“I promise not to let you down, and I can see many members of Congress already drafting legislation in your name and in honor of you.”
I extended my arm and gave the briefcase to her. She reached for it and held it.
“I don’t know if they’ll act that fast, but let’s just keep our fingers crossed,” she said. “Meanwhile, thanks for the money. You really didn’t have to give me this much. Your request was rather easy, and even though I’m a little sore from when that bullet hit my vest, and from falling hard to the ground, I’m glad everything worked out.”
With her jacket opened, she lifted her shirt to show me where Raynetta had fired two bullets at her stomach. Her six-pack was impressive.
“She got me right here. I dropped to the floor and squeezed those blood packets while my hands were underneath me. Both of them thought I was dead. They argued and it was difficult for me not to get up and laugh my ass off. All I can say is, your mother is quite a character.”
“You don’t have to convince me that she is and I’m thankful for bulletproof vests. Raynetta thinks she killed you and that’s what she needs to think. I don’t know what to say about my mother. I guess she thought she did good by poking her nose where it didn’t belong.”
General Stiles laughed and moved away from the window. “She is a mess, and I have to give her credit for trying to have your back. That woman is willing to do anything whatsoever for you. That’s not good.”
“No, it’s not and I can only hope and pray that this is the last straw.”
General Stiles laid the briefcase on the floor and squatted to open it. The inside was filled with stacks of hundred dollar bills with a rose on top of them. She lifted the rose, sniffing it.
“This is real sweet, Mr. President. I didn’t expect a rose and I can’t tell you the last time I’ve gotten one from a man.”
“I just wanted to give you a little something extra to let you know how much I appreciate you. Your loyalty means everything to me, and wherever you decide to go outside of the country, I hope you find a man who will shower you with gifts and roses every single day.”
“Maybe I will, maybe I won’t. No matter what, though, I’m sure with all this money in my possession, I’ll have my happily ever after and then some. More than anything, I’m looking forward to retirement and living in peace.”
She closed the briefcase and stood. As I moved closer to her, she opened her arms to embrace me.
“Take care handsome. I don’t know what you’re going to do without me, and trust me when I say finding a replacement for me won’t be easy.”
“I already know, so I won’t start looking for a replacement for a long time. Besides, I’m going to do my best to stay out of trouble. That way I won’t need anyone like you to rescue me.”
She backed away from our embrace and laughed. “Good luck with that. I’ll be rooting for you, but I don’t know if I have a lot of confidence in you staying out of trouble.”
Before I responded, she lifted the briefcase and moved towards the elevator. “My transportation is waiting for me,” she said. “My phone has been turned off and it’s been a pleasure working for you and serving this country. Aside from some of the bull I discussed with you about being treated unfairly at times, I’ve had fun.”
I stood with my arms folded across my chest and eyes narrowed while admiring one of the most beautiful and bravest women who had ever crossed my path. I surely hated to see her go for good, but this was exactly how we’d planned it.
As I was in deep thought, she snapped her finger to get my attention.
“Come on,” she said, waiting for the elevator to open. “Let’s go. What are you waiting for?”
I shrugged and sucked in my bottom lips. “I was hoping you had a little more time on your hands. Wondered if you would be willing to do me one more favor before you go.”
She looked at the watch on her wrist then shrugged too. “I may be fresh out of favors, but it depends on what you have in mind.”
“Why don’t you swing back in this direction so I can tell you? I don’t want to say anything with you being all the way over there.”
Right then, the elevator opened. General Stiles winked at me and stepped forward to get on it. I rushed to the elevator, holding the door so it wouldn’t close.
“Sorry, but I have to go,” she said. “I told you my transportation is waiting for me.”
“Your transportation can wait. As your commander-in-chief, I’m requesting your assistance.”
“Assistance with what?”
I looked down at the swelling hump in my slacks that caused the fabric to stretch. She examined the hump and commented.
“Now I see what you need assistance with. Why didn’t you just be more specific and clarify a few things for me? For that, yes, my transportation can wait.”
She sauntered by me and placed the briefcase on the floor. While I remained by the elevator, she removed her jacket and tossed it at me. It landed on my shoulder. Her jeans landed near my feet and her panties landed on top of my head.
“There,” she said, carefully placing her Glock 9 on the floor. She then opened her arms wide so I could see every bit of her nakedness. “Ready to assist, whenever you are too.”
She strutted her super-sexy self up to me and hiked up on the tips of her toes. After licking across my lips with her tongue, I pulled my sweater over my head. She unbuttoned my slacks then lowered them and my briefs to the floor. I stepped out of them, barely able to stand still as her mouth started to excite my steel. Right as the deepness of her throat made my knees buckle, I lifted her from her knees, carried her over to a work station in the center of the floor and laid her back on it. Her legs curved over my broad shoulders; I thanked her well for all she’d done. My tongue was in so deep inside of her that she squirmed around and scratched my back with her manicured nails. The arch in her back grew to great heights.
“I . . . I’m going to miss this,” she confessed. “Too bad it has to end like this.”
