by Drew Sera
“Ross, are you supposed to have cookies under your pillow?” Carlos asked him.
Ross shook his head and looked like he was about to cry. Anthony crouched down and shook his foot playfully.
“Are they there in case you get hungry, Ross?”
Ross nodded slowly.
“It’s no fun being hungry, huh?” Anthony asked him quietly.
“No. Makes my tummy hurt.”
“I know, but Ross, if I tell you something, will you promise to listen and trust me?”
“Yes, Anthie.”
“You and your mom will never be hungry again, okay?”
“But, what if there’s no food left? Mom will cry. And I have these cookies here. So, we’ll have something. No one will find them and take it.”
“Ross, your kitchen will always be full. You don't have to hide food anymore, buddy. Ok?” Anthony had the boy’s attention.
This was something that Ross was just going to have to learn to trust over time. It was clear that Ross had already trusted Anthony, and if Anthony were telling him he wouldn't go hungry, then hopefully Ross will relax and not feel like he needs to hide food as a backup stash.
Ross rambled and was constantly moving around showing us stuff. He had a small desk where he had been drawing and coloring, and he was excited to show Anthony what he had been creating. I noticed his bulletin board was already filled with pictures he drew. In the center of the board was the reindeer that Anthony had taken and next to it was a picture of a little boy and a giant Anthony playing basketball. In little kid handwriting, Anthony's name took up the length of the bottom of the picture.
“Anthie, wanna go play now?”
Anthony had his hand over his stomach and was gazing at all of the pictures the boy had drawn of the two of them playing.
“Yes, let’s go play, buddy.”
“I like being your buddy. Do you have other buddies?” Ross asked.
“You’re the only buddy, Ross.”
Anthony followed Ross out into the hall and Ross announced in the hallway that he was going outside to play. We could hear the ladies chatting in the master bedroom and they soon filed out to join us in the hall. Watching Ross navigate the stairs was a little heartbreaking. His left arm was the bad one and the stair railing was on the left side if you were going down the steps. He reached across his body with his right arm to hold the banister and slid his left arm down behind his right. When he got to the bottom, he waited for Anthony, and they went out to play basketball.
While we spoke with Ross’s mom in the living room, we could hear excited screeches and comments coming from outside. His mother kept looking outside and a smile would spread across her face.
“That man must be an angel. My little boy has never had so much fun. What kind of job does he have?” she asked us.
“Anthony? He's the Chief Financial Officer for my company,” I proudly said.
“Numbers guy?” she asked.
I nodded and squeezed Sydney’s hand. The party began breaking up and soon the guys came inside and Ross collapsed on his bean bag.
“Did you have fun sweetie? I heard you laughing out there,” she asked her son.
“Ross, buddy, water or juice?” Anthony asked from the kitchen.
Ross took off for the kitchen and showed Anthony which juice was his favorite, and as a team, they put the straw in the juice container.
As we began to leave, Ross broke down in a fit of tears, but Anthony promised that maybe they could arrange an afternoon of basketball soon.
Anthony wasn't done with his bag of treats, though. While we stood in the entryway, Anthony pulled out a card from his jacket when he picked it up. He handed it to Ross and gave his head a pat. Ross struggled to open the envelope but pulled out a card. He stared at it and held it up toward Anthony.
“I can't read yet, Anthie,”
“Oh, yeah. Forgot about that. Well, save it for when you can.”
Ross opened the card and a check fluttered out, landing on the floor. Ross picked it up and handed it to his mom and very quickly, Anthony grew very uncomfortable. He begged me silently for us to go. Ross’s mom stared at it and looked perplexed.
“What is this?” Ross’s mom asked through her tears and stared up at Anthony.
Ross ran to his mom and looked up at her.
“Why are you crying, mom?” Ross asked and clung protectively to her legs.
“Good tears, baby,” she said and patted his head.
When it was obvious his mom wasn't going to drop it, Anthony spoke up but looked at the ground.
“It’s written on the memo line. It's for Ross for college, just in case that basketball scholarship doesn't cover everything.” Ross’s mom stared at him as if he weren't real. “I can help you set up the account so it'll earn interest. It'll be set aside just for his education.”
“Your name. Did you sign this?”
His mom was putting all the pieces together and she looked at him. Anthony nodded.
“You're Anthony Graves. The Graves Foundation. Are you a foundation?”
Anthony smiled.
“I'm a one-time foundation.”
“You're an angel, that's what you are.”
Ross’s mom grabbed Anthony and hugged him. Anthony said his goodbye to Ross and said his mom could reach him for a basketball play date. Ross was already working on planning. It was cute and gave him something to look forward to.
Anthony sat in the backseat again with the girls and Sydney was all over him. Her arms were firmly wrapped around him.
“Anthony, you have such a huge heart. I love you so much.”
Sydney firmly planted kisses on his cheek and kept touching him. I was incredibly curious how he did this whole thing and decided to ask him about it on the way home. I knew everyone was curious.
