Forces of Nature

Chapter 21


Douglas waited in line at the café for two slices of the rich chocolate cake he and Crystal loved. As he stood there, he couldn’t stop thinking about Welco. Why was this so important to him now?

“Mr. Wellington,” the clerk said. “Long time no see.”

“I know,” he said, remembering that he used to stop in every morning for coffee and a pastry before heading to the office.

“It’s a little late for breakfast, isn’t it?”

Douglas nodded. “I’m here for dessert. Two big slices of chocolate cake.”

“All right, I’ll get that for you.”

Douglas took the cake and walked out of the café slowly, wondering if he could explain to Crystal why he wanted to go back to work at Welco—simply as a board member. Would she understand? Should he tell her before or after he asked her to marry him? Maybe he should just scrap the idea. Something inside wouldn’t let him do that, though.

When he arrived at the farm, Renda and MJ rushed over to his truck. “Mr. D,” Renda said excitedly, “everything is all set. Dr. Taylor called and said he’s going to bring the proclamation and the sign for the farm.”

“And after he does that, then are you going to ask Miss Crystal to marry you?” MJ asked excitedly.

“Yes,” he said.

“I can’t wait,” MJ said.

“Wait for what?” Crystal asked as she walked up behind them.

“Umm, the party,” MJ said.

Crystal looked from Renda to MJ to Douglas. “Is that what I think that is?” she asked when she saw the Main Street Café box in Douglas’s hand.

“Maybe,” he said, grinning.

Renda and MJ told the couple they’d see them at the party and took off toward Starlight House. “Those two are a trip,” Crystal said. “I think there’s something going on that you don’t want to tell me about.”

Douglas shrugged and pretended to be offended. “Do you think I would hide something from you?”

She took the box from his hand and opened it. “Maybe.”

Douglas closed the top of the cardboard box. “That’s for later, much, much later.” He leaned in and kissed her cheek. “Let’s go inside. I need to talk to you about something.”

“All right,” she said as they turned toward the front door. Douglas opened the door with one hand and held it for Crystal. She looked up at him and saw the serious expression on his face. “It seems as if I’m not going to like this,” she said as she took the cake box from his hand and started for the kitchen.

“It’s possible that you won’t,” he said. “Coffee?”

Crystal placed the cake on the bar and tilted her head to the side. “What’s going on, Douglas?” she asked.

He sighed and moved closer to her, placing his hands on her shoulders. “I’m thinking about going back to Welco.”

“I knew this was coming,” she said quietly.

“I don’t want this to be a problem,” he said. “I won’t be the CEO, but I’m thinking of joining the board.”

She nodded. Douglas stroked her cheek. “You have to understand,” he said. “Despite what my father did, Welco is a part of me and my family history. Maybe I can undo some of the wrongs that my father did.”

“So, what will this mean for us?” she asked.

“I don’t see much changing. Are you okay with this?”

Crystal stroked the back of his hand. “How can I tell you to turn your back on your family’s legacy? I wouldn’t—didn’t—and I can’t expect you to do anything differently.”

He drew her into his arms and hugged her tightly. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” she said. “But Hughes Farm is still off limits.”

“No doubt,” he replied. “Besides, this place isn’t going to be touched by anyone.”

Crystal raised her right eyebrow. “Is that so?”

He nodded. “Well, that was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I know Waylon wishes things could be like this with Dena. He wants her to work for Welco and she’s not even considering it.”

Crystal shook her head. “I can understand why,” she replied. “What’s Waylon hoping to accomplish by asking her to work there, knowing the history she has with the company?”

Douglas sighed and released her. “I guess it’s his way of trying to make up for the past. It’s confusing, you know. . . .”

Crystal crossed over to the coffee machine and loaded it with water. “Are you going to read your father’s diary? He probably wrote about why he did those things.”

Douglas stroked her arm and shook his head. “I don’t know if I want to see the darkness that shrouded his heart, not when—” Douglas stopped short because he was about to reveal his plan to ask her to marry him. “One day, I’ll read it, but right now, I’m looking forward to the future.”

She turned to him and grinned. “Everybody’s looking forward to the future today, especially Renda and MJ. I’m so proud of those girls.”

Douglas nodded. “They are special.”

Placing her hand on her hip, she asked, “So, what are you three scheming?”

Douglas feigned ignorance. “What are you talking about?” he asked.

“I’ve seen you guys having these hushed conversations, and don’t tell me it’s just about the party,” she said.

“It’s a surprise and I’m not saying anything else about it, Miss Hughes,” he replied.

Crystal groaned. “I hate that tone. You sound like the pompous jerk who tried to have me arrested,” she quipped.

Douglas winked at her. “I have a question for you, Miss Hughes,” he said.

“Well, Mr. Wellington, I may have an answer.”

