by Marian Tee
“Just fifteen minutes.”
Behind him, he could hear his friends’ female companions reacting not too subtly. He supposed it never occurred to them that it was possible, a woman coming to meet her man on her own and earlier at that.
Frowning, he told Lace, “You should have told me you could come earlier.”
Lace rolled her eyes. “It’s no big deal. I’m cool with waiting.”
Seeing the huge shopping bag next to her, he asked dryly, “I take it your trip was a success then?” The way her blue eyes suddenly sparkled made Silver laugh out loud.
“Do you want to see my new kicks?” Lace was asking eagerly, already reaching for the bag that contained her newest prized possession: a pair of signed LeBron 12 iD.
He said honestly, “Only if I have to.”
“Ass—” Lace stopped, then hurriedly corrected herself, saying with flushed cheeks, “As you wish.”
It was apparent she had just realized they had company, as if the whole time she had only been aware of him. While that pleased him immensely, the uncertainty that flashed in her eyes did not.
Even though so much time had already passed, Silver knew Lace remained traumatized by what she called her “disastrous rookie performance” as his girlfriend.
Stubborn little lamb. How many times did he have to tell her she was his world, and the rest was…transient?
Offering his hand to help her out of her seat, Silver curled an arm around her tiny waist and pulled her close so they could face his friends together. The way Lace leaned close against him told Silver he had done the right thing, his normally confident-as-hell girlfriend needing a little reassurance right now.
It was adorable, and he must remember to tell her later it was so, just to see her blow up. She was ridiculously beautiful when she was mad.
“Your girlfriend, Silver?” Esme, the model Nigel was dating, asked in a sweet voice that couldn’t quite hide her hostility.
“Yes.” He made quick work of the introductions. The men, who were his friends from college, and their companions.
Annie Lawrence’s lips tightened when she heard herself simply referred to as Carter’s date. Bastard. Her temper boiled, and she wouldn’t have hesitated to make a scene if not for the glint of warning in Silver’s eyes. Bastard.
“Everyone, this is Lace.” Before anyone could say a word, he added casually, “She’s the younger sister of Slade Wyndham of Wyndham Pharmaceuticals.” Silver didn’t even think twice of name dropping, knowing that doing so would help censor everyone’s tongues.
Lace only spoke when she and Silver were in his cart, saying wryly under her breath, “They totally think I’m not right for you.”
“Of course not.”
“They don’t like me.”
“Not entirely accurate. The men like you too much, unfortunately. The women, however, have turned into jealous cats. Understandably.”
“One of them, the girl called Annie, she was really jealous.”
Again, her perspicacity took him by surprise, and Silver forced himself to shrug. “You are extraordinarily beautiful and younger than her, too.”
“It’s not that.”
Her knowing look made him grimace. He was six damn years older, but this girl could easily run circles around him. She had him wrapped around her little finger, and they both knew it.
“Ex-girlfriend?” Lace guessed.
“No,” he said shortly. He hated talking about the past.
Lace blinked at him before grinning. “Wow, you’re touchy.”
The words drew a reluctant smile from him. Most girls would have been mad at him, but not his Lace.
“I don’t like being reminded of how I was an asshole back then,” Silver forced himself to admit. “It makes me think…I’ve got hell to pay. With you.”
“Oh, March.” Exasperation and love both underlined that tone. “You don’t really think I’m going to be afraid of her?”
No. That wasn’t what he was afraid of, but he chose not to correct her assumption.
When they rejoined his friends, another couple making the first swing, Silver asked, “You checked out New Balance?”
“Yep.” Lace paused before adding grudgingly, “And you were right.”
“I told you I would be.”
Jerk, she mouthed.
Pretending he didn’t see that, he said, “I’m glad their new designs met your very, err, exacting standards.”
“I detect sarcasm, March.”
Again, he feigned ignorance as he continued, “Their apparent renaissance wouldn’t have meant a thing—”
“I don’t even know how to spell that ‘ren’ word.”
Before he could answer, Annie came to join them, saying sweetly, “I do.” Even as Silver’s gaze became cold, she spelled the word, correctly. She expected Silver’s juvenile partner to look at her with dislike, but instead the younger girl was smiling at her.
“Cool.”
Pffft. It took a lot for Silver not to smile at the priceless look on Annie’s face.
“…but I still don’t know what it means,” Lace was saying.
He said gently, “Michael Jordan. 1995. Comeback.”
Her eyes widened in understanding. “Oooooooh. Now I get it. Although—” She looked at him curiously. “I’m surprised you know about that, though.”
“Well, I needed to learn your language.”
Lace sniffed. “I don’t know what you mean.”
He asked swiftly, “What’s a basket?”
She answered just as promptly, “Goal scored.”
He laughed. “Most people would have said it was a container—”
“Shut up. And stop laughing. It’s not that funny.”
It was, but taking pity on his lamb, he reined his laughter in.
Bored and more than a little irritated with the conversation she had no inkling about, Annie interrupted, “Have you guys been going out for long?”
“Not really,” Lace replied. “About, umm…”
Ah, little lamb, you shouldn’t have answered that. You’re only setting yourself up for a fall.
