Bipartisanship and Romance

I decided that I wouldn’t do anything with the Grast information. Mike exploded at me. He claimed that we had every right to punch him back. I told him that it wasn’t the campaign I wanted to run. We were going to win our race the right way and not jump into the muck. He eventually came around, although I could tell it still wasn’t his favorite thing.

With SB-12 dead, I came back to Washington as a hero. Speaker Gower told me to get back in front of the cameras. I spent most of my time talking about the importance of the middle class and the protections that unions gave to our economy. Back home, Steve Schadt was learning that he wasn’t Arnold Play. He attempted several cruel jokes that fell pretty flat. Late one night, after one of Schadt’s comments, there was a knock on my office door.

I was working on some labor legislation and absently called out, “Come in!” Maddie walked into my office. For a second, I stopped breathing.

“Hi,” she said shyly. “Do you mind if I come in?”

“Hi. Hi, yes, please, um, come sit,” I said, pointing to one of the chairs in front of my desk. It took everything I had not to hurdle the desk and wrap my arms around her. “Ccan I get you something?”

“No, I just wanted to talk for a little bit. I know you’re busy. Everyone here is. It’s good to see you,” Maddie said quietly.

“It’s good to see you. I mean in person. I have seen you on TV some,” I said, sounding like a creeper. “I mean on CSPAN and the news, you know. I mean. You know what, I’m going to shut up for a minute.” She laughed. It felt good to make her laugh.

“I know I’ve seen you too. How are you? I saw that Play and Schadt were coming after you pretty hard a few weeks ago,” she said, looking concerned.

“Yeah, it got so bad I shouted at someone on my staff that I was going to show Arnold Play my dick.” Maddie burst out laughing.

“I’m glad they talked you out of that!” she said through laughs. “Although you would have put Play’s scrawny dick to shame, I’m sure.”

“That’s what I said,” I chimed in, joining in the laugh. It felt so good. When she got a hold of herself, she went on.

“Look, you can bring me up and go after Schadt. You don’t have to take his crap,” she said.

“Maddie, I just can’t. After how awful that was. After how you got exposed and exploited. I’m not making this a news story again if I can help it,” I shrugged. She stared at me for a moment, and I saw her eyes get wet.

“You are so amazing. I’m so sorry I got you into this. You are way too nice for this place,” she said.

“Hey, you didn’t get me into anything. I came here to do a job. I haven’t finished doing it, but I am going to do it my way,” I replied. She laughed a little and looked down at her hands.

“I miss talking to you. I miss you a lot. I don’t want you to think that I don’t. But, I just, with this stupid scandal and Play and,” she sighed. “I can’t let you give this up for me.”

“I miss you so much it sometimes hurts,” I said. “Maybe, maybe now we can at least talk from time to time?”

“That would be nice,” she said. She stood up. “It’s late, and I am heading down to South Carolina tomorrow, so I should go. It was nice to talk to you, Ted.” She walked to the door. I jumped up and opened it for her.

“Goodnight Maddie, it was great to see you.” I made sure not to cry until she left.

The coming weeks were busy. Eddie, Raj, and I got a spot on most of the cable news shows. The three amigos’ routine was catching on. If Arnold Play was going to lump us together, bring it on was our message. This drew even more ire from Play and his team. His idiot son went on a Twitter rant, announcing that Raj needed to return to his home country. Raj took great pleasure in pointing out that his hometown was Ypsilanti. Play’s oldest child, Tiffany Play, tried to pretend that her brother meant something other than the racist implication that Raj wasn’t an American. Her father shot that plan dead not five hours later at a rally in North Carolina where he had the crowd chanting, “SEND HIM BACK!”

With our increased public presence came the inevitable downside, increased threats. All of our offices received a flood of all manner of hate, even some death threats. The FBI took a look at some of them. Then, in mid-September, the Capital emptied again as the House and Senate members up for reelection went home for debate season.

Back in the home office, Vanessa was running practice sessions late into the night. She was focused on how Schadt would attack me about Maddie, and I needed a response.

“She’s right,” Mike said through the speakerphone. “Schadt needs to hit a homerun. You have to be ready for it when it comes, and not talking about it isn’t going to cut it.” Vanessa was nodding her head in agreement.

“Damn it, guys, enough!” I barked. “The answer is the same. What happened was borderline illegal spying on us.” Vanessa told Mike she would call him back.

“You ok?” she asked when it was just us. She reached out and took my hand. Her brown skin was standing out against my own.

“I’m fine. I mean, I’m ok. I miss Maddie so much,” I sighed. “I am going to do this the right way. I didn’t do anything wrong. Neither of us did.”

“No one. Hey, look at me. No one thinks you did something wrong,” Vanessa said, staring me straight in the eyes. “But, you don’t get to make the rules. There is a way to play this where you are right still. Denying it as an issue, is not it? You can put Steve Schadt to bed. Mike is fighting you because he fucking loves you. Jane knows that SB-12 is dead and is still working her dick off to get you reelected. We are all here for you. Please, just give us a chance to help you.”

“One practice round where we work on Maddie answers. That’s it,” I said sternly.

“That’s all it will take,” she said with a smile.

Three days later, on a Thursday night, Steve Schadt and I held what was supposed to be the first three debates. Two local news teams had teamed up to present the event. We were at a small theatre in downtown Cincinnati. Schadt’s team had demanded extra space to prep. I let him have it. I didn’t need the bigger dressing room. The two anchors introduced us. It looked like Steve Schadt had War and Peace with him under his arm. It was a binder that had to have two hundred pages. The debate was only an hour. Again, the two anchors introduced us. I won the coin toss and chose to give the second opening and closing statements. Schadt started.

“Fellow Ohioans, I am so honored to be back here tonight. These two years have felt like a lifetime. That is especially true after watching Mr. Bates, and his socialist colleagues try and take over our great nation.” At this point, I tuned him out. The socialism excuse was one I had prepared my ass off. I knew that from there, he would turn to immigration. He would be desperate not to talk about SB-12 or healthcare, which would be my attack point. Then my ears picked up his closing line. “We cannot have another term of Congressman Casanova spending all his time with Congresswoman Feel Good!” There were some laughs and lite applause.

I had never understood what people meant when they said they saw red before their eyes when they were mad. Maybe I had never been that angry before, but this time I saw red. A switch got flipped. I decided then and there to destroy Steve Schadt. When one of the moderators pointed to me, I attacked.

