Compromising Positions Read Free

hall as they made a beeline for the exit, and I wondered what they thought was so funny. My heart sank as I realized they were probably laughing at Gary and me for being such jerks and mistaking Jessie for a waitress. It was worth a cackle with your chief of staff and best friend. I couldn’t begrudge her that.
    When I arrived back at my condo on Independence Avenue, as usual, I could hear Daisy’s large tail whacking against the wall, causing dull thud sounds to come from my door. I laughed as I opened the door and heard her welcoming howl. She hadn’t seen anyone since her hour with the dog walker earlier that day, so the poor girl was lonely. I smiled and grabbed the leash. “Come on, big girl.”
    My lovable mutt ran around me three times before she consented to the leash. No matter how tired I was, I didn’t mind taking Daisy for a walk. President Harry Truman had said that if you want a friend in Washington, get a dog. Regardless, I believed that was true no matter what city you lived in. Daisy was my bright light, regardless of how dim my world might be.
    After our long walk, I kicked back on the sofa, finishing my daily memorization of The Wall Street Journal as I watched the Blackhawks game, while simultaneously keeping an eye on a couple of basketball scores. As ten o’clock approached, I went to my study for one last scan of email and the news. I hated being caught flat-footed in the morning. Throughout that night, though, there was a nagging question in the back of my mind.
    Just who is she?
    So, just as I was about to close my laptop for the night, I pulled up her congressional website. There was Jessie wearing a different pair of funky eyewear, with her hair once again twisted up. In two clicks, I was on her “about” page and reading her biography:
    For more than twelve years, Jessica Clark has dedicated her life to working on behalf of the people of southern Arizona. On January 4, 2011, she was sworn in as a member of the United States House of Representatives. Congresswoman Clark represents Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District, which encompasses parts of Tucson, the glorious red rock Arizona desert, and down to the border with Mexico. Before Joining the U.S. Congress, she was first a Representative and later a Senator in the Arizona Legislature. She started her political career as Mayor of Sierra Vista. The Congresswoman was born in Sierra Vista in 1975, the daughter of an army captain and an elementary school teacher. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Arizona with a double major in Economics and Education. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and a Rhodes Scholar. Her Master’s degree in Economics is from Oxford University.
    Upon returning to Arizona, the Congresswoman taught junior high school at the Navajo Tribal School and became active in education reform.
    The paragraph continued, but I’d read enough to need another image of her besides the woman with the glasses at the reception. On a whim, I typed in “Jessie Clark” and searched for other photos. There were hundreds. The first few showed her at campaign events and photos from the previous elected offices she’d held. She looked just as proper as she did when I met her at the reception. There were a few of her with her father and mother; he looked stern and no-nonsense in his military uniform while her mother was really pretty for a woman her age.
    The next photo caused me to lean close to the screen to make sure I was seeing it correctly. There was Jessie Clark without glasses and with her hair shining and long, resting on her shoulders. Surrounded by a dozen Navajo children, she looked like a beloved teacher. Her arms were wrapped around two of the kids, and she beamed with pride at the camera. I leaned back again in my seat, studying the photo. She’s so pretty… very pretty, and she looks sweet with those kids.
    I thought of her chief-of staff for a moment. She was beautiful, but cold—just like my soon to be