Lace’s face became frozen.
Suppressing another smile, he answered for her. “About seven weeks since we got back together.”
Annie started to laugh then covered her mouth promptly. “Sorry.” But she didn’t sound sorry at all. “I’m just stunned that you don’t know and…” She glanced at Silver, and her tone was of poisoned sweetness as she murmured, “It’s so cute that you know. You obviously care more about things like this.”
Their eyes met, and this time Silver knew that Annie wasn’t doing any of this because she wanted him back. What she wanted was revenge, and it was clear she knew he knew how that was going to happen.
“Yo, March. Get your butt here and take your shot.”
Silver forced himself to smile. “Excuse me for a moment, will you?”
“Of course.” Annie’s voice oozed with warmth. “I’ll just keep little Lace here company.”
When he joined Carter at the tee, the other man asked, “You serious with her?”
Taking his position, Silver said mildly, “Absolutely.”
“Isn’t she too young? She’s still in college, isn’t she?”
“Yes. She actually wants to be the first female coach in the NBA.”
Carter snorted. “Like that will happen.”
“I think it will. She’s really good at what she does.” Before Carter could answer, Silver swiftly changed the subject. “Good shot a while ago, by the way.” Carter was a nice guy, which was why Silver didn’t want to give the other man any chance to insult Lace, which would then require him to punch Carter in the face.
Carter was properly distracted. “Thanks. I have to make up for how bad Annie’s shot is going to be later.”
Annie called out, “I heard that. And I don’t care because I don’t really want to break a nail over a stupid game.”
“Sure, sure, sweetheart.”
> Silver told Carter, “Well, cheer up. We all know I’m the worst in this lot.”
Everyone laughed since it was true. Silver had not one athletic bone in his body, his every rock-hard muscle honed inside the gym.
Cocking his head as if something had only occurred to him, he asked, “Do you guys mind if I let Lace take the first shot instead?”
“Me?” Lace blurted out from behind.
Silver slowly turned to her. “Yes. You. Unless, of course, there’s another nineteen-year-old with a mole on her—”
“Sure, I’ll swing,” Lace said quickly, and Silver bit back another smile as she couldn’t get to his side fast enough. The moment she reached him, she glared up at Silver, mouthing ‘asshole’ before saying out loud, “You’re really sure.”
He rolled his eyes. “It’s just a game.”
“Well, if that’s what you think. It’s been some time since I played though.” Taking the club he handed her, she tried it out then shook her head. “No. Not this. I rarely use clubs like this.”
She went to the caddy he had hired. “Can I exchange this for, let me see…oh, good, you use TaylorMade, too. Mmm…yes.” It was obvious by this time she was talking to herself. “This is similar to my favorite driver, and I don’t think I’ll need to adjust the alignment too much...”
After getting her new club from the caddy, she quickly made her way back to Silver, completely unaware that everyone was gaping at her, all of them taken aback by her apparent in-depth knowledge of golf clubs.
“Ready, Wyndham?” he asked with a smile.
“Ready.”
Fist bump.
And then she was swinging away.
“Holy fuck,” Earl gasped at the strength of the girl’s swing. It practically made him look like a wimp.
Desmond, their other companion, was shaking his head in shock. “Did you see how far that—holy fuck. That’s close enough for an eagle.”
As the truth dawned, his friends broke into applause while their girlfriends scowled and slowly brought their hands together. Clap.
Silver drew his grinning little lamb towards him.
“Did you see that?” She was practically bouncing, at her happiest when she was playing sports.
“I did. And I think it deserves a reward.”
Her eyes widened, but he gave her no time to refuse, bending down to cover her mouth with his. “Congratulations, sweetheart.” He kissed her long and hard.
Lace was still fuming at him as they made their way to the cart. “I’ll never forgive you if you do that again.”
Just to piss her off even more, he yanked her towards him, and as she fell against his body, he bent down to steal another kiss. Lifting his head, he said with sham sadness, “I’m sorry. I couldn’t help it.”
“Y-you…” But it was hard to believe she was really angry, with her flushed cheeks and lips made swollen by his kiss.
Swinging inside his cart, she asked, “You knew I play, didn’t you?”
Switching the ignition on, he said, “Michael Jordan is your god. Ergo, what he likes, you like, too.”
“I feel like there’s an insult in there somewhere.”
Laughing, he told her slyly, “They hate you even more now, by the way.”
She grimaced. “I know. Esme looked like she want to rip my head off with her three-inch long nails.”
His laughter rang out. “Three inches?”
“I swear it.” Her tone sobered. “Annie, though…”
Silver stilled, his grip on the wheel tensing. “What about her?”
“She asked me to give you a message.”
“I don’t care to hear it.”
“She said—”
“Dammit, Wyndham—”
“It’s nice to see you’re not so special either.”
Don’t ever make the mistake of thinking you’re special to me.
“And that she thinks, to me, you’re a good boy.”
Good girl. He had always used those words for the girls who had wanted him so badly they were willing to play by the rules. And that was that they always had to do what he commanded while having no hold over him.
