by Alexis Angel
Liam
“Mr. Mayor, if you’re going to start accusing Governor Andrews of things, you better say it to my face too,” I say out loud as I see people turn around to look at me. Of course they know who I am; my face has been on enough papers and televisions in the last two months that I’ll never be able to go to a strip club by myself again without getting photographed. “That way I can see that smug look of yours on it before I bash it in with my fucking fists.”
That’s when the hearing bursts out in commotion. I’m guessing that they don’t get that many lawmakers fucking threatening each other in here too often. It’s too bad, really. Really does work well in getting all the fucking bullshit cleared up.
I start walking toward the main witness table that Carter is sitting at.
I told him when we first started preparing. I told him that just explaining his case wasn’t going to do it.
We had to be prepared for a fight. And I’m sorry to say, but I was fucking right.
I know you’re looking at me and wondering what the hell is going on. Why should I give any fucks what happens to Carter Andrews?
You’re probably rolling your eyes. You’re going to chalk it up to saying that this is a plot point that could have been better developed. That the author was in too much of a fucking rush to get to the end and how did the transition fucking happen where I went from getting into fights with my fists with this guy who I’m standing next to defending him.
Well, you’d be fucking wrong, first off. But that’s okay. We all make mistakes. Except yours fucking truly. But you wouldn’t care because if you and I were talking, we’ve already established that you would be wanting to fuck me. And yes, every time we do talk, I’m going to raise the fact that you want my fucking cock. I mean, it’s 12 inches of…
“Mr. Jeffries, this is a closed session and you are severely out of line,” the fucking prick Mayor of New York City who is somehow leading this circus says out to me coldly. “You either need to sit down or leave, but I cannot have you disrupting these proceedings.”
Don’t worry about him. I don’t give a flying fuck about Michael Anders. If you want to still talk about how thick and veiny my hard cock is, I’ll pull it out right here. I bet the press would love that.
But no, you want to know why I’m even here defending this Carter fellow after we’ve locked horns so many times in the past, right? Jobs, Vivian, you name it.
“Mr. Mayor, I don’t know what you’re doing up there questioning Carter,” I say out loud and in a clear voice so everyone can hear me. “But if you're really looking to probe for corruption, you need to hear what I have to say. Otherwise this isn't an inquiry. It’s a fucking lynching.”
That gets everyone all excited and they begin to murmur all over again until the Chairman calls for order. He’s clearly not happy over what’s going on. But then again, he’s already fucking half-asleep. Probably dreaming about the day he gets out of this job and starts working giving paid speeches to people who are looking to curry favor in the government.
“There can’t be anything you could say to defend this man, Mr. Jeffries,” Michael Anders says to me. You notice he doesn’t call me Mayor? Like he’s the only mayor in the fucking world. Just because he’s the leader of the greatest city on earth.
“I want to speak on the record, and if you don’t think it’s relevant, then I’ll get the fuck out,” I reply back. I got to stay cool. Grace under fucking fire.
There’s a moment while Michael Anders looks at me. He knows Carter and I love the same woman. He knows Carter has spent a fair amount of time with Vivian in New Kingston. But he also knows that at the beginning Carter and I hated each other.
Oh, right. What changed is what you wanted to know, right?
“Very well, you can speak, but if you make a mockery of this process, or if you continue to display contempt with your vulgar language, I will ask the Chairman to call for your removal,” Michael Anders says, pretending he’s being oh so gracious.
Listen, why don’t you try to see what changed instead of me just telling you, okay? And if at the end, I get carted off to jail, or anything else, I’ll explain it to you.
Because this shit is about to get real. Like right now.
“If I know Carter, he gave you the example of turning on your water at your sink and seeing brown sludge come out,” I begin and Michael begins to nod. Carter is looking at me in a mixture of surprise, wariness, and curiosity. I bet a part of him thinks that despite all the sex we’ve had the last fucking month I’m still going to stick a knife in him or something.