“Steve Schadt just made the stupidest decision of his career. He attacked one of the smartest, hardest working women in Congress. She might not be one that I agree with every day, but no one, especially not Steve Schadt, can attack her personally. Maddison Crawford earned an honors scholarship to the University of South Carolina. She held a campus job, leading her sorority in volunteer hours and graduating with full honors. Maddison then accepted a full ride to the University of Virginia School of Law, graduating with honors. After that, she went on to one of the most prestigious law firms in Charleston, where, after Hurricane Derek, she led the firm’s crisis response team and became the associate head of corporate giving. For the past four years, she has been a dedicated public servant and, though I don’t always agree with her politics, she is a hero of bipartisan cooperation in Congress.

So Steve, if you want to have a debate about issues. You will have it with me. I will proudly put my history of expanding healthcare and defending middle-class union workers up against your twenty-four years of do-nothing politics. But more importantly, if you want to have a character debate, you will have it with me, Mr. Schadt. You will have it with me. Because Maddison Crawford is way, WAY, out of your league.” The audience erupted.

Schadt looked flustered. One of the moderators noted that his name was invoked, and therefore he had a right to respond. Schadt flipped through his massive binder. As he was doing so, he dropped a paper that fluttered over to me. I picked it up and looked at it. My blood went cold. It was the blurred picture of Maddie doing her pose the night of the photographs. For a moment, I was back in her room laughing at her, wondering how I could be so lucky to have been in her life.

“Hey that, that is one of my documents!” Schadt called out. I turned it toward the audience.

“I cannot disagree more, Mr. Schadt. At best, it belongs to me. Actually, it belongs in a garbage can. Fellow Ohioans, this is all Steve Schadt has to offer tonight. Pictures of an intimate moment between two people so in love and so happy that it never crossed their mind that someone was trying to destroy them.” I turned to Schadt. “Do you want this back?” He stopped protesting and put his hand down. There were boos from the audience.

The rest of the night was a blood bath. Schadt tried to claim that he liked both public unions and SB-12. I hit him with that mercilessly. He also claimed to support preexisting conditions. The moderator jumped in before I could.

“Mr. Schadt, you have come out against CARES1, the bill that supports that. So how can you claim that you also support efforts to protect preexisting conditions?”

“Look. You are asking the wrong question. The question is, is this the role of the federal government?” Schadt said, looking pleased.

The moderated jumped in, “Mr. Schadt, no one except for the federal government is trying to do anything about preexisting conditions.” Schadt deflated. I jumped in.

“The only thing that Mr. Schadt seems to dislike about the bill is that my name is on it as a sponsor.” More applause.

The evening ended with Schadt trying to pin me on socialism. He had planned the night to be about sex, and when I took it away from him, he was an empty shell. I reminded myself to apologize to Mike and Vanessa, and Maddie. They all had been right. Finally, one of the moderators announced it was my turn for a closing argument.

“I have loved being the representative for Southwestern Ohio. I never imagined that I would do something as amazing or as important as being your Congressman. To talk to people that now have healthcare. The families that aren’t wondering how to pay for the subsequent cancer treatment or diabetes. It is so overwhelming. My mom was a teacher right here in town. She was also proud to be a union member. I went to school safe, knowing that my mom could help me because of the fantastic protections that her union got her.

That being said, I have one regret. It is about a relationship. No, I don’t regret the one between myself and Maddison Crawford. I loved her then. I love her now. I will never be sorry about my love for her. I am sorry about my relationship with you. I am blessed with some of the most intelligent voters in the country–hard-working men and women who trusted me with the greatest job I have ever had. I am sorry that I didn’t trust you with the truth about my personal life from when I started my relationship. I am sorry that I didn’t trust you to separate my personal life from my public one. I make this promise to you tonight. If you reelect me, I will continue to work to make all of our lives better. And I promise to be honest with you. To trust you in the way you trusted me. Thank you.” The theatre exploded. People stood and cheered. I looked in the front row, and my mom was crying. I teared up a little. I turned to walk over and shake Steve Schadt’s hand. He was gone.

Schadt was so upset that he bolted off the stage and threw his binder into the chest of his campaign manager. Unfortunately for him, he hadn’t removed his mic. He shoved his finger into another campaign staffer’s chest and screamed, “IT’S FUCKING EMBARRASSING! I MEAN, HOW THE FUCK.” Someone on his staff noticed the hot mic and ripped it off his chest, causing a massive screaming sound in the theatre. The TV crew cut it. I turned and looked off stage. Vanessa was jumping up and down, pumping her fists in the air

Vanessa checked that my mic was off and then threw herself into my arms, screaming, “I knew it! You did it! You did it! You nailed that son of a bitch!”

“Thanks,” I said, putting her down. “I owe you and Mike a beer for being wrong. I’m sorry.”

“He’s on the phone,” she said, handing me a cell.

“WOOOOOOOO!” Mike screamed so loudly that I had to hold the phone away from my ear. “Got that prick. I can’t believe he brought pictures to the fucking debate. What was he expecting to show and tell? He couldn’t have thought that you were going to deny that anything had happened? Anyway, we have statements getting prepped now.”

“I want them all positive. You stay on message. I was glad to talk to my constituents about the real solutions for improving their lives. Or some variation on that,” I said.

“Throw in something about how ‘we are sorry that Steve Schadt didn’t take the same opportunity or something,” Vanessa called over my shoulder into the phone. I gave her a look that said I didn’t like it.

Mike, sensing my mood through the phone, said, “She right. That’s as negative as we go, though. He passed on an opportunity to talk about the issues.” I relented. Vanessa and I went back to the office. When we got there, it was chaos.

Three college volunteers were hurriedly moving from call to call. Janelle McCord, who Vanessa had brought in to manage the office, was dashing between two phones. Then, finally, Janelle ran over to us.

“This is crazy. People are calling and praising us and thanking us for focusing on the issues. We must have made $50,000 in the last hour in small donations. We get tens and twenties, rarely anything higher. We could bring in ten more volunteers and still have a wait time,” she said, panting. Vanessa and I quickly got on the phones to help.

My cell was going crazy. Eddie sent me ten fire emojis. He was running unopposed and saw the whole thing live on YouTube. Raj’s debate was that night also. He watched the highlights on the news after he was done. He left me a voicemail about how he needed to smoke after watching the fucking I gave Schadt. Jane Saltz sent a text saying that I had a future in Brooklyn politics by being a gangster.

