Stefan (The Marquette Family Book Three)

by Lockwood, Tressie

  Duke laughed. “It’s Duke, and nothing doing. A soft body is all I need. In fact, I see something interesting over there. Later, guys. Have fun.”

  Stefan watched his cousin walk away, pretty sure that Duke still thought he was gay. He had no idea how the man clung to the notion. Maybe he just wanted to for his own entertainment. Stefan wouldn’t put it past Duke to come to such a decision. Duke liked to get his enjoyment at other people’s expense. Stefan didn’t believe he was mean-spirited, just self-absorbed when it came to what he desired.

  “So.” Tyjon leaned on the piano and played with a few keys. “I really came to spy on you to see if you have a wife back home who doesn’t know about you sneaking off.”

  “I assure you I don’t, and I would prefer to keep things separate, if you know what I mean.”

  Tyjon frowned. “That’s what I figured. Why don’t you just break up with her? My sister deserves a man who loves her and isn’t ashamed of her.”

  Stefan clenched his jaw. “I’m not ashamed.”

  “Oh no? So letting that guy who just walked away think you’re gay is better than letting him know you’re slumming with my sister? That’s not shame at all?”

  Stefan shut the piano top harder than he meant to. Creed, who had just walked into the dining room, glanced his way. Damn, he’d hoped to leave before Creed found him. He wasn’t scared or intimated by Creed, but he didn’t want to have the discussion about his personal life. All the same, Stefan willed Creed’s gaze to remain on him. Instead, it slipped over to Tyjon. Unlike Duke, Creed didn’t look like he questioned Stefan’s manhood. Yet, one never knew. When he wasn’t angry, Creed knew how to maintain a poker face. He wouldn’t have done so well in business if he couldn’t.

  “Ty,” Stefan said in a low tone, “I understand you’re concerned about your sister, but what she and I have is our business. The terms are what we agreed on.”

  “She likes you. Of course she would agree. You rich guys always call the shots on how you use us. I had a boyfriend with money once. He wasn’t rich as you, but he owned some vacation real estate and drove fancy cars. I was told not to come by his house. He had an apartment downtown. Come to find out he was married to a woman!”

  Tyjon’s mouth hardened.

  “I don’t do men on the down low. I believe in being who you are and doing what you want. If you were such a good guy, you wouldn’t hide my sister in a closet.”

  “You’re right,” Stefan said.

  Tyjon blinked. “What?”

  “I’m wrong for how I treat her.”

  “Are you pulling some reverse psychology on me, because it won’t work.”

  “No, I’m not.” Stefan stood. “I should bring her around here, but right now I’m not going to.”

  Tyjon’s eyes widened.

  “I’m being honest with you. So you have a choice. You can go over there and tell my brothers the truth, or you can let Talicia decide what she wants to do about me. I’m not prepared to let her go. Not yet. She’s mine as long as she agrees to it.”

  “You’re that into her?”

  “Yeah,” Stefan admitted, smiling. “I’m that into her.”

  Tyjon made a rude noise. “If you were, you’d marry her.”

  “I would, wouldn’t I?” Stefan snorted. “So what’s it going to be?”

  “I’m not betraying my sister. Don’t think I’d do it for you.” Tyjon groaned. “Why do you have to be so pretty and with that voice? I hate you, but I don’t. Get it?”

  “Yes, I get it. I’ll work harder to make you like me.”

  Tyjon waved a hand at him, for some reason reminding Stefan of Talicia. The two of them looked so much alike, even more so now that Talicia had cut her hair shorter. Hers was straight and slicked to her head, and her brother’s lay in tight curls. All the same, Stefan saw the differences. Tyjon behaved in a much more feminine way than Talicia, but Stefan had experienced the genuine womanliness that was his wife. Damn, there he went again, thinking about her, which led to craving her. He would need to make that phone call soon and hope she agreed to take a trip with him.

  “Well, I’m going,” Tyjon told him. “I’m glad I came though. I always thought of you just playing elevator music here, but it was all right. And you added a little funk to that last song, didn’t you? Learned that at our club.”