“But the fact of the matter is that when you don’t have a job, or a voice in your future, you don’t really care about that brown sludge, because that’s what you fucking feel like as a person,” I say and I can tell Carter now thinks I’m going to fucking back stab him. Michael is quiet.
“I grew up in Andrews Estates,” I say and some people widen their eyes. They must not have known that about me. All they knew is this oil and gas tycoon that became the youngest mayor. They don’t know this side of me. “The government paid Carter’s father for it. Then they shoved some families in there. Then they forgot about them. Checked off some boxes and moved on. I know what it’s like to feel left behind. Not part of the fucking system.”
The hearing room is quiet now. You could hear a pin drop.
“You want to see a modern day equivalent of what Andrews Estates used to look like before it got torn down, come on down to Main Street in New Kingston and look at the shops that are closing. The people who wake up with nowhere to go. The kids who have both parents out of work. People with nothing to do,” I say.
“As much as I agree with you, Mr. Mayor,” Michael Anders says to me, nodding now and using my title. “That’s what we’re investigating today. Did Governor Carter Andrews use an environmental bill to enrich himself from special interests and cast the people of New Kingston to the fires.”
He’s talking to me like I'm a fucking baby. But I keep my cool.
“So basically, in this instance, these people have only two choices, right? Because that’s what you’re framing it as. The Boltiador family factories, which will go against the environmental bill. That means they’ll be spewing out some pretty toxic shit. Poisoning the water. Salting the earth. Or economic starvation. Is that it?” I ask Michael directly. I know he’s not going to be able to answer. “When the only choices you give a group of people are to work and be poisoned, or not be poisoned and starve, you’re still not giving them any fucking options.”
Everyone is looking at me like I’m a bit crazy now. I bet you’re scratching your head trying to follow along. But don’t worry. I said I’d come for a knife fight. And I fucking brought my knife.
“So if you don’t think the Boltiador family factories are a good thing, what is it you want exactly?” Mayor Anders asks.
“I want to not have to be placed in that choice for my people,” I answer. “I want these corruption hearings to focus on why and how huge groups of Americans have been left behind. To understand and fucking fix what led to this situation in the first place.”
Now Carter begins to nod. I think he gets it.
“I want you to ask yourself, Mayor Anders,” I say, getting ready to pull out my knife. “How many times did your paper, as it was discussing my sex life, spending time attacking Senator Hawthorne for her sex life, or Carter Andrews for his…how many times did your paper even ask why these jobs were so important to these people in my town that they were willing to risk poisoning their future for them? Why were the people calling out for change in the first place?”
If possible, it’s even quieter. I am so going to enjoy twisting this knife.
“But that’s not what this government does anymore, and that’s why I ran for mayor,” I say. “When faced with an issue about the environment or jobs, we focus on who had sex with who and who got bribed by who to find the bigger scandal.”
Carter is smiling.
I’m going to finish
this off.
“The biggest scandal in this room is that we’re sitting here talking about a good man facing investigations because all he wanted to do was help people lead a healthy fucking life. Sure, his priorities are different from mine, and we disagree about what to do in the short term, but at the end of the day we only want what’s best for the people of this state,” I say and take a deep breath, making sure to draw a pose. I end it with a question. “Do you?”
Boom. The cameras start to click and the people are talking to themselves as if I’ve just unleashed the dogs of war.
The Chairman calls for order. Bangs his gavel several times. Finally, over the din, Michael manages to speak up.
“The charges of corruption are very real here, Mr. Mayor,” Michael says. “Both you and Carter Andrews may have had severe lapses of judgment because of Senator Vivian Hawthorne and this may have led you to be compromised by an economic rival. You may have tried to create the exact problem you described. There is a very co-ordinated case of corruption here.”
He’s not backing down from that. He truly believes that he can fucking get away with trying to prove Carter is corrupt, that I’m on the take, and that Vivian is a sex-fiend.
