“What’s up?” I asked while keeping my eyes on the TV.
“Just checking on you. You said you would reach out to me later, but you didn’t. I just wanted to find out what’s taking this vote so long? I know you asked me to go out there and support your efforts, but I didn’t think a vote was coming this soon. Had I known, I would’ve gotten ahead of this and conducted a few rallies to energize more people. When the American people take a stand, Congress will do the right thing. You know what I mean?”
“Yeah, I do, but we’ve been talking about these issues for a long time. Maybe you’ve been focused on other things.”
“I’m not really focused on anything else, but I probably won’t get back to the White House until late. Emme and I attended a healthcare function for kids diagnosed with diabetes. We’re still waiting on two or three more people to speak. It’s been a long day. I can’t wait to get back to the White House and get some sleep. Keep me posted on the final vote, and congrats, again, on a big accomplishment.”
I thanked Raynetta, before ending the call. I was a little salty about her not stepping up to the plate as first lady and doing more, especially in regards to this issue. By now, though, I knew what and what not to expect from her. She was, indeed, focused on something. That something was trying to figure out a way to rewrite her story, without insulting or angering me.
Nearly fifteen minutes later, the Senate started to vote. I was back on the sofa with the glass of alcohol tightened in my hand. I kept taking sips, and after each NO vote, my sips turned into swallows. Two of the five senators I’d met with had already voted NO. The other three hadn’t voted yet and I needed all of them to vote YES. Unfortunately, that included Senators Phillips, Charleston and Blaylock. I was sick to my stomach about this and not many people knew, other than other presidents, how tense these moments were. With all the work that went on behind the scenes, it was tough to watch it come to this. Maybe I shouldn’t have ordered Senator Madison to take the vote. And shame on me for thinking they would come around and do the right thing. As the clock ticked away, there was a mixture of YES and NO votes. I got up and paced the floor while counting every single vote. When Senator Blaylock was called on to enter his vote again, a sigh of relief came over me, after he signaled YES. Senator Charleston was a YES vote too, and by the time Senator Phillips was called on, I was on my feet with my hands clenched behind my head. Felt like I was watching the last seconds of a football game, where the kicker had to make the kick in order to win the game. I held my breath and my eyes stared at the TV without a blink. I could feel my heart slamming against my chest; my shirt sleeves were rolled up to my elbows.
“Come on,” I whispered through gritted teeth. “Do this, damn, get it done.”
I held my breath again and stood with wide eyes as Senator Phillips vote came in at YES. As I stood on the Presidential rug with a seal, I dropped to my knees, bent over and press my forehead on the floor. “Yes, yes, yes,” I shouted while trying to control myself. Almost immediately, my phones started ringing. I ignored every last call, and I didn’t get off my knees until I’d heard the news anchor confirm the bill had passed.
“Thank you,” I said, looking up. I got off the floor and while my phones were still ringing off the hook, I ignored them. I quickly told my secretary I was heading upstairs to the Executive Residence.
“As soon as the bill arrives, bring it upstairs to the Yellow Room so I can sign it.”
“Will do, sir. What about your phone calls? And you know everyone is heading this way to speak to you.”
“Don’t let anyone in the Oval Office. I don’t feel like being bothered. Tell them I’ll see them tomorrow. Don’t forget about the bill. It’s imperative I sign it tonight.”
She nodded, and as soon as I entered the master suite, I took a lengthy shower, changed into a comfortable Nike sweat suit and put on my white tennis shoes. I grabbed a bottle of champagne from a bar in the Yellow Room, and after I placed a cap on my head to hide my identity, I relaxed and waited for my secretary to bring me the bill. Nearly ten minutes later, she did. I didn’t need any cameras, nor did I need the media present to take notes. I signed the bill, making it law.
