Future Imperfect Ch. 02

Waking up in his bed alone was an unusual feeling for Steven, but he was more surprised to hear knocking on his bedroom door.

"Y'ello?" He answered groggily, before blinking in surprise as Stephanie burst into the room with more energy than a coked-up porn star.

"You won't fucking believe this," Stephanie announced, "but you were only bloody right."

"I mean, obviously," Steven tried to sit up straight, his aching back slowing him down, "but what about?"

"The website published the interview you did late last night, including your comments about how you've barely seen any 'normal' Kiwis, and the international press has picked up on it." She rubbed her hands in glee. "The governments already released a statement saying they'll review the process, but half of the women on the list have pre-emptively asked to push their appointments back. You were bloody right."

"Obviously," he repeated, "so, I assume the government woman coming today has cancelled?"

Laughing, Stephanie sat on the edge of the bed. "Are you kidding? Of course she hasn't bloody cancelled. What better way has the government got to speak to you in private? Although, you have got an extra hour in bed, as I imagine she's busy in briefings, minister of education by the way," she said as an aside, "Māori girl as well, this being New Zealand, so naturally you'd expect the naso you'd best be on best behaviour."

Nodding, Steven was pleased to see one of the maids coming in with a glass of juice and breakfast. Okay, maybe this whole servant business wasn't as bad as he'd made out yesterday, especially when the tall blonde gave him a sultry wink, bending over slightly further than strictly necessary. He might have to clear some time in his schedule for her...

Clicking her fingers, forcing him to focus on more important things, he noted that Stephanie looked none too pleased. "Steven, focus. You've gone and made yourself unpopular with powerful people, so you must start paying attention to things other than sultry women. During this visit they're going to be waiting for you to slip up, so be careful with what you say. They're going to use the fact that you're Pakeha against you."

Snorting, Steven took a gulp of juice. "They were pretty bloody happy when I landed in Auckland. I got a haka and everything."

"Right, shit like that Steven, don't call it a haka." Looking stern, Steven almost cowered at Stephanie's disapproving stare. "They performed a Haka at your Powhiri, where you were also greeted with a hongi. A haka is not the whole thing. Don't let them portray you as ignorant of our culture."

"Right," Steven nodded, "maybe that's something I should ask for proper lessons on. Like, regular ones, not just a day I'm supposed to remember two years later."

"I can arrange that." Looking pleased, she pulled a file from the pile she had in her arms. "This is the woman you shall be meeting by the way. Maia Aihe, she's only twenty-six, young to be in government and likely a rising star so, if she has ambitions to go further she won't let anything get in her way."

Flipping through the file, the first thing Steven saw was how striking she was, her sharp features contrasting against her heritage. "If she's ambitious," he mused, "is her visit not going to cause major problems for her career in nine months' time?"

"Her parents will no doubt do most of the childcare," Stephanie shrugged, "along with the rest of the Morai. Māori remember, stop making white assumptions."

Admiring the photo, she appeared to be quite tall, not quite his six foot two, but tall and muscular. As much as he found an hourglass figure enticing, he was quite looking forward to spending time with someone who was real, both in body and in mind.

Stepping out of bed stark naked, folder in hand, Steven read through the different attachments, likes, dislikes, familial history, and assorted quotes, rumours, and political opinions. Elected at twenty-four, a fierce proponent of Māori rights... Ooh, interesting. Had argued against Steven's arrival in New Zealand.

Sat on the apartment's sofa, Steven was taken aback by some of his upcoming client's opinions, as well as the knowledge that she was in a committed relationship with a one-time political opponent. It was certainly more common for couples to go the artificial route, and if they felt it necessary to go the natural route, they'd often make the journey together, to make it more of a bonding activity, with the 'father', as Steven considered them, not often joining in, but instead very much focusing on being romantically, supportively and sexually involved with the mother. Yet he'd already confirmed with Stephanie that no request had been made for her partner to be involved.

So, didn't agree with him being there, but happy to use his services. She sounded like a basic hypocrite, but there was something bugging Steven that it wouldn't be quite that simple.

