I'll Cover You

by A. C. Grey

  Finally, after several minutes, Emmy’s breathing returned to normal. Kate broke the quiet. “Emmaline Harris. You are fucking hot.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  The days following Kate's trip were like a renewed honeymoon period for the couple. Not that they had really ever left that period of elation and sheer infatuation. However, the two days apart had felt like an eternity and had made them both painfully aware of how much their time spent together meant. The separation was not something that either was eager to repeat. Luckily, even though their relationship remained mostly under wraps, because of Emmy's job, the possibility of long separations was close to non-existent. They'd just have to deal with any short ones, as so many "normal" couples did with regularity.

  Kate prided herself on exercising daily, no matter how busy her schedule, viewing it as a necessary part of her routine if she were going to continue to strive to be her best. Occasionally, she liked to mix things up, breaking away for the boring routine of running and weight training. After discovering that Emmy had played basketball in college, Kate decided that a friendly match was in order. Knowing that the sport was more fun with a team, they'd invited two other agents on duty, Phil Parker and Jackson Meyer, to play with them.

  Unable to resist making things interesting (Kate had herself been a top point guard back in the day), she challenged Emmy to a friendly wager. The winner would get to plan everything they did together for a whole week. Both being competitive, they took the game very seriously. They debated every last rule of the game. Both enjoyed the flirty banter while Meyer and Parker stood by and watched in amusement. At this point, their relationship was an open secret amongst the Secret Service agents assigned to the Presidential detail - it was hard to keep something from those whose job it was to literally keep an eye on the President at all times.

  "So how do we pick teams?" Kate asked, as they stretched and warmed up in the locker room attached to the court where they’d be playing. Emmy was momentarily distracted as Kate bent over tie her shoes. At first, she was distracted by the obvious, Kate’s cute butt, which was displayed nicely. But then, Emmy noticed Kate’s ridiculous socks for the day. Apparently, she even had odd gym socks – these ones featuring a “high voltage” signs.

  “High voltage, Kate? Really?” Emmy said, laughing.

  “What? I’m electric, baby. 100% high voltage. Be prepared. You are going down in this game, Emmaline.”

  Emmy let out of sound of disbelief. “Whatever you say, babe.”

  “Anyway, back to the teams. How do we decide?” Kate asked. “Well obviously we have to be on opposite teams. Otherwise, how can you lose to me?”

  Emmy smirked, relishing the competitive look on Kate’s face. “Do you want Parker or Meyer?”

  “Me lose? Not likely. Anyway, let me think about this strategically.” Kate eyed the two men for a moment, sizing them up. “I pick Parker,” she finally said.

  Emmy smiled. She'd hoped that Kate would fall into that trap, going for Phil's height advantage and larger build. While Phil was a good athlete, Emmy knew that Jackson had been an all-state basketball player in high school and had turned down a basketball scholarship to do a stint in the military. Unable to resist, Emmy put up a fight, just for the fun of it.

  "And why should I let you have Phil that easily?" Emmy asked teasingly.

  "Because I'm the President of the United States and I said so?" Kate said jokingly, her dimples prominent - almost leading Emmy to give in right there. But she was enjoying the banter too much to concede quite yet.

  Emmy shook her head. “That’s not going to work. We’ve been over this, babe. That has no sway during our personal time. As sexy as you are when you’re exercising your Presidential privileges . . .” Emmy smirked as her words trailed off. She wrapped her arms around Kate’s waist and drew her in for a quick kiss.

  “Pleeeeassse, Emmaline . . .” Kate gave Emmy her best pout as she made puppy dog eyes. Emmy rolled her eyes and shook her head. “If only the voting public could see their President now. All sad-faced and whiny. Not at all Presidential. Or is that the tactic you use when negotiating important treaties? Pout until all the other world leaders just give you what they want?” Emmy smirked again. “If they’re as much of a sucker for your dimples as I am, I’m sure they’ll give you whatever you ask for.”