Douglas closed the space between them and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Whatever happened to those handcuffs you used in Welco that day?”

She tilted her head and eyed him with a seductive gleam in her eyes. “And you want to know that piece of information because . . . ?”

“Because the moment I saw you handcuffed in the lobby, I wanted to see you handcuffed in bed,” he replied in a low growl.

Crystal glanced at the clock on the wall. She and Douglas had just enough time to play a little game before the party started. “Follow me and I’ll show you just where they are,” she said as she took his hand and led him to the bedroom.

Douglas and Crystal entered the bedroom, surrounded by a crackling sexual energy that was almost overpowering. She pushed him back on the bed.

“You know,” she intoned as she lifted his shirt above his head, “you’ve had me handcuffed once already. I think it’s time that I return the favor.”

“Is that so?” he asked as she unzipped his jeans. His erection nearly burst out of his boxers as Crystal eased his pants down his hips. Once he was naked on the bed, she went to the closet and retrieved the handcuffs.

“It’s payback time,” she quipped. Crystal sauntered over to the bed and straddled Douglas’s body.

He lifted his hands above his head and she locked the cuffs on his wrists. “Mmm,” he moaned as she kissed his neck. Next, she eased down his body, sucking his nipples and stroking his hardness. Her expert touch sent his body into overdrive and Douglas regretted the decision to allow Crystal to restrain him. He wanted and needed to touch her.

The moment she took the length of him into her mouth, Douglas cried out with desire. “Yes, yes,” he moaned. They locked eyes as she gave him oral pleasure and Douglas fought the urge to climax.

Pulling back from him, she stripped out of her cotton dress and mounted his erection. Leaning forward, she unhooked the cuffs. “Hold me,” she moaned as he thrust his hips forward, filling her wetness with his throbbing hardness. Douglas wrapped his arms around her waist and sat up, pulling her against his chest as they ground against each other. She felt so good, so hot, so wet. When Crystal threw her head back and screamed his name, Douglas lowered his head and suckled her nipples. She dug her nails into his back as she reached her climax.

“Come for me, baby,” he ordered as he continued thrusting into her. “I want to feel it.”

“I—I,” she moaned as she climaxed again. When Douglas felt her tighten around him, he was unable to hold back his own orgasm.

Covered in sweat and spent from their session, Douglas and Crystal held on tightly to each other and drifted off to sleep.

Two hours later, the ringing of the doorbell awakened the couple. “What time is it?” Crystal asked through a yawn. Douglas glanced at the clock on the nightstand.

“Damn, we’ve got to get ready,” he said as he leapt out of the bed and threw on his discarded clothes. He knew who was at the door—either MJ or Renda. They had to go over the setup for Crystal’s proposal one last time and he had to give the girls something special. Since MJ was heading off to college, he wanted to pay for her books and provide her with a monthly stipend so that she could focus on her classwork and not worry about financial issues.

“I’ll get the door,” he said as he pulled his shirt over his head and rushed to the front door.

Crystal slowly pulled herself from the bed and went to the bathroom to take a shower. She wondered, though, what Douglas was up to.





“We’d better make this quick,” Douglas said when he stepped on the front porch with Renda and MJ.

“Okay,” Renda said. “Now, when Dr. Taylor makes his announcement, we’re going to have the caterers bring out the drinks.”

“And Mrs. Fey said we have to include sparkling cider because most of us are underaged and can’t drink Moët,” MJ said.

Douglas nodded. “That’s a good idea. And the ring?”

Renda smiled. “I told one of the waiters—the guy who’s going to have the champagne for you and Miss Crystal—that we’re going to put the ring in her glass.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t put it in the glass,” he said, stroking his chin. “But I love what you girls have done. This is going to be a special night for Crystal.” He drew MJ and Renda into his arms and hugged them tightly.

“Now, you make sure you don’t mess it up,” Renda said. “Because I’m going to be here and if you hurt Miss Crystal . . .”

“I told you before, you don’t have to worry about that. As a matter of fact,” Douglas said, reaching into his back pocket, “I have something for the both of you.” He handed the girls two prepaid debit cards. “This is for all of your help and hard work.”

“Credit cards?” Renda asked.

“Preloaded debit cards, a few hundred bucks for you to do whatever you want with,” he said. The girls giggled excitedly.

“Thank you,” MJ said.

“You know,” Renda said as she stuffed her card in her jeans pocket, “I guess you’re an all right guy. But I have to know, if Miss Crystal hadn’t changed your mind and your company bought this farm, what would’ve happened to us?”

Douglas rubbed his throat. “I’m not sure. But after tonight, that’s not going to be a concern ever again. I’m glad I got a chance to see what this place means to people and especially to the girls who live here.”

“So are we,” MJ said. “We’d better go get dressed.” Renda and MJ dashed off.

