Broken Politics

by Janae Keyes

  “Matt.” She breathed out as I worked down to the last button. I quickly turned her to me. I took it all in as I now saw her black lace bra. I placed her back against the wall and worked my hands under her skirt hiking it up. “So this is Keeping America’s Purpose.” She said slyly to me with a smirk. I couldn’t believe she’d used my campaign slogan on me. I grinned at her and pushed my lips roughly to hers bringing up her skirt even more.

  I was sliding my hands up her warm caramel legs when I heard the sound of a clearing throat. The two of us jumped to see Victor standing in the room looking very displeased. Kayla quickly pulled her skirt down and turned towards the wall to button up her top.

  Damn of all people I really didn’t want Victor to know. Victor had a way of exploiting people and using them. I didn’t want Victor, his negativity, and evil spirit around my relationship.

  “So the mystery girl is none other than Kayla Johnson the MetroGirl reporter. I bet she got in your pants quite easy with all those useful articles from MetroGirl like 11 of the Best Sex Positions or Tricks to Giving a Blow Job… in the Oval Office.” He seemed to nearly growl as he spoke. “I can’t believe of all of the woman throwing themselves at you…the black journalist.”

  “I’m in the room.” Kayla hissed. I turned slightly to her. By the look on her face it was obvious she was infuriated by the way Victor spoke about her and I was also. He didn’t have the right.

  “Victor just stop.” I said to him sternly.

  “Want to ruin your chances of re-election… there you go.” He spat pointing at her.

  “Victor just go.” I growled. I needed him gone. I didn’t need him to belittle Kayla anymore. Victor stood his ground. “Get the FUCK out now!” I roared as I pointed at the door. I wasn’t going to stand by any of this. If I was to be with Kayla Victor would have to learn to respect it.

  “Yes Mr. President.” Victor responded before he turned and promptly left the room.

  I turned to Kayla. I couldn’t tell if she was going to cry or scream. She looked furious, but also hurt. I went to her and put my arms around her. I just held her close without any words. I don’t think she needed my words to know that I was sorry for the way Victor spoke about her. If he only knew she was much more talented than the garbage that MetroGirl published or the color of her skin.

  As complicated as things had gotten for us they’d just gotten more complicated. This wasn’t going to be easy at all for either of us.

  Kayla

  I WAS SO happy to be out of DC and away from the prying eyes. I sat on the edge of the pool in my bikini with my feet in the water. I loved being away with Matthew at Camp David because we could be free and not have to worry about who could be watching.

  The last week had been strange after Victor walked in on us. Sadly Victor’s reaction was the reaction I expected from the rest of the country. It didn’t matter how good my writing was or how intelligent I was, what mattered was whom I wrote for and the color of my skin. I wasn’t ready for that kind of scrutiny. Just having Victor react the way he did to Matthew and I really made me more adamant to keep our secret.

  I’d decided to banish those thoughts. I was away from all of it for an entire week and with Matthew, that’s all that really mattered. I placed my hands on the stones behind me and put my head back. The heat of the sun felt nice on my body. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d taken a real vacation and this seemed to be one. I heard footsteps and opened my eyes. There was Matthew coming from the house. He gave me a smile as he came over to me.

  “You aren’t dressed to swim.” I noted at once pointing out his khaki pants, dark blue button up shirt, and yellow tie.

  “I have a video call in a few minutes with the Deliverance Bill committee. I sign it into law when we get back to DC.” He said proudly. On the ride up we learned that the bill passed in the emergency session of the Senate. “I’ll come to swim with you after for sure.”

  “Mr. President everything is ready for your call.” A voice called from the main lodge.

  “I will be out and ready to swim after this call.” He said to me. I watched as he walked back into the lodge.

  I hadn’t even noticed that I fell asleep. I felt something brush my cheeks. I opened my eyes slowly to see Matthew next to me on the outdoor canopy. The book I was reading was on my chest. I’d spent an hour in the pool before I grabbed a book and was on the canopy reading. I noticed that the sun seemed to be setting. I gave Matthew a small smile.

