“You’re secretly a Russian spy. You were planted here to sabotage our financial system.”
“One thing I will never be is a Communist.” He kicks off his jeans and crawls over me, nipping at my thigh as he tugs my pants down my legs. “We should form our own party. The no underpants party.”
I giggle as he attempts to remove my panties with his teeth.
“A party of two. I’m in.”
Epilogue
Ben
It’s been nearly a year since Kate and I made things official, and professionally, it’s been a year of victories—for both of us.
In December, the tax bill officially passed the House and Senate, and was signed into law by the president a few days before Christmas. Thanks to the increase to the child care credit, Senator Warner and a number of like-minded Democrats did cross the aisle, making it the first major bipartisan legislation passed by this administration.
The day the bill passed is among the most memorable of my life. Post-vote, we attended the first of many victory parties we’d enjoy over the following weeks, and when we got home later that night, tipsy from too many champagne toasts, Kate took me to bed and congratulated me.
And congratulated me.
And congratulated me.
Months later and I’m still thinking about that night.
Kate rebounded from the disappointment of her child care bill with a high-profile project: a resolution reforming the way sexual assault allegations are handled on the Hill. The updated CongressionalAccountability Act changed the system for reporting employees’ claims of sexual harassment, established an office to advocate for employees during the adjudication process, and required lawmakers to reimburse taxpayers for any workplace settlements. Spearheaded by Senator Warner and cosponsored by a record forty-three senators—including Senator Hammond—it marked our second shared victory. The resolution passed by voice vote a mere four months after it was introduced, a near record for the slow-moving gears of Congress. I think I was happier for Kate’s success than I was for my own.
I’m still working for Senator Hammond, though I’ve started putting out feelers to move into the private sector. Delivering on tax reform is as good as it will ever get in my government career, and supporting Kate on the sexual harassment legislation fulfilled a personal mission of mine to enact change in my sister’s name. I’ve known for a while that I’m ready to move on, though working down the hall from Kate has certainly been a motivating factor to stay. Ultimately, I’m ready to make more money. If all goes according to plan, I’ll have a family to support soon.
If it’s been a year of professional triumphs, then personally? I’m living my damn dream.
When I first laid eyes on Kate at Senator Riordan’s retirement luncheon a year and a half ago, I was completely knocked for six. I’ve never had such an instant, visceral reaction to someone. While I’m sure many would chalk it up to simple attraction—Kate’s easily the most beautiful woman in any room—it was something else, something deeper, like I’d known her before and would again. When she smiled and shook my hand, I was done for.
You’d think I’d have been angry after she’d dismissed me so summarily—and maybe I was, at first—but I couldn’t seem to fight her gravitational pull. I’d watch her in her office and marvel. She’s a fidgeter, unable to sit still, always tucking a knee beneath her, crossing anduncrossing her legs, kicking her feet up on a chair. I’d spot her at her desk twisted up like a pretzel and tie myself into knots.
And, God, those legs. They taunted me, day in and day out.
When her name popped up in my inbox, I half expected the email to say,I see you watching me, you perv!(I would have deserved it.) Her meeting request was one I’d typically kick over to an assistant, though I practically tripped over myself accepting, even picking a late-afternoon timeslot in the misguided hope things would go so well I’d be able to say,Why don’t we continue this over dinner?
Boy, did that not go as planned.
Poking and provoking her was enjoyable, I’ll admit it. But the night Kate opened up about her father was a turning point for me. By then, I’d started to wonder if I was wasting my time, if pursuing her was an exercise in futility. That night gave me total clarity: Kate didn’t need an antagonist, a man to frustrate and foil her. She needed a stable, steady presence, a constant in a world of variables. Someone who’d stick around and love her no matter the circumstances.
I just had to prove I was that man.
It’s an approach that’s served me well over the past year. Despite our rocky start, our relationship has been surprisingly drama-free. We rarely fight anymore, but when we do, we get to have wild makeup sex afterward. Sometimes I think she picks fights with me just so we can make up—not that I’m complaining.
We still push each other’s buttons, but it’s collaborative, not combative. We spend our days riling each other up and our nights making love. Sometimes we barely make it past the front door. I’ve never been so turned on by every facet of a person, as obsessed with her brain as I am with her body.
It’s a combination of these sentiments that have led me to where I am today: standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial with adiamond ring burning a hole in my pocket, gazing at Kate while she gazes out on the Reflecting Pool.
She catches me watching her and narrows her eyes. “Uh-oh.”
“What’s ‘uh-oh’?”
“Whenever you look at me like that, you’re coming up with some brutal physical challenge for me.”
Ihavebeen known to do this.
“You’re looking extra shifty, so I’m gonna go ahead and use my preemptive veto.”
