Without looking in her direction, I passed the butter to her. She didn’t bother to say thanks, and as soon as we heard Stephen’s voice, both of our heads snapped to the side. He walked into the room with Levi on his right, and two other men to his left. The other two Secret Service agents who were outside of the room came inside with Stephen.
“Well, well, well,” Teresa said, putting her hand on her hip. “Nice of you to finally show up. Now that you’re here, we need to talk about all of these men following me around. I don’t like it one bit, and after I get finished fighting to put butter on these hard rolls, I’m going to need one of them to take me home.”
“Sorry, Mama, but you’re going to have to make yourself at home right here. At least for another week or so, and I’m not going to argue with you about this.”
She cocked her head back, as if she was in awe. “Like hell we won’t argue. Yes, we will, because I’m ready to go home now.”
Stephen turned to the men standing by him. “Levi is going to show everyone around. We’ll meet in my office in a few, all right?”
They all nodded, then left the room. Stephen hadn’t even looked at me. He stood next to his mother, continuing his conversation with her.
“One to two weeks, Mama, that’s all I ask of you. If you go home, there is a good chance that someone will attempt to hurt you. What happened here last night was serious. And I won’t feel safe until we find out who, exactly, is behind this. Trust me when I say the VP wasn’t working alone.”
Teresa released a deep sigh. “I guess I don’t have a choice, but tell me this. What’s the deal with all of these black men running around here? You know I don’t have anything against our people, but you need to do a thorough background check on each and every one of them. Some people like to steal shit, and I’m not going to be responsible for anything historic, with a high price tag on it, walking up out of here.”
“Background checks have already been done, and they are cleared. And just so you know, you sound ridiculous. If you don’t have anything nice to say, then don’t say it at all.”
Stephen finally sat at the table. He looked over at me, as if he were studying me. I tried, but I just couldn’t bite my tongue.
“Good morning to you too, honey. Is your private part still wet or have you already taken a shower to cleanse the filth from your body? Didn’t mean to pry, but I had to inquire.”
“Whew, chile,” Teresa said, fanning herself. “This is too much for me, and this conversation should be between a man and his jealous wife. I’m going to step away from the table and allow the rumbling to continue.”
Teresa got up from the table and left. Stephen picked up the pitcher of orange juice, pouring himself a glass.
“Did you sleep well?” he asked, ignoring my comment as usual.
“I didn’t, but I’m sure you did.”
“As a matter of fact, I did. Better than I’ve slept in a long time, considering all that happened last night.”
“Oh, yeah . . . about last night. Are you planning to tell me more about this thing with Tyler attempting to kill you, or is that none of my business too?”
“What you know is what you heard. I tried to provide details, but you thought it was more important to argue with my mother. Now it’s too late, and all we can do is move on.”
“Move on or move out. I’m seriously considering both, and I’ll let you know what I ultimately decide.”
I got up from the table, leaving Stephen alone to dine with himself. But when I returned to my office where Claire was, she was in a heated argument with the same Secret Service agent who had been following me around. I assumed the tour he was on was already over.
“The first lady wants to leave, and you can’t stop her,” Claire said. “She has an important luncheon scheduled at eleven o’clock, and the hospital staff is counting on her to be there.”
“Yes, they are,” I said, interrupting. “And I will be there.”
He walked up to me, standing real close. “I have an important job to do. That’s to protect you, per the president’s order. I don’t want to fight with you for the next few weeks, and keep in mind that all I’m here to do is help.”
I glared at him without saying a word. Didn’t dare to say what I was thinking to myself, and instead of arguing with him, I tossed out a question.
“If I’m not allowed to go anywhere, then what else am I supposed to do? Stay in here, twiddling my thumbs, eat until I can’t eat anymore, or go to the bedroom where my mother-in-law is and toss back drinks with her?”
“You can do whatever you wish inside of this house. As spacious as it is, I’m sure you can think of something.”
Maybe so, I thought, as I envisioned him naked.
* * *
Later that day, I found myself in the bowling alley with my mother-in-law and Secret Service. We were told that the president wanted to keep us busy and give us an opportunity to interact with each other. I wanted out of here, but as I attempted to leave the house, I was snatched up by the agent who warned me against doing such a thing. So, for now, I did as I was told.
“If you want to knock down those bowling pins,” Teresa said with a bowling ball in her hand, “this is how you do it.”
She was still jazzed up in her linen suit with stockings on. Her shoes were off, jewelry still on. Her idea of rolling the ball down the lane was to spread her legs, bend over, and push the ball hard. That was what she did, and glee was in her eyes when she knocked over most of the pins, leaving one standing. On the next try, she knocked that one down. She turned, swiping her hands together.
“I told you. You can learn a lot by watching me, but you just won’t listen. Your turn, now, let me see what you got.”
I was still dressed up as well. Had on a black-and-white striped skirt and canary yellow blouse. My hair was parted through the middle with loose curls hanging past my shoulders. I removed my heels while sitting next to the agent who couldn’t keep his eyes off of me.
