Fragile: Book One in The Everett Gaming Series

by Sera, Drew

  “So, tomorrow night. Are you coming to my party?”

  She dabbed her lips with her napkin and grew restless in her chair. She didn’t hide her eyes though.

  “Um, about that…”

  I cut her off out of fear that she was going to tell me that she wasn’t coming. “Sydney, you don’t have anything to be afraid of. It’s just an evening of food, friends and conversation. It’s not a play party and there’s nothing to be scared of.”

  “Um, I don’t have a car, Mr. Everett. I was looking as the bus routes and can’t find one that’s close to your address. Do you know if there’s one?” Sydney pulled from her purse a bus map of the south part of town and began examining it again.

  Stupid me. How could I have overlooked that? I felt like an ass. I quickly pulled out my phone and fired off a text to Anthony.

  CE: Hey, need a favor. Bring fragile kitten to the party tomorrow.

  I looked up and smiled at Sydney. After a few seconds Anthony sent back a text.

  AG: My pleasure.

  “Anthony will bring you. Then when you're ready to leave one of us will take you home. He’ll pick you up at 6:00…”

  Now it was my turn to be cut off.

  “Mr. Everett, no! I can take the bus to the office building and maybe he could pick me up there. I live kind of far.”

  I studied her terrified face and thought for a moment. I asked her where she lived and pretended that I didn’t know the answer.

  “Downtown.” Sydney appeared ashamed and her voice was soft.

  “Anthony doesn’t live too far from you. It’s not a problem, Sydney. You’re not taking the bus to work only to wait outside in the dark for Anthony. He will be at your place at 6:00 p.m. You are not to be waiting outside for him. He’ll come to the door like a gentleman.”

  “Okay.”

  “Just like that, okay?”

  “Yes, I want to come. I think it would be good for me.”

  I couldn’t have been happier. She and I finished our lunch and then headed back to work. I hurried back upstairs to finish a few things before golf. There were some dark clouds forming and I hoped it wasn’t going to deter our game.

  Anthony and I walked towards the front doors close to 2:00 p.m. but made a stop in reception.

  “Okay, Sydney. We’ll see you tomorrow night. Wear whatever you’re comfortable in. Please don’t stress over what to wear. Bring a jacket though as we’ll be out on the patio and it's been getting cool in the evenings,” I told her.

  She smiled and continued to nibble on her M&M’s. Anthony leaned on the counter and looked in her eyes.

  “I will text you before I head over. I live about fifteen minutes away.” Anthony winked at her as he headed towards the door.

  Tonight at Irons, I was going to make sure to talk to Blake and let him know about Sydney.

  We got in some golf but then it started to rain and had to head back to the clubhouse. It wasn’t a total bust though. The three of us sat outside on the covered patio and ate some munchie mix while we talked about the party tomorrow. I wanted everything to go well with Sydney. The rain came down harder and we decided not to venture out to Irons. Roads get really bad around here when it rains, mainly because it rarely rains here. I headed home and made a call Blake. He was thrilled about Sydney attending and said that he would help to make it a comfortable evening.

  Chapter 18

  Saturday, October 19th

  Sydney

  Mr. Graves would be here any minute and I needed to hurry up. I know Doms don’t tolerate tardiness and Mr. Graves was in fact a Dom at Club Irons. I wasn’t going to test him.

  I haven’t been around Mr. Graves by myself so I wasn’t sure what to expect with him during the car ride. Would he make polite small talk or stay quiet? I’ve always seen him with Colin and the two are best friends and laugh often. He can’t be bad.

  I stood in the kitchen and ran my finger over his Club Irons card. Anthony. Anthony D Graves. I wondered what the “D” stood for. My mind drifted to his features. He was definitely handsome and he drew a lot of looks from women at work. Sometimes he was clean shaven and sometimes he had a small amount of facial hair on his chin.

