Savage News

by Jessica Yellin

  Confused, Natalie frowned. Clearly this conversation wasn’t headed in the direction she’d expected. “Sorry, I didn’t catch that. Approach what?”

  “The Chief. I think he’s serious about giving me the 6 p.m. show. Not by myself, but, like with Ryan or something. He said I’ll—”

  Suddenly the sounds around Natalie turned to a dull hum and all she could focus on was the feeling of her rising blood pressure and the stinging pain of injustice. Jazzmyn, who had likely never read a political piece longer than an Instagram caption, was poised to land a prime anchor slot, a post from which she’d shape coverage of pressing policy issues and conduct interviews with world leaders.

  “So the Chief and I are getting dinner at his hotel after the party and I want to be ready to negotiate. Lean in, right?” She beamed proudly. “I’d love your advice on what I should get in the contract. I was thinking maybe they should guarantee one overseas reporting assignment and a sit-down with a world leader every six months? What do you think?”

  Natalie flashed to an image of Chinese President Xi Jinping seated for an interview opposite Jazzmyn straddling a bench, back arched with her bra straps showing. Shaking away the image, Natalie reminded herself that Jazzmyn was coming to her for advice as the Older Wiser colleague. Be nice, help her.

  She was about to offer some mild encouragement when the weight of Jazzmyn’s words hit her. “Wait, the Chief wants you to have dinner tonight, in his hotel?” she asked, getting a bad feeling.

  “Yes,” replied Jazzmyn brightly. “So we can really hash it out.”

  Just like he wanted to do with me in Miami.

  “Jazzmyn. Are you sure you want to do that?” Natalie asked, recalling Dasha’s warnings of hotel room treachery. “Have you considered rescheduling for lunch tomorrow, just so you’re not alone with him at a hotel. You know?”

  “Oh he’s not like that!” Jazzmyn said cheerfully. “I was with him for a whole day in Miami and he was a perfect gentleman. We spent tons of time alone and he talked about his wife and kids the whole time. He’s a family man.”

  Natalie blinked, choosing her words carefully. “That might be true, but still, isn’t it smart to play it safe? Even just to avoid gossip. What if someone sees you with him at the hotel? You don’t want people to think—” She stopped before the words came out of her mouth.

  Jazzmyn’s face flushed. “That I slept my way to the top?” Her cheerful tone had vanished and was replaced by an accusatory edge. “You think that’s how I do things? Because how could someone who looks like me get ahead any other way?”

  Natalie, blanching, wanted to protest, but she stood there too startled to speak.

  “Believe it or not, there’s no water at the bar.” James reappeared and touched Natalie’s arm. “They said we have to get it in the kitchen.”

  Natalie smiled at him and then looked back at Jazzmyn. “That’s not what I meant,” she began.

  “Never mind.” Jazzmyn shook her head and looked away. “Stupid of me to think you’d be different from everyone else.” With a forced smile, she added, “Have a good evening.”

  “What was that about?” James asked as they watched her walk away.

  Before she could answer, James was accosted by a sixtysomething woman sporting a burgundy coif hair-sprayed into the shape of a large acorn. “James? Darling, how is your mother?”

  James gave the same polite answer he’d given Karima, then turned toward the kitchen. They managed maybe five steps before the scene repeated.

  “You seem to have found your demographic,” Natalie whispered.

  James sighed and pointed her in the direction of a white swinging door. “Make a break for it and I’ll come find you.”

  * * *

  The kitchen was quieter than the outer rooms but filled with clusters of people talking and smoking in groups. Natalie spotted bottles of Evian on the white marble kitchen counter and started making her way toward them when there was a crash as a wine bottle hit the floor. This was followed by a handful of nervous giggles as a gaggle of guests relocated a few feet in the other direction, leaving the mess.

  Natalie was appalled. She found a broom by the wall and started to clean up the glass.

  “Natalie? Is that my Natalie?”

  She spun around in the direction of a very familiar voice and was confronted by a large gut and a frighteningly familiar set of eyes all leaning in to hug her.

  Is this happening?

