The President’s Son

 by: Miguel Sanchez

© 2009 by the author

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

Chapter 4

The morning we left for D.C. was a flurry of activity. Ed was coordinating with the State Police on getting Ben and Bennie’s belongings going into storage. He also got a call informing him the President Elect’s things had arrived in Washington and they would be put up when the outgoing President had moved out.

The agents were busy packing their belongings knowing they would now be in Washington. At 9, everything was finished and we were all ready to leave. Ben, Bennie and I got into his limo then we left in a procession heading for the airport. When we arrived, there were some agents milling about. Ed got out and met with an agent and was informed everything was ready for Ben and Bennie to board. Agents stood by the limo as the door opened and the father and son stepped out. Bennie looked at the plane and just stood there in awe. “Wow, look at the size of that thing; it’s huge.”

I ruffled his hair. “In less than twenty-four hours, that will be your Dad’s son.”

“Can you show me around?”

“I think that can be arranged, kiddo.”

They made the brief walk to the steps then climbed them and disappeared inside the plane. Just then a bus pulled up and about thirty people stepped off. Ed and I walked over to the group as Ed got them quiet. “You’ve already gone through the security checks at the terminal. You’ll be allowed in the press area only, and you will have all you need in that area. You will not be allowed to roam around the plane unescorted and if you are caught doing so, your White House press credentials will be taken away permanently. Are there any questions?”

An older reporter raised his hand. “Is there any truth to the rumor the President Elect’s son is a faggot?”

I turned red. “No comment.”

“Who are you?” The man asked.

“I’m his body guard.”

“What is your name agent?” He fired off again.

“Why do you need it? I answered your question.”

“You’re refusing to answer the question? What have you got to hide? I think my source must be correct then.”

I was steaming. “Look, the President Elect’s son’s sexuality is not up for discussion and that is the end of this. Now, get your gear and board the plane and remember what you were told about not leaving the press area.”

The man walked slowly then stopped beside me. “You know, you can’t keep things like this quiet forever. I have my sources and once I can confirm this, I will break the story.”

“Get your ass on board.”

I wanted to flatten him and Ed could see it in my eyes. “Ace, don’t let him get to you. I know how you feel about Bennie.”

‘Now Ed too; I thought Evelyn was the only one.’ I thought.

“How do you know how I feel about him Ed?”

“I can see it Ace,” He replied as we headed for the steps to board. “You love him and he loves you; and not as good friends either.”

“WHAT?”

“Relax, Ace,” Ed said calmly. “If I thought you were a threat…”

“Threat?” I said glaring at him.

“Ace, I know you’re gay and so is Bennie. I know you two love each other. I mentioned it to the President Elect and he told me he knows and accepts this. Before you holler again, Ace, I was doing my job.”

I couldn’t get angry because I would have done the same thing. “Then you know I’ll do anything I have to in order to protect him and keep him safe.”

He smiled at me. “I know Ace and I can see how happy the two of you are when you’re together.”

We climbed the steps with the other agents, then boarded and the door was closed.

The pilot started the engines then we were pushed back. The plane made its way out to the tarmac then began its journey to the runway. I looked out the window and all traffic had been held. As soon as we turned onto the runway the engines went to full power. We headed down the runway and lifted off for the three and a half hour flight to Washington.

As soon as we leveled off, I was called into a meeting with the other agents. We were all briefed on what was going to happen when we landed and what our responsibilities would be. Once that was over, my presence was requested by Ben. I went forward to the President Elect’s office then knocked on the door. A voice told me to enter and as soon as I was inside, I was greeted by my baby. “Can you stay here with me?”

I smiled and ruffled his hair. “I can for a while.”

He sat down across from his Dad and wanted me to sit next to him. He took my hand then looked at me then over to Ben then back again and I was beginning to feel like I was at the inquisition. This went on for several minutes and the suspense was killing me. “OK kiddo, what gives?”

