Chapter 4

The announcement by the President of the Vice-President’s resignation and the reasons for it came two days after Hal’s meeting with the President. Both Hal and the Vice-President where at the President’s side as he made the announcement. This news caught the media by surprise and they scrambled to cover and comment on this turn of events.

Newspapers and television networks featured stories on the Vice-President’s medical condition and the procedures he had undergone. They also did extensive stories on Hal, covering his life and his accomplishments. Hal cringed when they resurrected the video of him being on one knee proposing to his now ex-wife and they speculated on the reasons for his divorce after just two years of marriage. To be expected there were two different slants to the story depending if it was a liberal or a conservative reporter doing the story. Overall the stories and the commentary were favorable to the selection of Hal as the next Vice-President.

Since Hal had limited contact with the present Senators and Representatives it was proper protocol for him to go over to the Capitol building and meet with them. Hal was not a fan of this meet-and-greet but he knew it was a given if he wanted their approval. The Speaker of the House and the Majority Leader in the Senate were his escorts in this process.

Hal was greeted warmly as he met with these people. They did ask him some pointed questions which required him to be careful in his responses. He didn’t want to say anything that would be in conflict or reflect poorly on the President’s leadership. He was constantly reminding himself that he was a team player.

His nomination progressed rapidly and was brought to the floors of both houses for a vote. The vote was almost unanimous with only twelve Senators and twenty five Representatives voting not to confirm. Hal’s new Chief of Staff who was the former Vice-President’s Chief of Staff and was well versed in Washington’s politics, pointed out to Hal that all of the negative votes were from people who had been in office when Hal had declared martial law. Apparently they were still bitter because this overall change in leadership had rocked their boat and reduced the power they had in their previous positions of leadership.

Hal was introduced to Don Miller who was the head of the secret service security detail now assigned to protect Hal. Don discussed how they would protect Hal and what they wanted Hal to do to help in this regard. There didn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary that they asked Hal to do but only to follow their orders when it came to security matters. Don asked Hal if he had any questions.

“Maybe it’s not a question but it’s more of a requirement that I will ask you to try and comply with. When we go to another city or country I want my traveling to inconvenience the citizens as little as possible. In other words I don’t want voters on hot days stopped on expressways in traffic because of a Vice-Presidential motorcade is going through. If we need to change my schedule or method of travel to minimize these inconveniences we should do so. I don’t want to have pissed off voters sitting in their overheated cars on a hot summer day as I drive by.”

“I guess I do have a question as well. The question that I have is... , well... , ah... , let me say that I am single and if I am with a woman... , well... , ah... , one thing can lead to another and...”

“Enough said sir, what goes on in your personal life is something that the service doesn’t see or comment on to anyone. If we did say something, it would make our jobs just that much more difficult. While it’s true you are the first executive who is single that we have been assigned to protect, you are not the first one we have protected who enjoyed female companionship. I won’t say who they were but only that it would be best if in your entertainment of a woman, it would be at your quarters as opposed to other places. That way our presence wouldn’t be noticed by any of the neighbors and your privacy would be assured. I should also like to say that it has been my experience that the power of your position attracts all kinds of women and I think that is something you should be aware of. In speaking man to man, if I were you I would be very selective in my choice of women. Remember what happened to Tiger.”

“Thanks Don for the advice, it’s something that I will be careful about.”

Hal soon found out that a large portion of his duties was ceremonial as waving the flag at various functions so to speak. This of course presumed that the President didn’t want to or couldn’t attend these functions. Hal was assigned to attend a few funerals and he attended some low level conferences. There was more travel in handling these duties than Hal expected. He did enjoy this traveling aspect and would admit that he was treated quite well in his travels.

It seemed to Hal that his hosts went out of their way to see that he was in the company of a woman at social events. At one embassy it just so happen that the Ambassador’s sister was visiting. At another embassy the USAID representative was thrilled to accompany Hal to the Premier’s State Dinner. When he was in France his companion was our Ambassador who was a divorced woman and secured her position by donating generously to the party from the millions she had made when her internet web page was offered to the public as an IPO.