  “Chief? Hi!” she stammered scanning his little pointy teeth and bullet eyes. In person, he was smaller and more menacing than he appeared on screen, like the chatty customer who seemed friendly until you got a glimpse of his white van.

  As the Chief swept, her into his tight and slightly sweaty embrace, she gestured at the wine on the floor.

  “Leave that,” he said, pulling her away from the spill. “Karima and Raheem are old friends and I can assure you, they have plenty of staff to do the cleaning.”

  With his hand gripping her elbow, the Chief guided her to an alcove far from the other guests. Natalie felt a chill of discomfort as he let his gaze quickly extend down her body and back up. He nodded in admiration.

  “You are looking great, polished. Who knew you had such a nice figure!”

  Just take it as a professional compliment, she told herself. She forced a smile. “Thank you, sir.”

  “You’re doing very well, Natalie, you know. Substantive and credible.” He nodded in the direction of the party sounds. “Karima clearly likes you and my wife is a real fan of yours. Thinks you do great work.”

  She swallowed down the sour taste in her mouth. He brought up his wife. He’s a family man. Stop being paranoid, she reprimanded herself.

  “And—” he leaned in a little closer and lowered his voice “—I have some great news for you. I just got the VOPs and you are at sixty-two, five points ahead of Ryan!” He was grinning ear to ear. “How do you like that? Your abduction scored through the roof!”

  “That’s great!” she exclaimed, flooding her voice with enthusiasm. It is great, she told herself. Be excited. But she couldn’t ignore the fact that he was standing so close, she could smell the liquor on his breath. “You know, I see potential in you and if we can smooth out the rough edges, I think we can get you to the next level,” the Chief said, still smiling.

  Rough edges? “I’m sorry, sir?” she asked.

  “Well, we both know that you have a reputation for being difficult,” the Chief said, as he leaned in so close his gut brushed her abdomen.

  “You weren’t happy we sent you to Miami instead of St. Tropez. You were angry Ryan reported the story about the First Lady’s mole. I understand you wanted to edit your own piece for OpSec. It’s a lot of complaining.”

  She opened her mouth but no words came out. Her mind was a jumble of outrage, shame, and confusion.

  “I think it’s because you’re a fighter. Intense. I was a bit like that, too, when I was your age. I was hungry.” His gaze took on a sick intensity and he lowered his voice as he said, “It’s important to relax. To let loose, get free. Do you know how to relax? I’d love to watch you really let yourself get wild.” He winked.

  Natalie felt herself go ice-cold. Inside, her mind screamed, Run! Scream! Escape! But she did nothing. She stood there with a frozen smile plastered on her face and told herself to make no sudden movements, do nothing to embarrass the boss.

  “Savage? Chief?” said a familiar voice.

  Natalie spun around, turning her back to the Chief, to see Matt enter through the kitchen door. Relief coursed through her. She’d never been so happy to see Matt in her life.

  “Hey! Come say hi!” she chirped, sounding slightly manic. She took a step toward to him when something stopped her. It was the feeling of a finger running slowly down her spine, stopping at the top of her tailbone, thumbing the top of her panties. Nata
lie felt a flash of danger as every muscle in her body tightened and her face got hot. She was conscious of seconds passing and she twisted around to make eye contact with the boss to be sure. He casually pulled his hand away and winked.

  She heard him say something about “continuing this later,” and she mumbled the words “bathroom,” “find my date,” and “see you at work,” as she bolted for the door. Matt looked confused but he let her pass and she could hear him ask the Chief about their VOP as she plunged into the crowd. Once she was surrounded by strangers, safe in the crush of the party, she started shaking.

  Fighting against waves of revulsion, Natalie made for the nearest bathroom. Her feet were throbbing, her skull ached, and she wished she could find fresh air that didn’t smell of teriyaki. Pulling the door shut behind her, she replayed the scene in the kitchen. Did that just happen? She must have misunderstood. He wouldn’t do that, not in public. He’s a family man. Heart of gold. With shaking fingers, she opened her clutch to find the extra blue pills Matt had given her earlier. “Plenty more where they came from,” he’d said.