As he spent the morning preparing by reading through the material, he was eventually given the warning that Maia was only thirty minutes away. Stopping his swotting, he went to get dressed, needing something casual but not lazy. A suit too formal, jeans and a T-shirt too informal, it was going to be slacks and a shirt situation, yet as he was focused upon this, as he entered his room, he was surprised to see someone, probably a maid, in his ensuite. Usually, they were in and out in a few minutes unless he and his clients had had a particular raunchy night, anyway, so this was odd...

"You alright?" He called out. He was only able to see part of her uniform, yet the response was one of shock, the figure jumping up and knocking the door open unintentionally. It became apparent that the blond maid he'd admired earlier in the morning had been having some 'private time' between herself and her fingers. As she exited, her underwear was caught around her thighs, preventing her from pulling them up quickly. Looking disheveled and red-faced, she looked like she'd just had a bit of a seeing.

"Oh, I'm so sorry sir..." her voice was husky, likely North European, and she continued her apology as she tried to properly pull up her pants. "I just, I didn't mean..."

Raising a hand, Steven had a smile on his face, and a lot of blood in his cock.

"It's okay. Are you new?" He remained completely polite. "Until this morning I'm not sure I've met you before."

"Oh, not quite new," she finally lifted her pants and began adjusting her shirt, her bra also askew, "I was promoted from laundry, sir... I'm Andrea, sir."

"Lovely to meet you, Andrea. I'm assuming you moved here by yourself?" He queried. "Not found yourself much company yet?"

Embarrassed, Andrea nodded. "Yes sir. Sorry sir, I wasn't expecting your amount of nudity and, well, it's been a while..."

Grinning, Steven was enjoying this. He just wished he had more time to 'help' the poor woman. "That's understandable. Obviously, it's not really appropriate to be doing that in my apartment, unless I'm joining in of course," he laughed, "but I'm afraid we don't have time for that right now. However, if you're struggling to meet people, I can have a word with Stephanie and see if she has any recommendations; if you think that might help?"

Nodding, Andrea looked grateful to be given an easy out. "Yes sir, that would be appreciated. Sorry sir."

"Don't worry," he reassured the poor woman, "I like to help my staff where I can, just with a client coming it's not quite the time."

Backing through the door, Andrea was basically bowing, just pleased to be out of there, and Steven laughed, showering and dressing with five minutes to spare.

"Stephanie?" He called to his assistant. "Would you mind looking up the file of the maid Andrea? It appears that she's struggling to make any relationships, but also, might be worth making sure there are no surprises, yeah?" She agreed without an argument, busy with all the other final preparations for a client visit, especially when there were political connotations that threatened future employment.

Five minutes later, the doorbell rang, the action completely pointless, as both Stevens and Maia's teams had been in constant contact and were keeping tabs on each other, but nevertheless it was part of the charade, and Steven went through with his part of answering the intercom with a humourless, "Who is it?"

A ding of the lift, and minutes later, Maia Aihe, minister of education, strode through the door, greeting Steven with a firm handshake and then a hongi, as they shared the same breath.

"Nice to meet you miss Aihe, or would you prefer Maia?"

"Maia will be just fine." She responded politely, her expression blank.

"As you may already be aware, my name is Steven, or Steve, either is fine. Let me welcome you to my home, and allow me to give you a guided tour of the opulence your government so generously gifted me."

That sentence raised a wan smile, yet Steven was aiming it more at her small entourage, several advisors who, from a job perspective were required to stay in the same building in case anything major occurred and Maia was needed elsewhere. For now, he also welcomed them all in, greeting them with a hongi, treating them as equals.

Shown to her own room, not frequently used past the first night, but nice to have nonetheless, they finished on the balcony, Andrea stood there, a tray of drinks ready, mostly wine but a few non-alcoholics available also, including Maia, which Steven noted with interest, as her file had in fact hinted that she might be too fond of the odd drink.

"Thank you Andrea," Stephanie dismissed the maid as everyone had a drink, "you may go." Steven noted with interest that Maia's eyes seemed to follow the girl out of the room, maybe showing where her interest lay.

The rest of the morning went well, both teams nattering and chatting away before, with a slight of hand Steven was used to seeing from his assistant, he and Maia were bundled into a car by themselves as they headed to a local beachfront restaurant for lunch.

"It's nice to see you don't depend on a chauffeur." Maia commented as Steven drove, now completely used to the automatic, having been initially thrown by the lack of gear stick when he first arrived.

