Black Mark Series Book 3: Black Mark's Heart

by Ebony Olson

  "I'm not staying that long, Steffen, just getting Jacob." I assured and kept walking. "I know Sophie has to get to the performance."

  "Miss Trent has already left," Steffen announced, following me.

  I frowned, "She just left him with you?" I asked, walking into the reception room.

  "With me," Darius's tenor boomed across the room.

  I stopped mid-step and felt my eyes widen. It had only just gone five. "What are you doing here?"

  Darius raised a brow from where he lay on the floor, Jacob crawling over him while they played. "I live here."

  "Yes, but..."

  "Warren told me Sophie was babysitting Jacob today. I took the afternoon off to come and see my son," Darius rationalized, standing up.

  I swallowed. Marshall had told me to prepare for this. "I'm sorry I'm so late. The interviews went longer than I anticipated." My jaw dropped when Jacob stood up and walked towards some of his toys. "He's walking?"

  "Yes, most of the afternoon." Darius observed the look of amazement on my face. "I'm guessing that's new?"

  I looked at him and wanted to hit him for not even knowing Jacob took his first steps with him. "He walked for you?"

  Darius hesitated, watching my face carefully. He cleared his throat and stepped towards me. "Sophie said you are interviewing nannies?"

  I nodded, putting my hand to my stomach. "I can't do this alone, and I can't keep relying on everyone to babysit so I can work," I educated him. "When number two comes, that would be asking too much."

  "You got the first child support payment?" Darius asked with a frown.

  "I did. Thank you. It's a very generous amount." Made more generous by the months of back pay.

  "It's the right thing to do, Mora," Darius replied, shoving his hands in his pockets. There was an undercurrent in his words I understood. He hadn't forgotten I'd hidden his son from him. He was still angry with me. "Will you stay for dinner?"

  I hadn't expected the invitation. "You know I can't."

  Darius's eyes turned hard. "Do you have a previous engagement?"

  "No," I answered bluntly. "Are you still a member of the Fehu?" I asked, letting a little of my anger seep through. Darius pressed his lips together in restraint. My face softened. "That's why I can't stay, Dare. You know that."

  I went to walk past Darius to collect Jacob and his stuff. Darius grabbed me around the waist, pulling me to him and kissing me deeply. I pulled back from the kiss almost instantly.

  "I miss you," Darius growled.

  "You chose this," I whimpered. "Twice now that you have walked away from me, Dare. I can't do this again with you. I'm not that strong."

  I slid out of his embrace, kneeling to pack away Jacob's things. I put the bag over my shoulder and picked Jacob up. I turned to leave and saw Darius still standing there watching me, his eyes glassy with unshed tears.

  I cleared my throat. "We should discuss custody arrangements," I instigated the conversation. Darius's brows lifted with surprise. I soldiered on. "Did you want every other weekend or were you thinking more often?"

  Darius looked dumbfounded. "I wasn't..." He shut his mouth and scrubbed at his face for a moment. When he dropped his hands, there was almost fear in his eyes. "Could I have Sundays? It's the day least likely to have work for me. I can drop him home on the way to the gym on Monday mornings."

  I opened my mouth to speak, and Darius cut me off.

  "Or I can skip the gym in the morning if that is too early for you?" Darius rushed on.

  I waited to ensure he wasn't going to interrupt again. "You'll need a car seat installed."

  "Of course," Darius braved a small smile.

  "You could probably get Zander's off him, since he's not using it anymore."

  "Zander had a car seat for Jacob?" Darius asked, confused.

  "Zander and I lived together until he met Sally," I advised him. Darius's nostrils flared slightly, and silence fell between us. "I thought Warren or Zander would have told you? Zander was my flatmate."

  Darius looked down at his toes, his shoulders dropping. "Did you fuck him?"

  "No," I answered without issue.

  Darius's head snapped up, surprise evident all over his face, a lot of anger and a lot of relief.

  "Did you want me to drop Jacob off on Sunday, or will you pick him up?" I asked, holding my emotions in.

  I hated this, hated negotiating something that should never have been done. He's my husband, the man I love, he should be waking up beside me on Sunday morning and be there for Jacob to come running in and jump all over as he got bigger.

