Chapter Three
"Hey girl!" A tall, perky, and lean redhead popped through the door in search of Christine only to be greeted by a drowsy cocker spaniel who half-heartedly yelped at her knee with a wagging tail. "Nice of you to meet me, sweetheart. Now, what did you do with Christine?"
There was a rustle of blankets and a long moan from the sofa. A forehead covered in messy blonde hair slowly emerged. "Meg, is that you?"
"I hope so." Meg drew back as a long slender arm cocked to her hip, "If not, you're totally being robbed."
"Just don't break anything." The blonde head disappeared under the blankets.
"Hey!" Meg skipped over to the couch and plopped down right at Christine's feet. Christine quickly pulled her legs up to her chest to curl into a tight ball.
"Whoa…" Christine looked up and rubbed her eyes, "Weren't you just on a plane for four hours? How are you this awake?"
"I've taken to those little pink 4-Hour Energies at twenty-six thousand feet. It might actually beat out my adoral phase!"
Christine's eyes drooped a bit more, "Great…"
Cloe popped up on the couch and reclaimed her old place under Christine's arm with a yawn.
"Well, I can see you missed me, geezer." Meg scratched Cloe between the hips and she stretched to offer more access before kicking her left leg a few times in delight. Meg then took another look at her friend and asked slowly, "Hey girl, you doing okay? You hung over?"
"I wish. No time for that. Sorry Meg," Christine sat up and painfully cracked her eyes open, "It's good to see you. You know I've just been so busy. I've been trying to sleep this entire weekend and kept getting, er… distracted." Christine shut her eyes tightly as she tried to make everything go away for just a second to sleep even just a little while longer.
"Uh-oh, looks like you need a good vent." Meg prepared herself on the old couch by crossing her legs with her arms crossed over them at the knees. Her long lanky arms wrapped around her legs easily. Her red hair was up in a ponytail, but it was long enough to cascade over her shoulder and down to her waist. Her chin fell quickly to her arms and she asked, "What's up girl?"
Christine laughed bitterly at how simple the question sounded in comparison to how complex her weekend had already turned out to be. "Too much."
"Hmm, that sounds cryptic." Meg made a move to pet her dog again then said, "Well, thanks again for looking after Clo for me. You know how much pet sitters cost in this city. Anything to avoid that, you know?"
"No problem." She sat up a little to look at her friend a little more personally, "It was actually really nice to get out of my house. I caught back up with Netflix…or at least I tried to."
"Orange Is The New Black?!" Meg all but screamed with her arms up in the air.
Christine couldn't help but crack a smile, "Yep."
"Yes! Now we can talk about something other than work again! Come on chica let's lead the feminist movement! Clo can come too!"
Christine laughed a little and realized just how foreign the expression felt on her face. "Maybe tomorrow. NARAL won't leave me alone from the last birth control protection protest you took me to. Good causes, but my email account is wearing out." She hugged the pillow under her head a little closer and moaned, "I'm so tired of work."
"What's up?" Meg asked, but in reality, the intuitive young reporter knew that Christine was bound to tire out sooner or later. Nonetheless, she carefully asked, "I thought you were loving that job?"
"I mean," Christine sighed hard, "I guess it's not the job. I need the job. I think it's more of everything else that comes with it."
"You mean Raoul."
"Yeah… I guess I do mean Raoul."
"…And?" Meg coaxed.
Christine took a big breath, "He told me he loved me."
Meg's hands flew to her mouth before she exclaimed, "Oh my god! Oh my GOD! How did you take it? Did you say it back?"
Christine half-heartedly laughed, "Whoa chill, reporter. One question at a time so I can answer, okay?"
"Sorry, sorry it's the caffeine. My eyes feel like they're about to pop out if I breathe too hard. I'm going to crash so hard in thirty minutes. So," She slowed down to clarify the order she wanted her questions to be asked, "How did you take it?"
"Well, he told me he loved me after he was taken to the Zone Five Police Station on a DUI."
To this, Meg didn't even respond, she simply let her jaw drop.
"But apparently…it won't show up anywhere. So," Christine looked at her friend more seriously, "You don't know anything."
"Not a thing!"
Christine looked down to her hands in contemplation then shrugged, "Well, unless you could land a personal interview, you couldn't prove a thing. Apparently, it's all taken care of."