I had an email from Speaker Gower congratulating me on doing so well but asking me not to slack off now. She also asked if I would meet with Vote Blue. With the amount of money I was raising, I could help other members in tight races. My first campaign ran on cold pizza and sweat. It never occurred to me that I would be running a flush campaign. A sweet older African-American woman kept me on the phone for twenty minutes, talking about how I had brought chivalry back to politics. She informed me that she hadn’t donated to a campaign since Bobby Kennedy and gave me ten dollars. I thanked her profusely.

By 10:30 that night, things finally started to calm down. We had raised almost $400,000. The college kids looked shell-shocked, so I ordered them some pizzas and gave them a pep talk. Vanessa was on the phone with Mike whenever she got a chance. They were already gaming out ad buys. The local paper called and announced that they would be endorsing me. I thanked them and promised not to let them down. At 11:30, I sent everyone home and collapsed into my office chair. I noticed the tiny screen on the old cell phone that the stranger had sent me was blinking.

S: You continue to prove that you are a good man. Steve Schadt continues to do the opposite. I will help. You will know it when you see it.

T: Who are you? Why are you helping me?

S: Like I said. You are a good man. I don’t like it when good men take the fall for playing fair. What you did was hard and took courage. Get some sleep. You had a big day.

A thunderstorm started as I was driving back to my apartment. When I got to the parking lot, I just stood in the rain for a moment. Then, I felt some weight lifted off my shoulders. Although the one person in the world I wished was there still wasn’t. I was so tired. I wasn’t sure I could sleep. So I sat in my wet clothes on the couch for a while and listened to the rain. Then my doorbell buzzed.

I didn’t move at first. It was late, and I assumed that someone was hitting buttons. When it happened three more times, I got up and went over to the intercom and asked who it was. No answer, just three more buzzes. A colossal flash followed by a bang of thunder shook the apartment. Whoever this asshole was, they were getting soaked. Not wanting just to buzz them in, I walked downstairs and looked out the glass door. The asshole getting soaked was Maddie. She looked like a drowned rat. I ran to the door and pulled her inside.

“Jesus, what the hell are you doing here? You’re soaked!” I cried. I pulled her up the stairs before she had a chance to answer. Then, there was another bang of thunder that seemed to be right on top of the roof.

“Sorry,” she said, trying to wipe the dripping hair and water out of her face. “I know it’s late. I just.” I shoved her through the door to my apartment and ran to the bathroom, and brought out towels. I handed her one and wrapped the other towel around her shoulders. She sat down at my kitchen table.

“Do you need something? Water? What are you doing here?” I was speaking too fast. I needed to take a minute and breath.

“Can I have something stronger?” she asked with a bit of a smile and a shiver. I went to my liquor cabinet, pulled out a bottle of Appleton rum I had bought after St. Thomas, and poured two glasses. She cupped it in her hands and drank.

“I’m sorry it is late. I was finishing up some work for my debate on Saturday, and Daddy called. He said I need to watch you. I only saw the end. Then I watched some highlights online. I called daddy back, and he said the plane was ready. I just needed to see you. I’m sorry it’s so late,” she finished shyly.

“Oh my God, you aren’t upset, are you? When the picture landed at my feet, I was so upset. I shouldn’t have shown it to the audience. I’m so, so sorry, Maddie,” I said.

“No. I wanted to see you because you are amazing and it was so perfect. I needed to see your face and beg you to forgive me. I should never have ended it. You were right. We could have fought. It was just so scared that someone would keep doing it to us, and then you would quit for me. But you were right, and I’m so sorry,” she was crying as she finished.

The blood was pounding in my ears just from seeing her, so, of course, I said something stupid like, “What are you saying, Maddie?”

“I’m saying that I love you, you idiot. I’m saying that I should never have let you go and that I’m so sorry. I don’t want to spend one more minute missing you, and I hope that you’ll forgive me even though you don’t have any reason to after I broke your heart. Please, Ted, I’m so sorry!” She leaned forward and kissed me. I didn’t hesitate for a moment and wrapped my arms around her. Our wet clothes clung to each other. I felt Maddie shivering.

“Jesus, you’re freezing. Oh my God, baby.” I couldn’t stop myself, though, and went back to kissing her. She had me by the lapel of my wet suit coat. Her clothes clung to her.

“I’m freezing. Can I get out of these clothes and take a shower?” Maddie asked. She held out her hand. “Will you come with me?” I picked her up and carried her to the bathroom. We began to strip each other. It was tricky with the wet clothes. Both of us were wearing coats that didn’t want to come off. I turned on the spray and made it hot. I had a standing shower with a small bench on one side with a sliding door.

“Ted,” Maddie moaned, kissing me. “I’m so.” I cut her off with a kiss. When we were naked, I dragged her into the shower. The warm water felt good. I turned her so that she was under the spray. She threw her arms around my neck and pulled me under with her. We stood there kissing for several minutes.

“I missed you so much,” I whispered in her ear. I then pulled her hair back and kissed her neck. Her hands went to my cock. I was rock hard.

“Please, Ted, please. I missed you so much,” she begged, rubbing me along her slit. She leaned back, giving me better access. I felt myself start to penetrate her. She spread her legs a little wider. I slipped inside of her.

“Oh, Maddie!” I cried. The shower spray was running down my back. It wasn’t an excellent angle for either of us, but it didn’t matter. I was in the arms of the woman I loved. She threw back her head, and I again feasted on her neck.

“I missed you. Oh, God, I missed you so fucking much,” she cried. I leaned down and took one of her nipples into my mouth. One of my hands supported her curved back. The other was on her ass as I thrust into her. I began to feel my orgasm approach.

“Maddie, oh Maddie. Maddie!” I cried as I emptied into her. She dragged my head back and kissed me. Slowly I slipped out of her, and she straightened in my arm. She put her head on my shoulder and cried.

“Ted, I’m so sorry. I was so scared.” She sobbed.

“I was too. Oh, baby, don’t think for a second that I wasn’t. I hated the thought that someone had seen you. That because you and I were together that someone had seen your body. I hated myself,” I said into her shoulder.

“Please, say we are back together. I promise I mean it. Please say you want me. Please,” Maddie was begging between her tears.

“Maddison Crawford, I love you, and I promise to give you my all. You are still the best thing that ever happened to me,” I said and kissed her.

“Hold me. I promise I won’t let you go. Just please hold me,” she said, wiping the tears from her eyes. I held up my pinky, and she smiled, and we pinky promised.