  “I don’t remember falling asleep.” I said with a yawn.

  “Sorry that took forever. I didn’t expect that call to last over three hours.” He said to me.

  “It’s ok you were working.” He ran his hand down my arm.

  “But this is our vacation. I want to spend as much time with you as possible before we have to go back to real life.” He said as he pulled me closer to him. “I love your bikini by the way.” He said as he eyes observed my body in my navy blue halter-top bikini. One of his hands settled on my hip and he pulled me closer. “Very sexy.” He growled in my ear.

  “Ma’am do you still want the grill setup?” asked a female voice. I looked up to see Helena who worked in the kitchen at the door of the main lodge.

  “Yes Helena thank you so much.” I said to her. Matthew simply looked at me.

  “Why do you need a grill?” he asked me.

  “I need a grill to cook dinner.” I answered.

  “You’ve never cooked for me before.” He noted. I wiggled from his arms and stood up next to the canopy.

  “I know. Helena went to the store for me earlier and I’m going to make dinner.” I announced to him before I bent down and placed a soft kiss on his lips. I started to make my way to the main lodge to start on dinner.

  I stood at the grill finishing up dinner when I felt hands slide around my waist. I shivered at the feeling. I knew it was Matthew by the feel of his touch and the smell of nutmeg and sage. I sat down my tongs and turned to face him.

  “It smells amazing.” He remarked as he looked over at the grill where I had our Chicken, zucchini, and red pepper kebabs cooking. Inside I had a cucumber, tomato, olive, and feta salad waiting along with fresh homemade tzatziki.

  “Thank you.” I said as I put my arms around his neck. “I think you’ll like it.”

  “It smells like I will.” He said grinning at me. “Also I have a new rule.”

  “A new one… what is it?” I asked.

  “You must always cook for me wearing this bikini.” He said as his hands slid down to my hips and his fingers toyed around with the strings of my bikini bottoms.

  “Don’t think I’ll do it all the time, but maybe I’ll surprise you.” I said giving him a wink.

  “I can live with that.” He said. I smiled. This couldn’t be my life. I had this amazing guy in my life. He treated me like a queen and he loved me for my intelligence. It was complicated, but the complications were worth being as happy as I currently was.

  I STOOD OUTSIDE of the lodge waiting. Matthew and I had spent 5 great days together, but today his parents would be joining us. I was so nervous. Matthew was supposed to be joining me, but as we were walking outside he had a phone call to take. It could be difficult dating the President because even when he was on vacation he was still the President.

  A black town car drove up the lane and towards the main lodge. It stopped in front of the lodge. I walked down the stairs knowing that Matthew’s parents were in the car. The driver opened the door closest to me and a woman stepped from the car. She had blonde hair cut into a bob and wore ivory slacks and a royal blue and ivory-striped peplum shirt. She carried a Louis Vuitton handbag on her arm. She looked directly at me as she took off her sunglasses.

  “Can you help the driver with the bags?” she demanded without another look at me.

  I blinked a couple times before I’d realized what was happening. She thought I worked here. I held my tongue not wanting to say the wrong thing to the woman who could be my mother-in-
law one day.

  “Mom!” I heard Matthew’s voice shout cheerfully. I looked to see him at the door. He jogged down the stairs to reach the two of us. He pulled her into a strong hug.

  “Oh my Matthew, darling!” she said happily as she pulled back and looked at him. “Oh I hate when you wear stubble.” She noted as she gave his cheeks a slap.

  “Leave the boy alone. He’s President and can wear his facial hair how he likes.” Came a male voice from the car. I spotted a man who looked a lot like Matthew, but much older with greying hair. I knew this was Matthew’s father, Oliver Von Hansen who was once the mayor of Hartford, Connecticut.

