Fortunate Read online

  “It’s not that I don’t trust your judgment, Renee. I just need to look at it, for my sake.”

  “You just need to look at it because you’re a control freak. No need to front.” She shook her head as Ayda grabbed the files. True to form, she read Renee’s highlights first then went on to skim the rest of the reports.

  “Anything you need before the launch?” Renee chuckled, obviously laughing at Ayda’s predictability.

  “Nope. I’m going to do an executive briefing session beforehand, then head out to the site for the big ceremonial unveiling.”

  “Oh yea….” Renee bit her bottom lip, which meant she was about to deliver less than preferable news. “Tracy McNeal is stopping in for that meeting. She came by to let you know earlier.”

  Ayda outwardly groaned and her face morphed into an angry glare.

  “Which means she came by to be shady. I swear her pregnancy has heightened her petty levels. She’s already a Senior Director, why does she spend so much time focused on my work and me. Shouldn’t she be out on maternity leave?”

  “She is, but according to her, she just couldn’t miss this launch.” Renee’s eyes rolled so fiercely that Ayda worried they would get stuck that way. But, she appreciated her shared disapproval of Mrs. Tracy McNeal-Patrick, the only other woman of color in leadership at the firm. Ayda hated to be so competitive with her, but Tracy’s attitude had made it that way.

  Her disdain for Ayda was partially personal and professional. Personally, apparently, Tracy’s younger sister, a name that constantly escaped Ayda, was the current fiancé of Ayda’s ex-boyfriend, Aaron Masters, Mr. Crash and Burn himself. It seemed that the rumor mill had spun the tale that Ayda had stolen Aaron, only to lose him to What’s her name again. That was far from the truth, but Ayda didn’t care to fight Aaron’s slander anymore. She was just happy to be free of him.

  Not my problem anymore.

  Ayda thought to herself every time Aaron’s face crossed her mind. He had brought so much drama into her life, even now, and they had been broken up for nearly four years. Ayda wasn’t a home wrecker and had no idea about What’s her name, but Tracy, obviously, believed otherwise and still held a grudge.

  Professionally, Tracy’s angst came from Ayda being her only real competition for the Vice President of Community Engagement position that had just opened up. The city of Washington, D.C., although gentrified, was still very chocolate, and traditionally, a Black person served in this role for the firm. It was true that Tracy was in a senior position and had more experience, but Ayda had the popular vote. She was a fourth-generation Washingtonian and daughter of Marcus Forde, Sr., the founder of the city’s most successful Black-owned wealth management firm. She also ran high-profile accounts, and if this campaign launched flawlessly, it would be icing on the proverbial cake.

  “She’s threatened. Simple.” Renee tossed her hair over her shoulder. “Anyways, just wanted you to have a heads up and all the briefing packets are already in the conference room.”

  “Thank you. I’d be so lost without you, girl. You know that, right?” Ayda’s tense shoulders subsided in relief.

  “Ayda, please. You have me and you’re still lost.” She smacked her teeth. “Oh, wait, I forgot. Michael called. He wants to know if you’re free tonight?”

  “How did he get my office number?” Hearing his name reminded her of the text messages that she had been ignoring. Her relationship with Michael was need-based, meaning that she called him when she needed him to relieve some of her stress. Any other communication was simply annoying to her. Now that she was so wound up from the stress of today, she didn’t mind returning his call.

  Ayda bit her lower lip then shook away the thought. She needed to focus.

  “Maybe because you gave him your card. I told you to stop doing that. You’re going to have to give me a raise if I have to keep fielding your booty calls.”

  Ayda erupted into laughter, while Renee stood in the doorway with her hands on her hips wearing a deviant smile.

  “You’re right. I’m sorry. My bad. I’ll do better.” Ayda gathered herself. “I have to do better if I want to lock this promotion in. Tracy’s stiff competition and now that she’s got this baby coming, I know the execs are going to be looking at that whole I’m a working mother angle. Plus, she’s married to a Virginia state senator. They’ll be dying to exploit that.”

