presidential affair

44 before you

Avoiding the president wasn't an easy task to do, but I definitely tried to. I was the press secretary, I had to meet with him multiple times throughout the day. Those meetings were the only time I saw him, we were both very busy but I wasn't going to go out of my way to see him. At least I could hide out in my office when I wasn't in front of the press, or in a meeting. I was sitting in there preparing for my next time in front of the press corps. I was going to have to go back to the oval to talk to Jack about a few things I knew the press would want answers on. There was a knock on my door, 
"Come in," I said not looking up from my paper.
"Emma..." it was Jack. 
"Can I help you, Mr. President?" I asked setting down my pen and looking up from my paper. 
"uh, I just wanted to check-in. See how you were settling in. How you were doing in this office and well frankly life." he said. "It looks like you are doing fine, I knew you would be the least of my concern." He looked taken back, confused. Confused why I was being short with him, it was like I hurt him. I can't blame him I was giving the cold shoulder. 
"I'm doing great, thanks. Is that all? I need to finish this," I said getting even shorter with him. "Actually can you take this paper and write down your responses and bring it back whenever." 
"Emma, please don't do this. Don't shut me out. You can't, you work for me," he sat down in the chair on the other side of my desk.
"no, Mr. President I can do this because I made a mistake. We made a mistake that will never happen again. We won't bring it up again because like I said this could be damaging to your career, and you know what the media did to Monica Lewinsky. I really don't want that to be me, she was ruined for years when it wasn't even her fault."
"Emma I-  Don't you dare compare yourself to Monica- "

"Sally Hemings then? Is that a better comparison?" 

"Emma stop. You know you mean more to me than either one of those did to either one of those men." 

"Marilyn Monroe, I could keep going, you are just like the other 44 men before you." 

"Wow, I can't believe you." 

Just then a member of his secret service entered my office. 

"Sorry sir but your wife is looking for you in the oval," Tom I think it was. I was still trying to get used to all their names, there were so many of them that rotated. 
"Okay, I'll be right there. Thank you," he said looking back at me. "This isn't over."
"Goodbye sir," I said as he got up. I wanted to just look at him. Scream at how dumb he was. How dumb he was to do this, and betray his wife and his country after one day. I wasn't wrong to say that he was like all the others before him. Using his power to sleep with some young intern, maybe I wasn't an intern but I was still young, and worked for him. If it wasn't me then it probably would've been someone younger and most definitely an intern. I quickly got my paper back from him and did my last press statement for the day, I needed to get home and have a well-deserved drink. 

I had barely been in the door for ten minutes when the phone started ringing, the white house. 
"Hello," I said. I wasn't in the mood for this.
"Why is your office empty?" He said through the phone. 

"Because I had finished my job for the day and went home as a normal person would do," I said snipping back at him. 

"You forgot to say goodbye," he was matching my attitude on the other side. 
"I'm sorry sir. I'll remember to say it tomorrow," I was getting short with him.
"Emma..."
"If that's all sir, I best get going," I said.

"Emma what you said today... about me being just like them?"

"I was mad, but... Jack if it wasn't me would it have been a different intern?" 

"No Emma." 

"Then I was wrong, Goodnight Jack." 

"Night Emma," I heard the click of the phone and knew that was all for the night.