That night we fell into bed and made love two more times. Both of us wanted to touch and be touched by the other. It was almost as though we were worried it was a dream that would end. Finally, at about one in the morning, we were in a sweaty heap in my bed.

“I have to go into the office at some point today. You can stay here or go with me. If you need to go home, I understand. I just want you to know,” I said. Maddie’s fingers were tracing the tattoo on my shoulder.

“I missed him almost as much as I missed you,” she said softly. “What do you have to do in the office?”

“There is a big rally in Columbus on Saturday. Even though SB-12 is dead, we want to keep the pressure, make sure Larry Free doesn’t think we forgot. I have to do some final prep work. When are you going back?” I asked.

“I will head back today. Daddy’s plane has its perks so that it can be later in the day. My debate is more form than function, although I’m sure my campaign chief will start pulling his hair out when he finds out where I am. No one opposed me in the primary, and my opponent is a die-hard feminist. She is running more to bring light to Green issues than anything else. She never once attacked me about sex. And after what you said tonight, I don’t have to worry about it. Thank you, by the way,” she said, turning my head and kissing me. Her tongue explored my mouth.

“Maddie, I am sorry that I didn’t do it sooner. Maybe none of this needed to happen,” I said.

“I’m the one who is sorry. You wanted to fight from day one. I should have fought with you,” she said, tearing up again.

“Enough of that. We have all the time we need to make it up to one another,’ I said.

I snapped awake to my 6:30 alarm. When I reached for my phone, I knocked over a small bottle. When I picked it up, I noticed it was the peach lube I had bought in St. Thomas. Maddie kissed my back.

“Maddie, did you bring the lube with you? I thought you said that you didn’t even bring a change of clothes,” I said in a sleepy tone. She kissed my back again.

“I was worried you would say no when I came, so I threw it in my purse,” she said, then went back to kissing my back.

“So the plan was that if I broke your heart and walked away from you, you were going to let me fuck you in the ass?” I asked, half laughing.

“I didn’t say it was a perfect plan, just the only one that I had at the moment,” she said, between kisses. Her hand at my chest began making slow lazy circles moving down my body. Slowly, she made two loops around my groin. Then her hand lightly outlined my cock. She teased it with her fingernails before wrapping her hand around it and lazily stroking it. I let out a moan as I hardened.

“So what is the plan now,” I whispered out. Maddie leaned up and bit my ear.

“Mmmmm,” she whispered, running her tongue around my ear, “I think you once called it fucking and sucking the soul out of your body.” She pulled me onto my back, using only her hand on my cock. Then she straddled me. I could feel her wetness sliding against me.

“You were sleeping so soundly that I didn’t want to wake you up,” she said. She then leaned forward a little, and the head slipped between her folds. “But I have been up for a while.” Maddie leaned back, and I slid into her. “I have been thinking about what I am going to do to you.”

She began to move up and down on my cock. First, she leaned down and kissed me. I held onto her head, prolonging the kiss. Then she sat up. Her hands went to my lower abdomen, causing her arms to squeeze her breasts together. I reached up with both hands and ran little circles around her nipples. She threw her head back and moaned.

“Oh fuck yes!” she cried. One of her hands went to her hair. She leaned back slightly, exposing her clit to me. I used my thumb to run small circles around it. This brought more moans out of her. I sat up and latched my mouth onto her breast.

“Hu. Hu. Hu. Hu. YES!” she cried. I let go of her nipple.

“I fucking love you, Maddie. I fucking love you, and I love fucking you,” I hissed, returning my mouth to her nipple.

“Yes. Oh, God yes, Ted,” she moaned. “Please don’t stop.” I increased the pressure on her clit, and her hips sped up. Her pussy tightened around my cock. I moaned around her nipple.

“OH, FUCK!” she cried out. She leaned forward. I felt her spasm around my dick. Not letting go of her nipple, I began to thrust hard up into her. She bit my neck.

“Maddie, I’m gonna cum! Oh.” She cut me off with a kiss and rode me for all she was worth. I felt myself empty into her. She kept up the kiss and kept riding me until I finished. Finally, she rolled onto her side.

“Mmmmm,” she hummed. “A great way to start the day!” She kissed me and jumped out of bed. “Now, breakfast.”

In our haste the night before, we hadn’t hung up our clothes. Maddie didn’t have a change of clothes with her. We had some cereal and toast at my kitchen table. After we ate and showered, I told her that we could go to a local mall with some fancy shops.

After breakfast, Maddie was at the sink cleaning up. Her scrubbing motion caused her ass to shake in my boxers she was wearing. I had to have her. Walking up behind her, I pulled the shorts in one hard tug. Maddie gasped, but she didn’t stop me. I slid my shorts down and began to rub my hardening cock along her slit. When I felt her wetness, I slammed myself forward. My groin slapped against Maddie’s butt.

“Oh, fuck!” she cried. Her arm flailed forward as she tried to turn the water off.

I wasn’t going to be gentle. My animal side took over, and I began thrusting into her. I grabbed her waist with one hand and her shoulder with the other. I looked down to see her ass jiggle with each thrust. Maddie panted. I slapped her ass.

Maddie pulled up the front of her shirt. I reached around and cupped her breast. She spread her legs a little wider, and I felt her hand reach down and touch my balls.

“Shit!” I shouted. Picking up the pace, both of my hands went to Maddie’s hips. I was throwing her back onto me. She let out a high shout with each thrust. Maddie reached back with one hand and started slapping my thigh, urging me on. That sent me over the edge. I emptied myself into her for the second time that morning.

“Holy shit,” I sighed into her back. I was leaning over her.

“Fuck, Ted,” she said. I immediately jumped off of her.

“Shit, Maddie, I’m sorry. I just got hot. Geez, babe,” she cut me off with a kiss.

“No! I liked Caveman Congressman having his way with me,” she kissed me again. “God, it was sexy.” Her hand went to my cock, and she started stroking it. She then leaned down and took me into her mouth. I moaned.

“Shower,” she said, standing up and pulling the shirt over her head. Then, she gently guided me into the bathroom by my dick.

At the mall, we had a Pretty Woman moment. We dried her bra and thong, but Maddie legitimately had no clothes to wear to the store. So I gave her a pair of pajama pants that we rolled and tied until they didn’t fall. She wore my t-shirt. I had to admit that she looked kind of ridiculous. Cute, but silly.