  She put a pill in her mouth and, feeling her heart race, decided it wouldn’t hurt to take two. She swallowed and slid down onto the floor, leaning back against the wall and closing her eyes, trying to slow her breathing and her frenzied thoughts.

  When she jerked awake, there was a pounding at the door.

  Shit. She’d dozed off. How long had she been in here? The buzz had definitely kicked in.

  Standing up, she cupped water from the sink to help wake her up and checked her reflection in the mirror.

  You look tidy. You look professional. You’re good, she repeated like a mantra in her head. Feeling like she was in a fugue state, she did a quick reset of her makeup and headed back out, apologizing to the people in line outside the door.

  She had just stepped into the foyer when she ran into James. She resisted the temptation to press her face into his chest and start to cry.

  She must have seemed slightly wild-eyed because he gazed at her, concerned. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere. Are you okay?” he said.

  “I don’t know,” she said quietly.

  He tilted his head and, without a word, pulled her in for a hug.

  With her head pressed against James, Natalie felt an explosion of warmth. He was nothing like the Chief. James was kind and good—and tall. I could get lost in you, she thought.

  His voice was a low caress as he asked, “Want to get out of here?”

  She pulled back, looked up at him, and nodded. “Yes. I really do.”

  THE EARLYBIRD™/ SATURDAY / 7:33 A.M.

  THE E-NEWSLETTER TRUSTED BY WASHINGTON'S POLITICAL ELITE

  Good morning, EarlyBirders™. Here are the morning’s need-to-know stories:

  BARBARO BREAKS HER SILENCE. Sonia Barbaro at the LA Premiere of her film Trafficked: “Too often the survivors of sexual assault are disbelieved. I’ve spoken my truth. Like my character in this film, Loretta, I won’t back down. We do not need to hide any longer.” Developing...

  World Poetry Day: It’s today. And the official @FLOTUS Twitter account posted an audio clip of FLOTUS READING Diving into the Wreck by poet Adrienne Rich. Isn’t FLOTUS at a SILENT RETREAT? What gives, Adam Majors?! Please return our call.

  Spotted: At the Sahadi cocktail. MSNBC’s Chris Matthews talking to FOX News’s Chris Wallace, CNN’s Dana Bash, Gloria Borger, WashPo’s Ruth Marcus, ATN’s Reginald Bounds leaving with Jazzmyn Maine, and ATN’s Natalie Savage leaving with James Harding, son of former DEPSECDEF Fred Harding. An eagle-eyed tip: Jazzmyn Maine was seen looking “disheveled and upset” hours later as she left the Jefferson Hotel in a cab.

  **EarlySponsor™: GlobalCom’s™ LatinAir™. Announcing Nonstop Flights from Washington and New York to Stunning Caracas. Behold the Beauty Yourself.**

  22

  One Second for Sex

  Too hot. Natalie pushed the comforter down trying to get some cool air onto her body, but it wouldn’t move. The half-asleep part of her brain told her to ignore it and keep her eyes closed. That seemed right since her body felt heavy and the bed was so soft and warm. Unusually warm. Warm like there was another body there with her.

  James!

  Her eyes flew open and she found herself in a room that, to the best of her knowledge, she’d never seen. The night before came flooding back. The talk with the Jazzmyn. The Chief. Two Xanax. Leaving the party with James and then...nothing. She couldn’t remember getting to his place.

  Careful to avoid any sudden movements, she lifted her head slightly. Turning to assess the situation, she came eyeball to eyeball with a golden retriever.

  The dog pressed his wet nose against her cheek, trying to push her back to sleep, and she had to swallow back a giggle. When she reached out to pet him, she noticed her blouse was still on. A quick inventory revealed that except for her coat and shoes she was fully dressed. Had nothing happened?

  Flustered, she pushed herself into a sitting position, patted the dog, and scanned the room. There it was, at her four o’clock: one seriously handsome man asleep in a massive easy chair, shirtless. James. He could, indeed, give Ryan a run for his money in the Pectoral Olympics. He was lean and muscular with a smattering of hair at the center of his chest. She felt flushed and knew she shouldn’t stare but she couldn’t help it. Shirtless, James was sort of breathtaking. Also very far away.

