Chapter Four
Now
Because it’s easier for people to come to us than it is for us to go to them since my election, we opt to spend Christmas in DC at the townhouse. It’s a small family affair—myself, Christopher, his brother and sister-in-law Charles and Tory and their three children, and Tory’s parents, and Kevin and Lauren.
With Christopher and Charles’ parents deceased, Hudsonand Shawna Harris have become adopted parents to the brothers. Charles looks like a slightly younger version of his beefy older brother. Dr. Tory Harris is mixed race, her father white and her mother black. She’s an only child, and the grandparents dote on their grandchildren. Twins Ivy and Myla, who are four, have their mother’s light brown skin, curly dark brown hair, and Charles and Christopher’sgreen eyes. Little Hudson, who’s barely two, looks more like his father in the face, only with the same light brown skin and curly dark brown hair as his mother and sisters, and his gorgeous green eyes.
Charles and Tory give the okay for the official photographer to shadow us throughout the day, getting plenty of pictures of Christopher and myself cooking, the kids unwrapping presents under ourtree, and then later of them playing out in the backyard on this unseasonably warm December day in DC. Carefully selected pictures and video will be released to the pool and make great PR for us.
Although I privately grumble to Chris about the staged picture Kevin and Chris set up, of Kevin sitting in one of our easy chairs with Lauren draped sideways across his lap, his arm around her waistand her arm around his neck, both of them smiling as they watch the twins playing a video game on our TV while Christopher and Charles coach them.
A picture that implies something that isn’t really happening.
A picture to sell a silent story.
I getwhy. It’ll help fuel speculation that the couple might be getting back together, or that they’re still intimate, which is a nothingburger.
It’llalso distract people from the fact that Kevin still lives in the townhouse with us.
Late that night, once Kevin returns from borrowing Christopher’s SUV to drive Lauren home, I practically tackle him onto our bed.
Yeah, I want to re-stake my claim on him. He might be my Sir, but he’smine. I agree Lauren is the best person to be my press secretary and director of our communications department,but honestly?
Sometimes, I want to cut a bitch.
Unlike me, Lauren can get away with touching Kevin in public or in front of witnesses and cameras. She can lean against him, drape an arm around him, kiss his cheek. He might be her boss, but they have ahistory. Everyone knows this, and it would actually be weirder, and attractmoreattention, if that familiaritywasn’ton display in appropriateforums from time to time.
I am not allowed any of those familiarities with Kevin in public, because it’ll indicate a level of intimacy we’re not supposed to have, not even as friends.
And, sometimes?
I’m convinced Lauren does it on purpose. Especially when I catch her looking at me with a slightly smug smile that screams, “Hah!”
I know she thinks Kevin is only involved with Christopher, butI wish to holyfuckshe’d get herself a boyfriend and leaveminealone.
It’s also no coincidence there are days Kev locks us in his office at my headquarters and puts me on my knees between his thighs so he can sit there smiling down at me while I worship his cock.
During these times, he whispers that I’m his good girl, tells me how much he loves me, and what a good job I’m doing, how happyhe is with me.
How proud he is of me.
It helps settle and reset my mood and cranks back my homicidal urges.
In public, I’m all smiles and besties with Lauren, though.
Don’t get me wrong—I respect her, and even like her, when she’s not touching my boyfriend. Just because she’s a Republican doesn’t mean we don’t have common ground. When she officially came to meet with me the day after the election,a sit-down between her, myself, Christopher, and Kevin, she was bluntly frank about where she disagreed with me on policies foreign and domestic.
Only she also discovered we have a lot in common.
It’s not like I’m going to make her go out and lie her ass off to the press corps every day. Of course there’s an element of spin—that’s just a fact of life. But as Kev likes to say, factsare. Shemight not agree with all my positions, but then again, she reported on things and had to portray a party line she didn’t agree with at FNB.
At least now she can have a back-and-forth with others to help clarify issues, and she gets a chance to make her opinion heard with me before we finalize talking points and official positions.
I also decide that, on the White House staff organizational chart,press secretary is head of communications, and answers only to the chief of staff, and then me. This puts Tim Bayard, our social media director, under her. Lauren recommends hiring Angela Shibata, one of Lauren’s very capable and driven producers from her former show on FNB, to be communications director/deputy press secretary. Angela is a Democrat who is loyal to Lauren, which was the onlyreason she stayed at the network for as long as she did.
Kev makes it so.
Thus our communications department is born. I give Lauren complete discretion, with Kevin supervising, to winnow through our campaign’s communications and speech-writing staffers and decide who comes aboard and who doesn’t, and in what capacity. In the process of hiring, Lauren taps two more producers from her old FNBshow, as well as Kevin’s old producer, Lou, to help round out the main contingent of speechwriters, communications specialists, and staff. Some of the staff who don’t end up under Lauren will go to work in the East Wing with Christopher, or will be sent to other departments for their communications staff.
