I'll Cover You

by A. C. Grey

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Gabby’s shock finally wore off. “See! I told you my aunt knew the President. She’s the best aunt in the whole world,” she told her friends as she ran and gave Emmy a big hug. “Thank you Aunt Emmy. You are so cool!” With that, she looked up nervously at Kate, who was still standing behind Emmy.

  Sensing Gabby’s nervousness, Kate spoke. “Hey, Gabby. I’m really sorry, but I’ve got a very important meeting I need to get to in a little while. Do you think it would be okay if you opened my present next? And then maybe your friends and I can hang out for a few minutes before I have to go?”

  Gabby nodded, still looking up at Kate in awe.

  Kate smiled, flashing her dimples. “Super!” She came around and gently took Gabby’s hand, leading the little girl back to her seat.

  Emmy watched in abject awe as Kate presented the little girl with a certificate naming her as an official member of the President’s cabinet for the day, as well as all sorts of White House paraphernalia. Kate fawned over Gabby’s other presents, expressing interest, asking questions, and generally making the little girl feel like the center of the universe.

  Soon enough, Gabby had overcome her shyness and was rambling on to Kate about various topics. Emmy knew that Kate should have already left, but she seemed in no hurry to do so. Kate was amazing. The way she interacted with Gabby and the other guests, showing interest in all they had to say, posing for pictures, talking to them about the latest fads. Emmy could only watch, her heart threatening to burst. It was hard for her mind not to wander to thoughts of what Kate would be like as a mother. She was clearly at ease with these kids and her genuine interest in Gabby and in making her happy warmed Emmy’s heart. Every once in a while, Kate would look up briefly at Emmy, their eyes meeting for just a moment, a just a hint of happiness and love passing between them before Kate again focused on the kids.

  At last, Kate glanced up at Julie and nodded. She was already late. As the President, she could make people wait, but it wasn’t something she made a habit of. “Okay, kiddo,” Kate said as she gently ruffled Gabby’s hair, “I’ve got to get to that meeting. But thank you so much for letting me come to your awesome party. It was a lot of fun.”

  “Thank you for coming, President Stewart!” Gabby exclaimed, before capturing Kate in an unexpected hug. Emmy continued to grin, the expression that had been on her face nearly the whole time, as she watched Kate chuckle and hug the little girl warmly. Looking over Gabby’s shoulder, Kate locked eyes with Emmy. She saw an unmistakable look of love and thankfulness reflected back at her from her girlfriend’s deep brown eyes. Emmy looked truly moved. Kate couldn’t help but smile wider as she continued to gaze at her girlfriend from across the room. It had been her mission to wow Emmy, and judging by the look of her, she’d succeeded. After giving goodbye hugs to the other little girls, Kate headed to the door.

  Emmy rose from her seat and followed her. “Thank you so much, Kate. I can’t even begin to tell you how much this meant to Gabby . . . to me.” She wanted nothing more than to take Kate into her arms, to show her how much she felt, but knew that wasn’t a possibility at the moment. “I never would have even presumed to ask you to come here. Yet, you did anyway. You are so amazing.”

  Kate smiled and quickly leaned in to whisper in Emmy’s ear. “Always, presume, baby. Please. This wasn’t a hardship for me. I want to do things like this for you. All the time. Making you happy is my number one goal.” With that, she headed out the door, looking back to shoot Emmy one last dimpled grin. Emmy let out a sigh and headed back in to watch the rest of the party.

  * * * * *

  Kate had meant what she’d said. Coming to Gabby’s party hadn’t been a hardship at all. It had been an outright pleasure. Even though she’d spent the majority of the visit with a gaggle of little girls and almost zero alone time with her girlfriend, she’d cherished the time there. Seeing Emmy’s stunned and grateful look had been worth it. Quickly, her number one goal each day had become making Emmy happy, making her feel loved, at all costs. To hell with diplomacy or politics or national affairs. Emmy was her first priority. Kate could not ever remember being this far gone, this head-over-heels in love. She felt out-of-control, which was not a feeling she normally liked. She was always cool, calm, collected, very much in control of her emotions. Not so with her Emmaline. But for the first time in her life, she was willing to let go of just a little bit of her Type-A personality. She was willing to embrace the chaos that was her love for Emmaline Harris. It felt good.

