Capitol Punishment

by Carl Hamlin

  Macie had surprised herself and her family at how quickly she had come to enjoy being among the movers and shakers. In her early days working in Washington, Macie was clearly more star-struck than Eric had been.

  Their initial lunch date went well, and they made plans to have dinner the following Saturday evening. They decided to meet at an elegant restaurant in Georgetown that Eric recommended.

  Macie told him about how she had come to love Washington in spite of the intimidating traffic. It all came as a total shock to her family, who nearly had to push her out the door to go to college. “But there was something about being here…….where everything is going on. When I was a kid, I was fascinated by sitting in history class and learning about how our nation was founded. Somehow, I just knew that I would end up working in Washington in some capacity.”

  She smiled and took a sip of wine. “Of course, I have yet to meet anyone I would compare to our Founding Fathers. But it is quite a rush to help the Congressman get things done. My parents are still totally amazed. They thought that I would come running home after a week here. After all, I was just a teenager when I became a page. But the first day I was here, I had to deliver a draft of a bill to the White House.’

  “Believe it or not, the Congressman’s limo took me there. My head was spinning as I was escorted inside to give the package to a security guard who looked it over and handed it to a secretary. I was nearly breathless. Then, I was walking out and I looked over and saw the President. He interrupted his conversation, came over and introduced himself. I had my picture taken with him and sent it home. I was never homesick a single day after that.” She laughed. “And, my shyness went away. As soon as I graduated from grad school, the Congressman hired me as a permanent staffer.”

  Eric was instantly drawn to Macie. He shook his head, and then nodded. “My parents are also shocked, but for a different reason. I never have been accused of having a lack of ambition, but they had expectations that I never cared to meet. I think they will always hold out hope that I will end up as an attorney or an ambassador in the Diplomatic Corps.’

  “In fact, things are rather estranged between us right now. Perhaps they think I’m somehow ungrateful that they brought me up around people who have libraries and foundations named after them, then I go off to be…..well, someone totally different.”

  Macie peered at him with an obvious question on her mind. “Are you a…….”.

  Eric shook his head and grinned. “I’m not a cop. I’m not an intelligence agent or anything like that. I’m a deputy analyst. I study and investigate people who may be a threat to our national stability and safety. Just the domestic ones. I don’t go overseas.” He laughed. “I’m not some kind of commando.”

  Macie’s eyebrows arched. “Do you do dangerous things, or……maybe you can’t say. Forget I even asked.”

  Eric shook his head. “If I would get promoted to be a full-fledged analyst…..then I would get into some dicier stuff. Still not anything too wild. But I could end up in occasional chess games with some bad people.” He seemed to be considering something. “Macie…..this is premature for me to say, but I like to be frank. You are the first girl…..sorry, woman I have taken out for quite a while. I work long hours, you can imagine. But, if I would get to that higher level, there would be a threat level to be considered.”

  He looked down, laughed, and shook his head. “I don’t know how else to say this….if that happens, and I were to…….oh, boy….. get married……I would probably be a pain in the ass about security for me and my…….wife…..let alone children.” Macie was amused at how his face turned red.

  He laughed at his own discomfort, and then continued with a more serious expression on his face. “I’ve always told myself, that, no matter how forward it sounded. I would tell anyone I went out with that this would be a concern if I ever got……married. Okay?”

  Macie smiled broadly. “I appreciate your laying the cards on the table. But are we talking about a moat around the house, or what?”

  Eric laughed heartily. “Only if I married someone with your looks…….I’m sorry.”

  Macie shook her head as she felt her heart beat faster. “Thank you for the compliment. Please continue.”

  Eric shook his head in surprise at his own awkwardness. “I, uh…..let’s say it this way. I would be very protective. I would be very demanding that…..my wife…..follows my instructions on staying safe. Living in the Washington area is one thing. I know the suburbs can be okay, but I could be the nemesis of some dangerous people from time to time. In fact, I already had to get some training in personal security and self defense, and I have to go for more.’

  “Right now, I’m sort of under the radar. But I intend to move up. That would make me and anyone I love a potential target for……being silenced…….revenge……even kidnapping. I would just have to demand what I say about security and safety be followed, to the letter. I would always need to leave the house knowing that my instructions were being……I hate to use the word.”

  Macie leaned forward. “Please……just say it.”

  Eric nodded. “When it would come to safety and security, I would have to be….. obeyed. I think in all other ways, I would be an easy man to……oh, my……to live with. That would be the exception.”

  Macie reached across the table and took his hand. She cocked her head and smiled. “I can see that you can be kind of a tough guy……and rather sweet in the process.”

  He again blushed. “Do I sound too much like John Wayne?”

  Macie nodded. “You actually do sound like John Wayne.” She took another sip of wine with one hand while still holding his hand with the other. “But then, I always did like John Wayne movies.”

  Macie smiled and laughed. “Okay……so what’s the answer to the obvious question? What if I don’t……what word did you use……what if I don’t obey?”

  Eric leaned forward and lowered his voice. “I mean this in all seriousness. I’d have to give you a good paddling.”

