Page 1 of Defending the Post (The Complexity of Love #3)

Chapter One

First Contact

Marquise

“ I ’m pregnant, and the baby is yours. You were the only person I slept with before you ask.”

Amusement settled within me as I leaned back on my chocolate-brown sectional. Khaira circled the matching ottoman for the second time at full speed.

“Congratulations, but who is this by the way?” I asked.

Sitting down my gaming controller, I picked up my phone. I wasn’t surprised to see the unknown number. There was a max of six people’s names saved in my phone, and the confident voice on the other end didn’t make the cut.

“Carmen, we met a few weeks ago. We had dinner and then fucked in the parking lot.”

“Yay,” my baby sister stood beside my leg and motioned for me to clap.

Mirroring her motions, I celebrated, and a smile stretched across her face, putting her deep dimples on display. Being satisfied with my hand clapping, she returned to running.

“Hello, I’m keeping it. This little bundle of joy is worth millions.”

“That depends on the child’s father, and whose is it, by the way?” I asked again, as I killed an alien on Blazing and Guns .

She sighed heavily into the phone. “Yours. You were the only one I was with. Whatever you won’t buy, I’m sure Anissa Shaw will be more than happy to take care of her first grand baby.”

My controller shook, signaling my player lost his life before it popped on the screen.

“First, my mother’s last name is Shaw-Jefferies, but that’s beside the point. Carmen, do you know what I got for my seventeenth birthday?” I asked before I raised my leg to block Khaira from running herself dizzy.

“What does that have to do with you taking care of your baby?”

Khaira tried climbing over my leg, determined to get to the other side. I lowered and lifted my leg, causing her to giggle.

“A vasectomy, and we used a condom I supplied.”

Thinking back to the therapy session, Dr. June, Mom, and I discussed my desire to explore sex.

I expressed that the reason I held back was my fear of having children.

Although Mom kept us in therapy, my twin brother and I still carried Winston’s traits.

Not having children assured that I had broken the cycle.

Mom didn’t agree with it, but she honored my wishes and signed off on the procedure.

“Carmen, I can’t hear you. Are you still there?”

Fuck, she whispered. “You could be lyin’—”

Before she could finish, I had sent over a redacted medical record with the date circled. She wasn’t the first woman to try this shit on me.

“Let me know when you finish reading it,” I said.

Picking up Khaira, I lifted her in the air, careful to avoid any slobber. The giggles increased as I brought her closer to my face and kissed her nose. She curled her body into a mini circle, expecting me to kiss her face.

“Girl, these papers look legit,” an unknown voice said.

“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Tasha, shut up. I can read,” Carmen screamed into the phone.

Silence greeted me for several minutes as I assumed both women searched the internet.

“Vasectomy isn’t guaranteed. This is your baby,” Carmen insisted.

I planted several kisses on my sister’s puffy cheeks as I brought her down to my face.

“After six years, Carmen? Let’s be real and I used a condom. But if you want to embarrass yourself with a DNA test, I’m game.”

“Carmen, girl, I think he outsmarted you this time. Didn’t you sleep with his teammate? Pin the baby on him,” Tasha suggested.

I chuckled at her comment before standing Khaira on my legs. She stared at me before reaching for my nose, but I dodged her hands.

“Tasha, shut up. He doesn’t have the money Marquise has. Do you know how much money his parents are worth?” Carmen announced.

The two women argued with each other before I interrupted.

“Ahem. So, what are we doing? Are you going to embarrass yourself with a DNA test or are you gon’ find the real baby daddy?”

Khaira spotted my earbuds and picked at them, but I danced my head from side to side.

“Do you have Chris Powers’ number?” she asked, and I smiled.

“Good choice.”

I sent over Powers’ numbers and then sent him a heads-up text immediately after.

“Fuck you, Marquise. The baby couldn’t have been yours anyway. I’m only six weeks,” Carmen informed.

