Ultimate Sin
As she lay on the musty smelling hotel bed the mild spring breeze blew gently giving little away of the unsettling calmness that grip the surroundings. That morning everything had seemed perfectly normal, the mood in the hallowed yet oddly riotous corridors of the white house's west wing had been jovial. There had always been something about walking past the busts of past presidents, seeing the tiny hints of the decorating styles of first ladies since the dawn of time and hearing the chatter and banter of the men who made the decisions that lead to the decisions that so often changed the world, that made her feel the privilege that her life now held. That had been twelve hours ago and now? Well now she felt like somewhere along the way the world had taken a half step to the left and that no amount of coaxing and persuasion, now amount of telling herself it wasn't so could change it. The step was permanent; there was no going back.
Rolling on to her back, feeling the thin sheet fall from her leg exposing the tanned flesh to the chill of the room, she looked at him, sleeping so soundly as to make her wonder if he had any concept of what they'd just done. If he, like her could see the shift in position. Linking her fingers with his she pulled herself near to him feeling his warmth. Somewhere inside she knew this wasn't going to be the great love of her life, neither of them where in a position to say "lets make a go of it". It was simply out of the question. So maybe the key now was to simply accept that there were new rules now, new boundaries, a permanent. They'd never look at each other again without seeing, feelings, tasting every moment of their afternoon together. She'd never be in his company again without being lost in the feeling of his touch, the whisper of his breath against her ear and the comfort of him sleeping in her arms. But worst of all she'd never forget that slit second when their eyes met and held with the deep electricity of polar opposites. That was the moment, she realised, when the world had stopped and when it had restarted everything was different. On one side of that moment she had been herself and on the other she became someone else, someone capable of committing the ultimate act of betrayal. One who in the depths of the fear and underlying blackness that so often gripped them in this time of accusations, questions and rumours, had found solace in the one place that she never should have look but where for too long she'd realised she could. He moved beside her sleepily opening his eyes searching for hers and in that instant she knew he felt it too, never again would they be the first lady and the chief of staff. Now, and always, they would simply be two people who had the potential to devastate the president on a scale greater than any other. The act of adultery had stripped them of their titles and turned them into the wife and the best friend of the most powerful man in the world, who in spite of his power had been powerless to stop them.
As the curtain blew and the calmness engulfed them they held each other in the falling darkness and listened to the sound of the world outside. To the people going about their business unaware that anything was different. That the world had taken a half step to the left and there was no going back.
As she lay on the musty smelling hotel bed the mild spring breeze blew gently giving little away of the unsettling calmness that grip the surroundings. That morning everything had seemed perfectly normal, the mood in the hallowed yet oddly riotous corridors of the white house's west wing had been jovial. There had always been something about walking past the busts of past presidents, seeing the tiny hints of the decorating styles of first ladies since the dawn of time and hearing the chatter and banter of the men who made the decisions that lead to the decisions that so often changed the world, that made her feel the privilege that her life now held. That had been twelve hours ago and now? Well now she felt like somewhere along the way the world had taken a half step to the left and that no amount of coaxing and persuasion, now amount of telling herself it wasn't so could change it. The step was permanent; there was no going back.
Rolling on to her back, feeling the thin sheet fall from her leg exposing the tanned flesh to the chill of the room, she looked at him, sleeping so soundly as to make her wonder if he had any concept of what they'd just done. If he, like her could see the shift in position. Linking her fingers with his she pulled herself near to him feeling his warmth. Somewhere inside she knew this wasn't going to be the great love of her life, neither of them where in a position to say "lets make a go of it". It was simply out of the question. So maybe the key now was to simply accept that there were new rules now, new boundaries, a permanent. They'd never look at each other again without seeing, feelings, tasting every moment of their afternoon together. She'd never be in his company again without being lost in the feeling of his touch, the whisper of his breath against her ear and the comfort of him sleeping in her arms. But worst of all she'd never forget that slit second when their eyes met and held with the deep electricity of polar opposites. That was the moment, she realised, when the world had stopped and when it had restarted everything was different. On one side of that moment she had been herself and on the other she became someone else, someone capable of committing the ultimate act of betrayal. One who in the depths of the fear and underlying blackness that so often gripped them in this time of accusations, questions and rumours, had found solace in the one place that she never should have look but where for too long she'd realised she could. He moved beside her sleepily opening his eyes searching for hers and in that instant she knew he felt it too, never again would they be the first lady and the chief of staff. Now, and always, they would simply be two people who had the potential to devastate the president on a scale greater than any other. The act of adultery had stripped them of their titles and turned them into the wife and the best friend of the most powerful man in the world, who in spite of his power had been powerless to stop them.
As the curtain blew and the calmness engulfed them they held each other in the falling darkness and listened to the sound of the world outside. To the people going about their business unaware that anything was different. That the world had taken a half step to the left and there was no going back.