“Here,” I said, removing the gold necklaces hanging from my neck. “Hold these for me and don’t lose them.”
“I won’t, and don’t hurt yourself, all right?”
“Hurt myself? How in the heck am I going to hurt myself by bowling? I know how to bowl. I do it all the time.”
“Well, shut your mouth and go show us what you got,” Teresa said. “Besides, I’m not going to be in here much longer.”
She looked at the agent who was there to keep his eyes on her. He was cute too, but his personality sucked. It was nothing like the one who was watching over me. At least he smiled from time to time.
I reached for a ball, and when I tell you that sucker was heavy, it was real heavy. I struggled to carry it onto the slippery platform where I needed to stand in order to roll the ball down the lane. I took a deep breath, and when I reached back with the ball to give it a little extra push down the lane, the ball slipped from my hand. It flew backward, almost hitting one of the agents and my mother-in-law. Thankfully, they ducked.
“Hell, naw,” she said. “My poor handsome son. What kind of man stays married to a woman who can’t even bowl? Girl, you need to get some skills—fast.”
“An intelligent, wise, attractive, motivated, and go-getting man with good sense stays married to me. That would be your son, so get over it.”
“I didn’t hear you say faithful. Is that not one of your requirements?”
Teresa was just trying to get underneath my skin. I ignored her, especially when my secret service agent got up to get the ball that had rolled on the floor behind us.
“First of all,” he said, easily carrying the ball in his hand, “this ball is too heavy for you. You need something much lighter like . . .” He took a few seconds to sample some other balls. “Like this one here. Hold this one and see how it feels.”
I reached for the ball; it was much lighter. “Better. So much better, and it’s not weighing my arm down.”
“Good. Now step up here and stand in fron
t of me. I want to show you how to carefully lift the ball and glide it down the center of the lane.”
I liked his style, for sure. Did as I was told and stood right in front of him. We held the ball together, and as I bent slightly over, so did he. He assisted me in rolling the ball down the lane, and sure enough, we knocked down every single pin. I threw my arms in the air, waving my hands.
“Yippee! Look what I did! What do you have to say about that now, Mrs. Know-It-All over there?”
Teresa sat with her lips pursed, arms folded. “What I have to say is, a woman who needs help doing every little thing that she does is no woman at all. He knocked those pins down, not you.”
I threw my hand back at her. “Stop being so jealous. Your turn, again, and you may want to take that suit jacket off because it’s about to get real up in here. Besides, I don’t know why you’re so dressed up anyway. You’re always dressed up, and was it necessary to sit at the breakfast table like that?”
“Yes, because I do care about my appearance. And whenever I croak, I will not be caught with dirty clothes on, particularly with dirty panties on like you. Now hush so I can show you—again—how to do this all by yourself.”
Teresa did the same thing she did last time. This time, however, the ball went into the gutter. I laughed, causing her to quickly turn around. Instead of looking at me, she looked at the agent who was assigned to protect her.
“Is there any way I can get you to come up here and show me how to do this like he just showed her? Or are you just going to sit there pretending you’re taking your job serious?”
He was straightforward. “I am taking my job serious, so please proceed without my assistance, ma’am.”
Teresa mocked him. “Please proceed without my assistance, ma’am. I will, thank you very much.”
She attempted to roll the ball down the lane again. Back to the gutter it went. “I’m done. Besides, all you’re going to do is play unfairly,” she said to me.
“Are you quitting? I know you’re not a quitter, are you?”
“Never a quitter, but a go-getter . . . like my son.” She looked at the Secret Service agent. “Follow me outside so I can go pick some flowers or something. Or better yet, take me to the kitchen so I can help with dinner. Somebody down there is fucking up those rolls. I need to show them how to cook.”
The agent stood, following Teresa as she made her way to the door. She stopped in her tracks to say something else to me.
“If I were you,” she said, looking from me to the agent standing next to me, “I would seek all of the help I could get from Junebug, if you know what I mean.”
She winked, and knowing exactly what she meant, all I did was smile. So did the agent. He walked over to the bench to take a seat.
“You may as well get right back up, because I’m not about to bowl by myself,” I said. “Let’s play against each other.”
He leaned forward, placed his elbows on his knees, and clenched his hands together. “If I win, what’s in it for me?” he said bluntly.
I didn’t hesitate to reply. “Not a damn thing.”
“Good. Then I’ll just watch. I love to watch you, and my job gets better and better by the minute.”
“I’m glad it does, but are you trying to flirt with the president’s wife? You know he’s not going to like that, especially when I tell him. You should stop while you’re ahead.”
“I’m here to protect the president’s wife. Nothing more, nothing less. And if you want to tell him that I’m flirting with you, that’s totally up to you.”
I cut my eyes at him before grabbing a ball to continue the game. As I stood with the ball gripped in my hand, I narrowed my eyes to focus on the lane, as well as on the pins before me. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I felt the agent behind me again. There was no breathing room between us. He reached for my hand, lifting it with his.
“You’re still not holding the ball right,” he said. “But after a little more practice with these balls, you should be proficient.”
