Silver & Black

by Tyler May

  “What’s wrong?”

  I start to laugh. “I don’t sleep in clothes.”

  He grins and turns the other way. “I wouldn’t expect anything less from you, Mr. Black. Get in.” Fuck, I really like his dominant tone.

  I pull off my shirt and my jeans, leaving them next to the bed. His bed is chilled and the blankets are a welcome warmth. “You never sent that text to Connor, did you?”

  “No.” Sneaky. “He’s here all the time anyway, so if I couldn’t convince you to stay, he would have taken you home. You’re safe here, Mr. Black.” Weirdly, I do feel safe. He inhales and rolls toward me. He blankets my back with his body and wraps his arm around me. I felt him kiss the back of my head. “Is this ok?”

  “Yeah,” I say. Then he clears his throat and I acknowledge my blunder. “Yes, Silver.” He kisses my head once more and holds me tight. I feel him let out an exasperated breath.

  “Good night, Greyson.” And we’re back to Greyson.

  ~Chapter Six~

  I wake before my alarm that I set on my phone; that’s a morning ritual. It’s fucking annoying. Silver is still holding me. I don’t think we ever moved all night. I haven’t slept this well in years. It’s been a long time since I woke up next to a man besides Levi. Jeff never stayed with me. He said Levi made him uncomfortable, so it was sex, a short snuggle, and he was out the door every time. That should have been my first clue. It’s nice to have someone hold me. I run my fingers lightly over the arm he has around me. His arms are covered lightly with dark hair. Such a turn-on. I really don’t want to wake him. I like the weight of his embrace. I can feel his slow soft breaths from his nose on my neck as he sleeps. He’s so different and attentive, not like anyone I’ve ever been with. I’m not used to this. My phone beeps again. Shit, why didn’t I turn off that alarm? I quickly reach over and turn it off, but it wakes Silver.

  “Morning.” I smile to him.

  “Good morning.” He pulls me back into his arms and kisses the back of my head. “Did you sleep well?”

  “Very.” I flip to face him. I can’t help gazing in those blue eyes of his. He really is handsome. I lean forward and kiss him. “How about you, did you sleep well?” His lips quirk up in a half smile.

  “I held you all night, Greyson. I’d say I slept magnificently.” Good answer, Silver. “What time do you have to be at work?”

  “In about an hour and a half, Jeff always makes me open with him.” I mention Jeff and his whole demeanor changes. “Shit, I don’t have a work shirt. Jeff is going to be pissed.”

  “Oh, Jeff won’t say anything to you at all. Believe me.” He’s confident in his words. “Why don’t you get dressed and I’ll have my chef prepare some breakfast.” He stands and walks over to his cell on the table. He must do everything by texting. Maybe that’s why he got me the new smartphone. I get up and start to dress in the clothes I had on last night. His eyes track my movement.

  “Are you watching me?” I flirt.

  “Yes,” he says and tilts his head to the side for a better view: my view.

  “You don’t have to work today?” I sit on the bed tying my Converse.

  “I work every day. I don’t even remember the last day I actually took off. I’m just going in later. I should get in the shower. Mac has your breakfast downstairs. I shouldn’t be long.”

  “Mac?”

  “My chef, he does have a name.” He smirks. “I’ll meet you downstairs.” I start to walk out the door and he stops me. He’s silent, but his eyes say everything. He leans in and gives me one small, but intimate, kiss.

  The kitchen is large and immaculate. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a kitchen sparkle as much. The chef, Mac, is just plating the food. “Good morning, Mr. Black.” Mac greets me by name. “Would you like to dine at this table or in the main dining room?” I’d eat on the couch if it was up to me.

  “Here’s good, thank you,” I answer still amused at the idea. He nods and pulls the seat out for me. This is too much. Mac brings two elegantly arranged plates. He places one in front of me and then the other at the adjacent chair, where Silver will join me.

  “Will there be anything else?” he asks as he pours two tall glasses of orange juice.