I did my bid. I tried to defend Carter Andrews. I don’t mind casting my lot with him, anyways. If he goes down, I’ll be proud to go down with that fucking guy.
Because like I said, we may disagree on a lot.
But I fucking respect him for standing up for what he thinks is best for people.
I fucking love him.
“Nothing more profound to say, Liam?” Michael Anders sneers at me. He knows he’s got me. I see Tina Ling in the audience. She gives me a wistful smile. She probably thinks she tried to warn me. Fuck them all.
“The only corruption going on here, Mr. Mayor,” a voice says behind me and I roll my eyes. I know that voice anywhere. I can’t believe she had to get into this too. “Is the game that you've been playing with the voters of this state.”
As much as I’m fucking worried about her, I can’t help but admire the fucking tight body of Vivian Hawthorne. That dress is wrapped around her in such a way that I can feel my cock twitch. I could fuck her right now. I wouldn’t care about any of the people here. Just put her down and bone her. Fuck everyone else. I’d be too busy sucking on those titties. Playing with that pussy.
But if there is ever one time to focus, now is it.
“This is completely inappropriate, Senator!” the Senate Majority Leader declares.
“Is it? I thought this was a corruption hearing,” Vivian says walking up the aisle. “And boy do I have a story of corruption for you.”
She sees Carter and I, and smiles broadly.
We’re going to be okay I think.
Fuck it, I’m actually pretty fucking sure. Because Michael has just gone white as a fucking sheet.
33
Vivian
“I thought this was a corruption hearing,” I say as I walk up the aisle. I’m wearing my Jimmy Choo’s today—just for this. I also have my lace black La Perla thong. It's my lucky one, the one I was wearing when I first had sex with Liam. It’s a wonder he didn’t rip them off. I mean, the way he took me was like an animal. Those eyes—they were so intense. Those muscles. That huge monster cock. And then when Carter got in on the action. I swear it was like I was—wait a second. Why do I keep drifting off thinking about fucking at times like this? I need to be on point. Besides, I was saying something profound. Something that you can end chapters with. Right.
“And boy, do I have a story of corruption for you,” I finish as I walk up to Carter and Liam. They both look at me and I think back to what I was just thinking and I smile broadly at them.
Michael Anders, sitting on the raised dais above me has just gone white as a ghost. All color drained from his face. He manages one final desperate play.
“Arrest that woman,” Michael croaks.
“Arrest yourself,” I shoot back. From here, he doesn’t look like a billionaire media magnate at all anymore. “I have a story to tell.”
You remember when I had to go real quick the other day? I couldn’t tell you where I was going? Told you to cover for me?
“This committee’s time is valuable, Senator,” the Majority Leader tells me as his position as Chairman of the Ethics Committee. Although in truth, he might as well just hand the gavel over to me or to Michael or even Carter or Liam. He’s lost control of these proceedings and he knows it.
“This won’t take but a moment, Mr. Chairman,” I tell him. I turn around to face the audience. “In fact, we have most of the principle cast of characters in this room.”
I scan the crowd. There! I raise my hand and point to Tina Ling.
“We have Tina Ling, who has made no secret of the fact that she’s representing the city of Shanghai, China,” I say to the audience, no longer talking to the committee. The photographers leave their spot underneath the raised dais of the Committee and go to the sides of the room to snap pictures of me pointing toward Tina. “She’s even told us her affiliation with the Communist Party of the People’s Republic of China,” I finish and pause.
I look around the room. Everyone is hanging on my words. I feel some of the old power coming back.
“What she didn’t tell us is that she’s also a Managing Director of the China First Bank, Mr. Chairman,” I say, whirling around to face the Committee. “And that may be okay. Unlike the United States, we can’t regulate what other jobs public officials have and they are likely going to have different rules.”
Michael looks like he’s going to be sick. I think he’s figured out where I’m going.
