Fortunate Read online

  Fortunate

  nikki blaire

  Fortunate©Nikki Thompson

  Cover Art by Nikki Thompson

  Photo credit: Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

  William Stitt on Unsplash

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof

  may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever

  without the express written permission of the publisher

  or copyright holder except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction.

  Any similarity to real locations, people, or events is coincidental and unintentional.

  Chapter One

  There she was again, standing in line at the coffee shop, while Tremaine Henley watched her from his seat in a booth. Today, she was wearing a sophisticated gray skirt suit that was perfectly tailored to fit her curves. Her jet-black hair was straight and hanging around her shoulders, but Tremaine preferred her natural curls. He wished that he could tell her so, but since he didn’t actually know her, he assumed that it was best to keep his suggestions to himself.

  He had nicknamed the woman Ms. Executive after a month of watching her from afar. Every morning, she would stride into the little dining area and steal his attention, while she ordered her morning coffee. He would spot her and then daydream about where she was off to, undoubtedly, some office in one of the skyscrapers in downtown Washington, D.C.

  This morning, he hungrily took in the sight of her, making sure to linger his gaze at his favorite places. Her dark brown eyes and skin, her ample chest, her hips, then down to her thighs and sculpted legs. Seeing her triggered his favorite fantasy of her coming home to him, peeling out of whatever high-powered outfit she was wearing, but leaving her stilettos on.

  “Daddy, I gots no more apples in my oatmeal.” His four-year-old daughter Sasha’s tiny voice pulled him out of his thoughts. He blinked and the fantasy was gone.

  “You don’t have any more apples in your oatmeal, ladybug.” He gently corrected her before standing to fetch her some more.

  “No, Daddy. I can do it.” She pushed her tiny frame off of the booth’s cushion. Her shoes lit up in a purple and pink frenzy once her feet hit the ground. “I’ll be right back.” She grinned and then rushed away to the front counter.

  Tremaine frowned at his baby girl’s newfound interest in establishing her independence. He was sure she got it from his younger sister, Julissa, who had started babysitting Sasha while he worked. He thought about bringing it up to Julissa, but knew that she would just roll her eyes at him or tell him that he was obsessive for wanting his daughter to need him forever.

  But she’s all I got.

  Tremaine eyed his daughter closely, while she skipped to the front counter.

  “Can I, no may I…may I have some more apples, please? I don’t gots…have no more in my oatmeal.” Sasha stared up at the barista. Tremaine couldn’t stop the smile pulling at his lips from watching her try to correct herself. It warmed his heart knowing that his lessons stayed with her even when she thought he wasn’t watching. The barista glanced over at him, to which he nodded his approval, before she handed Sasha another bag of apples. She held out both of her hands, just like Tremaine had taught her, and said thank you before spinning around to skip back to her seat. Unfortunately, Sasha skipped right into the hip of the next awaiting customer. As she gazed up to see who she had run into, Tremaine was already closing the space between them to apologize.

  “I’m sorry, she was just trying to,” He scooped Sasha up into his arms, while she absentmindedly struggled to open her bag of apples. The run-in had barely registered to her, but Tremaine’s heart rate was doubling once his eyes landed on Ms. Executive standing in front of him.

  “No need to apologize,” Her warm, melodic voice flooded over him. “It’s fine, really. Actually, it’s my fault. I was so focused on my phone,” Her perfectly oval face wore a bright smile as she peered down at Sasha. “My apologies, sweetie.”

  “It’s okay. I’m not mad. Daddy’s not mad.” Sasha dropped the apples in her father’s hand signaling that she had given up on trying to open them. “I’m Sasha. This is Daddy.”

  “Hi, I’m Ayda.” She giggled then finally faced Tremaine with her hand out to shake, but he froze at being this close. The smell of her citrus scented perfume choked his ability to speak.

  “Um, okay. Well, nice to meet you,” She spoke in his silence then smiled, obviously put off by his awkward behavior. “Have a great day.” She then stepped aside to get to the counter.