  Stefan winked. “The guests seemed to like it.”

  “Yeah, they did. You can’t beat our music. So anyway, do me a favor, Stefan.”

  “What’s that?”

  He hesitated. “Don’t tell Talicia I came by, okay? She’d get all mad and tell me to keep my nose out of her business.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, really. Don’t give me that look.” Tyjon pouted. “I have to take care of my sister. I’m still the man in our family, and there’s no one else to do it.”

  Stefan was tempted to ask about their parents or other family members but changed his mind. If Talicia didn’t share her background with him, he wouldn’t know. He respected her enough to accept it if she never told him the details.

  “I won’t say anything,” he promised Tyjon. “You do me a favor too.”

  “I know, I know. Call first.” Tyjon blew him kisses and laughed. Then he turned and left the restaurant. He’d done it on purpose, leaving before Stefan could ask him not to come. Yet, even as Stefan thought about it, he doubted he could have formed the words. Forbidding Talicia or her family from coming to him seemed far too wrong to accept, even if it meant revealing their secret.

  “Who was that?” Creed asked as he walked up.

  “A fan of music.” Stefan didn’t lie.

  Creed narrowed his eyes at him. “I know you, Stefan, and I can tell when you’re keeping something from me.”

  “Come on, big bro,” Stefan said, doing a good imitation of Damen. “Don’t you trust me?”

  “No.” Creed folded his arms, frowning. “Do you know the number of problems you’ve lumped onto my head in the last decade? Scratch that, all your life.”

  “Where would the excitement be if I didn’t bring it to you, Creed? You’re a guy who plays it safe and calculates every move.”

  His brother grunted in protest, but he didn’t deny Stefan’s claim in words. “I’m not going to get into your business, but just promise me you’re not about to get into another venture.”

  Stefan widened his grin and held up three fingers as if he made a solemn Boy Scout promise. Creed’s doubt radiated. “Well, even if you were, let me warn you. Damen isn’t liable to go along with it now that he’s married, and you need two signatures to sign off on anything.”

  Just because he could rile his brother, Stefan rocked on his heels. “I’m a persuasive guy. I can convince Damen of anything.”

  “Stefan!”

  He burst out laughing. “All right, Creed. Just relax. I’m not buying anything. In fact, I was thinking it was getting kind of quiet in my life right now. A vacation might do me some good, take time off for a little while.”

  “I thought you liked New Orleans. We’ve hardly been here a year. Are you getting tired of it already? Wait, what am I saying? Of course you are. You never did stay still for long.”

  “I said a vacation,” he reiterated. Creed’s assumption had him considering moving away, choosing a new city to live in, a new venture. He found the thought didn’t sit as well as it would have before Marquette’s and before the gig at the club. He would never be a sensation on the stage and have millions of records selling, but he wasn’t sure he wanted that dream anymore. Okay, maybe a little. The bug would never die, which was why he still performed.

  Stefan’s assurance settled his brother down some. “I don’t have to give you permission to take a vacation. You’re part owner of the restaurant.”

  Stefan patted Creed’s cheek, amused. “I wasn’t asking for permission.”

  “What was I thinking? You never do.”

  “Anyway, it’s still up in the air.” Stefan brushed a hand over the bac
k of his head. “I have to sort some things out first to be sure.”

  “Sounds like you’re wrestling over something. I’ve never seen you think so hard about a decision. Normally, you’re gone, and I get a post card after the fact.”

  “Don’t be dramatic, Creed. I don’t send post cards.”

  Creed had to laugh. “You know what I mean. I think I feel teary. My brothers are growing up.”

  “Now that’s a good joke. I feel like I have to prove you wrong.”

  “Don’t try too hard. I’ve got a baby on the way, and I want to concentrate on my wife. Come to think of it, I need to get into the kitchen to make sure she’s not taking over again. I told her not to stand too long on her feet. We hired the extra chef to relieve a lot of her duties.”

  “Good luck with making that work. You know Shada better than that.”