At the mall, the two saleswomen in the upscale store weren’t having it. I wore slacks and a navy blazer with a girl dressed as though she just rolled out of bed. They followed her around like hawks until Maddie finally opened her purse and “accidentally” dropped her American Express Black card. She politely asked one of the women to pick it up. Suddenly the service improved mightily, and Maddie left with a black dress and a cute little coat. Of course, while at the mall, she dragged me to a lingerie store and made sure that I saw all of the purchases that she made. Most were matching bra and thong sets. I’m a simple guy, and she knew what I liked. The thongs were so sheer that clear would be a better way to describe them.

“Can’t have you forget about me,” she cooed when we left. I drove her to the office. I had decided that I didn’t give a shit who knew about us and that if my staff could say that they had seen us together and that we were over the moon happy, then it would cut off any bullshit someone would throw at us. I also had a strange suspicion that “my passive security” would take care of any problems.

At the office, Janelle saw me first. She came running over. “Oh. My. God. Have you heard?” She asked breathlessly. She stopped and looked at me for a second and then shouted, “TOMMY! Get over here.” One of the college interns came over at a run with a notebook. He looked like he was ready for the assignment of a lifetime.

“Tie,” Janelle said. When the kid didn’t move, she pointed at his tie and repeated it. He took it off with a puzzled look. Janelle ran it through my collar, buttoned my top button, and tied the knot.

“What, I’m not going on TV?” I asked.

“Hickey. You must be Maddie.” She said, smiling and extending her hand to Maddie. “You are one of the strongest women I know. Also, congratulations.” Maddie blushed. The college kid stood there for a while before realizing that his job was over.

“Thanks,” she said, a little bewildered, “it’s so nice to meet you.”

“You need to meet with Vanessa. Do you care if she hears?” Janelle said, pointing at Maddie.

“Depends on what I am about to hear. Good or bad?” I asked.

“Unbelievable,” Janelle said. We walked into my office.

Vanessa was sitting at my desk on the phone. She covered the receiver and looked at me. “What the fuck? He’s not going on TV?”

“Hickey,” Janelle said again. Maddie turned another shade redder. Vanessa turned her head and looked at her. She told the person on the phone that she would call them back. Then she jumped up and hugged Maddie.

“Oh my God. Congresswoman Crawford, I am so happy to see you! You are the muse for this Steve Schadt ass-kicking MONSTER! Now that you two are back together, though, I don’t want to see him turn into Mr. Softy.” she finished, wagging her finger at me.

“Thank you. I promise to do everything I can to prevent Mr. Softy’s return,” Maddie said, bopping me with her hip. The other two women laughed when I turned red. Also, I was secretly pleased that Maddie didn’t even blink about talk that we were back together.

“Vanessa, what’s up? Janelle said it was big,” I said.

“Two things. One, Steve Schadt has released a statement stating that he won last night’s debate so convincingly that he canceled the final debates. No one is buying it. Every station is ripping him a new asshole. Jane has her union guys calling his office nonstop to tell him what a coward he is. Two, money. How much do you want me to say in front of the Congresswoman?” Vanessa asked. I looked at Maddie.

“I shouldn’t know this. If my guys found out that I knew about an influx of cash and didn’t tell, I’m dead to them,” Maddie said. She squeezed my hand, kissed my cheek, and walked out.

“You’re so fucking lucky,” Janelle said. “And she’s a smart cookie.” I thanked her, though I said I didn’t think it was that fucking lucky. We laughed. Vanessa went on.

“Through the night, thousands of small donations poured in. You made close to $800,000 in small donations from the end of the debate until midnight. By this morning, you were at almost eight. Then ten companies from all over the U.S. started pouring in money. They appear to be corporations formed specifically to donate money. Some have a history of giving to campaigns, although mostly Republican ones. You now have a war chest of just under $6.2 million,” she finished.

“Jesus,” I hissed out as I slid into a chair facing her. “Are we still taking in money?” Vanessa nodded.

“Act Blue says that you stand to be the highest gaining House member this week and next by COB today,” Janelle said.

“Gower told me that Blue was going to call,” I said.

“Don’t let them take all of it. Act Blue has the annoying habit of believing that you will just do it again next time because you raised it this time. So give some to be a team player, but leave a war chest,” Vanessa advised.

“What do you want to do?” Janelle asked.

“Flood the zone with ads. All positive. We don’t even mention Schadt. Contact Jane, ask her what SB-12 ads to run. Coordinate with Mike. I want a statement out soon telling the news channels that I will attend the last debates if they still have them. Again, no mention of Schadt. I’m going to take Maddie to the airport. When I get back, we do final approvals and prep for tomorrow.” The two women sprang into action.

Because the flight wasn’t commercial, we only had to go to the small city airport on the east side of town. The drive was tough. Maddie squeezed my hand so tightly and rested her head on my shoulder the entire time. I had to remember that I was going to see her again. It just felt wrong to say goodbye so soon. She was tearing up when I parked.

“Do you think I can move back in?” She asked.

“I’m sure you can,” I said. Then, to prove I was serious, I grabbed my phone and called Raj and Eddie to tell them. They were both pleased. Eddie announced that he would bet the wine, and Raj said he would prepare a feast, although he made Maddie swear it wasn’t just a trick to have his cooking again. All of it seemed to make Maddie feel better. I walked her into the small terminal. We kissed.

“I would tell you to kick ass, but it would be bad for the party. So, I guess, break a leg?” I said.

“Sorry, somebody has to make up for the fact that you just eviscerated the Republican in your district. Also, don’t forget all the new purchases I made. If I lose, they will be so far away from you,” she said brightly. “I promise I’ll get to D.C. as soon as I can.” We kissed again, and she went off. I skipped my way out of the airport.

The event in Columbus was a borderline disaster. Thousands came to hear speeches to bring down SB-12. Jane Saltz had flown in from New York. I told her immediately about Maddie, and she said that she figured and that she was happy for me. She also told me to tell Maddie to enjoy her sloppy seconds and slapped my butt.

Thousands of people had shown up to protest the bill. What was odd was that almost half of them also carried Arnold Play signs. The union speakers were well received, even one of the heads of the teachers’ union. When I got up to speak, things turned ugly. Half the crowd started booing and calling me a socialist. Two guys held up a sign saying that I would come and steal their guns. What the hell was going on? I could see some of the union guys were moving toward the Play supporters. There were some audible shouting and finger-pointing. Vanessa caught my eye and gave me a wrap sign. I begged the crowd to stay peaceful, reminding them what we were there to do, and got the hell off the stage.

