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Ben Solo jumped out of his car, grabbing his messenger bag from the backseat. He wasn't late. The Daily White House briefing was still 60 mins from now. Ben just liked being early, "The first reporter in and last reporter out" he was oft to preach. He dug in his bag for his White House press credentials.
He balked initially at his editor, pulling him from foreign embedded assignments to The Lead White House Correspondence. That was until his last overseas story ended with his hotel being shelled in the middle of the night. With third-degree chemical burns running all the way down the left half of his body, they had to airlift him to a US Army field hospital in Kuwait.
As he waited for security to wave him, though, he was on his phone. "Look, Poe, I'm just going in. We will discuss this when I get home,”, Trying to pivot away from the rest of the reporters waiting in line. "Look, I really don't mind your buddy staying with us but, Finn is creating a permanent dent in the sofa. Also, if he is going to drink all the coffee, he could at least make another pot."
Putting the phone away from his ear as he stretched his arms out to be wanded. Security waved him thought, ducking into a corner.
"You are my best friend, but Finn is not a writer. He’s a couch surfer with a thesaurus. Look, I really got to go; I'll tell you what, let's fight about this later. Okay, got to go."
Hearing the line going dead, he thought, “Maybe over the phone, wasn't the smartest idea to have that conversation.” Turning his phone to silence, he walked to the Press Secretary's office with an extremely reliable tip about an upcoming bill in his pocket. He wanted the administration to comment on it before going on air with the story.
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Hux was trying to look busy as he scrolled through his Grinder profile. He has organized all the newspapers and spent the better part of the morning scanning for news landlines. It was a pretty quiet news cycle, but, as he well knows, anything at any minute could go horribly wrong. Or, you could then start your day eye to eye with "Prom King of the Press Corp."
"Good Morning, Mr. Solo. What can the Press Secretary do for CNN". Mind you, she is completely booked for today," swiping through a few more pictures, "It seems she's haven't a moment to spare. Maybe I can fit you in sometime next week."
Sitting right in front of his desk, “My sources say that President Andor is planning a new brand new single-payer healthcare bill.”
Setting his phone in his desk, "I can neither confirm nor deny any new health care plan the president is working on."
The phone suddenly rings on his desk.
"Yes, he's right here. Yes, ma’am, I'll send him right in." Hanging up the phone, “Seems she suddenly has some time."
Rey slipped back into her shoes and was gathering her thoughts. The last thing she needed was this leaking to the press before The Executive Committee even finished writing the bill. It would be impossible to rally support for something still being crafted. Not to mention, Senator Snoke raising the nonexistent claims of state control health care and socialism run amok. Jesus, reporters can be a pain in the ass.
Rey leans against the front of her desk, "Welcome, Solo, have a seat." Ben has at sits, crossing his legs. "
As soon as he walks out. Rey grabs the lead crystal paperweight on her desk at throws it at Ben’s head as soon as the door closes.
"You backstabbing fuck boy. I must have been out of my mind to get involved with a reporter. How did you find out? Did you go through my email? I can't believe you are doing this to me. You are going to blow up my career."
She jumps up into his lap to punch anywhere her small tight fits can connect with.
"So what was your endgame here hope I would be a good sport. Then what you can brag how you've been fucking the new Press Secretary. How she trades exclusives for a little cock."
Ben grabbed her hands as she was preparing to claw his eyes out, "Honey, calm down and let me explain. I got the story from someone on the committee. The bill has Prescription Drug Price Controls, Health Care Bill of Rights, and a Single-Payer system. My source told me that Majority Leader Senator Snoke is posed to bury your bill in a deep dark cave."
Rey still struggled to wiggle free to punch him in his pretty face. "She was concerned that the bill would be watered down and have the guts ripped out. They are concerned the longer they deliberate, the greater was chance it wouldn’t get finished at all."
Ben's heart was pounding with Rey’s rage blush across her face. "Now, sweetie, I'm going to let your hands go if you can calm down" She just sat still balancing on his lap. Nothing showed in her eyes, the hazel eyes turning to complete darkness.
She stood up, righting herself. Smoothing her hair and clothes as her back is turning away from Ben. Bracing her hand on her desk, letting her anger bleed out on her, counting backward from 100, shifting her mind to damage control. She went to the desk and pulled out a yellow pad and a pen. Looking at Rey, scribing notes, Ben walks over to her, standing right behind her.
"Rey, this story is going to come out. I'm about the friendliest reporter you will find out here.”
She turned around to face him; he couldn’t read what she thought, which was unnerving.
“The last thing you want is for Fox News to breaking this news and ripping this bill to shreds. I'm not your enemy,” with her perfectly manicured finger over his lips.
Reading from her pad. "Okay, here is the plan; two weeks from now, Poe, your friend from the Washington Post, is going to break this story. That should give the committee the incentive to finish writing the bill. Once I tell them he got a tip about the bill. "
Ben raises his hand to object. She slapped his hand down and kept reading from the pad.