  "I can pick him up." Darius's nervous smile grew a little larger. "What time?"

  I hesitated over the sob about to catch in my throat. I took a deep breath, determined not to let the pain of this situation conquer me. "Jacob and I usually visit with Dad on Sunday mornings. How about you pick him up at lunchtime from Dad’s house?"

  Darius's smile vanished. "Will Marshall be okay with that?"

  "I'll run it past him. I'm sure it won't be a problem." I stepped closer to Darius. "Say bye to daddy, Jacob."

  "Dada," Jacob grinned and leaned towards Darius. Darius smiled and kissed the top of his head goodbye.

  I started walking out.

  "Mora?"

  I turned to look at Darius, willing my tears to stay hidden for just a few more minutes.

  "Thank you."

  I met Darius's eyes. "You chose money over me, not your son." I held Jacob a little tighter. "There is no rule of theirs being broken by you knowing him."

  "Still..." Darius stepped forward.

  "It's the right thing to do," I returned his words back to him. "Jacob will see you at twelve on Sunday."

  "You won't?" Darius asked, suddenly worried.

  "No, Dare." The first tear threatened to spill. "I do work Sundays."

  Darius froze. "The garden concert," he murmured as realization hit.

  I turned and walked out the door, Steffen watching me wipe at the sudden deluge of tears flowing down my cheeks. I'd known since I started performing again that Darius was in the crowd somewhere, and, if I was to be honest, part of me always played for him.

  That he was yet again giving me up to be with his son shouldn't hurt. I should be happy he wants to know Jacob, and I was. It still hurt though, to know I would always be turned aside for one reason or another.

  As I slid into my father's car and settled Jacob in the car seat, I took a deep breath and accepted this was the case. "Everything alright, Miss Blake?" Jack asked, looking in the rearview mirror at me.

  "Yes, Jack. Take us home please?" I requested. I pulled out my phone. "Dad?"

  "Mora," Marshall answered happily. "Did Jack forget to come and get you?"

  "No. I'm in the car now," I assured. "Darius was home. He came home early to spend time with Jacob."

  "Oh."

  "We've agreed for him to have Jacob overnight on Sundays. I've suggested he pick Jacob up from your place at lunchtime on Sunday," I informed him. "Is that okay with you?"

  Marshall took an extended breath. "You will never know how proud I am of you, Mora, for being able to negotiate that without a lawyer in sight."

  I channeled my anger to drown out the pain. "Right now, I hate the Fehu and every one of its members with my every breath, and that includes you and Darius, Dad. I loathe what being your daughter has cost me, from the very day I was born." I hung up the phone, shoving it away. Jack was watching me in the rearview mirror. He was an average-looking man, in his mid-thirties at most. "Are you married, Jack?" I asked.

  "For seven years next month, Miss Blake." Jack didn't smile.

  "Do you still love your wife?"

  "Yes, more so since our two beautiful girls were born."

  "Make sure you tell her how much you love her when you get home."

  "Why's that, Miss Blake?"

  "Because you should tell her every day, and because if you hadn't been married, I'd have invited you upstairs with me when I got ho
me."

  Jack blinked. "If I wasn't married, I would have happily done so, Miss Blake."

  I gave him a pathetic smile. It felt like a pathetic attempt of a smile anyway. I pulled my phone out. "Cass? I need to fuck. Want me to do you?"

  Cassandra gulped, "Hold on a second." I heard her murmuring quietly. "Can Jeremy join us?"

  "Clarify?" I requested.

  "Just watching. Maybe some touching," she replied instantly. I heard Jeremy scoff on the other end of the line, and it made me smile.

  "We can do that," I exhaled.

  "We'll come over tonight after we get the kids to bed and Svetlana can watch them," Cassandra was grinning in her voice. I hung up and sighed.

  That's how I ended up spending the night with Cassandra and Jeremy in my bed, with Cassandra as the meat in our sandwich.

  As Cassandra lay panting between us, Jeremy reached over, taking my neck and drawing my mouth to his for a deep kiss. "I knew you'd be my mistress one day, Mora," he teased.

  "Keep dreaming," I laughed. "I'm your wife's mistress, not yours."

  Cassandra chuckled and stole my mouth from her husband’s for several intense minutes. "I should tell you," she panted, "I'm pregnant again."

