I'll Cover You Read online

  I’ll Cover You

  by A.C. Grey

  I’ll Cover You

  Copyright: A.C. Grey and Gable Books

  Published: October 18, 2012

  ISBN: 978-0-9885250-0-9

  Publisher: Gable Books

  The right of A.C. Grey to be identified as author of this Work has been asserted by her in accordance with the relevant international copyright laws. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system, copied in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise transmitted without written permission from the publisher. You must not circulate this book in any format.

  CHAPTER ONE

  This is John Stephenson reporting for Americast news. We can now confirm that Kate Stewart, the Senator from California, has captured enough electoral votes to become the 45th President of the United States and the first woman ever to hold this office. For more on this historic victory we go to Americast political correspondent Anne Davis . . .

  Kate switched off the TV and shook her head as she looked at her close friend and campaign advisor Jen Friedman. “I still can’t believe it, Jen. I frickin’ won! Everyone said it was impossible. Me – a young, relatively inexperienced, single woman – President of the United States. They said it couldn’t be done. But we did it!”

  “The American people saw in you what I’ve seen all along – a competent, intelligent, dedicated, passionate leader. Who wouldn’t want someone like that running the country? Congratulations, Madame President!” Jen grinned at Kate and pulled her in for a warm hug.

  Finally, Jen pulled away. “Now come on. It’s time to stop hiding in this room and go out and meet all your adoring supporters. You’ve got a victory speech to give, Madame President.”

  “I’m not president yet, Jen,” Kate said, suddenly a bit overwhelmed.

  Jen rolled her eyes. “Fine. Madame President Elect. Now stop debating the details and go out there and wow that crowd.”

  Kate nodded and took a deep breath before following Jen from the room.

  * * * * *

  Emmy Harris sighed as she made her way to Director Bell’s office. She’d been summoned to a meeting with her boss, but had no idea what she’d done . . . this time. She’d been with the Secret Service for two years and had been a successful FBI Agent before that. Even so, she somehow always managed to get into scrapes. Something about her rebellious, take no prisoners attitude didn’t jive well with the rigid structure of federal law enforcement. Despite her tendency to revolt against authority now and then, she was damn good at her job and she knew it. Even though she’d had her fair share of trouble with her supervisors, Emmy was confused by the unexpected summons to see her boss. She wracked her brain as she walked to Bell’s office, unable to figure out what she had done this time to land herself in front of her boss yet again.

  Emmy let out a nervous sigh as Bell’s assistant led her into his office. William Bell motioned to one of the chairs in front of the desk. “Have a seat, Agent Harris.”

  Bell’s stern nature always made Emmy nervous, and when she was nervous, she had a tendency to ramble. “Sir, I’m not sure what I did to merit another meeting. I know last time I was here, you warned me that I was on thin ice. I’d just like to preemptively apologize and . . .”

  Bell held up a staying hand. “Agent Harris. I didn’t call you here to reprimand you.”

  “Oh . . .” Emmy replied, closing her mouth in shock. Then confusion settled over her. “So if I’m not in trouble, then why am I here?”

  The Director chuckled. “Agent Harris, as you know, yesterday Senator Stewart was elected to be the next President.” Emmy nodded, her heartbeat increasing just at the mention of the woman’s name. Bell continued. “As such, we’ll be assigning a detail of agents to protect her at all times. We normally have at least one agent assigned to shadow the President at all times. We’ll have a rotation of three agents sharing this role, in order to provide full coverage while allowing the agents time off for their own personal matters. Because the coverage is twenty-four hours a day and can include private and personal matters of the President, we’d like these agents to be of the same gender as the President. I’ve decided that you will be one of those agents. The other two will be Agent Manning and Agent Mathias.”

  Emmy nodded as the stunning news washed over her. This was the biggest assignment of her career. It didn’t get any bigger than being assigned to the Presidential detail. It was what she’d worked towards for so long.