They attended a reception given by the French President. Hal was surprised when the French President’s wife who was an exceptionally beautiful woman said it was a pity that Hal already had a dinner companion as she knew some women she could arrange for Hal to meet. The twinkle in her eye when she said this told Hal he was missing out on an experience he would have long remembered.

Hal started to realize that there were a number of unspoken perks that came with his present position.

For the most part these women whom he was paired up with just were social companions who were with Hal to avoid him being uncomfortable in being single at these functions. The exception had been an Ambassador’s sister who was also staying at the embassy. She had no qualms about going later at night into Hal’s room after he had retired and got into bed with Hal. Her warm naked body pressing up against him awoke him. She moved down his body and exhibited her oral talents to him. He thought to himself that she certainly was talented. He came once in her mouth but she never stopped in her efforts. Finally she came back up his body and rode him cowgirl style till both of them had orgasms. Her breasts flapping in ever increasing circles presented somewhat of an erotic picture. After they both had caught their breaths, she cleaned him with her mouth left his room.

In retrospect Hal thought what was a little weird about this incident was that besides some slight moans and heavy breathing on her part she never said a word. Hal surmised that he was just a trophy she wanted but he did enjoy her talents, so who was he to complain.

The President wasn’t that keen on having State Dinners for visiting dignitaries but protocol required that he have one when the Premier of China visited our country. On this occasion Hal said he would attend but he was going to go stag. He was told there was a list of women to include movie stars, who would be thrilled to be his dinner companion but Hal was adamant about wanting to attend this function alone. He said he could leave when he wanted to without having to worry about a companion

The State Dinner was a gala affair with the men in tuxes and the woman in evening gowns. Two people tried to crash the event but were caught and turned over to the Washington D.C. police. The entertainment for the evening was going to be a popular country and western husband and wife who would sing a number of their hit songs. As Hal was mingling with the guests and working the crowd he saw that he was walking up to the Secretary of Energy who had her back partially turned to him.

“How are you Madam Secretary, it’s nice to see you here.”

She turned toward him and said, “Excuse me, what did you say?”

Hal said, “I said how are you Madam Secretary” and he stopped. While she looked like the Secretary of Energy because of her figure, dark hair, hair style and the sexy eye glasses she was wearing he could now see that she wasn’t who he thought she was. She could double for the Secretary of Energy with only a little bit of effort.

“Excuse me, I thought you were the Secretary of Energy. Please accept my apology.”

“No reason for you to apologize. I take it as a compliment that you thought I was her. She is a very beautiful woman.”

“Yes she is... , let me do this the right way, my name is Hal Corbin and.”

“I know who you are Mr. Vice-President. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

“And you are?”

“My name is Joyce Butler. My brother Jerry Butler is the Chief of Staff to Senator Terry. The Senator nor could Jerry’s wife couldn’t attend tonight and Jerry thought I might enjoy attending this function so he asked me to come.”

Hal had met Jerry Butler and he could see that Jerry was talking to some people but at the same time observing Hal talking to his sister.

“It’s my pleasure to meet you Joyce, I hope you are having a good time.”

“I am, seeing these people in person sure beats what you see on television. Are you enjoying yourself?

“I guess so. I am not that big fan of attending these social functions but it comes with the job. Oh, please don’t tell anyone I said that. I am supposed to like doing this. Tell me a little about yourself.”

“I won’t say anything about what you just said. There is not much to tell about me. I am a widow. My husband was killed in Africa about five years ago while on a USAID mission. I have two children, Keith who is graduating from the Naval Academy in a month and Karen who is finishing her first year at Georgetown Law. She is not sure as to what type of law she wants to practice. My son wants to be a naval aviator. He wanted to be an aviator ever since he saw the movie Top Gun.”

