Page 14 of Marshall

“Thanks for the heads up.”He put his hand on her leg and patted her.This morning, on the way here from their home, they’d had a quickie in the limo.It had been fast, down, and dirty.And he, for one, loved every second of it.Especially when she’d taken his cock into her mouth and swallowed him past the tightness—

“Behave before I jump you right here on this table.”She looked at the food on her first plate.She had told him that she hated the way they served you at one of these dinners.“Why must we have fifty zillion plates of food and not enough on any of them to take the hunger pains away?”

“Not to mention the dishes.Christ, I would hate to have to wash all these up.”They teased one another about the plates and food.Once their soup was brought to them, Collin started making small talk with those around them.

Twice, one of the men in suits came to speak to him.And twice, he shooed them away.While he could hear what was being said, it didn’t seem to be that big of a deal to keep interrupting the man.Then he remembered how Lowery would like to have updates, even if it was about his favorite TV show, just to show how important he was.He’d bet anything that if they were to come here again, there wouldn’t be any showing off.

By the time dessert was served, a large trolley of different kinds of sweets that both he and Meggie turned down, he did finally get enough to eat.They’d still have to stop someplace on the way home, but that was fine as well.

The tapping on his wine glass had them all turning to Collin.He hated speeches that were long drawn out as much as the next guy, so he was glad that this wasn’t going to be one of those.Hopefully, he’d just say what he needed and move on to the rest of the evening.

“Since you’re all aware of the reason you’re here, I will skip the part where I tell you what an honor you should be feeling for being here.”Everyone laughed.He did as well, even though he knew that Meggie had helped Collin with his speech.“I want to personally thank each and every one of you for your long service and dedication to keeping this country safe.Thank you, each and every one ofyou.”

When he sat down, he stood up and applauded the man, not just for the short speech but also for the things that he didn’t say.After the dinner, there was going to be a televised honor ceremony that was going to have all the men and women here, with the exception of civilian spouses, given a Metal of Honor, an award that he himself had two of already.

After the awards were given, each of the servicemen there thanking the president.He and Meggie were last.He thought that something was going on when he thought of how they’d been skipped over when Collin had gotten to the ‘M’s’ on the list and wasn’t surprised in the least when he called them both up there at the same time.

“It is with great honor and regret that I award these two people here today.One of them, General Marshall Morton, has been retired since five years past.It’s my understanding that General Margaret Morton, spouse to Marshall, will be retiring soon after this get-together.”He put the award on Meggie first.With a wink at her, he continued his speech.“I do hope in the future that I can count on the two of you to keep the country safe from all manner of foes, be they domestic or international.”

He heard Meggie call him a fucking prick just before he hugged her to him and then did the same to him.The medal seemed more special this time.He thought that it was the company that he was keeping this time around.He loved his wife more than he could have explained to anyone the reasons for it.

They were headed back to the home that they had rented at around midnight.He supposed they could have just stayed in a hotel like the others had.But almost the moment that they confirmed they were coming here, they were both notified by the courier that a fully staffed house was being set up just for them.While he didn’t care for the special treatment, he was happy for the house when he wanted to get up in the middle of the night and have a snack or two.The kitchen, it seemed, was forever open.

As the limo was pulling away, his cell phone rang.It was a private number, and he nearly didn’t answer it.But he did with just his last name.

“It’s Collin.I have two things that I need to tell you.Michael is dead.He took his own life about an hour ago.I wanted to also tell the two of you that he did test positive for AIDS and had been in quarantine for the last several weeks.He did something that I’ve only ever read about and chewed out his own wrists rather than face the consequences of his deeds.”Marshall asked him what happened now.“Nothing.I mean, the world already thinks that he’s dead, so there isn’t any need for another national mourning period.Also, since he is dead, they’re going to cremate his remains and put them in the spot where he’d actually be buried.No one will be the wiser.”

“I’ll let Meggie know about that.What’s the second thing?”He heard someone speaking to Collin, but he didn’t understand the words.Sometimes, phones could do that to him.It sounded like his wife.

“Hanna said to tell you that she loves you and the kids miss you coming around.How long has it been?I’m thinking—” Marshall cleared his throat, and Collin laughed.“I believe some of the traits that MJ has are rubbing off on you.The second thing.Her father passed away.I know that she said that she didn’t want anything to do with the four of them, so if you could tell her and that she has our deepest sympathy about it.Her uncles are both taking it hard, and I don’t look for Todd to be far behind his brother.I don’t think that any of them believed that their mother had died.”

