***As always, all characters involved in any sexual activity are at least eighteen years old (or older). Also, all the characters in this story are
purely fictitious
and are
not
based on any real people. I should warn you, this is a tale set in the UK, written by a British author. I like to believe the story is understandable and accessible, but there may be some terminology or idioms, non-British readers might not understand.***
1
It was nearly three in the morning when the small convoy of cars reached Number Ten. The summit in Brussels had dragged on late into the evening, as was
always
the case, and he had to do the usual post match press conference and a round of interviews before he could fly back to London. Someone had briefly floated the idea of staying overnight at the Ambassador's residence, but Henry wanted to get home. And he was the
boss
, so he got to have the final say.
They touched down at RAF Northolt just after two. One of the advantages of being
Her Britannic Majesty's Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury
, was you didn't have to hang around at passport control or customs. Once you were on the ground, you could get off the plane and just leave. His car, a specially-adapted, armoured
Jaguar
, was waiting for him on the tarmac. Behind it were a row of black Range Rovers. These would ferry officials, special advisers and the prime minister's personal protection unit.
Northolt was actually the oldest RAF base in the country. It was only around ten miles outside central London, and was used by members of the Government and the Royal Family for official trips abroad. The rest of the time, the politicians had to slum it on commercial flights, with the proles and the
hoi polloi
.
Henry Sellers greeted his regular driver, a young man called Chris, and climbed in to the back of the car. There wasn't a huge amount of room. The armoured plating, plus various other security gadgets, meant the vehicle was actually rather cramped inside. American presidents had
The Beast
, the giant stretch limo that looked a bit like a tank. But British prime ministers had to rely on a slightly more modest form of transport.
"Everything go according to plan, Prime Minister?" Chris asked.
"A bit too early to say, I think." Henry replied, with a sigh. "It's over, though. That's one thing to cheer about."
"Absolutely, sir."
With that, Chris drove off and spirited his very important passenger away in to the night. Henry took a phone out of his jacket pocket, and switched it on. He actually had
three
mobile phones. One was for
official
business, anything connected to his governmental work. Another one was for
party political
purposes, and couldn't be used when he had his prime ministerial hat on. The third was a
private
phone that only a handful of people even knew about, let alone had the number for. This was the phone he always turned on first.
It lit up, illuminating his face in the darkened rear of the car, and after a few seconds, it beeped. The text message icon appeared. He pressed the screen, knowing with cast iron certainty who the sender was likely to be.
Hannah.
His daughter.
He opened the message.
Hey,
it said.
Text me when you land, so I know you got back okay.
He typed a quick reply.
I've landed.
After a few seconds, another beep:
Yippee, I'll still be up when you get home.
Go to bed, it's late,
he told her.
No! I want to kiss you goodnight.
Okay. I'll be back soon. Love you.
I love you too, Daddy. xxx
Henry stared at those words until the screen went black. A powerful sensation of warmth and contentment washed over him. All thoughts of the previous few days disappeared from his mind. Suddenly he couldn't care less about EU rebates or agricultural subsidies. None of it mattered. Not now. Everything else was irrelevant compared to
her.
She was his rock, his support. His
life
. He smiled to himself contentedly as the car sped through the quiet streets of London, and on towards Downing Street.
Sir George Downing had clearly been a survivor. He was a soldier - and a spy - who had served under Oliver Cromwell
and
Charles II. He also knew how to make money. He'd bought the lease to a patch of land just east of St James's Park in 1654. There's been some speculation it had formerly been the site of a brewery. Sir George built a cul-de-sac of town houses and promptly named the street after himself. Eventually, in the early 1730s, three of the buildings were knocked into one and given by the King to Sir Robert Walpole as an official residence. From then on, Ten Downing Street became the home of every subsequent prime minister.
Up to and including its latest occupant, the Right Honourable Henry Sellers MP. He'd been living there for more than two years now, after a narrow and somewhat unexpected election victory for his party. He was one of the younger occupants of this house, having only recently turned 45. He still couldn't quite believe he had the job. Every time his car came to a halt outside that famous black door, he felt like pinching himself.
This can't be real,
he'd think.
It's a prank someone is playing on me; it's a dream and soon I'll wake up.
But reality it was, and yet again he found himself clambering out of his armed
Jaguar
and walking into Number Ten.
The house was relatively quiet, but there were still a few people scurrying around. This wasn't just a home, it was a working office. The heart of Government no less. During the day, the place could be absolute bedlam, with secretaries and officials running round; diplomats and dignitaries being entertained.
As Henry walked through the door, he was met, as always, by his Cabinet Secretary, Sir Angus Stout. Sir Angus was a civil servant, not a party political figure. He was in fact the
top
civil servant in the whole of government, and had an army of people under his command. Henry had always found him to be a loyal and dedicated figure.
"You have to understand the nature of my role, Prime Minister," He had told him on the day Henry got the job, and walked into Downing Street as his nation's leader for the first time. "It is my task to serve you with absolute commitment. It is the job of the civil service to support and facilitate the Government in every way possible. And then, come the next election, if you were to lose, we would offer the
exact
same support to your political opponents."
"That's good to know." Henry had replied, somewhat sardonically.
Tonight, or technically this morning, Sir Angus smiled serenely and welcomed his boss home.
"Prime Minister, I trust your experience with our Continental cousins wasn't too awful?"
"No, Angus, it was just about bearable."
"Well, that is good news. I imagine you would like to head upstairs and get some sleep?"
"That is the plan."
"There might be a slight hiccough with that, I'm afraid."
"Really?"
"Yes, the Prime Minister of Canada would like to discuss an issue with you."
"Now? It's three o'clock in the bloody morning! Can't this wait until tomorrow?"
"Yes, she is aware that her timing is not exactly perfect, for which she offers profuse apologies, but she says it's rather urgent. Ms Sawyer is in the middle of an election campaign, and that does rather focus one's attention. Nothing can wait when you are running for office."
Henry sighed. He had wanted to go straight up to the Flat and see Hannah, but he well understood the hazards of the job. When you are prime minister, you never have enough time.
Someone
always wants
something.
Demands were always made, even in the middle of the night. He was sorely tempted to tell Sir Angus to tell the Canadian PM to fuck right off - well he might not use those exact words - but she was in theory an ally. So, instead, he headed to his study and prepared to take the call.
Forty-five minutes later and Henry was
finally
heading upstairs. His phone call had been tedious and unnecessary, but that was true about a lot of what he found himself doing. His job could be so
frustrating
. He was in a position where he could make a positive difference in so many people's lives, but actually making the levers of government work was unbelievably difficult. Finding a way to implement the changes he wanted, sometimes seemed impossible. He felt honoured being prime minister, but it depressed him plenty of the time too.
The Flat was the name everyone gave to the small apartment at the top of the building where Henry lived. It astonished almost anyone who ever set foot in the place, to see how small and cramped the living quarters were. Most world leaders had a palace or a mansion; the British prime minister had to make do with something a lot less grand. Sure, he had
Chequers
, a large house out in the country, but he spent a lot more of his time here.
This place was a refuge. An escape. Throughout the rest of the building, he was almost always accompanied by other people. Officials, security personnel, ministers, MPs. It sometimes felt like he could never get away. But in the Flat he could be alone. Alone with his daughter. There were strict rules in place. No one was allowed to just come in unannounced. Even Sir Angus. You had to be buzzed in. The door was locked. Entry was barred. Henry had good reason to insist on his privacy.
And that reason was fast asleep in the living room.