  “Uh, no, this is more than enough. Thank you.” He bows his head and exits the room. This is fucking unreal. Silver lives like this? I don’t know whether I like it or not, but the food looks good and I’m famished. I dig into the plate of eggs benedict, toast, and sausage. I’ve never had eggs like this before. I’m a simple man: scrambled or runny, as I like to call them, are usually it for me. Mmm… this is delicious.

  I’m enjoying my breakfast when I glance to the spiral stairwell and see Silver coming down. My mouth drops at the sight of him. He’s wearing a pair of casual khakis with a brown belt and a white dress shirt that is unbuttoned at the collar. I watch him until he’s next to me and then he leans to peck the side of my face before taking his seat. I catch the scent of his cologne, or maybe it’s his body-wash; whatever it is, it smells wonderful, and sends a jolt of pleasure through me. “I hope you eat more than you did last night, Mr. Silver.”

  “Are you scolding me?” He grins as he forks up a small portion of the eggs and bites as though mocking me. “I like that you care, but I could do without the scolding.” It’s hard to tell if he’s serious or not.

  “Well, you don’t want me eating ramen noodles all day, so I think it’s only fair that I make sure you eat properly too.”

  He raises an eyebrow. “I retain a very professional staff that does that for me.” He has a hint of a smile. A cocky smile. “I love my staff, they’re family.” Aw, Silver cares, but I think I’m becoming more and more aware of that. “How do you like it? Mac can whip something else up if it’s not to your liking.”

  “It’s great―how many people do you have working for you?”

  “In my home? Just three, too many to count if you count the people I employ in my businesses.”

  “Did you always live this way?”

  “Are you asking me if my family is wealthy?” He asks pointedly.

  “I guess, yes,” I say confidently and he smiles. I know, Silver. I actually said yes and not yeah.

  “I do come from money. My parents are very wealthy, professional, and humanitarians. We’ve never taken our good fortune for granted―we all give back. My parents taught us well.”

  “Us? So I take it you have siblings?” I feel like I’m interviewing him. He accommodates my continued interrogation.

  “I have only one sister, Deborah, she’s actually my twin.”

  “That’s awesome. I don’t know many twins.”

  “She is one of my very best friends, always has been. She does like to play the big sister card since she is four minutes older.” He chuckles lightly. I can’t help but smile. He seems so proud. “She’s lovely.”

  “I always wanted a brother or sister. I’m an only child.” Why do I get the feeling he already knew that?

  “Maybe they stopped after you because they got it right the first time.” Oh, my God, he is so corny, but adorable. He shakes his head from embarrassment and chuckles. His face is so red. “I told you I’m bad at flirting.”

  I laugh. “Silver, you’re better than you think.” He grins as he eats more from his plate. “How about your parents, what do they do?”

  “My father, Scott, is a broker of sorts. He buys and sells businesses consistent with whatever interests him at the time. It’s kind of annoying, but it’s made him a very wealthy man; that and stocks. He plays the market. He’s smart, damn smart, and a role model in business for me.” I love to see the pride in his eyes. He seems to love his family that’s nice considering where I came from. “My mother, Jennifer, is a ‘professional volunteer.’ Those are her words.” He laughs. “She’s an excellent mother. She stayed home with my sister and me and raised us. She could have easily hired a full-time au pair, but she would have never had that. I respect her so much. She’s also my father’s wingm
an: supportive of all good decisions and not afraid to question him or his decisions. They make a fetching pair. I would love for you to meet them sometime.” He wants me to meet his family? “How about you, how is your family?” His tone is compassionate, almost like he knows what I’m going to say.

  “My mother passed away a little over seven years ago.” I look down at my hands.

  “I’m so sorry. You were young.”

  “Yeah, I was fifteen. My parents divorced when I was, uh God, like four or five. She remarried, but they also divorced after she found him cheating, so it was basically just me and her. My real dad would bounce in and out of our lives mostly when he needed money for drugs. It was a different world from yours.”

