Black President Season 2 Collection

by Brenda Hampton

  With that tad bit of information, I was hyped. We were expected to attend a party that included many of the rich and famous in Washington. Everyone wondered if Stephen would attend, but I hadn’t heard one peep from him. Every time I called, his cell phone went to voicemail. I had gone to Andrew’s office to see if he’d heard from Stephen. He had, but he didn’t provide any details about what Stephen had been up to.

  “All I want to know is if he’s okay and resting,” I said. “When he left, he was down in the dumps.”

  “Yes, he was, but I think he’s feeling better. At least that’s what he told me. I can only hope so, because the sooner he can get back here, the better.”

  “Well, the next time you speak to him, tell him to call me. He needs to call Raynetta too. She said she hasn’t heard much from him. The only thing she received was a brief text message.”

  Andrew displayed a fake smile. “I’ll be sure to tell him. Meanwhile, will you be attending the gala tonight?”

  “I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I wish Stephen was here, but I guess he’s not going to make it.”

  “Unfortunately not. But I’m sure he’ll be in attendance at the next one.”

  I didn’t say anything else to Andrew. He seemed reluctant to tell me anything, and the smirk on his face irritated me. I returned to the Queen’s Bedroom to get ready for the gala tonight. For this country to be more than 23 trillion dollars in debt, I wondered how lawmakers had time to party. They all needed their asses kicked, and I was so sure that every single member of congress would be at the party tonight. There would be a few specks of black people here and there, along with numerous coons who did whatever to fit in. Raynetta and I knew many eyes would be upon us, so I made sure my attire was flawless. I prayed that she would get it together tonight, and if she didn’t, I would keep my distance. The Elie Saab dress I wore was a champagne colored sheer gown with red silk flowers flowing through the upper half. It had a plunging neckline, and with silver accessories meshing with the color of my layered hair, I would slay every woman who crossed my path. Years ago, Stephen had purchased teardrop diamond earrings for me for Mother’s Day, so I wore those. Glamourous defined me, and I didn’t dare need a stylist to help me get ready. Raynetta, however, had one on hand tonight.

  I was ready to meet up with her, so I sent her a text to see if she was ready. She said she’d be ready in ten minutes and asked me to meet her in the Yellow Room so we could exit the White House together.

  The second I left the Queen’s Bedroom, Secret Service was right there. All eyes were locked on me, and if I was blessed enough to capture the attention of these young men, I had to pat myself on the back.

  “I’m not ready to leave yet,” I said, prancing down the hallway. “And I won’t be leaving until my daughter-in-law is ready.”

  They backed off, but kept their eyes on me. I went into the Yellow Room, admiring myself while looking in the mirrors. The ruby red lipstick I wore matched the flowers in my dress—this was probably the best I had ever looked. Just as I was teasing my feathery bangs, I could see Raynetta’s reflection in the mirror. I swung around to examine her. For the first time ever, she had gotten it right. A smile washed across my face and my eyes were glued to her stunning dress and hair that was swept back into a loose twisted knot. The dress she wore was a cocoa colored, silk fitted dress with a sash around her perfect waistline. The ruffled collar traveled around her neckline, and with bare arms, smoky eyes, and just a sliver of her cleavage showing, she was one sexy diva. What really set her off was the high slit that started at her upper thigh and traveled all the way down the dress. We complimented each other at the same time and laughed.

  “You are slaying it,” I said. “Girl, who made that dress?”

  “The one and only Miss Vera Wang,” Raynetta said, spinning around so I could check out the back. It was perfect. Wherever Stephen was or whatever he was doing, he was truly missing out.

  “I wish you could look like that all the time,” I joked, but was serious.

  Raynetta threw her hand back at me. “Don’t start, okay? We’re on the right track so please don’t veer off course.”

  “I’ll try not to. In the meantime, let’s get out of here and go get this party started.”