“Thanks,” I said, handing the leather binder back to my secretary. I also gave her the pen I’d used as a keepsake; she smiled and thanked me repeatedly. After she left, I asked one member from my Secret Service detail to take me to my destination. To no surprise, that was to Michelle’s place. Yes, I was disturbed after seeing her with that reporter. She hadn’t called me since I’d raised my voice at her about being upset with me for protecting Raynetta the day of that shooting. I felt like there was no need for me to explain myself, and since General Stiles was on her way to see me that day, I just didn’t have time to deal with Michelle’s concerns. Obviously, she’d been keeping herself busy with another man. And when I stuck the key in her door and opened it, my assumption was correct. He was chilling on her sofa with his shirt off, while watching the news. A bowl of popcorn was in his hand; he almost dropped it on the floor when he snapped his head to the side and saw me enter Michelle’s condo. His eyes shifted to the champagne bottle in my hand then back to my face.
“I, uh, hello, Mr. President,” he said, standing with his mouth wide open. “I’m, uh, are you sure you’re at the right place?”
“Positive. Where is Michelle?”
My confirmation shocked him. He stumbled back and looked down the hallway.
“She’s, uh, in the shower. But I’m a little confused here. Did she know you were coming? Had I known I wouldn’t even be here.”
“Well, now you know. And she’s the only one who can ask you to leave, unless you choose to exit on your own free will.”
He appeared stunned. He didn’t know what else to say or what to do. I, however, went into the kitchen and removed two champagne glasses from the shelf. I popped the cap on the bottle and carefully poured the champagne to the rim of the glasses. The reporter stood near the doorway, putting his shirt on, along with his shoes.
“If you wouldn’t mind, please tell Michelle I’ll call her some other time. I apologize for this and I’m shocked that the two of you,” he paused and waited for me to respond.
I placed the bottle on the counter and picked up both wineglasses. “No need to apologize, because Michelle and I are just good friends. I’ll be sure to tell her what you said, and if you wouldn’t mind locking the door on your way out, I would appreciate it. I would lock it, but my hands are full.”
He stood for a moment, still stunned by my reaction. And as I walked past him and made my way down the hallway, I heard the front door shut. I also heard the shower running in the bathroom. I entered the dim room that had two flaming candles lit on the counter and soft music was playing. Michelle’s backside faced me as she washed her body with a soapy, white towel. With my clothes still on, I entered the shower and reached over her shoulder to give her the glass of champagne.
“Awww, this is so sweet of you.” She slowly turned around. Her eyes grew wide when she saw me, and the champagne glass slipped from her hand and hit the floor. Glass shattered and caused me to step back. She tiptoed over the broken glass and quickly exited the shower.
“Excuse me, but what are you doing here?” she asked with a frown on her face. “Where is William and why in the hell do you keep showing up like this?”
She snatched a towel from the rack to cover herself with it. I turned off the water in the shower, before stepping out too.
“William chose to leave. I came here to celebrate my good news with a friend, but had I known he would be here I would’ve opted to celebrate elsewhere.”
“Well, you should have.” She rushed out of the bathroom and went into the living room area to see if William had left. I used a towel to dry part of my clothes that had gotten wet, then I followed behind her with the glass of champagne in my hand.
“I told you he left,” I said.
“Fine. And you need to leave too, Stephen. I have
tried my best to remain calm about all of this, but this is too much. You’re too much and there is no way I’m going to let you control my life and show up like this, whenever you choose to.”
I sipped from the glass of champagne then placed it on a credenza next to me.
“Calm down and stop talking all that mess about control. I’m not trying to control anything. All I wanted to do was come see you tonight so we could celebrate the passing of major legislation.”
“Congrats on that, but you are trying to control things. And I’m sorry, but I have to get this off my chest tonight. The only reason you’re here is because you saw me with William. You haven’t called me, you haven’t said anything to me while I’ve been at the White House and the way you ran after Raynetta that day truly broke my heart. Not to mention there are rumors swirling around about you being involved with General Stiles before she was killed. Whether I believe that or not, I’ve had enough of this. I can’t do this with you anymore, and Lord knows I have tried to keep my mouth shut and just let it be, considering the circumstances.”