  “Congratulations, Harris. You’ve earned it. You start tomorrow.”

  She nodded, still stunned. “Thank you, sir. I won’t let you down.”

  “I’m sure you won’t. That will be all for now, Harris.”

  She stood. “Thank you again, sir.” He nodded and Emmy left.

  Emmy headed to her office and slung herself down in her chair. Her heart was pounding out of her chest and it wasn’t just because she’d landed the assignment of a lifetime. She was going to be up close and personal with Kate Stewart on a daily basis. The woman who had haunted her thoughts and her dreams for several years. Her number one “celebrity crush.” Some people fantasized about movie stars or musicians. Not her. Ever since she’d first heard about the rising political star from California, Emmy had been smitten. She was a political junkie and she made no apologies for it. Kate Stewart’s confidence and brilliance were a major turn on. And now, Emmy had just been told she’d be a daily part of Kate’s life. Emmy shook her head and silently corrected herself. She’d be a part of the President’s life, even if it were a silent part. She’d be there, in the background, around the woman every day, watching her. She shook her head again. She was starting to sound creepy. Get it together, Harris, she chided herself. Deciding she needed a distraction, she went to seek out her best friend and fellow agent, Phil Parker.

  She walked into Phil’s office to find him flirting with a secretary. Emmy rolled her eyes and cleared her throat. Embarrassed, the woman quickly left the room. “Some things never change, do they Phil? You and Julie have been broken up for what, a week? And you’re already trying to get into that bimbo’s pants?”

  “Hey! A man’s got needs, Harris.”

  Emmy snorted. “Right, Phil. If that excuse helps you sleep at night.” She smirked. Despite his flirty tendencies, Emmy knew Phil was a decent guy at heart and he’d been a good friend to her, even when others had left her high and dry.

  “So . . .“ she began. “I just got assigned to the Presidential detail. I’ll be protecting Senator . . . I mean President Elect Stewart.”

  “That’s great, Emmy!” Phil crossed the room and gave her a congratulatory hug. “You deserve it. It’s an honor that’s reserved for only the best agents and you’re certainly amongst the best.”

  “Thanks, Phil. I’m excited. It’s going definitely be a challenge. But I know I’m up for it. Val and Julie also pulled the assignment.” Emmy hesitated as she saw a stricken look pass across Phil’s face. She placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “I’ll try and put in a good word for you with Julie. Maybe she’ll come around.” Phil’s girlfriend, fellow agent Julie Mathias, had balked when a daughter Phil hadn’t known existed, had shown up on his doorstep after being kicked out the house by her mother. When Phil had offered to let her move in, Julie had freaked out and left, not ready for such a commitment early in their relationship. Emmy had known the minute that Phil met Julie that she’d be the one to end his womanizing days. And she’d seen how much the break up had hurt her friend and hoped that Julie would come around.

  “Anyway, I start to tomorrow,” Emmy continued, sensing it was time to move on from the awkward subject of Julie.

  “You’ll be great. Plus, there are pl
enty of worse assignments to pull. Blondie . . . I mean the President-Elect, is hot. Wish I were so lucky. After that little incident with the Russian ambassador’s daughter, Bell’s been giving me nothing but scut assignments. Covering ex-President Wallace’s vacation was awful. Not only will I never recover from seeing his wrinkly old man-boobs and tiny bikini bathing suit, but that dude’s got some serious problems with gas. Bell definitely has it in for me,” Phil said as he shook his head.

  Emmy laughed. Phil was right. Kate Stewart was hot . . . beyond hot. That was definitely going to be a major job perk. Even though the President-Elect was straight and in fact quite the playgirl, constantly linked with a new flavor of the week, Emmy definitely didn’t mind having the job of literally watching the woman all day. There were many worse hardships one could face.