  Macie’s eyes grew wide, but she still held onto his hand. “Well…..”. She giggled, took a deep breath and a long sip of wine. “I guess I had better listen closely to everything you tell me. I don’t think I would want to get paddled.”

  Neither laughed, and both knew Eric meant what he had said. Macie was surprised that she had not felt any negative reaction to such a pledge. It was definitely a surprise, but she also understood the context in which he had said it. Eric was relieved that she had not seemed at all put off by it. Both knew that Eric was speaking in terms of his role as the protector.

  If anything, after Eric’s frank statement, their conversation became more relaxed. In the course of the evening, they covered a lot of personal territory. They had a lighthearted discussion about their families, and although they kept the topic a humorous one, each seemed to sense that their relatives would never want to be placed together in a closed room.

  They said a reluctant goodbye in the restaurant parking lot, but not before enjoying a lingering kiss. They decided to make plans for the following Saturday night. Macie felt totally secure with this new man in her life, and invited him to pick her up at her suburban Maryland apartment that she shared with two other female congressional employees.

  Eric had asked Macie what she would like to do for an evening out, and he was delighted that she wanted to go to the American Art section of the Smithsonian. That Saturday, Eric picked Macie up at 2:00, and they toured the museum until it closed at 7:00.

  Macie liked abstract art in general, and Eric had a passion for cubism. They walked leisurely through the museum, taking time to stop and gaze as they chose. The art was enjoyable, but it also gave them a chance to chat endlessly about their lives, families and professions.

  After leaving the museum, they decided that they were in a casual mood regarding a choice of something to eat. Both were familiar with a nearby pizza restaurant with a traditional Italian atmosphere, so in spite of the cold night air, the
y strolled the one block hand in hand, often gazing at each other as they walked and talked.

  As they devoured their pizza and beer, they made small talk and discussed what each had encountered on their jobs during the week. Although it was unspoken, both felt that the interest each showed in the other’s career was a positive sign for the future of the relationship.

  Later in the evening, after a slow drive back to Maryland, they arrived at the apartment building where Macie lived. Eric had never before met her roommates, but when they arrived, both were at home with their boyfriends. The group sat and around and laughed and talked until the early morning, and Macie was overjoyed at how her new flame so warmed to her friends. She also did not mind the teasing she faced the next day. Her roommates were immensely impressed with the good-looking and obviously successful man their usually shy housemate had managed to land.

  They began to see each other regularly, often three or four times per week. They tried to keep the heat of their feelings under control, but after dating for four months, Eric asked Macie to marry him.

  CHAPTER TWO

  As soon as she and Eric agreed that their passionate but celibate courtship was destined to become a passionate marriage, Macie began to explore career changes that could allow her to remain in Washington should her rascal of a boss be caught in the course of his romantic mischief and fail to be re-elected.

  Thanks to some very flattering letters of recommendation from a number of Congressmen, Macie was able to land a position with a prestigious lobbying firm, and as soon as the contract was signed, she and Eric had a civil wedding ceremony. An hour after the wedding, they informed their very incompatible families that each now had a new in-law. Both promised to bring the new spouse to their respective homes for an introductory visit, but with the caveat that they were very busy with their life in Washington.

  The small-town girl had become a cog in one of the machines that made government function, for better or for worse. Her work would play a role in which laws were or were not passed by Congress. She began to develop a contact list that contained the names and data on many famous and powerful people. It was a heady time for the then twenty-five year-old budding lobbyist.

  They could not get away for a full-fledged honeymoon, but by getting married on the Friday night of a holiday weekend, they were able to make a retreat to a resort hotel that night in nearby Virginia.

  The sky has turned dark through that warm afternoon as they packed and made their way to have an official in the mayor’s office perform the ceremony. A steady, heavy rain had begun upon their arrival at the hotel, and turned into a torrent as they unpacked in the room. Macie found it romantic, and pulled open the bedroom curtains so that they could see and hear the rain. They were on the fourth floor, and no one could see in, especially with the darkness of night and the heavy downpour.

  Although Eric had vacationed in The Hamptons and on Cape Cod with his family, Macie was in awe of the luxurious mountain retreat and the size of the indoor swimming pool. As they entered the room, complete with Eric carrying Macie “over the threshold”, she was thrilled with the large bed and the presence of the large whirlpool tub. Macie felt a shiver at the trappings of the room in which she was about to lose her virginity.

  Always an attractive woman, Macie had dated several men, but had never felt the sufficient commitment and bonding to have been intimate with one. When she and Eric made love for the first time, she quickly recovered from the initial discomfort. They did not leave the room until Monday evening, aside from a couple of trips to the pool. Each was content to mainly stay in their room and fully appreciate just how ravenous a sexual appetite the other possessed.

  One bonus for Eric was that the three days there would provide a welcome respite from the need to always be watching over his shoulder. Neither had ever spoken a word regarding Eric’s pledge concerning the consequences of Macie not following his instructions about her safety. However, on Saturday night, when they had ordered room service for dinner, Eric announced that he was going to take a shower as Macie dried off from her own. As he was heading for the bathroom, he cautioned Macie to not open the door without looking the through the security viewing lens in the door.

