Every Shade by Nora Phoenix

8

Cara had always called Tris a softy, saying that underneath that tough-guy exterior beat a mushy heart. Maybe she was right, because right now, Tris was feeling anything but tough as he watched Samuel struggle with confronting the truth about Evan. How he wished Samuel could have been spared this pain and disillusion, but he had to know.

Tris was glad Samuel had brought up the topic of having a lawyer look into his finances himself, because if he hadn't, Tris would've suggested it. He'd been jaw-droppingly surprised at finding out Samuel was one of the richest men in the city, courtesy of a family legacy of being financial wizards. He and his two brothers were featured in more gossip-style pieces on the internet than Tris had ever thought possible.

The Norris family had survived the great stock market crash of 1929, Tris had discovered, had avoided the dot-com crash by pulling out of bad companies on time, and in general, had managed to keep adding to their wealth with smart investments. Luckily, the family was also known for their philanthropy, supporting dozens of local and national charities. He’d heard of them, obviously, but he hadn’t made the connection with Samuel, even when hearing his last name.

Tris had felt stupid for a minute or two for not realizing Samuel was sort of a celebrity, but then he had shrugged it off. No one could fault him for not reading the gossip magazines, right? Plus, from what he'd read online, Samuel was known for keeping a low profile, unlike some other members of his family who seemed to appreciate the spotlight much more.

One thing was for certain: it did answer the question why Evan had been so interested in Samuel, and even more, why he had wanted to hang onto the relationship at all costs. It was a sad testament to how much people were willing to do for money, and Tris's heart broke a little for Samuel, who had truly believed Evan loved him. That money of his, that was going to be a big obstacle for him in finding a new partner. He needed someone who didn't care about money at all, but that was a tough challenge.

"I'm glad we met as well," Samuel said, bringing Tris out of his thoughts back to reality. "And I would thank you for taking care of me, if I wasn't sure that you would once again scold me for uttering the forbidden words."

Tris smiled at him. "Smart boy."

Samuel’s head shot up, his eyes widening in surprise at that word. Tris wasn't sure why he'd said it. Instinct, maybe? There was something so vulnerable about Samuel, despite the fact that they couldn't be that much apart in age. Maybe it was his build, since he was more of a twink compared to Tris who could definitely claim to be a bear.

"That was unexpected," Samuel said slowly.

The surprise was still on his face, but Tris saw something else as well. Curiosity. "Objections?" he asked.

"No. It raises a lot of questions."

"Why don't I make you some food and we can talk about whatever you want," Tris said. "What would you like to eat?"

"Whatever you have. I'm the easiest eater ever. Eggs, bacon, pancakes, toast, cereal, yogurt, fresh fruit, I'm down with anything. No allergies, no preferences."

Tris chuckled. "Low maintenance, huh? I can appreciate that."

Samuel was quiet while Tris fixed him some toast, two scrambled eggs, and a banana. He felt Samuel’s eyes on him the whole time, studying him, but he didn't call him out. The man could look all he wanted, for all he cared.

He made himself some scrambled eggs and toast as well. He'd already had breakfast earlier, but he was feeling snacky, as his kids would say. For the first minute or so after he put the food on the table, having stacked his paperwork to the side, neither of them spoke.

"Are you into daddy kink?" Samuel then asked.

It was a reasonable question, but not one that was so easy to answer, Tris discovered. "Not so far, but I have to admit I am feeling somewhat protective toward you."

"Dude, we're not even dating," Samuel said, but Tris didn't take that in a negative way.

It was almost as if Samuel was trying to convince himself of it rather than Tris. That was understandable, considering he was coming out of a two-year relationship. Not only that, but the way his relationship had ended had to cause some trust issues. He was probably telling himself that the very last thing he needed to do was jump right into the next relationship, especially with a man he barely knew.

Still, Tris took the jump. "We could be."

Samuel's hand stopped halfway to his mouth with a bite of toast. "You want to date me?"

Tris couldn't help but smile at that question, which was said with way too much surprise considering the signals he thought he'd been emitting. "To mirror your words, dude, if that wasn't clear by now, I either need to work on my flirting game or you need to learn how to pick up signals."

Samuel lowered his hand back to the table, still clinging to that piece of toast. "I thought you wanted to fuck me. That's different from dating."

Tris's amusement heightened. "I'm well aware, but thank you for clearing that up. And for the record: yes, I do want to fuck you. In fact, there's a long list of things I would like to do to you and with you, but in order to do those things, I would definitely need to see you more than once, hence the dating suggestion."

A lovely blush spread across Samuel’s cheeks as he finally nibbled on that piece of toast. "You're very direct," he commented.

"I'm of Dutch heritage, way back when New York was still New Amsterdam. We have a long and proud tradition of being Dutch direct, as we call it."

