SEAL of Approval

by Lynn Faye

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said very defensively.

  “George, this isn’t some trick. I just need to know who that man was. Is he a reporter? Matthew told me he’s a reporter and you two were trying to get him to leak stories about each other. Is that true?”

  George sat very stoically as he appeared to be contemplating his words very carefully. He looked at me with a stern eye as he began to speak very calmly. His tone was angry and I felt like I had missed something between us. I didn’t think we had ended things so horribly. But the way George was looking at me it seemed like he thought I was trying to set him up or get him into trouble.

  “Kayla, I like you, but I don’t know what you’re doing here. I can’t help you,” he said as he stood up and made his way toward his door.

  “George, tell me. Am I in danger?” I blurted out. “I’m sorry, I know it’s not an appropriate question to make you answer after everything that went on with you and Matthew. But I love him and I don’t know if I’m in danger. I’ve heard so many rumors and then I think I get worried for no reason. I’m sorry George, but you always told me like it was. I just need to know the truth.”

  The look on his face was instantly softened. I felt tears building up and I tried my best to hold them back. I was afraid. I didn’t know why certainly it wouldn’t serve Matthew any purpose to have me killed off. But I realized at that moment that anything was possible with Matthew.

  “Why do you say that? What’s going on?” George asked as he came and sat next to me on the couch.

  “I don’t know. I saw Matthew talking to that man. I’ve seen him talking to that man before, but I saw you talk to him as well. Then the Vice President died and I don’t know. I just don’t know what to believe or who to trust,” I babbled on and on while he sat and listened. “I’m too young to be the wife of a Vice President. I don’t know what I’m doing. I can’t lead fundraisers or meetings. I wear jeans and tshirts, not dresses. It’s all too much!”

  I broke down in utter sobs as I continued to talk. He was very kind as he patted me on the arm and tried to soothe my tears. There probably wasn’t much he could do that would have made me stop crying, though. I was so overwhelmed.

  “Kayla, do you love Matthew?” George asked simply.

  “Yes. Well, I think I do. I mean he’s a little scary sometimes.”

  George just laughed as he leaned back and put his arms on the back of the couch. He seemed much more at ease than he had when I first came into his office. His face had totally relaxed as he turned toward me to talk.

  “He’s not going to murder you, sweetheart. Matthew is a scary guy in the political world, but he’s not a murderer,” George said with a chuckle. “I think you’ve been watching too many spy movies.”

  As I wiped my tears away and looked at the relaxed look on his face, I felt so much better. It did seem pretty silly that I always thought Matthew was going to hurt someone. Maybe I did watch too many spy movies.

  “Oh, God. I’m so sorry for coming over here, George. You must think I’m an absolutely crazy woman.”

  “No, I think you’re a brilliant young woman who has a lot on her plate right now. You should probably take a week off and relax, then maybe look at working at a charity or something.”

  “That’s so funny you say that. I just talked with Charity Water today,” I laughed as I finished cleaning up my tears.

  “That sounds like a great place for you. I bet you’ll make a wonderful fundraising Vice President,” George said as he walked me toward the door. “You stop back in here anytime. My door is always open. But I happen to know Matthew cares about you a great deal and would never do a single thing to harm you.”

  “Thank you George. Oh, by the way, this is my secret service officer. His name is also George,” I said as I introduced the two men.

  “Always nice to meet another member of the George crew,” my security detail said with a firm handshake.

  “Thanks again George, I’m sorry for bothering you,” I said as we made our way out of his office.

  It was a relief to see that even Matthew’s nemesis thought he wasn’t dangerous. I had obviously just let my imagination get way too out of hand. It was a gift and a curse all at the same time.

  “Are we ready to head home?” George, the security guard, asked as we pulled out of the parking lot.

  “Yes, thanks. We better stop and grab those groceries, though,” I laughed and so did George.

  It was one hundred percent clear to me that I liked my new security detail and I was going to be very happy to keep him around for as long as he decided he wanted to keep working. We made our grocery stop and then pulled back up to the house right at six o’clock so I could get dinner started and have it ready for Matthew when he arrived home from work.

  A quick batch of spaghetti and I had the table set and waiting for Matthew as he walked in the door. I wasn’t a good cook and Matthew had known that when we decided to get married. But I did feel like I wanted to continue to learn how to cook and I hoped someday I’d be able to surprise him with a fancy meal, but for the time being he’d have to settle for some simple spaghetti.

  “Now aren’t you a sight for sore eyes,” Matthew said as he grabbed me and put me on the table.

  “Oh, no, no, no. We aren’t doing that again. The security cameras are on down here. I don’t want the secret service guys watching us.”

  “I’m just kissing my lovely wife, nothing more.”

  “Oh, sure,” I said as I felt his hands on my thighs. “You’re full of energy tonight. How was your day?” I said as I pressed him away and climbed back into my chair.

  “It’s a good day. I love life a lot today. I think we should take the night off from work talk, though. How about we eat dinner and then cuddle up on the couch and watch a movie?” Matthew asked with a huge smile.