  “It sure was―I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

  “Don’t feel bad, it’s not like my entire adolescent years were horrible. My mom was the best. She always made sure I had what I needed, sometimes it wasn’t what I wanted, but she always took care of me. I remember this one time, there was this remote-controlled boat that I was gawking over in the big Christmas catalogue that a department store put out. It was one hundred and fifty dollars. I didn’t ask her for it because I thought it was too expensive. I woke up that Christmas morning and it was under the tree. I couldn’t believe it. I thanked her and she told me it was Santa. I was so happy. She started to cry. I asked her why she was crying and she said they were happy tears.” I pause and look him in his eyes. “I kept that boat in the box waiting for the rivers or lakes to thaw so my mom could take me to sail it.”

  “Was it amazing when you actually did?” His eyes light up waiting to hear the end of the story.

  “I never got the chance. My dad stole it and sold it for money to feed his drug habit,” I mutter embarrassed that I even had to say it.

  “That’s terrible,” he said with disgust in his voice.

  “I’d like to tell you it was the first time, but I’d be lying. He’s not a good guy and he was a fucking horrible father. I had to live with him after my mother passed away.”

  “How’d she pass? If it’s too hard you don’t have to talk about it.” He places his hand on the table for me to hold. I lay my hand in his.

  “It’s ok. I love talking about my mom. It used to be hard to talk about, but now I don’t mind sharing. Um, she passed away from a pulmonary embolism, a blood clot in the lung. One minute she was cooking and the next she was breathless on the floor. I called 911, but she was gone by the time they got her to the hospital.” I stare blankly at nothing. “That was the worst day of my life and my dad was a fucking prick.”

  “You were with her?” He moves to the seat next to mine and places his hand on my knee.

  “I was doing homework at the kitchen table when she passed out by the stove. I tried to do CPR the best I could, but….” I shake my head.

  “I am so sorry. A child should never have to experience that. Your dad was there too? You said your dad was a prick,” he asks.

  “No, they had to call him to come get me. I was a minor and had to go with someone, the nearest living relative. He met me at the hospital. I was hysterical. I had just watched my mother die and now I had to live with him. He was so high when he got there. I don’t even know if he knew what had really happened. He was too busy hitting on the nurses.” I lift my eyes to glance at Silver and he is shaking his head in disbelief. “There was only one time in my life that I ever contemplated suicide and it was that day. If I died at least I’d be away from him and with my mom.” Silver closes his eyes and bites the corner of his mouth. “The only reason I didn’t was a nurse came up to me and pulled me aside. She talked to me about grief. She said some remarkable things and then she told me my mom was an organ donor. My mother would help people live. I took it as a sign. She chose to give people a second chance. I knew that living life would be the perfect gift to her.”

  “That was very mature of you and very giving on her part,” Silver compliments. I would agree, although I didn’t have much of a choice to be mature. “So I take it living with your father was a bad situation,” he asks and before I can answer, my phone rings. I pull it out of my pocket. Shit, it’s Jeff. I hold my finger out to Silver telling him one second.

  “Jeff,” I answer and Silver exhales with disgust. “What? What time is it?” I glance at the clock on the wall: it’s 8:15am. Fuck! Silver and I have been talking and we must have lost track of time. Jeff is pissed. He is screaming and scolding me over the phone. Silver frowns as he hears the echo coming from my cell. “Jeff…Jeff,” he will not let me get a word in.

  “Oh, for Christ’s sake,” Silver says ripping the phone from my hands and before I could say anything he is scolding Jeff right back. “Jeffery, Mr. Black is with me at my office.” He winks at me. Ha! “I didn’t mean to keep him this long. I will get him there within the hour. Yes, hour. It’s not Mr. Black’s fault you can’t manage and schedule appropriately in case of incidents like this. I do believe that is one of the main things we discuss during our orientation when we meet with our managers. Always prepare for the unexpected.” He nods with a smug grin. “I thought you would understand. Good day, Jeffery.” He hangs up and hands me back my phone with a prideful smile. “Don’t worry about Jeff.”

  “Thank you. He was just irate with me.”

  “He can be irate all he wants, but it does not justify being cruel. I don’t handle that well especially with you, but I should finish getting ready. Can we finish this talk tonight? I’d really love to hear more,” he asks.

  “Yes, I’d like that too.” I’ve really enjoyed myself.

  “Good, I will get ready and then we’ll drop you off on the way into my office.” I nod as he gets up and goes upstairs to finish getting ready. I start to clear the table and Mac rushes to me.