“The military can be a very rewarding and as an aviator an exciting career. Those night landings on a carrier can really test your skill. In the navy you also get to see the world and a lot of interesting places. The commercial is right when it says it’s not a career, it’s an adventure. What do you do?”

“Before my husband was killed I dabbled in real estate as a realtor. After his death I went into real estate full time. When you did your thing with martial law and cleaned Congress of Senators and Representatives my brother was able to get me a large number of referrals both for sales and purchases. That started the ball rolling and now I have my own realty business, ‘Butler Realty.’ Here let me give you my card. You never know when you will need a good realtor.”

Hal laughed at her sales pitch and could see why she had become successful. He could also see that she was a very beautiful and charming lady with a nice figure.

Her brother joined them and they continued to make small talk. Hal needed to mingle with other people and as he was leaving Hal said, “Maybe I will see you at your son’s graduation. The Naval Academy asked me to speak at the commencement. That speech will give me an opportunity to meet with a beautiful and charming lady such as you again. Enjoy yourselves.”

He turned and walked away but not before he could see that his remark cause Joyce to blush a little bit.

The following week Hal was asked to attend the funeral of a South American Country President. The highlight of his attendance was when after the funeral he found himself in a debate with another South American Country President who was not complimentary in his remarks about America. Instead of agreeing with him as the former President had done Hal took him on. He talked about what America had done to either give or protect the freedom of millions of people. He then went on and put in a dig of how we had corrected the abuses of dictators and communistic governments that were suppressing people.

Hal pointed out the poverty level of this President’s country and that the present leadership wasn’t doing anything to correct this. Further that this Dictator’s leadership was taking his country down a path of destruction. When this President tried to say that we wanted to take over countries and confiscate their land, Hal countered with a famous previous response said by a former Secretary of State, “We only ask for enough land to bury our dead who have give their all so that people can have their God given right of freedom.”

If one was scoring this debate Hal was the hands down winner. He believed America should never apologize to these dictators or bow to them.

The talk Hal gave at the Naval Academy was one that he had given in one form or another many times before. He talked about the challenges these newly commissioned officers now faced. On how America relied on them as they were the best and brightest of their generation. Further that they would be the spokespersons for America as defenders of freedom in this complex world and the responsibilities that they now had been given. The warm reception he received at the Naval Academy gave him a good feeling about this country’s future leadership.

Prior to giving his talk Hal asked Don Miller to have one of his people locate Joyce Butler as he would like to say a few words to her after the ceremony was concluded.

Hal was walking among the graduates heading toward where he was told Joyce was. Progress was slow because of the many well wishers that were complimenting him on his talk. He thanked them for their kind words and shook a number of hands. There were request for photos and he obliged. He finally was able to get to where Joyce Butler and her family where standing. Besides Joyce and what he presumed to be her daughter and son, he noticed that Jerry Butler and a lady who probably was Jerry’s wife were also there.

Joyce welcomed Hal and introduced him to the people that were there.

Hal was shaking her son Keith’s hand and said, “Congratulations ensign, it seems to me that it wasn’t that long ago that I was in your same position when I was graduating from West Point. I have some fond memories of my time there and I am sure you have some fond memories of your time here. I understand you want to be a naval aviator.”

“Yes sir I do, it’s something that I have wanted for a long time. I just received notice that my application for flight school was approved. I hope to be a fighter pilot.”

Hal gave himself a mental note to thank the Chief of Naval Operations for his quick action when Hal asked him to look into Keith’s application. Hal asked him to check on Keith’s application because Hal’s inquiry to the Naval Academy about Keith indicated Keith was in the top ten percent of his class. Keith’s five foot ten inch height would make him the ideal size for a pilot.

Hal then turned and talked to Joyce’s daughter Karen. “I understand you are going to be an attorney. I don’t know if you have decided on what type of law you want to practice but the Army and Navy do have a program where they give direct commissions to attorneys for our JAG Corps. You might want to think about it as there are numerous benefits in being a JAG lawyer.”