  “Tremaine. I’m Tremaine. It’s nice to meet you too.” He finally found the words, but it was too little, too late. Her back was facing him as she ordered. The moment was gone, but he lingered there for another second before completely giving up, then carried Sasha back to their seats.

  “I’ve completely lost it,” He mumbled to himself, wiping a hand over his face while Sasha finished her breakfast.

  These days, Tremaine didn’t even recognize himself anymore. Gone was the playboy, who could talk a woman out of her panties in one night. Now, he was a father, and true to God’s sense of humor, he had a daughter, which was most definitely irony at its finest. He let out a deep sigh, while he replayed his blunder in his head. There was once a time when Tremaine would have easily had Ayda giggling and handing over her phone number.

  Shit, there was once a time when I would have had her face down before I knew her name.

  But this was now, and all he had actually done was make himself look stupid.

  “Daddy, I’m done.” Sasha passed her empty bowl towards him, further reminding him of the present.

  “Aight, ladybug. Let’s get to school.”

  Sasha let out a soft shriek of excitement, while she hopped down from the stool. Tremaine took her hand while he threw away their trash then led her out of the coffee shop. The pair strolled down the busy streets towards Sasha’s Pre-K learning center. He casually answered her rapid firing questions and let her ramble on about things as they passed along the way. Every morning he was bombarded by the same questions.

  “Daddy, what’s that sign say?”

  “Daddy, why don’ts that man gots on tenny shoes?”

  “Daddy, who was that lady in the breffis place?”

  Tremaine had started to rattle off one of his rehearsed answers when he realized what Sasha had just asked.

  “Huh, ladybug?” He needed her to repeat herself just to be sure.

  “The pretty lady in the breffis place. She was nice. Can she be our breffis friend?” Sasha stared up at him innocently.

  Shit, can she be my breakfast?

  He thought to himself, but bit back his real response. He had to use his “Daddy” filter for Sasha.

  “I’m not sure, ladybug, but you’re right. She does seem like a nice lady.” He bent down to scoop her up then carried her the final blocks to her school. After dropping her off, he trekked back to his apartment building. He pushed through the front doors of the lobby then retreated to his office for a moment of silence before his workday officially began.

  Tremaine worked as a property manager for the apartment building’s leasing company and appreciated the perk of living where he worked. He had been with the company since graduating from college, and had worked his way up to his current position of managing the building’s financial portfolio. After college, he had appreciated the easy work and flexible hours, but now, he had grown complacent. It wasn’t his dream job, and more importantly, Tremaine wanted a real career. He closed his office’s door and settled at his desk to organize himself for the day, but his mind had its own plans. Without prompting, Ms. Executive’s face was front and center again. Meeting her, although he completely lacked finesse, had provided him with more details
about her than he had before. Now, he knew her laugh, her scent, the way her voice sounded, and most importantly, her name.

  “Ayda.” The name settled on his tongue and left a sweet taste in his mouth. He felt it suited her well. Too bad he had barely been able to get his own name out.

  “A whole month of fantasizing about meeting her and that’s what you do?” He chastised himself, running his hand over the back of his neck. Being so close to her had completely caught him off guard. Silently, he prayed for a second chance to make a first impression, but he knew the odds were against him. It had already taken a month for them to come face-to-face for the first time.

  “Tremaine,” Hearing his name jerked him out of his daydreams. He looked up to find one of the leasing agents standing in his doorway. “Mr. Bass wants to see you.”

  Mr. Bass was his boss, a quirky, middle-aged family man, who was always trying to be “cool” in Tremaine’s presence. He also clearly believed that Tremaine still lived a bachelor’s lifestyle. He always asked Tremaine if he had come in from a “late night” if he yawned during a meeting, or goaded him into sharing college stories about his fraternity days. It was all innocent, but extremely annoying. No one seemed to be able to let go of the old Tremaine, even though he was clearly dead and gone.