He started when he felt Lace’s hand over his.
“Hey.” Her hold tightened. “Don’t let it get it to you. Whatever it is, it doesn’t matter. I only chose to tell you because I wanted to get it over with and not make it an issue between us.”
He said abruptly, “I told you before, didn’t I? I wasn’t…I wasn’t a good person in the past.”
“That’s okay. I’m not a good person either. I curse too much, I hate studying, and I’m too proud—where are you going?” Lace blurted out when he took a right turn. “Your friends went the other way.”
“I know. I just wanted to do this where it’s private.” He slowed the cart to a stop and switched the ignition off.
“Private?” She still didn’t get it. “Was it really that big of a deal? Because if it is, I’m seriously pissed. I’m going to kill that slut.”
As Lace talked, Silver carried her out so he could lower her to the seat at the back.
“This part of the course doesn’t have CCTV,” he told her as he pushed her legs wide open.
That was when it sank in. “Oh my God, March. Oh my God, no.” She tried to kick him away, but by then he had managed to pull her pants down, followed by her panties. He would have liked to rip them away, but he forced himself to be patient. He had to preserve her underwear. No way in hell would he let her play golf with his friends without her panties on.
“Maaaaaarch…” She tried pushing him away even as he kept pushing her legs wide open. “No, stop—”
“I’m in the mood to eat you now.”
“Are you serious? We’re…oh.” Her words ended in a moan as his mouth found her most sensitive flesh, his tongue licking her folds up and down before Silver moved up to tease her clitoris.
“Oh God, March.” Lace’s fingers found his hair.
He began to suck on her clitoris.
“March, you asshole.” But her grip on his hair tightened, and her hips were beginning to move, rising from the seat to meet his tongue.
“You’re fucking my mouth now, though.”
“Shut up.” Her hips continued to move.
Moving his mouth back down, he used his thumb on her clit while he slowly worked his tongue inside her.
Lace whimpered, the sounds of her pleasure enough to have his cock knocking hard against his pants.
“Asssshole.”
Only Lace could make the word sound so…affectionate.
His head still between her legs, he moved his other free hand to knead her breast.
“Oh God, March…you…asshole.”
Maybe he really was an asshole. But he should be forgiven for it now because Lace, on the other hand, was the love and bane of his life.
Since he had met her, there wasn’t one damn night he could sleep easy. It was as if a part of him kept waiting for the penny to drop, for Lace to do what he was fated to experience.
After almost ten years of fuck ‘em and leave ‘em, he had finally met his match, the girl who could make him pay for all the hearts he had broken along the way.
And when that happened?
When Lace realized he, Silver March, wasn’t really as special as he had made her believe he was?
He had a fucking feeling he would still love her anyway.
Part II: LACE
Bad Advice
As Silver helped her inside his posh, sporty black Maserati, he bent down and asked, “Sure you have everything you need?” Ever since she had accidentally left her wallet at his place, Silver had made it his responsibility to ensure Lace’s stuff was complete after spending the night with him.
“Yep.” She flashed him a thumbs up sign even as she tried not to let him notice how fast her heart was beating right now. God, she was so helpless. They had been going out for two months now, and his ridiculously good-looking face still had the power to render her dum
bstruck.
When he joined her inside the car and started driving, Lace tried to hide another thing: how sexy she found him when Silver was behind the—
“Stop drooling.”
“I’m not!” Lace gasped, but she checked anyway, touching the corner of her lips. Fortunately, it was dry.
“Ah, but it’s the thought that matters, don’t you think?” Silver drawled.
“Your ego knows no bounds.”
“My ego, your pride,” he countered dryly. “We make a good match.”
“No, we don’t.” But they both knew she was only arguing for argument’s sake.
His lips curved. As he slowed down with the light turning red, he murmured, “I need to be in Montreal tonight.”
Her eyes widened. “But you just came back.”
“I know.” Grim regret lined his voice.
“But you said you wouldn’t be flying out for a week.”
“I just received word a while ago. It’s an emergency. I’m sorry.”
She didn’t speak. And she wouldn’t until she was sure she wouldn’t end up bawling like a stupid little kid.
A moment later, she felt Silver taking hold of her hand on her lap. When she glanced at him, he said softly, “I’m doing my best to delegate. So be patient, mm? I promise, this crazy lifestyle will only be for a few months, and then I won’t be flying out as much.” He paused. “When that happens, I want you to think seriously about moving in with me.”
She was so shocked at the suggestion that she threw her hands up and nearly plastered herself to the door, feeling like distance was much needed to let her think. “Whoa there.”
Silver’s gaze gleamed in amusement. “I love it when you react like a twelve-year-old rapper.”
Lace couldn’t even muster enough anger to snipe at him. She shook her head. “Move in with you?”
His smile cooled. “Why not?”
“But…we’ve just started going out?”
“So?”
She threw her hands up again. “You’re the playboy—”
Color stained Silver’s cheeks. “That’s in the past.”
“Fine, then. You’re the ex-playboy. Isn’t having one woman around you supposed to have you breaking out in a cold sweat?”
“Err, no. I think in this relationship, that’s probably you.”