  “A movie? You never want to watch movies with me,” I laughed.

  Since Matthew and I had seen each other, I could only remember one other time we had actually watched a movie together. Matthew didn’t like them, he had said they were a waste of our time in reality.

  “I’m trying to be the sweet husband you adore,” he said with a kiss to my cheek. “I’m going to be that husband that all your girlfriends are jealous of.”

  Matthew kissed me passionately and I instantly felt my body react to him. That chemistry between us was certainly undeniable. No matter what crazy thoughts rushed through my mind, I couldn’t deny that our bodies felt perfect together.

  “Then, I’ll take you up on it,” I said as I kissed him back. “I’d love to watch a movie with you.”

  We ate our meal and enjoyed a little small talk about the weather. It was a little awkward, but I supposed that was what happened when people got married so quickly and when they knew they were on secret service cameras.

  “How did your interview go at the charity place. Did you get the job? Was it for the office manager or what was it again?”

  I had to laugh. I was pretty sure Matthew had been the one to arrange the position, although I was positive he wouldn’t admit to it. But he couldn’t even remember what the position was for. Even George Masson had remembered I was applying for the fundraising position.

  Then it hit me, like a ton of bricks; that stomach feeling again. The one I had when nothing seemed to fit at all. I hadn’t told Senator Masson what the position was that I had applied for. I couldn’t be certain, but my memory had me telling him I had applied for a job there; not what it was. But how on earth would he have known about the position at all?

  “The interview went well,” I said as I got up and went to the refrigerator to look for some seltzer water.

  “Everything alright?” Matthew asked.

  Everything was not all right. Something was going on and I wanted to know what it was. First Matthew had gotten rid of Clint, the head of his security because Matthew said the man was too honest. Who the hell gets rid of a secret service officer that is h
onest? It didn’t make sense.

  Then Matthew was at my old apartment meeting the same man that he had met the night before the Vice President disappeared. And Matthew had lied right to my face about why he was at the apartment, he certainly wasn’t cleaning out the refrigerator.

  But I wasn’t in any position to start raising red flags. I was smarter than that. Instead, I put on a smile, grabbed some 7-up and made my way to the couch. Could Matthew have worked with Senator Masson to get me a job at Charity Water? I didn’t know why on earth they would work together. Then I remembered that George Masson’s wife was involved in a lot of charity work. Perhaps Matthew had reached out to them in an effort to mend some fences now that he was the Vice President.

  One thing was for sure, I would never be able to figure out all the secrets that Matthew had. I could only learn to live with them. Certainly no harm was going to come from me being at the charity organization, in fact I might actually be of use to them. My conversation with Steven had convinced me that I would be helpful to them, plus it would be so exciting to travel overseas and see the fresh water wells get installed. I was excited about the position, no matter how I got it.

  “Just a bit of indigestion,” I said as I pulled Matthew with me to the couch. “I’m excited to watch a movie. Does this sweet side of Matthew mean that I get to pick where we watch it? I’d much rather cuddle with you under the covers in bed,” I teased.

  Matthew did not like that idea at all. He pulled his hand away from me and went right over to the television and turned it on. For whatever reason, Matthew wanted to spend the night on the tiny couch in the living room. I hated the idea that the secret service officers could watch our every move, but I figure that I needed to get use to the idea sooner or later. It might as well be that night.

  “I think down here will be better,” he said definitively.

  “Okay.”

  We settled in and Matthew let me pick the movie. It was nice to have him there with me and not thinking about business or anything else. At that moment, I really thought we could make this marriage work. We already had enough sexual chemistry to last for decades. If we could get the day to day life stuff figured out then we were going to have a really good chance at a future.

  Sometime after midnight, I drifted off to sleep with Matthew behind me and a big blanket covering both of us. But around two o’clock in the morning, we were both woken up by a commotion coming from the secret service offices in the basement.

  “They sure are worked up about something,” Matthew joked. “Maybe they found a mouse.”

  We both laughed, but then two officers appeared from the stairwell and were standing in the living room.

  “I don’t think it was a mouse,” I said seriously.

  “We need to go to the White House,” George said sternly as he stood near the front door.

  Matthew helped me up and then went over to George to talk to him. I couldn’t hear what they were saying but it certainly didn’t look good at all. Both men had concerned looks on their faces.

  “What’s going on Matthew?” I asked.

  “I’m not sure yet. Get your things, we need to go.”

  “Do I really need to go?”

  It was the middle of the night, I certainly didn’t see a reason that I would need to go to the White House with Matthew. Whatever the national emergency was I was pretty positive that Matthew and the President could handle it without my help.

  “You need to come Miss Kayla, it’s for your own safety,” George said firmly.

  George’s words had me more worried than anything I could have thought up. My safety wasn’t ever an issue, was it?

  “Sweetheart, we need to figure out what is going on. For now, will you please just gather your things and come with us?” Matthew said calmly as he kissed my cheek.

