Fortress (Forde Family Series Book 2)

by nikki blaire

  “Maybe.” Marcus grinned at the man, knowing there was no way in hell he would ever have Charlisse come back to this office as anything else other than his wife.

  Wife?

  He checked himself for even thinking of the word.

  “Alright, Marc. I’ll see you later and great choice in a CFO. I hear Tremaine Henley is coming over from that big property management firm. They’ve got a third of the buildings in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. He’s going to be able to fall right in with everything.”

  He tapped Marcus’ desk as he stood up.

  “Most definitely. I’ll be setting up time for him to meet with the board for an informal interview, he’ll tie up things over there, and we’ll have him here soon after.”

  “You’re off to a good start, Marc. Things are really looking up.” He nodded and then left the room.

  “I hope so.” Marcus spoke after the door was closed.

  He had to break this news to his family first before he made another move.

  Family meeting ASAP.

  He wrote to his siblings in their group message thread. Then, he looked back through his messages and sighed at Charlisse’s earlier text. Something was up with her and he was going to find out.

  Marcus arrived to his mother’s house after his siblings. He walked inside to the sound of music playing and followed it to the back veranda. His mother was nestled in a large chair, while his brother and sister shared the outdoor couch.

  “Seems like y’all started without...me…” His words trailed off once his eyes fell on the little girl sitting between the two of them.

  Her feet swung happily while she licked a popsicle.

  “And it seems that we have a guest.”

  “Yes, so watch your language.” His mother glared at him then flashed a caring glance towards the child.

  “Tremaine had to work late, so Sasha’s with me tonight.” Ayda casually mentioned like this was a commonplace occurrence.

  Ayda had been dating Tremaine for less than a year, and while they had all known of his daughter, none of them had ever met her before. Apparently, tonight was their introduction.

  “A warning would have been nice.” Marcus sat down in an empty chair.

  “Warning?” Ayda looked at him inquisitively. “She’s a child, not a bomb.”

  “Chill, Ayda. I don’t think Marcus has ever seen a child before.” Dwele just had to joke.

  “He’s definitely never been this close to one.”

  They all laughed at Marcus’ expense, just as he and the little girl made eye contact.

  “Hiiiii,” She waved at him enthusiastically. “My name is Sasha. What’s your name?”

  Her smile was devastatingly angelic. She was the spitting image of Tremaine except for the two pigtails with large green bows that framed her face.

  “I’m Marc.” He nodded at her, but that wasn’t enough of an explanation for her.

  Marcus watched as she hopped down from the seat and then walked towards him.

  “Sasha, Marc is my big brother.” Ayda said in the most disarming tone that Marcus had ever heard come out of her mouth.

  “Like you?” She pointed to Dwele then turned back to stare at Marcus.

  He could tell that she was trying to analyze everything by her squinting eyes and furrowing eyebrows.

  “Yep, just like me.” Dwele smiled at her, but she was too busy trying to understand.

  “And that’s your mommy, too?” She asked Marcus, while pointing at Claudette.

  “Yes.” Everyone said in unison, which made her smile in pride at her correct conclusion.

  “But that means your name is Uncle Marc?” Her question was almost a statement because she sounded so sure of herself.

  “Uh, he’s not your uncle, ladybug.” Ayda corrected her, but she just balled up her face in confusion.

  “He’s not Ms. Ayda’s brother? Like uncle Que is Daddy’s brother? It’s the same, Ms. Ayda.” She was insistent, as Ayda motioned for her to come back to her seat.

  “I’ll explain it later, ladybug. Just finish your popsicle.” Ayda kneeled down to pick her up and put her back in her seat, while the rest of them laughed.

  “She’ll ask questions all day if you let her.” Ayda shook her head, while she lovingly hugged the little girl.

  “She’s smart. She can’t help it.” Marcus didn’t see the harm in her questions.