Meg shrugged, "I mean…his family is that rich."
"Wealth has nothing to do with it." Christine looked at Meg seriously, telling her with her eyes that this was a big deal even though she couldn't exactly say it was a bigger deal than she realized, "This has to do with power."
Meg's green eyes thinned behind her perfectly sculpted eyebrows, "What? Has Raoul risen in power all of a sudden?"
"I'm not sure." Christine sighed. She wanted to really vent this information, but knew she couldn't, "Sorry, if I could tell a soul, it would be you. As usual, you already know too much."
"Right…" It took Meg a second to go from reporter mode to friend mode out of respect, "Wow. That really does suck for your weekend."
"And that's all I really cared about for this weekend either," Christine finally moaned as she crushed her face into her hands.
"Well hey, if that's all you can vent about, that is totally okay. I will order us some Chinese and you can listen to me tell you about the drama that went down at the Harold while I was out."
Christine opened her fingers enough for her to see out between them, "Oh?"
"Get this!" Meg grinned broadly, "I'm going to the Kennedy Center Capitol Crusade!"
An angry noise came from Christine's stomach and she held it for a second, "Don't get me wrong. I want to hear all about this, but I think Chinese would be perfect right now."
Meg had her pink iPhone out in front of her for a little while now, "Already on Eat24!"
The rest of the Saturday was a huge relief for both of them. Christine was given a chance to talk some of her feelings out about Raoul and Meg went over how the special events reporter at the Harold was fired after being publicly shamed for sleeping with some of the wealthy recipients he was getting stories on.
"You know," Meg said with a mouth full of Egg Foo Young, "It's not as if any young reporters are holy or anything. Sex happens sometimes to get a story." Meg smiled as she thought about something, "And sometimes it's pretty good." Christine smiled bashfully and Meg winked in her direction before she continued, "The only problem was, whenever this guy had too many to drink, his gaydar went out the window and he hit on the wrong man a little too publicly. Before that, he never had a problem with picking out the right guy, sometimes girl. I think he was getting desperate. Nice guy, though. Funny too. I'll miss seeing him when I go into the office."
"Where do you think he'll go now?" Christine asked as she picked at some fried rice with her chopsticks.
"There will be other jobs for him I'm sure. This is a hot gossip subject now, but it won't last forever. And now I get to find a beautiful dress to go dance in!"
Christine cocked an eyebrow, "I thought you weren't exactly supposed to get involved at those functions."
"More like, once people find out who you are, they won't always talk, but for me," Meg spread her arms out wide, Egg Foo Young still in her left hand, "I'm virtually unknown! Especially since they usually have me travelling. It'll be nice to be in town for more than one weekend straight! And you have to go dress shopping with me."
Christine looked sceptically at her friend, "Are you sure? You know fashion is not my thing."
"Doesn't matter," Meg stuffed another mouthful before continuing, "Your job is to tell me whether I look good or not. I'll handle the labels."
"That I can do!"
The girls laughed as Meg popped the cork off a bottle of wine for them then poured them both some Barefoot Sweet Red into floral plastic cups. Christine felt comfort with Meg where she didn't exactly feel it with Raoul. Meg was surviving just as she had been. There were parts of her life that Christine never shared with Raoul because he would never understand. Meg understood, not necessary because she had been in as desperate of a situation before, but because she had seen more the world and from varying perspectives. She had gone to China and India and seen just how bad people could have it and yet be so thankful and hopeful towards the next day. Meg was an excellent friend and Christine didn't know what she would do without her.
III
Douglas Nadir stood at the corner of Pennsylvania and Minnesota Southeast next to where the beam of a flickering street light hit the pavement. He was content for his decision to wear an old second-hand coat that he had found from a thrift store across town. Attention was not what he wanted to draw, especially in the Southeast of the District. He could just make out the cleaner side of the city just beyond the Anacostia River that was a few blocks before him. Sure, there had been many advancements in improving most of the District, but where he stood was still under speculation as far as he was concerned.
The girl, Sorelli Posner, lived on this side of town. That was not surprising. After she had been found in Congressman Peter's car, it wasn't too difficult to find out who she was and where she was coming from. There were enough dealers on H Street who knew her and he made it his business to know the dealers as they were some of the most observant people working the undersides of the city. There was an advantage to having good relations with the underground. They knew everything when the police couldn't keep up and all they asked for was simple: money or information. Nadir usually had both.