  With Secret Service surrounding us, we left the White House ready for some fun tonight. The moment we arrived at the gala together, people appeared shocked. There were many whispers as we exited the stretch limousine. Camera’s flashed and Secret Service had to push away many reporters who wanted to know one thing—well, a couple of things.

  “Where is the president? Will he be joining you ladies tonight?”

  “Are you feeling better, Mrs. Jefferson? Do you have anything to say about the explosion?”

  “Are you ladies getting along better these days?”

  “Is the president on vacation with his other woman? Why aren’t the two of you together, and to the other Miss Jefferson, are you still a heavy drinker?”

  Raynetta’s head snapped to the side, but before she lashed out at the white bitch who needed to be slapped in her mouth, I reached for Raynetta’s arm.

  “Don’t let her distract you,” I whispered. “Smile at that heifer and keep it moving.”

  Raynetta did just that, and as we paraded down the long red carpet inside, many people fawned all over us.

  “You two look simply beautiful. Who are you wearing?” A fashion reporter from a magazine asked. Truthfully, who or what we wore was none of her business.

  We just smiled, waved and kept it moving. The stares continued and everybody, particularly some of the filthy rich uppity women, couldn’t help but to take double and triple looks at us. Raynetta was treated like royalty, and many reporters were trying to get one minute of her time. She didn’t halt her steps until she spotted a reporter, Chanel Hamilton, who had hooked up with Stephen on Air Force One. On the other side of the red carpeted area was Michelle. I saw the smile on Raynetta’s face vanish as she looked at her. That was when I leaned in and whispered to her.

  “I guess ho’s like to party too. Whatever you do, don’t allow them to ruin your evening. You know why we’re here, so focus. If they say anything to you, just flash your wedding ring and strut on.”

  Raynetta laughed and smiled. We finally made our way into the lavish ballroom where nothing but money was blowing through the air. Numerous chandeliers hung from the high ceilings, and the carpet was so plush that my heels sunk into it. Several tables were set for dining, and with gold drapes covering the massive curvy windows, richness was on display. There was a band playing music in the center of the floor, and hundreds of waiters and waitresses scurried around to serve the guests champagne and caviar. It was time to meet and greet, so as Raynetta moved in one direction, I headed in another.

  “My, my, Teresa,” Senator Coleman said, moving too close to me. “Don’t you look lovely tonight.”

  “Always, sweetheart,” I teased and shook his hand. “You don’t look so bad yourself.”

  That was all the conversation he’d gotten from me. I hurried away, and pranced around the room conducting small talk with a bunch of fake people.

  “Teresa, you need to stop by next week so we can have tea,” Senator Bell’s wife

  said while looking me up and down.

  “I don’t do tea, sweetie. Only alcoholic beverages, preferably white wine or Cognac.”

  Her mouth dropped open as I skirted away and indulged in another conversation with Senator Salvatore and his daughter.

  “I saw that dress on the runway in Paris last week,” she said, looking at me in awe. “My dad wouldn’t purchase it because he said it cost a fortune. How did you, I mean, did you find it on sale somewhere?”

  She was another ignorant bitch who needed to be slapped. And only because I wasn’t in the mood to do so, I just walked away from her. She had the nerve to ask her father if she had said something to offend me. I started to go back and answer her question, but instead, I grabbed a flute gla
ss of champagne from one of the waiters and tuned in to listen to Raynetta who had made her way on stage where the band was. She stood on stage looking like a million bucks. Many lustful eyes were locked on her. Jealousy was in Michelle’s eyes, and far across the room stood Chanel with pursed lips.

  “I apologize that the president couldn’t be here tonight,” Raynetta said in a professional tone. One never would’ve guessed she was born and raised in the projects. I had to laugh to myself because so was I. “He had a prior engagement that he was unable to cancel. He wanted me to encourage all of you to have a good time, and he promised that when he returns to Washington, some serious work will finally get done.”

  Nearly everyone chuckled, with the exception of a chunky fool next to me who said, “It’s about damn time, lazy fuck.”

  I snapped my head to the side. It was one thing to say something about me, but saying something negative about my son triggered something horrible inside of me.

