Leo McGarry, White House Chief Of Staff, walked down the
halls of the West Wing. Stopping in front of the Office
of the Press Secretary, he took a long deep breath
before stepping into the doorway. Inside he found Sam
Seaborn, the Deputy Communications Director having a
conversation with the owner of the office, C.J. Cregg.
“The two of you,” he said as he got their attention,
“come take a walk with me.”
“What’s going on?” asked Sam as he followed Leo’s
instructions, with C.J. a few steps behind him.
The veteran Chief of Staff didn’t immediately respond,
thinking it was fortunate that he caught the two of them
together. At least he wouldn’t have to do this twice.
Waiting until they were out in the middle of the hall,
he said what was on his mind.
“I wanted to tell you this out where there were people
so you wouldn’t scream about it,” Leo said, wishing he
were already on the way back to his office.
“Scream about what?” an already suspicious C.J. asked.
“The woman who was on Capitol Beat with Sam Sunday
night…” Leo began to reply.
A few days before, Sam, as he had done many times
before, had appeared on one of the Sunday Political
Debate shows. Normally on one of these appearances, the
Deputy Director of Communications wiped the floor with
whoever the Republicans slotted to appear opposite him.
Especially if his counterpart happened to be part of the
more Conservative branch of the G.O.P.
To first his amusement, then his dismay, this time they
had set him up with a young, rather attractive, but
relatively unknown Political Activist named Ainsley
Hayes. Not only did she prove to be a smart,
knowledgeable and committed opponent, she was skilled
enough to catch Sam off guard when he made a mistake and
proceeded to mop up the floor with him instead.
Even now, Sam remembered the words he had murmured to
himself; “Please, oh please, let them not be watching.”
The `them’ being the rest of President Bartlet’s staff,
and of course at least one of them had been watching. He
learned later on his return to the White House that his
friend and the Deputy Chief of Staff, Josh Lyman, had
run into the office of Sam’s boss, Toby Ziegler and
shouted:
“Toby, come quick. Sam’s getting his ass kicked by a
girl.”
To which Toby, whom he also considered one of his best
friends, replied by calling out to his aide, Ginger, to
get the popcorn before following Josh back to the TV
room.
Over the last few days, Sam’s performance, or perhaps
his lack thereof, had been a sore point for the Deputy
Communications Director.
“What about her?” Sam asked, as if he could’ve forgotten
about her so soon.
“I’m offering her a job,” Leo said, hurrying to get the
words out.
“Where?” Sam interjected.
“Here,” the Chief of Staff said in a calm tone.
“Are you kidding?” C.J. said, her voice registering
shock and dismay.
“No,” Leo simply replied.
“Are you kidding?” C.J. repeated, her voice rising in
volume.
“No,” Leo again likewise repeated.
“Are you kidding?” C.J. repeated once more, her voice
now more than doubling in volume.
“No!” Leo said once more, this time with an air of
finality.
“Well, what the hell made you think I wouldn’t scream
where there are people?” the six foot Press Secretary
shouted loud enough to make everyone in hearing distance
stop what they were doing and turn in her direction.
“Took a shot,” Leo said with a smile and a shrug of his
shoulders.
“Leo!” C.J. retorted in the same loud tone, this time
joined by Sam.
But having said his piece, Leo McGarry once again became
the strong arm of the President and shushed their
voices, leading them back to C.J.’s office. While he
might not have fully agreed with the decision either,
the President had decided he wanted the bright young
woman hired, regardless of her Party or political
outlook. And what the President wanted, his Chief of
Staff would make sure that he got.
The funny thing about it all, he thought as he finally
headed back to his office, he’d thought it would be Sam
who had the most forceful objections to the new addition
to the staff. He’d been surprised to find it had come
instead from C.J.
A few days later, C.J. sat in her office at the end of
yet another long and tiring day. The surrounding offices
and desks were empty, with most of the staff attending a
farewell. She wasn’t in the mood for a party. More
specifically, she wasn’t in the mood for who she might
run into at the party.
She had only had one run in so far in the past few days
with the newest of the Associate White House Counsels
and C.J. was thankful for that. She was even more
thankful that during that brief encounter, Ainsley
didn’t seem to remember ever meeting the Press Secretary
before.
The tall brunette looked down into the drink she had
poured for herself a few minutes earlier. It was rare
that she drank in the office, but today she really felt
like she needed it. The dark amber of the liquid
reminded her of another drink in another city. One from
another life, not so many years before.
**
The bar of the Revere Hotel was filled with the usual
mix of Boston Cliques, one so different from the ones
C.J. had become used to the last year in Los Angeles.