“Jesus,” I sighed into my martini in the Columbus airport. I was still pretty shell-shocked.

“What? Sad it’s not one of ya fuckin pink beers?” Jane joked. We were both flying straight out of Columbus, me to Washington and her to New York. She had enough sky miles to get us both into the fancy members club.

“It was purple. It was also fucking delicious. You saw that today, though. Play’s supporters went from totally happy to a mob in six seconds. It’s like they had no idea that I had been working to kill that bill for almost a year. The Republicans hate Play for what he did, and yet that crowd is going to vote Republican. It doesn’t make any sense,” I finished with another sigh.

“None of this makes any fucking sense,” Jane replied, taking a sip of her martini. “I got union heads all across the country telling me that their members are breaking for Play, not Grace. They like that he’s mean. They like that he fights the media. They buy his super businessman bullshit.”

“Arnold Play has bankrupted every company he has ever touched. Yet, there is an empty building in downtown Cincinnati that he promised to turn into a gem twenty-five years ago. How the hell can people not see that?” I asked.

“They see that he is promising them jobs and not talking about the fuckin weather. You and I know climate change is real, but it doesn’t sell. These people never went to college, so they don’t want to hear about college debt. Ted, I hate to say it. But, there is a chance, a real chance that Arnold Play can win this election,” Jane said. We both sat there in silence for a while, letting it sink in.

I got into Washington relatively late and three martinis in the bag. Jesus, Jane could drink. The guys hadn’t come back from their homes yet, so I had the place to myself. I heated some ramen and barely kept my eyes open through the meal. When I collapsed into my bed, I hadn’t even bothered to take off my clothes.

I was awoken by my door creaking open. It took my eyes a few seconds to adjust. When I looked at the clock, it was a little after two in the morning. I had been out for about two hours.

“Hey, who’s there,” I called out.

“It’s me,” Maddie whispered. “Stay in bed.”

“You don’t need to whisper. No one is here,” I foolishly whispered.

“Ok,” she whispered back. I felt her pull back the covers. When she got into bed, I could feel she was naked.

“Why the hell are you so dressed?” She said with mock annoyance.

“I wasn’t expecting company,” I replied with a laugh as her hands quickly went to my belt. I sat up and pulled off my sweater and shirt. Maddie dragged my jeans and boxers off all at once. She grabbed my shoulder and pulled me on top of her. We kissed.

“I wasn’t expecting to see you until later,” I said between kisses. I was getting hard, and Maddie had lined me up with her pussy. She grabbed my butt and eased me inside of her. We both sighed.

“Remember, daddy’s plane leaves when I say so. I finished my debate and got some things done at the home office. But I desperately wanted to see you, so I left. Ah,” she moaned. I was gently thrusting into her, wanting this to last.

“Mmmmm. Well, I’m glad to see you. How was the debate?” I asked before kissing her neck.

“Really? Is that what you want to talk about right now?” She asked with a laugh. Then, she started moving faster under me.

“I can multi-task. Besides, maybe it will inspire me to greater action,” I said, grabbing Maddie’s wrists and again slowing the pace.

“Ugh! My opponent complained that I am bad for the environment. Then she went on a rant when the moderator asked me about the pictures. As I said, she is very feminist and believed that a man wouldn’t have been asked those questions. She knows she is going to lose by a ton. She just wants to make a point. Now fuck me!” She cried. I smile and move my arms down, using them to spread her legs wide.

“Very well, Congresswoman Crawford,” I replied and started to move fast. I leaned down to kiss her, and she moaned into my mouth. She raked her fingers down my back. Our bodies came together with a slapping sound.

“Oh, my God, I missed you,” she moaned when I took one of her nipples into my mouth. I let one of her legs down and moved the other leg up to my shoulder to change the angle. “YES!” She cried out.

“I missed you too, baby. Ah, fuck. I missed you so much,” I said, panting a little. It felt so good to have her back in my bed again. I leaned down and kissed her. Our tongues rolled around each other. As the kiss ended, she bit my lower lip.

“I love you, Ted. I love you. Please cum in me. Make me yours. Oh, fuck yes!” she cried out again. I picked up the pace. She tightened her pussy around me.

“Oh, baby, here it comes. Oh, god!” I cried as I came in her. I let go of her leg and buried my face in her hair. She stroked my neck and the back of my head while she kissed my ear. We stayed locked together for several minutes. I was so comfortable that I almost fell asleep. Then, not wanting to crush her, I rolled off of her.

“Tomorrow or, I guess, later today. A friend will meet me at the place I was staying and help me move my stuff back. She has an SUV,” Maddie said, resting her head on my shoulder. I leaned down and kissed the top of her forehead.

“Sounds great. Raj said he is cooking up some crazy complicated thing after he gets in. Eddie will be here first thing in the morning. If you need help, I can all chip in,” I said sleepily. She kissed my chest.

“Thank you, baby, that will make it go so much faster. Now hold me and go to sleep.”

While things at home returned to normal, the world outside just kept getting weirder. In early October, Arnold Play had his sex scandal when a former porn star came forward and announced that she had had sex with Play shortly after his marriage to his current wife. She even had some pictures to prove it. Ironically, she gave me credit for her coming out, saying that she came to believe others would stand up for her when I stood up for Maddie.

Play went off the deep end. He claimed it was fake and sued her and the three major networks for reporting it. He also kept putting his wife in front of cameras to say that Play had been home on the pictures’ date. However, to compound his issues, he kept saying at rallies that he, of course, could nail any porn star he wanted. Crowds ate it up.

At the first presidential debate, the moderator tried to bring up the scandal. Daryl Grace stepped in and said that it should be a family matter for the Plays’ sake. For his trouble, Grace then spent the entire debate getting interrupted by Play. When Play went after the President’s son, Michael, who had a very open struggle with cocaine twenty years ago, things came to a head. Grace walked over to Play, stuck his finger in his chest, and said, “Hey asshole, you are talking to me. You want to talk about my son? We’re going to talk about your porn star.”

Back in Cincinnati, the networks said that they would not hold a debate without Steve Schadt. They did offer to host a town hall. When Schadt’s campaign heard about it, they demanded one also. The networks countered that if they wanted a competing event, they should just have a second debate. Schadt took them to court and earned a town hall, but he scheduled it on a different date than mine. Mine went well. Schadt’s was a train wreck. He again tried to make it about sex but refused to deal with Arnold Play’s problem. When asked what the difference was, he tried to imply that Play’s was a family issue that he thought was disgusting people were attacking. Mine wasn’t a family issue, and therefore I deserved what I got. This brought out a chorus of boos. After three different questions about why he wouldn’t debate me, he got fed up and stormed off the stage.

