The Vegas trip had made me more valuable to my boss and the firm. After another promotion as a Wall Street stock analyst, I was home for Thanksgiving. I asked about Cicely, not mentioning that I had met Mila. Mom wasn't likely to understand that her niece was a stripper, a sometimes porn star, and maybe more.
Tracking down Cicely turned out to be easier than I thought. My mom said Cici was, in fact, living on the East Coast. Apparently, Cici had taken a job in Washington, DC after graduating from college. That's all Mom knew.
I did a search on the Internet and found her living not far from the Smithsonian in DC, although finding her e-mail address was a bigger challenge. A colleague in our firm's IT department had connections. He did me a favor locating her gmail address. It took me a week before I sent a short message.
Hey, Cici. Heard you were in DC. Send me a note if you want to reconnect.
Cousin Dalton
A week, maybe ten days later I got a response.
Hi Cousin. Sorry it took so long to get back to you. I didn't recognize the name. Had to call Mom to ask if we knew a Dalton. I only called you Cousin. So now I know you have a proper name as well. ;-) Sure, we should catch up. Cici
I wrote back.
I live in NYC, so maybe we can get together sometime.
Her reply came the next day.
Good timing. I'll be in NYC next week. I'll tell you more when looking at my schedule..
Cici met me near Radio City at the Avenue of the Americas Fountain for lunch. We walked a short distance and found Connolly's Pub and Restaurant on 54th Street. It wasn't very busy, and we found a quiet corner where we could talk.
I told her about my job as a stock market analyst. She said she was the gatekeeper for Congressman Joel Friedman, a Democrat from the 10th District.
"So what does a Congressional gatekeeper do?" I asked.
"I let people in the door if they are worthy."
That intensified my curiosity. "Huh? How do you decide if they are worthy?"
"Either they are someone the Congressman has already done business with, or they have something in their wallet to contribute."
"You mean money."
"Of course," she said with a devious smile. "Look, my job is to sort out the lobbyists that are willing to support Congressman Friedman's agenda from those who are there to change his vote. I've been doing it for the last two years, and I'm pretty good at telling the difference."
While she was explaining it all, I fell back on my analyst job, but this time I was analyzing Cici, not stocks.
She no longer was the snide little girl I remembered from our family holiday parties. Cici was now an attractive blond woman with a natural way with people. She was a good listener and made me feel at ease during lunch. I wanted to learn more about her job when she changed the subject.
She abruptly said, "That's enough about me, Cousin. How are your parents?"
So, the topic had turned to family. I asked her if she had been in contact with Mila. She hadn't. I told her about a chance meeting I had with Mila in Vegas, but didn't go into details.
Cici was quite unfazed, "She's a stripper in Vegas, you say. Well, I'm not surprised. There was always something about her that seemed that she was a little bit of a exhibitionist."
"Well, why not," I said. "Mila has a great body to be proud of."
"Oh, so you saw her act."
"Of course. Like I told you, that's where we met. Anyway, I had seen both of you half naked years ago."
"Oh no. You remember that? You know she dared me to do it, and I went along with it. I shouldn't have."
"I always wondered," I said. "Was it you or Mila that gave me a blowjob? It was my first, you know."
Cici didn't answer, but her face flushed when she asked, "Do you think we look alike, Cousin?"
"You're both beautiful and sexy."
"Do you think I'm sexy like Mila?"
"Not like Mila. You are sexy in your own way, Cici."
She smiled and said, "This has been fun, but I've got to get back to the Congressman. He has a meeting this afternoon at three, and I've got to be there."
I paid the bill and walked her to the subway station. "Will you be here a few more days?" I asked.
"We go back to DC tomorrow, so I won't be able to see you again."
"Where are you staying?"
"I'm staying at Congressman Friedman's apartment. Keep in touch. Maybe you can visit me in DC," and she turned to walk away. Then she made a quick turn looking back at me. "By the way, Dalton, the Congressman is giving a party for a few lobbyist next month. It's a fund raiser of sorts. Maybe I can get you in. Bye." She gave me an air kiss.
Hmmm, the Congressman's apartment and a fund raiser. They both got me to thinking and wondering.
On a Friday before the fund raiser, I took the train to Washington, DC and checked into a hotel not far from the Smithsonian and Cici's apartment. I met her for dinner that first night when I learned a little more about her.
"Tell me, Cici, how did you get the job with Congressman Friedman?"
She took a deep breath before answering. "Maybe a little bit by coincidence. I was with my date at a pub near his apartment. He was there with a woman, not his wife of course. That's the way it is here on Capitol Hill. Anyway, she and I got talking. The woman, Maggie, said the Congressman was looking for a secretary now that she was switching jobs to work for the Defense Department. Maggie gave me his phone number in case I was interested. I called and set up an appointment for an interview.
"The interview with Congressman Friedman went well, but he had more girls applying. He invited me to dinner that night to get to know me better. I jumped at the chance.
"It was a very elegant expensive restaurant. He told me how strongly he supported workplace equality and the importance of LGBT and woman's rights. He is a strong advocate of diversity. Of course, I had to agree with everything he said if I was going to get the job. Then he said he wanted to spend more time with me. I didn't understand he meant all night."
It took a moment before saying rhetorically, "So you slept with him as part of the interview process."
"Cousin, one thing I had learned about working in DC is that you don't get a job because you graduated Magna Cum Laude in college. Only the 'cum' part will get you there." She giggled. "Look, we were brought up differently as kids, but the world of politics is a universe all its own. When we are at the party tomorrow night you will see what I mean. Everyone will be jockeying for position."
"And that means?"
"You'll see. Some want to persuade the Congressmen to do something for them. A few of the lobbyists are women and can be very persuasive. Others want to march up the promotion ladder and get a more important job. Keep in mind that nothing will stand in their way when they set their mind to it. I suggest you not say you are an analyst. You'll be better off as a CEO, even if you make up the name of your firm."
The party began at nine that next evening. I was now the CEO of DWJ Investments. Using my initials seemed best so I would remember the lie. I dressed in a tux, a lavender shirt and black tie. It was a curious assemblage of handsome gray-haired men and pretty young women. Cici introduced me to a half dozen people, some were women, others were men who lobbied the Congressman. Then she said she needed to stand by Joel to keep the gate closed. Cici left me to my own devices saying, "Have fun, Cousin."
I wasn't sure what she meant by "keeping the gate closed." It sounded like it was a way to protect him from barbarians.