He acquired her number and the call was simple, "Meet me tonight and you won't have to sell your body again."
She had decided on the location. This was a general place of nothing too interesting. There were people around, but not too many. She probably knew the people and would expect them to do something if anything were to happen. Unlikely. Nadir knew of these types. They would get it into their heads that the men they slept with had feelings for them and would protect them, but it wasn't that. They knew what they were screwing.
Nadir saw her approaching from the north and figured she had been watching for him from the park. This was not a surprise. She was a little late. At least he looked almost normal in comparison to those around him. He kept his hat on and stepped into the light a little so that she could see he was waiting.
"What do you want?" She spat about five feet away, just where the street light beam could hit her knee high heeled black boots.
"Your silence."
"What do you mean?" She looked up to him and he realized how short she was. Her hair was in tiny braids that fell all around her shoulders and down to her upper waist. She was wearing bright blue contacts and dark red lipstick but was otherwise covered by a jacket that looked more like a big black and brown bear.
"I will give you ten thousand dollars towards you starting a new life away from this city."
"Look, man, I don't charge that much. What are you asking for? And damn, all this for a job? You know where I hang out. You could have just gone there."
"There is no job. Only silence."
Her chin tilted upward as her eyes narrowed, "Silence on what?"
An old brown car passed by and the person inside slowed down as they saw her. She rolled her eyes and stuck a middle finger up to whoever it was. They drove away.
"Will you come closer so that you are out of the light? I'd rather you not draw any more unnecessary attention."
Sorelli thought about this for a moment but eventually made her move over so that they were only two feet away. A gust of wind blew and she brought the bear of a coat closer to her.
"There was an incident last night where you were caught in a car with a driver who was impaired. Do you remember this?"
The woman scowled in distaste, "It wasn't the first time that happened. I told him to pull over so we could get things done with so I could fuckin' leave."
Nadir pulled out a wad of bills from his pocket, just enough so that she could see before replacing it in his pocket. He didn't miss her eyes lighting up in hunger at the sight.
"Ten thousand dollars for you to move out of Washington and start a new occupation. To be silent on anything that happened that night concerning him."
"He must be pretty important for you to do all this." She cocked a pierced eyebrow to him.
"He doesn't have to be." Nadir passed off casually, "Are you taking my deal or am I wasting my time?"
Sorelli looked down to his pocket and frowned. "Does it matter where I go?"
"Away from the metropolitan area. There can't be a metro in the place you choose."
"For ten thousand?"
"Enough money for you not have to lift a finger to work for ten months in a nice apartment if you're smart."
The woman stepped a little closer and looked at his pocket, "Show me the money again."
He was getting frustrated, "No. You either take the deal or leave it. What do you choose? This is the last offer before I make matters more serious."
She showed him some attitude when he said that, but then shrugged and mumbled, "I don't like livin' around here anyway."
"Then leave tonight," Nadir coaxed.
"Easy enough," Sorelli said with a shrug.
He took the wad out and placed it in her long thin hand. He held the money for a moment before letting her take it, "I don't want to have to see you again."
"The feeling's mutual," She spat.
"Good."
And with that, the woman took the money and left, throwing her braids over her shoulder as she skillfully walked down the road in her high heeled boots. Sorelli, Nadir thought as he got into his car to drive home, like the famous European ballerina from the turn of the century. Maybe someone in her family had some class at one point. Too bad.
III
Monday came and went without anything too interesting happening at the office of Congressman Raoul Peters. That was actually a huge relief as Christine was prepping for something as dramatic as a smoke bomb to go off somehow. Even Raoul steered pretty clear of her, choosing instead to all but lock himself up in his room for the duration of the day. She wondered if he had already started his secret work for Underwood and if he would tell her if he had or not.
By Tuesday, an intern had sent an email to the wrong person and she was having to go through the works of personally apologizing to another important donor in Pittsburg. It was in the middle of this that three taps were heard on her door. Finishing up her conversation with an annoyed receptionist, she sighed, "Come in."