  * * * * *

  Emmy could see her sister eyeing her, but chose to ignore it, focusing instead on her niece and her ever-growing mountain of opened presents. Soon, the guests’ parents began to arrive to retrieve them. It became an unending chorus of stories about how the President had come to the party. The parents looked at Emmy and her sister with questioning stares and they confirmed the children’s’ stories and promised they’d email pictures.

  After the last guest had left, Emmy headed back to the living room to begin picking up the remnants of wrapping paper, party hats, and other garbage. Noticing a stray, unopened card on the coffee table, Emmy picked it up. She quickly recognized Kate’s handwriting and remembered the card she’d bought for Gabby when having Kate at the party had been nothing more than a fleeting fantasy.

  “Gabby . . .” She called, figuring her niece would want to see the card. “I found a card that you didn’t open.”

  “Cards are boring, Aunt Emmy. I’m busy,” Gabby said matter-of-factly from the next room.

  Emmy chuckled at her niece’s seriousness. “Busy with what?”

  “I’m playing.”

  Emmy rolled her eyes. “The card is from the President,” she called out in a taunting, singsong tone. “But if you don’t want to read it, I guess I’ll just throw it out . . .”

  Emmy laughed again as Gabby came scampering into the room. “Nooooooo! Don’t throw it out, Aunt Emmy!! I’m coming!!” Funny how quickly her niece’s views on cards had changed.

  Emmy sat down on the couch and Gabby crawled into her lap. “Read it to me?” Gabby asked. Emmy opened the card and smiled as she saw the long message from her girlfriend. A lot of people, including those much closer to the little girl, would have simply signed their name or perhaps offered a generic “happy birthday.” Not Kate. She took Emmy’s breath away in so many ways. Emmy began to read:

  Dear Gabby,

  I know I don’t know you very well, but I can already tell that you’re a very special girl. Your Aunt Emmy has told me about how awesome you are, and, let’s face it; your Aunt is pretty cool. If she thinks you’re awesome, then you must be. Your Aunt wouldn’t lie about such things and I trust her opinion. I hope that you have a fantastic birthday, filled with lots of friends and cake and presents and hugs, and maybe even a few surprises. Make sure you give your Aunt Emmy a big hug for me. She’s pretty awesome, just like you. Happy Birthday, Gabby!

  -Kate

  Emmy smiled as she closed the card. She was reveling in the thoughts and feelings that Kate’s unexpected visit and the card’s message had brought forth in her. She felt like a walking cliché. She was on cloud nine. She was over the moon. She was in seventh heaven. She was on top of the world. She was high as a kite. She was walking on air. She was all of those things. And more. And she had Kate to thank for that.

  Her sister cleared her throat from the doorway, breaking Emmy out of her thoughts. She silently wondered how long Rachel had been standing there, a knowing smile playing across her sister’s face. Gabby jumped down from her lap and headed back to her toys. However, halfway to the door, she stopped and turned back. “Aunt Emmy. Since she signed the card with her first name, does that mean I get to call President Stewart, Kate?”

  Emmy chuckled. “That’s something you’ll have to ask the President, the next time . . . I mean if, you meet her again.” Emmy caught herself and hoped her sister hadn’t noticed the slip. She wanted to tell Rachel everything, but wasn
’t sure if now was the right time. Gabby nodded and scampered from the room.

  Rachel came into the room and sat down across from Emmy. “So how long have you and the President been seeing each other?”

  “Um . . . what?” Emmy said, desperately hoping to stall for a few moments. So much for keeping it from her sister. There was no getting anything past her.

