Silver Lining

by E. J. Shortall

  “With my life,” I reply immediately.

  “Lie on the bed and close your eyes.” When I feel the bed on the back of my knees, I sit down and scoot back so I’m lying flat out in the middle. I close my eyes and take a deep breath as I listen to Craig’s movements around the room. A moment later, something smooth and silky skims across my eyes before my head is raised slightly. Is he blindfolding me?

  “Craig, I…” Panic sets in as awareness of what he’s doing hits me. I’ve never done anything like this before, and the thought of not being able to see terrifies me.

  “Shhhh, baby, it’s okay. Nothing bad is going to happen to you. I will never let anything bad happen to you. Trust me, okay?”

  “Okay,” I reply nervously. It’s time to woman up, I guess. He asked if I trust him, and I do. He said he won’t let anything bad happen, and I believe him. What could happen anyway? It’s only a piece of fabric.

  “Good girl.” He places a soft kiss on each of my cheeks and on the tip of my nose. “Reach your arms above your head and keep them there for me.” I nod and do as he says, not knowing what he plans to do.

  Slowly, the nerves and tension in my body ease away when Craig first brushes his lips across the top of my left foot. He peppers kisses and gentle bites along very inch of my lower leg and thigh before returning to my right foot and repeating the process. Not being able to see has amped up my other senses. I’m acutely aware of the quietness in the room other than for the sound of Craig’s breathing, of his addictive all male scent, and of the torturous ecstasy that his lips are creating along every inch of my flesh.

  He moves up to my arms, grazing his lips from fingertip to shoulder. Goosebumps prickle across my skin, and I shiver from the sensation and anticipation of what he will do next.

  The mattress dips, and I shiver as cool air breezes over the moisture Craig’s kisses have left behind. When his warm tongue flicks across my nipple in slow, deliberate circles, I moan in pleasure and arch my back, pushing in closer, desperate for more of his touch. His fingers begin to massage and caress my other breast, gently squeezing and stroking. I cry out, bucking off the mattress, when he bites down hard on one nipple whilst pinching the other. I can’t take much more of this. I’m shivering, panting and struggling to control my breathing. I need him. God, I need him inside me.

  “Craig, please, stop teasing me, I need you… oh God,” I groan, fighting the urge to bury my fingers in his head, instead gripping the pillow under my hands.

  In one deep, powerful thrust that knocks all breath from my lungs, he pushes deep inside me, filling me completely. He remains still for a moment, sucking on the skin below my ear, as we adjust to the sensation and savour the connection. When I feel his soft lips ghosting across my eyelids, I realise he has pulled my blindfold off. My eyes flutter open, and I stare up into eyes full of lust and admiration, and there is a hint of sadness in there too. Without saying a word, he places his forehead against mine, closes his eyes, and slowly begins to move inside me. He takes his time worshiping my body and enjoying this feeling of two becoming one.

  Lying beside Craig, sated and content, I look around us, curious what he had used to blindfold me with. When I don’t immediately notice anything, I ask him. He reaches over behind him and holds up some black silky material. I shrug at first, not recognising what it is he’s holding, but then realisation hits home. Oh my God, she didn’t. Please tell me she didn’t. My eyes widen, and I look from the material to Craig and back again before scrambling to my knees and lunging for the black, barely there babydoll that I had deliberately left at home. At least, I thought I had left at home. Bloody Becki, I’m going to kill her.

  Craig snatches it out of my reach before I can grab it, and I end up face planting into the mattress. I quickly kneel back up and try again to grab it, but he just snatches it from my reach, laughing. The bastard.

  “Craig, please,” I whine and try and reach out for it again, but he has no intentions of giving it to me. Clearly, he’s enjoying this game that is my total humiliation.

  “What’s the matter, Pingu?” he asks in all seriousness, but his laughing eyes and shaking shoulders betray his attempts at seriousness.

  “Are you laughing at me?”

  “No,” he says, barely containing his laughter.

