Cate and Gus: An Impolitic Romance

By Erin Kaine

THEY WERE like flint striking steel, but the sparks of anger and mistrust that flew off resulted in a smoldering, but rocky relationship challenged by misunderstandings and suspicion, and later obstinacy. Cate, 38, the elegant and sophisticated Presidential press aide, and Gus, 26, the handsome, rough-edged, bright young and freewheeling White House reporter were the perfect mismatch, in age and outlook. However, the embers burst into flame and eventually consumed them both when a May-September unexpected love resulted. Nevertheless, the flames threatened to become the funeral pyre of their relationship when ambition and distance cooled their romance and threatened its very existence. But it was the President of the United States that, unknowingly at first, changed all that and a gave a less-than-fairy tale romance a fairy tale ending that you will never forget long after the last page is read.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Janus Expressions
• Release date: Sep 10, 2013
• ISBN: 9781497769502

Book preview

CATE AND GUS

An impolitic romance

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PUBLISHED BY:

Erin Kaine

Copyright © 2013

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THEY WERE like flint striking steel, but the sparks of anger and mistrust that flew off resulted in a smoldering, but rocky relationship challenged by misunderstandings and suspicion, and later obstinacy. Cate, 38, the elegant and sophisticated Presidential press aide, and Gus, 26, the handsome, rough-edged, bright young and freewheeling White House reporter were the perfect mismatch, in age and outlook. However, the embers burst into flame and eventually consumed them both when a May-September unexpected love resulted. Nevertheless, the flames threatened to become the funeral pyre of their relationship when ambition and distance cooled their romance and threatened its very existence. But it was the President of the United States that, unknowingly at first, changed all that and a gave a less-than-fairy tale romance a fairy tale ending that you will never forget long after the last page is read.

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AN EXCERPT:

Cate awakened hours later and found herself on her back with Gus asleep to her left. She turned to him and looked down. He was asleep on his right side with his left hand on the pillow next to his face. Nevertheless, what caught her attention was his right hand that was extended and reaching out to lightly hold her own left hand that lay by her side.

It was a simple gesture, one that was natural and not conscious. Suddenly, she was surprised by a wave of deep emotion that swept over her. Her eyes teared up as she looked at the two hands fitted naturally together like childhood friends connecting in play. She rolled to her left not disturbing that connection.

He was beautiful. His skin was smooth, his beard very light against a natural summer tan. His hair, naturally curly, was tousled from their encounter. His body was that of a young man, slender and long, smooth and almost hairless. He had not yet had that broadening chest and thickness that accompanies the mature male. There is a certain androgyny in the early stages of adulthood.  He was Adonis with a mix of Hebe, the goddess of youth. She just wanted to cuddle him in her bosom, like a child, but love him like a woman loves a man.

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License Notes

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This book contains sexually explicit scenes and some graphic language, which may be considered offensive by some readers. Please store your files where minors cannot access them.

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

About the Author:

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The course of true love never did run smooth. 

—Lysander: from A Midsummer’s Night Dream

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CATE and GUS

An impolitic romance

1

TAKE OUT THE GARBAGE day, they call it in the nation’s capital. And this was a triple threat TOTG day, Friday before a four-day July 4 weekend. The pressroom for the Friday briefing was practically empty. Even the heavy duty egos of the Fourth Estate that carry the prized White House press credentials were in short supply looking forward to time with the family, the backyard barbecues and trying to remember their kids’ names.

The on-camera media stars, the electronic correspondents, sent in the backups and the press briefing was left to Deputy Presidential Press Secretary, C.J. Jennings, a vast visual improvement over the regular press guy, the slouching and disheveled, Jerry McAfee, aka Mr. Smart Ass. C.J. was a trim and statuesque blonde stunner, the polar opposite of her boss who was in his last days as the President’s mouthpiece. He was unlikely to be missed by the ink-stained-wretch crowd.

The garbage usually was the sometimes controversial announcements that politicians liked to slip in just before a break as unnoticed as they could. The President was no exception to the rule, after all he is the No. 1 politician of them all. The press staff are the water carriers.

C.J. smiled sweetly as she took the lectern and rattled off a few announcements: the President was helicoptering on Marine One to Camp David for a family weekend but would be back for the Tuesday holiday celebration at the White House. Then there followed a litany of the unfinished business on the President’s agenda left undone when the Congress had already beat it out of town like their shoe soles were on fire – the government was in virtual shutdown, but nobody cared.

Among C.J.’s announcements was what appeared to be a back down by The Chief on a major legislative negotiation with his opposite party and a slap in the face to his own party base, those being some cutbacks on the safety net. The guys in the front row jumped all over that right away badgering C.J. mercilessly. The cool and confident 38-year-old returned every volley cool and unruffled until the noise machine ran out of gas. Her job!

When the time came to field open season questions from the reporters, the sparse turnout of intrepid news gatherers seemed like they were more interested in the visions of cold beers and hot dogs that danced in their heads and were perfectly willing to leave policy and politics for July 5 and beyond. Until an unfamiliar hand went up in the sixth row.

C.J. pointed to the body under the hand and asked, Can you state your name and affiliation, please? I am afraid I am not familiar with your face. The face in question was a youngish one, poking out of a tan corduroy jacket and over a pair of comfortably broken-in Levi’s. He rose with his leather pouch still slung from his shoulder strap, a kind of college holdover, she suspected.

Gus Bertone from Broadband Communications, madam deputy secretary.

No one noticed the slight stiffening of C.J. Jennings spine and a hint of a cloud that hovered around her fading smile, or the forced greeting of, Welcome, Mr. Bertone. I was unaware you have been added to our credentialed press corps.

No surprise, Gus countered. I am just doing a fill-in for the summer while the suits upstairs get their act together and figure out who they want doing this job. I expect to be out of your carefully coifed hair reasonably soon, I hope. That brought a slight chuckle rippling through the assembled and bored onlookers. C.J. forced a smile but didn’t share the collective chuckle.

You have a question, Mr. Bertone?

Gus, is good, he replied. Everyone calls me Gus. I listened to the President’s State of the Union back in February and was impressed with his agenda on tackling Global Warming in a comprehensive manner. Unless I am mistaken, he has just been dinking and dunking with little tweaks here and there at EPA and Energy. Where’s the comprehensive agenda for the Congress to enact while we are looking at Florida sinking under the waves to join Atlantis – and I don’t mean Georgia?

I assume you know that the President faces a very uncooperative Congress, if you have been paying attention at all. There was a tone of Washington condescension in her voice talking to this capital neophyte. He can’t do it all on his own, but his moves on alternative energy, EPA energy regulations and mileage standards have already tilted the scale back to cutting carbon emissions and will continue to do so.

Gus caught the talking down tone, and fired back. Fine, madam deputy secretary, I get that. But my issue is this is a huge problem with superstorms and hurricanes, droughts and wildfires, flooding and weather pattern changes that threaten crop production and coastal barrier islands and the mainland itself and our major cities. No time for dinking and dunking. Is the President going to take it on full throated and get the country behind it or wimp out and leave it for the next president, the old kick the can down the road thing?

OK that did it. C.J. turned icy cold. I am sure that the President would be more than interested in having a comprehensive plan presented by someone with your apparent expertise if you would care to share it with him.

"No such luck, lady. I am no expert and the Big Guy has all the manpower, and womanpower, he needs to handle that chore. I am just a voice crying in the wilderness, a wilderness that is threatened to be extinct in two generations if everyone