Sometimes it was hard to realize that both cities were
part of the same country.
They were so different, yet some things were universal.
People young and not so young gravitated to places like
this. Some came to try and meet that special someone
that they could spend the rest of their life with, or
only maybe just the next few hours. Others just came to
drown their sorrows and maybe try to forget. At this
moment, C.J. would have to put herself in the latter
category.
Her problem was three thousand miles away, in a city
where the sun hadn’t even set yet. Still, she couldn’t
get it from her mind, no matter how hard she tried.
In the beginning, she knew taking the job at Triton-Day
Public Relations had been a major mistake. Her real love
had been working on the campaigns of local and state
Democrats, trying hard to make a difference.
Still, it was hard to say no to Isabel when she offered
her the position. Hard to say no to a house in Beverly
Hills, or to a salary that could be almost half a
million a year. In fact, the only real hesitation she
felt at the time was because she and her new Boss had
been lovers for the previous few weeks.
Yet in the end, she had proved herself adept in this
strange new world. So much so that no one cared in the
least whose bed she sometimes shared. That was the key
word, C.J. reminded herself as she took a hard swallow
of the dark drink she had ordered – `sometimes’.
Isabel was a faithless lover, and made no secret of the
fact. At first, C.J. had been so taken with her that she
didn’t want to believe that. Not even when people she
trusted began to pass along late night gossip that they
knew to be far more than rumors. No, she couldn’t bring
herself to believe it, until the night she saw it for
herself. The night she had practically had a front row
seat to what a fool she had made of herself.
It had been one of the premier Hollywood social events
of the season. One in which anyone not invited might
just as well have closed up shop and moved out of town.
Everyone who was anyone was at that party, and Isabel
had approached it like a cat in heat. They hadn’t been
at the party a half hour when C.J. realized that her
significant other was nowhere to be found.
A wrong turn in search for the second floor bathroom had
led C.J. to the door of a bedroom where she was sure she
heard Isabel’s voice. It was almost like the plot of one
of those horrible B-Movies that Triton-Day was
constantly promoting. A peek behind that door forever
ended the personal aspects of their relationship.
The voice had been Isabel’s alright, and she was far
from alone. The woman C.J. thought she loved was spread
out, disrobed, on the bed, accompanied by two young men
as naked as she was. C.J. recognized both of them as up
and coming actors, each the star of a newly released hit
film. Triton-Day had been trying to work out a
representation deal with the both of them for months.
At the moment, Isabel was practicing a most particular
form of enticement, as she took one young man between
her legs and the other in her mouth. From the look on
her face, C.J. got the impression that Isabel was
enjoying the negotiations as much as they obviously
were.
From that day on, C.J. had become just another employee
at the public relations firm, never again spending an
intimate moment with her now lost love. The worst part
of it all was that not only had Isabel not seemed to
care, she hadn’t even ever asked why. Too good at what
she was doing and actually beginning to enjoy it as
well, C.J. wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of
quitting. As long as she continued to keep the money
rolling in, Isabel seemed to be just as happy with that
situation as well.
Realizing that she needed to get away for a few days, if
only to gain some perspective in her life, C.J. had
jumped at the chance to spend a weekend in Boston. The
Studios had asked for someone to participate in a
televised debate at Harvard on the ever-continuing
argument about there being too much sex and violence in
movies and Hollywood’s responsibility to curb it. Not
that the Studios planned to do anything to curb such
things. There was too much money to be made with such
movies. But by taking part in the debate, however, it
gave the appearance that they were concerned.
Downing the last of her drink, C.J. cautioned herself
that she had better slow down on the hard stuff.
Otherwise she’d be in no shape to debate even the stuffy
old windbags that usually sat on these panels,
condemning the filth that passed for entertainment these
days and at the same time, committing even greater
obscenities in their business dealings. She was about to
order something different when a soft-spoken voice
interrupted her.
“Excuse me, but aren’t you Claudia Cregg?” said a young,
long haired blond woman dressed in a white blouse and
jeans who had stepped up behind her.
“I think only my mother calls me that these days,” C.J.
smiled, “but yes I’m Claudia Cregg. What can I do for
you?”
“My name is Ainsley,” the excited twenty-something year
old said. “Ainsley Hayes. I’m in my last year at
Harvard, Harvard Law that is, I got my Bachelor’s Degree
back home in South Carolina.”
“Well with an accent like that,” C.J. smiled, “I really
didn’t think you where a Boston native. So what can I do
for you Ainsley Hayes from South Carolina.”