  Mr. Graves often was with Mr. Everett in the morning at the coffee shop. He seemed intense and quiet while Mr. Everett seemed so open and friendly to everyone. Mr. Graves was friendly too though and he’s been winking at me.

  They were both tall and close in height and weight to each other. Mr. Everett had dark brown hair and it was always styled perfectly without a hair being out of place. Mr. Graves had hair shorter and kept closer than Mr. Everett’s. It was a lighter shade of brown and always had a wet look. It was probably a lot of hair product. Mr. Everett had sexy chocolate brown eyes whereas Mr. Graves had piercing gray eyes. His eyes were something.

  Yes, Mr. Graves had his own yummy qualities. His chest and arms looked broader in his suits, which made me think he was muscular. He felt pretty solid when I smacked into his back at work when I wasn’t paying attention where I was walking.

  “Ahhh!”

  I was daydreaming and playing with my fingers again. I have got to stop that. My phone made a noise and I saw an incoming text from Mr. Graves letting me know he was on his way.

  AG: Hey, Sydney. I’m leaving my place now and will be there soon ;)

  He winked at me. He sent me a winking face in text form. It made me smile and laugh out loud. He couldn’t be scary if he was sending winking faces.

  “Oh please let him be nice and please don’t let it be awkward around him without Mr. Everett,” I said out loud to no one. There was never anyone around here except for Howard from time to time.

  I broke out in a sweat thinking about Howard. I didn’t want to think about him now. Howard expected Saturday nights set aside for him and his games. I hadn’t told him that I wasn’t going to be around tonight. I didn’t think it’d be wise to tell him. I’m sure I’ll pay a hefty price but it’d be worth it and I’d take it. Tonight I was going to a nice social gathering with nice people. It would be worth whatever I suffer afterwards.

  Chapter 19

  Saturday, October 19th

  Anthony

  AG: Hey, Sydney. I’m leaving my place now and will be there soon ;)

  Maybe my winking happy face will make her not so nervous about tonight. That girl is so fucking cute when she smiles.

  I gave myself a glance in the mirror and was satisfied with how I looked. Jeans, blue button shirt and charcoal blazer are a classic look. I was presentable. Now, off to get the fragile kitten. Colin wanted me to make sure she had her jacket and locked her door, blah, blah, and blah. She wasn’t a child.

  While I waited in valet for my car I sent Colin a text letting him know I was on my way to get the kitten. I was actually excited about getting to see Sydney outside of work. All I know is the shy, quiet girl that moves swiftly through our office. Everyone adored Sydney in the office. She has a pretty smile and I’ve had the pleasure of hearing that laugh of hers.

  Colin wants tonight to go picture perfect smooth. I’ll help him of course, but I told him that he has to go slow with Sydney. She’s harboring something and I know Colin knows it too, but he’s so cock sure that she’ll just spill her heart and he’ll wave his Dom hand and fix it all. He knows better than that though. The day he came to my office after she had a panic attack in the courtyard and told me about their conversation, solidified to me that something bad had gone on in her past. She told him that she was doing something stupid at the time of getting her wrist injured.

  Something dark sat in fragile kitten’s past. I know because I told Colin that exact same thing when he asked how I got my scar. I never told him that I got it while defending my mom. It was stupid because she didn’t give a fuck about me and she didn’t even help me when I got that asshole away from her. I knew that scar was my own fucking fault for sticking my neck out. It felt like I’d been punched when he told me that she’d said that to him too.

 
; Someday I’ll tell him about my scar. Maybe.

  “What the fuck?” I swore as I pulled up to a small, shabby apartment building that had obviously seen it’s better day. Maybe forty years ago. Fuck me. I hope she didn't go outside at night.

  I parked along the curb in front of her building and glanced at the surroundings before getting out. There was a small group of guys hanging out under a street light near a pay phone. The landscaping was either dead or poorly maintained. It’s a good thing Colin wasn’t seeing this. Party would have been cancelled and it would have been project uproot fragile kitten.