  “Emmy . . .” Rachel said, making clear she didn’t believe Emmy’s feigned ignorance for a second.

  “We’re friendly. That’s it. There’s nothing going on.” Emmy said, making one last attempt at deflection.

  “Emmaline. Stop it. You and I both know you’re lying. I understand your need to protect her. But you can trust me. I can read you like a book. You’ve been making goo goo eyes at her all afternoon. And though she was subtler about, it was obvious she’s into you too. Plus, you know, the President of the United States doesn’t just show up at a 5-year-old’s birthday party, no matter how down to earth she is.”

  “How do you know? Maybe she just felt like coming.” Emmy said, teasing her sister at this point.

  “Seriously? Don’t even start that with me.”

  Emmy sighed. She never got anything past her big sister. “You’re right. We’re seeing each other.” She looked up at her sister before continuing, a huge grin on her face. “She’s amazing. So kind. So funny. So generous. Beautiful. Intelligent. I love her, Rachel.” Emmy waited for her sister to react.

  Rachel broke out into a smile. “Well it’s about time. I’m happy for you, Emmy. Really. It’s been too long since you’ve had someone really special in your life. Someone deserving. Someone who makes you happy. It’s really the first time, if I’m being honest. I know you loved Tom while you were together, but this is not the same. I can see it in your eyes. And I can tell she loves you. She wouldn’t have done what she did today if she didn’t.”

  Emmy nodded. “I know she does. We’re still in that happy, honeymoon phase, but oh . . . God, Rachel . . . I don’t even know how to begin to describe how she makes me feel.”

  Rachel answered by pulling her sister in for a hug. After pulling back, Rachel spoke. “I’m glad, Emmy. This is great. But it’s got to be hard – she’s not out. And I’m guessing isn’t planning on coming out any time soon. That can’t be easy.”

  “It’s not.” Emmy began. “But she’s worth it. I’d do whatever I needed to for her, to make sure she’s happy. I can live back in the closet for a while. Plus, she’s doing so much good and coming out right now, as much as it pains me to admit it, would just cause an unnecessary distraction. I’m not sure if the American people are ready for that kind of news yet. There’s so much good work she can do from her position and I’m not going to let her throw that away just so we can go grocery shopping or hold hands at the movies. So, please, promise me you’ll keep this to yourself, at least for now.”

  Rachel nodded. “Of course. I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you. Or Kate. I figure I get to call her that, since she’s my sister’s girlfriend.”

  Emmy smiled at the reference. “Thanks, Rachel. I appreciate it.” She hugged her sister again before they continued to clean up from the party.

  * * * * *

  That night, Kate entered her living quarters and exhaustedly threw her things down on the nearest surface. It had been a long afternoon, cramming in meeting after meeting. All she’d wanted to do was to stay at Gabby’s party. She’d desperately wanted to be Kate the girlfriend, not Kate the President. To spend time with Emmy and her family, to have a relaxing Saturday afternoon with nothing more pressing than the decision whether to have ice cream with her birthday cake. Unfortunately, that wasn’t something that came with her job. Days off, even a few hours off, were something that was hard to come by. Which is why she’d begun to think more and more about scheduling a vacation, even if only for a few days. She knew she wouldn’t even have those days completely to herself, but she could cut back on some of the extraneous time stealers that seemed to invade every day of her life while in Washington.

  As Kate made her way to the bedroom, she was immediately tackled by a very familiar, a very welcomed, a very naked body. Emmy immediately pinned her to the nearest wall, practically tearing off her suit jacket as lips and hands explored every inch of her body. Emmy reached up with one hand and deftly released Kate’s hair from its clip, golden curls dancing across her shoulders.

  Kate opened her mouth to speak, but Emmy placed a finger across her lips and shook her head before attacking those same lips with her own. Emmy plunged her tongue into Kate’s mouth, exploring, invading, tracing patterns within. Kate groaned with pleasure as the kiss deepened, as Emmy’s ever-roving hands quickly undid the buttons of her shirt before pushing it back and off her shoulders.

