Friends in High Places

"My place after work?"

As Joey sat in the back of the Limo with Dawn, the question alone had been enough to get him hard. She hadn't even prefaced it with excuses about work this time. She might as well have asked Joey if he was down to fuck. He had no idea what it was about him that made Dawn so insatiable, by all accounts no other guy in the office had ever got anywhere with her despite their best efforts, but he wasn't going to question it. Their sexual chemistry was off the charts, and Joey couldn't wait for a working day that had only just begun to be over already.

"Sure, sounds good" he answered as calmly as he could manage "So where are we headed today, and how come we're getting the red carpet treatment?"

"We're going to the West Wing for an audience with the Vice President" Dawn revealed, as casually as if she'd just told Joey they were headed to Subway for lunch.

"Holy fuck, are you joking with me?"

"Nope. Welcome to the big leagues, Joey" Dawn grinned, obviously amused at her partners star struck reaction "This will be very different from our interview with former Senator White, and not just because Clarissa is fundamentally decent. It will be more like a briefing session than a grilling. If we do get the chance to ask any questions, and we might not, I'll lead. That's no reflection on you, especially since you clearly outshone me last time. I have a pre-existing relationship with Clarissa though, and know how to handle her"

Jesus, was Dawn really on first name terms with the Vice President of America? Either way, Joey was more than happy for her to take the lead - he knew he was way out of his depths here. Literally one week ago today he had been covering a cat that had been stuck up a tree in Connecticut. An audience with Vice President Clarissa Clayton was a very different proposition to the misadventures of a stray feline.

If the political rumours were to be believed, she had been the brains behind the President's unexpected election victory the previous year, and would likely be leading the Democrats into a future election herself. In fact, with her boss struggling in the polls, there were those within the party that would like the current VP to run for the top job in the next one. On top of that, Kayleigh liked her and, apparently, so did Dawn.

Once again, Joey found himself wishing he had taken more of an interest in politics before he had unexpectedly landed this job. His main impression of Vice President Clayton up until now was that she was surprisingly fuckable for a high ranking politician. It would probably be best to keep that observation to himself during their meeting.

The fact that Joey was even setting foot in the White House was mind blowing to him. To Dawn, it seemed routine. She had nodded to the security people as she and Joey were frisked with the same familiarity as if they were doormen at the Post HQ.

The pair were ushered through to the lavish office of VP Clayton, who was sitting at her desk smiling, as if it were in any way normal for Joey to be walking into a room with her. There were a couple of other people present - one Men in Black type and a very official looking woman who Joey assumed was Clarissa's private secretary. The Vice President dismissed them both politely, so she was alone in the room with Joey and Dawn, who she invited to take seats in front of her. This was surreal.

"Good morning. Clarissa"

"Morning Dawn"

Shit. They really were on first name terms.

"This is my colleague Joey Jones. He's new to the Post, but already making a name for himself"

"It's nice to meet you, Joey"

The Vice President smiled warmly and nodded at him. Joey smiled back, not saying anything. He wasn't even sure what he was supposed to call her. Presumably not Clarissa.

The meeting then began. It wasn't an interview as such, more a preliminary briefing to a favoured journalist on potential policy shifts. It was all very technical, and Joey was embarrassed at how little of the conversation he could follow. He just nodded a lot, with a thoughtful expression, and hoped he didn't get asked anything.

This served as another demonstration of just how out of his league Dawn was as a journalist. She not only clearly understood everything that was being communicated to her perfectly - furiously scribbling notes as she listened - but, occasionally, the nations second-in-command would pause as an invitation for Dawn to offer her observations. When Joey's colleague spoke, the Vice President noticeably leaned forward a little, listening intently.

Then, after around twenty minutes of that back and forth, Dawn's phone buzzed.

"I'm so sorry, I urgently need to take this"

"Oh, okay..."

Clarissa's surprised reaction was one of someone who wasn't used to being put on hold for anything. Still, she didn't seem to take offence. As Dawn scurried out of the room, the Vice President turned to Joey and smiled amiably, now inviting him to speak.

Shit. What the fuck was he supposed to say? He certainly had nothing of value to add to the conversation that had just been going on next to him. Small talk didn't seem appropriate either. Perhaps she would be flattered to know he found her even more fuckable in the flesh than when he saw her on the news?

A remarkable thought occurred to Joey. He was alone in a room with the second most powerful person in the country and had the ability to control her mind as much as he wanted. Perhaps he should cause the Vice President of America to want to fuck him? No, as tempting as that notion was, it was definitely a bad idea. This felt like a golden opportunity to do something for Kayleigh though, to make exactly the kind of proactive power move she had been talking about only yesterday.

Clarissa was still looking at Joey expectantly. Clearly she did not feel the onus was on her to begin the conversation. So, was he really going to do this? He had to say something, and anything would be better than trying to talk about policy technicalities he barely comprehended.

"My friend Kayleigh Preston is the best journalist, and one of the greatest political thinkers, in the world, and she's a big fan of yours" Joey began. Clarissa leaned forward with the same interest she had shown to Dawn before. It felt like a good sign, so Joey continued "She has so many great ideas that I know you would love to hear. You should arrange to meet with me and her soon. It would be extremely beneficial for both the country and your career. She'll get you into the White House - you can trust me."

"We're in the White House now" Clarissa pointed out, factually "But that does sound too good an opportunity to pass up"

She scribbled some digits down on a blank card and handed it to Joey.

"You can reach me directly on that number. I'm trusting you not to share it with anyone else under any circumstances, not even Dawn. We can talk further on this soon"

Joey nodded and slipped the card into his wallet, moments before a profusely apologetic Dawn walked back into the room and normal service was resumed. Joey could hardly believe what he had just done. Even in comparison to all the other crazy shit that had happened to him lately, this was huge.