  I got out and locked my car while heading towards the set of stairs. I hoped my car would still be there when I came out. I took the stairs two at a time and found her door at the end. Her doormat made me chuckle. It had a cartoon sun on it wearing sunglasses and in a caption bubble it said, “welcome.” Of course she'd have something like this. I shook my head as I smiled and knocked on her door. I heard two bare feet padding quickly to the door and then two locks slide over and she opened the door a tad to look out between the gap that the security chain allowed. That’s smart, girl. She looked relieved when she saw me and gave me a gentle, sweet smile.

  “Mr. Graves, please come in. Thank you for coming. I’m just about ready.”

  She stepped aside allowing me entrance. I didn’t want her to feel rushed. When she was ready, she was ready. I wasn't going to push.

  “It's Anthony. And no problem, take your time, sunshine.”

  I noticed how red her cheeks got when I called her “sunshine.” I liked that look on her. Her face was forced into a smile and she quickly turned to finish up.

  I glanced around the small studio apartment taking it all in. Colin wanted me to see what her place was like. The more I saw, the more I was glad Colin wasn't here to see. She had an old couch that was worn but she had tried to brighten up with a couple toss pillows. She only had one bar stool at the kitchen counter and there was a small tube TV on a table. It was positioned so it could be seen from the bed or the couch. Her bed was a full size and looked like the mattress was broken down and dipped in the middle. The bed was made though. Fuck, I might start project uproot fragile kitten.

  What caught my eye was the coffee table. I walked towards the couch and sat down to take a closer look at the coffee table.

  “Mind if I have some M&M’s?” I asked her loudly enough so she could hear from her bathroom.

  There was a small bowl filled with M&M's on the coffee table. The coffee table was old and the legs had indentations up and down them. There were iron rings on the legs and then on the ends of the coffee table. It struck me as being odd. She bounced out of the bathroom and I stood. She looked nervous again and looked over at her coffee table and then up at me.

  “I had some candy,” I said and held my hand out showing her the M&M’s trying to relax her.

  “It’s fine. That’s what they’re there for, Mr. Graves.”

  “Anthony. Say it,” I told her. She wasn’t going to call me Mr. Graves all night. This wasn’t work.

  “Anthony,” she said shyly and genuinely smiled as she brought her hand up to her face.

  “There, see. Wasn’t so hard.” Before I could stop my hand, I reached out and tugged her nervous hand away from her mouth. Again, her cheeks grew red and a smile appeared causing me to smile. I nodded at her and asked her if she was ready.

  “Yes, sir…Anthony.” She added my name quietly. I liked the way my name sounded in her voice. She was blushing. She blushed easily at work too.

  She pulled on her jacket and got her purse and keys. I stepped outside and glanced towards the stairs while I heard her lock her door. We headed towards my car and I kept myself close to her while constantly scanning our surroundings. I wasn’t worried but I wasn't blind to the type of atmosphere surrounding her place. I unlocked the car before we got to it and popped open the passenger door.

  “Have a seat.” I motioned for her to get in and then shut the door once she was seated.

  I got in the drivers seat and started my car. I pulled my phone out and told Sydney I was going to text Colin and tell him she changed her mind. Her mouth dropped open but she smiled.

  AG: No go, Col. She changed her mind.

  CE: What? Serious?

  I laughed out loud and showed Sydney his response, which pulled a giggle from her. Was this the same girl I knew from work?

  AG: Just busting your balls. We’re in the car and heading over.

  CE: DON'T TEXT AND DRIVE.

  I showed her that response and set the phone down. I reached out and adjusted the vents so she’d be comfortable.

  “Colin takes car safety very seriously. A few months ago he was car shopping for an SUV along with Matt, his other best friend. You’ll meet him tonight. Anyhow, those two poured over safety specs like crazy. They got so excited talking about safety features in a car that you’d think they were watching porn.”

  Another laugh escaped her throat. It sounded sweet. It made my dick twitch.