  My brows hit my hairline. "I thought you were stopping at three?"

  Cassandra elbowed her husband behind her with gritted teeth. "So did I, but someone was impatient last month and shit happens."

  Jeremy smiled happily. "Well, at least I can't get either of my women pregnant now." Jeremy's hand grabbed my hip, pulling me tight against his wife. "Ready for round two?"

  ***

  Not having Jacob with me on Sunday night was hard. I planned to relax and have a long hot bath. I was fretting and I needed to relax so when the door buzzer sounded fifteen minutes into my bath, I cursed the soul who did so. I climbed out of the bath and wrapped a towel around me to go to the intercom.

  "Dare?" I asked, surprised to see him. I could hear Jacob crying through the intercom. I pressed the buzzer, letting him up.

  I opened the door and waited as he came out of the elevator with Jacob screaming all the way. As he came into the foyer, I understood. Jacob was screaming for his mama.

  "He was fine until I tried to put him to bed, and then he started asking for you and that devolved pretty quickly. I couldn't settle him," Darius explained, handing him to me.

  "Shh, gorgeous boy, mama has got you," I murmured, trying to calm him. I put his head to my chest to let him feel my beating heart as I continued to soothe, stepping back inside.

  "Shh, it's okay, bub, you are home now." Jacob started to calm down, his screaming stopped and his crying becoming sobs racking his little chest.

  Darius looked relieved. He put Jacob's bag inside my door. "Thank you for trying, Mora. Obviously, it's too late for this to work." He turned to leave.

  "Wait," I grabbed his arm, "You don't try once and give up," I scolded. "He was fine until you went to put him to bed, right?" I asked. Darius nodded. "So, just have him for the afternoon for now. As he gets used to you, we can try letting him spend the night again."

  Darius shoved his hands in his pockets and looked me over. I saw his pupils dilate at the sight of me still dripping wet in only a towel, and knew what that look meant.

  I kissed Jacob's head as he calmed and snuggled into sleep on my chest. "Think about it," I sassed, and shut my door.

  He wasn't getting me again. We were done now until my birthday. If the first of November arrived, and Darius wasn't in my bed to greet the sunrise with me, we'd be done for good. I wanted that message to be clear. I heard Darius groan on the other side of the door.

  "I'm trying, Mora," he bemoaned loud enough for me to hear.

  "I hope so," I whispered. I locked the door and went to put Jacob, already asleep after exhausting himself crying, to bed.

  ***

  "Lynwood Corporation, Wendall Boson speaking."

  I hesitated. I'd called Warren's line, not the new assistant, who wasn't so new anymore. "Hi Wendall, it’s Mora Blake. Could I speak to Darius if he's available please?" I didn't hold any hope to get to talk to him now.

  "May I ask what it involves, Miss Blake?" Wendall asked.

  "It's a family medical matter, Wendall," I explained, hoping that would be enough.

  "I'll just see if he's available, Miss Blake."

  He put me on hold. If Darius was in thinking mode, Wendall wouldn't interrupt him. He'd send Darius an instant message with my name and what I was calling about. If Darius didn't respond within thirty seconds, then he was busy and he'd read his messages later. It was the system I set up so I didn't disturb him unnecessarily.

  "Mora?" Darius's worried voice came over the line. "What's wrong? Is everything okay with Jacob? Is it the baby?"

  "Calm down, Dare," I almost smirked. "We are all good. I thought I'd let you know I have the next scan tomorrow and I wanted to ask, since, I mean..." I took a deep breath. "We can find out at this scan if it's a boy or girl. Did you want to know?"

  I heard Darius's seat creak as he sat back. He'd been having Jacob on Sundays for a month now and suggested last Sunday, after Jacob fell asleep in the car on the way home, that he might try having him overnight again soon. We'd kept our interactions at handover brief and to the point. I don't know how it was for him, but it was killing me to have him close and not touch me.

  "I'd like to come," Darius finally revealed.

  "Me too, especially with you," I moaned. "But let's get back on topic."

  Darius laughed, "I didn't go off topic. I meant I would like to attend the scan with you, Mora."