"A lot of decisions are made for me," Steven answered honestly, "it's an opportunity to have some independence, even if it's temporary, and my destinations are chosen by committee. Still, you've got to give the illusion of freedom anyway."

An answer not forthcoming, Steven drove the short distance in silence, Maia staring out at the scenery they passed. "Not been to the South Island much?" He asked with genuine interest.

"Not much. This is only the second time in my life, and that was for a funeral. I've been to Australia more often than an entire half of my own country, isn't that sad?" She spoke with genuine sadness, and Steven was surprised by the genuine concern.

Reaching their destination, Steven's arrival caused its usual stir in the local populace, as his itinerary made his visits to local haunts few and far between, but he did himself a favour in Maia's eyes when he insisted on opening her door.

"I might not be in the UK anymore, but I'm still the boy my parents raised, and that boy is annoying but polite."

Sat at a reserved table, their entourage was seated far enough away to give the illusion of privacy but close enough that they could hear what was said.

"This is romantic," Steven said with a wink, gesturing at their entourage.

"The life of a politician I'm afraid," Maia sighed, "but if I'm going to be entrusted with running the education system it's good to have a second opinion."

"In my career," Steven said bluntly, "a second man would have no practical use."

Laughing, Steven was glad to hear that Maia had a proper belly laugh, not a media-controlled titter so beloved of the plastic princesses who were his most frequent clients.

"In carrying pregnancy, completely pointless," Maia admitted, "enjoyment? Well, if that's what you're into."

"And what are you into?" Steven ventured, met by a coy smile and silence. "So, you're obviously a busy, yet successful person, have you always wanted to add kids into the mix?"

Shrugging, Maia picked up the menu, waving off the wine menu proffered by the waitress. "I've been focused on politics since I was fifteen, before even the pandemic, when it happened, I realised I wanted to be part of the solution. And at this moment in time, that solution includes babies, so here I am."

"That's fair, may I have a local Hazy please," he spoke to the waitress, "and what would you recommend to eat?"

"Everything is local sir, the soup of the day is corn and shrimp."

"That," Maia announced, "sounds revolting. May I please have the steak, medium with salad."

"Same, but with chips." Steven agreed. "That would be most appreciated. Oh, could we also have some nachos for a starter and," he lowered his voice conspiratorially, " a bottle of something fruity for our friends at the other table."

Looking confused, the waitress asked, "As in wine, or apple juice?"

Ignoring Maia's cackling laugh, Steve spoke politely. "Tell you what, why not both? Thank you so much."

As she walked away, Maia gave him an odd look. "She asked you a ridiculous question, how can you respond so calmly?"

Shrugging, Steven looked directly at her. "It was an honest bit of confusion, I thought it nicer to be polite than mock. If we're being impolite and blunt," he retorted, "where's your partner? Not interested in parenthood?"

Sitting back, Maia surveyed him with interest. "It's a good question, but I'm afraid it's quite a personal answer, so I won't be answering."

"So it's okay to mock someone who's trying to do their job, in their personal life, but yours is out of bounds?"

Pursing her lips and sitting back in her chair, Steven could see he'd hit a nerve, yet didn't give a fuck. "To an extent. I'm a politician, I expect at least minimal competence, and no one else in my family chose to be a politician, so I don't involve them."

"That poor woman didn't choose to be mocked because she didn't quite understand my question, possibly due to my accent, but instead of kindness you chose rudeness. That's not being a politician, that's being a bitch."

Steven could see Stephanie raise her eyes, but he refrained from giving any of the 'get involved' gestures. He wanted to see how this went.

"I don't see it as rude," she countered, "but a learning experience."

"And what should she learn from that experience? That politicians are up their own arses? As far as I can tell, mistakes are made in politics day in, day out, yet I have done my best to treat you with respect, as I would any person, not just someone full of self-importance."

Their drinks arrived, and Maia waited until they were on the table, remaining silent as Steven thanked their waitress, waiting until she'd left. "And you were so polite when you opened the car door for me." She spoke through clenched teeth. "Was that just for show?"

"Not at all," Steven spoke, taking a sip of his beer, "even when you discover a persons character, you should treat everyone with kindness and politeness, but that's not the same as kissing their arse."