  “Well, then, stop being a little tramp and settle down, so I can work for someone with access to the company jet.” They both laughed, but internally, Ayda was already over thinking it.

  She did that a lot, tossed every detail around in her head until she analyzed every aspect of everything to death. This character trait made her great at her job, but seemed to cripple her in life. She was sure that she was far from ever wanting do the whole ‘mom and a wife’ sha-bang anytime soon, but she did think about it at times.

  Like this morning, after the most adorable little girl bumped into her. Her precious face had been framed with bouncy pigtails, and seeing her sent Ayda’s ovaries into overdrive. Even further, the impossibly gorgeous little girl was the spitting image of her impossibly fine father. Delectable was a better word for him because he had truly made her mouth water. The man had been tall with smooth, peanut butter colored skin, and dark brown eyes that matched the little girl’s. His lips were full and so was his build, with a broad chest and strong arms to boot. His goatee was slightly scruffy, while his closely cropped hair featured deep waves that were definitely distracting.

  Her type.

  She said to herself, but in all honesty, any man with a handsome face and a strong back was her type. She sighed.

  Maybe I am a tramp.

  She knew Renee had only been joking, but her little jibe was enough to flare up her habit of over processing.

  “You don’t really think I’m a tramp, do you? I mean, I date around, but,”

  “I was kidding, Ayda. Don’t go getting too deep into your thoughts. I know how you get. You’re gorgeous, come from a good family, and have a great career. You’re a magnet for fine and successful men. You’re living the dream. Don’t be ashamed of it.”

  Ayda nodded to reassure herself, but once Renee left her alone, her thoughts drug her back to being into her damn feelings. Her stupid overpowering feelings, which she often suppressed to ensure she functioned at her most logical level. She was supposed to be getting ready for her meeting and the campaign launch, but now she was processing her personal life. After dating Aaron, a high society tyrant, for two years, she felt she deserved to play the field. Still, she wasn’t completely detached from reality and knew her exploits had garnered her a reputation. Even her brothers had said so.

  Marcus Forde, Jr. and Dwele Forde, the chosen ones, as she liked to call them, had cornered her during a Christmas party a few years back once a friend of theirs also turned out to be someone who Ayda had slept with and never called back. They had lectured her about the importance of appearances, but it had gone in one ear and out of the other. She had already let herself be miserable long enough for the sake of societal appearances.

  All of that shit can go to hell in a hand basket.

  She rolled her eyes. She would give her family the perfect man to add to their family’s Christmas card one day, but not right now.

  “But you aren’t getting any younger,” Her thoughts sounded out loud. Popular culture had started saying that 30 was the new 20, but Ayda surely felt like she was 30. Not to mention, she had found another gray strand yesterday while straightening her hair.

  “Just let it go, Ayda.” She groaned. She had taxed her brain enough. “You’ve got too many other things to worry about.” She scolded herself before opening her laptop and bringing it to life with a shake of the mouse pad.

  “Damn you, pretty little girl and your fine ass daddy.” Her fingers grazed the keyboard. She wanted to Internet stalk him, but that was a lost cause without knowing his name. She wasn’t even sure why she cared so much. Yes, he had been at
tractive, but he hadn’t even bothered to speak to her after she had introduced herself.

  “Typical fine man behavior.” She shook her head, jumbling her mind’s image of the tall, caramel Adonis holding his little girl. She gathered up her notes for her executive team meeting, successfully pushed the image out of her mind, and then headed down the hall to the main conference room. She had work to do.

  And work she did, feeling confident for the first time all morning while she stood in front of the executive team. Tracy’s look of disdain only added to her flare as she briefed everyone on how today was supposed to play out.

  “This is all good work, Ayda. I’ve been raving about this.” Mr. Whitman approached her first to sing her praises. He was the Senior Vice President of Public Affairs, and ultimately made the final decision on who was promoted.

  “Thank you.” She beamed back, giving him a firm handshake.