I hurried to turn around and face him. “Look, Junebug, or whatever your name is, I don’t play games like this. Back up and watch like you said you were going to do or go help my mother-in-law pick flowers.”
“Landris,” he said. “That’s my name, but most people call me Big L.”
“I don’t know why, especially when you’re so short.”
“If you weren’t the president’s wife, I would show you why they call me Big L. Then again, the president doesn’t really matter. My height doesn’t either, and the last time I checked, five-eleven wasn’t all that bad. I’m sure you can work with that, can’t you?”
“No, but thanks. Game over, and if you must follow me, please learn to show me some respect. After all, I am the first lady, and I should be treated like one.”
He lifted my hand, planting a soft kiss on the back of it. “You’re absolutely right. And you should be. Forgive me if I offended you. Just couldn’t help myself, because it’s not often that I’m in the presence of such a beautiful, fun, and very interesting woman.”
Flattered I was. A fool I was not. I walked away thinking, again, how sexy he probably looked naked.
25
President of the United States, Stephen C. Jefferson
I sat in the Oval Office with so much on my mind. Everything pertaining to Tyler was going according to plan, but I predicted things were about to heat up. I was awaiting a call from the pope. He wanted to pray with me and offer his condolences, as did many of our allies whose leaders I had already heard from. I rubbed the minimal hair on my chin, while also thinking about Michelle. I was impressed by the way she made love to my mind without using her body. She was sexy in every way, and she knew exactly what I needed, in the moment, which was not sex. It had been years since Raynetta did something like that, but after many years of marriage, I guessed we were to the point where taking advantage of each other seemed to work best. My thoughts shifted back to the situation with Tyler, but they were interrupted when one of the Secret Service agents came in, announcing that my mother was there to see me.
“Let her in, please. Thank you.”
My mother came in with flowers in her hand. She laid them on my desk, standing in front of it.
“Those are for you, and be sure to put them in water. I didn’t get a chance to ask how you were feeling this morning. I hope better.”
“Thanks for the flowers, and I’m okay. Still sore, but that’s to be expected.”
“I would think so. I know you can’t share everything with me, but what’s going on, for real? I’m starting to feel like I’m in prison around here, and I don’t like it when I’m not allowed to go take care of things that I need to do.”
“It’s for your own safety, Mama, and I need you to bear with me. If you can do that for me, I’ll be forever grateful.”
“I’m trying, so bear with me. Also, what are you thinking by having all of these good-looking black men running around here? My hormones are starting to work overtime, and Lord only knows what that wife of yours got swarming around in her thick head. That agent you have watching her is really watching her. She may have her eyes on him too—and don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“Thanks for the warning. Now, is there anything else? I’m waiting on an important call from the pope. Kind of want to prepare myself for it.”
“No, you go right ahead. I’m going back to the kitchen to help those cooks in there. They all looking at me like I’m crazy, but I’m in the mood for some smothered pork chops, garlic potatoes, and corn on the cob. Will you be able to join me for dinner or not?”
“I plan to, but you just never know.”
“Okay. See you later, and don’t forget what I told you about the Secret Service.”
I laughed at my mother’s humor. But the more I thought about it, it wasn’t exactly, a laughing matter.
* * *
Right after I ended my call with the pope, I received another interesting call. I was in the m
idst of trying to gather my Secret Service detail so I could speak to them and got sidetracked by a call from Chanel Hamilton. Andrew forwarded the call to me, but I let him know that this was the last time I intended to speak to her.
“Please, don’t hang up on me,” she said. “I feel horrible about some of the things that I said to you, and I just wanted to apologize. Forgive me for acting the way I did, and I’m so sorry about what happened after I left. I’m glad you’re okay, though. My prayers are with you, your staff, and Tyler’s family.”
“Thank you, and just so you know, what I said to you still stands.”
“I didn’t expect you to renege on anything you said, hurtful or not. But in response to that, I will say that I’m highly disappointed about your relationship with Michelle Peoples. I never thought you would be interested in a married woman with three kids, nor in a woman who hasn’t had nearly as much success as I have in our field. After six years, she’s still trying to find her way.”
“Again, I thank you for calling. Take care.”
I didn’t have time for Chanel. Many of the Secret Service agents started to enter the Oval Office, and by the time I had poured some water and went to the bathroom, they were all there. Levi gave a quick overview, telling me who they were, elaborating on their credentials, and sharing what positions they would take at the White House. There were twenty-seven men; twenty African American, seven Caucasian. I shook all of their hands, thanking them for being there and making them aware of my needs.
“By any means necessary, protect me, my family, and my staff. For the next several weeks, no one is to enter the White House without clearance or approval. All tours have been cancelled, and there will be no guests allowed, unless I invite them. At all times, two agents should be outside of my door. The North and South Lawns should be under tight surveillance, particularly where the Truman Balcony is. Lastly, I would like for someone to keep an eye on every single person in the kitchen, preparing my food. I have to be cautious, and I sure as hell don’t want anyone in there trying to poison me.”
Black President Page 20