  He actually enjoyed them. Sasha had turned her attention back to her treat, completely unaware of everyone watching her.

  “Too smart.” Ayda shook her head. “I could tell you the stories, but we’d be here all night.”

  “I think she’s precious.” Claudette was clearly smitten. “Glad I sent for several popsicles and treats when you showed up with her. She’s almost done with that popsicle.”

  “I told you not to, Mother. You’re going to spoil her.” Ayda sighed, while she grabbed a napkin to wipe Sasha’s fingers.

  “You obviously forgot who you’re talking to. I know they told you our last name was Forde, but it’s actually Spoil. It’s what we do best.” Dwele shook his head.

  “Let’s get to the point of the meeting.” He interjected, so that he could get this over with.

  The sooner he was done here, the sooner he could check up on Charlisse.

  “Yes, shoot. I’ve got tickets to this concert tonight.” Dwele checked his watch.

  “Who goes to shows alone, Dwele? It’s so creepy.” Ayda cut in.

  “Naw, I don’t want anybody fuc-” Dwele’s eyes darted to Sasha, who was still finishing her popsicle. “messing up my vibe. Alright, go ahead, Marc.”

  “I have an update on Dad’s federal case. He’s not going to prison. His willingness to cooperate really helped him.” Everyone sighed in relief, except for Ayda who let out a soft grumble.

  “But, his deal does include him getting a misdemeanor. That means probation and a fine.”

  “How much of a fine?” Dwele leaned back in his seat. “Those fines can be...a lot.”

  “That hasn’t been discussed yet.” Marcus shrugged. “I’m just sharing what I know.”

  “Well, good riddance.” Ayda gave her two cents, but Marcus was most concerned with what his mother thought.

  Claudette sat there silently with her hands resting on her forehead.

  “Mother? Are you okay? I know this can’t be easy for you. I’m here to help in any way that I can.” He offered, but she just shook her head.

  “I’ve told you, Marc. You’ve done more than enough in keeping this family together. I’m just processing.”

  They all sat and waited for her to gather her thoughts.

  “How do you think he’s faring through all of this?” She finally asked, catching all of them off guard.

  Marcus wanted to be honest and say he was sure that his father had lost his mind, but he didn’t want to add fuel to the fire. His mother didn’t need to hear that right now.

  “I think he’s doing as well as anyone could in this type of situation.” He chose his words carefully.

  “Why do you even care, Mother? He got what he deserved for disrespecting you.” Ayda sneered.

  “He’s been my husband for over forty-five years, Ayda. You don’t just wake up and forget that. No matter the circumstances. He’s the reason that we’re all here.”

  Tears began to fill her eyes. Dwele was the closest to her, so he quickly jumped up to comfort her. The sight of her crying truly broke Marcus because he had not seen her shed a single tear throughout this entire situation. He reasoned that she had hit her breaking point, just like he had when he went to his father’s hotel room.

  “Have you talked to him?” Marcus asked, while his brother held her.

  “No, but I’m sure that’s for the best.” She sighed and wiped the tears from her eyes. “I haven’t heard a word from him.”

  “Well, let me know if you do.” He nodded then turned back to face his sister, who was still smug as ever.

  For the longest, Marcu
s could never understand his sister’s contempt for their father. It picked at him because he just didn’t get how his sister could be so ungrateful. Now, after having his father betray him, Marcus completely understood her perspective. It was hard to have love for a man who consistently showed that he had no love for others.

  Their meeting ended and Marcus walked himself to the door with his brother, while Ayda stayed behind to sit with their mother. He and Dwele said goodnight and parted ways as soon as they got to the driveway.

  As if on autopilot, Marcus drove himself right to Charlisse’s condo, but began to have second thoughts about just showing up once he parked. He pulled out his phone and dialed her number. Part of him hoped that she picked up and part of him hoped that she didn’t.

  “Hello.” Her soft voice answered after a few rings.

  “Hey.” It was all that he could think of for a response.