My mouth was full of her goodness, so I couldn’t respond. And even though I was sad about it ending like this too, I granted her a perfect ending we would never forget.
First Lady
Raynetta Jefferson
The book deal was off. Sixty-something million dollars disappeared just like that and my agent was livid with me. She begged me to reconsider, but under the circumstances I just couldn’t go through with it. The way I saw it, it wasn’t worth it. I didn’t want to bring Stephen down, especially after the lie he’d told to the American people to prevent me from being arrested. He knew I was the one who had killed General Stiles, and even though I was only defending myself, America would have taken the side of a woman like her, before taking mine. I felt horrible about the whole situation. Couldn’t believe it had come to this, and I was so grateful to Andrew for talking Stephen out of resigning. Somehow or someway he’d done it. I couldn’t do it and his mother definitely couldn’t. We were so sure he was going to throw in the towel, and as I watched him on TV while in the Executive Residence, my heart went out to him. I didn’t know how he would handle resigning, but I was relieved when he spoke about an explosion and mentioned General Stiles had been killed. Brilliant. That cleared my name for sure, but then, in the back of my mind, I kept sensing something fishy. Had I not seen General Stiles dead with my own eyes, maybe I would doubt what had happened. But there was no question she was dead and I had killed her. I was on edge after learning Stephen had actually put a hit out on me and ordered her to kill me. I never thought he would ever consider something like that, but I figured sharing his past secrets with the world caused him to cross that line. I could only imagine what would’ve happened had Teresa not shown up. In a sense, she’d saved my life. I didn’t know if I should’ve thanked her or been upset with her for setting me up to shoot General Stiles.
In a nutshell, this whole situation was crazy. Whenever Stephen had time, he and I needed to discuss so many things that were lingering.
He seemed to be avoiding me. Hadn’t been to the bedroom, hadn’t eaten breakfast or dinner with me, hadn’t come to my office . . . nothing. He’d been busy working with VP Bass and several members of Congress, pertaining to issues with women’s rights. The previous administration had done some idiotic things that snatched away the rights of women. Stephen was trying to make things right again. He also had to deal with ongoing issues with racism. The verdict regarding another cop killing an unarmed black man and his son was expected to come down soon. Many Americans were on pins and needles; they were prepared to protest and or riot. Things had been calm since Stephen had taken a stand with the protestors, but this verdict was capable of changing everything.
While in my office with my assistant, Emme, I reworked my weekly schedule. When the phone rang, she answered and told me it was my agent calling again to see if I would reconsider about the book. I reached for the phone to speak to her.
“Libby, I already told you it’s not going to happen,” I said. “I know the publisher is upset, but I never signed the contract.”
“No, you didn’t, but how can you afford to wash your hands to that kind of money? I really need you to rethink this, Mrs. Jefferson, especially since the publisher is willing to offer you more. Just tell me what I need to do to get that manuscript to them. You have them right where you want them, just don’t fold. Please.”
I released a deep sigh and repeated what I’d said earlier. “Sorry, but it’s not going to happen. I thank you for trying to work out this deal, but I don’t think releasing a book like this one will be in my best interest right now.”
“You said, right now. Is there a chance you will . . .”
When I looked up and saw Stephen standing in the doorway, I abruptly ended the conversation.
“I’ll speak to you later. Thanks again.”
After hanging up the phone, I looked at Emme who had already stood to leave. She was cool to work with, and what I appreciated about her the most was she dressed very conservative. She wasn’t trying to bring attention to herself by dressing sleazy, like some of the other women around here did to get Stephen’s attention. And she was reliable. She was polite and had the fluffiest and prettiest long red hair I had ever seen.
“Go make some copies of these schedules and deliver them to the people who need them,” I said. “You and I will catch up later, okay?”
“Sure,” she said then spoke to Stephen as she exited my office. He spoke, before closing the door behind her.
“It’s good to see you make your way to my office just to converse with little ole me,” I said sarcastically. “Seems like you’ve been avoiding me, but I could be wrong. Then again, you may be concerned about having a wife who’s a killer. Is that why you’re avoiding me?”
With a navy tailored suit on, Stephen sat in a chair in front of my desk, crossing one leg over the other.
“I’m not concerned about you being a killer; after all, it was self-defense, correct? And the last thing I’m trying to do is avoid you. There’s been a lot going on and I’m working hard to get certain things done around here. We’re on the brink of passing sweeping legislation, pertaining to women’s rights. I could really use your help, and I need you out there on the front lines, speaking out and helping us get this across the finish line. You’ve been too quiet. Too many people are starting to ask questions about your silence.”
I sat silent for a few seconds, before getting up and moving closer to Stephen. He checked me out in my red skirt and silk yellow blouse. My high heels had a four-inch heel, and like always, my long hair was full of loose curls that hung several inches past my shoulders. My makeup was on like art, brows were arched perfectly and lips were painted a sexy red. I stood in front of Stephen with my arms crossed and expressed exactly what was on my mind.