Douglas stood on the porch looking out over the farm and smiling. No one could have paid him to believe that spending time there would change his mind about what he wanted to do with the farm. Now, he couldn’t imagine tearing down anything on Hughes Farm. This place was as magical as Crystal described that first night he was there.

Just as he was about to return inside the house, Dena flagged him down as she made her way to the front porch. “Douglas,” she said. “I guess congratulations are in order.”

“For?” he asked.

She looked over his shoulder to make sure Crystal wasn’t in earshot. “I know about the landmark proclamation and the proposal,” she whispered. “Waylon is very excited for you, as am I.” She gave him a quick hug. “I’m glad I was wrong about you.”

He smiled. “You’re wrong about something else,” Douglas said.

“And what would that be?”

“Working for Welco.”

Dena sucked her teeth and placed her hand on her hip. “You know, I don’t want to have this conversation.”

Douglas sighed and shook his head. “But, Dena, you have to understand what Waylon is trying to do,” he said.

“I hate to speak ill of your father, but that man was a monster, an evil son of a bitch, and I don’t want anything to do with his company.”

“It’s not his company anymore. We have a chance to make it better. Something we all can be proud of. Don’t you want to be a part of that?”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “You walked away.”

“But I’m going back,” he said.

Dena rocked back on her heels. “And Crystal is okay with that?”

Douglas nodded. “Despite what my father did and how he used Welco, it’s still a part of my legacy. I’d like to see good people like you and Waylon making Welco a much better place for the community.”

“I’ll think about it, but I’m not making any promises, young Mr. Wellington.”

“You can call me Trey,” he said with a laugh.

Dena looked into his eyes as tears sprang into hers. “I wonder if Waylon and I would’ve had a son or a daughter,” she whispered. “We lost a lot of time together and a lot of our dreams died. We’ll never be able to have a family and we’ll never be able to get back what your father stole from us. When I think about Welco Industries, I can’t separate it from your father. He used that company to try to lord over this town because he thought people did him wrong. He ended up doing so many wrongs while paying off the right people so that folks overlooked his evil. I couldn’t. I can’t.”

“Dena, he’s gone now.”

“And as cruel as this may sound, thank the Lord,” she retorted. “I’ll be glad when Waylon finds a new CEO and I simply hope he will walk away. Then we can have the life we should’ve had.”

Douglas wanted to apologize, tell her that he was so sorry his father had caused her so much pain and suffering. He couldn’t imagine how he would feel if someone kept him and Crystal apart for decades.

Dena noticed the pensive look on Douglas’s face and tapped the back of his hand. “Enough about that,” she said. “It’s not your fault and you can’t change the past.”

“That’s true. And if you want my godfather to walk away from Welco sooner rather than later, then I will see what I can do,” Douglas said.

“I can’t ask you to do that,” she said. “You and Crystal are just getting ready to start your life together. Don’t let my past intrude on your future. Waylon and I will be fine.” She gave him a tight hug. “But you’re sweet for offering.”

“I want my godfather to be just as happy as I am. And you make him happy.”

Dena smiled brightly. “Not as happy as he makes me,” she said. “Tell Crystal I’ll see her tonight at the party.”

“All right,” he said, then headed inside. He was surprised to see Crystal standing in the living room. “How much of that did you hear?”

She frowned and then crossed over to him, wrapping her arms around him. “Enough to know that I love you even more than I thought I could,” she said. “That was really sweet of you.”

“A lot of good it did,” he said.

“Douglas, if you want to return to the CEO position at Welco, then I’m behind you. What you said to Dena makes sense. That company is just as much your family legacy as this farm is to me. Turning your back on it is wrong and I wouldn’t do the same.”

“Crystal, that job requires long hours, late nights, and early mornings,” he said.

“And as much as you tried to pretend you’d be a good farmhand and could stay away from Welco, you belong there. We’ll still have our time together.”

You got that right. We’re going to have the rest of our lives to be together, he thought as he brought his mouth down on top of hers and kissed her with a heated passion that made her shiver.

Crystal pulled back from him. “We’d better stop,” she said breathlessly. “Kiss me like that again and we won’t make the party.”

“We can’t have that,” he said.

“And you’re not going to give me a hint as to what you, Renda, and MJ are up to?” she asked.

Douglas shook his head from side to side. “Well, I’ll give you one little clue,” he said. “You’re going to love it.”

Slapping her hands on her hips, she poked her lips out at him. “That’s not a clue.”

“You need to work on your patience,” he replied before jogging into the bedroom to get ready for the party.





Crystal had just finished glossing her lips when the phone rang. She rushed into the bedroom and grabbed the extension. “Hello?”

“Hey, baby girl,” her father said.

“Daddy,” she replied excitedly. “Have you and Mom made it to Jamaica?”

“Oh yes,” he said. “I just wanted to call and check in with you. Tonight is the big night, huh?”