“Not much really,” the younger woman said, continuing in
her own unique speech pattern. “I thought I recognized
you and wanted to say hello.”
“You recognized me?” C.J. asked curiously.
“I’m one of the students on the committee that is co-
sponsoring the debate tomorrow,” Ainsley went on. “In
fact I’m on the show. I was here with some friends and
saw you when we were leaving. I didn’t want to pass up
the chance to meet you.”
“I didn’t know that the Agency had sent a picture along
with their acceptance letter,” C.J. commented.
“Oh they didn’t,” Ainsley replied. “I remember you from
College.”
“I went to Berkeley,” C.J. said a little confused, “and
you said you went to school in South Carolina?”
“Oh I didn’t mean we went to school together,” the girl
went on. “I meant that I was still an undergrad when I
saw you in South Carolina. You were helping run the
Whitmore Campaign.”
Pieces quickly fell in place and C.J. now knew what the
girl was talking about. A few years back, she had been
working on the Election Committee for Doris Ann
Whitmore, who was running for the State Legislature down
in South Carolina. It had been a rough election, with
her coming from behind to close to a statistical dead
heat with the incumbent.
“I take it you followed the campaign pretty well?” C.J.
asked.
“Actually I did a study on it for my Political Studies
course,” Ainsley said. “The view of which was how the
media coverage of the candidate’s personal life eclipsed
every other issue in the last week and decided the
election.”
C.J. remembered that week well. Nine days before people
cast their ballots, a story surfaced in the papers
hinting that the relationship between Doris Whitmore and
her long-term personal assistant went far beyond what
was considered normal Especially in the conservative
district she was running in.
No one ever came out and accused her of being a lesbian,
but the implication was there. The story had been
totally false, but contained enough facts that it
couldn’t easily be brushed aside.
C.J. had been in a position to know a great deal about
the candidate’s sexual preference. Then problem was that
while Doris was decidedly heterosexual, the truth was
that her assistant wasn’t. That Doris was in no way the
object of her affections didn’t seem to matter to those
who planted the story.
She did what damage control she could, but there wasn’t
enough time. Doris had lost by an overwhelming margin
that in no way reflected the last polls before the story
broke.
“That’s what I want to do after I get my degree,”
Ainsley said.
“Lose elections?” C.J. laughed.
“No,” the younger woman laughed back. “Be involved in
politics.”
“Well it’s a tough field to get into,” C.J. offered.
“Oh I know that,” Ainsley replied. “But I think I have a
good chance to Clerk at the Supreme Court after
graduation…”
“The Supreme Court?” C.J. interrupted, “the one in
Washington D.C.?”
“That’s the one,” a smiling Ainsley answered.
“I’m impressed,” the older woman replied.
It was becoming increasingly obvious to her that while
the young blond might come off at first like a
lightweight, there was something definitely stronger
behind those eyes. And they were such beautiful eyes as
well.
“I was wondering if I could buy you a drink?” Ainsley
asked. “My Daddy always said that you appreciate
someone’s work, you should always be willing to show
it.”
“Sure, why not?” C.J. replied as she gestured to the
empty stool next to her.
As she sat down, Ainsley made a gesture to the bartender
and pointed to C.J.’s drink. The obvious indication was
to give her a refill.
“Why don’t we make the next one a Grasshopper?” C.J.
said as the bartender picked up her empty glass and she
remembered what she’d been thinking just before her new
friend had introduced herself.
“I’ll just have a Fresca,” Ainsley said to the young man
behind the bar.
“You’re not drinking?” C.J. asked.
“I already had a few beers with some friends,” she
explained, “and if I drink too much I just get sick.”
C.J. didn’t want to say what happened to her when she
had too much to drink. Not when she was becoming much
too aware of the curvature of the college woman’s
breasts and how much of them were visible through the
open buttons at the top of her blouse.
Twenty minutes later, C.J. found that she was right in
her initial assumption that Ainsley Hayes was anything
but a lightweight. Her memory was phenomenal, rattling
off the details of a dozen election campaigns she had
studied.
She also became aware that there was something else
passing between them. At least she thought there was. If
this was L.A., she would’ve been in a bar where it
might’ve been more obvious, but the crowd here was so
mixed that anything was possible. With as many drinks as
she’d had this evening, she knew she could be imagining
it all.
“I’d really like the opportunity to know you better,”
Ainsley finally said in a quiet voice that carried many
possible interpretations. After all, the young woman
speaking those words was almost half C.J.’s age.
Those possibilities narrowed down to almost a certainty
as unnoticed by either C.J. or the people around her,
the future lawyer slid her hand along the bar railing
and laid it on top of C.J.’s.
