SEAL of Approval

by Lynn Faye

  Matthew broke into laughter as he continued to hold the ring out for me to look at. Oh, what a ring it was. The emerald cut diamond looked to be at least three karats large and it sparkled amazingly in the light of the day.

  The moment was so utterly confusing to me. After watching Mathew exchange money with that man the other day and then seeing him get angry with me the night before; I just didn’t know what to believe anymore. I didn’t think I could trust him at all, but as I thought about all of the events of the past few weeks I didn’t know if it was just my paranoia that was making it hard for me to trust Matthew. The lines were so blurred between what I actually knew and what I was speculating had happened over the last few weeks.

  “I’m not getting up until you say yes,” he insisted.

  “Well you’re going to be there for a really long time,” I said as I sat down on the picnic table. “I’m not marrying you. That’s crazy.”

  As I sat at the table, Matthew continued to stay on one knee and held the ring out for me to look at. Sooner or later he would stand up, right? But one minute turned into five and then five minutes turned into ten minutes. I had no idea if he was really going to say kneeled down but I wasn’t about to agree to marry the man just because he was stubborn.

  “I read an article once that if you stay kneeling on your kneecap for too long, you can totally dislocate it. Will you carry me back down the hill if I can’t walk?”

  “Nope,” I said as I tried to keep a straight face.

  “I am getting old you know, this probably isn’t very healthy for me.”

  “Then you should get up.”

  “Not until you say yes.”

  “Or you could stay down there,” I said as I turned in my seat to enjoy the view of the city.

  I couldn’t look at Matthew another minute. He looked adorable and pitiful all at the same time. I appreciated his gesture but there was no way I was marrying the man. I actually was afraid to death that he was going to murder me when he brought me out to the woods. I still felt like I couldn’t trust him at all and I certainly didn’t feel like we knew each other well enough to get engaged. I had to draw a line somewhere and getting married was the line I was going to draw.

  The problem was that Matthew was extremely stubborn; I could imagine that he was going to stay down on that knee for as long as he could possibly handle it. When he wanted something he went all out and I knew that first hand.

  But I wasn’t going to tell him I would marry him. That was something I just couldn’t do. I felt like everything between us was still so confusing and chaotic and there was so much going on with work. Maybe in a few months, we could discuss it.

  I tried to hold out and not look back at him, but as my will power faded and I glanced at him struggling through the pain. I finally had to offer him a compromise. It was clear by the look on his face that he intended to stay there until he fell over in pain; or I agreed to marry him.

  “Matthew, I can’t marry you. But I will consider your proposal and we can discuss it again in a few months. Now will you please get up off the ground before you hurt yourself?”

  Matthew hesitated for a moment as he contemplated my offer. It certainly wasn’t a yes, but at least, it wasn’t a no either. I reached my hand out to help him up. He was going to have to accept what I was giving him. We could continue to move forward and talk about things again in a few months. I didn’t see a need to rush things along and I certainly wasn’t ready for marriage.

  “Put the ring on,” he said before he would get up.

  “No! That would be like saying yes. I can’t wear that ring if I haven’t agreed to marry you.”

  “Just put it on for me for now, you can take it off when we get back to the vehicle. Will you do that, please?”

  What harm could come from putting the ring on out there in the middle of nowhere? I decided that I would continue my compromise and I held out my ring finger so Matthew could put the ring on me.

  His face beamed with excitement as he slid the ring down over my knuckle and it seemed to fit perfectly. It was such a beautiful ring and I couldn’t help but admire it for a moment after it was on my finger. But there was no way I was going to keep wearing it.

  “I’m taking it off when we get to the car,” I said as I watched Matthew struggle to get up off the ground.

  “That’s perfectly fine,” Matthew said as he stared at me.

  “Why are you staring?”

  “Because you are so beautiful.”

  I could tell the look in Matthew’s eyes and it instantly made me look around the wooded area to see who else might be around there. There were no other cars parked near the lake and no signs of any other people around at all.

  “No way, not here,” I said as I saw his eyes narrow in on me.

  He took one large step toward me and wrapped his arms around me as his deep brown eyes penetrated into me. God, he was so damn sexy it was hard to imagine him not being in my life.

  Matthew Storm was dangerous, sexy, smart and soon to be the next Vice President of the United States of America. I had to stop and realize that it was a pretty sweet deal that he wanted me to marry him.

  Perhaps my ideals of marriage and weddings were a little old fashioned.

  If I married Matthew, it would change my life entirely. There was no doubt in my mind that I would have access to the dreams I had always wanted for myself. Not to mention, I firmly believed that Matthew was going to become President someday soon. If I did say yes to him down the road, it would mean more than just saying yes because I loved him. Saying yes would also give me the political listening power that millions of women dreamed of.

  “Yes, here,” Matthew said as his lips touched mine gently.

  I couldn’t tell from one day to the next which version of Matthew I was going to have, but the one that was there with me on top of that hill was the one I liked best. He was away from the politics and seemed so much more genuine than when we were in the city.