“Yes. The girls are really excited about this party and the fact that their home is safe and three of them are going off to college,” Crystal reported.

“That’s great,” Joel said. “I know I told you before, but I have to say it again. I’m so proud of what you’ve done at the farm. Your mother and I should’ve been a lot more forthcoming about our history with Welco; it might have saved you some stress.”

“It would’ve been helpful, but that’s behind us now,” she said as she watched Douglas emerge from the bathroom dressed in a pair of dark denim jeans, brown leather loafers and a tan oxford shirt. He smiled at Crystal and headed across the room to get his watch from the dresser.

“It is, and I’m glad, because I like that young man a lot. He’s nothing like his father and I know he loves you.”

Crystal watched Douglas as he snapped his watch on his wrist. “I feel the same way,” she replied.

“Have a good time tonight and remember, your mother and I are so proud of you.”

“I love you, Daddy.”

“Love you too, baby girl. Tell Douglas I said hello.”

“Will do,” she said, then hung up the phone.

“Your dad?” he asked.

Crystal walked over to him and hugged him tightly. “Yes, and he said hello.” She kissed him on the tip of his nose. “Have I told you how happy I am?”

“Not in the last couple of hours, but I don’t mind hearing it again and again,” Douglas said as he patted her bottom. “You better get dressed.”

“I know,” she said. “We don’t want to be late and have people assuming what we’re doing.”

“Yeah,” he said. “We’re going to be doing that a little later.”

“And we get to eat the cake.”

“Among other things,” he said with a wicked gleam in his eye.

Returning his sultry look, she said, “I like the way you think, Mr. Wellington.”

Douglas couldn’t wait until the day she was Mrs. Wellington. He nervously wondered about the proposal. What if she said no? Nah, he thought as he glanced at her. This is right. We’re going to spend the rest of our lives together right here in Reeseville. Who would’ve believed that I’d actually find love and happiness in the last place I wanted to be?

“Douglas, did you hear me?” Crystal asked as she dropped her robe and reached for her dress. He drank in her sensual image; the black lace bra and matching panties looked so good on her.

“No,” he said as he closed the space between them. “You keep trying to have conversations with me when you’re looking like this.” Douglas slid his hands down her hips and was tempted to forget the party.

“All I asked was for you to hand me my earrings,” she said in a low voice as he toyed with the waistband of her panties. “But if you don’t stop, we’re not going to make it out of here.”

“Would that be so bad?” he joked, then dropped his hands. Reaching for her silver bangle earrings, Douglas handed them to Crystal and planted a kiss on her cheek. He headed outside and saw Waylon walking toward the house.

“Trey,” he called out. “Are you ready?”

“Just waiting on Crystal,” he said as he stepped off the porch to meet his godfather.

“Women. I told Dena I’d meet her here. Interestingly enough, she said she might consider joining the legal staff at Welco. I guess I should thank you for talking to her earlier this afternoon.”

“You don’t have to thank me,” Douglas said. “But you can help me convince the board to give me my job back.”

“Oh, I’m already there. Fred and I were discussing you after you left the office and he said if you wanted to come back, he’d support your decision. Of course, Clive is lobbying for a return as well.”

“Over my damned dead body,” Douglas boomed. “He’s what was wrong with Welco. Still playing by my dad’s old rules.”

“Yes, but he has his supporters as well. I know one thing is for sure. I’m too old for this shit,” Waylon said with a chuckle.

“But you’re going to have to become a board member,” Douglas said. “I’ll need someone I know I can trust on my side.”

“You got it, Trey. Now, about this proposal of yours . . .”

“Keep it down,” he said, looking over his shoulder. “Everything is set up. Hughes Farm is going to be presented with the historic landmark proclamation and then I’m going to pop the question.”

Waylon nodded. “This is good. I’m glad to see you happy and that you’re not acting like so many other young moguls. Crystal is just what you need.”

“Truer words have never been spoken,” Douglas said as he turned around in time to see Crystal step onto the porch.

“Hello, Waylon,” she said. “I’m glad you could make it.”

“Oh, I never miss a good party. And I have an announcement to make tonight,” he said.

“What’s that?” Crystal asked as Douglas linked his arm with hers.

“I’ve established a scholarship foundation for the girls who live in the Starlight House,” he said, then looked pointedly at Douglas. “Things with Welco and these girls got off to a rocky start, but we’ve all seen the error of our ways.”

Crystal gave Waylon a tight hug. “Thank you so much. This is going to make such a big difference in these girls’ lives.”

Waylon smiled. “I’m just following Trey. He told me a lot about these girls and they deserve this.”

Dena waved to the group from the steps of the Starlight House as they approached. The look she and Waylon exchanged made Crystal’s heart melt. It was easy to see how much they loved each other and she wished them the best.

Douglas stroked her arm as if he was having the same thought.