  What is he doing over there?

  Her mind started racing with possibilities. What if he hadn’t wanted to fool around with her? What if he’d just taken her home out of pity or duty or guilt?

  While she was assessing the situation, James’s eyes opened and her breath caught as their eyes locked.

  “Good morning, Sleeping Beauty,” he said with a scratchy voice and a smile.

  “Good morning,” she replied, and, in panic, turned away to wipe under her eyes and remove any stray makeup.

  “Sorry to surprise you with an unexpected overnight,” he said, still reclined and breathtaking in his shirtless splendor.

  Trying to sound composed, she pushed herself up. “How come you slept over there, in the chair?” It came out like a squeak.

  One corner of his mouth lifted into the slightest smile. “Well, you kind of fell asleep in the car without giving me your address. And you were pretty hard to wake up. Since you really weren’t in shape to consent to a slumber party...” He shrugged and indicated the chair. “You must be really exhausted from all the traveling you’ve been doing?”

  She blushed furiously.

  Really smooth, she commended herself. Step one, go home with the cute guy you like. Step two, kick him out of his bed. You have a great future as a How Not to Have a Life coach.

  “Can I ask a question?” she whispered, anticipating a horrible answer. “Did I do anything really embarrassing?”

  “No,” he said, shaking his head with a grin. He arched a single eyebrow and she felt her blush deepen. “You did get a little chatty. You said something about a patchouli nudist party. Is that what the cool reporters are doing these days?”

  She covered her face with a hand. “I said that? Oh god.” She took a deep breath and forced herself to look up and meet his eyes. “It’s a nudist resort, and I’m not the one going. I hope that doesn’t disappoint you?”

  “Not at all. I’m a little relieved actually.” He smiled. “Friends?”

  “No. It’s my mom’s wedding,” she went on, feeling suddenly exhausted, as if just talking about her mother could suck the life force from her. “She’s going through this earth mama phase. At first I thought it was just to get attention, but she seems pretty committed.” She sighed. “She’s marrying a nudist.”

  “She’s marrying a nudist,” James repeated, carefully. “Will the ceremony be—?”

  “God, no. No. At least I hope not. No, that’s the honeymoon.”

>   A cough of laughter escaped from James before he could clap a hand over his mouth. “I’m sorry, this probably isn’t funny for you but—”

  “It should be funny,” Natalie said, smiling. “If I were in my right mind about my mother it would be but I just—”

  Suddenly she froze.

  “What day is it?” she asked, feeling a rising sense of panic.

  “Saturday.”

  The wedding. No, this can’t be happening, her mind screamed.

  “What time is it?” she asked. Her body was already in motion, scrambling off the bed, scanning the apartment for her shoes and iPhone and any sign that this wasn’t happening.

  She spotted the alarm clock. 7:10 a.m. A rush of relief flooded her body. Hallelujah, thank god! The apothecary party didn’t start till until ten, the ceremony was at noon. That gave her plenty of time to get ready and hit the road.

  “What’s going on?” James’s eyes were appraising her.

  “Sorry,” she said. “My mom’s wedding is today. It’s okay, it’s not until later, but I thought—”

  She looked around the room and spotted her iPhone plugged in to charge overnight. James did that? How thoughtful. Grabbing it, she walked over to the chair where James was now sitting up, shirtless. Just to show him that she wasn’t lying or making an excuse for a quick escape, she let him glimpse the screen and the note that read: MOM’S WEDDING!!!!!! DON’T BE LATE!!!!!!

  The pulse in Natalie’s throat fluttered as she felt James’s proximity. He seemed totally relaxed with his chest on full display, as if this was pretty much his normal Saturday routine.

  He squinted at the phone. “How much time do you need? If you stay a little longer, I’ll make you breakfast.”

  She could feel his warmth. He smelled so good.

  “And what would we do after breakfast?” she asked coyly.

  He did that half smile thing again. The smile was warm and inviting and without thinking about it, she bent and kissed him.