  The phone was silent on both ends for a moment before Charlisse let out a long sigh.

  “Come up.” She exhaled then hung up before he could say anything else, but he didn’t need to.

  She knew him.

  Marcus got out of his car and made his way to Charlisse’s door. His feet couldn’t get him there fast enough. Seeing her face had become a lifeline for him. Her presence calmed every storm.

  “What’s up?” He pulled her into an embrace once she opened the door. “How’d you know that I was outside?”

  Charlisse shrugged, while she walked back to her previous place on her living room sofa.

  “I made an educated guess based on your observed behavior.” She plopped down and grabbed the remote.

  “Of course.” Marcus laughed to himself then sat beside her. “I just left my mother’s house. I was giving the family an update on what’s going on with my dad. He got a deal from the feds today.”

  “A good deal?”

  “Eh, he’s not going to prison.” He shrugged. “He may have a misdemeanor, probation, or a fine though. I guess that’s the best that we could ask for.”

  He pulled her closer to him. He needed their bodies to touch.

  “I would say so.” She laid her head on his shoulder. “I’m glad you can put that behind you. I know it’s been on your mind. You can focus on being CEO now.”

  “Yeah. I’m gonna focus on something else too.” He kissed her cheek. “You.”

  “About that.” She looked up at him. “I need to discuss some things with you.”

  “What’s up?” Marcus had known something was wrong with her.

  “Our conversation earlier today was unsettling to me.” She got straight to the point.

  “You and I are still very new. I’m still dealing with my own feelings about our situation and you know I already have my reservations.”

  “But I thought we were working past that. I told you that I’m fine with working through that with you.”

  “And I appreciate that.” She nodded, “But I need to know a little bit more about where you see this going.”

  “Charlisse,” He sighed, but she stopped him.

  “I understand that this may be a very preemptive question, but given your track record, I’d like to know that this is different for you before I invest myself. I’m not in a place to just play around, Marc.”

  “And you think I want to play with you?” He was getting defensive.

  He had done several things to show Charlisse that she was important to him and that this relationship was different. He didn’t understand why she even had this question.

  “I don’t have anything to prove that you’re not. Again, your past shows,”

  “My past has nothing to do with this.” He glared at her. “I’ve dated women. That’s it.”

  “I’ve seen what “dating” is to you. I’ve also seen what it means to the women who you’re involved with. It doesn’t seem like you were on the same page. I just want to avoid that kind of miscommunication. I don’t want to be made a fool of, like-”

  “Don’t say Vanessa.” He shook his head. “Why would you even compare this to that situation? Nothing about them are the same.”

  “How do I know that?”

  “Because I’ve told you. I’ve showed you. You sat across from me, just as close as we are now, and you asked me if it was love between me and her. I told you that it wasn’t. That’s all you should need to know.”

  Marcus stood up. He needed space for a moment to calm his temper.

  “You know, I don’t ask you about your past because it doesn’t matter to me. But you seem to be carrying some shit that’s having an impact on how you view me.”

  He stared at her. “So, tell me what it is, so we can talk about it and get it out of your system. What happened? Did he cheat on you? Lie to you? What? ”

  “Neither.” Charlisse exhaled.

  “He did something.” Marcus wouldn’t let up.

  He refused to pay for some other man’s mistakes since he had never put that kind of pressure on Charlisse.

  “No, he didn’t. We just wasted each other’s time.” She let her head fall into her hands. “I was engaged. We got very comfortable because it just made sense.”

  Engaged.

  The word echoed in Marcus’ head like an alarm.

  “Engaged? Wow.”

  This was a curveball. Some other man had almost blocked him from being Charlisse’s husband.

  “Who?” He was suddenly jealous of a man he had never known of before.

  “His name is Greg Chapman. We were engaged for a year, but never made it down the aisle. I called it off before we made that mistake. He lives in Louisiana and has completely moved on with his life.”

