An Honest Deception

 

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Temptation

Due to my position in the Health Department, alongside my role as an MA, I was spending most nights in my grace and favour house in the capital Campton.

When I did make it home, the Assembly was what I most wanted to discuss.  Alison resented this and also felt I had lost interest in our children.

My friends growing up I no longer had time to keep in touch with.  I was on first name terms with the elite of our society and stories of saving to bring children on package holidays, reminiscing on school days and gossiping on old acquaintances seemed small to me.  We no longer had much to say to each other.

I shut the emptiness at home out by socialising with my new colleagues, discussing how we were going to make the world a better place, fixing our welfare dependent broken society.

Everything changed one typical day when I was in Campton to discuss a change to the Health Department, to introduce a cap on the number of hours after care we would provide to new mothers if there were no birth complications.  It was a change I would not fully in favour of, but we had a budget and needed to priorities our resources. 

After our meeting, I had lunch at the Ivory Restaurant with some of my colleagues, before heading to the Assembly Bar.  At around midnight, Claire the undersecretary to one of my colleagues, asked if I wanted to share a cab home with her.

I took her up on her offer.  We were heading in the same direction and it made sense to share a lift.

Claire was a beautiful girl who many of my colleagues lusted after, jesting like pubescent teenagers when she was out of ear shot that she seemed like a game girl.  I did not join in the banter.  I respected her opinion.  Claire and I were friends, we had the same Northern roots and a similar sense of humour. 

On the way home we sat close together in the back seat.  I could feel Claire’s breast on my leg as she stretched across me to open the window on my side. 

 ‘Would you like to come in for a night cap?’ she asked as we approached her apartment. 

I swallowed hard.  I knew the potential implications of what Claire was asking, but with the alcohol I had consumed, the detachment I felt from my family and the boost to my ego that someone as attractive and engaging as Claire was interested in me, made it almost impossible to say no. 

Besides, my house was an easy 15 minute walk from Claire’s apartment.

‘Only for a quick one’ Claire said, removing any doubt from my mind.

‘I hope you have some more Champagne up there?’ I laughed.

‘Of course I always come prepared' she smiled.  The double entendre was not lost on me. 

We stopped all too quickly.

 

When the driver opened the door for Claire I leapt out as well. 

‘I will find my way home from here’ I said, passing a large tip to the driver.

‘Fuck it I can’t find my keys’ Claire said as she bent down to search through her bag. 

I stared at her athletic body, in her figure hugging white dress.  She reminded me of Alison when we met nearly 20 years previously. 

‘Found them’ Claire said eventually, looking up and catching me ogling her.

Inside Claire’s apartment was open plan, with high spec marble worktops and stainless steel appliances leading to her pine floored sitting room, with only a dark brown leather sofa and matching single seat to one side and a square glass coffee table.

Claire handed me an unopened bottle of Champagne and set 2 glasses on the coffee table.  I sat on the edge of the couch and unwrapped the foil, before unscrewed the wire cage and popping the cork.

I nervously poured two glasses.  Claire lifted hers and left the room.  When she returned she was no longer wearing her shoes.

‘My feet were killing me wearing those high heels all day’ she said, as she sat on the couch beside me with her feet up, her knees pointed towards me. 

Over time as we emptied the bottle of Champagne we found ourselves sitting closer and becoming more tactile.  I could feel the sexual tension as the bare skin of our arms touched. 

I asked her about her life and why someone as attractive and clever as she was did not have a partner.

She hadn’t met the right person, she was not easily impressed she said.

Claire wanted to know all about my life.

I told her I was the youngest and only boy of three.  I had started my own successful Accountancy practice, becoming wealthy when I sold my offices to a developer during the property boom and how I had decided to get into politics due to my anger at my local hospital closing.  I told her that I was more than a decent footballer when I was younger.  With a bit more luck I could have followed a different path.

She seemed fascinated by my tales.  She said I was different from the other politicians, I was not as arrogant, I knew about the real world.  She admired that I had went into politics with a purpose, not like the politicians of today who went straight from their Philosophy, Psychology and Economics degrees.

Suddenly Claire leaned forward and kissed me softly on my lips.  I closed my eyes and kissed back passionately as Claire straddled me, her pubic bone brushing  my thigh.  She ripped off my tie and flung it on the floor before unbuttoned my shirt from the top. 

She kissed my neck and slowly moved down biting and kissing my nipple as her hands drifted around my hairy chest.  She moved her head down further, kissing towards my naval then knelt on the floor and unbuttoned my trousers.

Suddenly the world seemed to stop as Claire put her hands under the elastic of my underwear. 

‘I’m really sorry’ I said as I rolled over on the couch, ‘I’m not sure I’m ready for this.’ 

I did not know if it was the guilt of betraying Alison that stopped me or the thought I might not be able to back up where we had got to with the amount of alcohol I had drank and the thought Claire had probably had a string of lovers, I was unsure if I measured up.

Claire was speechless for a second, then adjusted herself, stood up and knocked back the remains of her glass of Champagne, placing it firmly on her glass table. 

‘I’m really sorry’ I said, standing up also.

‘It is all right, I understand’ she said, averting her gaze. 