  “Yes, it’s not exactly how I would’ve approached it, with all of that focus on social media,” Tracy pushed her way into the conversation. “But, it still has promise.”

  Ayda didn’t dignify her with a response. Instead, she smiled at both her and Mr. Whitman then excused herself. Her next stop was the site of the press conference, which featured the players and their “mini me’s.” Just as Ayda predicted, it was a huge hit. Hundreds had come out to take pictures with the players and get autographs after unveiling the ads, which would be featured in subway stations across the city.

  “I definitely think we’ve got a success on our hands.” Renee passed her a phone, which was ablaze with social media alerts for the campaign. They stood in the back of the room watching their handiwork, while the players and their agents answered questions for the press.

  “I think we’re due some celebratory drinks.” Renee nudged Ayda’s shoulder.

  “I’ll celebrate once we get the metrics back,” She started, but one of the player’s agents stepped into her view and stole her attention. “But, maybe we’re due a little celebratory something…” Her words trailed off while she watched him interact with his client, but as soon as she started to assess him her mind conjured images of Daddy Delectable from this morning.

  The man in front of her was barely comparable.

  “Girl, you’re ridiculous.” Renee just shook her head after following Ayda’s line of sight. “You’ve already got a man that you refuse to call back and I thought we were settling down for image purposes. Your promotion remember? Down, girl.”

  She blinked, but the image didn’t go away.

  “You okay?” Renee moved in front of her. Ayda shook her head forcefully then took a deep breath.

  “Yea, I’m fine, it’s just…” She searched for the right words. She didn’t want Renee to think she was losing it, or she would force her to take days off. “Have you ever met someone once and couldn’t stop thinking about them?”

  Renee looked back over her shoulder at the agent.

  “He’s alright, Ayda, but he’s not that fine. You’re always exaggerating.” She laughed, shook her head, and then left Ayda standing there to mingle with the other staff working the event.

  “No, it’s not about him. It’s someone...else.” Her voice was lost in the crowd as she called after Renee.

  Chapter Two

  After tucking Sasha into bed, Tremaine retired to the living room to call his sister and let her know that she would definitely need to pick up his daughter tomorrow. His first day on the new job was likely going to be hectic, so he didn’t want Sasha waiting on him.

  His sister, Julissa, had graduated a semester early from his alma mater, which was a twenty-minute drive from the city. Now, she was finishing out her lease and working at the university until she started her first year of law school in the fall. Having her in town was a greater blessing than either of them would have ever imagined when she started her freshman year. Trinity had still been around then.

  He ran his hand down his face to wipe that memory away, as he waited for his sister to answer.

  “Ay, big bro. What’s good?” His sister’s Southern drawl was more apparent than his own. They were both born and raised in North Carolina, where his parents and older brother, Quentin, still lived. “I thought I hit you back?”

  “You did, but I just wanted to know for sure that you could get Sasha. Her dance practice was cancelled too, so you’ve gotta be there at 4:30 p.m.”

  Julissa sighed and he could feel her rolling her eyes at him in annoyance. “I know the routine, Tremaine. I’ll pick her up and keep her. My sorority sisters are having step practice, so I can take her there. They love when she’s around anyways.”

  “So, that’s where she’s getting all of this ‘I don’t need you, Daddy’ foolishness from?” Tremaine frowned. “You’ve got her hanging around those sorority girls and thinking she’s grown now.”

  Julissa burst into laughter.

  “She’s just getting a glimpse of womanhood and what it really looks like. She doesn’t see it often, so she’s probably just latching onto it because of that. Chill out. Get laid. Do something other than bother me. Damn.”

  She was definitely their mother’s child. She always said exactly what she was thinking and was undoubtedly passing that trait on to his daughter.

  “I don’t need to get laid, Julissa. I need you to make sure Sasha doesn’t eat too much junk food tomorrow and learns how to be a lady.”

  “Oh, so now I’m not a lady?” She shot back, even though she knew he hadn’t meant to be offensive. She just liked chiding her older brother.

