Page 42 of An Impossible Love
“Just a little close scrutiny. Know what he is doing when he is doing it. Who’s on his detail? Can we get assigned? And by we, I mean you, because he just asked me out, and it would be awkward.”
“More awkward than screwing the big man?” Duke kissed back at her. He had a point.
“Look, I’m just saying… I’m going to go to Princeton and get a read on his time there, and I need you to make sure he stays in Washington while I do.”
“You know you could get into a lot of trouble for this?”
“More trouble than screwing the big man?” She grinned as she shot his own words back at him and he gave her a begrudging smile.
“Fine, I’ll talk to Lucas.”
“Yo, boss, you wanted to see me?”
Moxie was still chowing down on her sandwich as she sat down with Orin in his cabin. He dismissed his secretary and waited until they were alone before he spoke. Orin drew in a deep breath. “Mox… I need you to put a poll in the field.”
“Sure thing. About?”
He studied her for a moment. “About the American public’s reaction to the president’s lover being a member of his security detail.”
Moxie nearly choked on her food, then laughed. “Oh, ha. You got me.”
“I’m serious, Mox.”
Moxie put down her plate and swallowed her food. “You’re serious?”
“Yup.” He sat down opposite her. “Look, I’m not dumb, I know we can’t frame the question that way—”
“—ya think?” Moxie interrupted, incredulous. “Orin, this could torpedo your whole presidency, you realize that?”
“I do. But here’s the thing. I’ve found the person I want to spend the rest of my life with.”
Moxie stared at him. “After sleeping with her once?”
“Twice,” he said a little smugly, but then his face was serious again. “Mox, I knew it before Emmy and I had sex. Come on now. You never heard of love at first sight?”
“That’s for teenagers and hokey romcoms. Orin, you’re the President of the United States!” She got up and paced around, and Orin waited for to calm down. Eventually, she sat down. “We have to make it a governor, and it can’t be his security detail. It has to be some other subordinate. Neither one is married.”
His heart lifting, Orin smiled. “See? How hard was that?”
“That isn’t hard. It’s the fact that when and if you two go public… damn it, Orin. Her job will be forfeit. Have you talked about this with her?”
“Not in so many words. I wanted to get your read.”
“My read is that you are insane. Jesus, can’t you two just have this thing in private?”
Orin sat up straight. “I want a future with Emerson Sati, Mox.”
“You’re in love with her?”
He nodded, not wanting to say the words aloud until he’d said them to Emmy.
Mox gazed at him unhappily. “Even if Emmy doesn’t lose her job, can you really see the First Lady also being responsible for taking a bullet for her husband?”
“Don’t be stupid, Mox.”
“I’m not the one being stupid. Can you not see the shit show this is going to bring down on all of us?”
“Because two people fell in love, Mox?”