That simple physical contact, so innocent and yet at the
same time so erotic sent a shiver through the older
woman. A shiver centered between her legs. Forgetting
that Ainsley had already paid for their drinks, C.J.
dropped a ten-dollar bill on the counter and stood to
her full six-foot height.
“I’m in room 1209,” she said to Ainsley, hoping that she
hadn’t badly misinterpreted what had just happened.
“1209,” Ainsley repeated just loud enough for C.J. to
hear, confirming that her take on the situation hadn’t
been in error.
Ainsley finished her soda, giving C.J. time to exit the
bar and take the elevator up to the fourth floor. Then,
leaving the ten dollars as a tip for the bartender, she
followed C.J.’s steps out of the bar.
**
C.J. barely had time to splash cold water on her face in
the bathroom before there was a loud knock at the door
of her room. She took a few moments to check her
appearance in the mirror, then her blouse and slacks.
The matching jacket to her outfit had been discarded the
moment she was back in the room.
Reaching to unlock the door, C.J. had the briefest of
hesitations. It wasn’t as if she felt any guilt about
cheating on Isabel, that part of her life was definitely
over. No, it was the fact that aside from her now former
lover, it had been quite some time since she’d been with
anyone.
“Hi Ainsley,” C.J. beamed as she opened the door and saw
the younger blond haired woman standing in the hall.
For a moment, Ainsley returned C.J.’s smile. Then,
without a word, she stepped right by the taller woman
and into the room. Out of an old habit, C.J. leaned
forward a little and looked up and down the corridor,
making sure it was empty. No sooner had she did, she
felt a little silly about it. After all, there were a
hundred reasons as to why the young blond might be
visiting her room.
Stepping back into her room and closing the door, C.J.
started to turn around to face her guest. Ainsley took
her by surprise and she abruptly threw her arms around
the brunette and pulled their bodies together. Their
lips met with a hunger C.J. hadn’t felt in a long, long
time.
The press of Ainsley’s lips was electric, C.J. thought,
there was no other word for it. Their softness exceeded
only by that of her tongue as it slid effortlessly into
C.J.’s mouth. The taller woman also became aware of an
equally soft hand on her breast, caressing her nipple
even through the material of her blouse and bra.
“Wow!” C.J. exclaimed as they lips finally parted.
“I think that people feel sort of awkward until they
have their first real kiss,” Ainsley explained as she
took a step back from C.J. and moved to the center of
the room. “They try to act cool and all that, but all
they can think about it what it’s going to feel like to
kiss that person. After that, everything comes pretty
natural. So I just get it out of the way in the
beginning.”
“Not a bad idea,” C.J. said softly as she pressed her
fingers to her lips, still tingling from Ainsley’s
touch.
“Nice room,” the law student said as she took in her
surroundings. “The school usually doesn’t spring for
rooms this comfortable.”
“Well actually the Agency is…”
“So, do you have a lover?” Ainsley interrupted as she
stepped back to C.J. and placed her outstretched hand on
the center of C.J.’s chest.
“Well, I…” C.J. started to answer.
“Not that it bothers me if you do, if you’re cool with
it and all.”
“Well I really haven’t thought…”
“Are we going to talk all night, or do you want to get
naked?” Ainsley said as she pressed her lips against
C.J.’s once more, this time kissing her just long enough
for the sensation to register. “I don’t know about you,
but I could use a bath.”
Again without waiting for a response, Ainsley began to
unbutton her blouse, her fingers moving quickly until
her bra and the bare skin around it were all that was
left. Not missing a beat, she undid the center clasp of
her simple bra and tossed that the way of her shirt.
C.J. looked enviously at the round firm breasts of the
younger girl. The porcelain white skin and the small
rich nipples that capped each one. It had been many
years since the public relations expert’s own mounds had
been that firm.
Ainsley didn’t seem to even notice that C.J. was staring
as she slid down first her jeans, and then the panties
beneath them. The absence of the latter exhibited a
smooth shaved pussy. In less time that it had taken for
her to say it, the smaller woman was totally nude.
“Well …? she said as she finally noticed that C.J. was
still fully clothed.
A moment passed as C.J. slowly reached up and started to
undo her own blouse.
“Oh let me help,” Ainsley said as she started on the
bottom button and met C.J. halfway to the top.
As C.J.’s top joined Ainsley’s on the floor, the young
blond kissed the exposed top of the older woman’s
breasts. She pulled down the cups, running her tongue
across the larger, darker nipples beneath.
“Oh yes,” C.J. sighed at her touch, repeating it even
louder as Ainsley took the whole nipple between her
lips.