He looked up at me and I got lost in those eyes of his. I could also tell this was hard for him to get out. “Umm, well, I’ve been talking with Dad and well, now that we’re in Washington I was wondering if…”

‘Oh shit, where’s a parachute? I’m a dead man.’

I swallowed hard and my throat was like a desert. “You talked to your Dad about us and sex?”

Now that I’d broken the ice, he beamed his broad smile at me. “Un huh.”

“Ah sir, for the record…”

“Easy Ace,” Ben said patting my leg. “I know nothing’s happened between you and Bennie, not that he’s not wanted it, mind you.”

My head snapped over and I just stared at Bennie. He smiled at me and added his other hand onto mine. “What? I get urges too and you’re a hunk.”

I leaned down and kissed him. “Yes and I don’t kiss and tell either. Look Bennie, once we’re in the privacy of the residence, we can let things happen but don’t try to rush things.”

“I know Ace but there’s so much I want to learn and to try. I’ve read all these stories.”

I rolled my eyes then Ben laughed. “Like Father, like son in that respect, Ace.”

“Bennie, I’m falling in love with you and that’s not going to change. Now just don’t go and get any wild ideas about trying some of the things you read.”

“Aw, why not? They sound hot.”

“They are when done right but done wrong someone can get hurt and I don’t want that someone to be you.”

It was then I swore I saw horns come out of his head. “Only if you promise you’re the one who shows me.”

I couldn’t win. “All right Bennie, you win.”

I’d been had and Bennie was just grinning like a Cheshire cat. “I gotta use the can Dad.”

Bennie got up and started to head for the lavatory then stopped. He leaned over and got close to my ear. “We have Dad’s suite; you can show me a few things now.”

“No,” I whispered.

He kissed me on the cheek then headed for the lavatory. Ben watched his son leave. “You have your hands full Ace.”

That was the understatement of the year. “You’re telling me, Sir. I just hope once he settles into a routine he’ll have other things on his mind.”

“I will tell you this Ace, when there is something he wants he’ll do everything he can to get it. You are Bennie’s first love and he’s new to all this.”

“After what I just heard, I knew I would have to stay on my toes. I see my role here is to guide him as our love is beginning to blossom and grow.”

Ben smiled at me. “I’ve taught him to trust his instincts and I now see what he sees in you.”

Bennie returned from the lavatory, then we had a nice lunch in the conference/dining room. After we ate, Bennie leaned his head against my shoulder. “Can you show me around?”

I called up to the flight deck and cleared it with the pilot as I wanted to show Bennie the upper deck. “Come on kiddo.”

We left the dining room and headed for the stairs to go up to the second level. I rang the buzzer then heard a click as the door opened. We walked up the stairs and into the communications center. “Whoa, what is this Ace?”

“Think of it as the Presidential Phone Company. From here, a phone call can be placed anywhere in the world and on a secure line if it’s needed.”

“You mean so no one can eaves drop on it?” Bennie asked.

The Communications Officer smiled. “That’s exactly right young man.”

“Can you get the internet on here, too?”

“Yes, we do.”

“Cool,” Bennie said as he looked through the communications center and saw a door. “What’s up there, Ace?”

“That’s the crew’s lounge. It’s a place they can go and sit and relax when they’re not busy or have some time off.”

Next stop was the flight deck. The pilot answered all of Bennie’s questions and he even got the chance to sit in his seat. After that, we went back downstairs and I showed Bennie the rest of the plane. He was in awe of all the things his dad had. He found his dad’s suite and office to be the neatest things. We were walking around when Ed got my attention. We had to go over some details and ended up talking for about thirty minutes.

When we were done, I looked for Bennie. I was angry I let myself get sidetracked and didn’t think there would be a problem because we were in a secure plane. I looked around and found him sitting on the bed in the Presidential Suite. “Sorry, kiddo, I got pulled into a meeting. I should have said something to you.”

He seemed to ignore me then replied, “It’s OK man; I know you have a lot to do.”

I got us each a soda then sat beside him on the bed. Something was wrong, because he wasn’t all over me wanting to be held and cuddled and he was really sullen.