Before her was an antsy looking Raoul who held a piece of thick tinted gold paper in his hand. He shut the door and Christine sceptically removed her reading glasses.
"Hey Christine," He started slowly.
"Hey Congressman," She replied in return.
There was a pause that went on a little longer than she would have liked it too.
"Well," Raoul cleared his throat, "I figured you might want to go to this thing with me." He tossed the paper down on the desk.
Christine read,
Dear Congressman Peters,
You have been cordially invited by Mr and Mrs Jordan Seymour Sullivan to attend the annual Kennedy Center Capitol Arts Crusade and Ceremony in gracious thanks for your charitable contributions to the growth of the visual and performing arts throughout this distinguishable year.
There will be dinner, an awards ceremony, and performances, including the annual fundraiser delight of "Spot Singing" starting on Saturday, the twentieth of December, two thousand and sixteen, at seven o'clock in the evening at 2700 F St NW, Washington, DC 20566.
Please RSVP to RSVP before the date of the ceremony. We look forward to seeing you there!
Christine spoke without looking up to Raoul, "Would you like me to RSVP for you?"
"No," He tentatively made his way over to her desk, "I figured an intern could do that."
She laughed as if to say, Don't get your hopes up.
"So what would you like me to do?" Christine eventually asked.
"I have two tickets."
"Would you like me to call someone?" She asked in annoyance.
"No, I," Raoul contorted his face a little funny before he cleared his throat, "I would like you to be my plus one." He waved her off before she could say no, "Look, I don't see the real harm in this. You're a respected member of my office that I would like to treat to a good time. People won't think a thing and it will be a good chance for me to brag on your efforts here. Maybe if anyone else shows half as much promise as you have I can give you a recommendation letter to take where ever you want."
Christine still wasn't convinced, "I'm really not sure if this is the best idea. I mean, this wasn't something you were put up to or anything?"
"God no, I mean," He put on his typical sarcastic face, "Phillip would love to see you of course."
The idea of Raoul broaching the subject of them being together with his brother made her stomach drop, "Did you tell-"
"No, no, damn I'm not close with the guy, but he remembers you from when you sang at the beach and said so the last time he was in the office. Remember he was staying at the resort and making my job hell? He liked you and your dad then before he sold the rest of his soul to politics."
Christine thought back to that strange night. An older man had handed her and her father a one-hundred dollar bill as tip and Christine's eyes got so wide that she thought they would fall out. "Don't waste my money." He had told her. She stuffed it in her sock and saved it for six months without touching it. It was astonishing that the same man, Raoul's older half-brother was the Vice President-Elect.
"He's the one who put my contribution in any way. It would make him look good that I brought an artist in as my plus one."
Christine looked down, "Well, I'm not exactly an artist anymore. I'm a glorified secretary I guess."
"Oh c'mon, don't be like that. This is just a survival job, right? That's what artists call them, right?" Christine gave him a look of remorse, "Right… So, will you come with me?"
She sighed, "I…I still don't know…"
"Look, are you hearing me here?" Raoul made his way over to sit on her desk and take her hand. She kept a close watch on the door since he no longer seemed worried, "I'm doing this for you. I'm willing to lose you to another office so that we can really be together. I'm tired of messing things up in my life. I want something for both of us." He took a step forward, "I meant what I said the other night and…" Raoul sighed and looked to the ceiling, "I understand why you didn't say it back. I know I can be a real ass. But if I could get a mutual feeling out of you in time, well, I'd really, really like that."
Christine was taken aback by all these words. She really didn't know whether to swoon or deny him again. Instead, she let her hand drop from his hand and said wearily, "I have nothing to wear to something like this."
"I'll take care of it!" He said with excitement as he hopped back up, "Christine this is so great! We're going to look so great I promise. I'll pay for everything. I'll rent you jewellery too. No one is going to guess you work for me. You'll look so different! And when they notice it's you, they'll all lose it." Christine rolled her eyes and shook her head in disbelief, "Yes! I'll tell an intern to plug in an RSVP." He was on his way out the door when he looked back at her and mouthed slyly, "I love you."
She half smiled, he left, and then her head fell to the desk, "What am I going to wear?"
Finding new energy she pulled out her phone, took a picture of the invitation that Raoul forgot to pick up, and texted Meg, Emergency! What do I wear?
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