  Creed grumbled as he walked away, but Stefan wasn’t worried about him and Shada. Since she had calmed down about the baby, she had set a date for their wedding. In another month, they were going to be married.

  Everyone had been looking at Stefan, talking about when he would find someone. Being the youngest of the three brothers, they had said, it was fitting he was last. He hadn’t corrected them to let any of them know he was the first, not the last. His marriage to Talicia happened before Heaven even showed up in the restaurant and eventually married Damen. If Stefan were honest with himself, he would admit a small concern niggled at the back of his mind. Would he be the first also to introduce divorce to their family?

  Chapter Six

  Stefan left the restaurant and slid into the back seat of his car. As was his custom, Jerome drove. Stefan sat deep in thought as they headed toward the Garden District and his home. When they were close to the drive, Jerome activated the button to open the wrought iron gate. Also, like usual, Stefan felt his mouth tighten. He liked his house but hated the barrier to get onto the grounds. Somehow it felt like he cut off the world from having access to him and vice versa. He loved being around people, and the gate gave the wrong message.

  “I see that look,” Jerome said, watching him in the rearview with a grin. “You know it’s necessary, Stefan. Gotta keep you safe. Your brothers had fences put up too.”

  “I don’t have to like it.”

  “People get stupid, and it’s easier on us to look out for you if we have the extra security.”

  “You’re right. I apologize. I don’t want to add to your burden.”

  “You’re not a burden. Plus going to the other side of town…”

  “No one has ever followed me over here.”

  Jerome swiped a thumb across his nose. “That’s because of my driving skills. Seriously though, it’s possible, so we have to be careful. For the most part, even though you and your brothers are famous, everybody seems to love you. We haven’t had any major issues. I want to keep it that way.”

  “Got it,” Stefan assured him.

  He knew what Jerome said was true. While Stefan and his brothers ran Marquette’s, a small venture compared to their parent company’s holdings, they were billionaires. Creed might get onto him about purchasing out of the parent company’s funds, but his personal bank account could support with ease anything he chose to do. What he enjoyed most of all was spending time with his brothers. The last decade or more had been a great ride because Creed and Damen were with him.

  As Jerome pulled up to the front door of his house, Stefan removed his cell phone from his pocket and speed-dialed Talicia. She didn’t answer on the first ring, and he tapped the phone against his lips as he considered whether to try again. A check of the time said she was probably still at the club, but he knew she kept her phone in her hand.

  He tried a second time, and she answered on the third ring, her voice sharp and low. “I can’t talk now.”

  Stefan didn’t hear the usual blaring music in the background. Perhaps she was in her office, but he didn’t like the tightness in her tone. “Everything okay?”

  “Yes, fine.”

  “Licia.”

  She sighed. “Just business. I’ll call you later.”

  Before he could respond, she ended the call. He didn’t realize he squeezed his cell too tight in his palm until the cracking sound. After he released the pressure, he checked the face. Thank goodness there was no damage, but now he wondered about Talicia. She had never hung up on him. Not that he called all that often. Most of the time he did so only when he planned to come to the club. He’d also heard tension in her tone before. Business did that to a person. This seemed different, or was he adding issues where there were none because he wanted to see her?

  Stefan had spent almost a year wanting her all the time but denying himself except for when he chose to go back to the club. He was used to nights lying in bed, jerking off as he thought of her. Yet, this was the shortest amount of time he had ever spent away and was thinking of going back.

  Wait, is that what I’m doing? Going back?

  He strode into the house and thought a minute about heading to the kitchen. After a night of serving, he wasn’t hungry. Whenever he asked for it, a plate of food was prepared for him, but tonight he hadn’t eaten. Instead, he went up to his room and loosened the tie at his throat then unbuttoned his shirt.

  The closet door stood open a little, and he spotted the small case he had taken with him to see Talicia. That was different too. Most often, he spent one night with her and just switched into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt the next morning. He kept a few changes of clothing at her place, but nothing fancy. His maid had unpacked for him, but Stefan didn’t need the dress clothes cleaned. He never followed through with what he’d planned this time—to take Talicia to dinner.

