The Billionaire’s Over 40 Love

“Yes, Faydra. We’re business partners and life partners for the foreseeable future. We’ve got a lot to learn about each other, but it’s totally worth it to me as long as it is to you.”

“It is,” she insisted, sitting down next to him on the couch. “It is. You helped me see that all of these things I worried about, they were left over from a time and a relationship with someone who didn’t treat me well. And because of that, I almost stopped myself from being happy in a healthy relationship. I was so distracted by all that that I couldn’t see how much you truly cared about me. I saw Sophia as a threat and let her get to me even when you made it clear that you didn’t care about her. And the few times I was unsure I could have made it so much easier on both of us if I had just asked you. But now I know. Now I’m not scared to be open and honest with you and communicate the way we need to. I’m not saying we have it all figured out already but I think we’re in a good place to throw the last three weeks out—except the fun stuff—and start over.”

“I don’t really want to throw out what just happened back there in that classroom, though. Is that okay, can I keep that one?” Cal asked with a laugh.

Faydra smiled and nodded, “Let’s just throw out a couple of bad things, and dramatic moments and keep the rest.”

“Sounds like a plan,” he pulled her in close to his chest and they lay like that for a while.

*****

Faydra woke up in Cal’s bed to the sound of the news quietly playing in the background. She had nowhere to be on that Saturday and she was sure Candace wasn’t expecting her at the shop. She could tell without opening her eyes that Calvin wasn’t in the bed next to her because the wind from his fan blew directly onto her.

During the nights she’d stayed there, she had noticed that his body had a tendency to the block the movement of the air and because of that he would get cold and wrap his arms around her to get warm—a feeling she was unlikely to forget any time soon.

Because he wasn’t there next to her she took her time opening her eyes, and for a second she let herself revel in the peace that surrounded her. Sure, all of the problems they’d in the previous days still existed: Sophia still worked at Queens for the time being, Calvin still lived in an extravagant apartment and drove a very expensive car and they were still an interracial couple trying to start a relationship in a time where hate was still alive and well.

But somehow she still felt at peace, even recognizing all of those things. This morning each was just a challenge, a small roadblock for her and Cal to approach together and grow even closer through overcoming it. That thought shot her eyes open.

The room was filled with warm light and her naked body was warmed in the few places that touched it. Another feeling she was unlikely to forget. She took a few more minutes to sit up and dug through the nearest drawer where she found a soft t-shirt waiting for her to put on. She pulled on her panties, that she found across the room, underneath the shirt which landed below her thighs.

Her black wavy hair was still pulled back and she took a minute in the mirror by the door to smooth the fly-aways that had made their home there overnight. She smiled at how she looked in his t-shirt and walked out of his bedroom.

She found him shirtless on the couch, the tv on in front of him but looking down at the iPad that sat on his lap. “Good morning,” he said as he looked up and saw her approaching. He chewed his lip for a second when she walked in front of him and her dark, toned legs could be seen under his too-large shirt. “Jesus, I gotta be the luckiest man on Earth.” She rolled her eyes jokingly and collapsed next to him, running her hands over the soft blonde hairs on his chest.

“You are, for sure.” He tried to tickle her in protest but she wriggled out of his grasp.

“You want to see something cool?” he asked.

“Sure,” she replied, returning to her position and directing her attention to the iPad that lay on his lap. He scrolled through a couple of pages before landing on a Huffington Post article, and the title stood out to her.

CEO of Best New Media Group 2018 lands two contracts with Above Ground and Elite Boutique Atlanta, humbling the crowd with his vision for his company and his city.

“Whoa, wait—let me see that!” she grabbed the iPad from him and scrolled through the article. She read some of it aloud. “CEO, Calvin Dennison’s speech after receiving Best New Media Group on behalf of his company Queens Media. He talked about how his vision had shifted from wanting fame and fortune, to wanting to be an honest and loyal company. He expressed his hope to unite customers and their patrons around Atlanta by offering the most straightforward and user-friendly products they could.—Cal, this is great!”

“Keep reading,” he said with a smile on his face.

“Dwella Townes, the now-CEO of Above Ground—a modernized version of TaxiCoATL expressed her desire to work with Mr. Dennison’s company in the future. Following this announcement, Ms. Faydra Whitten took the stage to give a public declaration of Mr. Dennison’s passion for his company and genuine character as a businessman. She explained her recent meeting with Mr. Dennison and subsequent conversations about his company and their future. Ms. Whitten herself was in the market for a media group to handle the opening of a satellite store for Elite Boutique—a children’s clothing store downtown.

The words spoken by both Mr. Dennison and Ms. Whitten reminded everyone in the room that business can be more meaningful than it seems, and with the power of communicating with the public comes the responsibility to do it intelligently and with a kind heart. Expect to hear great things from Queens Media Group in the coming months. We’ll keep you updated here at Huffington Post.”

She continued to stare, focusing now on the picture of the two of them smiling up at the stage. Her arm wrapped delicately around his and both of their faces in awe and amazement. She continued to scroll towards the bottom of the article where she saw the comments section.

“Don’t do that,” came a more serious instruction from Cal.

She looked over at him with a puzzled look on her face. “Why?”

He took the iPad from her and clicked the button on the screen to turn it off. “I made that mistake already, and I only got through the first few comments. Just—let me save you from this. It wasn’t terrible, some things that were said were nice but just trust me on this.”

It took Faydra a moment to realize what he was saying. “Like, racial comments?”

“Some. Look at me.” He pulled her close and looked into her eyes with a very serious but sweet look on his face. “We knew this was going to happen, that it was a possibility with the time and place that we live. But I don’t want it to define us, and if we keep reading it will start to. We have to define ourselves. We know that it’s not going to be easy, but I want to do it regardless.”

Faydra gave herself a few moments to think about what he was doing for her. He was taking the brunt of a very possibly painful experience, and he was doing it to protect her. Weeks ago she would have thought that was controlling and not his place, but now that she knew him and knew his heart she knew that it would be what was best for both of them.