  “Hey dad!” Matthew said as he gave his dad a quick hug. Matthew then looked in my direction. I’d awkwardly stood in the same spot the entire time. “Mom, Dad I’d like you to meet the most amazing girl I’ve ever had to chance to meet. This is Kayla.” He introduced as he came to me and put his arm around my waist.

  “You’re the girlfriend?” His mother Charlotte Von Hansen questioned, as she looked me over. She looked me in the eyes. I knew she felt awkward assuming that I’d worked here when I was in fact her son the President of the United States’ girlfriend.

  “Yes Mrs. Von Hansen. It is a pleasure to meet you. Both of you.” I said sweetly looking at his parents.

  “You are darker than the Paris photos.” His mother blurted out bluntly. I knew what she wanted to say was she didn’t expect me to be black. In the photos from Paris you can’t see me well and therefore it isn’t obvious what color I was. I simply gave her a soft smile trying to not let it show that her words stung. My color shouldn’t even be a topic up for discussion.

  “Let’s go inside. Lunch is mostly ready.” Matthew said as he put his arm around his mom and started to lead her to the house. He turned and looked at me giving me an apologetic look. I gave him a weak smile and followed along.

  We all sat together at the table. I sipped my water when Helena entered the room with a tray of appetizers for all of us. She sat the tray down in the middle of the table.

  “Would you like another sparkling water ma’am?” Helena asked Charlotte.

  “Yes I’d love another one and this time with a slice of lemon.” Charlotte said simply without really addressing Helena. I could tell this woman was very stuck up. I dreaded spending the next couple days with her. She was one of those people I hated, who felt as if everyone was beneath them. I only wished to have the last 5 days back where it was Matthew and I alone.

  “And you ma’am?” Helena then asked me.

  “No thank you Helena I’m fine for now.” I answered giving her a smile before she turned to head into the kitchen.

  “So Kayla…” Charlotte started as she looked at me. “You write for a magazine?” she questioned.

  “Yes ma’am I write for MetroGirl.” I said trying to sound as confident as possible, but it was difficult when just her presence made me feel like every drop of my confidence had been drained.

  “Never heard of it.” She said simply.

  “It’s a Contemporary Women’s Lifestyle magazine targeting women in the DC area.” Matthew said. He gave me a grin as he looked from his mom to me.

  “How long have you been with my son?” she asked me bluntly.

  “A little over 2 months.” I answered thinking back to that day in May where we kissed for the first time. I couldn’t believe that it had been just over two months since then because it felt like so much longer. Matthew and I blended perfectly together in the strangest way.

  “And this relationship between the two of you is serious?” she then asked.

  I didn’t mind the questions, but I felt like she could spread them out over the next couple days rather than right at one time.

  “To me it’s serious.” I said truthfully.

  “And to me also.” Matthew concurred looking at his mom. I felt very uncomfortable and I could tell Matthew knew by the way he took my hand. “Alright Mom, I say we enjoy lunch for now and save the interrogation for later.”

  “I just want to know who this young woman is.” She said looking directly at me. I looked her in the eyes knowing this was my chance to take my power back.

  “Well ma’am, I am Kayla Johnson. I am 29 years old. I am a writer. I write full time for MetroGirl, but I also do freelance work for other publications. I grew up in Northern California. I am an only child and grew up in a single parent household. I went to Boston University where I have two degrees, one in English and the other in Journalism. I moved to DC upon graduating and I’ve been there since. I was engaged once, but that ended badly when he cheated on me. I’m now in love with your son. Truthfully I hate him as President, but as a person he is everything to me. I am not using him for any political gain or fame. I just want to write and not have the status of who I am dating as a factor in the popularity of my work… and yes I am African-American.” I finished still staring her directly in the eyes. She seemed to shift in her seat at my sudden boldness.

  When I needed to be so I could be bold and outspoken. I wasn’t going to let her or anyone else make me feel ashamed for who I was. I felt Matthew squeeze my hand. I knew he didn’t expect that from me, but he knew that I wasn’t the type of woman to back down.