  “At least we know your mouth isn’t lazy, don’t we, Mr. Piggy? If you ever speak ill about the president again, in my presence, I will make sure you never eat another snack.”

  He stood frozen with a cracker in his hand. I cut my eyes and moved in another direction. I didn’t get far, before Andrew halted my steps to introduce me to a black senator who had been cooning on Capitol Hill for too many years.

  “Teresaaaaa,” Andrew said. I could tell he’d had too much to drink; a glassy film covered his eyes. “I’m not sure if you know Senator Belmar or not. He’s single and he asked if I would introduce you to him.”

  “I know Senator Belmar very well. He’s a Republican who has voted against nearly everything that could be beneficial to my people. In knowing so, Senator Belmar is going to stay single for a very long time.”

  Moving right along, I saw Raynetta step away from the bar and swish her way through the crowd. She stopped and conversed with several people, before she disappeared down a hallway. I followed, and the closer I got, I saw her speaking to Alex by an elevator. Just so they wouldn’t see me, I moved to the other side of the hallway to listen in and watch them. Alex gave Raynetta an envelope.

  “This is a start,” he whispered. “Mr. McNeil is here tonight, but he’s upstairs tying up a business meeting with two Japanese men. The information in the envelope will get the prosecutor’s attention, but I don’t know if it will prompt him to start an investigation or convince him to build a case against Mr. McNeil. The prosecutor is here tonight, so it would be wise for you to somehow get this information into his hands. You may want to have someone else deliver the envelope to him. He’s going to get suspicious if you hand it to him, and I don’t recommend mailing it.”

  Raynetta tapped the envelope against her hand and smiled. “This is exactly what I need. If you can get more information, please do.”

  “I will. My job is in no way finished yet, and as I said before, that’s a start. Meanwhile,” he said and moved closer to her. There was no breathing room between them. “Can I tell you how beautiful you look tonight? I can’t keep my eyes off you and my heart is racing a mile a minute. I want you so bad I can taste it. I know what you said, but I don’t know how much longer I can go on like this.”

  Raynetta placed her hand against his heaving chest. Her eyes flirted with him, but I couldn’t tell if she was serious or not. “Be patient, Alex. Keep in mind what I said and let’s not get ahead of ourselves, okay?”

  He stepped back. I could see how deep Alex’s feelings were for Raynetta. She’d better hope and pray this mess wouldn’t bring about more headaches for my son. I appreciated Alex for getting the information for us, but when Raynetta mentioned she’d had someone working behind the scenes, I didn’t know it was him. He rubbed his finger along the side of her face, and then he kissed her cheek. After he walked off, so did Raynetta. She headed back to the ballroom, and as I moved in that direction too, I finally caught up with her.

  “I’ve been looking for you,” she said. “I have some information about Mr. McNeil that needs to get into the prosecutor’s hands right away. I need someone to give it to him, other than me.”

  I snatched the envelope from her hand. “I’ll happily give it to him, but first, I need to see what’s inside of the envelope.”

  Raynetta agreed, so we moseyed to the ladies room where several prissy women were standing around gossiping and boasting about how rich they were.

  “Don purchased one of those big ole yachts last week and we’ve been sailing the high seas ever since. You ladies should join us. I promise we’ll have loads of fun.”

  I cut my eyes and didn’t bother to speak. Raynetta and I hurried to a sitting area in the restroom to view what was inside of the envelope. As I pulled out the papers and started to read, Alex had definitely done his homework. He had pertinent information relating to a multi-million dollar sex slave trafficking organization that had Mr. McNeil’s name written all over it. Raynetta and I couldn’t believe our eyes as we combed through the papers. It was disheartening to read. There were photos included as well. We both looked at the material with scrunched up faces, probably thinking the same thing. Mr. McNeil needed to be arrested.

  “What more do we need?” Raynetta whispered. “This is enough to send him and anyone else involved away for a long time.”