“No, they didn’t.All they wanted was for her to die, and when she did, none of them believed it.DJ had the house torn down and is having herself one built on the same land that they wanted.However, I think she’s much happier this time with her having a husband and a child on the way.”Collin had been sweet on DJ when she’d been younger.He hadn’t any idea that he’d known the family that far back.Just as he was hanging, Collin said his name again.Then he told him the last part of why he called.“Meggie isn’t going to be happy with your playing that way.Besides, I don’t know if we like the house all that much for you to give it to us.”

“Liar.I heard the two of you commenting on the way that the house suits you with the swimming pool and the hot tub.Besides, you might want to have the rest of your family up some time for a coupleof days.I don’t know if you’ve gone over the place, but there is a fully loaded-up basement complete with staff, too, for Hamish.I know that he can stand the sun a bit more than a young vamp, but he’ll need someplace to rest, I’ve been told.”

They talked for a bit more, the two of them.When he entered the house, their house, he was going to have to talk to Meggie.They’d been looking for a house to buy near DC, and now that was one more thing that they’d not have to worry about.It was also nice too that it really did have a lot of room.

“I’ve been thinking about something that was said to me tonight.”She started talking like most of the women in his family.Like you’d been talking all along.He asked her if it was the foolish sergeant.“No, I’ve wiped him out of my mind.But you were talking about how you’d never been on the upper floors of the place.We’ll need to measure the rooms if we want to live there.”She laughed, and he asked her what she’d been about to say.“This house.I heard that it was only just purchased recently.I wondered if the White House owns it and would be willing to sell it to us.”

“I just spoke to Collin.”Telling her about the house and then about her father, she didn’t say much.He also told her about Douche Noodle, what they’d been calling Lowery, that he’d died as well.“He made a point of telling me about the deaths first.I thought it was because he was buttering me up for something like this house.What do you think about what we talked about?Moving here on a permanent basis?It would be the next step in your plans for running for the White House sometime soon.”

“I want a child first and maybe a chance to be VP first.That way, I can scope things out and see if I want to be the captain of the ship, so to speak.”He told her that she’d be the captain of the free world.“Nah, I don’t like that.It sounds like I have a bigger responsibility than I want to think about right now.A ship would suit me just fine for now.”

It was after two when they finally made it to bed.He held her in his arms when she cried in her sleep.He knew too that she’d called DJ, and the two of them talked for an hour before finally hanging up.Marshall knew that the two of them had expected their father to die first.While he wasn’t the oldest, he had been the one that drank more and smoked.He thought that Todd had as well.

“Collin seems to think that it won’t be long before Todd passes on too.He looked up to his little brother, and it will hurt him badly that he’s not around.”She told him that if Todd went before Ben, it wouldn’t surprise her either.“They’re not healthy men.None of them were.”

“My father, being the youngest, he would have to have more than his fair share.It didn’t matter what it was.He’d argue the point that he should have had a larger portion like when Todd had his birthday at the house.I don’t remember when that was, but my father argued with Grannie nearly the entire time he was there about him getting half of the cake to himself, and everyone at his little party would have to share the rest.I never realized how selfish of a bastard he was until the last couple of months.Did I tell you that he called here wanting me to bring him things that he could sell?Not to the population of the prison but to Douglas and the other two.Fucking shithead.”

“I’m so very happy that you’re nothing like your family.”When she snorted, he had to laugh.Christ, he loved his family so much.

Chapter 7

“It’s all rubbish.”Marshall asked the elderly man what he meant.He had shown him where to invest and how much.He’d even gone so far as to give him a booklet on investing.“I mean, it’s all rubbish.Who else will be taking their bit and nibble out of my money?”

“I don’t understand what you mean.There will be fees—” he shoutedah-haand said that he knew it.“Yes, you did.We spoke about the fees that you’d have to pay when you first asked me to set this up for you.Along with the fees, when you make money, I’ll take a percentage of it, less than three percent, because you’re a friend of my wife’s.”

“I don’t like paying fees.I’m putting my honest to god money into these companies that you suggested, and I should get more than the dividend.Some of those places still charge me an arm and a leg to go there even though I told them I was an investor.That’s not right.”He eyed him hard.“You know what?I’m finished here.You just go on home without your percentages, and I’ll sit here with my money just like it is and you’ll have to cry in your milk because you didn’t get my three percent.And I don’t think that’s even fair, being how I made all the money in the first place.”

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