  Emmy trailed a line of kisses along Kate’s jaw line, pausing briefly to nibble on her earlobe, before continuing her explorations. Suddenly, without warning, Emmy shoved her hand into Kate’s pants, not bothering to take the time to remove them.

  Kate gasped, she looking at Emmy in aroused shock as her hand began to circle the outer regions of her soaked core, teasing Kate with suggestions of what . . . and whom . . . was to come.

  With her free hand, Emmy lifted Kate off the ground and the blonde wrapped her legs around Emmy’s waist, anxious to gain more friction in any way possible. Pinning Kate against the wall again, Emmy plunged a finger into Kate’s opening, steadily building a rhythm with her hips and hand.

  Kate tilted her head back slightly, her eyes closed, mouth agape as the stream of guttural moans flew from her lips, in time with her girlfriend’s thrusts. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been so wet, so turned on.

  Emmy reveled in the feel of Kate’s body against hers, the feel of her interior muscles tightening around her finger, the smell of her arousal, the tickle of her breath, the sound of her rapture. It was intoxicating. Adding a second finger, as well as the play of her thumb across Kate’s clit, Emmy quickened her pace.

  “Ohhhh . . . God.” Was all Kate could manage as Emmy slammed into her again and again. She felt the familiar tingle of what would become her climax as she rocked her hips, meeting each of Emmy’s thrusts, eager to reach that place of pure heaven.

  Emmy quickened her pace even more, continuing to flick her thumb across Kate’s button. She traced a line of wet kisses along Kate’s neck before gently catching an earlobe between her teeth. Kate sucked in a deep breath at the contact. Emmy smiled to herself, before whispering into Kate’s ear. “Do you like it when I fuck you?”

  All Kate could manage was a nod and a raspy “yes.”

  “How much?” Emmy asked, still slamming her girlfriend against the wall, their hips dancing together in a sultry tango.

  “So much. Please, don’t ever stop fucking me, Emmaline.”

  “I want you to come. Fucking come for me, babe.” Emmy practically growled into Kate’s ear.

  Unable to resist the sheer sexiness of Emmy’s words, Kate let out a low moan and after a few more deft movements from her girlfriend, began to shudder and quake in the power of her release. “Oh, God. Damn. Fucckkk me, Emmalineee.” Kate screamed as her body was wracked with wave after wave of delicious pleasure. Emmy continued to move within her, savoring the feeling of Kate, arguably the world’s most powerful woman, completely helpless against her. As Kate came down from her high, chest heaving, body glistening with perspiration, they sank to the floor.

  Kate looked up at Emmy with lazy, glazed eyes. “What was that for?” Kate asked between uneven breaths.

  “To thank you.” Emmy said, pulling Kate against her.

  “For what?”

  “You know what.” Emmy said, before capturing Kate’s lips in a lingering kiss.

  * * * * *

  The following Monday, Kate was in her office, as was Emmy, when Beth burst through the door. Not waiting for any acknowledgement, Beth strode across the room towards Kate’s desk. “You’re going to want to see this,” Beth said as she dropped a newspaper
on Kate’s desk. “You too, Harris.” She added.

  Emmy crossed the room, quickly becoming nervous as she saw the shocked look on her girlfriend’s face. This couldn’t be good. Emmy glanced down at the headline. It read:

  “President Stewart: Sleeping with the Help?”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Emmy’s heart dropped as she stared down at the headline. They’d been discovered. But how? She’d thought they’d been discreet. Apparently not. However, just as the panicky emotions threatened to overwhelm her, her eyes settled on the pictures accompanying the story. They weren’t pictures of her and Kate or even just one of them. Instead, they were pictures of Kate and Phil. One of Kate hugging Phil after their basketball game and one of Kate kissing Phil on the cheek outside his house – clearly from the day of Gabby’s party.