"A source close to the Moran family."
Blake sat at the McCord's dining room table, shuffling through the printouts of the exposé in its entirety— he'd done some cashing in on favors of his own.
"A detailed account of an intimate relationship between Secretary of State Elizabeth McCord and her long-time Personal Assistant."
He was livid.
"Boathouses, balconies, and blowjobs."
It was the opening hook. It was brazen enough, scandalous enough to catch attention.
"How could you?" He said into his cell phone. His words were loud and angry. He didn't care if the conversation carried into the other rooms.
"Blake."
Her voice made his blood boil.
"An anonymous source that works closely with the Moran family offers a damning account of their trip to Connecticut in May. From stolen kisses in the boathouse to longing stares shared on balconies, the source recounts several intimate occasions between McCord and B. Moran."
"Some of this was word for word from our conversation, Jenna." Blake shook his head. "How could you?" He repeated.
"I— I swear that I didn't mean to."
He chuckled as he ran a hand through his hair. "You didn't mean to give quotes to a journalist from Vox?"
"Blake, I promise you that it was an accident." She was on the verge of tears. "I was in the city at the end of May with friends. We were out at the bars, and I was drunk when a reporter…" She sniffled. "Who I didn't know was a reporter at the time, came up to me. I— I was just talking!"
He moved around papers, finding the one marked with the number three, and read the section he'd underlined with his pen.
"The source describes witnessing an early morning tryst in which McCord performed fellatio on B. Moran in the family's kitchen." Tears pricked his eyes. "This was just talking?"
Jenna was like a sister, but, drunk or not, even Meredith wouldn't spill her guts (or rather his) to some sleazy reporter.
"I'm so sorry, Blake."
He pushed the papers away. "Why?" He asked. "Why were you drunk in a bar telling my secrets to anyone who would listen?"
"I— I was jealous, okay? I was jealous." She huffed. "I've liked you for the longest time, and I couldn't stand seeing you with Elizabeth. That morning in the boathouse… I was crushed."
Jenna was like a sister to him. They laughed, they loved, and they fought— just as siblings did.
"Jen..."
"Tell me that you'll forgive me."
He couldn't deal with this right now.
"I have to go," he said before ending the call.
Blake let out a breath as he peered into the living room. Mike B. stood between Henry and Elizabeth rambling about the future. Nadine, although it had pained her, had contacted Mike shortly after he and Elizabeth had been escorted from the State Department.
The heels of his hands pressed into his eyes.
She would need a team of lawyers, and though Mike Barnow was a damned good one, if she were to decide to fight the LOI, they would need to find one who specialized in federal employment.
"I feel like I'm overstepping by just being here," Daisy said.
Without looking up from her laptop, Nadine told her that, "she needs our support."
Daisy leaned in and lowered her voice, mindful of who was in the next room over. "What she did was wrong." Daisy then turned her gaze on him. "What you did was wrong, too. I hope you know that," she muttered as her eyes drifted down to her device.
"How's Win?"
She had no room to be lecturing him on right and wrong.
Daisy stared at him, lips parted, but she held her tongue because Elizabeth had entered the room. She sunk down into the empty chair next to his.
"Where's Henry?"
She pushed a strand of hair away from her face. "Upstairs." He wanted to reach out and touch her, but he knew it was inappropriate. "Mike's on the phone." She tilted her head, staring at him.
To anyone else, which nowadays included her husband, she would appear calm and composed, but he knew that she was emotionally worn.
"How bad is it?" She asked as she pulled one of the printouts across the table.
Blake sighed. "In the words of Nadine, from an outsider's perspective, it's all alleged."
Her finger traced under the lines of words as she skimmed over the sections. He couldn't help but watch her. When she finished with the page she looked up and their eyes locked.
He swallowed.
Affairs weren't easy. They were messy, raw, and time-consuming. Certainly, it would end after today… Certainly, it would end after today, but why then was Elizabeth taking his hand in hers?
"Have you eaten since breakfast?"
She propped her head up with her hand. "No."
"Come," he said, nodding his head toward the kitchen. "I'll make you something."
"Blake," Nadine warned as they passed through the doorway.
He scoffed. It was half-past seven on a Wednesday and even after reading about the blowjob Elizabeth had given him in his mother's kitchen, sex was still the last thing on his mind.
"You think I'm going to bend her over the counter?"
Daisy's head turned up, and he was met with not one but two stern faces.
"Read the room," Elizabeth whispered.