  “You know that’s not what I meant. Anyways, thank you for handling Sasha. I know it hasn’t been easy, but I appreciate it.”

  “She’s precious and practically perfect, which always baffles me knowing that she spends so much time with you.” Tremaine could hear his sister’s grin. “What’s the big shake up in your schedule about anyways? You don’t have a date, so what’s going on?”

  Julissa was constantly picking at his newfound hermit lifestyle. His older brother Quentin had always been the settled one, who preferred to stay home rather than go out. Now, Tremaine was home with the kid and Quentin was the one on the dating scene.

  Funny how things change.

  He chuckled to himself, looking at his surroundings. This wasn’t how Tremaine had seen his life going at all. He had spent the last 10 years of his life as a self-proclaimed Splackavellie. In college, he had joined a fraternity known for their good looks and charm, and he indulged in every bit of what his college “celebrity” status had to offer. There were women galore and he didn’t slow down until Trinity got pregnant. He and Trinity had only been messing around, but ended up with the ultimate surprise. He was going to be a father, so he dropped all of his bad habits to focus on building a substantial relationship with her.

  Too bad she didn’t want him, their life, or their daughter. When Sasha was two, Trinity packed up her bags and rushed off to New York to pursue her acting career. Sasha had gone to visit her a couple of times, but her inconsistency, due to her burgeoning career, was too much for Sasha’s little brain to comprehend. So, Tremaine had begun limiting their interactions over the past year, for Sasha’s sake. Now, he was settled into life as a single parent, which had brought the last remnants of his old lifestyle to a screeching halt. He didn’t date anymore. He didn’t go out with his friends much, and he spent most of his time either with his daughter, at work, or with his siblings and parents.

  “I got a promotion.” He revealed to Julissa, who squealed on the other end of the phone. “It’s just temporary. I’m the interim regional property manager, which puts me in charge of two buildings’ portfolios. I’m going to have to pull some long nights to make sure I’m staying on top of things in the beginning.”

  “No worries, big bro. I’ve got you. Have you told mom and dad, or Que?”

  “Nope, nobody knows, but you. I’m sure you’ll be on the horn soon enough though. You’re the family crier.” Julissa smacked her teeth, but knew he
was right. She was already texting Quentin about it.

  “Well, I’m proud of you.”

  He thanked his baby sister and then told her goodnight. The late hour had crept up on him and he wanted to wind down before bed. He changed into a pair of basketball shorts and a T-shirt to get in a late night workout to ease his mind. He made space in the living room, grabbed his jump rope, and then went to work until he was covered in sweat. He then moved to the weight bench in his room to lift barbells until his mind was completely free of worry, doubt, and all of the pent up sexual tension he harbored from his eight-month drought.

  A hot shower followed, and then he was ready to close his eyes and shut out the world. But, he could not shut Ayda out. She crossed his mind again, and now his fantasy seemed to be in 3D now that it included a name, a voice, and the smell of her perfume.

  “Got dammit.” He rolled over on his stomach to quell the growing hardness in his lap. His sister had been right. He did need to get laid. He glanced over at his weight bench, but he was too tired to lift anymore. But, the aching only grew, as his mind dressed Ayda up in a tight dress that he imagined hiking up around her waist.

  “Desperate times,” He groaned to himself, as he moved his hand into the waistband of his boxers. “Call for desperate measures.”

  ****

  Exhausted, Ayda fumbled into her apartment, kicking off the heels that she should have taken off hours ago. She had been trying to keep up with Renee who was a fashionista and never wore flats.

  “Never again.” She mumbled to herself, as she moved through her apartment to turn on the lights.

  “Wine.” She went to the kitchen to pour herself a tall glass then stripped out of her suit. Today had taken its toll, but seeing her success had been worth it. She was sure the data reports that would be on her desk tomorrow would confirm the triumph that she already felt. She sipped from her glass then smiled to herself. She could taste her promotion and was already imagining herself sitting in an office on the executive floor.