  What was he doing? She had his head in a tailspin. He expected it to end soon, but then he held on. Damn it, if he could think straight when he was around her, everything would be fine.

  Stefan stepped into the shower and shut his eyes. He leaned a hand against the back wall and ducked his head beneath the spray. His cock started to harden, but he refused to jerk off. Frustration gripped him because he kept thinking about how Talicia sounded on the phone.

  “It’s not that big a deal,” he tried to convince himself. Then he realized it didn’t matter one way or another. He wanted to see her, so he was going back. That’s all there was to his mental debate.

  “To hell with it.” He stepped out of the shower, dried off, and dressed as fast as he could. A stab at the phone on his bedside table activated the intercom system, and he called down to Jerome’s room. “Jerome, I know you must be in bed by now, but I need to make a run.”

  Jerome yawned over the line. “Not a problem. Where are we going?”

  Stefan hesitated. “Talicia’s.”

  “Got it.”

  He waited for a comment on his decision, but it never came. Jerome didn’t even hint at his impatience or if he thought Stefan was making a mistake. He knew which lines not to cross, and Jerome had never questioned Stefan on his personal life when it had nothing to do with his job.

  A short while later, they were on the road again, and Stefan tapped his leg with a finger, eager to get across town. His entire body and mind felt tight in anticipation of arriving at his destination. When they pulled onto the grounds where Talicia lived with Tyjon, Stefan scanned the lot. He didn’t know why he didn’t go to the club first since it was early yet, but her car was there. Her apartment was at the back of the complex, so he didn’t have a clear view as to whether the lights were on.

  “Should I wait?” Jerome asked.

  Stefan paused beside the car. Jerome had stepped out with him, and while he spoke to Stefan, his gaze searched the lot constantly.

  “Stay with the car,” Stefan said. “I’m just going to run up and—”

  “Uh, boss, by wait, I meant walk you to her door and then wait. I’m not staying out here without seeing you pass into her place.”

  Stefan ran fingers through his hair. “Oh, right. Sorry, forgot about that. Yeah
, come on. We’ll play it by ear.”

  They started up the stairs, and Stefan picked up the sound of a man’s voice. He figured it was a neighbor until Talicia responded. A door opened and closed. He stopped moving. The hall was silent, and none of the neighbors stirred.

  “Everything okay?” Jerome asked. He had moved into the building ahead of Stefan, but he paused when Stefan did.

  “Yeah.”

  Stefan continued up until he reached Talicia’s door. He raised his hand and hesitated again. In the years he’d been seeing women, he had never allowed himself to obsess over any of them. He enjoyed the pleasures the female body could provide and gave as much as he got. Once or twice, he imagined himself in love, but it never lasted. Not once did it ever interfere with his chosen lifestyle.

  Standing outside Talicia’s door without warning her he was coming felt like he was checking up on her. Stefan was the trusting type, and even when he did catch a steady lover seeing another man, it hadn’t fazed him more than irritation. He’d broken the relationship off. So what was this tightness in his chest tonight at the mere thought that Talicia might have a man in her apartment? He shouldn’t have even suspected it just because of her tone of voice, let alone come here.

  Jerome waited behind him in total silence, and when Stefan glanced at him, his face showed no emotion at all. Despite that, heat suffused Stefan’s face. He was embarrassed this episode had a witness, yet he was used to staff surrounding him and witnessing most of what he and his brothers did.

  I could turn around now and leave. She’ll never know.

  Stefan raised his hand and rapped on the door with his knuckles. Then he chided himself for not ringing the bell like normal. The knock sounded angry. He didn’t want to give that impression. Too late, he heard her footsteps approaching and the exclamation when she must have seen his face through the peephole.

  The door opened, and he met his wife’s gaze. Guilt. Stefan read people as if their minds were spread before him. He knew what he saw on Talicia’s face, and he stepped by her without asking if he could come in. She stepped back just before his arm brushed hers, and he heard the squeak of her fingers gripping the doorknob.