“Either we talk here or we talk someplace else. It’s up to YOU.”
She followed him into the living room. “What the hell are you talking
about? I told you to get out. You’re forgetting your place in the
official hierarchy, aren’t you?”
He turned to face her. “You always answer the door dressed like that?”
He could understand Collins interest.
The nightgown did nothing to hide the Chief of Staff’s voluptuous
figure. Who would’ve thought? He might have been aroused despite
twenty-four years with the same woman and four children spawned from
that marriage, except for the fact that he was absolutely repulsed by
the halfnaked woman standing across from him.
“Go to hell! Go straight to hell, Burton.”
“That’s probably where we’re all going to end up, so why don’t you go
get on some clothes and then we’re going to talk and then I’ll leave.
But until then I ain’t going anywhere.”
“Do you realize what you’re doing? I can crush you.”
“Right!” He pulled out the photos from his jacket pocket and tossed them
down on the table. Russell tried to ignore them, but finally picked them
up. She steadied her trembling legs by placing a hand on top of a table.
“You and Collin make a beautiful couple. You really do. I don’t think
the media will lose sight of that fact. Might make for an interesting
movie of the week. What do you think?
Chief of Staff gets brains screwed out by young Secret Service agent.
You could call it The Fuck Heard ‘Round the World. That’s catchy, don’t
you think?”
She slapped him, as hard as she had ever slapped anyone.
Pain shot through her arm. It had been like hitting a piece of wood.
Burton took her hand and twisted it sideways until she screamed.
“]Listen lady, I know every fucking thing that’s going on here.
Everything. The letter opener. Who’s got it. Most importantly, how he
got it. And now this recent correspondence from our little larcenous
voyeur. Now any way you cut it, we got us a big problem, and seeing that
you’ve screwed everything up from the get-go, I think a change of
command is in order. Now go get out of the hooker clothes, and come back
in here. If you want me to save your horny little ass, you’ll do exactly
what I tell you to do. Do you understand?
Because if you don’t then I suggest we go have a little chat with the
President. It’s up’to you. Chief!” Burton spat out the last word,
communicating unequivocally his absolute disgust with her.
Burton slowly let go of her arm but still towered over her like a
mountain. His massive bulk seemed to block out her ability to think.
Russell gingerly rubbed her arm and almost timidly looked up at him as
the hopelessness of her situation started to sink in.
She went immediately to the bathroom and threw up. It seemed like she
was spending an increasing amount of her time doing that. The cold water
on her face finally started to work through the throes of nausea until
she was able to sit up and then walk slowly to her bedroom.
Her head spinning, she changed into long pants and a thick sweater,
dropping the negligee on the bed, too ashamed to even look at it as the
garment floated down; her dreams for a night of pleasure shattered with
terrifying abruptness. She replaced her red stilettos with a pair of
brown flats.
Patting her cheeks down as she sensed the rush of blood there, she felt
like she had just been caught by her father with a boy’s hands far up
her dress. That event had actually occurred in her life and probably
contributed to her absolute focus on her career to the detriment of
everything else, so embarrassed had she been by the entire episode. Her
father had called her a whore and beaten her so badly that she had
missed a week of school. She had prayed her entire life that she would
never feel such embarrassment again. Until tonight that prayer had been
answered.
She forced herself to breathe regularly and when she went back into the