  Kate laughed. “So did it work? Do I get Parker? Or do I have to play dirty?” She smirked as she playfully grabbed Emmy’s ass.

  Emmy shook her head. She was done toying with her girlfriend. “Fine. You can have him. But you owe me one.” She turned and smiled slyly to herself, knowing she’d gotten the better end of this deal in more ways than one.

  They headed out of the private locker room and onto the court. As Kate stretched a bit more in her cute little shorts, Emmy wanted nothing more than to drag the blonde into her arms. However, she resisted the urge – Kate’s staff had agreed to allow a few members of the press watch and photograph the game as part of a campaign to encourage kids to exercise. Any form of PDA would be immediately noticed.

  They started playing and the game quickly became heated. All players held their own and the game remained close, despite Emmy’s earlier confidence that she and Jackson would have an advantage.

  Naturally, the two men guarded each other, while Emmy and Kate covered one another. This allowed them some close, physical contact without the press being aware of what was going on. So what if Kate might have been a little more aggressive, a little more hands-on in her defense than normal? And Emmy might have committed a few too many reaching and holding fouls, taking any excuse to grab at her girlfriend. With no referee, such touches went unpunished and the game became more and more physical. Luckily, Jackson and Phil, who were competitive themselves, took advantage of the lax rules and were equally aggressive with each other, though in an entirely innocent and sporting way. The same could not be said of the two women.

  The game was fierce and intense. Emmy loved every minute of it. Seeing the casual, playful side of Kate was fun, even if she still wore the same look of determined intensity that she employed as President. And seeing her girlfriend deftly dribble the ball between her legs, make behind-the-back passes to Phil, and knock down three point jump shots with ease was a major turn on. The accidental (and not-so-accidental) contact with Kate’s hot, sweaty body as they vied for position was driving Emmy insane. It was as if this match was a giant game of foreplay.

  Kate was feeling much the same way. Emmy was clearly at home on the basketball court, making skilled passes and fakes, playing tight, aggressive defense, blocking the occasional shot. Normally, Kate would have been frustrated with the smothering defense Emmy met her with. However, with this coverage came a chance to be extra close to the woman she loved. Every graze of Emmy’s body struck a nerve with her and set her body afire. If not for Kate’s ultra-competitiveness, she was sure that Emmy would have managed to drive her to complete distraction.

  The game was tied 28 to 28 and they were playing to 30. The next team to score would win. Deciding it was time to play a little dirty (in more ways than one), Kate stepped up her defense another notch. Emmy had the ball and was dribbling, her back to Kate’s front as she tried to push her way inside, closer to the hoop. Quickly assessing the situation and making sure their bodies were blocking the press’s view of her hand, Kate surreptitiously reached up and grabbed Emmy’s breast, tweaking it gently and playfully. Shocked, not expecting the grope, Emmy was momentarily distracted as she let out a small gasp. Kate used her girlfriend’s temporary loss of focus to steal the ball and quickly passed it to Phil, who ran the length of the court and scored an easy lay-up, winning the game.

  Excited by the win, Kate ran up and gave Phil a quick congratulatory hug before turning to face her girlfriend. Emmy eyed her with a look that let Kate know that she was in trouble, but she didn’t care. She simply smirked, her dimples in full glory as she congratulated Emmy and Jackson on a game well played.

  Emmy would have l
oved to have given Kate a piece of her mind right then and there, but knew that with the press, she had to keep her thoughts to herself for the time being. Besides, despite the fact that she hated to lose, she couldn’t really be that angry. After all, Kate was hers, and that was all that really mattered.

  Once they were in the safety of the locker room, Emmy let Kate have it. “You do not play fair, babe. That was a foul of the worst order and you know it!”

  Kate laughed. “Yeah, but you loved it, admit it.”

  Despite the fact that she wanted to laugh along with her girlfriend, Emmy held her ground. “Nope. Not a bit. And if you feel that you have to resort to cheating in order to win, so be it.” Emmy said playfully.

