It all would have seemed like quite the fairy tale setting, if it wasn't for the small army of well dressed but emotionless men, all certainly armed beneath their dark blazers. Even though the assembled Secret Service agents did a good enough job blending into the scenery, one of the world's most renowned pop princesses still got the heeby-jebbies each time she saw one of them talk into their lapel.
It was nearly a full year after Barack Obama swept into the White House and Beyonce Knowles had been invited, along with dozens of other dignitaries for a special White House New Years Eve celebration. She'd been asked to sing a couple of songs that night, an offer she couldn't refuse given the hosts along with the fact that she would be singing with Natalie Cole and Aretha Franklin.
Arriving in DC early that morning, Beyonce was privileged to take part on an extensive White House tour, with Michelle Obama and her two Daughters playing the role of guide. Even though she wasn't much of a student of history back in school, even Beyonce could feel the gravity of her surroundings as they walked from room to room.
Only once during the tour did Barack duck in to see how the women were doing, the President is a busy man as you'd expect. Beyonce politely shook his hand and naturally caught him stealing the obligatory peek at her rear end when she turned, which she made a point of ignoring in front of the First Lady.
"I have a meeting to head to..I'll see all you ladies later tonight," Barack promised then disappeared with his cadre of aides and support staff.
"Probably has a phone call from Oprah," Beyonce wanted to crack but didn't, unsure how Michelle would take the joke with her Daughters within ear shot.
The evening's festivities turned out to be one of the highlights of Beyonce's career. Sharing the stage with all those legends in such a glorious setting, she couldn't imagine a better way to spend her New Years. The Obamas couldn't have been more gracious hosts, and between the natural high she always felt after performing and the champagne that flowed freely throughout the evening, by the time Midnight rolled around, Beyonce felt like she was floating 10 feet off the ground.
By 1am, most of the invited guests had began to scatter. With her Husband, Jay-Z, occupied with a long planned holiday event out in Vegas, Beyonce had attended the White House gala alone, and quickly took the Obamas up on an offer to spend the night in one of the ornate guest rooms.
With his national security briefing scheduled for 6am the following morning, Barack kissed his Wife goodnight and said his goodbyes to all the guests that were still mingling around. Much more the night owl, and still buzzed from the energy of the evening, Michelle and Beyonce eventually found themselves the only ones left to turn out the lights. On Michelle's suggestion, it wasn't long before they retired up to the First Family's spacious den/theatre room.
Even for someone in such dynamite shape, by the time Beyonce collapsed onto one of the Obama's plush sofas, she could feel the wear and tear on her body from basically being on her feet, in four inch heels, for the past six hours. Kicking them off as Michelle claimed her spot on the opposite end of the sofa, the two ladies let out an exhausting gasp once they'd finally sat down.
There had been a million different things Beyonce intended to ask Michelle about when they got some alone time, but given the drained state they were in, and the amount of intoxicant flowing through their systems, the only thing the two women could really muster was a school girl giggle fest each time something from earlier in the night came up.
Pouring the remnants of a bottle of Cristal she'd brought up from the gala into both her and Beyonce's wine glass, Michelle made a slurred but well received toast before the two women clicked glasses and downed the rest of the bubbly.
"It's gotta be weird walking around with all those Secret Service guys at every turn?" Beyonce asked as she extended her well toned, mocha colored right calf to work out a cramp.
"It definitely was at first," Michelle replied, stifling a yawn as she settled into a comfortable spot on the sofa. "Like anything else I guess, after awhile you sort of get use to them..they sort of just disappear into the background."
Beyonce nodded, able to relate somewhat from her extensive experience with bodyguards over the years even though they were never on the same scale as what she'd encountered at the White House.
"So they just won't come barging in here to tell us its past our bedtimes?" Beyonce laughed.
"No....there two guys out in the hall...there's a couple of panic buttons in every room just in case, but otherwise its like they're not even there," Michelle replied as she reached for the remote to switch on the obnoxiously huge plasma tv.
Flipping through the options until she landed on one of the video channels, the two made small talk until coincidence of coincidences, a Beyonce video popped up on the screen.
"How do you get your ass to shake like that?" Michelle rested the side of her head on her left hand and marveled, her eyes fixed on the rapidly cutting image of Beyonce dancing on the screen.
Beyonce half laughed and yawned.
"Trick photography," she finally chuckled. "You do the takes over and over then they play with the speed of the video..its fucking exhausting work."
"All I can say is I'm jealous..I'd pull every muscle in my body if I tried swiveling my hips like that," Michelle sighed, the inebriation of the evening clear in her voice as she looked over at Beyonce sitting beside her.
"The First Lady of the United States is jealous of me," she shook her head and grinned back to Michelle in a shared moment of 'Hey..we both have it pretty damn good, don't we'.
By the time the video was over, both women looked as if they were starting to wind down. Each still clad in their glittery and stunning New Year's dresses, it appeared as if the exquisitely soft, black leather sofa was steadily sucking both of them in.
Pushing herself up from the indentation she made in the cushion, Michelle Obama teetered for several seconds on the tips of her high heels before she steadied herself enough to stand all the way up.
"Phew," she gasped, sounding like a woman who'd just scaled a mountain.
It was clear from the way the First Lady was swaying side to side that the Cristal was winning. Sensing Michelle's instability, Beyonce scuttled off the couch as well just to make sure Mrs. Obama didn't fall.
