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They both made the decision to bring me in tonight. Together. It has nothing to do with our sexual relationship. The feelings that stir because of that make my heart sing.
“That you’re high up in an organization of backroads’ misfits who do bad deeds to carry out good ones.”
“Coffee, black,” I say, and he takes it.
“So, I’m guessing reading is a hobby?”
Just like us
“I know what I’m holding, I know her worth,”
“I’m not a teenage boy with his first hard-on. And even when I was, I’ve never tried to prove myself to anyone by using my dick as an exclamation point.
“You bought these for me?” Silence. And again, I’m floating off the ground as he continues to read, feigning indifference. But I know differently now, and it changes everything. Beneath that mask is a man who’s been paying attention, very close attention to me.
When Sean told me that he needed my trust last night over everything else, I thought I understood, but not
in the way Dominic has helped me understand today with just a few comments about Sean in conversation. And some part of me is comforted by that, not only because of the way they have each other’s backs but for my own selfish reasons too.
“You don’t hate me.” It’s a statement, not a question, but he ignores it. “And this is a date. You stare at me too. All the time. And you’re not as cruel or scary as you make yourself out to be.”
“My rainy days are yours, Dominic. If you want them.”
“It rains a lot here,” he says after a few long beats.
“Fine with me. But my sunny days bel...
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“No, I’m not making rules. It’s a request,”
“So, you’re in?”
“Hey, Pup.”
I can’t do this. I can’t. But if that’s the truth, why does it feel like my heart is capable? My body has given into the idea easily, but the damning in my head never ceases.
Sean waits patiently, but I can’t bring myself to look at him. I’m naked beneath Dom’s fresh T-shirt, a sure indication that I’ve temporarily switched sides and beds.
“I’m all yours, Cecelia.”
“Night, man.”
Christmas comes every quarter to a few select and local businesses in Triple Falls, mostly businesses owned by hood relatives to keep them afloat. That I learned by a full day of being in on the secret.
Tyler is the Friar.
he and I were charged with passing out the checks to said businesses, something Sean didn’t want me to miss.
He wanted me to witness first-hand the why o...
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But his part was to play the mask for the true culprit, Dominic. Dominic and his sorcery behind the keyboard had everything to do with it. The source of the money? Large corporations and banks that siphon funds from unsuspecting shareholders and employees. Corporations and banks who could never report the theft for fear of getting examined more closely by the powers that be, the powers that govern and regulate. That’s the beauty of robbing thieves.
More than once, I’ve asked Sean about his plans for my father’s company.
The government either fines the white-collar thieves heavily or some government official accepts a payoff to help cover tracks. No one gets prosecuted, and no one truly pays.
Sean’s kept his mouth closed about hood business, still waiting on my decision.
These two men have flipped my world, made colors more vivid, made sounds sweeter, made the world as a whole more bearable.
My dreams consist of ray-filled days full of coconut lotion, long kisses, itchy sunburns, floating between waterfalls, and sighs before exhausted bodies collapse against feathery pillows.
Other dreams of rainy days and nights filled with flips of pages and old nineties flicks, of cheddar popcorn and lavender scented blankets, of lightning and thunder and the fast pants and moans between the str...
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But these are my waking dreams, and I’...
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I’ve bore witness to two prime examples that there are good men left in the world. Loyal men. Faithful men. Though thieves they may be because they’ve stolen my heart. I’m in love with both of them. Two men, who make me feel adored, cherished, and respected. Two men, who have no issue which bed I keep warm. Two men, who look at me with nothing but lust and affection. Well, Sean does; Dominic gifts me with rare looks and slammed the door in
“Doesn’t matter. Anger isn’t an excuse. I can’t have someone around me who doesn’t believe in me and what I’m doing. It was a gamble with you, and it’s clear to me now that you’re too young.”
Go home, Cecelia. We’re done.”
“I love you,” I whisper through a blur of tears. “And I don’t think you’re crazy at all. I got upset sitting here for hours romanticizing how I would say this to you, and that it would matter. Instead of admitting it, I got angry and said stupid things I didn’t mean. I t-trust you. I believe so much in what you’re doing. I think you’re brilliant.”
“I’m so sorry, baby. Fuck, I regretted it the minute I said it.” He wraps strong arms around me. “You’re fucking crazier than you’re acting if you think I want to spend a minute away from you. I missed you too. Today was bad, and fuck, I’m sorry. You look so beautiful.”
“Shit, shit, I’m sorry,” he says softly. “I hate the idea of waking up and not hearing about your dreams in the morning. Hey, hey,” he whispers softly, “baby, please stop crying. You’re killing me. You mean so much to me, so much more than I ever thought possible,” he murmurs. “So much more.”
“I-I j-just, I love you,”
“I know, and it’s ruining me,” he whispers, thumbing my cheeks. “Rest assured. I’m going to make sure you know just how fucking much it matters to me.” He lifts me easily and carries me back into the kitchen, setting me on the counter. “But first, I will have my watermelon.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever told you that. You smell like wood, like cedar and sunshine and I love the way you smell, and I would hate it if I couldn’t smell you anymore. And I do take you ser-ser-seriously.”
And then I thought about you, and I realized I have this respect for you that I’ve never had for any man in my life. I want you to know,” I exhale a shuddering breath as my eyes water, “that. I need you to know that.”
So, Delphine is in on the secret.
And if I were told I might die, I damn sure would be praying for my salvation every day. I guess that makes me a hypocrite when it comes to religion. I am because I’m only faithful when it’s convenient.”
“You still love her.”
“I have since I was sixteen. But Cee, this is our secret to keep.”
“I will. I swear to you, Tyler. Thank you for trus...
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That’s why tonight is so special, and I’m soaking up every minute because there’s an inkling inside of me that reminds me one day this will all end—whether it be the day that I leave Triple Falls for college or whether they leave me for someone else.
When we met, he’d acted like an obnoxious pig to the extreme.
“Are you ever going to tell me why you didn’t like me at first?”
