent had a loaf of homemade bread baking in the oven. It was a warm, homely smell. Comforting rather than intensely sensual. He changed out the flowers for fresh ones, and he put on some light classical musical. Then he had a shower and changed into a red skirt and dark Levi jeans. He left the first couple of buttons undone, showing just a hint of his chest.Joyce arrived just after three. She had bought a bottle of wine and was wearing what he suspected was a new dress, and what was definitely a sharp new haircut. She was flustered and uncertain when he answered the door. More so when she registered his tight jeans and the hint of chest hair.‘Let me help you with your coat,’ he offered.She giggled. He wasn’t sure he’d ever heard her do that before.‘You’ve done something with your hair.’She touched it with her fingertips. ‘I’ve wanting to get it cut short for ages,’ she said. ‘Ben doesn’t like short hair.’Kent hung up her coat. ‘Well it’s working for you.’‘You think?’ she asked. ‘Not too short?’He looked into her pleading eyes. ‘Not at all,’ he said. ‘It highlights your cheek bones.’She smiled. ‘Your hair always looks amazing.’Kent laughed, more in surprise than anything else. ‘Thank you.’ He held up the bottle of wine. ‘Shall we open this?’‘You don’t think it’s too early?’ she asked hopefully, wanting to be convinced.Kent looked at the bottle, and then at Joyce, letting his eyes linger on her. ‘I think that we’re both mature, intelligent adults who don’t need to rely on social conventions to tell us what we can enjoy and when.’She blushed and smiled. ‘You make a good argument.’‘I’ll open this in the kitchen,’ he said. He wasn’t surprised when she followed him in, her heels clacking on the tiles.‘Are you baking?’ she asked.‘Just some bread, I should take it out to cool.’ Kent smoothly pulled the cork out of the bottle.‘Ben doesn’t cook,’ Joyce said, taking two wine glasses down from the shelf. ‘He can’t boil an egg.’‘Sue claims she can,’ Kent said. ‘But I’ve never seen her try.’She handed him the glasses, and her fingers brushed against his. Her cheeks flushed, but she didn’t look away.‘That’s a good trick.’ Joyce watched him pour the wine. She played with a lock of her hair. ‘I’m sorry about the job,’ she said. ‘You deserved it. It was wrong what they did.’‘Yes, it was,’ Kent said. He handed her a glass of wine.She licked her lips. ‘You going to be okay?’‘Yeah,’ Kent said quietly. ‘I’ll be okay.’She sipped her drink. ‘If I ask you something, will you tell me the truth?’‘I’ll try,’ Kent said.‘That’s what Sue said,’ Joyce said.Kent snapped his fingers. ‘Oops.’She shook her head. ‘Don’t apologise. It’s nice.’He sipped his drink. ‘What were you going to ask?’She swirled the wine around her glass. ‘Ben’s having an affair. That’s not my question.’ She looked at him. ‘Have there been others?’He took a breath and squared his shoulders. ‘Joyce. I’m unsure what this gains you, apart from pain.’Joyce titled her head. ‘You don’t want to hurt my feelings.’‘No,’ he said honestly.She shrugged. ‘Then you care more than Ben.’ She touched his shirt. ‘So, the answer is yes. How many?’He touched the back of her hand. ‘Four that I know of.’‘There might be others,’ she said. ‘Ones you don’t know about.’‘Unknown unknowns,’ Kent agreed. ‘What do you want to do? Ben’s not good at covering his tracks. You’re smart and tenacious. I’m sure that you’ll be able to find evidence.’Joyce shook her head. ‘I want evidence,’ she said. ‘But I don’t want a divorce.’‘What do you want to do?’ Kent asked again.She looked at her glass. ‘I want him to feel what it’s like.’ She raised her gaze back to Kent’s eyes. ‘I want to know all of their names. I want pictures, movies, and all of that shit.’ She rested her hand on his chest. ‘You help me with some of that?’Kent nodded slowly. ‘I can.’‘Any babies?’‘Babies?’Joyce’s eyes were dark. ‘That... man get any of them pregnant?’‘I thought that he’d had a vasectomy,’ Kent said cautiously.She stared at him. ‘Vasectomy?’‘Last March,’ Kent said. ‘Perhaps I was mistak–’Joyce kissed him. Her arm snaked around Kent’s neck.‘You going to help me with this?’ she asked, looking into his eyes.‘Yes.’ He kissed her, a soft, slow kiss. ‘What do you want me to do?’