  Things were weird between us, but what couples didn’t have some weirdness? It was ours to own and ours to do with as we pleased. I liked Matthew and I felt powerful and independent around him. He was the type of man that I had never even thought to dream about, but there he was right on that hill with me.

  His hands moved down to my skirt and I felt him inching it up higher and higher as we kissed. The firm pressure of his fingers enticed me to agree with his exhibitionist ideas. We always had such great sexual chemistry; it was something I knew would drive whatever kind of relationship we decided to have. I liked that. I liked the idea of marrying a man who I got to have amazing sex with all the time.

  “Give me three months,” I said between kisses with Matthew.

  “Okay.”

  “I’m serious. I don’t want any more mention of this marriage stuff for three months.”

  “Okay,” Matthew again agreed as his hands moved to unbuttoning my blouse.

  “You’re not even listening to me,” I said as I lifted his chin up to look at me.

  He forced his chin back down and finished opening my blouse up and then quickly pulled my breast out of my bra and sucked on it. His warm lips were delightful compared to the cool breeze that was going on around us.

  “Matthew, are you listening? Three months.”

  “Mmmm….yes… I got it…three months…” he said as he sucked on my nipple. “Now can I have you?”

  His eyes looked up at me with a longing that seemed so distant. We had just fucked on the counter in my apartment the night before. But it had been awhile since I felt connected and close to him.

  “Yes,” I whispered as I let my body relax and enjoy the feeling of his lips wrapped around me.

  He didn’t hesitate a moment before his fingers were pulling my panties down and playing with my body to get me ready for him. Slowly he lowered me back to the picnic table and I looked up into the brilliant blue sky as his lips made their way down my stomach and to my wetness.

  With delight
ful precision Matthew teased me and I felt my breath getting faster with each flick of his tongue. My body pulled back and tightened as he moved his tongue faster and faster to excite me. Soon I felt my body riveted with a need to have him inside me.

  I wanted to feel the pressure of his body thrusting inside of mine while the breeze of the morning moved all around us. Then as if he had read my mind, Matthew unzipped himself and stood positioned between my goose bump covered legs.

  His intense gaze wasn’t fixated on my breasts or my body, but instead, he looked attentively into my eyes as he entered me. Slowly his body moved with mine until I had taken him all the way in.

  Never did Matthew falter with his gaze. He continued to search my eyes for the longing I had for him as I searched his for his desire for me. There we were, two people that were once strangers; but now felt connected by life and love. It was a beautiful moment as we made love there in the wilderness.

  I’m sure Matthew would have preferred if I had agreed to his plans for marriage. But I still felt the soft sensual love that he had for me and I did see him in a clearer light than I had before. None of us were perfect and Matthew certainly was no different, but I wasn’t perfect either.

  I had tried to seduce Senator Masson and had almost slept with the man. I knew very well that any of us could make mistakes, but together I felt like Matthew and I did have the ability to offset each other’s weaknesses and work together better than anyone else around.

  Surely he could be a dangerous man to his enemies. But I surrendered to the idea that his danger toward those people actually excited me. His enemies were out for blood and Matthew was a protector who wouldn’t allow them to have it. He outsmarted them and prevented the people he thought were evil from having what they desired. Instead, Matthew made sure he did whatever was necessary so he could have what he desired.

  As we both exploded with our delightful desire, the thought crossed my mind that I may always be safe with Matthew. I was the one he desired. I was part of his plan for his life. If he did have an evil side, it wouldn’t come near me; it would protect me to the death.

  Just as long as I stayed on Matthew’s good side, I realized that I would always have what I wanted. I would have Matthew, work, money, and success. Matthew treated the people he liked very well. I could certainly see that in all that he did.

  Now the only question I needed to decide was if Matthew and what he offered was indeed what I wanted out of life. One thing I was sure of; once I said yes to Matthew I wouldn’t be able to deny him again. I could only say yes to him if I were willing to go at this life 100% with him. There was no halfway with a man like Matthew. It was all or nothing.

  As we made our way back down to the vehicle, I couldn’t help but look around and see the beauty of the location Matthew had chosen. The city on one side and the country on the other; it was certainly fitting to both him and I.

  ***

  “Where are we going?” I asked as we got back into the city.

  Instead of turning toward the office, Matthew appeared to be going to the White House. My heart pounded as we pulled up to the security gate and handed them our identification. There was no time to prepare, no time to think about what was going on. We were there and going inside the gates.

  “I have a meeting with the President. I thought you should come.”

  “Is he announcing it today? Are you going to be the Vice President?”

  “I’m not sure, but I believe he is announcing it today.”

  “Oh, my God Matthew. This is so huge. I can’t believe this. You’re going to be the Vice President of the United States of America.”

  “Yep and you just said no to me when I asked you to marry me,” Matthew said with a sly grin on his face.

  “I said three months. Give me three months.”

