NIYAH
“I, Belladonna Devereaux, take you, Lucas Creed, to be my lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do us part.”
Bella completed her vows and smiled at Lucas.
Her face was beat like drum belonging Travis barker, and her long black hair crafted into a braided updo.
She had never looked so beautiful, so happy.
She was beaming like a ray of light. Standing by her handsome groom in front of a large window, facing the south lawn.
“By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride,” the chief justice okayed.
Bella and Lucas kissed, eliciting applause from their friends and family. Staffers entered the room carrying trays of champagne.
“All right, everyone!” Taylor called. “Somebody make a toast because we have a ball to get to.”
“I got this,” Lincoln announced. “First, I want to congratulate my big brother on landing the worst job in the United States of America.”
Victor chuckled and nodded in agreement.
“Second, I’d like to congratulate my other big brother and my new sister on making the grownup decision to live together in holy matrimony. Salute!”
“Salute!” their friends and family repeated in unison.
Xander leaned and kissed Niyah’s forehead. “Pretty nice, huh?”
Niyah sighed. “It’s wonderful, Xander.”
“Stick with me, kid. I’ll take you places you ain’t ever been,” he joked.
Little did he know, he had already taken her places she had never been. Because, shockingly, as old as she was, she’d experienced her very first orgasm from penetration with him. Niyah laughed out loud at the fact that she was thinking about orgasms in the White House.
“What are you laughing at, lady?”
Niyah shook the thought out of her head. “Nothing.”
Xander turned her to face him. His expression was troubled. “Is there something wrong?”
Niyah reached up and ran her thumb across his cheek. “Everything is right.”
And it was. For the first time, they weren’t looking over their shoulders.
Her sister was done killing people, and the odds of Niyah finding a dead body in her bathtub had decreased astronomically.
And to top it off, she had Xander, the white man who had ended her discriminatory practices and taught her that not all white people were like her mother.
“We’re gonna head out now,” Xander told her.
“Hey, Bella!” Niyah blurted.
Bella walked over and grabbed her hand. “I’m so glad you came.”
“Me too. This has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me.”
Bella laughed. “Shit, for me too.”
Taylor walked over. “Hey, you ready to turn one of these inaugural balls into your wedding reception?”
“Hell, yeah!” Bella squealed.
Niyah looked around. “Okay, but first, I gotta pee. Where’s the bathroom around here?”
Taylor raised her brows. “Hell, if I know. It’s my first time in the building.” She looked around and waved over a White House usher.
“How can I help you, Madam First Lady?”
“Please, show my friend to the ladies' room.”
“Yes, ma’am,” the younger woman replied with a smile. “If you’ll follow me this way.”
Niyah followed the usher out of the Oval and down the hall.
She opened a door, allowing Niyah entry into a shockingly tiny bathroom.
She made quick work of using the toilet and got out of there before her claustrophobia kicked in.
After closing the bathroom door, she walked over to the sink and washed her hands.
The sound of the door opening and clacking heels caused her to rush to get out of the way.
“I’m just about done here,” she assured without looking up.
“Take your time, Dr. Reed.”
Niyah knew the voice, but she must have been hallucinating. Because what on earth was she doing in the White House? She turned around. “Dr. Leer?”
Katima Leer grinned. “In the flesh. Well, sort of.”
It was definitely her intern. But instead of wearing a white intern’s coat, she was wearing a chic pantsuit, high-heels, and her hair was wrapped in a scarf like a Muslim. “W-what are doing here?”
“Well, first off, my name is not Katima Leer, and I’m not a doctor.”
“No. You’re lying.” Niyah shook her head. “If you’re not a doctor, how could you do the things you did in the exam room?”
She threw up her hands. “I’m really smart.”
“Well, then, who are you? And how did you get in the White House?”
“My name is Tahira Raji, and I’m very important. Now, let me tell you who you are.” The woman moved closer. “You’re the well-respected doctor who threw everything away to cover up several murders committed by her drug addicted sister.”
Niyah inhaled a sharp breath and fell against the sink. Whoever this woman was, she had been a witness to several felonies she’d committed to protect her sister.
The woman stepped forward and placed her hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry, Doc. Your secret is safe with me.”
Niyah used the back of her hand to wipe sweat from her forehead. “Why? Why is my
secret safe with you? I will not be blackmailed, Dr. Leer or whatever your name is.”
The woman grinned and pulled a paper towel from the dispenser. She tried to dry the beads of sweat from her head, but Niyah slapped her hand away.
“I won’t be blackmailed!” Niyah repeated.
“Oh, so you’re ready to go to prison?” She tilted her head and raised a brow. “Is your sister ready? Is Detective Devereaux?”
Niyah’s knees buckled. She found it hard to catch her breath.
“I didn’t think so. Now, Dr. Reed, you have a particular set of skills, skills that could come in very useful. And you will use those skills to make this world a better place.”
Niyah slowed her breathing and tried to take control of her emotions. “How?”
The woman removed a wayward loc from Niyah’s face and tucked it back in her bun. She turned and walked out of the bathroom. “Welcome to the CIA,” she said just before the door closed.
The End