During the 1990s I worked for three years as a staff investigator in the U.S. Senate and then worked six years as a producer at a network TV magazine show. Despite what you might think from recent news stories about Sen. John Ensign or late-night comic David Letterman, blackmail was not the norm at either of my high-profile workplaces.

Both employment locations were high-stress environments filled with talented, intelligent people at the top of their field. Long work days and weekends were typical. At both venues the majority of my young and attractive colleagues worked tirelessly in support of older and more powerful principals. When I moved to television from Capitol Hill, senators with gavels were replaced by stars behind anchor desks, and men with flag pins were swapped for men in makeup, but retinues surrounded the big shots at both jobs. Some say power is an aphrodisiac. I can't say it turned me on, but I definitely saw how fame and authority can feed those who encircle it.