‘Take me upstairs,’ she said.***He tied her wrists to the bed posts with silk ties. Joyce was breathing fast and heavy. She licked her lips and closed her eyes as he trailed a feather down her body.‘Would you like a blindfold?’ he whispered into her ear.She nodded, writhing under him, and gripping her bedposts.He used one of Sue’s scarves. It didn’t black out the light but instead filled her world with a suffused bluish light through her eyelids. He heard her moan as he kissed her.Her feet tangled in the sheet as his fingers slid into her warm wetness. Circling her clitoris as he kissed her breasts, dipping into her as he so gently bit the shell of her ear. She was babbling. Nonsense. Guttural sounds.***Sue regarded the house. There was a light on in the living room but nowhere else. Very well. She took a breath and marched down the path. She let herself in and listened carefully. She could hear the faint sound of the television. She put her shoes on the stand by the door and hung up her coat.‘Kent?’He was in the living room, working on his laptop. He looked up as she walked into the room and forced a smile.‘I’ll pour us a drink,’ Sue said, kissing his cheek.‘A cup of tea would be very welcome,’ he said, catching her hand and squeezing it.‘Okay.’ She went into the kitchen, made him a cup of tea, and poured herself a glass of wine. There were two used glassed on the side of the side. Sue could see the faint hint of Joyce’s lipstick on one of the glasses.Sue glanced through the door to the living room. Kent’s shoulders were raised and tense. As if aware of her regard, he looked at her over his shoulder. Sue gave him a slight nod and turned away.She carried the drinks through and put them on the coffee table. Then she took the laptop, put it on the couch, and straddled him. Kent’s eyes were a little wider than normal. Sue put her hands on either side of Kent’s face and kissed him, a warm kiss, but one that didn’t brook refusal.‘Hello,’ Sue said, resting her forehead against his.‘Hello,’ he said, resting his hands on her waist.‘How was your day?’‘I suppose successful,’ he said. ‘Selina is interested, if you’ll consider leaking info to her.’Sue raised her eyebrows. ‘She’s playing hardball when she’d cut off her arm to have you.’‘She thinks I don’t know that.’Sue chuckled. ‘That does sound successful.’ She kissed him again. ‘Did Joyce have anything interesting to say?’Kent nodded at the laptop. ‘Drink driving hit and run,’ he said. ‘When Ben was in college.’Sue blinked. She thought for a moment. ‘How bad?’‘Passenger died,’ Kent said. ‘It was her car. Ben drove off. Abandoned the car and staggered away.’Sue pursed her lips. ‘You have terrible taste in friends.’‘It would seem so.’She kissed him again. ‘Did you give Joyce a nice time?’ she teased.‘She seemed to enjoy herself.’Sue leaned over to pick up her glass and take a sip. ‘Tell me.’He was quiet for a moment, assessing her mood. ‘She was excited. I took her upstairs. Tied her up. She screamed my name.’Sue’s eyes were dark and bright. ‘Lucky girl.’Kent cupped her face with his hand. ‘I love you.’Sue gently bit the heel of his thumb. ‘Why don’t you take me upstairs and show me?’ she murmured.***The light was low in their bedroom. Darkness leaked around the drapes and crept across the carpet. Sue was working on the laptop when Kent rolled over and slid his arm across her stomach.‘Go back to sleep,’ she said, gently scratching his scalp.‘What’re you doing?’ he muttered.‘Researching this accident.’He closed his eyes. ‘Fun.’‘I think we can use this to force Ben to reign. The trick will be doing it without him realising that it’s us.’Kent traced his fingers across her belly. ‘Teddy.’She looked at him. ‘What?’‘Teddy wants Ben out,’ he said. ‘We’ll send him the information and he’ll force Ben out.’Sue ruffled his hair as she thought. ‘I can get it onto Teddy’s desk without being sees,’ she said. ‘What about Joyce?’He shrugged. ‘Ben was supposed to retire anyway,’ he mumbled. ‘She just wants to screw him over. She’s not stupid.’Sue shut the laptop. ‘That will be the end of Ben Cafferty in politics’, she said.Kent raised his head. ‘You having second thoughts?’She shook her head. ‘Not for a moment.’