by Tyler May
“He offered me a job because he said he wants to ‘help me’.” I use finger quotes as I get up to get the envelope out of my bag to show him. “Here, read this.” I watch him scan the contract and he gasps, only how Levi could, every other line. “What do you think he wants out of it?”
“Fuck, honey, he wants you and it looks like he’s willing to pay anything to get it. One hundred thousand dollars? You have to be shitting me!” He fans himself with the contract. “Oh, God, you have yourself a sugar daddy, you lucky asshole.”
“I don’t want, or need, a sugar daddy.” He has me laughing. I love him. “It’s just weird because he’s so hard some of the time and then soft the next.” Levi makes some sexual comment from my description. “No, hornball. I mean―how do I explain this?” I turn and face him. “He wants me. He makes that perfectly clear and he is possessive and so sexy doing it. It actually makes me excited. One minute he’s like that dominating guy from that book and then the next he’s like Don Juan. He’s not consistent, but in a good way. He gives both equally or at least that’s the way he’s coming off so far.”
Levi covers his mouth in a huff of excitement. “Oh my God, he’s Richard Gere.”
“What?”
“He’s Richard Gere from the movie Pretty Woman. Oh, my God, honey you’re Julia Roberts, You’re ‘Pretty woman’.” He gasps with excitement and holds his mouth. He’s so crazy.
“Are you saying I’m a hooker,” I joke with a laugh.
“No, no. He’s willing to pay whatever he needs to be close to you. It’s utterly romantic.”
“Or utterly insulting. I’m not a hooker?” Although I like his idea better. “I guess I need to have a talk with him.”
“Don’t be too hard on him. I think he really is trying to help. Maybe he’s going at it the wrong way, but he seems to be used to the power. Teach him how to balance, honey. You like him don’t you?”
“I do like him. I mean I just met him. Is it sad to like the attention? I really never had that.”
“There is nothing wrong with that. It means that you’ll guard your heart. Take your time, Grey. If it’s meant to be he’ll come to your apartment hanging out of the sunroof of the white limo holding a rose,” he says in reference to the scene from the movie. Levi is right. I think Silver and I just need to balance each other. We still have a lot to learn about one another. Right now though, I can’t worry about that. I need to study, so I can ‘get to know’ Silver tonight. I pull out my book and start to scan the page hoping to retain what I need to ace this test tomorrow morning.
Several hours go by, I’ve been diligently studying. Levi is crashed on the couch next to me. I need a break. My brain is beginning to fry. I take the new smartphone Silver gave me out of my bag. I scroll through all the apps that he’s saved on the phone. He’s thought of everything. I click to connect to the internet. Maybe I need to do a little research on Silver. Only fair, right. I type Brian Silver in the search engine and an entire screen of options comes up. Clicking link after link, I finally find an interview he gave back in 2008. It looks like he had donated a large amount of money to The Children’s Institute for the Blind and Deaf. Another link shows another donation to the Children’s Hospital in New York and a larger donation to the research fund for Independent Medical Advances and Research (IMAR). Don’t know what that is, but it sounds important.
He’s already told me his parents taught him to give back and pay it forward. I want to learn about him: who is Brian Silver? This is when I wish they had a Wikipedia page for normal people. Wait, what if I search Silver Inc.? That will probably have a section on Silver. I type it in the search engine, and like I expected, a ton of stuff comes up. All good stuff and the company does have a wiki page. Looks like Silver Coffee was originally started by Silver’s father. Silver took over in 2008. Under his leadership, the market share expanded and hundreds of new locations opened. He then made his own corporate owning: Silver Inc. It does have a bio on Silver. Now we’re talking.
