Page 24 of Cider
Billy was sitting at the island sipping a drink. From the smell, it was whiskey. His hair was slicked back, still wet from a shower.
“Hey, Cid.” He turned as I locked the door. “What’s wrong?” His eyes narrowed.
I hadn’t even needed to say anything and he figured out I was upset. Years of friendship at work.
I handed him the two notes from Samuel and the offer that he’d given me. As he read them, his free hand that held the drink clenched, cracking the top of the glass. He placed it back on the island.
“What is this, Cid?” Billy placed the papers next to the broken glass before pulling me between his legs with his arms around my back.
“Samuel, the guy from Darcorp, stopped by the store today. That note with the secret ingredient was on my car when I left work.” I took a deep breath as I lay my head on his chest. His steady heartbeat was comforting with the smell of fresh cut grass that was Billy. “This guy is serious. He’s actually trying to kick me out.” The tears were threatening to fall, but I refused to let them. I wouldn’t let a parasite like Samuel win.
One of Billy’s hands stroked my hair down my back as the other tightened around my waist. Just being near him helped my stress melt away.
“He can’t do this.” His voice held a note of anger in it. Billy didn’t usually get angry. “We’ll figure this out.” His lips pressed to my forehead. “You’ve worked too hard to get where you are now.”
“Thanks, Billbill.” His childhood nickname just slipped out as he held me. “Billy,” I looked up into his eyes. “Are you alright? With everything that’s happened?”
His lips tugged up. “You mean the part where, I, as a straight man, let another man suck my dick and make out with me the other night?”
Snorting, I nodded. “Yeah, that.”
His shrug was nonchalant. “It happened. Am I surprised about it? Hell, yes. Do I regret it? No way. That man has a tongue of sin. Will I do more than that with him? I’m not sure. I don’t want a dick inside of me anytime soon, that’s for sure.” He pushed some hair behind my ear that had fallen forward as he teased me. “You obviously enjoyed it.”
“It was probably the hottest thing that I’ve ever seen.” My confession got another grin from him. “But, I don’t want you to do anything that you’re not comfortable with. I know that Titus will respect your boundaries.”
I actually didn’t, but Titus was a gentleman that I doubted who would over step boundaries that were laid down.
Billy’s chest moved again, but this time he laughed. “You know, you’re right. For some reason, without knowing the guy, I was instantly attracted to him, and trusted him.” He pulled back, standing from the stool. “Come on. Let’s go cuddle on the couch and watch some cheesy romantic comedies. That always cheers you up when we can make fun of the unrealistic acts.” His hand held mine gently as we moved to the living room.
“Did you know that Titus is the owner of Sanguis Vinum?” I settled into the oversized couch cushions that practically ate a person.
Billy pulled me so that I was laying half on him. This was new and I loved it.
“No shit?” He turned on the television and started surfing through the channels. “Looks like we need to take advantage of his sexy ass. Maybe he’ll let us come visit in exchange for blowjobs?”
My burst of laughter was muffled as I buried my head in his neck. “Oh my God. How bad is it that I thought that at first, too?”
Billy winked as he settled on a movie about a bartender who could see and speak with ghosts. It wasn’t a romantic comedy, but it was one of my all time favorites.
“Maybe Titus will have an idea about this Samuel guy.” Billy’s hand rubbing my back was putting me to sleep.
“That’s a good idea.” My yawn interrupted me.
“Take a nap, Cid. I’m not going anywhere. We can figure it out once you wake up.” Billy’s gentle voice lulled me to sleep.
Chapter 14
“...yeah. That’s what she told me.” Billy’s voice filtered through my sleep laden brain. “Yeah. She’ll be thankful. How much is the extra charge, though?”
I had a hard time opening my eyes. I was so comfortable.
Billy snorted. “She’s going to have a few things to say about that. She doesn’t like hand outs.” Billy gulped and shifted, which made me shift since I was laying on him still. I felt him harden.
That woke me up faster. I rested my chin on his chest as I looked up into his face as he talked on the phone. His eyes met mine and they visibly softened. I liked that.
“Hey, she’s awake. Talk to her.” Billy spoke into the phone quickly before he placed it against my ear, waiting for me to take it from him. “It’s Titus.”
“Titus?” My voice cracked. I needed water.