  “Please, Craig. Just give it to me. I can’t believe you saw that. Becki must have sneaked it in my case. It was a stupid prize I won at an… erm… party a couple of years ago,” I huff like a petulant child.

  “Oh, is that so? What kind of party? And what did you have to do to win it?”

  Feeling the heat in my cheeks, I lower my gaze. “It was an adult toy and lingerie party. We were given these…” Suddenly realising his game, I snap my eyes to his. “Oh no, no, no... I see your game, mister. I’m not telling.”

  Craig, obviously unable to contain it any longer, is laughing. “Oh please, baby. You have to tell me... Go on… give me a visual to work with,” he manages to stammer amidst his hysterics.

  “Not funny.” This whole thing is mortifying. I drop my head to my chest to try and hide my shame.

  “I’m sorry, baby, but it is funny,” Craig says as he comes over to me and wraps and arm around my shoulders. “I happen to think this,” he places the God forsaken scrap of material on my lap, “is pretty damn sexy, and I can’t wait to see you wearing it.” He places a kiss on my shoulder and begins to work his way up along my neck.

  Just like that, my embarrassment is long forgotten.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Craig and I are snuggled up in bed enjoying each other’s warmth. He is on his back with one arm wrapped around me while the other is gently playing with strands of my damp hair. I am lying on my side with my leg slung over his thigh, and I’m softly drawing random images on his chest through the light smattering of his soft hair.

  “Tell me about yourself when you were younger,” I ask him. One thing that has been bothering me recently is Craig’s evasiveness when talking about his past. If we have any chance of this thing between us going anywhere, I need to be able to really understand him.

  His hand stills in my hair. “What do you want to know?” he nervously asks.

  “Where did you grow up? What did you do? What made you who you are today?”

  He’s quiet for a minute before answering, “I grew up in Clapham. Dad had a good job in the City, so we lived in a nice three-bedroom Victorian house close to the Common. The house wasn’t too far from a rough estate, and so I ended up hanging out and becoming friends with some shady characters.

  “At first, when we were younger, about ten or eleven, we were just mischievous, playing pranks and that sort of thing. As we got older, they started getting involved in heavier things, like burglaries and arson. I tried to stay out of what was going on, but when you’re so deep rooted in with people like that, it’s hard to not get involved.” He remains quiet again for a minute, and I think he’s not going to say anything more, but then he starts playing with my hair again and continues.

  “I got involved in stuff I shouldn’t have and nearly ended up going to juvenile detention, but somehow managed to scrape through. Dad paid for a good lawyer, and I ended up getting off with a warning. After that, I tried to concentrate on my education, but still hung out with a few of the old crew who went to the same school… well, when they could be bothered... Are you sure you want to hear all this?” he asks. I nod, eager to learn all I can about him.

  “I somehow managed to finish school with good grades and was planning on going off to Uni. Then I… Something else happened, and mum decided I should move down here to live with my grandparents to get me away from that life. I stayed here until a few years back when I moved back to London to run the Kingston offices and be close to mum again. When my granddad passed away, and the company was left to me, I moved everything into the new Hammersmith premises where we are now and closed all the smaller regional offices.”

  I use his pause to ask him about his dad. />
  “Dad was a great man. He was very patient, even with all the shit I put him through. He always saw the best in people and would go out of his way to help others. When I was fourteen, he was diagnosed with cancer. He tried to fight it, but in the end, he lost the battle and died a couple of months before my sixteenth birthday.”

  When I realise he’s gone quiet again, I rest my chin on his chest and peek up at him. He’s staring straight ahead, a blank expression on his face. When I look into his eyes, though, they are welling up with tears and seem haunted with memories I have no clue about. I fight back my own sob and reach up to stroke his cheek, now rough with the day’s growth of stubble. I try to show him with my touch that it’s okay for him to carry on, and that I’m here for him. I’ll always be here for him.

  He peers down at me and gives me a weak smile before continuing, “I often think that dad would still be with us today if it weren’t for me. I believe that the stress I put him through brought on his illness, and it was too late for him to fight.” I feel him take a few shuddering breaths as though he’s trying to hold back his emotions. God, this is hard. The Craig I know and love is always so self-assured and in control, it’s heart-breaking to see him so upset.