At the same time, the younger woman undid the clasp
holding C.J.’s slacks. Soon they were down on the floor
as well.
Without releasing her hold on C.J.’s breasts, Ainsley
slid her hand down C.J.’s back, beneath the waistband of
her light blue panties. Ainsley’s fingers tickled the
cheeks of C.J.’s ass, then slid across her leg to the
wetness of her mound.
“Oh God, yes!” C.J. moaned even louder as she felt two
slender fingers slide inside of her, pressing against
her clitoris.
Ainsley massaged the depths of C.J.`s sex for a little
longer, then removed her fingers, closing them on the
rim of the underwear, pulling them down C.J.`s long
legs.
Sliding her hands back up those smooth legs, Ainsley
paused just long enough to kiss the dark mound between.
A mound rich with the scent of C.J.’s arousal.
“Mmmmmm,” Ainsley purred as she pressed her nimble
tongue deep between the folds of the older woman’s sex.
“Oh yes,” C.J. signed in response, the soft pressure
against her clit triggering a response across her body.
Ainsley guided her tongue back and forth a few more
times, just enough to give both of them a taste of what
was to come.
With a slight reluctance to leave her new prize, the
blond haired young woman stood up and kissed her new
love. C.J. pressed back hard, tasting the excitement of
her own body on Ainsley’s lips.
“I think we’re ready for that bath,” the college student
said after they’d exchanged a few more kisses.
The bath in the executive suite was equipped with both a
stand-alone shower and a Jacuzzi, the latter of which
was more than big enough for two. C.J. turned on the
water to fill the large oversized tub while Ainsley
looked through the small collection of complimentary
bath products.
Finding the one she was looking for, Ainsley poured the
contents of the white bottle into the tub. Then, leaning
past C.J., she pressed the button that started up the
water jets. Almost instantly, the liquid she had added
to the water began to transform into mountains of suds.
“I love bubbles,” she smiled at C.J. before climbing
into the tub.
C.J. followed her in, stretching out on the opposite
wall. The two women just laid back for a minute, letting
the hot water and bubbles wash over their bodies.
“Oh this feels so good,” C.J. said as she let herself be
carried away by the experience.
“Well I know how to make it feel better,” Ainsley
laughed softly as she turned her body and slid up
alongside the taller woman.
Their bodies now covered with layers of suds, they
pressed against each other, their wet skin causing them
to slip and slide. Soft hands explored each other’s
bodies, covering every inch of the exposed flesh.
C.J. and Ainsley sat up on their knees, each taking a
large handful of bubbles and washing the breasts of the
other. Nimble fingers caressed twin sets of hard
nipples, squeezing the supple flesh around them as well.
“Oh baby,” Ainsley said as she wiped away enough of the
soapy film to take C.J.’s nipple into her mouth, “you
are so hot.”
Releasing the nipple, the younger woman stuck out her
tongue and traced a line around C.J.’s darker aerole.
With a spirited eagerness, she tickled the stubby nub
again and again. Her other hand continued to massage the
matching globe beside it. C.J.’s own hands continued to
explore Ainsley as well, sliding one hand beneath the
water and between the blonde’s legs.
Holding onto each other, they shifted position once
more, this time with Ainsley pressing against the side
of the tub, her breasts over the rim and C.J. pressing
up against her back.
C.J.’s hands started at Ainsley’s neck and slid then
down her the smaller woman’s back and then around her
waist and up to her breasts. Soft kisses now followed
the path her hands had just blazed, starting at the lobe
of Ainsley’s ear, then her neck. Ainsley shifted her
body just enough to let C.J. reach her nipples. Lifting
her body even more, Ainsley raised her ass out of the
water, a soft, inviting treasure that quickly drew
C.J.’s attention as well. Running her hands now up and
down the full length of the blonde’s body, C.J. went
from massaging her soft globes to sliding down once more
under the water to the hairless sex between Ainsley’s
legs.
“Oh baby, that is so nice,” Ainsley said softly as she
tilted her head back to kiss C.J. in appreciation.
Ainsley slid her body back and forth, keeping in time
with the movement of C.J.’s eager hands as they played
with her sex. The warmth of the water soon paled next to
the rising heat of her body, a heat generated by C.J.’s
talented touch.
“Yes, oh yes!” Ainsley called out as she felt the
prerush of a rising orgasm.
With both of C.J.’s hands now occupied between Ainsley’s
legs, the lithe blond cupped her own breasts and played
with them. All the while gyrating her body back and
forth, urging on the woman behind her.