  “Tremaine, my man,” Mr. Bass announced, as soon as Tremaine entered his office. He motioned to the seat across from his desk and waved for Tremaine to sit down. “You ready for the weekend? Any big plans? I know you’ve got something fly lined up.”

  Tremaine rolled his eyes.

  “Nope, nothing at all, Mr. Bass. It’ll just be my daughter and me. We may go visit the family back home, but that’s it, just like every other weekend.” He sat down then rested his arms on the sides of the chair.

  “Aww, c’mon, you don’t have to spare me the details, but I get it. What happens after hours, stays after hours, if you know what I mean.” He gave a playful nudge that made Tremaine groan inwardly.

  “You wanted to see me?” He hoped he hadn’t been summoned down to his boss’ office just for this.

  “Yes, yes. I’ve got some good news for you. Corporate has launched a new diversity initiative for staffing leadership positions. It’s important to the company, as you know, and when they asked me who was a great candidate for more responsibility, I immediately thought of you.”

  “Did you?” Tremaine’s ears perked up and his eyebrows narrowed. This was completely unexpected.

  “Of course. You’re charming, all of the staff loves you, and you’re just the face that the company needs to be moving up the chain and gaining a profile. I mean, it’s no secret that you’re quite a handsome guy. Even my wife,”

  “I get it,” Tremaine stopped him. “But, what exactly are you saying? Am I doing some kind of professional development training?”

  “No, Tremaine. You’re being promoted. I suggested you and corporate agreed enthusiastically.”

  Under other circumstances, Tremaine would have been thrilled, but he didn’t want a promotion right now. His schedule was already hectic enough and his job, as is, was always cutting into his time with Sasha. Even further, he didn’t want a promotion simply because he was handsome or charming. In all of Mr. Bass’ accolades, he had yet to say anything about Tremaine’s work ethic or attention to detail. Mr. Bass hadn’t even mentioned how Tremaine had managed six quarters of increased profit for this building.

  “It’s a great opportunity,” Mr. Bass continued. “You’ll be over two properties and soon, you’ll be in the corporate office.”

  “All of that sounds great, Mr. Bass, but can I have some time to think on it?”

  He needed time to really weigh the pros and cons. The job offered more money that he could definitely use, but it would also add to his work schedule. Sasha already had to stay an hour late after Pre-K and be babysat by Julissa some nights and weekends. If this kept up, he would only see his daughter when he came home to put her to bed.

  ‘No time, Tremaine. We need an interim regional manager now. If you’re not interested, then I can find someone,”

  “I’m interested,” He cut in. He couldn’t wholeheartedly turn down a higher salary, which would provide for his daughter. “I’ll just have to figure some things out, but I’ll do it.”

  “Great! You’re just the guy we wanted for the job, Tremaine. Everyone agreed. They were gonna be pretty disappointed if I didn’t deliver you.” Mr. Bass chuckled. “I know your office is here, but we’ll need you to go over to the other property tomorrow morning to get acquainted with the staff over there, since you’ll be handling the financials for both residential buildings.”

  “No problem, Mr. Bass.”

  “Good.” They shook hands and then Tremaine was out the door. He walked back to his office feeling excited, yet queasy. He would have to sit down with Sasha and explain that she may see less of him for a little while. Then, he would have to call Julissa to make sure she could cover for him.

  Once he was back in the sanctuary of his office, he shut the door and flopped back down into his chair. His head fell into his hands, while he contemplated the decision that he had just made. These moments, where he had to choose between providing for his family and actually being with his family, made him angry at Trinity, Sasha’s mother.

  Trinity Cosgrove.

  He rolled her name around in his thoughts, while resentment against her rose in his chest. She had put him in this predicament – being both Sasha’s mother and father – to chase her dream of being an actress. Now, he was saddled with raising Sasha alone. His parents and siblings helped out when they could, but ultimately, she was his responsibility.