“I had meant to do something since before Sydney was taken. Then things went to hell for a while, but when we got back to the office, I knew I needed to follow through. I didn't want him living in a shelter. And if his mom got fed up with the shelter or they ran out of room, I thought she'd possibly go back to his dad. Then it'd happen again, and Ross would fall into a cycle that he couldn't do anything about. A new house in a new neighborhood would ensure they didn't go back to his dad. While at work that morning Mitch confronted me, I was looking online at new home floor plans for standing inventory. I went during lunch to look at it and wired the money that afternoon. They sent a mobile notary to me to sign the final paperwork. I'll transfer the deed to her. It's all paid for. The car is all paid for. College money for Ross and money has all been set aside for utilities and living expenses. They won't have to worry.”
“Anth, that’s a lot, man,” Matt said. “Very generous though.”
“When my dad died, he left me all of his money and in a letter with his will, he asked me to do as I saw fit with it. I held onto it for all these years. It's just been sitting collecting interest. This was perfect. Ross can sleep at night in his own room and play basketball in his own yard. Matt, is there anything that can be done for his arm?”
“I gave his mom my info and told her to call me. We can have a specialist look at it and see.”
I was still floored when we got home at what Anthony was able to pull off in such a short amount of time. Sydney went upstairs to get her notebook and was going to sit outside on the patio and write for a bit. While she was upstairs, I asked Anthony about the money.
“Hey, was that money your dad left you from the settlement he won for you?”
“No, it was just his money from his estate and various accounts. I didn’t use the settlement money.”
I nodded just as Sydney came back downstairs. She wrapped an arm around my waist and Anthony’s and tugged us into a hug. Anthony pushed her sleeve and checked on her tattoo.
“We need to put some lotion on this in a bit, sunshine.”
I loved the fact that the three of us had the same basic tattoo with a slight variation in the ordering of our init
ials. The three of us went outside for the rest of the afternoon and Anthony and I talked a bit while Sydney was scribbling away in her notebook. She’s really enjoying the time she spends writing and Anthony and I have been encouraging it. It gives her something to do during the day and it’s a positive outlet for her.
36
Friday, May 9th
Sydney
“Sunshine, where are you?” Anthony called out from downstairs.
Anthony had just come home from work, and I wasn’t in my present pose, which probably made him worry. I completely lost track of time and tossed my notebook to the side and hurried out of my writing room to greet him.
“Sorry, Sir. I was writing and lost track of time,” I explained as I hurried down the stairs and into his open arms.
“It’s okay, sunshine. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You’re everything to Colin and me.”
Anthony pulled back from our embrace and looked in my eyes. Both of them do this often. Ever since I’ve known them, actually. They’re just checking on me, and I’m lucky to have two amazing men who love and care about me.
“Col will be home soon, and then we can go. Are you just about ready?” Anthony asked me.
“Yes, I’m ready. I’m so excited!”
I hugged Anthony again as my hands slowly rubbed on his back. When I heard his content sigh, I smiled. I untucked his dress shirt and undershirt from his pants and placed my hands on his bare skin. Anthony loved it when I did this. I dragged my fingers slowly up and down his back and looked up at him. He was looking at me with a mischievous look in his eyes. Anthony flashed me that smile of his, the one that makes my stomach drop whenever I see it. Knowing that I was making him happy, I scratched his back a little harder and moved my hands to scratch his chest. I loved seeing what that does to him. His body seemed to relax even more, and I was rewarded with another smile of his.
“Fuck, I love it when you do that,” he whispered while his eyes were closed. “I don’t think you realize how amazing your hands feel on my body.”
“I think I have a clue. I can see how happy it makes you and I can feel your reaction.”
“Oh yeah, like, this reaction?” Anthony asked and pulled me closer so that I could feel his erection through his pants.
All I could do was laugh and smile at his playfulness. He took me by the hand and led me to the playroom.
“Clothes off, sunshine,” Anthony instructed as he began pulling his clothes off.
I started to slide my panties down when he stopped me.
“No, leave those on. Come here, Sydney.”
I walked to him, and he bent down to kiss me, hard. Mmm, I loved the way he kisses me. His hands cradled my head, and one hand had a handful of my hair.
“You got me hard with your scratches, sunshine.”
Anthony led me to the padded table, and he laid down on it.
“Climb on, Sydney.”
I climbed onto the table and straddled his legs before he pulled the crotch of my panties to the side. It made me feel naughty, yet sexy. He pulled me down, burying his shaft in me.
“Mmm. I love your thickness, Sir.”
He smiled back at me and took hold of my hips and gazed in my eyes. Anthony reminded me to say “red” if I needed to. They always reminded me, but I knew.
“Now, scratch me while I fuck you, sunshine.”
I began moving my fingernails over his chest by our tattoo and could feel him thrusting harder. I loved the way his chest hair felt under my fingers. The more I scratched him, the faster he moved. Anthony let go of my hip and slapped one of my nipples. The stinging sensation shot through my body and went right to my clit. He knew what it did to me, and he smiled broadly.
“This is a sight to come home to,” Colin’s voice surprised me, and I turned my head in his direction.
He walked over to the table and reached out to play with my nipples. Colin took hold of my chin and tugged me closer to kiss him. When we pulled apart, he looked down at the red lines my nails had left on his skin.