“You didn’t think I wasn’t going to count those weeks up? Carmen, get yo ass off my phone looking for a come up. The pussy wasn’t memorable, anyway.”

I hung up as they attempted to curse me out.

“Khaira, these girls tried to get your brother,” I said, but her preoccupation with my earbuds didn’t warrant a reaction.

The vibration of my phone grabbed my attention. Turning my head from side to side didn’t stop my sister from successfully removing one earbud. She pinched it between her miniature fingers, twisting it in her hands.

Mom

Bring me my child.

I closed and reopened my eyes at my mother’s text. She wasn’t getting my baby sister back until Wednesday. As we unloaded from the jet on Sunday, Pops passed me Khaira, and I buckled her in my car instead of theirs. Mom yelled after me, but I didn’t acknowledge her.

Me

I decided to keep her

Mom

No kidding

Chuckling, I envisioned her nose curling and her brows bunching.

Me

Mom, it’s two days. You’ll be aight.

Me

You need to have another baby.

Mom

Baby, don’t make me curse you out.

I pursed my lips in disappointment. Somebody around here better have a baby. Jhae and Malcolm, both gave me stone-cold expressions when I suggested they try for one. After marriage, I thought having kids was the next step.

“Khaira, your parents miss you. I’ve only had you one night and they’re already calling,” I said.

Watching her attempt to put in my earbuds amused me, but my enjoyment was interrupted by another text message.

Toni

Hi Marquise, can we start over?

I toggled over and blocked her ass. Malcolm had been playing on my damn phone again.

I had no desire to reconnect with his biological mother.

She had it rough, but at what point do we move on from the past?

Anissa rescued and raised us, we have a better life because of her, and I finally have a dad.

I’m good. Khaira pushed the earbud into my ear, but it fell out, and I laughed at the frustration on her face.

As I pulled into my parents’ driveway, I shut down my car and listened to Khaira snore.

She fell asleep before I merged onto the freeway.

Our two days together flew by too fast, but I planned to approach my parents about the offseason.

She could spend the weekends with them and weekdays with me.

It’s a win-win for everybody involved, with them having multiple businesses.

I unbuckled my sister from her car seat and rested her sleeping body on my shoulder.

Before shutting the door, I grabbed a shopping bag from my front seat.

Mom didn’t allow me to step inside the house before reaching for Khaira. She woke up as I transferred her to Mom.

“Marquise, why is Khaira wearing a gold bracelet??” Mom asked as she patted her on the back to reintroduce sleep.

My jeweler dropped off my order this morning, leaving me more than satisfied with my purchases.

I added a gold rope chain to my collection.

Malcolm bought Jhae a platinum charm bracelet, and she squealed.

For a brief second, I was jealous not having a woman to buy for, but I shook the feeling quickly.

“She wanted to match her brother,” I said, and Mom lifted one brow in disbelief.

I kissed Mom’s cheek before I followed her to the living room. Ivey sat on the couch, scrolling through her phone. I snatched it from her hands as I plopped down and rested lazily against her.

“Marquise, give Ivey back her phone,” Mom said with her back turned.

Ivey extended her hand as if I were going to obey. I scrolled through her unlocked phone, searching for people to harass. The contacts were coded by number and emojis. I peered over at Ivey as she smirked.

“I will send out a group message. Who’s the boy, Ivey?” I demanded.

When she refused to answer, I applied more body weight. She tried to squirm for freedom but couldn’t break away.

“Mom!” she yelled.

“What’s going on in here?” Pops said as he entered from the hallway.

After witnessing us in a sibling tug of war, he continued to walk toward the kitchen.

“Why is Khaira wearing a gold bracelet?” he asked Mom.

“Ask your son,” Mom said, and Pops chuckled.

Ivey tried slumping but remained unsuccessful in gaining her freedom.

“I got you something,” I said, and she stopped moving, rotating her head in my direction. I nodded toward the bag resting on the couch.

