Diplomacy

asleep.
    He kissed his lover’s hand one more time and gently placed it on the bedcovers. “Never forget that I love you, Jack,” he whispered to his sleeping lover before he walked out of the room.

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    Impasse

    FUNCTIONS : the necessary evil of his public office.
    To Jack, Christmas always felt like such a fake affair at the Embassy. It was one of those things you should celebrate with your family, yet he was supposed to show up at a reception Maria organized for all the Americans who wouldn’t be able to celebrate with their loved ones.
    How ironic, Jack thought, that he had lost almost everyone he loved these past months. First Lucas had left. The last Jack had seen of the young man was in hospital. No goodbye, nothing. Sean told him that Lucas had been granted educational leave and had left to finish his Master’s degree at Stanford University. Then Jack got a phone call from one of his brothers to tell him that their parents had been killed in a car accident in Namibia.
    Their bodies were flown to New York for burial and he had settled all their affairs, dividing their assets equally between himself and his two brothers. For a moment, he had thought of flying on to California to try to get in touch with Lucas, but he felt it would only make matters worse.
    Maria was still there, of course, still the ever devoted wife. As if nothing had happened.
    He still loved her dedication, the way she could totally set aside her own feelings when it came to doing what needed to be done. But he didn’t love her any more, not as a wife at least. He had taken up residence in the guest room, not wanting to share a bed with her now, and she hadn’t argued. The nights were long and lonely. He missed Lucas and he often woke up in the middle of the night realizing he had dreamt about his young lover. Ex-lover. There was no changing that now. Not now that he had chosen to continue his diplomatic career.

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    In a minute they would be going out to greet their guests, and he would no doubt be complimented on his lovely wife again. The charade continued.
    “So are you ready?”
    Maria looked lovely in her strapless night blue dress, her hair carefully sculpted and pinned back. Her make-up was flawless and she smiled at him warmly as she straightened the lapels of his jacket and wiped some imaginary specks off his shoulders.
    “You look lovely, Maria.”
    “Thank you, so do you,” she gracefully accepted the compliment as she took his hand and led him into the reception hall.
    It was quite busy in there. Stacey had already done a great job welcoming their guests and he and Maria would soon be making their rounds, greeting Presbyterian ministers and businessmen. There would be eggnog and turkey sandwiches and a speech on the meaning of Christmas around the world.
    Jack felt his eyes wander over to the entrance from time to time, secretly hoping that a beautiful young man with dark curls would walk in again.
    But he knew it wouldn’t happen.

    D i p l o m a c y | 153

    Negotiations
    Resumed

    154 | Z a h r a O w e n s

    D i p l o m a c y | 155

Chapter Nineteen
    “LUCAS , I need a big favor.”
    Liz leaned over his desk in her usual flirty-without-ulterior-motives sort of way.
    “I really need this afternoon off, but since I’m the senior officer, I’ve been stuck with the assignment from hell.” Lucas knew she was a bit of a drama queen, so he didn’t take the
    ‘assignment from hell’ too seriously. “So you want me to take over from you, leaving you with a free afternoon to go shag that guy from the Italian delegation, right?”
    “Lucas!” she rebutted, feigning insult. “We don’t just shag. His wife is always in Italy, so he told me he’s divorcing her.”
    “Yeah, that’s what they all say, Liz, just to get you in the sack. But they never leave their wives, believe me, I know.” He shook his head and conceded. “Fine! What’s the job? You and Mister Italy go shag like bunnies; I’ll stay here and work for a living.”
    “All I know is: former U.S. Ambassador who has a job interview here in the U.N. building. You are not to let him wander around alone.
    After the interview, you will be told whether or not you need to help him fill out his security requirements. So either you escort him outside or you help him get a security badge.”
    Liz was in turbo mode, clearly eager to leave as soon as possible, so Lucas didn’t waste any words either.