  The silence that filled the air was awkward. I knew that nobody knew what to say. I needed to stand up for myself and I did. Suddenly, Helena entered the room with a glass of sparking water for Charlotte.

  “Here you go ma’am.” Helena said as she sat the glass of water down on the table. I was happy for the quick distraction. “The chef has told me the food will be ready in about 10 minutes.” Matthew had the White House chef come up for these last couple days while his parents were here.

  “Mom the other day Kayla made the best dinner for us. It was amazing. I was thinking that she could do it again tomorrow for lunch.” Matthew said looking from his mother to me. I wasn’t expecting to cook for his parents. I was pretty sure he knew he was in trouble by the way I looked at him.

  “So you cook?” Charlotte asked me.

  “On occasion.” I answered simply.

  “At least my future kids won’t starve.” Matthew said. I quickly looked at him with my eyes wide. We’d never really talked about our future before. We were always in the present and as much as I thought of a possible future with him we’d never said anything out loud. He grinned and my heart was pounding like a million drums. Could he really want all of that with me? Kids and everything that came with it?

  “They wouldn’t anyway. You’re a great cook.” I acknowledged. He gave me another grin.

  “Well son I saw your bill passed. Congrats on that.” Oliver Von Hansen piped in.

  “Signing it into law when we get back to DC.” Matthew stated proudly.

  This would be the first bill since taking office that he was going to sign into law and it was a huge deal. As much as I would want to be by his side as his supportive girlfriend I would be with the press covering the event for MetroGirl. Matthew was a good President in his own way. He worked hard and I saw that everyday personally. I still didn’t always agree with his politics and policies, but I guess that is what made our relationship unique. As long as things could stay the way they were now I could be with him forever, there was no doubt about that.

  MATTHEW AND I laid in bed together. It had been a long day. Since my outburst at lunch his mother had started to be a little nicer to me. I loved watching him with his parents. He hadn’t seen them in a while and watching him was like seeing a little boy with his mommy and daddy. It was obvious that his family meant a lot to him and I liked that quality about him, it was one of the many things that kept me attracted to him.

  “So today went alright after a rough start.” Matthew said as he ran his fingers along my arm. I looked up at him and my eyes met his.

  “It got better... Sorry for having that outburst with your mom, but it needed to happen.” I said truthfully. Matthew simply chuckled. “What?”

  “It was nice to see my mom b
eing put in her place for once. Most people just back down, but never my feisty girl.” He said grinning at me.

  “So what was this about kids?” I asked him. I’d been curious all day since he made that comment at lunch. He gave me a smile and held me a little tighter.

  “I want kids one day. I’d love to be a dad and right now the only person I could ever imagine having those kids with is you Kayla.” His words came out with such truth. My heart seemed to pound. I swallowed and just looked in his eyes. “Obviously it won’t be right now, but I want a future with you Kayla. I want us for a very long time possibly forever. I know we fight passionately, but we both know the line and we never cross it. We respect one another and I don’t think I could have such a passionate love with anyone else.”

  “Matthew.” I said softly. I rarely called him Matthew. He simply smiled for a moment.

  “Shhh don’t say anything.” He said before he pushed his lips to mine. He held me tighter as he kissed me with pure wanting and fervor.

  There was no doubt in my mind that I wanted forever with him. There was no doubt that we were brought together for a reason and there was no doubt that he and I were simply meant for one another. I shared his want for forever and even after only two months it was obvious to both of us that this was a forever kind of thing.

  Chapter Twelve

  Kayla

  IT SEEMED AS if the months were flying by and I was also flying. Simone and I were on our way back from New York City and seeing my favorite singer, Loreen, in concert. The trip had been amazing. Matthew had a private jet reserved for our trip along with a beautiful hotel suite in the city. Everything was taken care of for the two of us. As much fun as I had I missed Matthew terribly. Though he wasn’t going to be in DC when I returned. He was off on a trip out west. The cool part was he would be spending a few days in California and was going to meet my mom.