“Just so you know, I don’t mind getting involved with what’s going on, but I’ve been so out of it. It’s not like I go around killing people every day, and I can’t stop thinking about all that has happened. I keep seeing General Stiles dead on that floor, and I can’t stop wondering how involved you were with her. Not to mention that you wanted her to kill me, Stephen. That’s a hard pill to swallow. It’s hard for me to walk around here and pretend everything is kosher when it’s not.”
“My suggestion to you is to get over it. What’s done is done. I fixed it, so let’s move on. I regret asking her to cause you harm, but I didn’t want all of my secrets put in a book for the world to see. There are certain things that must stay between us, Raynetta, and my past is one of those things. I felt so betrayed by you, and no matter how bad things are between us, I would never share your secrets, well, your past with anyone. I don’t care how much money a publisher offered you. You should’ve turned them down. But, like I said, it’s over. We both know where we stand with each other and we now have closure.”
“So, this is what closure feels like to you? Are you still upset with me about threatening to tell your secrets and how do you know I still may not do it? I know you don’t trust me, but to be honest, that’s a lot of money to turn down. I really could use the money, and, what if I reworked the story? I could write it without sharing details about your past.”
Stephen leaned back in the chair and rubbed his waves. He sighed, before responding. “I don’t trust you as far as I can see you, but like I said, Raynetta, what’s done is done. If you could really use the money, go ahead and tell your story. I may even tell mine too. I can guarantee you it will be worth way more money than yours.”
I had to laugh. “I doubt it. Your story would be full of lies. Mine would speak the truth. The truth about living in the White House, about my experience as the first lady, about your multiple affairs, the presidential playbook, the ongoing lies and about your reckless mother. I would tell it all, and I do believe the American people would be very interested in knowing what really happens in, around and outside of the White House.”
“They would be very interested, but if you go that route, be sure to tell them about your multiple affairs, your ongoing lies, your lack of support, your numerous betrayals and about your stupid ass grandfather. Don’t sugarcoat anything to spare your reputation, and please do not include anything about my past. And don’t go into too much detail about my mother. All that other mess, I don’t care about.”
I walked away from him, and he had the nerve to stare at my ass like it never belonged to him. “You should care, because first of all, I haven’t had multiple affairs. Only one, so get your facts straight.”
“As much as you fucked around with Alex, I’m counting that as multiple affairs. And since you’re so good at keeping secrets from me, I’m sure there could be more.”
I cut my eyes at him and sat behind my desk. With a notepad and pencil in my hand, I started to jot down a few things.
“Okay, since you’re giving me the go ahead on this book, and you say you don’t care about all that other mess, tell me how many affairs you would like for me to include in my story. I know of, at least, seven or eight. Are there more, and if so, do you care to share? I want to make sure this book is as juicy, scandalous and salacious as it needs to be. My one affair won’t move people like your multiple affairs will.”
Stephen stood and snatched the pen and notepad from my hand. He started to jot down a few words and paused for a few seconds to think.
“If you only write a book about my multiple affairs, it could get pretty boring. Be sure to include what really matters like how ambitious I am, how I want the best for all Americans, how I haven’t had one full night of sleep since I’ve been here, how I work my ass off to get things done, how I’ve made peace with many of our enemies, strengthened America’s relationship with our allies, cleaned up our reputation . . . you know, all that other stuff you ignore. And don’t forget to tell everyone how good I was to you when you weren’t telling lies, keeping secrets and stabbing me in my back. That there will be some damn good reading.”
He shoved the notepad in my direction. I re
ad what he’d written with my mouth dropped open.
“Who are all these women? And why didn’t I know about all of them?”
He shrugged and slipped his hands into his pockets. “Don’t know, but maybe you should’ve been paying attention.”
“I was paying attention, but I hadn’t a clue you’d been with more than fourteen women. I am so done with you, and I thought General Stiles was just obsessed with you. I should’ve known you still had a thing for ghetto girls.”
It didn’t surprise me that he defended her. “Yeah, some of those ghetto girls are the best ones to be with. She’s not what I consider ghetto and my opinion is the only one that matters.” He reached for the notepad and wrote down one more name. “Almost forgot about her too. You definitely want to include her.”
I looked at the name he’d written. It was Claire. “Claire, as in my previous assistant, Claire? You didn’t do anything with her, did you?”
He shrugged with a smirk on his face. “Hey, as you said, make it as salacious as possible. And since she was kind enough to give me head, why not tell it all?”
He turned to leave. I yelled after him. “Stop lying, okay? I’m trying to be truthful and you’re taking this as a joke.”
He faced me with seriousness in his eyes. “It is a joke. A big joke, because not one woman on that list can tell you I was in love with her. That I actually spent quality time with her and the short-term relationship revolved around more than sex. If you need specifics for the book, go interview them. I’ve said all I’m going to say about it and you can take it from there.”
He moved closer to the door, but halted his steps after my next question.
“If you never loved any of the women on this list, do you still love me? And since Michelle Peoples’ name isn’t on the list, does that mean you love her? We don’t spend quality time together anymore, and after all that has happened, I have a feeling that you hate me.”
Black President Season 2 Collection Page 21
