Part IIII

  The Coup d’état

  Chapter 45

  James Goldstein was nervous only because the person about to enter the Oval Office made him very uncomfortable. Goldstein was the President's re-election campaign manager and he was going against his advice. The President was seated on one of the two handcrafted sofas designed by Theodore Alexander and was going over a bi-partisan bill that he intended to sign. He chose the leather sofas over his wife's objections simply because he liked them and they fit his personality. He politely told her it was his office and intended to furnish it with things he wanted, not what she wanted. She had the rest of the White House to decorate however she chose.

  The tufted Old English Leather sofas were framed in cherry wood with carved cherubim forming the armrests with their angelic wings swooping back along each side and flowing into the backrest. Mrs. Roberts suggested that his taste in furniture would be more suited to King Nebuchadnezzar’s Palace rather than the Oval Office. To which he replied, “You’re probably right, my dear… but after all. It is my domain.”

  *****

  President Roberts placed the thick folder down on the coffee table in front of him and picked up a supplement to his daily briefing, which was given to him by the CIA director on the current problems in the Middle East. Of course, there were problems in the Middle East. It was just a simple fact of life. The family feud between Isaac and Ishmael had been going on for centuries. Even if Israel was wiped off the face of the earth, there would still be problems in the Middle East simply because all the Arab countries couldn’t get along with each other. Yet the simple truth was that the Middle East, with all its complexity, completely intrigued him.

  Margaret Daniels, his chief of staff, sat beside him while Goldstein paced back and forth over the Presidential Seal on the oval rug in the center of the room.

  “Please sit down, James; you’re making me nervous,” Margaret said as she set her coffee cup on the matching Theodore Alexander cherry wood coffee table. Wringing his hands, Goldstein reluctantly sat across from the President and his chief of staff. Roberts never looked up from the document he was reading. Five minutes later, a slight knock was on the door, and Judy Mason entered the room.

  “Mr. President, Secretary Williams is here to see you.”

  “Ask her to come in, please,” the President said.

  As she entered the Oval Office, Roberts stood and greeted the extremely attractive Secretary of State. He extended his hand and gave her his best political smile.

  If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  “Sydney, thank you for stopping by on such short notice; I know how busy you are these days.”

  The President placed his hand on Sydney's back and escorted her to the sofa opposite his chief of staff and next to James Goldstein.

  "Please have a seat, Sydney; by the way, you look radiant as ever. Can I get you anything to drink?" Sydney smiled and thought, "The man's as smooth as a baby's ass."

  "No, thank you, Mr. President, I'm just fine," Sydney said, smiling back at him.

  Sydney looked stunning in her exquisitely tailored Armani navy blue suit, white silk blouse by Versace, and black pumps and handbag fashioned by Prada. A simple gold herringbone necklace graced her neck, complementing her small gold hoop earrings. Her hair was long, dark, and silky and framed her flawless face perfectly. Despite her years, her body was still lean and firm, and many men sought her affection after her late husband passed away. Most were chewed up and devoured without much of a fight. She had a reputation in Washington as a ball buster, and almost all male suitors kept their distance, at least the sane ones. She sat down on the sofa and ran her hand over the soft leather. She eyed his chief of staff and tried to get a read but got nothing from her poker face. Then she looked at James Goldstein and knew that her aspirations for the Vice Presidency were in trouble. The man was clearly nervous, fidgeting, and wouldn’t sit still. She even thought she noticed some perspiration on his forehead.

  After the pleasantries ended, the conversation turned to the real reason for her visit.

  "As you know, Sydney, you are one of my top choices to fill the ticket in the upcoming election due to Vice President Buchanan's untimely death."

  Sydney kept silent as the President paused.

  "You have done an outstanding job for our party and for this administration, and I can't tell you how thankful I am personally for all of your support during my first term."

  Again, Roberts paused, finding the right words as Sydney sat politely and quietly, keeping Roberts on the hook.

  "You are by far the most respected and recognized woman in Washington, and I don't have to tell you how sensitive the American voters can be. Sanderson's numbers are coming up, and my re-election is not a sure thing."

  Bullshit, Sydney thought.

  "If we are going to win this fall, I need a strong figure at my side, and I can't think of anyone I would rather have than you, Sydney," another pause.

  Sydney knew the "but" was coming and kept silent.

  "My re-election team has gone over the numbers from every angle, and they feel that I need a strong family man as my running mate if I'm going to win re-election."

  Sydney finally said, "I understand, Mr. President, and I wholeheartedly support your decision and will stand by you and support you in any way I can in this election and your second term. I can't say that I'm not disappointed, but I do understand. Thank you for considering me. I am very flattered, sir." Sydney got up to leave, but the President put his hand out to stop her.

  "Please sit down, Sydney. I was about to say that, although I respect my re-election team's analysis, I don't necessarily agree with them, and it's high time we had a woman VP. I'm asking you if you will join me on the ticket."

  *****

  That November, Roberts won reelection by a wide margin, with the majority of the feminist groups applauding his decision, although many were not overjoyed that she was a Republican. However, they did support her because she was far from being a conservative.