He wouldn’t look at me so I lifted his chin so I could look into his eyes. “What’s wrong, son?

He shook his head but didn’t answer. “Baby, I’ve known you long enough to know when something is bothering you. Now what is it love?”

“I c can’t.”

“Nothing you tell me will ever change how I feel about you.

He shook his head again and now tears were coming down his cheeks. Something happened to him and I needed to find out what. “Bennie, did something happen when I was meeting with Ed?”

He leaned his head against my shoulder. “I can’t Ace.”

“Please baby, you know I love you and will protect you. Please tell me what happened.”

“It’s happening again.” He said through the tears then became almost totally inconsolable.

He wrapped his arms around me, then buried his face into my chest. I let him cry it out of his system; then I lifted his chin and kissed him gently on the lips, “Did someone try to hurt you?”

He nodded his head then stood up and when he did, his slacks fell down around his ankles. I was able to see they’d been ripped. I gasped, “Oh, my God; what happened baby? Who was it?”

“Dunno Ace.”

“What do you mean you don’t know?”

I wiped the tears off his cheeks. “I don’t know his name.” He replied. “I was checking out the other areas when this old guy came up to me and said he wanted to interview me for a magazine article that would be published after Dad became President. He asked if there was some place we could go where he could tape the interview. I found an open room, so I got him and we went in there. He started asking some normal things like how old I was and if I liked school. All of a sudden his attitude changed and he started getting mean. He acted like Nate Hill did; calling me names.”

He took a drink of his soda then stood up. “So how’d he tear your slacks?”

“I told him I wasn’t going to talk to him any more then I got up to leave. He grabbed my arm pulling me back and I tried to pull away when he grabbed at my pants. He pulled and the button came off and the zipper tore. He let go then I managed to run out of the room holding onto my pants.”

I pulled his pants up then looked at him lovingly, “Would you know him if you saw him again?

“Oh yeah Ace,” He replied nodding.

I was thinking of how I can keep Bennie’s pants up and protect his dignity at the same time. Suddenly it dawned on me. “Wait here baby, I’ll be right back.

I went up to the security area and looked in the small closet. I saw a black Secret Service jacket and grabbed it then hurried back to Bennie. I went into the suite and motioned for Bennie to stand up. “What’s that, Ace?”

I held it up so he could read it then wrapped it around his waist making sure the back of the jacket was covering the ripped out zipper. “This jacket should keep your pants up while we find the jerk that did this. Remember, baby, it wasn’t your fault and it doesn’t change how I feel about you.

Once I was satisfied the jacket would work, I headed for the door. “Are you ready for this, son?”

Before I could step outside, Bennie was beside me and he slipped his hand into mine. “I feel safe with you now, Ace.”

We stepped out of the suite and headed aft. We went through the private area and came to security’s seats. There were a few people in there but Bennie never reacted to them. The next stop was the press area. As soon as we walked in, the reporters started standing and snapping photos. One reporter tapped me on the shoulder. “Would you mind if we asked him some questions?”

I shook my head. “Not at this time. We’ll be landing in DC shortly. I said and continued walking around when I thought Bennie was going to break my hand. He was staring at the jerk who gave Ed and me problems before boarding. “What is it Bennie?”

The jerk looked up and got cocky. “Well, look who’s here. Are you going to answer my question now, or can I ask the boy?”

Bennie pulled on my arm so I leaned down. “That’s him, Ace,” He whispered into my ear.

I let go of Bennie’s hand and stepped over to the jerk. “Would you come with me please, sir?”

I saw his expression change momentarily; then he got cocky again. “What’s wrong? You can’t answer if this kid is a fag or not?”

He said it loud enough so others could hear it. The young reporter who tapped me on the shoulder came over. “What the hell are you saying, Scott?”

He looked up at the young reporter. “Shut your trap, Chip. I have a reliable source that’s informed me this kid is a faggot.”

Chip’s face turned red then he reached down and grabbed Scott by the suit coat pulling him up out of his seat. “Listen you jerk, there is no law against being gay.”