  I wasn’t as convinced as Raynetta was. Bringing down the rich and powerful wasn’t an easy task, no matter what kind of mess they were involved in. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that, but whatever additional information your friend has, be sure to get it. I’m going to make sure the prosecutor gets this envelope tonight. I’ll give him a few days to review everything, but after that he needs to let me know something.”

  “I agree,” Raynetta said. “In the meantime, I’ll keep in contact with my friend.”

  I tucked the envelope underneath my arm, and as soon as we left the restroom, Michelle was leaning against a wall waiting for us. Wearing a blue sequins short dress, she looked decent too. I guess she’d thought Stephen would be here tonight.

  “I’m sorry to bother you, Raynetta, but may I speak to you for a few minutes?”

  I assumed Raynetta had no idea I’d offered Michelle money to shake up things with Stephen. I definitely didn’t want them talking without me around, so when I didn’t step away, Michelle looked at me.

  “If you don’t mind, I’d like to speak to the first lady in private,” she said.

  “I do mind,” I said. “Whatever you have to say to her, you can say it in front of me.”

  Thankfully, Raynetta was on my side this time. “I don’t have much time, so say whatever it is that you need to say.”

  Michelle released a deep breath and spoke sincerely. “I would like to apologize to you for getting involved with your husband. It shouldn’t have happened and I will never interfere again. Enjoy your evening, and in case you don’t already know it, you look amazing tonight.”

  Not even waiting for a response, she walked away. She was sweet. Too bad Stephen hadn’t met her before he’d met Raynetta.

  “She could’ve kept that to herself,” Raynetta said. “How do you apologize for screwing someone’s husband? Multiple times at that. I can only wonder why they’re not messing around anymore.”

  “Because Stephen loves you and no other woman will ever replace you. That, my dear, is the truth.”

  Raynetta blushed. Unfortunately for me, sometimes, the truth stung a little.

  While Raynetta was off mingling again, I saw Mr. McNeil gazing at her from a far. His old bushy browed, wrinkled face ass wanted a piece of her for sure. I could tell by the way he licked across his lips and touched himself down below. Probably couldn’t even get his little wiener up anymore, but I was sure he was thinking dirty things to himself. Wherever she moved, his eyes traveled with her. His wife was too busy running her mouth to notice, but after I saw him step outside on the balcony, that was when I followed him. A fireworks display was in the works, and as he looked up at the red, white and blue performance, wh
ile holding a cane, I interrupted him.

  “Beautiful, isn’t it?” I said, looking at the fireworks display too.

  He jerked his head to the side and looked at me. He didn’t respond until he turned his head to glance at the fireworks again.

  “Yes, it is beautiful.” He coughed and sucked his teeth. Nasty bastard didn’t even bother to cover his mouth. “But I assume you didn’t come out here to discuss fireworks.”

  I snapped my finger. “As a matter of fact, I didn’t. I wanted to see how you were doing. I heard about your little accident, and it’s a shame that Levi didn’t finish you off when he had a chance to. Or, was that a set up too? He really didn’t try to injure you, especially since he was already on your payroll, right?”

  His eyes widened. He was shocked to learn that I’d known about his connection to Levi.

  “That bastard did stab me,” he said with trembling thin lips. “I have the wounds to prove it. Do you need proof?”

  “I don’t care to see your wounds. Besides, there is no way for me to recognize a stab wound through all those wrinkles. If he did injure you purposely, you deserved it. You deserved more than that, and it’s just a matter of time before you’re going to pay for what you’ve done to my family, particularly my son.”

  Mr. McNeil smiled and wiped across his slick mouth. “Speaking of your son, where is he? I don’t smell any niggers around here tonight, so I assume he’s far away. I do, however, smell niggerettes.” He chuckled, sniffed the air, then looked me up and down. “That’s the name my associates and me made up for black women like you and the name we gave some of the servers around here. Since I can’t find one right now, why don’t you go fetch me a glass of champagne and bring back a chair so I can sit while watching the fireworks.”