A smile adorned her face, as excitement bloomed in her eyes.

“Is it my grill?” she asked, and Pops groaned.

Since the day Ivey came into our lives, he’s been on me and Malcolm about our spending.

Ivey gets me every time with her boldness and those brown eyes.

As her older brother, if I don’t spoil her, some fool will do something simple, and her head will be gone.

If I buy her diamonds, his punk ass better spend more than me and take care of her.

I shifted my body, passing her the bag. She ripped and rambled through it, securing the box inside.

“Yep, it’s my grill,” Ivey confirmed as she lifted in the air to examine the gold and diamonds.

“Son, why?” Pops asked, as his voice echoed from the kitchen

“You know why,” Mom said.

“She’s my baby,” I added.

My parents shook their heads as Ivey popped the grill over her teeth. She elbowed me in the ribs, and I leaned in positioning myself for a picture.

“Fuck,” I moaned as I controlled the pace of Brittany’s mouth on my dick.

I caressed her long, bone-straight hair as her dark brown eyes peered up at me. She continued to wrap her tongue around my dick, making me smile. Brittany needed encouragement or she would stop, and it would break my heart.

“You are the best, my little barista,” I whispered, before closing my eyes.

Brittany was my favorite type of woman—a shy but reserved freak. When we met, she had never sucked a dick, and it was quite the ride to teach her how. After lesson three, she learned to swallow. Malcolm said I had a type, and he might be right.

“Beautiful, you are my stress relief,” I said, and she knew what my sentence meant.

I unloaded in her mouth, and as trained, she swallowed with no issue.

The first time I coated her mouth with cum, she ran to the bathroom to spit.

After five minutes of coaching, she finally showed her face.

I told her it wasn’t a big deal, but she struggled with perfection. Brittany stood with a proud smile.

“You were amazing. I’m going to win tonight because my body is relaxed,” I said.

Brittany bunched her shoulders in shyness as I kissed her temple.

“Did I really help you, Marquise or are you lying to me?” she asked, in search of validation.

“You helped me. I was tense before our meet up,” I said, and my phone danced in my pocket, ending our session.

“Do you have to leave?” she asked, with sadness coating her eyes.

She hadn’t figured it out yet, but we would never have sex.

I timed our interactions to head only. Brittany couldn’t handle a full-blown sexual relationship because she already called too much.

In fact, I blocked her ass, but she changed her phone number.

On short notice, I invited her to what she thought was my condo.

“Yeah, it’s Malcolm. I’ll call you later,” I said, after kissing her temple again.

Brittany beamed at a promise I had no intention of fulfilling.

Our interactions had always been one-sided with her chasing me.

Nothing like good head to cure longing and jealousy.

Refreshed from my quick shower when I returned home, I knew the tap at my front door was Malcolm.

I opened the door to his disapproving expression.

“You know therapy can help with that hole?” he said.

I abandoned Dr. June and Toni a year ago. One day, they became irrelevant to me, and I never looked back.

“Ah, getting your dick sucked feels better and not as expensive,” I said, as I stepped into the hall, locking the door behind me.

Malcolm dropped his head in disappointment. He wanted me to live the fairytale he currently had with one woman. The same woman I helped him secure. Without me pushing him to get married, he would still be admiring from a distance.

“I’m going to enjoy you falling in love. I hope she draws you in with her shyness but makes you work for everything,” he said, as we approached the elevator.

I scoffed at this statement because I had a few of them on the roster. The hard-to-get shy girls were my specialty. A good conversation and rule-breaking broke them every time.

“Oh, Brother, if you only knew,” I said, as I tapped his shoulder.

“Don’t forget, Jhae’s new assistant and creative director will be here today,” he said, and tapped my chest.

Nothing compared to easy access pussy.

“I told Jhae we would look after Erin. She is new to L.A., which means she’s off limits to you,” Malcolm said.

I peered over at him and smiled. To me, it sounds as if she’s a good candidate for my roster.