LITMIR.BIZ

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      “Then don’t complain, asshole.”

      Mike pulled the covers back and laid down on the bed. “How am I an asshole? They’re not my rules, they’re your dad’s.”

      “And you know how he is. So if you want to sleep with me in their house, you know how to do that. Otherwise, keep your mouth shut and make sure your calendar is free for Labor Day.”

      Mike turned onto his side to face Callie. He leaned his elbow on the bed then rested his head in his open palm. “Why you gotta’ be such a bitch about it? You know I wanna’ be with you.”

      “I mean, you say you do…” She let her comment hang in the air knowing it would get a rise out of him.

      “‘I say I do’? What the hell does that mean?”

      “It means I never should have given it up to you for the last five years. I spoiled you,” Callie said then turned over on her side, her back now facing Mike.

      “Screw this.” Mike got out of bed with feigned agitation, walked across the room and got down on one knee. He reached under her pillow and pulled out a blue box.

      “What are you doing?” Callie asked. She looked at Mike, then at her pillow, then back at Mike who opened up the blue box and pulled out the two-carat emerald-cut diamond ring that was nestled away inside. Callie covered her mouth with her hands when she finally realized what was happening.

      “Callie Wheeler, the love of my life, will you marry me?”

      Callie wiped away a tear. “You are such an asshole. I hate you.”

      “Is that a yes?”

      Callie kissed Mike on the lips, pulled away, then kissed him again. “I would be honored to be your wife.”

      • • •

      Mike let go of the zipper and turned her around. “You gonna call, Kacey?” It had been two days since Mike proposed and although they enjoyed sharing a secret just between them, the time had come to tell their friends and families.

      Callie reached up and fidgeted with Mike’s tie. She wiped off his white pinstriped Van Heusen shirt with her newly manicured nails. “I don’t think I can keep it from her any longer or I’m going to explode.”

      Mike kissed Callie on the lips. “Gonna make some coffee. Want some?”

      “Please. I won’t be too long…and don’t leave before I see you,” Callie said as she watched Mike exit the bedroom. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the diamond ring she had slipped on earlier, still getting used to seeing it on her finger. She was enamored with the way it sparkled when the light hit it in a certain spot and could not stop herself from staring at her own hand. She knew it would take some getting used to, but for the moment, enjoyed being surprised at the sight of it. She moved into the bathroom to work on her makeup, something Mike reminded her daily she did not need. She glanced at the Stanford University clock hanging on the bathroom wall, a gag gift from Derek on her one-month anniversary with the firm. Callie mentioned to him at the time that there was only one appropriate place she could think of to display it. She thought about Derek and how much she missed him as she applied eyeshadow to her right eye. They had worked side-by-side on the Hill every day during the two months before his untimely demise. She considered him her mentor and he considered her his finest pupil.

      Callie knew Derek had grown frustrated with Barry and confused about what to do moving forward. He had committed to making serious changes at the firm and confided in her many times about the crumbling relationship between the two of them. It had gotten so contentious, they hadn’t spoken the last few weeks of his life, instead choosing to communicate only through their secretaries. Associates at the firm had chosen sides and much to Callie’s chagrin, almost all of the other attorneys and office staff had sided with Barry. Callie, however, had single-handedly changed the balance of power on K Street. Revenues for the firm skyrocketed due to renewed interest from old clients who had left and were now interested in doing business again. Word on the street was out and new prospects fell all over themselves asking to work with M&G. With the increased interest in the firm came increased business, but, instead of making peace with Derek, Barry divided the firm even further. Callie had considered leaving a few times in the aftermath of Derek’s departure, but Barry enticed her with larger bonuses and pay raises until eventually she grew comfortable with her place in the office hierarchy and with Barry himself. While she didn’t trust him, she knew he needed her and she used that to her advantage.

      After applying her lipstick one last time, Callie shuffled down the stairs and found Mike at the kitchen table, reading the morning paper. Callie walked up behind him, pulled his head toward her and kissed him on the lips from behind. “You are one gorgeous man,” Callie said then walked to the counter and poured herself a cup of coffee. “We on at Dirksen…12:45?”

      “Make it 12:30 so I can tell Biggs I have to leave early without really lying to him.”

      “Works for me,” Callie said as she sat down next to Mike, coffee in her right hand, the sports section of the morning paper in her left. “Nationals lost again…ouch,” Callie said skimming the headline.

      Mike folded ‘section A’ back a few pages and slid it towards his fiancé. “Might want to read Kacey’s story,” Mike said, looking at Callie who was still searching for the Phillies boxscore.

      “9-1, at Chicago, go Phils, whew,” Callie said raising her index finger in the air. She took a sip from her coffee mug then rested the cup on the table and looked up at Mike, “What about Kacey, hon?”

      “I said you might want to read her piece. Front page, above the fold.”

      “Why’s that?” Callie said, scanning the first three paragraphs. Her affable demeanor vanished abruptly, a look of concern on her face growing more serious the further she read. “How did she get this? Did you know about this?”

      “Is that a serious question?”

      “Yes, it’s a serious question…” Callie said, still reading the piece.

      “You think she’d tell me anything before she told you?”

      Callie flipped to page ten and finished reading the article, then lifted her head and stared at Mike.

      “What?” Mike said, standing up on his way to the garbage can to clean off his plate.

      “She didn’t tell you?” Callie asked.

      “Tell me what?”

      “That she was writing this story?”

      “C’mon, Cal. No, she didn’t tell me anything,” Mike said. Callie took another drink from her coffee and looked blankly at Mike. He fixed his belt then lifted his jacket off the back of his chair.

      “Didn’t you work on that bill?” he asked, leaning over to give Callie a kiss on her cheek. Callie said nothing.

      “Now you have two reasons to call her. Be careful. It might get ugly in the bowels of power.”

      Callie acknowledged Mike’s advice with a nod of her head, but sat quietly as she watched him walk out the front door.

      Seven

      “Cal, it’s me. We’re running a story in the morning about Senator Lank and I thought you might know something. I’ll try your cell. Call me, girl. Love ya.”

      Callie listened to the message timestamped July 20, 8:34pm. She had seen Kacey’s call on her cell phone a little later that evening, but chose not to answer it. At the time, she had been meeting with Senators Shulman, Gorman and Macklin, in Shulman’s office, at the Russell Office building. A meeting not unlike others she had been to, but it was strangely a little more petty than usual and one she would not soon forget.

      “Look, the way I see it, we can support the Summit bill as is, it’s a solid bill. We don’t need any of the earmarks you want to stick

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