Scott pushed Chip back. “What? I can’t believe this.”

Chip regained his balance then got into Scott’s face. “If you try and print this I’ll…”

“You’ll what?” Scott interrupted.

Just then several other reporters came over and I thought Bennie’s secret might be coming out. A woman ran up and raised her hand so I quickly had to intervene before I had to arrest her. “Easy now, you don’t want to do something you’ll be sorry for later.”

“No one prints crap like he wants too.” She said.

“Listen bitch,” Scott fired out as I let go of her arm.

<SLAP>

Scott was now nursing a red hand print on the side of his face. “I want her arrested.”

Bennie looked up at me. “Can I?”

I nodded my head then Bennie moved over to the group of reporters. “Ace, I want this guy arrested.”

Scott’s head snapped over. “What was that kid? You want me arrested? On what charges?”

Bennie looked at me again and as before, I nodded my head in approval. He stepped back removing the jacket I tied around his waist. As soon as he did, his slacks fell down around his ankles. “How does attempted rape grab you?”

Scott was in between a rock and a hard place so he had to think fast. “No way kid, I never touched you.”

“You didn’t?” Bennie shouted as he reached down and pulled his pants up. “You wanted to interview me for a magazine and asked me to find a quiet place. I found us an open room and that’s where you started talking nasty and started calling me names.”

“You’re full of it kid.”

Bennie looked up at me. “When I got away I closed the door.”

Ed heard the commotion and came back to the press area. “What’s going on Ace?”

I reached over and removed the reporter’s ID card. “It seems Mr. Scott Briggs assaulted Bennie.”

“I never touched that faggot.” Briggs yelled.

“If you use that word in my presence again, I’ll gag you, do we understand each other?” Ed said pointing at Scott.

I looked at Ed. “Have Bennie show you where this incident happened then seal it. Bennie said he closed the door so he would have had to have touched the door handle in order to open it to get out.”

Ed nodded. “I’ll get Hawks to dust it for prints.”

Scott got cocky then. “What are you going to use to compare it to? You’ll not finger print me.”

I looked at him and smiled. “We won’t have to. Your fingerprints are on file when you applied for your press credentials. We’ll compare what we find on the door handle to those.”

Bennie saw Briggs’ face change. “What’s wrong, jerk? You don’t look so big and bad now.”

I took Bennie with me as Ed took Scott out of the press area. “Ace, Dad’s gonna flip when he learns of this. Do you have to tell him?”

“I can’t keep this from him, love. He’ll be mad as hell if he learns of this from someone other than me. Do you have another pair of slacks in your carry-on?”

“Yeah, I do. I guess I should change them, huh?”

I nodded my head then he took off to change. I went to the security section and there was Scott Briggs sitting with one hand in cuffs with the other end secured to the seat. “Ace, I lifted some useable prints.”

I looked at Briggs and it seemed he was sweating bullets. “Upload them to the data base, then run them.”

I heard the phone buzz. “Yes?”

It was the flight deck. “We’re forty-five minutes out.”

“Very well,” I replied.

Johnny was in the computer room so I went over there to see how he was coming along. “Ace, it’s going to take several minutes to upload all these prints.”

“The flight deck just notified us we’re forty-five minutes out.”

“I should have something in about ten.

I found Ed staring at Briggs as I entered. “You realize your White House press credentials will be permanently revoked don’t you?”

“I don’t care. When I release this…”

“You’ll wish you’d never been born,” A voice said from behind me.

I looked behind me and there stood Ben and Bennie. “Would you care to tell me why you assaulted my son?”

“I didn’t do anything to him,” Briggs snarled. “The world will know about your kid when I get out of here.”

Johnny came in. “Ace we have a positive match. It seems our guest here was in fact in the office staff’s room.”

Just then another member of the press corps came in. Technically he wasn’t allowed out of their area. “Hey Scott, how’s that boyfriend of yours?”

His head snapped over towards the voice. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“I have a story ready to go to The Chicago Tribune. How’s this headline grab you? Southern reporter caught with boyfriend in a compromising act.”

