Sex and the Capital Ch. 13

"Look Bruce, I really need to talk with you, it's important," Senator Gary Harris said as the Environmental committee meeting broke up just before lunch. "Can you come to my office in, ah, ten minutes?"

Bruce looked at him hard, about to tell him to go to hell.

"It's important," Gary said and then looked around, no one was in hearing distance, "for your future."

Bruce nodded and glared at him, "I'll be there."

"Bruce," Gary said, a smile on his face, "Sit down, you want coffee or something else to drink?"

"No, I'm fine. What do you want?" he asked.

"Hey, c'mon," he said, "we're colleagues. I want some advice, that's all."

Bruce eyed him. What kind of ruse is this, he wants my advice!

"We talked about my belief in getting people back to the land. You remember that conversation?"

Bruce nodded. What the hell is he getting at?

"You have lots small farms in Indiana, right?"

"Yeah, we do. There're some factory farms but thousands of small farms."

"I want you to co-sponsor a bill with me that would establish a branch within the Department of Agriculture dedicated to small farms with an emphasis on self-sufficiency. What do you think?"

You're an idiot, that's what I think. Being civil, he replied, "As I said before, what you're talking about is subsistence farming, something that was common when people didn't have other employment options. Today it's usually the last step before farmers give up and get a non-farming job. I don't think it will go over."

"Oh, I think it will. I think self-sufficiency is attractive to a lot of people."

Bruce shook his head. "I didn't go into detail about the challenges of farming: drought or too much rain; insect infestation; fungus problems; disease; demand for produce; low prices; there's a lot of adversity out there. One bad year can put you under."

"I'm not talking about commercial farming, I'm talking about self-sufficiency."

Bruce shook his head. "Your small farm in Virginia might make it. I don't know about your tenant farmers, and that's what they are; but you can keep it going because you've got money to make it through the bad years. Real small farmers don't. Two bad years, their credit's exhausted; they're selling their land. It's a hell of way to make a living."

Gary was getting exasperated. "You're missing my point. You want to talk about commercial farms, I'm talking about self-sufficiency."

"I know what you're talking about, damnit. Subsistence farming, or, as you refer to it, self-sufficiency farming, is eking out a living from the land, it's far from commercial farming." Bruce replied. "It won't work. People aren't stupid, they're not going to fall for this."

"You're wrong. It's an opportunity for people to get back to their roots, to work the land, to grow their own food, to get closer to nature, their family, their neighbors. It's a great idea, and it will work."

Bruce shook his head. "I'm going to level with you, Gary. I won't co-sponsor your small-farm bill and I won't support you in this. This is crazy, trying to turn the clock back."

Gary shook his head. "Well, I tried to reason with you, hoped that I could bring you on board. But, unfortunately that's not going to happen. I wish that it hadn't come to this, but, what can else can I do?" he said as he walked over to his desk and pulled out a folder.

Bruce watched him as he returned with the folder in his hand; puzzlement was replaced by fear as he realized what might be in that folder.

He opened the folder and handed Bruce a small stack of photographs. He glanced at them realizing that they were taken last night in Britney's apartment. He looked at Gary angrily. "You son-of-a-bitch, where did you get these?"

"Never mind where we got them," he said smugly. "You should be asking what we're going to do with them."

Bruce glared at him, his hands at his side, balled into fists. I oughta punch this son-of-a-bitch out.

Gary stood there, looking at him benignly. He didn't say anything.

After a few seconds, Bruce regained his senses. "Let me guess, I either vote yes or these get published, right?"

"It's more than that. These are stills from a video. Your performance could soon be seen on the Internet, an X-rated video, downloadable for free."

"I can't believe that Britney is part of this!"

"Let's just say that she's a foot soldier in the war to save the Earth, a good one too. Kathy was too, but she left before we could get you two in action, on tape."

I'm going to kill this son-of-a-bitch! He made a move towards him and then stopped, realizing it would only make the situation worse. I've got to get out of here! He glared at Gary. "Let me think about it."

"Sure, Bruce, you've got until tomorrow afternoon. I'm anxious to see how you vote." He handed the pictures to Bruce. "Take these with you, they're your copies."

Snatching them out of his hand, Bruce walked out the door.

After dropping off his briefcase, Bruce went to Britney's apartment. Knocking on the door, he wondered if she'd open it. After the second knock, she did.

He grabbed her arm and forced her back into her apartment. "Why did you do this, Britney?"

Alarmed by his actions, she freed her arm and asked angrily, "Do what?"

"Let that God Damn Harris shoot a video of us in bed!"

"WHAT!" she screamed.

"You heard me. You let that son-of-a-bitch do this."

"I don't have a clue what you're talking about."

He glared at her. "Stay right here, I'll get the pictures." In a minute, he was back. He thrust the pictures in her face.

She took them and glanced at them. "Gary gave you these?"

"Wait a minute," he said suspiciously. "You know Harris?"

"Y-yes," she stuttered.

"You know the bastard but you didn't know what was going on? You're full of shit!"