  * * * * *

  The next day, Emmy stood in her best suit, alongside Val and Julie, as they waited for Bell to arrive with the President-Elect. Emmy was glad she’d splurged on the expensive outfit. There was something about the finely tailored black ensemble that made her feel like a bad ass. And with the nervous energy raging through her body, she could use any confidence boost she could get.

  They stood in a row, backs straight, earpieces in place, staring straight ahead. “What do you think she’s like? Do you think she’s nice?” Julie whispered nervously.

  “Does it matter? She’s going to be the President of the United States, Mathias,” Val said. “It’s not like you and her are suddenly going to become BFFs. I hate to break it to you, but you’re not going to be staying up late with her talking about boys and braiding each other’s hair.”

  Emmy chuckled lightly and rolled her eyes. She loved Manning and her snarky attitude.

  At that moment, Bell walked into the room with the woman in question, along with one of Kate’s advisors, Ron Hollander. Emmy’s heart threatened to pound right out of her chest and her breath caught in her throat. She struggled to look straight ahead, to retain the emotionless mask that was the uniform of a good agent. The woman was even more beautiful in person. Her blues eyes sparkled with enthusiasm and Emmy felt the room brighten just from her presence. Or perhaps, it was only her mind playing tricks on her. No one else seemed to be that affected by the blonde’s presence.

  “Senator Stewart, as I was telling you before, these are the three agents who will be assigned to your personal detail from this point on.” Bell motioned towards Emmy and her colleagues as he spoke. “Of course, we will have a team of other agents wherever you go, but these agents will be your shadow. At least one of them will be with you or in your immediate vicinity at all times. These agents are the best of the best. You’ll be in very safe hands.”

  Kate nodded and smiled at Bell. Emmy’s stomach did a somersault as that bright smile and adorable dimples lit up the room. Emmy expected that to be the end of the meeting, so was a little surprised when Kate spoke.

  “Thank you so much, Director Bell. Can you introduce me?” Kate asked as she gestured towards the row of agents.

  Hollander cut in. “Senator, these agents are here to serve and protect you. There’s no need for an introduction. It’s their job to be seen and not heard.” Kate shook her head and cut him off.

  “Please,” Kate rolled her eyes slightly. “If we’re going to be spending so much time together, there’s no need for all the formality.”

  Bell nodded. “This is Agent Mathias.” Kate smiled and approached Julie. The small, petite brunette looked nervous, but Emmy knew that she was competent and cool behind all the nerves. “Great to meet you Agent Mathias.” Kate smiled warmly and took Mathias’s hand, clearly attempting to put her at ease.

  Bell then gestured to Mathias, who wore a look of complete indifference. “This is Agent Manning.” Kate smiled, clearly expecting one in return, but was met instead with a standoffish nod. She shook her hand, as Emmy tried not to laugh at Manning’s attitude. Val took “all business” to new heights. “It’s great to meet you, Agent Manning,” Kate responded, before moving on to Emmy.

  “This is Agent Harris. Agent Harris, this is Senator Stewart.” Emmy’s breath caught in her throat as her gaze fell upon the gorgeous woman staring back at her. The soon-to-be President was breathtakingly stunning. Emmy offered Kate a small smile as she took her hand. The minute their fingers touched, Emmy felt a bolt of lightning course through her entire body.

  “It’s . . . uh . . . it’s great to meet you, Agent Harris. I can’t wait to get to know you better,” Kate stuttered as her eyes locked on Emmy’s. Emmy couldn’t find it in her to tear away from that gaze. There was something about this woman that lit a fire inside of her. Emmy nearly died as Kate smiled back at her, flashing her trademark dimples.

  Emmy thought she might pass out. The minute she met Kate Stewart, she knew it wasn’t just a celebrity crush. This was real . . . or at least it felt real. This woman already did things to her that she’d never felt before. Her cheerful manner, her sparkling blue eyes, the subtle hint of her citrusy perfume. And then . . . when they touched . . . Emmy struggled to remain upright. Every last ounce of her being was ablaze. And those dimples . . . oh God, those dimples . . .