  “I did not cheat!” Kate protested, enjoying the fake fight. “It’s not my fault if you’re easily distracted by a little innocent contact. Basketball is not a sport for sissies. If you don’t want to be touched, take up golf.”

  Emmy crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. “Innocent? You call groping my boob, with all of those reporters in the room innocent? I don’t think so. You don’t see Kobe Bryant grabbing LeBron James by his business, in order to gain an advantage, do you? Nope. You play dirty.”

  Kate smirked. “Fine. That might be so. But if you don’t like it, then I guess you won’t want to help me play dirty in the shower.” With that, she headed off to the shower area, an extra sway in her hips as she walked.

  Emmy paused for a moment, mouth slightly agape at her girlfriend’s brazenness, before following her. After all, it was her job to protect the President and she needed to . . . keep an eye on her . . . or something like that.

  * * * * *

  The next morning, Emmy awoke in her favorite place – in Kate’s arms. It had fast become the only place where her body could find sleep. The few nights they were forced to spend apart had been mostly sleepless for her. As her eyes fluttered open, she noticed that Kate was awake and that her bright blue eyes were fixed on her.

  “Were you watching me sleep?” Emmy asked.

  A small smile crept across Kate’s face. “Maybe.”

  Emmy chuckled softly before pulling Kate in for a gentle kiss. “Morning,” she said as their lips parted.

  “Morning yourself, baby,” Kate said.

  They rose and began readying for the day. Kate looked at Emmy with confusion as she put on a casual outfit instead of her usual business attire. “Isn’t it your turn to cover a Saturday?” Kate may not have wanted to admit it, but she’d quickly memorized the typical rotation of Emmy, Val and Julie.

  Emmy nodded. “It is, but it’s my niece’s birthday today so I switched with Julie. I’m covering next Saturday for her.”

  Kate nodded, a little disheartened that she’d not be spending the day in Emmy’s company. “But I’ll see you tonight?”

  Emmy smiled, noticing the smallest hint of neediness in Kate’s voice. The fact that a woman usually so independent and confident could display such dependence made her heart burst with love. “Of course. I may be a little late, depending on how long I hang out. It starts at 3, but Gabby is sometimes reluctant to let me go before bedtime.”

  “Not a problem,” Kate replied. “I’ve got meetings on Capitol Hill all afternoon and then dinner with the Speaker of the House. We can meet up afterwards.”

  Emmy pulled something from her overnight bag. “Speaking of my niece’s birthday. Would you mind signing this birthday card for her? For some reason she’s obsessed with the fact that I know the President. She thinks it’s the coolest thing in the world. A birthday card would mean the world to her.”

  Kate smiled. She adored Emmy and seeing the love she had for her niece reflected in her eyes made her girlfriend even more amazing. This woman as going to be a great mother some day. The kind of woman she’d love to have kids with. She shook the thought away quickly. She was getting way ahead of herself. “I’d love to. Thanks for bringing the card, but next time let me know – I’ll pick one out myself.” She took it and began writing a personalized message.

  “I didn’t want to bother you, so I figured I’d save you the trouble.” Emmy said. She loved this woman and was amazed as she noticed how much effort Kate was putting into the message. It was several paragraphs long. After signing her name with a flourish, Kate handed the card to Emmy. “Thanks so much, Kate. It will make her day.”

  “Really, it’s nothing. Now come here and give me a proper goodbye if I’m not going to be seeing you all day.” She pulled Emmy into her and captured her lips in a deep, passionate embrace, a hint of what might be in store for their evening.

  * * * * *

  Emmy was forever grateful to Phil. Rachel was in the middle of a remodeling job on her house and couldn’t have Gabby’s birthday party there. Her niece had insisted that she wanted a pool party and Phil was the only other person Emmy or her family knew who had a pool. Phil had graciously agreed to host the party, provided that he got honorary uncle status for the day. Gabby was adorable and no one, including Phil Parker, was immune to her charm.