  I did as I was asked and gathered my purse and followed the men out to the SUV. Matthew let me in first and then slid in next to me. When I got into the vehicle, there was already a secret service officer sitting on the other side of the bench seat.

  All of the officers looked very bleak. They were concerned about something major and all I could think about was it was some sort of terrorist event. 9/11 had certainly scared our entire country, but I was in a whole new position with Matthew and I was probably in much more danger of terrorist events because of our marriage.

  We quickly made it through the White House gates and pulled into a garage off to the side of the building. The secret service officers got out first and then ushered us into the building quickly. I looked around for Elizabeth’s familiar face, the First Lady had been there to greet me the last time I was at the White House. I hoped that she would know what was going on and could tell me a little bit more about how I was supposed to handle these types of situations.

  But as I looked around I just saw a lot of secret service officers, security and staff members; no one looked familiar to me at all. One of the staff members brought me to a sitting room where I waited with a secret service officer outside the door. Matthew was ushered into a different room with some of the staff people.

  I waited for what seemed like forever as I drifted in and out of sleep. I had no idea what was going on or why we were at the White House. There continued to be a lot of commotion going on but I wasn’t privy to any of the actual information about what was happening.

  Then, about thirty minutes after I was brought into the room, Raphael the makeup artist came through the door. It was shocking to see him there at such a late hour.

  “Raphael, hi. What are you doing here?” I asked in total surprise.

  “We need to get you ready,” Raphael said as he moved quickly and started to apply makeup to me.

  “What? Wait a minute. Ready for what?”

  Raphael looked annoyed at me as he quickly applied makeup and then another woman came in and brought me a horrifically ugly blue skirt and jacket.

  “Put this on,” the woman said as she left.

  Raphael walked out with her and stood at the door. “Hurry, we don’t have much time,” he hollered in toward me as he held the door shut.

  I had no idea what was going on, but I felt obliged to put the outfit on as requested. I didn’t seem to be in any position to deny requests at the moment. So I quickly slid into the long skirt and put the white blouse on. I pulled the jacket on and then Raphael came back in. He did some touch ups on my makeup and then pointed me toward the hallway.

  “That way,” he said.

  “I’ll take you,” the secret service officer said at my door.

  As I walked down the hall, I realized we were going to the oval office. It must be some really big emergency if the President was making a speech at that hour.

  “So is it terrorists? Is the President making a public statement?” I asked the secret service officer.

  The officer put his hand on the door knob and opened it slowly.

  “The President was killed at Camp David tonight,” the officer said as he guided me into the oval office.

  I felt the blood rush out of my face as I looked at Matthew standing behind the mahogany desk. To his left was George Masson.

  “This way Michaela,” a young woman said as she guided me to stand next to Matthew on the other side of the desk.

  I watched as George Masson’s wife was brought in and stood next to him. There was one camera pointing at Matthew and at least a dozen people in the room. I felt myself getting dizzy as I tried to take in everything that was going on.

  “We are live in five, four, three, two and one,” the cameraman said as he pointed at Matthew.

  “Today is a day that we will forever mourn as a country. The details are still unfolding, but I am here with Senator George Masson to show that our country is ready to fight this fight. As your new President and Vice President, we will ensure that whoever has committed this atrocious act will pay. We will spare no expense to bring this evil to justice.”

  Matthew paused and looked over at me and then grabbe
d my hand gently. He held it tightly as he continued to talk. I saw a glimmer in his eyes. It was something I had seen only once before. I had seen it the day he took office as the Vice President.

  “This country is safe. As your President, I will ensure it is safe from all that is evil and wrong.”

  Storm UNVEILS

  The Billionaire President -

  A Dark Alpha Billionaire Romance

  Sarah J. Brooks

  Copyright © 2016 by Sarah J. Brooks

  This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is entirely coincidental. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  Facebook: Sarah J. Brooks

  Epilogue

  Matthew

  “Mr. President, thank you for coming in. We appreciate your cooperation with this,” lead investigator Roland with the Secret Service said.

  They had barged into the Oval office and demanded a meeting with me right away. It was one of the most disrespectful things I had seen in a very long time, but I wasn’t about to show them how much I despised them. I had learned a lot over the years and I knew honey was a much better way to catch flies in my web.

  “I’m happy to help any way that I can. This was a horrible tragedy and the American public needs answers.”

  Of course, I knew there was going to be an investigation. How could there not be one, he was the President of the United States of America. I was going to do everything in my power to cooperate with the Secret Service and FBI as they searched for the person or persons who had broken into Camp David and assassinated the President.

  Even if I had suspected it was coming, I didn’t know who had actually murdered the President and I didn’t want to know. Precisely because I thought someday I would be in an investigators questioning room and I wanted to be able to tell the truth.

  “President Storm, can you tell us where you were on the night in questions?” The secondary investigator asked.

  “Yes, I was watching a movie all evening on my living room couch with my new bride. We had fallen asleep on the couch since we were both so exhausted from all the events and new schedule of me being the Vice President.”