"You break this story, then pretty soon, my bosses are going to figure out that we are involved. I adore you, but I'm not losing my dream job. Next week President Andor and The State Department will announce the first steps for normalizing diplomatic relations with North Korea. You're going to contact Orson Krennic at the State Department. Please, don’t give him a heart attack when you tell him what you know. We will schedule an exclusive sit-down with the President after the announcement. This story is much more important than the health care bill.
"I want to interview the First Lady." He countered.
"No, no way. She hates reporters and photographers. Even getting the standard official photos is a nightmare. She gave the pool photographers the finger because they followed her on her morning jog. The President is the only one who can talk her into an interview, and he rarely goes to that well. She only likes talking about her work with Children's and Prenatal Health."
Rey figures out who the leak is. "It was Jyn. She was the one that leaked the story." With a shake of her head and a chagrin, "So obviously, she might talk to you... again."
"I want an hour: 45 mins to discuss domestic and foreign policy without submitting questions before the interview. In the last 15 mins, it will be all slow pitch; you’ll have the President and The First Lady being special little unicorns sharing all the antidotes and humblebrags they can fit in the time allotted.”
"I can sell that to the President. Now, we have a deal." Rey offers her hand for a shake. "The hallmark of any relationship is the ability to compromise."
Ben pulls her in her a firm, warm kiss. She threw her arm around her neck, returning his kiss.
Tucking her into his chest, "I would never use you to get a story or leverage our relationship to get favors. I hope you know me better than that. That’s not who I am. I came here first before I wrote a word or talked to anyone about this story. I make sure there was no blowback on you. That’s who I am.” Taking a long pause, holding her face, “I love you, Rey."
He finally confessed what she hoped was true. She closed her eyes, willing back her happy tears.
“This is when you tell me? When you are trying to prove your high ethical standards.” She pulled him close and laughed in his chest.
Ben’s face opens up with the brightest smile. “I’m assuming that you love me back?”
“Of course I do.”
Her small, unadorned hand automatically reached up, cupping his cheek. Her heart was pounding as she touched him. Rey felt him flinch with her fingers tracing the scar down his neck. Ben’s eyes fell closed as he leaned into her hand like a neglected kitten. She played with his dark locks and kissed his forehead. She couldn’t bring herself to move, too terrified that the slightest move or breath would break the spell. As the thought passed through her mind, Ben turned his face into her hand. Then his opened eyes smiled up at her as he was kissing her palm. Rey bit her lip to keep it from trembling. The pleasure of his kisses ran up her arms, down her legs.
Those first nights she would wake up with the smell of him on her skin. The way she could feel his arms around her all day. She just buried her nose into his chest, touching the warmth of his skin through his clothes. Rey could feel a strange opening of her heart as she looked up as his eyes closed, his broad chest rise and fall with each breath. Her lips ached to capture his, to kiss his closed lids, to open his shirt, then run ribbons of kisses down his chest to lavish the close attention she never got enough of. She took a deep inhale and snuggled closer. Those things would have to wait for tonight night. Rey pulled away with a small smile.
Still holding her hand, “Can I come over tonight?”
“Mr. CNN, hello. Tonight is the State of The Union Address.”
“We can meet up after the speech.” Ben started to nibble on Rey’s neck
“A booty call so hot” Giggle and trying to worm away,
“It’s not a booty call.”
“Meeting in the late evening for sex that sounds like a booty call.”
He raised an eyebrow, “So no to tonight.”
“I didn’t say that, Gorgeous.” With a quick kiss on his lips, “I’ll call you when I’m on my way home.”
“Great” Kissing her forehead, "Play nice in the sandbox, don't make too many people cry."
Ben grabbed his bag and gave her a wink as he breezed out of her office.
Walking back into her office, "So he's pretty, even with the scars. He looks a bit like a savage scholar. I read a very Hemingway vibe." Hux said as he cleared the untouched coffee.
Her eyes blank, and her expression turned cold at the mention of his scars, "You don't expect me to respond that, Hux. Let’s try to remember where we work. Our duty is to the office of the presidency. This is not Happy Hour at some dive leather bar. This is the White House; try to remember that. If I see you looking at Grinder at your desk one more time, so help me, god. I will personally have the Secret Service put a bullet through your phone. I want the latest polling on The President on all the Midterm Election Battleground states. Now leave my office. I have real work to do." Hux went back to his desk, mutely with his tail tucked between his legs.
Rey, finally alone in her office, opened her laptop, and turned all three televisions in her office. The swirl of news and talking heads filled the room as she once again kicked off her shoes under her desk. She sniffed her sleeve to get one last smell left by Ben. Then her hands, in an almost manic fury, went to work on her computer with a self-satisfied smile.