Sipping her juice, Maia eyed him up. "You're unlike anyone I've ever met, something I didn't quite expect from a gigolo."

Laughing, Steven refrained from walking out. "I reckon I've fucked over less people than you have love. I didn't choose this job, I agreed to it because of the biological necessity."

"Is it still necessary though? Do we still really need you shagging away?"

Taking another sip of beer, Steven kept his cool. Just. "You had to apply to join me, my dear, I didn't force you here. If you don't want to be here, you're welcome to leave, as like it or not consent goes both ways, and so far I can't imagine a scenario where I'd agree to stick my cock in you, never mind find you attractive enough to orgasm."

Her face going red, Steven had obviously hit a nerve. "Who the fuck do you think you're talking to?" She growled. "You're a fucking servant to do what you're told, whereas I can control your life."

Surprised, Steven couldn't help but laugh.

"Is that your new political slogan? Agree with me or I'll ruin your fucking life?"

It was at that moment one of her advisors sprinted from the next table, almost toppling over their drinks in their haste, and breathlessly announced;

"Ms. Aihe, something important has come up. I just need to speak to you outside..."

Without saying a word, Maia stood up stiffly and followed after, her body rigid with anger, completely ignoring the waitress as she brought over their nachos, who placed the dish down, confusion etched over her face.

"Is that everything sir?"

"That, my dear," Steven answered, lifting the cheesiest chip up with no guilt, happy she had broken first, his own frustration now rapidly declining, "is a good start, thank you very much."

It was about five minutes later and most of the cheese had disappeared before Maia and her advisor returned from their 'incredibly important briefing.'

Taking her seat, Maia appeared red-faced, yet she appeared calmer than when she'd left.

"I would like to apologise for my previous behaviour," she spoke in a calm manner, picking up a chip yet unable to look Steven in the eye, "I recognise that I was being judgemental and, as you so delicately put it, a right bitch." Placing the chip in her mouth she chewed, staring out at the view. "It's been a... well, I've not had a good few days, so I'm likely defensive."

"It's absolutely not a problem," Steven smiled kindly, "everyone gets frustrated and upset, especially when challenged. As much as I would like to insist otherwise, no one is right one hundred percent of the time, but recognising we're wrong and what we do about it is what reveals our character." Lifting his drink, he took a sip. "Now, if you want to discuss your bad few days I'm happy to listen, and if you want to pretend they haven't happened I'm happy to do that too."

A sad smile on her face, Maia seemed uncertain which would be preferable. "I'd love to pretend they haven't happened, but, traditionally, it's not a good look for a politician to stick their fingers in their ears and shout 'I'm not listening I'm not listening!', so what about ignoring it until I feel okay to discuss it?"

"That sounds smashing. Now, tell me," as he spoke, Steven pushed the nachos towards Maia, "you said earlier you'd been to Australia quite a lot. I've been considering a visit; anywhere particular you'd suggest?"

Grasping the proverbial branch of safety, Maia began discussing the pros and cons of Darwin and Sydney, and the atmosphere at the table next to them also finally relaxed, and they began tucking into their own meals.

The remainder of the meal was more enjoyable and chill, the steaks cooked to perfection, and both were relaxed enough to order dessert, lemon sorbet for Steven and mud cake for Maia.

"You know what?" Maia said, her mouth full of chocolate, "I'm not even sure where we're supposed to be going next. Some photo op wasn't it?"

"Helicopter ride to Mount Cook I think," Steven said, finishing off his sorbet before enjoying the last few sips of his beer, "which suits me absolutely fine. It's not an overly long drive, but I can only imagine the scenery is simply stunning from above, so I proper can't wait. There's got to be some benefit to shagging countless beautiful women eh?" A sly grin on his face, Maia guffawed at the comment, before a slightly uneasy look came over her face. "Problem?" He asked.

"Something best discussed in the car I think," Maia spoke lightly as the waitress came over with the bill, and the topic wasn't broached again as some of the staff and local residents of the town spent the time talking to their minister of education, making the most of the opportunity, while Steven was left to his own devices, happy to get the opportunity to receive any necessary updates from Stephanie, who'd seemingly hit it off with Maia's own assistant.