His Best Kept Secret

Chapter Seven

One Month Later...

Ebony was happy. Those simple three words were saying a lot compared to her situation. She jogged down the street and waved back at her neighbors who went out of their way to speak to her when she passed. She had to admit, Cultville, a name she'd given Emeryville, wasn't so bad once she got used to it. People treated her with respect and kindness. In her old neighborhood, she'd never been able to wave at her neighbors; they'd ignored her or looked away when she passed to avoid eye contact if they happen to see her. Here, they actually smiled and waved back or said "Hi Ebony, how are you today?" They actually spoke to her. Plus, it wasn't an all-white neighborhood, there were a mixture of races, Asian, Italians, Greek, and Hispanics, but still she was the only African-American. At least they didn't make her feel out of place like her old neighborhood.

And the men in her lives didn't either. It wasn't just Silas anymore that she cared about, she grew to care about his men too and she knew they felt the same about her if their constant visits were any indication. When she told Silas to stop making them come over every day, he'd done as she asked, so she was surprised and touched that each of them continued to drop by. Sometimes, they spent the day with her when Silas was gone; sometimes, they stayed only a few minutes or just popped their heads in to see if she was alive and well. She found herself looking forward to their visits because each of them was different and fun to be around in their own way.

She had to admit that Dakota was her favorite out of all of them. He took her fishing at the lake and showed her how to clean and cook the fish they caught. He also helped her with her garden. Dakota was quiet, he wasn't much of a conversationalist, his words were short and simple, but she loved that about him. She could just lie outside with him all day and still enjoy his company without saying one word.

Nikolas was always serious around her. She couldn't even tease the man he was wound up so tight. He kept a strict schedule every day of things to do and made her follow them along with him. He made her get up before 9:00 a.m. almost every day of the week except for weekends and the times he was gone to train her in self-defense. When she asked why he was torturing her so, he told her a woman needed to know how to defend herself. Silas was ecstatic that Nikolas had taken it up on himself to train her and ignored her when she tried to get him to make Nikolas stop. Nikolas also made her keep her house spotless. When she didn't clean, because she complained she was too sore, even though he knew she was lying after the first two weeks, he would take over the task. She'd find him mopping her floor or putting dishes from the night before in her dishwasher, cleaning her windows, vacuuming and even making her bed.

Dominic stayed getting on her nerves. He would walk into the house like he owned it and laze about on her couch and try to boss her around. He liked to buy her things, she didn't know why, but he did and they were always expensive gifts like a diamond necklace that Silas made her return to him and then got angry at Dominic for buying it. Pretty pets deserved pretty things was what Dominic told him. He took her to the spa with him to get their nails done and facials and massages. Dominic enjoyed spending money and living the good life. She had to admit she loved hanging out with him because he was fun when they were out together. It was only when he was alone with her and started acting all macho and bossy was when they argued. He seemed to enjoy teasing her and getting beat up. Ebony wondered if he was a masochist.

Fabian made her slightly nervous. She had a feeling the man was infatuated with her. He was always so careful of his actions around her. Once they brushed hands and he nearly jumped away from her. He was always watching her, studying her every move, and going out of his way to do things for her. She once asked him to drive all the way across town to a Ghirardelli store which was an hour drive there and back to get a certain chocolate she liked and he did it. She could have made him her personal slave and she was sure he wouldn't have minded. She learned he'd traveled around the world before he joined Silas. He kept her entertained with stories of his past. The man loved to talk and having an audience. She loved listening to his French accent. He taught her how to taste wine and cook French recipes.