Heath was live on monitors on every surface in the studio. He turned to look at a second camera, which afforded viewers an extreme close-up of his pretty honey-toned face.

“The hidden camera video you’re about to see gives us rare insight into the private lives of our leaders. It’s about lust. Betrayal. Duty. Freedom. A story older than time.”

Natalie checked the teleprompter. It did, in fact, say “older than time.”

Was it possible for a thing to be older than time? she wondered, then realized that in a world where the boss could arrive in a ray of light, questions like that were just childish. Who was to say that time didn’t have an older sister or maybe a cousin?

The teleprompter read “pause for graphic,” which Heath did. The screen exploded into the tiny red and green shards from which the words ONLY ON ATN came bursting forth, followed by the video. Heath provided voice-over narration, which included the phrases “treasonous love” and “way hotter than the president.”

The video rolled and as Natalie watched it for the second time, she tried to discern if the two people in the video seemed to be sleeping together. FLOTUS looked more relaxed than Natalie had previously seen her. Hair down loose, she seemed soft and vulnerable. Which suggested an affair, but didn’t prove it.

When the show came back from tape, Natalie saw the shot of herself on set next to Heath and Ryan, in a monitor out of the corner of her eye. A thrill of excitement shimmered through her. For the first time it felt real. She was “live, in studio” for Big Politics with Heath Heatherton. Her heart started to pound so fast she was sure the microphones could pick it up. This is making it.

She couldn’t wait to tell Sarah.

Heath turned to his right. “Ryan McGreavy, fresh from the Colombian embassy where you broke the news about Rigo Lystra. Tell us—the First Lady of the United States and another man. What do we have here?”

“What we have here is a shameful, un-American betrayal.” Ryan was somber. “There is nothing acceptable about committing adultery against the White House. Mrs. Crusoe has a solemn duty to be faithful. She’s violated her vows to her husband and to America. And there will be consequences.”

Natalie was staring at Ryan, dumbfounded. What kind of consequences? Does he think it’s unconstitutional to cheat on the president?

She was sure Heath would make Ryan clarify himself. Instead, the anchor nodded gravely and tossed the ball her way. “Natalie?”

“I think we need to be cautious,” Natalie said, trying to sound energetic and NOW! while also not sounding too alarmed. “The video is provocative. It raises many questions. But we can’t tell the nature of the relationship between the First Lady and that man. Surely we can reach a consens—”