  “Please, sir, I’ll do that. You can wait in the living room for Mr. Silver.”

  ~Chapter Seven~

  We left late and now we’re stuck in Manhattan traffic. Jeff is going to be so mad. Connor is calm as taxis swerve in and around him. New York drivers are crazy; that’s one good thing about the subway. Silver is checking messages, or something, on his iPad. I might as well study for my business math final tomorrow. Guess I should have been doing that all along. Thank God, its summer break soon. Silver glances at me. “What’s that?”

  “Ugh, I have a final tomorrow.”

  He scrunches his eyes. “You have a final tomorrow and you haven’t been studying? Mr. Black, I would hope you take that more seriously,” he scolds me.

  “I am. I just didn’t study yesterday, but I have been for days. I promise. I have to keep my grades up or my grant will be taken away.” I scan the pages of my book fully aware that he is still watching me.

  “Does your grant pay for everything?”

  “Yeah….Yes.” I smile. Caught myself, ha! “I guess it’s some special grant for kids that lost parents at a young age. All I know is, I applied and they have paid for everything. Well, almost everything, I pay for my books.”

  He tilts his head with a confused look on his face. “The grant doesn’t pay for books?” I shake my head.

  “They never do,” I answer and notice him playing with his iPad. “What are you doing?” I playfully lean on his shoulder and glance at his iPad. He points the screen to me and shows me an email that is open with an invitation for an engagement party on it. “Who’s getting married?”

  “My sister; I haven’t responded yet and it’s driving her mad.” He laughs.

  “You’re teasing your sister?” He shrugs his shoulders. “And how old are you?”

  “How old do you think I am?” I like this game! I put his iPad on the seat and scoot next to him.

  “I have one fool proof way to find that out.” I effortlessly flirt.

  “How’s that?” He grins and then I press my lips against his. I go hard on his mouth. Moving my tongue quickly through his mouth, I break away harshly and he gasps from the attack. He’s panting and I’m thrilled. “Hmm, how old are
you?” I tease. “Thirty-one?” His jaw drops and he lets out an amused chuckle.

  “What the fuck?” His response makes me laugh. “How did you know that?” He shoves my shoulder with his.

  “Your kiss is very experienced, but tender and soft. So that means you’re older than me and yet young enough to still….” I start to laugh. He’s watching me like I was telling a bedtime story to a child.

  “What? Young enough to still―what?”

  I roll laughing. I’m so immature. “I saw your license on the table in the living room when you went back up to get ready after breakfast.”

  “You asshole―I actually believed you.” He throws his head back laughing. “You had me there,” he says rubbing my arm. “Look, we’re not meeting tonight. You need to study, but you should still come to my place and I will make sure you stay on task.” He traces my jaw with his kiss.

  “I don’t know if I can stay on task when you kiss me like that,” I mutter against his lips and he savors my taste again.

  “Oh, Mr. Black, I am very strict when it comes to work, and school is work. If you feel more comfortable you can stay home.”

  “Oh, can I?” I joke. “I do have to go home to get a few things, but I would like to come back. I kind of like sleeping with you.”

  “I didn’t say you could sleep with me again. That was a one-time thing,” he says with the most serious look on his face. I look at him confused and then he starts to laugh. Silver has a sense of humor; I love that.

  “You jerk; I thought you were serious there for a minute. I don’t know if you know this or not, but you are a very hard man to read,” I say jokingly but the statement is completely honest.

  He pulls me almost on top of him. “I hear that a lot actually, but as you get to know me, as we get to know each other that will change. Plus, I had to get you for the age thing. It’s terrible flirting.” It’s beautiful flirting, and it’s working by the way. His laugh fades and he looks me passionately in the eyes. “You are always welcome in my bed and in my home.” He dips me into his lap and kisses me. Kisses me hard, kisses me to the point that I want to rip his clothes off in front of Connor and everything. Fuck. I have to stop before I can’t. He beats me to it. “I’ll send Connor for you this evening.” Conner is right here. It’s weird that we’re talking like this in front of him, but he must be used to it.