Birthdate, origin of residency, family history, and education are all listed. It says he was homeschooled for high school and lists no college; weird. The bio reads that he is an openly, proud gay man, but doesn’t list any types of relationships. All stuff I already know; this was no help. I click on the image section from the search engine and several images of him appear. Fuck, he is like a dream, just gorgeous. There were tons of photos of him at different Silver Coffee grand openings. In all of them he looks stylish and always wearing those designer sunglasses, so hot. There were a couple of pictures of the entire Silver family. They all look alike: dark hair, tall, and all attractive. I like viewing all the pictures, but there was nothing “juicy” that I could dig up. It seems that he is a model citizen. Thank God! I glance through the contacts on the phone and he has all my contacts saved. How in the hell? And of course he has his number and Connor’s stored. Hmm…. Let’s flirt a little. I text him.
Me: Hey, you! Working hard?
Silver: I’d say hardly working. In a meeting.
Me: Oh, sorry I can talk to you tonight. Have fun in your meeting.
Silver: No, no…. Please talk. They are boring the hell out of me. I’d much rather chat with you. I can’t get those beautiful brown eyes of yours out of my head.
Me: Just my eyes? I think I need to get more with it. I can ASSURE you there are more beautiful parts of me. ;)
Silver: Mr. Black, are you flirting with me?
Me: Flirting, maybe I’m teasing you or making you anticipate the touch. ;)
Silver: Anticipation is high, Mr. Black. The anticipation sucks. I call for action.
Whoa, is he changing his mind? Hopefully!
Me: Action is what I’m thinking too and lots of it. I can’t get the thought of the action out of my mind. It’s making me hot as we speak.
Silver: Hopefully you’re hot alone and away from Jeff!
Oh, exclamation point, so stern there Silver. He thinks I’m still at work.
Me: I’m at home with my roommate. ;) I quit.
Silver: You quit? And your roommate isn’t any better from what you’ve said.
Me: Jeff was an ass and inappropriate so I quit. AND Levi is a very nice guy. We do NOT sleep together.
Silver: Well, I’ve been corrected. ;) Difference noted, but hopefully you won’t need that anymore. I will keep you satisfied. **tonight Mr. Black** no more waiting. I’ve run out of patience with myself.
Holy shit… He means it. Yes. Silver beeps again.
Silver: What do you mean he was inappropriate? Oh, fuck, I shouldn’t have said it that way.
Me: Nothing I can’t handle, Silver. Don’t worry, and plus, I don’t have to deal with him anymore. I’d much rather deal with your creepy ass. ;)
Silver: Creepy? My ass is no such thing, and it will be I that am dealing with the ass, Mr. Black!
Me: Promises…. Tease me some more!
Silver: It’s a guarantee. Now have you been studying?
Me: How can I study when you just guaranteed THAT?
Silver: Only good boys who do their homework get rewarded.
Me: lol well I’ve been very good. Studying all morning, sir!
Silver: Good. ;)
Me: I also read your contract. What are you thinking? I am not qualified for that position. I don’t know whether to be excited or insulted.
Silver: I would hope the former. Why would you be insulted?
Me: I feel like you are enticing me to be with you. There are so many more qualified people that would be perfect for the job. I don’t deserve it.
Silver: You deserve better. I like to train my closest associates that way I know they will do as I want. And as far as enticing you is concerned. I would hope that came before you read the contract. It’s business. The enticing is personal, but I will do a lot of that too.
Me: Well, we’ll talk more tonight. I have to think about it.
Silver: Tonight for sure. Now go study! So we have more time to test your skills. **Con
nor will be there shortly**
Me: See…you are a master at flirting! See you soon.
Silver: Only the best for you, Mr. Black. You bring out the master in me ;)
Silver, Silver.
I don’t know exactly what just happened, but I hope what I read is true. If so, tonight is going to be fucking incredible. I should get ready. I think Levi’s right, teach him to balance. I’m going to pull my power over him tonight, the power of seduction. I’m going to make him want me because I have never wanted him as much as I do right now, and I need to feel this. I pack a bag with a change of clothes, grooming necessities, both cell phones, the contract, and of course my textbook. I do have to study some more.
I want to walk and get the pizza before Connor arrives. I lean over the couch and shake Levi awake. “Hey, I’m leaving for the night.”
“Staying with your Mr. Gere tonight?” He laughs as he sits up.
“Levi! But yes.” I grin and sit to put on my shoes.