  "Oh." I felt myself blush bright red. Of course he meant that. I was the randy one thinking about sex constantly. "Damn pregnancy hormones," I muttered, realized I'd said it out loud and groaned. "Sorry."

  Darius sobered, "Don't apologize for wanting me, Mora. Never apologize for that. I want you just as badly." Darius's voice dropped an octave and I swooned. "Let me come to the scan tomorrow, and then I'll take you home and make love to you all afternoon."

  "I'm not working this week, so I have Jacob."

  "Mora..."

  "The scan is at twelve tomorrow," I cut him off. "Same place as last time." I hung up and sagged on the lounge. Couldn't he just be rid of the Fehu already? I wanted my husband, wanted to be a family together.

  The moment I thought it, I scolded myself. There was nothing to say that Darius was trying to leave the Fehu. There was no indication that we would ever be a couple again. He'd agreed to the custody arrangements with Jacob easily, so the potential was that he'd already given up on us. The saddest thing was that I was starting to as well.

  ***

  Darius was there waiting when I walked into the medical center the next day. I checked in before going to sit with him. Jacob immediately put his arms out for Darius, and I let him go to him. I was in a foul mood today. I had barely slept last night, I was horny, and Jacob had got to my cello while I made breakfast. He played with the pegs until he unfastened all my strings. I would spend the entire afternoon tuning it back in again.

  "Mama looks grumpy today," Darius cooed to Jacob. "Why is that?"

  "Jacob got to my cello again," I muttered unhappily.

  Darius looked at Jacob, who was grinning happily. "Oh, I thought it was because your latest sexcapades had been busted."

  I frowned, looking at Darius. "I'm sorry, what?" I snapped at him quietly.

  Darius, now that I paid attention, looked just as angry as me. "There was a meeting called with the brothers last night. I thought for sure they were going to bust my balls for getting you pregnant again. Turned out, it was Jeremy on the firing line for screwing you this time."

  "I'm not screwing Jeremy," I huffed back into the uncomfortable waiting chair. "If I was, I wouldn't be anywhere near as sexually frustrated as I am."

  Darius pressed his lips together. "Yes, Jeremy was very specific in what he'd been doing while you fuck Cassandra. They still tried to drag him over the coals
for having an ongoing relationship with a black mark."

  "He's my boss, and I don't think you should be telling me this stuff," I grumbled. "I'm not interested in the Fehu or its outdated rules."

  Darius grabbed my arm. "You should be interested, because Lennon Brooks suggested the brotherhood encamp you."

  "What?" I asked, not even understanding what that meant.

  Darius's jaw tightened. "It's where your father would be forced to bring you in, blindfold you, and chain you to the floor before Marshall, Jeremy, and I watched all the other brothers fuck one or all of your orifices."

  "That would be rape," I hissed.

  "Which is why Marshall managed to talk the brothers out of it," Darius hissed back just as angrily. "They haven't done that to a woman for a hundred years and times have changed since then, but Brooks is pushing for it."

  "He just wants to screw me and is looking for the opportunity to do so," I snarled.

  "Yes, that was obvious to everyone," Darius simmered. "So stop giving him a reason by fucking around the brotherhood."

  I gave Darius the filthy look he deserved. "I don't report to your brotherhood, so I will do whoever the hell I want. They try to do anything along the lines of what you just told me, I'll expose the lot of them for the pigs they are." I got up and stormed over to the counter. "I'm not feeling well. Can I reschedule this scan please?"

  "Oh, um, okay?" The receptionist frowned, looking at her booking sheet before suggesting a date and time later in the week. I took it.

  I went back to Darius, took Jacob from him, and walked out without another word.

  I went straight home, intending to set Jacob in his play area before I played my cello until my fingers bled, except there was someone waiting for me to get home. Dr. Lennon Brooks was waiting by my apartment door when I arrived at the top of the stairs. The anger already consuming me burbled over.

  "What are you doing here?" I snapped.

  Brooks smirked, "Ah, so you heard. No more threesomes with the Greens for you, Mrs. Rafal." Brooks took too much delight in using that title. He moved closer to me, standing over me. "That's right, Mora, I know your little secret. You've given me all the ammunition to destroy Darius Rafal and ruin him." I felt his hand rubbing my swollen tummy. "I bet this one is his too, isn't it?"