  “I guess we’ll have to reschedule those Daddy, Daughter date nights, ladybug.” He said to the picture of her that sat on his desk. He sighed and then reclined in his office chair. He was making the right decision for her future, so he had to let that settle his guilty conscience. More money coming in meant that he could start saving for her college fund, take her to Disney World, and maybe even start taking graduate school classes.

  “It’s what’s best.” He convinced himself. He shot his sister a text about possibly picking Sasha up from Pre-K for the rest of the week and then stuck his headphones in his ears. The heavy bass of hip-hop music penetrated his mellow mood and lifted his spirits. “And maybe now that I can spare a little extra change, I can take Ms. Exec…Ayda, out.”

  A vision of her wearing a classic dress and dripping in diamonds popped into his head. He was sure that she was used to the best. She exuded privilege and probably only dated brothers who spent bankrolls on a date to impress her, if she even dated brothers at all.

  “If you can actually speak to her the next time you see her, instead of acting like a lame.” He shook his head, and then turned his music up louder. He had a lot to get through before his next meeting and daydreaming about Ayda wasn’t going to get any of it done.

  But damn, if it wasn’t nice to daydream.

  ****

  Ayda Forde’s stilettos clacked against the marble floor of her office building. She quickly slipped into an open elevator then pulled at the back of her skirt after seeing that she was riding alone. She had fussed over her appearance all morning because today was a big day. She was leading the launch of a major marketing campaign this afternoon, so she needed everything to be perfect, especially her appearance.

  Ayda pressed one of the gold plated buttons, then minutes later, the doors opened on the 11th floor of the building, which housed Prestige, an international public relations and marketing firm.

  “Good morning, Ms. Forde.” The front desk receptionist greeted her, even though Ayda had reminded her several times to simply call her by her first name. She flashed a smile and then headed towards her office. She needed to gather herself before the big reveal of the campaign she had been slaving away to launch for months.

  Blood rushed to Ayda’s head in excitement every time she thought about it. At 30, she was the youngest director at
the firm and oversaw the PR and marketing campaigns for both the city’s basketball and baseball teams, which were also two of the firm’s biggest clients.

  Her campaign had been a sure-fire way to resolve some of the negative publicity that the teams’ players had been receiving. Several of them had been in altercations, caught partying too hard, or implicated in scandalous affairs. The city was starting to view both teams as spoiled brats and it was Ayda’s job to fix that. So, she partnered the teams with one of the city’s largest foster homes for a mentoring program. An official press conference and event was today, and so was the unveiling of a new ad campaign that featured the players alongside a “mini me” version of themselves, each being portrayed by a foster kid.

  “Pure genius,” Ayda said to herself every time she thought of her handiwork. She closed her office door for a quiet moment to build her confidence, but it flung open again as soon as she flopped down at her desk. Her assistant, Renee Covington, rushed in with a perky smile painted on her face.

  “Today’s the big day!” She squealed, as she placed several files on Ayda’s desk. “Mr. Whitman has been rambling on and on about this launch all morning. I swear, he’s called you brilliant about four times.”

  “Funny, I don’t feel brilliant. Just stressed and anxious. I want everything to be perfect. What is this?” Ayda glanced towards the pile of documents that Renee laid out for her.

  “Projections from the different offices, communications and finance are the biggest folders. They’ve got some estimations on website traffic and team sales. I’ve highlighted what I think is important, but I know you’ll ignore that and read everything anyway.”

  Ayda rolled her eyes at Renee’s quip, but she couldn’t stop the small smile that pulled at her lips. The two of them had only been working together for two years, but Ayda often wondered how she ever functioned without her. Renee’s bold and friendly attitude made her a great balance to Ayda’s more introverted and calculated personality. She eased Ayda’s overly analytical mind, kept her organized, and served as her official second opinion. Ayda didn’t dare make a move without Renee, and although they were complete opposites, somehow, it worked. But, more importantly, Renee had become one of the few people whom Ayda considered to be her friend. She had lost the majority of the ones she had when her last relationship crashed and burned.