She shook her head. "No, no, no. They told me I could live here if I would get to know you and try to influence your votes in the committee. That's all it was. They never said anything about sex or pictures or anything. They just wanted me to try and convince you to see our side."

Bruce was still mad. Her plea was falling on deaf ears. "What the hell kind of movement do you guys have? You let yourself be used like that? What's wrong with you?"

Tears welled up in her eyes. "I am part of the movement but I never would have agreed to this. I'm a believer but this is way over the line. You have to believe me, I would never do anything that would hurt anyone, especially you."

"So you belong to a movement that's not above blackmailing me; threatening to ruin my political career; embarrassing me and my family, and you, if you're telling me the truth; besides making a mockery of the democratic system."

She dropped her head and sobs wracked her body. Suddenly she looked up and said, through her tears, "I'm sorry. Please believe me."

He nodded and she threw herself into his arms, sobbing with even more intensity now.

"Okay, okay, take it easy. I believe you; I know you're sorry this happened. I'm not holding you responsible, it's Gary."

Getting control of herself, she released him and stepped back, dabbing at her eyes with the bottom of her t-shirt. "I'm all right now. Can we sit down?"

He took her by the hand and started towards the sofa.

She froze. "No! They have cameras in here. I want to go to your apartment."

"Yeah, you're right. We'll go to my place."

"Do you want anything?" he asked as she sat down on his sofa.

She smiled at him weakly. "I don't want to be a bother but could you make some coffee?"

"Sure," he said and went into the kitchen.

"What are you going to do?" she asked when he returned, sitting next to her.

"I don't know. My choices aren't good. Succumb and be under Harris' control; go public with it, take Harris down with me; or I could resign."

She looked at him for a long time without saying anything, finally, she said, "If you want to expose the whole thing, I'm with you."

He turned towards her and took her hands in his, "You realize what will happen the minute I stand up to him, don't you?"

She shook her head slowly. "No."

"The video tape goes out on the Internet."

She was silent for several minutes. "If that happened I would bring charges against him. He broke several laws taping me, uh, us. Releasing it to the Internet would compound his problems."

He smiled at her. "You know, I was so concerned about myself that I hadn't even considered that you might be an unwitting accomplice in this, actually a victim."

"Let me talk to the bastard!"

It was his turn to think about the situation. Suddenly he chuckled. "I'm such a dumb-ass. Fred told me to tape any conversations I had with him and I didn't. Didn't even think about it. God damn it."

"I still want to talk to him."

Bruce shook his head. "Let me have tonight to think about it before you do anything. I believe you could keep him from releasing it to the Internet but he would still get the stills to my wife."

He had dropped the pictures on the coffee table when they came in; now, she picked them up. She studied each one, occasionally smiling, before setting them back down.

"Believe me about the sex. They only asked that I get to know you, try and influence you, uh, through friendship."

A slight smile crossed his face. "You sure came on to me."

She laughed lightly and shook her head. "Animal magnetism. You could have had me after the first hour you were putting that thing together. You were a gentleman all that afternoon, in the restaurant and back at my apartment. When you left I was sexually frustrated."

He smiled at her. "I wanted you too. It was difficult keeping my hands off you. So that thunderstorm is what got us together."

She bowed her head and said, "I have a confession to make. I am afraid of lightning but I exaggerated that story. I used it as a reason to come to your apartment and get next to you. I knew that would do it."

He put his hand on her thigh. "Did it ever. You are one remarkable woman."

She put her hand over his. "You bring out the woman in me. I've dated a lot and mostly been dissatisfied. No one will ever be able to satisfy me the way you can, no one."

He squeezed her thigh. "I don't know what will happen, but I'll always remember you."

She turned to him, shook her head, and kissed him lightly. "You know, I don't know what decision you'll make, but it's over between us. The fallout from this will end everything one way or another. But I don't think it would have lasted anyway. There was no way we could maintain that intensity, once that waned, the affair would have ended."

He took her hands in his again. "I think you just helped me make my decision. I would never do anything to hurt you. I want to keep the memory of what we had."

She put her arms around his neck and whispered "Thank you," in his ear. She hugged him for several more minutes. "Do me a favor?"

"Sure," he said softly, "What do you want?"

"Make love to me?"

Without a word, they stood up and walked back to the bedroom. She stood in front of him as he sat on the bed and slowly undressed her.

She sat on the edge of the bed and watched him undress, moving to the center when he was finished. She spread her legs as he moved on top, the head of his hard cock, inches from her cunt. Her arms went around his back as the head spread her lips and pushed inside. She angled her hips up and he buried himself completely.

"This is how I want to remember you," she said. "Making love to me slow and sweet."

His strokes were long and slow, his cock almost escaping on the backstroke, kissing her womb on the down stroke. In and out, long and slow, in and out, long and slow. She held him, her fingers caressing his back.

He controlled himself until the last few seconds. With a low moan, he began to spill his seed deep in her. Her hands moved to his ass and she held him firmly as he expended himself.

After a minute, her hands move to his upper back. "Thank you," she whispered. That's how I want to remember you. Soft and sweet."