  Finally, Hollander cleared his throat, breaking their little moment before it became too overtly awkward. “Senator, we should be going. You’ve got a meeting with Senator Norris in 20 minutes.” Kate nodded and released Emmy’s hand and Emmy immediately mourned the loss of her touch.

  Bell gestured to Emmy. “Harris, you know the drill. You’re to accompany Senator Stewart everywhere. Manning will relieve you tonight at 8.”

  Emmy nodded and followed Hollander and Kate from the room. She silently cursed Hollander and his interruption. She’d never wanted to let go of that hand, never wanted to leave this woman’s side. Maybe she was delusional, but it felt like maybe the Senator had felt something too. Their little moment sure hadn’t felt one-sided, but Emmy knew it was probably wishful thinking on her part. After all, the woman was a politician. It was her job to make each person she met feel as though they were the most important person in the world.

  Either way, Emmy was going to enjoy this assignment so long as she didn’t lose her cool and start going all teenage fan girl on Kate. She silently thanked her lucky stars that in reality, her job description required her to tail Kate everywhere. She smirked as she checked out Kate’s gorgeous ass as she followed her. Professional shadow of her crush. Yep, she could live with that.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Over the next few months, Emmy did her job. She followed Kate everywhere, making sure she was safe and secure. Other than a few passing smiles and more than a few stolen glances on Emmy’s part, there had been little interaction between her and the President. This was not unexpected. Kate Stewart was a busy woman, probably one of the busiest people in the world, and it wasn’t exactly in Emmy’s job description to chat with the woman. She was there to protect her, nothing else. Still, that didn’t mean that Emmy wasn’t just a little disappointed.

  Maybe, just maybe, she’d allowed her mind to wander a few times . . . okay more than few times . . . and had fantasized myriad different scenarios where she and Kate became close. Maybe a little too close, but hey, a girl was allowed to dream. So what if the object of her dreams barely knew she existed? So what if Kate was beyond straight? It didn’t hurt to engage in a healthy fantasy now and then. A smile spread across Emmy’s face as she indulged in one of those daydreams, this one involving the President and her desk in the Oval Office. The blonde flung the contents of her desk onto the floor, laid across the desk’s smooth surface and practically begged Emmy to . . .

  Emmy was brought out of her reverie by a sweet, slightly bemused voice addressing her. A voice that sent involuntary shivers down Emmy’s spine.

  “What put that smile on your face, Agent Harris?”

  Emmy nearly gasped in surprise and shock to discover the object of her not-so-appropriate thoughts addressing her. The President’s piercing blue eyes met hers from across the r
oom. To make matters worse, the woman was sitting behind the very desk that had just played an integral role in Emmy’s fantasy. Emmy struggled to regain her power of speech and rushed to speak, as the blonde was now giving her a perplexed look, undoubtedly because she was taking so long to respond. “Sorry . . . um . . . you caught me off guard there. I wasn’t expecting you to talk to me. Anyway, you just caught me in the middle of a daydream, that’s all,” Emmy smiled bashfully.

  Kate smiled playfully back at Emmy, who was obviously unnerved. “No need to be nervous, Agent Harris. I’m normal person just like you, just with a fancy title.”

  When Emmy didn’t respond, Kate continued. “So it must have been a good daydream,” she said, smirking a bit. Kate regretted her words when she saw the embarrassed reaction spread across Harris’s face. However, the blush also made Kate wonder what the hell had been in that daydream.

  “I . . . uh . . . was just thinking about a good movie I watched the other day.” Emmy stumbled.

  Sensing that a change of subject might be in order, Kate simply nodded. “Can I ask you what your first name is, Agent Harris? We’ve been together constantly for months now. Agent Harris seems overly formal, don’t you think?” She smiled, giving Emmy a glimpse of her adorable dimples.