I sighed because I really didn’t want to hear this tonight.
“I’m not going to explain to you again why I rushed to cover Raynetta that day. Nor am I going to apologize to you for doing so. I take offense to you saying I’m trying to control things. If I was, I would’ve made demands about who can and can’t come here. I would’ve demanded that you see no one but me, and the only reason I haven’t called you is because, as your president, I’ve been busy.”
She cut her eyes at me. “Yeah, that’s what you always say. And I see you touched on everything else, except for what I said about you and General Stiles. Is what I heard true or not?”
Feeling irritated by her question, I shrugged. “What difference does it make? If I don’t answer to my wife, I really don’t have to answer to you.”
Michelle stared at me with fury in her eyes. Her chest heaved in and out; I could tell she was livid.
“No, you don’t have to answer to me and you don’t have to lie to me either. Therefore, when I ask you a question, it should be easy for you to answer. I never thought I would say this to you, but you are one disrespectful asshole. You are so full of shit and I hate like hell that I ever got involved with you.”
I had never seen Michelle like this—I was disappointed. While she felt it was necessary to attack me, I still remained calm.
“If it helps you to know the truth, then yes, I was involved with General Stiles, and no, I’m not being disrespectful. I just refuse to argue with you, Michelle. Calling me names is what’s disrespectful and saying you hate me doesn’t help.”
“Never said I hated you, but I do hate that I got in so deep with you. You are a complete mess and tell me this. How long had you been involved with General Stiles?”
“Probably around the same amount of time you’ve been involved with William. I told you not to keep questioning me, because you’re not going to appreciate my answers, if you continue to push.”
She shook her head, displaying disgust. As I moved closer to her, she darted her finger at me. “Don’t touch me, Stephen, I mean it. If I haven’t been enough woman for you, why do you keep coming here? I guess I can answer that for you, because no matter what you say, we both know you’re here for this, aren’t you?” She dropped the towel and exposed her nakedness to me. My eyes didn’t drop below her face. “All you want to do is come here and fuck me,” she said. “For so long I’ve shown you that’s okay and you would never, ever hear me gripe about your bullshit. I don’t know what you expect from me, but have it your way, Mr. President. Take what you want and I promise to keep my mouth shut like the timid and passive woman you want me to be.”
The direction of my eyes finally traveled below her neck. Brown and beautiful. Everything about her was flawless . . . from her natural hair, doe-shaped eyes, to her firm breasts and chocolate nipples. As I searched further, she turned in a circle so I could see what she was offering in the moment. I had to admit her round, perfect P-shaped ass was everything.
“Go for it,” she said. “Why are you still standing there? This is what you want, isn’t it?”
“Are you trying to serve me leftovers? You did just have sex with William, didn’t you?”
“I damn sure was getting ready to, but thanks to you it didn’t happen.”
“Well, call him to come back here so it can happen. Leftovers aren’t that good to me, so I’m going to bow out until he’s done. Done, meaning, for good. When you’ve had enough of him, you know how to reach me.”
I glanced at her one last time, before opening the door to leave. On my way out, she continued to lash out at me.
“You have no idea what I’ve been through. No idea and this struggle is so real because I screwed up and fell in love with you. All I wanted was the same in return, yet all I’ve gotten is this. I feel so empty. You make me feel so empty.”
I stood on the other side of the door and responded. “Don’t stay on empty. Fill yourself up with everything William has to offer. I’m not mad about it, but what I’m not going to do is keep having these moments with you. I could’ve stayed at home for this segment, and tonight, this is something I don’t care to hear. Not even your love story has moved me.”
“Then maybe my door will.”