“Well, be safe. BE SAFE.” He winks. “Good I get the apartment to myself.” He stands and stretches. “I have a couple of boys coming over. You probably didn’t want to hear that.” He giggles.
“Two boys?”
“Honey, you have your movie and I have mine,” he says seriously as he kisses my cheek then walks to his bedroom. Levi seriously is the best.
~Chapter Nine~
It’s starting to get dark; glad this day went fast. I’m excited to see Silver. It’s nice to actually feel this. I was always happy to see Jeff, but this feels different; different in a good way. There is just so much I want to learn about Silver, so much I want to do with him. I can’t get him off of my mind as I walk the few blocks to my favorite pizza place. I have my saddlebag slung over my shoulder and I keep one hand on it.
I’m walk at a steady, but brisk pace. Connor should be at my place in about twenty minutes and I don’t want to keep him waiting. I decide to track through the alley to cut off some time. It’s a New York alley so everything about it makes me uneasy; it feels so eerie. I walk as fast as I can to get out of there. All of a sudden I get this unnerving feeling like I’m being followed. I thought I felt it even before the alley, but ever since being stalked, I get this way. It must be my imagination. I start to jog. The pizza place is in view. I glance slightly over my shoulder and I see someone. There is a man following me, but why? I don’t want to find out. I start to run and so does he. My heart is racing and instinct tells me to start pushing down garbage cans as I go by them, so that’s what I do. The man is dodges them as we run. He’s close to catching up to me. Just then a vehicle pulls into the alley. Thank God for the Chinese take-out man that pulls in and parks in back of the store he works at. Whoever was following me gets spooked and runs away. I turn and watch him run. He didn’t look familiar, but of course it’s dark and he’s wearing a hoodie, and I was looking at his back and not his face. Still fucking scary, but it was probably some creep wanting my bag.
I call Connor to ask him to pick me up at the pizza place. Better safe than sorry and I’m fucking scared shitless right now. I go into the pizza place to get my order. My heart continues to race as I discuss my order with the woman behind the counter. Maybe she can help. “Have you heard about anyone being mugged or jumped around here lately?” I ask the young woman.
“No, not lately. I mean nothing out of the ordinary, but one of our managers was mugged in the alley a few months ago.” Her words bring some comfort, because maybe it was just a random incident. I’m not going to worry about it anymore. I pay her and walk out. Connor is waiting outside already. He gets out of the car greeting me. He takes the pizza and puts into the backseat.
“Can I ride up front with you?” I ask him, and he opens the door for me. Guess that’s a yes. He’s a very reserved man. I don’t know why, maybe it’s me. I make casual conversation with him. “How long have you worked for Mr. Silver?”
“Close to eight years.” He turns to me for a quick second and smiles. He has to keep his eyes on the New York traffic. “Mr. Silver is a good man and I really enjoy working for him.”
“Well, you seem like you are a very loyal person. If you ask me, he’s the lucky one.” I can see him grin as he looks through the windshield. “Sorry I changed destinations for my pick-up. I thought someone was following me and it freaked me out.”
“Was there?”
“Yeah, maybe it was a mugger trying to get some money. I don’t know, but a Chinese take-out worker scared him away when he pulled into the alley.”
“I’m glad. Mr. Silver would be irate knowing someone was following you.”
“We’re not telling Mr. Silver.” I wink at him. “Speaking of Mr. Silver, tell me about him.”
“What do you want to know?”
“Does he do this a lot? You know: the wining and dining with potential men.”
“No, not at all. He’s very keen on you, Mr. Black. He’s a good man,” he keeps saying.
“Please call me Grey. You and Mr. Silver seem close.”
“He a good friend.”
“Was there anything between you two?” I raise my eyebrows and he smiles. I know I am being completely forward and I probably shouldn’t have asked, but you always hear about those couples where one works for the other. Plus, I’ve always been kind of direct with people. That’s how you get to know someone.
“Oh, no, Grey. I am not gay. I love Brian, but I love women.”
“Is there a Mrs. Connor?”