I said nothing, buttoning my shirt and trousers.

‘I’m sorry’ I eventually said again, picking my tie off the floor. 

As I staggered home in the drizzling rain, my shirt half buttoned, I started to re-evaluate my life.  I had become like all the other politicians I know, detached from the people who had asked me to serve them, not caring about their silly letters and menial problems, worse than that I had stopped caring about my family. 

Next morning I awoke thinking of what had happened the night before.  I was embarrassed for leading Claire on then running away.  There was no avoiding her and the awkward situation I had placed us both in.  Everyone in the bar the previous night will have known we had gotten a ride home together and will be talking about us, just like I had gossiped on lots of them. 

Then I thought of Claire’s long flowing blond hair, her large full breasts, not depressed or deflated by time, her naked writhing above me.  I took my semi erect penis in my hand and tugged vigorously, vibrating until I exploded over my chest. 

I needed to shower. 

At least we had not gone further I thought.  I hoped she did not hate me. 

I hoped when Alison saw me she would not be able to read my face and know something had happened. 

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Parliament

I loved being an MA more than I had envisioned. It was an adrenaline rush that people recognised me as I walked around Bremerton. But as it got closer to election time again, the one issue that kept cropping up again and again was what was happening with the hospital. They said it was slowly being run down, until it was no longer worth saving.

I started to get letters from cranks, saying I was no different to other politicians.

What people didn’t understand was that I too was being frustrated in my attempts to find a long term concrete future for our hospital. It was impossible to set up meetings with senior party members on this issue. Everyone had full diaries, instead sending mandarins to placate me, only agitating me further.

Eventually, Lorenzo Bianchi our party Chairman agreed to meet me. He talked me through all the things eating up our resources and how it would be hard for him to make any promises, without making cutbacks in other areas.

‘I only agreed to join your party to help save the hospital’ I said firmly. ‘I will arrange a press conference outlining all the Modern Democrats broken promises to me and leave immediately’

Lorenzo looked at me sternly. This was not a time the party could afford negative publicity. ‘I will set what I can do’ he said sombrely.

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Secret Society

A few days later I was stopped in the lobby by a small red headed man, whom I had seen around parliament from time to time. He introduced himself as Roman Bodwin.

He came straight to the point, ‘I hear you are looking for help to save your hospital?’

I nodded my head ‘Yes. I am.’

‘Are you familiar with the Four Pillars?’ Roman asked.

I shrugged my shoulders ‘yes.’

I had heard the jesting in the Assembly bar, they must be members of the Four Pillars, someone would say when referring to politicians that seemed to quickly rise through the ranks, without mud ever sticking to them. Surely it was only an old boys club, where people with similar interests got together to talk about politics, the arts and compared wines.

‘Would you be interested in joining?’ Roman asked.

‘Not particularly’ I said dismissively.

‘It will help to save the hospital’ Roman said firmly.

‘Really?’

‘The Four Pillars, bring together a very powerful group of people, with a wide range of knowledge and influence. A lot of key people in politics, business and industry are members.’

I did not like the implication Roman was making about this unelected group.

‘Don’t worry they are only interested in the overall good of the country. They have unique, exceptional skills’ Roman continued sensing my uneasiness.

I thought for a moment. It made some sense for a group of like-minded people to meet up. I was prepared to do anything to save the hospital, being in this group could at worst not do that aim any harm.

‘If you feel this will help then I am happy to join’ I said.

‘Very good’ Roman said.

To reassure myself as I still felt uncomfortable I asked again ‘do you really think it will make a difference to saving the hospital?’

Roman nodded his head. ‘I guarantee it.’

I could tell he genuinely thought this group had some power. Whether he was delusional was for debate at another time, but I was now at least curious about the society.

‘What if I want to leave?’ I asked.

‘No one has ever wanted to leave once they join the Four Pillars.’

‘Ok’ I said hesitantly. ‘What do I need to do to join? When, where do they meet?’

‘We meet at 10:30pm on the first Tuesday of every month.’

‘I am in town Tuesday’ I said, wondering what I was letting myself in for.

Roman nodded ‘we meet in the old Assembly building.’

He reached into his back pocket, handing me a small business card. It had a map on it, of the Assembly including the old Parliament building.

 

I looked at the card confused. I had seen the old building many times when walking through the Assembly. It was steeped in history. Monumental decisions like the abolition of slavery, the right of vote and the social housing act had all been agreed in this building. It was also the place where Premier Minister Benjamin Wolfzberg had been assassinated.

‘Go straight through the double doors leading to the gardens, at the back of this build. You will see the back door of the old Assembly.’ Roman said pointing to the old building on my card. ‘Turn left as soon as you enter. Take the first turn on your right. You will see an opening with a flight of stairs about 20 meters along on your left.’

I looked at the map as Roman spoke. I could not see the stairs on the map.

‘There is an elevator on the landing at the top of the half flight of stairs. Press the button to go down.

I will meet you there.’

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Frustrations

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Controversy

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Premier Minister

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Getting tough

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Meeting Sebastian

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James Story

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Getting phone

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Injecting Daniel

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Kirk return

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Next Morning

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Second Half

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