This took guts to play this kind of a bluff. “Who the hell are you?”

He smiled and extended his hand. I’m Allan Crestwell with the Chicago Tribune. And who do you work for?”

I could see the worry on his face as he debated on answering the question. I had his press credentials and knew what paper he was with. I was ready to give him up when Briggs growled, “The Atlanta Journal and Constitution.”

“My, my,” Alan said smiling. “That’s a very southern news paper. How do you think they’d take to that story, especially since I’ll name your paper in the headline.”

“You wouldn’t?” He spat.

“Try me,” Crestwell spat back. “Now… here is what you’re going to do. I have a statement here promising you will never mention anything, ever, about Benjamin Jacobs. This means verbally or in print.”

“What’s in it for me?”

Ben glared at him; “How about I don’t press charges against you.”

“I didn’t…”

Ben looked at me. “Agent Mason, you can do your duty.”

“Wait, wait,” Briggs shouted knowing he’d been beat. “I’ll sign it but I get my credentials back.”

I glared at him. “No way. You left the press area, didn’t you?”

He looked down. “Yeah I did; damn it.”

Briggs signed the paper along with a few extra copies then I followed Ben and Bennie down to his office.

Fifteen minutes before we landed, I had another meeting with the agents. We touched down a few minutes later than expected. We taxied over to a secured terminal, then Ed and Hawks deplaned to talk with the agents there. A couple minutes later, Hawks stuck his head inside and called me over. “Come down here, Ace.”

Hawks and I went over to where Ed and another agent were talking. They stopped when Hawks and I came up. Hawks looked at an agent I didn’t know. “Pete Morgan, this is Rich Mason. He’s The President’s son’s body-guard. Where ever you see him, Bennie is nearby and vice versa.”

“That’s all, well and good, but we change off a child’s assigned agent every few days.”

This guy had a lot to learn about Bennie. “You change off every few days? There’s no continuity there because things are always getting changed.”

“Well, it’s worked in the past.”

I rolled my eyes. “Have you ever had to guard a teen? They’re an entity all to themselves.”

“He’ll have to accept our protocols. We all have a job to protect the President and his family.”

It was time to put my foot down. “Look, I don’t know about your protocols and don’t care when it comes to the President’s son. I’m his guard and you will have to accept it. If you wish to challenge that, you can talk to the new director, or to the President.”

“I will be talking to the incoming director.”

It was then his last name hit me. “Are you any relation to Evelyn Morgan, the new director?”

He smiled. “That’s my sister and I do have her ear.”

I smiled back. “As do I and I know she’ll never change my assignment.”

“We’ll see. Now let’s get them out of the plane and over to Blair House.”

Ed and I returned to the plane then came off with Ben and Bennie. I got in the limo with them then we headed for Blair House. When we arrived, Agent Morgan was in a heated conversation with someone on his cell phone. We got Ben and Bennie to their quarters then Ed was called downstairs. I let Bennie get settled then I went with Ed. As we stepped off the elevator my cell phone rang; “Mason.”

“Ace, what’s going on?”

“Well hello Evelyn. The flight was nice; we had an incident which I’m sure you already know about, but other than that, I’m doing fine and everything is under control. What do you mean what’s going on?”

“I just had a call from…”

“Let me guess,” I interrupted. “Agent Pete Morgan.”

“Yeah,”

“I’ll handle this.” I snapped back.

“Ace, don’t do anything stupid.”

“Evelyn, I didn’t last twenty years in the Air Force by doing stupid things. By the way, how’d the meeting with the U.S. Attorney go?”

“It went well. Nick is in Federal Custody now and in solitary. We’ll be kept in the loop.”

“Good, I gotta go.”

I closed my phone and walked over to where Ed and Pete were talking. “Agent Miller, I’m head of the White House Detail. I have to know every detail of what’s going on.”

I looked at Morgan, “You, with me, now!”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me. This is getting settled once and for all.”

To be continued...

Posted: 11/27/09