  After spending the past several hours helping Phil, Rachel, and Rachel’s husband Dave set up the party, Emmy was already eager for the party to be over. The combination of evading Rachel’s many attempts to get the dish on her new relationship and the horde of little girls running rampant throughout the house left her weary. Plus, she was missing Kate. Every moment spent apart was a drain on her. It was as if her energy, the very life force of her being, no longer resided within her, but rather came and went with a certain blonde with a certain fancy title.

  They had finally herded the swarm of tiny humans into the living room so that Gabby could open her presents. It had been quite the task and Emmy was regretting the decision to feed them birthday cake and other sweets beforehand. The kids were quite hopped up on sugar and definitely difficult to control, but they had managed. Emmy couldn’t wait to see the look on Gabby’s face when she opened the card from Kate. She figured she’d save it for last and surprise her.

  Just as Gabby was about to open her first present, the doorbell rang. Phil motioned that he’d get it. Emmy thought nothing of it and turned back to watch Gabby open up a princess-themed toy from one of her friends.

  * * * * *

  Phil opened the door and nodded at Julie, whom he was expecting. Given their recent break up, things were a bit awkward between them, but they still worked well together. Julie gave the all-clear signal to the rest of the team and Kate was quickly escorted to the door.

  Kate paused briefly at the threshold and leaned up and gave Phil a quick kiss on the cheek. “Thanks for filling me in on this whole birthday party situation.” Phil nodded and stepped aside to let her enter. When Kate had heard about the birthday party this morning, she’d immediately wanted to come – so she’d put in a few calls and quickly found out that Phil was hosting. She’d called him and quickly got him on board with her plan.

  She wanted to attend the party not just because she knew it would make the little girl’s day. Granted, she wanted to make Gabby happy because it would make Emmy happy. But her main motivation had been a little bit more selfish. She’d quickly come to think of Emmy as family. She’d even silently entertained brief thoughts about what a family with Emmaline would be like. And so she’d wanted to feel a part of Emmy’s family, even if only for a few minutes. So she’d quickly decided that she was going to crash this little girl’s party. She silently chided herself – she had it bad . . . really bad, if she, the President of the United States, suddenly found that a five-year-old’s birthday party was a not-to-be-missed social event.

  Phil re-entered the living room. He cleared his throat and everyone turned to look at him. “Hey guys. I’m sorry to interrupt, but Gabby, I think you’re going to want to see this.”

  “See what?” Gabby asked. “I was just going to open that big box over there that Mommy and Daddy got me. I’m sure it’s something awesome.”

  The adults chuckled at her reaction. Leave it to a child to decide that bigg
er was always better. Phil continued. “I think you’re gonna want to see this, short stuff. Trust me. See, your Aunt Emmy here, she got you a really, really awesome present. If you want, I’ll bring it in.”

  Her interest suddenly piqued, Gabby nodded her head furiously in agreement. Emmy gave Phil a questioning look, confused as to his meaning. As far as she knew, her presents to Gabby were still sitting in the corner of the room, waiting to be opened. Then, Phil ushered Kate into the room.

  The look of shock on her niece’s face was priceless. Whispers of “it’s the President!” were heard amongst the little guests. Gabby remained wide-eyed and speechless as Kate entered, a bright grin on her face. Kate stood behind where Emmy sat and placed a gentle, brief squeeze on her shoulder.

  “Hey, Gabby. I hope you don’t mind that I stopped by. Your Aunt Emmy was telling me all about you and what an awesome kid you are. I thought, if it’s okay with you, that I might hang out with you guys for a few minutes.”

  Emmy glanced at Kate as she struggled to hold back the tears forming in her eyes. She hadn’t asked Kate to come, hadn’t even mentioned the party until this morning, not wanting to burden her with it. And yet, she’d come anyway. Emmy was speechless. This woman was amazing. Beyond amazing. This woman was it. Emmy was quite sure. Nothing, nobody, would ever top Kate for her. She’d often felt that this kind of love only existed in fairytales. Not so. She had found it. Or rather, it had found her. And it was overwhelming, in the best sense of the word.