The other interesting political story-making news involved Mark Grast. Grast liked to portray himself as the law and order candidate. He was in a surprisingly tight reelection campaign with the mayor of Jacksonville, Tony Randal. Randal, an African American, was running an outstanding campaign, always upbeat. Grast, by contrast, made Jacksonville sound like it was the pit of hell to attack him. This strategy fell apart when pictures came out of Grast in a prison jumpsuit after an arrest for drunk and disorderly. It had happened about fifteen years before. Grast had punched a guy in a bar and then drove off into the night only to get pulled over by a sheriff’s deputy. The deputy didn’t know that he had pulled over the son of the sheriff of Duval County. Daddy apparently made the charges go away, although the mugshot was now back to bite Mark. This also led to a fascinating meeting in my office.

On a Wednesday afternoon, Mike poked his head in my office. “Look, I don’t know whether you should take this or not, but Mary Grast would like to talk to you,” he said.

“Who the hell is Mary Grast?” I asked. Mike gave me a look that implied I was stupid. Then it hit me, Mark Grast’s wife. I asked Mike if he knew what she wanted. All he could get was that she wanted to talk. So I told him to show her in. Mary Grast looked about the same age as Mark. Tall and blonde, she looked like she could still be as good a softball player as she had been in college at the University of Texas. After getting her law degree, she had moved back home to Florida to help with her father’s law firm. It was her finances that helped her husband win his first race six years ago.

“Hello, Mr. Bates,” she said very formally, holding out her hand. “I don’t know if I should say it is nice to meet you, but I hope that we can be pleasant.”

“I would hope so too. Please have a seat.” I motioned her to one of the chairs.

“I would like to get down to the point, Congressman. First, let me say that my husband doesn’t know that I am here. Depending on the outcome of the meeting, I would like to keep it that way. Now, I have to ask, why are you hurting my family?” I was taken aback by the question.

“Mrs. Grast, I’m not sure what you are talking about. I haven’t done anything in regards to you or your family. I haven’t spoken directly to Mark in months,” I said with a shrug.

“Bullshit! You have to be the source of the arrest report. Mark talks about you all the time. He gave some of his campaign money to your damned opponent. He’s so obsessed with you. And you have to be the one talking to me about the affairs. So what is it going to take, huh? Money? Sex? Is that it? Do you want fucking blowjob?” She stood up and walked around the desk, starting to pull her sweater up.

“Jesus Christ! Mary, stop!” I shouted, standing up and pressing her arms down. “What the hell are you talking about? I don’t want anything from you or Mark. I know about the affairs, I can’t explain why, mostly because I don’t understand it myself. But I haven’t said anything to anyone.” Something I said stopped her. She gave me an odd look.

“What do you mean you can’t explain why?” she asked.

“After the pictures of me came out, over the summer, I started getting contacted about what had happened. They also seemed to think that your husband was involved. I don’t know more than that.” Again, I shrugged. She went to her purse, pulled out a black, old-fashioned, clamshell cell phone, and put it on my desk. I reached into the drawer where I kept mine and pulled it out. We stared at each other.

“It’s not you,” she said softly. “The way Mark obsesses about you, I just assumed it was you. When I saw everything that happened to you, I figured this was all payback.” She sat down in the chair.

“I don’t know who it is. Whoever it is, they hired a security firm that dug into what happened to Maddison and me. That firm figured out about your husband. They told me about the affairs and said I could go public with it if I wanted. Ironically, I had seen him and a woman in the Cincinnati Airport. He didn’t see me, and I didn’t even stop and think about it at the time. The company also said that they had other information that I wasn’t given. I’m guessing that the arrest report is part of it.” I poured Mary a glass of water. She took it and downed it all.

“Mark used to brag about that. When I first met him. He talked about his get out of jail free card,” she said with a tired laugh.

“What have they been telling you?” I asked.

“I haven’t heard from a security firm. I have been speaking to an offshore financial services firm. They told me that their client had found out about my husband, and they wanted to help. Somehow they were able to set up trust funds for my two sons. They are completely shielded from Mark. There is also a fund set up for me if I decide to leave him to transfer into my sons’ accounts if I don’t. They said they also could provide proof of his relationships. Was she blonde?” Her question caught me off guard. I nodded.

“Mother fucker,” she sighed, looking down at the cup in her hands.

“She was blonde. I couldn’t tell how tall. She was in heels that added a few inches. Mark was half dragging her. I thought she was going to fall. I didn’t really see her face.” I walked over to my fridge and got out two beers. I popped them open and handed one to her.

“Mother fucking Tabitha Jones. We are a two-driver family that owns four cars. Our oldest boy is about to be eight. It is seven years until he can drive, and we own four cars. We paid for all of the bells and whistles that I never use. We keep a convertible in storage until the summer. We pay a fucking heating bill for the car,” she sighed again and took another drink.

“They told me the name. Did they tell you?” I asked.

“When they told me there were other women, I knew it was Tabitha. I don’t know the redhead, but they told me her name. Do you know her?” I told her that I didn’t even know her name.

“I suspected, but I always told myself I was wrong. I did everything I could think of to keep Mark interested. Cooking classes. Couples communication classes. I went to a sex seminar and now own nothing but the sluttiest underwear on earth. I’m a soccer mom and a lawyer walking around with nothing but strings below the waist. He still fucks the car dealer,” she finished. I could see tears forming in her eyes.

“Mrs. Grast.” She cut me off.

“Jesus, call me Mary. I’m a little sick of that name right now,” she said, drinking some beer.

“Ok, Mary. Call me Ted. Mary, I am very sorry for all of this. It all started when we got healthcare through. I think your husband thinks that I crossed him. I didn’t. It is just a great bill, and I thought then and still think now that it is important. And I swear, I never have, and I never will release any of this. I can’t lie to you and say that it didn’t cross my mind. I fought with that urge for a month. But I swear I didn’t, and I swear I won’t,” I said.

“Can I ask why?”

I sighed. “Honestly, you guys. I knew he has kids, and it wasn’t my job to ruin their father or your marriage.”

“I now see why he hates you. You are everything he wants to see in himself. You are a good man who actually believes in your causes. He can’t figure out why you won’t go wrestle him in the mud, and it is driving him crazy,” she said with a laugh. I shrugged and smiled.