“Mom said you had a way with words and you came right to the point. I have never given any thought about what you just said and will give it some consideration. Can I ask why you thought mom was the Secretary of Energy?”

With no hesitation and a sly grin on his face Hal responded, “I will tell you a secret, I have found it to be a great opening line and one since I am single that I use to meet beautiful women.”

Hal could see that his remark caused Joyce to blush and concluded that she blushes very easily. He wondered if she blushes all over.

“Enough said about me looking like the Secretary. Do you have any plans for the rest of this afternoon? We have made reservations at a restaurant near here. I am sure for you they could put one more chair at the table. Can you come?”

“Let me check with my security. What is the name of the restaurant?”

Hal checked and was told since this had not been planned, a secret service agent would be sent over to the restaurant to check it out and insure the table was in a secure place but it should be okay for him to go there.

The manager on duty at the restaurant phoned the owner at home and told him who would be dining at his establishment. The owner of the restaurant made it in time to greet Hal and the rest of the party. He would make sure the service they received was all first class. There was a buzz among the patrons as Hal was recognized when his party went to their table.

Hal had a good time and it had been a long time since he had really enjoyed himself this much. As they were eating they were also asking Hal questions about his military career. Hal enjoyed telling them stories about mistakes he and others had made as brand new Second Lieutenants. He did tell one story about a battle in Iraq and the heroism of a First Lieutenant who had earned a Silver Star for his bravery. He said he had the pleasure of meeting that Lieutenant’s father a number of years after the war and Hal could see how proud he was of his son.

While he was telling his stories he would glance at Joyce and concluded that she was even more attractive than the Secretary of Energy and that was saying a lot.

Hal signaled one of his secret service agents and whispered into his ear that he should give Hal’s credit card to the waitress to pay the bill and to give her a generous tip.

He excused himself from the table telling them he had to be leaving and that he had a great time. He wished them good luck and hoped to see them all again. He mentioned that the bill had been taken care of. As he was leaving the restaurant he received applause from the patrons which caused him to smile and waive at them.

The various meetings and briefings Hal was receiving were interesting but his thoughts were drifting back to Joyce. He missed seeing her and being in her company. From being married to where he was having sex everyday he had progressed to where he was close to being celibate. He though about it some more and came to the conclusion that, “A man has to do what a man has to do.” He took out his wallet and removed a business card from it and placed a phone call.

“Butler Realty, how may I help you?”

“This is Hal Corbin, I would like to speak to Joyce Butler.”

“Who is this calling?”

“Hal Corbin the Vice-President.”

“And I am the Queen of Sheba. I am not transferring any crank sales calls to my boss. Did you check to see if we are on the ‘Don’t call list?”

After some quick thought he said, “Please write my name down and this phone number and give it to Joyce. Let her decide if she wants to talk to me. You won’t get into trouble, I can assure you.”

Reluctantly she said she would do it.

About two minutes later Hal’s phone rang. He answered it and heard, “Hal I am terrible sorry. She is a brand new employee and doesn’t know that we have met. I have corrected that shortcoming and she asked me to apologize to you on her behalf.”

“It’s no big thing. I have never talked to the Queen of Sheba before.”

“She said that!”

“Yes but like I said it is no big thing. It was nice to hear her trying to protect her boss from crank phone calls.”

“May I ask why you are calling?”

“I was wondering if I could interest you in having dinner with me. I would like to avoid going out to a restaurant because of the rumors and interest that would stir up. I could handle it but I am thinking of the problems it would create for you. That’s why I am thinking the best place to have dinner at my house at the Naval Observatory.”

“I do enjoy your company as you are an interesting man. What time should I be there?”

“Seven would be fine and I could send my car for you.”

“Give your driver the night off. I know where you live and I can drive myself there.”