  “I know, I know, I was just teasing you. Three months if just fine.”

  We pulled up to the front of the White House and were greeted by the First Lady and a few staff members. She quickly took me by the hand and brought me to a side room while Matthew was chauffeured into a meeting with the President.

  I had never had such a close encounter with the First Lady and was in absolute awe of her. She was smart, politically savvy and always by her husband’s side. Yet I had noticed much more than that about her over the years.

  The First Lady made a huge political difference in the world on her own. She did it outside of the eyes of the public and probably had, even more, freedom than the President had because her decisions weren’t governed by the Senate.

  With her position the First Lady had appeared on television shows and lobbied to improve nutrition in the school system. The First Lady had taken the things that were important to her and moved those items forward during her term in the White House. She was a strong woman with her own political awareness and without the need for an office to make the changes she wanted to make.

  “Miss Wilson, we are going to have some coffee while they finish their meeting then we can head in there,” the First Lady said as we sat down at a small table to drink.

  “Thank You, Ma’am,” I said as I tried to figure out how I should address her.

  “You can call me Elizabeth, or Beth if you’d like. We are going to be good friends you and I. Those men are going to have to spend a lot of time together, I’d love to have you spend a few days around here to get to know more and ask questions.”

  I was confused. As Senator Matthew Storms chief of staff, I wanted to be involved in everything I needed to be involved in. I wanted to do the right things and work with Matthew to guide his career as needed. I wasn’t sure how my job title was going to change with this new position and perhaps he didn’t need a chief of staff at all anymore. But I still didn’t quite understand what the First Lady, Elizabeth, was trying to get at.

  But there was one thing that I did understand; making friends with the most powerful woman in the world was a pretty damn good idea. She was a great woman and doing great things in so many different areas of the country. I needed to be nice to her and make friends with her.

  “Thank you so much, Elizabeth, I can’t wait to spend some time with you.”

  We sat and drank our coffee while we waited for the President and Matthew to finish their meeting. I couldn’t believe it was all happening so quickly. Before I knew it, Matthew Storm was going to be the Vice President of the United States of America.

  Not only did I know him personally, but I slept in the same bed as the man. It was insane to think what was going on. My family and friends didn’t even really know the truth about Matthew and I yet from me. I had been so busy that most everyone was left to get their information from the tabloids and news outlets. I made a mental note to text, email and call my family and friends that evening so I could update them personally. The last thing I wanted was for everyone to hear more news from the tabloids than they did directly from me.

  “We are ready for you,” a secretary said as she came into the room we were sitting in.

  I followed the First Lady as we made our way to the Oval Office and found Matthew and the President in the sitting area and deep in conversation. It was my first time in the Oval Office so I made a concerted effort not to look around in awe at the history in which was all around me.

  “Miss Wilson, I’m so glad to meet you,” the President said as we shook hands. “You’ve done wonders with this rebel in the last year. I’ve seen some amazing growth in his office. Kudos to the both of you.”

  “Thank you, sir, I think we work very well together.”

  “Okay, so the press conference will be this afternoon. My staff has prepared a list of notifications that you will need to get right on before the conference. Out of courtesy we should notify these people first and then, I also have a list of people you’ll need to call personally after the announcement.”

  I sat quietly as the President and Matthew finished their political conversation. It was fascinating to hear them talk and strategize so clearl
y. I found myself wanting to take notes as they made mention of things that were important to do throughout the day. But Matthew seemed to know everything that he needed to know and if he wasn’t taking notes, I surely wasn’t going to whip out a piece of paper and start.

  “Come look out here,” the First Lady said as she walked over to the windows that looked out over the grounds.

  I suspected she didn’t understand everything they were talking about either and just wanted to save me from the boredom. It was an amazing moment, though. As I stood right near the President’s desk and looked out at the grounds of the White House. Then as I turned back to watch Matthew and the President shaking hands I took a mental picture. Everything was going to be different from that moment forward.

  As we said, our goodbyes the President and the First Lady were so genuine and kind. We all shook hands and I hugged the First Lady. I probably shouldn’t have since no one else was hugging, but I couldn’t help myself.

  “Congratulations you two,” the President said as we walked down the hall.

  “Why is he congratulating me? I’m not the Vice President,” I joked as we made our way back to the front of the White House and got back into our SUV.

  “Can you believe this? It’s happening Kayla, it’s really happening!” Matthew said as he leaned in and gave me a quick kiss before we pulled out of the driveway.

  In fact, I couldn’t believe it. Everything had happened so incredibly quickly. But there was one thing that I knew for sure, I was going to have to be on top of things for the rest of that day. We had about 15 hours worth of work that we needed to get done before the 7 pm press conference at the White House.

  Everyone in the office was going to freak out. They were going to be excited for Matthew, but also fearful of losing their jobs. Some of them would certainly transition into the office with the new appointed Senator when that time came. But some of them would end up moving on. It was also entirely possible that Matthew would bring a few of the staff on to work with him in his new position as well.