Unlikely Singularities – Chapter 73

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Other Duties, As Assigned

January 27, 2017

Brenden drafted another tweet regarding President Williams’ first week in office and attached a photo of Williams and her husband greeting the Speaker. As he hit post, he glanced over the edge of his cubical. He could see through the double wide doorway into the waiting area between the Chief of Staff’s office and the Oval Office. Yolanda, Williams’ personal assistant, sat at her desk typing industriously and ignoring the imposing man sitting in one of her guest chairs.

Secretary Ross was shorter in person than he looked on television, but just as frightening. Brenden was glad he didn’t have to deal with the man. As much of a bitch as Darcy Lewis was, she was welcome to it. Whatever it was, and he still hadn’t quite figured out why a no-name foundation willing to hire someone with zero experience like Darcy would have any interest in a General, much less the Secretary of Defense.

Brenden had starting dating Darcy junior year because she was hot, and had great tits. He kept dating her even though she criticized his technique and insisted on way too much foreplay because she was acing Law and Society with Professor Maltin who hated Brenden. And because of the thing with the pot. It hadn’t even been his, dammit.

And then they had a small fight – she was the one who called him a pedantic poser – and she stomped off to Nevada or somewhere like a whiny girl. So what if he dated around while she was gone? They were broken up. And the Ohio Senatorial campaign was a career-builder. Anyone with half a brain and some ambition would have understood that he had to establish relationships to get his foot in the door. It wasn’t like he had trespassed or anything. Darcy had given him a key to her apartment before their fight. And his roommates would not have made a good impression on a mature, professional woman like Samantha.

A goal-oriented person would have understood the logical side of it.

But Darcy had gotten a gig with some sort of charity of Tony Stark’s – nothing like the political or lobbying jobs she had always talked about so it wasn’t like she was even using her degree. And while Brenden was sure it paid well (she had been dressed really nice in Ottawa, really nice) he and everyone else knew all about Stark’s reputation. A girl who looked like Darcy and had no fundraising on her resume would have only been hired for one reason. Darcy was smart, sure, but Stark probably liked something convenient on the side and Darcy was still hot. Really hot.

She had one over on Brenden, though, and he did owe her. Fuck, Brenden hated owing her. He had no misunderstandings about her ability to gut him, literally and figuratively if she so chose. So here he was, his first week in his new job at the White House, doing a favor for Darcy Lewis. Watching Secretary Ross wait for his meeting with President Williams. He adjusted his webcam and took a still shot of the General, calmly reading through something in a leather portfolio. Brenden opened a chat window, a perk of being part of the social media team, and sent it to Darcy.

Schedule running behind. Still waiting.

Her reply was immediate.

VindictiveHarpy: I want an after photo. Then we’re square.

Brenden barely smothered a curse. She was going to get him fired. But his boss finding out about the pot thing could also get him fired. He hoped Tony Stark got tired of fucking Darcy and she ended up teaching high school back in nowhere Virginia, begging Brenden to friend her online.

The Chief of Staff came to show Ross in, and it was nearly thirty minutes before they came out again. Quicker than Brenden had expected. He had his camera ready, and took the picture without even glancing at the faces of the General or the Secret Service agent who was walking with him. Seeing security made Brenden break out in a sweat, and he sent the image and closed out both the camera and the message app quickly, busying himself with sorting through official inaugural photos so he wouldn’t have to meet anyone’s eyes. It would be hours before he could take an easy breath and not think about how, but for forgetting to change the sheets on Darcy’s bed after his weekend with Samantha, he might have still been banging Darcy and she’d have forgotten about his promise over the pot thing.

Thank god it was all over.

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