C.J. shifted to the right, just enough so that she could
continue to play with Ainsley’s bare mound with one hand
while replacing the student’s hand on her right breast
with her own. Not satisfied with just being able to
touch Ainsley’s nipples with her hand, she continued to
shift her body until she could take it once more also in
her mouth.
“I’m going to come!” Ainsley gasped as she felt her last
measure of control crumble under the storm of C.J.’s
desire.
Her body quaked as C.J. held her tight, sharing in the
climax she had produced. Their lips met zestfully, their
tongues intertwining. Water splashed over their bodies
and the side of the tub as they let the raging waves
engulf them both.
They held each other tight as the tides they generated
subsided both in the tub and within their bodies.
Ainsley kissed C.J.’s cheek, then began to move down her
body as she gently guided her to the small shelf on the
wall side of the tub, spreading her long legs once she
was seated.
Ainsley ran her hand up and down the length of C.J.’s
chest, rubbing her breasts and stomach, then returning
to her legs and the treasure between them. C.J. also
caressed her body, following the wet trails Ainsley left
behind. Lifting herself a little higher, the shorter
girl kissed first C.J.’s belly, then moved down to the
left thigh and over to the right. She repeated this two
more times, moving closer to the center with each
repetition.
Finally her oral caress reached the brown haired center,
planting first soft kisses, then probing thrusts into
the center of it. The effect on C.J. was apparent as she
leaned back against the wall for support.
Parting the folds with two of her fingers, Ainsley’s
tongue once more found the sweet prize she had only
sampled a short time before. With a practiced skill, she
tickled it with her tongue, alternating between that and
her equally soft lips.
C.J. closed her eyes and let the sensations wash over
her. Using the wall behind her to keep her steady, she
alternated her own touch between Ainsley and her own
body. The blond girl returned the gesture, using her one
free hand to massage C.J. as well.
The encouraging moans of the older woman filled the
room, growing in volume and intensity. Ainsley continued
her efforts, spurred on by C.J.’s response.
Knowing that C.J. was close to the edge, but not wanting
to have her reach it just yet, Ainsley shifted her
attention upward. Her darting tongue worked its way up
the tall woman’s body, stopping to pay carefully
attention to her highly sensitive breasts. Pressing her
body against C.J.’s, she sought out her mouth one more
time, sharing the passion she felt inside her.
As they kissed, she ran one hand down C.J.’s wet body,
sliding two fingers up inside of her. She pumped them in
and out as they continued to kiss, moving her hand
faster and faster.
It didn’t take much of this to shatter C.J.’s control,
just as she had shattered Ainsley’s. The nimble blond
quickly once more replaced her hand with her mouth, just
in time to savor the rapture of C.J.’s own climax.
They slid back into the tub, both of their bodies
stretching out the length of the Jacuzzi. This time it
was C.J. on the bottom, her arms wrapped around Ainsley,
holding her tight against her and letting her share the
warmth of her body.
They floated there for a while, trading kisses and soft
touches. The automatic timer on the water jets had shut
them off and finally not even the heat of their bodies
could keep the water from growing cold.
“The water’s getting cold,” C.J. said as she kissed the
top of Ainsley’s head. “We should get out of here, but I
don’t want to let go of you.”
“I don’t want to let go out you either,” Ainsley said as
she nestled her head between C.J.’s breasts, “but I
don’t think you’re looking at the big picture.”
“Which is?”
“Well, we do have a whole suite to ourselves,” Ainsley
said in that adorable southern drawl. “Which happens to
include a big, warm, and an ever so soft bed.”
C.J. thought about for a second, then agreed that she
was indeed not looking at the big picture.
Before the night was over, they sampled the softness of
the bed, as well as that of the couch. The thick rug on
the sitting room provided a more than adequate surface
as well. They even found the time to sample the hotel’s
delicious cuisine through a very early morning call to
room service. Although Ainsley insisted that they really
couldn’t call it early morning if they hadn’t gone to
sleep yet. Merely using the bed didn’t count.
Together they watched the sunrise, still naked in each
other’s arms as they fed each other some of the
delicacies they ordered.
“Omigod, I can’t believe we’ve been at it all night,”
C.J. said as she looked at the clock on the wall. “It’s
been a long time since I’ve pulled an all-nighter.”
“Are you complaining?”
“Not at all,” she replied as she kissed Ainsley softly.
The ringing of the telephone interrupted the kiss and
C.J., reluctant to let the outside word intrude on their
joy, hesitated to answer it. Finally, on the sixth ring
she picked it up.