“But where it does become a problem, members of the Committee,” I say with a smile. “Is when China First Bank has a majority shareholder that’s a corporation headquartered in the United States.”
This causes ripples of conversation throughout the room. A US corporation working with a Chinese corporation with ties to the Communist Party? If the public ever found out something like this, there would be a backlash.
And I’m about to cause one.
“What we didn’t know, that some will find interesting,” I say, and again relish the pause that I give everyone. “Is that China First Bank is in fact owned through a series of other holding companies by none other than the same holding companies that own Anders Media.”
For a moment there is nothing but silence as people comprehend what’s going on. I decide to get in the last word.
I don't think it’ll be quiet enough to talk for the next few minutes.
“For those of you who don’t get what I’m saying, this whole thing has been orchestrated by none other than that man,” I say pointing a finger toward the dais. “Michael Anders, the billionaire CEO of Anders Media.”
Again, for a second there’s nothing but silence. It’s a lot to take in.
And that’s when the commotion starts. It starts with a whisper. One person looking over their shoulder to the person sitting next to them. Could it be? Looks are exchanged. Glances are given. People are a bit nervous. Is it true?
And then someone whispers something. Maybe ‘I can’t believe it’ or ‘Can you imagine?’
All of a sudden the person sitting next to them chimes in. And then the person next to them has to speak a little louder. And then you hear something from the next row. But the people next to you didn’t. So you repeat it. A bit louder. And then someone hears you. And they repeat it. And you think of something. You say it, all pretense of whispering gone now.
“Order!” The Chairman shouts and bangs his gavel.
But this time, it’s no use.
The audience does quiet down a little bit as the Chairman of the Committee keeps banging his gavel, but Michael speaks up.
“Where’s your proof for these wildly inaccurate accusations, Ms. Hawthorne?” Michael asks. “How do we know this isn’t just some stunt you’re pulling to save your own career from your licentious behavior?”
A
nd I was ready for that. This is actually where I went off to the other day when I got to the city.
“Normally, I’d have no proof, Mayor Anders,” I say and people quiet down. They’re wondering if I just got them riled up as an excuse to stall. “But I got a phone call and went down to meet someone the other day.”
Michael looks up as I turn to the doorway.
A tall, well-dressed young man walks in. He’s 6’ 3”, well-built, and you can see that he knows how to carry himself. People know who he is, and if you were right there, you’d know exactly who he was too.
He walks up to me. Michael is even paler now as the man stops near me, and smiles up at Michael.
“Hi, Dad,” he says.
General commotion in the courtroom abounds again. But he’s not mistaken. That’s Lance Anders standing next to me—the stepson of Michael Anders.
If you’re just coming into this universe for the first time, you’re probably going to need a bit of a catch up.
And it’s perfect timing, because the Chairman bangs his gavel a few more times.
“Senator Hawthorne, we all know the mayor’s playboy son, but what has this got to do with anything?” he asks. I can tell he’s a bit irritated that he isn't following along like some people. But I figure it’ll be good to fill in all the dots anyways.
“You see, Mr. Chairman,” I say as I pull out some papers from my briefcase. “The paper trail that I was able to get my office to pull together after I talked to Lance and got the details about what his father did told most of the story,” I say.
When he keeps looking at me, I continue. “Michael Anders, a billionaire media mogul is also serving the beginning of his second term as the Mayor of New York City,” I say. “But he’s got massively negative disapproval ratings outside the city and it’s clear that once he’s done with his job as mayor – and he only has this one term left because of term limits – his options are limited.”
The Chairman starts to nod. “But there’s a problem. Because of his negative approval ratings, national office is going to be hard. He can’t challenge a senior Senator, but he can sure take on a junior one. And even if that fails, he can discredit the Governor and possibly have an open option there. This was all designed so that Michael Anders would have something to do once the people kicked him out of the mayor’s office.”