“There is a soon-to-be Mrs. Bradshaw.” Duh, of course his last name isn’t Connor. “Brian is very good to me. He pays for my apartment in the building and is paying for our wedding as our gift. My fiancée thinks the world of him. It’s a good thing he’s gay because I would have to worry,” he jokes. It’s nice to hear this. He’s loosening up and it’s hilarious to see a nice reserved man talk like this. I sit back and watch the passing cars and scenery. New York is a lovely state. Neon Trees comes on the radio and I glance over to Connor who is bopping his head. I lean and turn it up. He smiles and starts to sway his head to the music.
“Connor, I didn’t know you had it in you.” I join him in our car rumba. Song after song we do this and chat until we pull into the drive of the building. It was nice to get to know Connor. He gets out, gathers my things, and hands them to me. “You’re not coming up?”
“Oh, no, Mr. Silver wants the place alone tonight.” He gives a crooked suggestive smile and goes to park the car. Alone? Maybe Silver was serious.
I take the elevator up suddenly getting a knot in my stomach. Why am I so nervous? I’ve done this before. But this time it is different. Silver is different and I don’t want to screw this up. I walk nervously to his door and knock. He’s waiting for me. I think Connor texted him. He holds the door as I walk in.
“I’m glad you’re here.” Silver takes the pizza from my hands and puts it on the coffee table. He struts back to me and wraps his arms around my waist to pull me harshly toward him. “I’ve been thinking about you all day. You know how hard it is to get work done with you on my mind?” he says before crashing our lips together. His tongue invades my mouth and his hands feel up my back. Fuck. He has me semihard already. How can a single kiss do that? He trails off my lips onto my face and to my ear. “Have you studied?” Way to change the subject there, Silver.
“Yes, I’ve studied all day.” I kiss the side of his neck and he lets out a small growl. “You want to know what else I did?”
“Oh, please enlighten me,” he mocks as he lets me go and empties his pockets onto the table.
“I googled you.” I raise an eyebrow.
“Funny, I didn’t feel anything,” he says straight-faced with a mischievous grin. “Did you find anything worthwhile?”
“Nothing I didn’t already know.”
“You know, Greyson, if you want to know more about me, all you have to do is simply ask. You can ask me anything.” Anything?
“Ok―have you offered positions like this to other men
that you were interested in?”
“No, I’ve never done that before. And like I said, that was a professional contract, not personal. If it were personal I would have added a ton more.” He winks. Darn him and those blue eyes. “What makes you uneasy about the job offer? I would think you would want it now.”
“It just seems too specific; like for me.”
“It is…. It’s for you.”
“But why when there are so many more qualified people?”
“Because they don’t make me happy, you do. Honestly, I figured I needed to be with you, and by offering you this job I would have that.”
“I just don’t think it’s a good idea; especially with what happened with Jeff. I don’t think it’s a good idea anymore to mix business with pleasure.”
“I assure you. I can keep it separate, Mr. Black. Connor is one of my best friends and I keep his employment and our friendship separate. So I know I can. Can you?” He sits on the arm of the couch.
“I don’t have that much faith in myself.” I grin, walk over to him, and rub his thighs. He pulls me close and kisses me.
“I have a lot of faith in you,” he says resting against my lips. Ah, this man. “Any more questions?”
“Do you do this with a lot of men? Have there been many men?” I know I already asked Connor, but I needed to hear it from him too.
“No, it’s been awhile since I’ve had another man here. Nobody interests me like you do, Mr. Black.” His answer matches Connor’s.
“You know you are very confusing. First you call me ‘Greyson’ then it’s a stern ‘Mr. Black’―make up your mind.”
“I like the formality of ‘Mister’.” He pushes his mouth against my ear and whispers, “It makes it sound suggestive.” Huh? Call me whatever you want; just don’t stop doing that. “Any other questions for me?”
“I’m sure I’ll think of some, but you have my mind running wild right now.” How can I think with him looking at me like this?
“Ask me anything, anytime. I promise to be as open as possible.” As possible? Fuck it, not the time. “Now are you sure you’ve studied?”