  After a few minutes of silence, when his breathing returns to normal, I want to see if he can continue. I want to know all there is to know about Craig Silver.

  “So what did you do that was so bad you got shipped off to Devon, huh?” I try and keep the question light and playful, but he stiffens up beneath me and his hands drop away from me.

  “That’s enough of my life history for one night,” he spits with frightening coolness and turns to reach over to switch off the bedside lamp. “It’s getting late. We should get some sleep.”

  Left stunned by the abrupt mood change, I lay on my back wondering what he got involved in all those years ago that would lead to his mum deciding it would be best if he left their home to come and live with his grandparents.

  ***

  I open my eyes and blink a few times, trying to adjust to the bright sunlight streaming in through the large windows around the room. Jesus, who needs this many windows in one room, and why are there no curtains? Planting my wrists on the mattress, I push myself up into a sitting position and look out one of the windows. That there is why there are so many windows and no curtains. The view from here is absolutely breath-taking. The mid-morning sun is up and covering the land with a bright cheeriness.

  Remembering how things were with Craig last night, I jump out of bed and go in search of him. I look in the bathroom first, but there is no sign of him in there. I quickly wash my face and brush my teeth before getting dressed.

  Grabbing my suitcase, which I haven’t bothered to unpack since we arrived, I pull out a pair of light wash jeans and a chocolate coloured camisole top along with a black satin underwear set. While I’m dressing, I think back to last night and the black barely there piece of lingerie Craig blindfolded me with. Looking over toward the bed, I spot the offending item lying on the floor. I quickly grab it and shove it into the deepest pocket of my case and zip it up. That thing is getting burned when I get home. There is absolutely no way I am putting it on in front of Craig. Just the thought makes my whole body erupt in hives.

  I finish dressing quickly then run a brush through my hair, despairing at the wayward strands that just will not behave. It’s my fault for going to sleep with it still damp. Eventually, I give up and pull it back into a pony tail, and then head downstairs to find Craig.

  “Hi, Amber, how are you feeling today?” a too perky Carly chirps from her seat at the dining table.

  “Um, I’m good. Have you seen Craig?” I ask, looking around and seeing no sign of Craig anywhere.

  “Oh yeah, he’s in the study. He has some work stuff he needs to catch up on or something.” Rolling her eyes, she looks toward the study door. “Like it couldn’t wait one more day. He’s a bloody workaholic. Do you want coffee?”

  “Yeah sure, that would be great. Shall I take one in to Craig?”

  “You can. I don’t think he’s had one yet. I heard him come down earlier and shut himself straight in there. The ignorant git didn’t even say good morning. I had to pop my head in to let him know I was up.” She looks seriously pissed off at her brother’s lack of social etiquette.

  Carly places two mugs down in front of me and sits back in her own chair, playing with her phone again. Grabbing both mugs, I walk down the hall to the study and stop outside. The door is open slightly, and I can see Craig sitting at the desk looking intently at something on the computer screen. I suddenly feel apprehensive about going in there. What if he’s still annoyed about whatever upset him last night? What if he’s come in here to avoid me? Perhaps I should just leave him alone for now.

  “I know you’re out there, Pingu. What I don’t know is why you’re out there and not in here,” I hear the humour in his voice and breathe a sigh of relief.

  Pushing the door open with my foot, I plaster a bright smile across my face and walk in. “I was wondering how I could get in here and surprise you, but as usual, you’re one step ahead of me. Here, I brought you coffee.” I walk over to the desk and put the mug down in front of him.

  “Aha, trying to butter me up are you? Did you want a little piece of me? Baby, you know you don’t need to do that. You can have whatever you want, whenever you want. You just need to say the word,” he laughs and wiggles his eyebrows.

  “Jesus, Craig, you have a one track mind,” I laugh and shake my head at him.