  “What are you laughing about, sunshine?” I playfully asked her.

  “You guys seem to have a fun friendship. You and Mr. Everett even have the same cars.”

  “Ha!” Now it was my turn to laugh. “They may both be BMW’s sweetheart, but I can assure you that’s where the similarities end. And it’s Colin, not Mr. Everett. His car may look bigger and badder, but I can assure you, there are far more treats in this one. But yes, Colin and I are very close and have a great friendship.”

  Colin and I were never afraid to tell the other one the truth. When I think about it, I realize he, Matt and I have a bond that many people wish they had.

  She laughed out loud at my comments about my car being more exciting than Colin’s and about car safety porn. Was this the same girl? She seemed much more relaxed than she does at work. My mind raced back to that day Karl fucking yelled at her. It fucking pissed me off. What’s wrong with that guy anyhow? Sorry his life is in the toilet but he doesn’t need to take it out one someone else. Especially Sydney. I’d like to see him lose his marbles in front of me.

  “Hey, you have a moon roof!”

  “Yeah. If you're not too cold I’ll open it. Or if you get cold you can push this button and it’ll turn your seat warmer on.”

  I opened the moon roof and watched her out of the corner of my eye as she looked upward. When she reached up to let the air flow between her fingers I turned my head to look at her arm. She was putting her left arm up. I saw the faintest hint of the mark but then I wasn’t sure. Colin said that mark was on her right arm though. There was definitely something on the left. Maybe he got it mixed up, but that wasn’t like him. I pushed it aside for now.

  Sydney looked damn good sitting there in my passenger seat. She seemed to be doing okay and was loosening up some but once we exited the freeway, she tensed up. She knew we were getting closer.

  “Are you nervous?”

  We came up to a stoplight and I looked over at her. Her eyes met mine and then she nodded. I smiled at her and turned my attention back to the road.

  “You don’t have anything to be nervous over, sunshine. Colin is still Colin and I’m still me. The people he’s invited are all nice, relaxed personalities. You can stay by me all night if you’d like. If you get uncomfortable and want to leave, just tell me and we’ll go. But don’t stress, sunshine. We don’t bite. Well, I nibble and bite, but not too hard.”

  She let out another genuine laugh and smile. I liked the sound of her laughter. We pulled up to the gate attendant and Felix waved at me.

  “Mr. Graves, you are expected. Enjoy your night,” he said as the gate opened. I waved my thanks and slowly moved past the gates.

  I could tell Sydney was somewhat shell shocked to find the homes we passed to be larger than the building where her apartment was.

  “Colin’s friend Matt and his wife also live in this neighborhood but a few streets over.”

  We pulled up in the driveway and I could tell we
were the last to arrive. I thought I’d point out the rides to give her a few more minutes to gather herself.

  “The Mercedes SUV is Matt’s and the black Mercedes sedan is Blake’s. Blake is the owner of Irons. The “look at me” red Lamborghini is Seth’s. He works at a sports book. The two Cadillacs are Evan’s and Will’s. Both of them are attorneys.” I looked over at her and she looked overwhelmed. “Relax, Sydney. Now, you have to let me open your door or Colin will kick my ass for not being a gentleman.” I winked at her, drawing a laugh again.

  I went around to her door and opened it for her. When she got out and stood in front of me she whispered her gratitude.

  “My pleasure, sunshine.”

  Chapter 20

  Saturday, October 19th

  Sydney

  Being in the car with Mr. Graves, I mean Anthony, hadn’t been weird at all. I realized half way to Colin's that I wasn’t nervous being around Anthony. He was funny and charismatic. When we’re at work, he seems very serious except when he’s laughing with Colin at Beans in the mornings. They are always laughing and both have delicious smiles. Anthony definitely emits power. I bet he’s a good Dom too. Why can’t I find a good Dom? One that doesn’t punish me but won’t help me get better so I don’t need to be punished.