  “Have you?” He searched her eyes, while she answered him.

  “Of course. I wouldn’t be asking you these questions if I was interested in anyone else, Marc. I’m too interested in you, if you ask me.” She shied away, as if she wished she had not admitted that.

  “Then what’s the problem? What are we even discussing here then? I want you, you want me. It’s fine.”

  “Marc, it’s not always that simple. Greg and I never really stopped to see if we were with the person that we really wanted. I don’t want us to make the same mistake because we’re not thinking things through.”

  Marcus paused. “So, you’re not sure that I’m who you want?”

  The possibility had never occurred to him until now.

  His wealth made him every woman’s dream man, so there had never been a reason to consider the alternative. But that didn’t matter to Charlisse. Nothing was the same with her. His heart beat at the possibility of rejection and sweat formed at his center of his brow.

  “I’m trying to figure that out.” She sighed. “I’m also trying to figure out if you’re sure that I’m who you want.”

  “Of course, I’m sure.” The words rushed out.

  "But how do you know if you’ve never taken a relationship seriously before?” She stretched out on her couch, looking just as frustrated as he was.

  He sat back down and laid out on the sofa with her, his body twice her size. He wrapped his arms around her waist and then pressed himself against her. He had been missing her warmth all day.

  “I don’t know.” He finally responded, which made her snort in laughter.

  “Seriously,” He chuckled with her, as he tightened his grip.

  “I used to think that my parents had the secret recipe to making a marriage work. I always figured that love and respect for each other was all that you needed. Now, I don’t know.”

  He inhaled her scent to put him at ease. “I have no idea why I’d want to do this when I no longer have any idea on how to make it successful, but having you makes me feel like a success no matter what’s happening around me. So, I figure that’s gotta be a damn good first step.”

  Charlisse turned her body over so that they could be face to face.

  “That was very poetic, Marc. I didn’t know you had it in you.” She placed her palms against his face.

&n
bsp; “I’ve got a lotta things in me that I can show you. Just let me take this off,” He reached his hand underneath her shirt and unsnapped the clasp of her bra.

  “Now, that’s the Marc I know.” She giggled, pulling him in for a kiss. “Crass and straight-to-the point.”

  He easily pulled her bra from her arms then tossed it to the floor before going in to kiss Charlisse’s neck.

  “Wait, Marc, I needed to tell you that I’m setting up your interview with The Post for,”

  “Whenever you want, baby.” He was tugging her shirt over her head.

  They had already wasted enough valuable time arguing. He bent down to put his lips around her beading nipples then swirled his touch around the top until Charlisse gripped the back of his head.

  “Marc, wait, I think that we still need to,” But her words were cut off once his hands slipped into her tights and then his fingers began to rub on her precious peak.

  “You said you were busy tonight when I asked to see you.” He moved his mouth from one breast to the next.

  “I know. I'm sorry. I was,” She tried to explain, but her words changed to quick pants once he quickened the speed of his fingers.

  “Don’t be sorry, be careful.” He left a tender bite mark on her breast before going back to her lips for another kiss.

  “When I say get unbusy, I’m gonna need you to do that for me, Charlisse. Look how badly I needed you.”

  He placed her hand on his erection, which bulged through the pants of his suit.

  “Now, you’ve gotta take all of it.” He smacked his teeth and shook his head. “Poor thing.”

  He grabbed her then positioned her on top of him.

  “All of it?” She pouted back at him, but straddled his waist with the confidence of a champion horseback rider.

  “Yep, and no hands in my way either.” He pinned her arms to her sides.

  “No problem.” She balanced to pull her tights down before releasing him from his trousers. “That’s my specialty.”

  Fourteen

  “Mr. Henley is here to see you.” Marcus’ assistant’s voice filled the room from the phone speaker.

  “Send him in.” Marcus closed his laptop then stood up to put on his suit jacket before Tremaine got to his office.