  Macie was stretched out on the bed on her stomach in the nightshirt she had just pulled on and asked, “So, if I wouldn’t look first, would that get me that paddling you talked about on our first date?”

  Eric stopped, and then his expression turned grim. He shook a finger at her, and then smiled only slightly. “Mrs. Lowden…….if that ever happens, you will not find it funny.”

  Macie puckered her lips at him and wiggled her bottom. “Ooooooohhhh”. She giggled, then, looked down at a magazine and did not see Eric walking over to the bed.

  Macie did not see Eric’s hand rise or see its downward flight. It landed with a sharp “CRACK”. and Macie let out a high-pitched yelp.

  She reached back and rubbed the sore spot, but laughed at the antics of her husband. “My…….gosh! I guess you just made quite an impression on me.”

  Eric leaned down and flipped up the nightshirt. He held his hand up and turned it back and forth. “Yes……and it’s shaped like this.”

  Macie stuck out her tongue, and then tossed a pillow at him. “Go take a shower, you brute. We have more work to do.”

  Eric shook his head and walked into the bathroom. He was not gone for long.

  When he returned, everything to satisfy all his cravings were waiting for him on the bed. There was Macie in her short little nightshirt, surrounded by a pile of cheeseburgers, orders of French fries and cans of cola. They made short work of the food, and then once again went to work on each other.

  Macie began her new job a month after they were married. In spite of all the wisecracks about lobbyists and the disparaging remarks by political pundits and editorial writers, she found the work to be of her liking immediately. Eric had to work long days, so she spent more than the required time at the office to learn the ropes of the business. She also quickly learned that lobbying often took place at the evening dinnertime anyway, to say nothing of cocktail parties.

  Macie and Eric both poured themselves into their jobs until late evening, then turned their energy toward each other’s satisfaction. They were enjoying life in the center of the world.

  Macie had done well, and very quickly. Eric was promoted two years into the union, and the couple was finally able to afford Washington rent. Soon, they were able to leave behind the daily grind of fighting forty additional miles of traffic congestion while driving in from suburban Virginia where they had settled into their first apartment together.

  There were trade-offs in regard to Eric’s advancement. Macie was still trying to get used to knowing that on the floor next to his side of the bed was a loaded and ready Glock 21 .45 caliber handgun. Eric was one of the elite residents of the District of Columbia permitted to carry a gun, in a place where society pretended that guns were restricted in spite of daily newspaper reports to the contrary.

  Few people with the title of “analyst” carried weapons. It was true that Eric Lowden’s work was primarily of an academic nature. However, he was sometimes out there on the edge. He had no arrest powers, nor was he purposely placed in situations that could involve physical threat. However, Eric was a specialist in security threats posed by domestic extremists of all stripes and placement on the political spectrum.

  He would investigate a group wishing to bring down the government because it was too left-wing, and the next week he was looking into a group wanting to break apart a government it felt was too right-wing. Moreover, Eric’s unit concentrated on extremists known to be operating in and near the Washington area in particular and the east coast in general.

  There were crackpots wanting to blow up federal buildings because the government had repealed the gold standard, and those who felt the government was illegitimate because the land had been stolen from Native Americans. Some demanded one-world government, and other feared t
hat one-world government was being imposed on us. Eric would simply remind himself that it took all kinds.

  Eric was brought in for some analysis when those disgruntlements were expressed in terms of possible violence. His work sometimes thwarted the desires of some violent and dangerous people, and he could find himself in their presence without warning. Eric Lowden named names, sometimes publicly. Someday, one of them may want to silence him. It only marginally reassured Macie to know that he had received training in personal security and self-defense. She constantly worried over his safely. Unfortunately, she was somewhat more casual about her own.

  Eric made Macie feel secure, as he had promised. In that regard, he was a traditional husband, a protector much like her own father. At the same time, he had promised to be very open about other marital decisions. They indeed had a very democratic marriage when it came to such matters as managing money, and selecting their apartment and furnishings. To her delight, Eric had persuaded Macie that she should pick out a new car for them. He had his beloved pickup truck of some age, and he did not blink when Macie signed a lease for a new Mercedes-Benz. He found great enjoyment in sliding into the passenger seat when they drove together, for Macie dearly loved driving that car. And Eric loved to see Macie happy.

  In addition, as promised, Eric seized control in matters of their safety. He was sometimes frustrated that Macie did not sufficiently grasp that their toney neighborhood only had the illusion of safety. It was an attractive area of spotless apartment buildings, condominiums and townhouses patrolled by private security guards. Macie did not seem to grasp just how silently and quickly danger could invade her place of perceived refuge.

  In spite of Eric’s coaching, Macie was lax in how she swung her purse while walking down the street, or talked on her phone while losing awareness of who may be around. When it was necessary for the car to be parked out on the street, she would not have her key ready, but would walk to the car and obviously fumble through her purse to find it.