“Good morning, Ms. Cregg,” a too chipper young male
voice said as she put the receiver to her ear. “This is
the front desk with your wake up call. I’m told that the
Agency car will be around to pick you up in an hour We
hope you had a restful night.”
“Oh shit!” C.J. exclaimed as she hung up the phone
without even thanking the desk clerk. “I forgot all
about the discussion panel. My ride is going to be here
in an hour.”
“Then I guess we better get going,” Ainsley laughed.
“I need a shower,” C.J. said, becoming all too aware
that their bodies were covered with the after effects of
the night’s exertions. “I can’t show up there smelling
like …”
“Like what?” Ainsley asked jokingly. “Like a woman who
had a good night?”
“You know what I mean,” C.J. laughed back. “You might be
able to joke about it but if I don’t show up there on
time, the Agency is going to want to know why. I can’t
exactly tell them that I was having the best sex of my
life.”
“Why, you think they’d be jealous?”
“Very funny,” C.J. said, making a face at Ainsley. “You
might want to jump under the shower yourself. As much as
I love smelling you like that, the other panel members
might not understand.”
“We could share a shower,” Ainsley suggested with a
wicked smile.
“Not if we want to be dressed in an hour,” C.J. said. “I
can’t picture us getting right in and out of there.”
“Probably so,” Ainsley finally agreed as she jumped
naked out of the bed. “In fact, maybe I should just get
out of here and meet you at the studio. Just so you
don’t have any more distractions.”
C.J. watched as Ainsley quickly put back on the no
longer fresh clothes she’d worn the previous night. She
said her apartment was close to the studio so she’d grab
a change of clothes there. Still buttoning her blouse,
she leaned across the bed and kissed C.J. one last time.
To the Public Relations Agent’s gratification, even this
last kiss was as fulfilling as had been the first.
As she watched Ainsley’s grab her bag and run out the
door, C.J. found herself wondering if it would’ve really
been so bad if they’d spent just ten or twenty minutes
in the shower.
**
After a frantic race across town in which she came to
the conclusion that the limo driver spent his summers on
the Nascar Circuit, C.J. made it to the college studio
with only twenty minutes to spare. A staffer rushed her
through make-up, applying just enough that she wouldn’t
actually look as tired as she felt under the harsh
studio lights. She hoped Ainsley made it here in time as
well since she didn’t see her when she arrived at the
studio. C.J. was tempted to ask about her, but then
might be asked how she knew the law student.
C.J. was even more confused when she stepped out onto
the auditorium stage and found her nameplate on the
table representing the liberal position. There were
three other nameplates, the chairs behind all of them
already filled. Ainsley filled none of those chairs.
“Thirty seconds,” a loud offstage voice announced.
C.J. slid into her chair, wondering what had happened to
her overnight guest. The answer came a few seconds later
as Ainsley appeared from behind the curtain on the other
end of the stage. C.J. had to say that the younger woman
looked as fresh as if she’d slept the entire night,
which of course the panel member knew hadn’t been the
case.
“Maybe she’s one of the panel’s moderators,” C.J.
thought as she remembered that she had never actually
asked Ainsley what her part was in the debate.
There were few times in C.J. Cregg’s almost four decades
of life that she had been taken totally by surprise. In
that moment, she knew that number had just increased by
one.
Ainsley, now dressed in a soft blue dress, walked over
to the moderator at the center table. She leaned over to
say something to the young man on the other side of the
table, incidentally giving C.J. one last view of the
perfect ass she had so lovingly admired only a few hours
before.
Then to C.J. `s disbelief, her new found love passed
behind the moderator’s desk and sat instead at that of
the opposition. Only then did C.J. finally notice the
nameplate that read Ainsley Hayes on that table.
**
Over the next hour, C.J. discovered that Ainsley’s
debating skills were at the very least the equal of her
lovemaking talents. One by one, C.J. and her fellow
panel members found themselves on the losing end of an
argument. Then, before she knew it, the house lights
went up and it was all over.
Still stunned, C.J. sat in her seat as the fellow
members of the panel quickly left for other
appointments. When she finally rose to her feet, she saw
Ainsley standing by the same curtain she had entered
from. It was obvious that she was waiting for her.
Moving to her side, C.J. opened her mouth to say the
words that had been on the tip of her tongue for the
last hour, but Ainsley held up her hand to stop her.
“Backstage,” she said as she pulled aside the curtain.
“We’ll be able to talk more privately.”
C.J. followed her a dozen feet down a now empty
corridor, stopping when the blond turned to face her.
Finally, she couldn’t hold the words in check any
longer.
“You’re a Republican?” she said, her tone a mixture of
shock and disbelief.
