Chapter 14 – Diana

Two Weeks Later

Janet stormed into my office, screaming my name at the top of her lungs.

 

“DIANA!”

 

“Yeah I’m in here, no need to yell. What’s going on?”

 

She slams the door and her eyes lock in on my, the hatred going through my body like laser beams.

 

“Diana, what the fuck did I tell you about messing around with Kyle Swanson?”

 

My heart sank. Charlie had gone ahead and sent the pictures out, but I had to play naïve.

 

“Pictures?”

 

She scowls and tosses the papers in her hand on my desk. Of course I’ve seen them before but gasp, feigning shock.

 

“Sorry Janet, I meant to..”

 

“SORRY JANET? You do remember our conversation at the diner don’t you? Didn’t I tell you not to mess around with that man? Now look what we have? This is all over the damn internet. People are posting them on their Twitter feeds. They are talking about it on CNN and the LA Times is posting a feature length story – about their former star writer!”

 

I let out a deep breath and tell a fib. “Janet, I hadn’t been with Swanson again since I met you in the diner. I wasn’t completely honest, I’d already slept with him when I met you in Newport. I should have told you then, but I was embarrassed.”

 

She shook her head in disgust.

 

“And Janet, you need to know I haven’t seen him again. I don’t know who took these fucking pictures! This is all so disgusting!”

 

I put my face into my hands and did my best to force some tears. Of course Charlie had promised me a job, but I was feeling mixed emotions now. The more I slept with Kyle the more I was drawn to him. I wasn’t so sure I wanted to go along with Charlie’s scheme anymore, and didn’t even know if I wanted to marry him.

 

The entire thing seemed so dirty, and the more I thought about Charlie resorting to such dirty tricks, the worse I felt about it.

 

Not too mention Charlie hardly ever comes around anymore. I began to think he was just using me to get re-elected. Maybe he didn’t give a fuck about me. I needed to keep this job.

 

Janet’s relaxed, I could see the angry tension in her body release.

 

“OK maybe I was being a bit too hard on you. It looks like someone secretly took the pictures, so its not really your fault.”

 

Her voice got louder again.

 

“But it’s common sense – this is what happens when you fuck a powerful man, who’s controversial.”

 

I shook my head in agreement, my eyes now reddened from my forced crying. It was pathetic, but I was playing for Janet’s sympathy.

 

“I hope you’re staying away from him.” She snapped.

 

I raised my arms in the air, palms up. “Yeah, I haven’t seen him. He’s been in virtual seclusion the last two weeks outside his press conferences.”

 

Janet glared at me, not sure whether to believe me.

 

“You’re going to have to give a press conference of your own.”

 

My heart sank, and I don’t think I could take the heat of the lighted cameras. “Janet I don’t think this is really a good idea. Can’t we just issue a statement? I’ll write up something saying I’m very sorry for this horrible lapse of judgment, I’m not trying to influence the election in any way, it was a one time thing after he met me for dinner and we parted as adults.”

 

Janet sighed and became lost in thought, as my career hung in the balance.

 

“Are they saying where these pictures came from? Who took them?”

 

She cleared her throat. “Nobody seems to know, but of course everyone is speculating. The talk radio people are blaming Charlie Garcia.”

 

My pulse quickened. If they already figured out it was Charlie, it was game over for me. The first thing Charlie would do was point the finger at me.

 

My voice cracked as I tried to get out my next question. “Has Garcia said anything?”
 

Janet didn’t know I had a relationship with Charlie either. I figured it would be best not to throw that fuel into the fire.

 

Just then Maria, another reporter that worked for Janet, stormed in.

 

“Quick guys, Kyle Swanson is giving a news briefing. Hurry!”

 

We ran into her office where there was a TV. Kyle was at the microphones speaking.

 

“While these photographs are an embarrassment, they are a vile intrusion into my private life. They captured a private sex act, at least one we thought was private, between consenting adults. The person that took these photos, and is now sharing them with all the major news organizations, has committed a serious crime. I have directed my staff to work with the appropriate law enforcement agencies, and we already have a pretty good idea who did this.”

 

We all stood there in rapt attention, as Kyle paused.

 

“It is my belief, that Charlie Garcia took these photographs and sent them to major news media organizations, in an effort to detail my candidacy. In the coming days we will be publicly disclosing evidence, in conjunction with the appropriate law enforcement authorities.”

 

Maria stormed over and shut off the television. We didn’t need to hear anymore.

And Janet came up with a brilliant idea that made me sick to my stomach.

 

“Diana, why don’t you write up that statement we talked about it and include it in your next column with a review of the press conference. Maria go and grab the transcript for Diana. If you get it done by 4 PM then we can have it in press tomorrow morning.”

A wave of sickness came over me. I thought I might start vomiting and pass out.

 

I nodded and told Janet I’d get it done in time. What choice did I have?

 

As I headed back to my office alone and shut the door, I sunk in my chair and started crying for real.

 

My mind was filled with horror. The bold personality of Kyle Swanson was on full display. No other politician would have come right out and accused their opponent like that, they’d let the cops handle it.

 

The big question was how was Charlie going to react. Charlie was definitely a different kind of man than Swanson, but he was equally driven. Charlie was more political, and used to greasing the skids to move up. The thing that concerned me the most is while Swanson had his business empire to fall back on, the Senate was Charlie’s entire life.

 

And now they were even talking about crimes being committed.

 

This wasn’t just about Charlie losing a Senate race, it was about him being humiliated for attempting to blackmail or smear an opposing candidate in a federal election, and possibly facing the wrath of federal prosecutors.

 

There was simply no telling how Charlie was going to react when cornered, facing the collapse of his entire world.

 

Maria gives a quick knock at the door and comes in with the transcripts.

 

“Hey babe, here they are. It’s a mind blowing read. Apparently Swanson got a note requesting a payment of $1 million to keep it quiet.”

 

“Oh my God, that’s crazy.” Charlie must have gone off the deep end. He was no billionaire but he didn’t have any financial problems I knew about.

 

Maria hesitated before leaving. “Hey Diana. I’ve known you a long time. I just wanted you to know that I’m not taking this, well what I mean to say is I’m not going to let this reflect badly on how I think about you.”

 

I got up and hugged Maria and thanked her for her compassion. Of course Maria might think differently if she had known I was in on it with Charlie, at least to a point. I never knew Charlie would take things so far.

 

She shuts the door and I sit down and get to writing, confessing to the world and summarizing Swanson’s statement.