"It's quite the change from Evan's lawyer language," Samuel said, looking pensive. "Getting him to answer a question in clear, uncertain terms was like pulling teeth."

Tris knew he shouldn't be surprised Samuel would compare him to his ex, but it still stung a little. "You'll find that I am nothing like him in many, many ways."

"So I'm discovering. How do you envision that, us dating?"

"What do you mean? Isn't dating pretty much a well-known concept? You know, taking you out to dinner, watching a movie, hanging out on the couch, making out on said couch, maybe visit some exhibitions you're interested in, I don't know."

"That all sounds nice and lovely, but I'm way more interested in hearing about that list of yours and how you plan to work your way through it," Samuel said, and his eyes sparkled, even if his body language showed some tension as well.

Ah, Tris understood now. Sex. He wanted to talk about sex. Well, that could be arranged. "Do you want me to write down the list so you can approve it?" he teased.

"I may add a few things of my own," Samuel fired right back at him.

"I'm always open to suggestions. What did you have in mind?"

Samuel shook his head, laughing. "You were the one with the list, so why don't you start sharing?"

There was something more going on, Tris realized. There was a reason why Samuel was focused on that list, which had been more of a metaphorical thing for Tris. What was it about that concept that intrigued Samuel? He’d reacted strongly to that simple word boy as well. Was he interested in daddy kink? It seemed more than that, but he couldn’t figure it out.

“Well, sex on every surface in the house sounds pretty appealing to me,” he said, deciding to go with his gut and continue the conversation. “Combined with the fact that you look like you’re pretty flexible, that should keep us busy for a while.”

Samuel leaned forward now, his eyes burning. He was still invested in the conversation, but he seemed to be waiting for something else. Tris was racking his brain trying to figure out what he was after.

“Keep going,” Samuel said, as if to underscore Tris’s point.

“You seemed to like it when I called you boy, so we could see if we both liked some daddy role play,” Tris said, latching on to what he knew had gotten a reaction.

And yes, there it was again, a little hitch in Samuel’s breathing. “You’d be up for something like that?” Samuel asked.

Tris’s first instinct was to respond with a resounding hell, yes, but then the phrasing struck him. Samuel hadn’t asked if Tris was up for that, meaning daddy kink specifically, but for something like that, which encompassed more. But what was he going for?

“Sure. I love experimenting in the bedroom,” he said, figuring he’d word it as broadly as possible.

“You do?”

This was it, Tris felt it. He was close to Samuel revealing what he really wanted. All he needed was a little more assurance that it would be well-received. “Hell yeah. Look, Cara and I grew apart, but our sex life was never the issue. Both of us loved to try new things, so we experimented with a lot of different stuff.”

“Like what?”

“Oh jeez, what not? Toys, a little bondage, anal, she used a strap-on with me a few times, some role play…”

All that time, he was watching Samuel closely, and when he said that last word, his eyes had widened. It clicked. It wasn’t the daddy kink specifically Samuel was after. It was the role play. That was what he wanted, what got his blood pumping.

A wave of emotions rolled over Tris. Exhilaration over this little verbal match they had going, but it was much more than that. Anticipation. Excitement over how well they connected. An unexpected tenderness for this sweet guy, who had gotten burned badly with that douchebag ex of his. And an unrivaled thrill at the images his brain produced of how they would look together.

Samuel's slim body under his own broad one. His big hands holding that narrow waist as the boy rode his cock. Those pretty, plump lips taking his dick in till he choked on it. And the role play possibilities were endless as well. Him as a cop and Samuel getting arrested. Or a principal with a naughty student. A house owner catching a burglar. A dungeon master with his slave. God, they would have so much fun.

“That sounds good to me,” Samuel said, and Tris understood he wasn’t quite ready to show his hand. Understandable, but they had time. Maybe it would help if they did a test drive—though he cringed inwardly at his own expression—to see if they were as sexually compatible as he thought.

He took a deep breath. "How are you feeling right now?"

Samuel frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Are you clearheaded? No headache? Not feeling sick in any way? Overly emotional?"

Samuel's frown intensified. "What are you, my doctor all of a sudden?"

"Just answer the damn questions," Tris said, allowing a bit of dominance to slip into his voice.

Much to his surprise, Samuel reacted almost instantly. His body shot up into a straight position. "Sorry. I'm fine. No hangover anymore. Emotionally, I'm not sure, since I'm perfectly happy pushing my rage at Evan deep, deep inside me until I'm ready to deal with it. But seriously, why are you asking?"

Tris leaned forward, waiting until Samuel met his eyes. "Because I want to make sure you're in the right frame of mind to give consent."

Samuel finally seemed to catch on, as he licked his lips in a gesture that shot straight to Tris's balls. "Consent for what?"

Tris held out his hand. "Consent to start working on that list."