The First Counsel Read Free Page B

Office, it's the first rule they teach you: Never let them pin you down.
    "Where you going?" she asks, blocking my way.
    "Just to the restroom." I squeeze past her and everything between my chest and my thighs brushes against her. She grins. And doesn't give up an inch.
    "Don't be too long," she purrs.
    "Do I look that stupid?"
    I return from the restroom just in time to see Nora taking a sip of my beer. I put a hand on the back of her shoulder. "You can order your own--they have plenty for everyone."
    "I just needed it to take some aspirin," she explains, placing a small brown prescription vial back into her purse.
    "Everything okay?"
    "Just a headache." Pointing to the vial, she adds, "Want some?"
    I shake my head.
    "Suit yourself," she says with a grin. "But when you see this one, I think you're going to need it."
    "What's that supposed to mean?"
    As I take my seat against the wall, Nora leans in close. "When you were on your way to the restroom, did you happen to see any familiar faces walk in?"
    I look over her shoulder and scan the bar. "I don't think so. Why?"
    Her grin goes wide. Whatever's going on, she's enjoying herself. "Far left corner of the room. By the video screen. White button-down. Saggy khakis."
    My eyes follow her instructions. There's the video screen. There's the . . . I don't believe it. Across the room, running his hand through his salt-and-pepper hair and trying to look as inconspicuous as possible, is Edgar Simon. White House Counsel. Lawyer to the President himself. My boss.
    "Guess who just got the best office gossip?" Nora sings.
    "This isn't funny."
    "What's the big deal? So he's gay."
    "That's not the point, Nora. He's married. To a woman. At his level, if this gets out, the press'll . . ."
    Nora's smile falls away. "He's married? Are you sure?"
    "For something like thirty years," I say nervously. "He's getting ready to send his first kid off to college." I lower my head to make sure he doesn't see me. "I just met his wife at that reception for AmeriCorps. Her name's Ellen. Or Elena. Something with an E."
    "Dumb-ass, that's where you met me."
    "Before you got there. Right when it started. Simon introduced me to her. They seemed really happy."
    "And now he's here hoping for some extra tricks on the side. Man, when it comes to adulterers, my dad can pick 'em."
    In the two weeks since we met, it's the fourth time Nora's made a reference to her father. And not just her father. The father. The father of the American people. The President of the United States. I have to admit, no matter how many times she says it, I don't think I'll ever get used to it.
    Bent forward, with a sweaty hand grasping the edge of the bar, I'm frozen in position. Facing me, Nora has her back to Simon. "What's he doing now?" she asks.
    Using her head to run interference, I refuse to look. If I can't see Simon, he can't see me.
    "Tell me what he's doing," she insists.
    "No way. He sees me, I'm meat. I won't get another assignment until I'm ninety."
    "The way you're acting, that's not too far off." Before I can react, Nora grabs me by the collar and ducks her head down. As she holds me up, I get a good look at Simon.
    "He's talking to someone," I blurt.
    "Anyone we know?"
    The stranger has curly black hair and is wearing a denim shirt. I shake my head. Never seen him before.
    Nora can't help herself. She takes a quick peek and turns back around, just as the stranger hands Simon a small sheet of paper. "What was that?" Nora asks. "Are they exchanging numbers?"
    "I can't tell. They're--" Just then, Simon looks my way. Right at me. Oh, shit. I drop my head before we make eye contact. Was I fast enough? With our foreheads touching, Nora and I look like we're searching for lost change under the bar.
    Suddenly, a male voice says, "Can I help you?"
    My heart sinks. I look up. It's just the bartender. "No, no," I stutter. "She just lost an earring."
    When the bartender leaves, I turn back to Nora. She has an almost giddy look on her