  “When it comes to you, yes I do.” His eyes sparkle with mischief for a second before his smile drops and some other emotion crosses his features. Before I can tell what it is, it passes and his smile reappears.

  “Nice to know you only want me for my body,” I mumble under my breath before raising my mug to my lips and taking a sip of my morning caffeine fix. It’s not the morning wake me up I’d been hoping for, but I guess it will have to do.

  Craig clears his throat before returning his gaze to the screen in front of him. “Will you be okay for a couple of hours while I catch up on some work stuff?”

  Shrugging, I look past Craig and out the window. “Yeah, it’s nice out. I think I’ll go for a wander around the garden, then maybe sit out and enjoy the sun.”

  I turn to walk out, but Craig stops me. “I didn’t mean it like that, Pingu. What I said, you know you’re more than sexual gratification to me, right?”

  “Yeah,” I give him a weak smile and walk out of the room, closing the door behind me. I hope I mean more to him than a few fumbles between the sheets. There have been a few signs that is the case, but until he stops withdrawing and opens up to me properly, I’m just not sure.

  Mid-morning, Craig is still holed up in the study, so I take a bottle of water from the fridge, grab my e-reader and head out to the loungers on the back deck.

  It really is warm for late May, and I’m enjoying soaking up the sun’s rays in the serene setting when Carly comes and lies on the lounger next to me.

  “Do you mind if I join you?” she asks as she settles back with a large glass of juice in her hand. Looking at her, you’d think we were lazing by the pool in some hot tropical oasis. She’s wearing short white denim shorts, a skimpy camisole top, large dark sunglass that swallow up her dainty features, and a large floppy sunhat. On anyone else, I would probably laugh, but on her it looks… cute.

  “Of course I don’t. I was only laying here enjoying the view.” Looking around me, I am literally spellbound by the landscape spread out before me. At every turn, I am rewarded with stunning views of rolling hills and fields. At the bottom of the sloping garden, a wildflower patch is blooming with spring buds of every colour of the rainbow, and beyond that, a shallow stream flows gently along, lending to the lazy day atmosphere that seems to surround this place.

  “It’s pretty spectacular, isn’t it?” Carly agrees.

  After a few minutes of silence, I decide to ask Carly about herself.


  “So, how’s life in Bristol then? Are you enjoying your course?” I start.

  “It’s good. I’m enjoying the course.”

  “And Uni life? Are you enjoying that? I wasn’t really one for doing the whole party every night thing.”

  “It’s alright,” she replies solemnly and stares out into the distance. Okay, so maybe everything is not all rainbows and butterflies in Carly land. She had seemed so full of life and happiness since arriving. I’m about to question her about it when she turns to look at me.

  “So, tell me, how are you getting on with my big bro? I can’t believe he hasn’t scared you off yet,”

  I choke on the mouthful of water I’d just taken and wait to clear my throat before being able to answer her. “What makes you think he would scare me off?”

  “Well, no one ever lasts very long with him. He either gets shot of them real quick, or they run. Either way, nobody lasts more than a week. I can’t remember the last time he was in an actual relationship. It’s good to see him happy.” I take a peek across at her and see she has a smile on her face and her head is nodding.

  “Um… well, I don’t know where things are heading with us, but I enjoy his company, and he makes me laugh and feel safe. I’ve not had that with a guy for quite a while now, so while I can, I’m enjoying it, enjoying him.”

  “I’m glad he’s found someone like you. Where we grew up, girls were only ever after one thing from him. Has he told you about his past?”

  As much as I want to learn about Craig’s past, I would prefer it to come from him. This doesn’t feel right, like we are gossiping about him. “We, um… he told me some things last night, about your dad and about getting involved in stupid stuff when he was younger. He told me about having to move here with your grandparents to get away from there.”

  She removes her sunglasses and looks over at me with wide eyes. “Wow, he must really like you, Amber. I mean like really like you. He never talks to anyone about that stuff. I was young when he first got in trouble so I don’t really know all the ins and outs. I was only about six when that …” she trails off, looking away and shaking her head.