“Baby, you look so good perched up here. Pretty tits on display, sexy little smile while Anthony pounds your pussy. Very sexy, Sydney.”
Anthony reached up and pinched my nipples as he came. His sexy voice ricocheted through the house, which also made me smile.
“I’m going to have to have some, too. I can’t come home to the sounds of fucking and flesh being smacked, without having some.” Colin said.
Anthony held his hands up in defense and let them fall heavily to his chest. I could see his fingers tracing some of the red lines as he watched me.
“Sunshine, ready for Colin?”
“Yes, Sir. I’d love to have two loads before we leave.”
The guys looked at each other, and Colin lifted me off Anthony and took me to the rug that lay at the foot of one of the chairs in the room.
“Anth, chair.” Colin set me down on the rug and positioned me to face the chair as Anthony sat down. “Clean Anthony up, baby.”
I lowered my head to Anthony’s crotch and took hold of his cock to guide it into my mouth. I sucked Anthony harder as I felt Colin push into my pussy. Colin took hold of my hair and spanked my butt cheeks.
“That’s it, sunshine. Your mouth feels so good.”
Colin came quickly and then stopped moving. The girth of him throbbing inside of me made me come too. After I settled down from making noises, Colin picked me up and set me on Anthony’s lap and guided my legs so that I straddled his legs. I leaned my head against Anthony’s chest and closed my eyes for a moment. I opened them again when I felt Colin’s fingers invade my pussy.
“Here, baby.”
Colin pressed his messy fingers against my lips and told me to suck. I opened my mouth, and he gently pushed his fingers inside my mouth. I swirled my tongue around his fingers until Anthony dipped his fingers in me and brought them up to my mouth. They switched off until the two of them laughed about what they were doing.
“Alright, enough, baby.” Colin leaned over and kissed my lips again.
I found this so sexy when they do this. Even if I just had one of them come in my mouth, they’re never afraid to kiss me. It actually makes me feel really good knowing that they won’t avoid me because the other one had just been there.
“We should get cleaned up so we can go. We’ll stop for pizza on the way. Does that sound good?” Colin asked Anthony and me, though he was looking at me.
The three of us quickly took a shower and then I raced to my writing room for my notebook and Anthony’s. I met the guys in the hallway and shook the notebooks in the air, letting Anthony know that I had his too.
Colin and Anthony put our bags in the back of the SUV, and I set the journals next to me on the back seat. I was so excited, and we were on our way now.
37
Friday, May 9th
Anthony
It was well after midnight when we pulled up to Colin’s beach house in Newport. We broke the drive up with a little naughty fun under an overpass. Sydney was practically out of Colin’s SUV before he even shut the thing off.
Sydney jogged from the driveway until her feet found the sand and then she stopped. In the moonlight, the Pacific Ocean gave off a beautiful dark hue. I reached to the backseat and grabbed Sydney’s sweater and Colin and I walked over to her.
Sydney’s face had the most gorgeous smile on it, and she was taking in slow, deep breaths of the ocean air. Standing there on the beach and under the light of the moon, I was so happy we decided to make the trip. Sydney has been talking about Colin’s place for over a month and how much she loved it. Now that the grand opening of Cheng’s property in Macau was successfully behind us, Colin and I thought it would be a great time for us to unwind a bit and bring her back to the ocean.
This trip, like the last one, would be good for us. But, we are each in a much better place than when we arrived last February. Me, especially. I’m no longer worried that Colin is going to uproot Sydney or abolish our special
relationship. They love me. All of me. And unconditional love is the most amazing thing in the world. And I would do anything for these two…and they know it.
I’ve got a tattoo to prove it.
As we settled down in bed, I stared at the ink that was emblazoned on Sydney’s side.
Love me when I least deserve it because that’s when I need it the most.
I’ve stared at this tattoo so many times and I too, have felt so undeserving of love at many points of my life. I gently traced the letters in the words on her soft skin. She’s been speaking to me with this phrase for months. I know our road will never be easy or perfect, but as long as I have them, I’m going to be okay.
38
Saturday, May 24th
Colin
“Is it too tight, sunshine?” Anthony asked Sydney as he reached up and slid his fingers between Sydney’s wrist and the rope.
“No, Sir,” Sydney replied.
I watched Anthony repeat his own test to determine the tightness of the rope and when he lowered his arms and placed his hands on Sydney’s hips, I knew we were okay to proceed.
“Red to stop. Yellow to slow,” Anthony reminded her.
Anthony was lying flat on his back, and Sydney was lying on him, with their chests and abdomens touching. Sydney’s arms were stretched out above Anthony’s head, and her wrists were bound to the headboard with his vibrant purple rope.
As I gazed down at them, I couldn’t help but smile while thinking of how far they’ve come just since the last time we were here. Sydney’s bound and has her full weight on Anthony. I was so proud of them.
Anthony’s hand held Sydney’s hips as I ran my hand over her ass. I picked up the small leather paddle and slapped Sydney’s ass with it. Her legs were bent at the knees as she straddled Anthony’s body. Her pussy was lined up to where Anthony could pull her down and she’d be sitting on his dick. This, of course, was our plan.