“Maddie once asked me what it was like to run for Congress in a Frank Capra movie. I just figure being honest is the best way to do any of this. What do you think you will do?” I asked.

She finished her beer. “Honestly, I don’t have a clue. I don’t want to break up my family. Not right now anyway. The kids wouldn’t understand. They think he runs the whole world.” She sighed. Then she gave me a look. “Maybe I’ll have an affair. Earlier, I offered to have sex with you. Care to give this angry soccer mom a run? I’m wearing ridiculously sexy underwear.”

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Err Mary. Unfortunately, I am in a relationship. Although if I weren’t, I promise that I would take you up on it,” I said with a smile.

“I hope it’s with the young woman from the pictures. I hope that he did all of his scheming and planning, and it didn’t even end your relationship. He already told me you were surging in the polls.” I told her I was still with Maddie.

“Thank god. Ted, is it ok if I tell him I talked to you? That I was here? I’m going to confront him. I’m going to make him talk to me. I want to tell him that I looked you in the eye, and I know you are telling the truth,” she said.

“Of course. Mary, I swear that I will back you up on this. If he confronts me, I’ll confirm everything,” I promised her.

“Thank you, and please tell Congresswoman Crawford that I’m sorry for what my husband did and that she is a lucky woman.” She got up and shook my hand. I walked her to the door and showed her out.

That night I told Maddie everything. We were standing under the showerhead naked, drinking shower beers. When Maddie had proposed a “shower beer,” I had no clue what she was talking about, but I was coming around to the idea. Raj was out on a date, and Eddie had gone back to Philadelphia. I told her about the phone and the security. I told her everything about Mary Grast, even the two offers of sex.

“You turned down two blowjobs in half an hour?” Maddie asked, taking a sip of her beer. The shower was warm but not steaming hot. We planned to be in there for a while.

“Maddie, I don’t think that is the main takeaway. Although I promise I won’t turn down a third,” I said with a smirk. She rolled her eyes.

“There seems to be something huge happening. I can’t tell if it is trying to take down Grast or help me or both. At first, I thought the DNC that Gower had set something up to make it stop. But the money doesn’t make any sense,” I said, taking a drink.

“Ted, sometimes you are brilliant, but sometimes you are a potato. The answer is obvious and had you told me about it before. I would have helped you connect the dots. It’s daddy,” she said, shaking her head. I looked at her for a moment, open-mouthed.

“Maddie, there is no way your father gave me five million dollars. He’s a Republican. He’s one of the most famous pro-free market thinkers on earth. His name isn’t on any of the companies that donated,” I sputtered.

“Ted, you stood up for his little girl. I can hear his thoughts on this when you spent all summer taking shit and not hitting back. I can see him calling all these shell corporations and making the money flow. And the Grast thing is so obviously him; he might as well have signed it. If he has to let someone go and have kids, he sets up college funds most of the time. As for the security, I spent all summer wondering why this thing seemed to die so quickly. Daddy killed it,” she smiled at my expression and kissed my nose.

“I just assumed. I mean, I felt so sure that it was something else. I mean, I thought your dad seemed to like me, but I had no idea,” I sputtered out again.

“He did like you. Mom and Jay did too. Who knows what is going on with Jefferson.” She kissed me. “So, how slutty was the underwear?”

“Jesus, Maddie, I didn’t see it!” I yelped.

“What, you said that she pulled off her sweater. I want to know what I’m up against. What color? Was it lacey? Oooohh, did it have flowers on it?” she said, howling with laughter.

“I said I stopped her from taking it off.” I shook my head.

“Was that the first blowjob or the second?”

“The first,” I sighed.

“Hmmm, too bad. I want to know what she thinks is slutty. I’ve met her. She seemed very nice. Also, are you sure you won’t turn down a third blowjob?” she asked, reaching down and running her fingers around my cock. I choked on my beer but promised that I wouldn’t. She started stroking me.

“Good, I’d hate to be your third strike,” she said, kneeling. I shifted so that the spray wasn’t hitting her right in the face. She took a sip of beer. Then, without swallowing it, she tried to take my hardening cock into her mouth. She lost a lot around my cock, but she still had some in her mouth. The bubbles felt terrific.

“Holy shit, that feels good!” I cried out. Maddie looked up at me, and I could see her sort of smile around my cock. Beer continued to spill out of her lips. Foam and spit began to form around her lips. One of her hands was on my shaft, and the other played with my balls.

I had a hand on her damp hair. The other was on the wall making sure I didn’t fall over. Maddie took her mouth off of me and took another sip of beer. Again, she held it in her mouth and sucked me. The contrast between the cold beer and her warm mouth was driving me nuts. Beer and spit dripped off her chin onto her breast. I reached down and played with one of her nipples. She stopped playing with my balls, and her hand went between her legs. I felt her moans in my toes. After several minutes, I felt myself start to tense up.

“Oh, fuck, babe, I’m gonna cum,” I cried.

“Mhmm,” Maddie moaned. She didn’t pull her mouth away. I felt her pick up her pace. She also began to rub herself faster. Maddie’s lips tighten around my cock. Her moaning got louder. I was trying to hold on to let her cum. Just when I thought I couldn’t hold out, she released my cock and cried out.

“Oh, Fuck!” she screamed. She threw her head back, one hand still working my cock, the other rubbing herself. I lost and unloaded all over her exposed chest. Maddie remembered what she had been doing and took me back into her mouth. I almost fell over before I pushed her away. She smiled up at me and finished her beer.

“Mmmmm, delicious, now take me to bed,” she said.

On the Friday before the election, Maddie and I were standing in my office. We had planned it so that our flights out of Reagan lined up to head home for election day. We were killing time before catching the subway to the airport. Neither one of us wanted to talk like reelection was assured, but we talked about the future. Finally, I asked her a big question.

“So, did you want to come to Cincinnati for Thanksgiving and meet the family? It’s a big event, and guests are allowed. You could stay the weekend, and then we could come back here together,” I said, trying not to sound too excited about the prospect. She walked over and kissed me.

“Of course. I’d love to. I was worried your family would be mad at me or something,” she said and kissed me again.

“Hell no, they aren’t mad at either of us. I mean, we would have a hard time denying that we are sleeping together… Ow, hey, no hitting,” I shouted as she swatted me. Just then, we heard someone shout in my outer office. My secretary put her head in the door.

“Grast. Do you want me to tell him to get bent?” My secretary Rachel asked.