Protecting Miss Dawes - a job like any other

Prologue

I put on the bullet proof vest, followed by a crisp, perfectly ironed white shirt, a tie with an immaculate knot around my neck, then strapped the holster in place, finally the suit jacket on top. I raked my fingers through my dark curls attempting to make them look orderly, as I met my own gaze in the mirror and put the mask on, the imaginary one that hid the real me from the world. I wondered to myself what this new job would be like, the one as a bodyguard to the Home Secretary.

I put my expensive lingerie on, thin nylon stockings to wrap my legs, buttoned up the white silk blouse and tucked it into a black pencil skirt before putting on a pair of Manolo Blahnik high heels to add four inches to my short frame. I gazed into the mirror and smoothed a strand of hair in place and ensured my strict bun looked flawless, knowing that as a female politician I would, in difference to male colleagues, not only be measured by my skills but also by my looks. I could not fail, then the vultures would be there immediately. Then I put the imaginary mask on, the one that hid the real me from the world, and braced myself for another day at work, as Home Secretary of United Kingdom.