He planned to. While in D.C., they’d be staying at the WhiteHouse in the Queen’s Bedroom…another fabulous place to fuck his wife.
She stopped whispering as she glanced through the schedule once more. “We have so many engagements to do. Today alone…”
“I know, darling.” After an exceptionally long day yesterday in New York, they’d made love and fallen asleep for only a few hours before they had to wake.
They’d left New York City early that morning for Washington, D.C., though the flight was barely ninety minutes and any chance of sleep was moot. There were too many briefings on the day’s upcoming events, protocol, and even lingering worries over the threat that had not gone away before they left, but which also didn’t seem imminent. They seemed to be in some kind of holding pattern, waiting for the destructive threat to drop.
Maybe they’d be lucky. Maybe the threat would completely pass them by.
Yet that was a very big maybe.
As they maneuvered their way through D.C., large crowds lined the blocked streets, especially as they neared the White House. Though the windows were tinted, they still waved, amazed that so many people outside Valleria could support them.
Their motorcade slowed to a stop on the south side of the driveway outside the Diplomatic Room entrance. President Kihan Singh and his husband, Alejandro Ortiz-Singh (who legally changed his name after their wedding), were standing at the top of the stairs waiting.
Alex stepped out of the car once it opened, Rebecca doing the same on her side. With his diplomatic smile in place, he gave the leaders a small nod, then waited for his wife to round the car. He took her hand and together they stepped up to greet them. Nearby, there was a harsh symphony of clicks and flashes from the photographers, and murmurs from the crowd gathered to greet them.
“Your Royal Highness, welcome to our home,” the president greeted him first andthey shook hands.
“President Singh. We’re honoured for the invitation, and the additional honour to remain here during our stay.” The formalities would fall away behind closed doors—at least to a certain extent—but he’d admired Kihan and followed his rise through American politics for years. He was looking forward to spending time with the very charismatic South Asian and his equally charming husband.
Singh smiled. “Of course. We’re looking forward to getting to know both you and your wife.”
“Speaking of…allow me to introduce my wife, Rebecca.”
As Rebecca greeted the president, he shifted to greet Alejandro. Once Rebecca also greeted Alejandro, the president led them inside to be greeted by the official United States Welcoming Committee for the visit.
Alex had seen a version of this welcome in the various countries he’d visited over the years when he accompanied his father. Now, he felt the burden of leadership on his shoulders once more. His father would likely never make a state visit ever again, yet this was only the beginning for him and Rebecca. There were years of these ahead of them.
Years of politics and preening and precarious maneuvering.
Years of feeling like he could absolutely fuck everything up by saying the wrong thing, yet knowing deep down that he wouldn’t. His father had taught him well, after all, and Alex would never let him down. He’d never let himself down either.
After some staged photos on the Blue Room Balcony, they were given a brief tour of the White House, including the residence and guest rooms where they’d be staying, down the hall from the rooms used by the first family’s two teenagers.
Then he and Rebecca parted ways to begin discussions. He sat down with Kihan in his private dining room off the Oval Office, while Rebecca went to have lunch with Alejandro in the Solarium. Alex had been eager to get talks started, so he’d requested the private lunch in advance.
Once they’d settled in, and after some more small talk, Kihanbegan. He’d been born in the U.S.—as all presidents must be—but he’d spent time abroad in England and Asia as a child and his voice was slightly accented because of it. “Since it’s just the two of us for this meeting, I think we can…dispense with some of the political pleasantries and get more to the point. Do you agree?”
Alex finished a bite of his steak salad. “I agree.”
Kihan nodded, as he finished up a bite of his contrasting vegetarian falafel salad. “Things are shifting in Europe, as I’m sure you know very well.”
“They are, in a variety of ways. But change occurs every day, in small ways. Larger change takes time. I’m sure you see that with America as well.”
Kihan took a sip of water and nodded. “We discuss change a lot on the world stage, as evidenced by the All Nations meeting. Then, it’s mostly the larger change we want to make—economically, environmentally, etc. In fact, now we’re shifting focus to work on the agenda for the next G20.”
Alex’s body started tingling. He and his father had discussed applying for membership—Valleria nearly fit the qualifications as far as GDP and other factors were concerned—but the G20 in and of itself was controversial for a variety of reasons. Some felt it wasn’t inclusive enough—nations in Africa were essentially excluded, for example. There was also controversy around certain member nations that should be removed due to their human rights violations, but weren’t. Member nations were also criticized due to the lack of progress holding larger financial institutions liable for their role in the recent worldwide recession. It was a tricky line.
Alex believed that becoming an Invited Guest instead of a full member, or like Spain becoming a Permanent Invited Guest, could be the best path forward for them to make a mark on the world stage while treading that line.
Still, Alex kept his face neutral. “I’m sure you are. I spoke to several people yesterday who mentioned it. Looks like food scarcity and supply chain issues may top the list again.”
Kihan merely smiled. “Amongst other things. Wars are still going on, as we all know.”
“There’s always a war, famine, and even a genocide somewhere, even if most aren’t paying attention to it or denying it exists.”
Kihan looked at him for a few moments. “Yes, that’s true. You are right about the other topics as well. Agriculture always tops the list. We’re always discussing new technologies to better improve things like farm yields.”