“You don’t have to say it like it’s a disease,” Ainsley
replied.
“You’re a Republican?” C.J. asked again, her voice
rising in volume. “And we …”
“And I love women too. You make it sound like a
contradiction in terms,” Ainsley said. “That’s pretty
arrogant don’t you think? Why is it so hard to accept
that not everyone fits into some nice little mold. That
you can have dark skin and hold conservative beliefs, or
that you can love another woman but not blindly accept a
liberal agenda. I don’t love my country any less than
you do, and I want the best for it as well. It’s only
the path to what’s best for it that we disagree on.”
“But you’re a Republican!!!” C.J. said a third time, now
practically shouting loud enough for those stagehands
beyond the curtain to hear. This time it was now a
statement rather than a question.
Ainsley realized that nothing she could say at this
moment was going to make the least bit of difference.
Whatever had happened last night, however wonderful it
had been, was never going to get past those three little
words.
“I’m sorry C.J., I really am,” Ainsley said before she
turned and walked away. “I think we could’ve left
politics at the door and really had something together.”
With that she was gone, leaving C.J. standing there
alone.
**
C.J. was still alone, sitting in her office and staring
at the drink before her. The memory of that night had
never left her, or the promise it had contained. All
because she couldn’t see beyond her black and white
views. They were the good guys, she thought, which
obviously made the other side the bad guys. It wasn’t
until she really got to play in the big leagues that she
finally understood what Ainsley had been trying to say.
The tragedy was that she had come to understand it far
too late to make a difference. And now that choice had
come back to haunt her.
**
“Knock, knock,” a quiet voice said from the open
doorway.
C.J. looked up to see the newest Associate White House
Counsel standing out in the hallway. C.J. couldn’t help
but notice that she was smiling.
“I noticed that you weren’t at the party,” Ainsley said.
“I guess I wasn’t really in the party mood,” C.J.
replied.
“Was it really the party, or just who you might run into
there?” Ainsley asked. “I’ve gotten the impression this
last week that you’ve been avoiding me.”
“That’s nonsense,” C.J. forced a laugh as she stood up
from her desk and made a show of packing up her things.
“Whatever would I want to avoid you for?”
“Well, you didn’t exactly act like someone who shared
what we once shared,” Ainsley added, stepping closer to
the desk, “even if it was only that once.”
“Like you said, it was only that once,” C.J. said as she
picked up her purse and keys. “It was so long ago, I
thought you might even have forgotten all about it.”
“Even if I didn’t have a photographic memory, I don’t
think I’d easily forget something like that,” Ainsley
countered. “Or you,” she added.
“Well be that as it may,” C.J. said as she ineffectively
tried to minimize the importance of her own memory of
that night, failing even within herself, “we’re
different people now, with different lives.”
“I’d heard that there was something between you and
Danny Concannon,” Ainsley noted, “or is that just the
usual gossip?”
“Sometimes people make things out to be more than they
really are,” C.J. commented as she thought of the
bearded White House Correspondent.
“I thought that might be the case,” said Ainsley.
“Ainsley, I was about to call it a day,” C.J. finally
said in a voice that began to reflect some of her
fatigue. “Can we just let the past stay in the past, or
at least leave the discussion of it for another day.”
“Sure,” the younger blond smiled. “It’s been a long day
for both of us. I guess I just wanted you to know that I
haven’t forgotten, and if you ever wanted to… to pick
up where we left off, well I’d be open to that as well.
If not, then we’ll just leave it as a very pleasant
memory.”
Ainsley leaned over gave C.J. a quick kiss. A touch that
while quite brief, still contained a remembrance of the
passion of that night in Boston. Then, without speaking
another word, she turned and walked out of the office.
C.J. stood there, listening as the echo of Ainsley’s
footsteps faded down the hall. She looked again at the
untouched drink she had poured what now seemed so long
before. Picking it up, she drained it in one shot.
The fiery liquor raced down her throat, warming her
stomach. What was it they called it, liquid courage?
Picking up the telephone, she punched in the button that
instantly connected her with the Secret Service detail
at the main gate.
“This is C.J. Cregg,” she said in a determined voice.
“Ainsley Hayes should be passing by there in a few
moments. Please ask her to wait for me, I could use that
ride home after all. No, I wouldn’t rather have a car
from the White House carpool. I’m sure we’ll manage
quite well on our own.”
As she put down the phone and hurried out the door, she
said a small prayer that the World would do her a favor
and remain uneventful for at least tonight. That she
could simply be a woman for a few hours instead of the
public voice of the President of the United States.