She slammed the door in my face, and after I took the elevator to the ground level, I climbed into the backseat of the Suburban with tinted windows. A Secret Service agent was behind the wheel. He looked at me through the rearview mirror.
“Where to, Mr. President? Back to the White House?”
“No,” I said as I reached for a glass to pour myself a glass of wine. “Just go park somewhere. Anywhere, where I can’t be disturbed.”
He drove off, and as he searched for a private place to park, I celebrated my accomplishments alone. I drank two glasses of wine and dropped the seat back to chill. Even before Secret Service stopped to park the truck, my eyelids faded and I was out like a light.
First Lady
Raynetta Jefferson
I didn’t get to the White House until almost midnight. I was dead tired and I figured Stephen must’ve been in his normal spot on the sofa in the Oval Office. We’d gotten used to not sleeping together anymore, yet I was shocked when he came into the bedroom at two-thirty in the morning to get some rest. I was tired, but I had gotten tied up with trying to rework the story. Several notebooks were on the bed; I even had a copy of the unsigned contract my agent had given to me on the nightstand. Stephen glanced at my mess and didn’t say anything about it. He removed the jacket to his sweat suit, took off his tennis shoes and lay across the far end of the bed.
“What’s wrong with the sofas in the Oval Office?” I questioned. “Are they starting to get too uncomfortable?”
“Not really, but I have a headache tonight. Call myself tossing back a few drinks and now I’m paying for it.”
“I knew it was something. Why don’t get some aspirin and lay straight on the bed. I will move my things to the floor or on the nightstand so you can get comfortable.”
“Really? You want me to be comfortable? I’m surprised.”
“I don’t know why you’re surprised by that. I do still care about you, no matter what we’ve been through.”
He didn’t respond. Just got off the bed and went into the bathroom to get some aspirin. After he changed into his pajama pants, he got in bed next to me. This felt kind of awkward for me; I wondered how he was feeling.
“This bed feels good,” he said then stretched his arms “I forgot how comfortable it was.”
With my notebooks now on the floor, I turned to my side and looked at him. “I know you may not feel like talking about this, but what happened to us? How did we get here, Stephen, and did you ever think it would be like this between us?”
He turned sideways to face me too. “Actually, yes, I knew we were headed down this path. I’m surprised you didn’t see it coming. I did and I do regret that we are unable to f
ix this.”
“I have some regrets too, and at times, it hurts to know that one day we’re going to have to walk away from each other for good. I want you to know that while I’m no longer in love with you, I do still love you. I will always support you, and I will do anything to help you get through your first term. I’m sure you’ll be seeking a second term too, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to hang around that long. I just wanted to let you know that so you can prepare for it.”
My admission didn’t seem to surprise him one bit.
“I’m shocked that you’re going to hang on for the remainder of my first term. You really don’t have to, and even though some Americans may be upset about us separating and or divorcing, we have to do what is best for us. I do plan to seek another term, but if I win, it will be up to the American people. I’m sure many questions will be asked about us and I’m prepared to explain that some marriages just don’t work out. While we’re no longer in love with each other, we do still care for each other. I want the best for you too, and if there is anything I can do to make your time here feel more rewarding, just let me know.”
I figured Stephen had fallen out of love with me too, but it was strange to hear him finally say it. In our case, we had tried but failed. Maybe not tried hard enough, but I was tired of all the finger-pointing. The most difficult thing for me to get over was knowing that he had been angry enough to ask someone to kill me. And while I had definitely made plans to cause him harm, having me killed seemed evil. I guess he felt I was evil too—there was really no way to balance all the harm we had done to each other.
“There’s not much else you can do,” I said. “And whether you know it or not, I’m okay with living in the White House. I’ve gotten used to all the special treatment, so it may be a while before I start looking for my own place. Meanwhile, I’m going to continue to write my story and carry on my duties as the first lady. That’s unless you decide to replace me. If so, let me know so I can make some different arrangements.”
Black President Season 2 Collection Page 24
