My Salvation (17 page)

Owen tried to move without waking her, only it
didn’t work. With a sleepy voice she asked, “Where are you
going?”

“I was going to carry you to bed.”

She opened her eyes. “You’re such a gentleman,
always taking care of me.”

“You never have to worry about anything when
you’re with me. I’ll be by your side for as long as you’ll let
me.”

Together they stood. He reached to the couch and
took the blanket to wrap it over her shoulders. Grabbing their
clothes, they went upstairs. Once in bed, they both passed out
within minutes.

That night, Owen dreamt someone was trying to
take Cali from him. He didn’t recognize the man. He was tall,
dressed in a business suit and had dark, wavy hair. The man’s eyes
were narrowed, like he was challenging him to a fight. She kept
going toward him instead of staying with Owen.

He begged and pleaded, telling her how much he
loved her and couldn’t live without her. How he needed her in his
life, but Cali kept walking farther away. Owen broke into a run,
but no matter how fast he moved he couldn’t catch her. She was
always out of reach.

The pain of her leaving him made his chest ache
like something was crushing it, making him gasp for breath. He
stretched out his arm and called her name one last time in
desperation. She glanced in his direction, her eyes letting him
know how sorry she was. She shook her head telling him no and
followed the mystery man into darkness.

Owen felt someone shake him. He wasn’t sure what
was going on, but knew he was now alone in his dream. A very soft
voice was calling his name. A voice he would recognize anywhere.
“Cali? Where are you?”

“Owen, I’m right here.” He looked, but didn’t
see her.

“I can’t find you!” He was shaken once more and
his eyes shot open. Cali was there, in his bed right next to him.
He reached for her, crushing her to his chest.

His voice was shaky. “I had a dream, but it felt
so real. You left me for someone else. I tried to get you to stay
with me, but in the end you chose the other man.”

“I’m not going anywhere. I’m right here. You
don’t have to worry about me leaving you.” Her hands were running
up and down his back as she spoke. “Owen, please tell me you know
that.”

He never liked to show vulnerability, but with
Cali, he let her see every side of him. He couldn’t help it. She
touched the deepest parts of his soul. She was his one, true
weakness. The only person that could bring him to his knees with a
simple touch.

He let out a breath that he didn’t realize he
was holding. “I know. The dream felt so real though.”

“Let’s lay down and try to go back to sleep.
It’s only five in the morning. We have plenty of time left to rest.
It’s Sunday, we have nowhere to go.”

She gave him a soft kiss on the lips and laid
down next to him. He loved sleeping behind her with her back flush
to his chest.

His heart was still beating fast, but her touch
soothed him. She was lightly dragging her fingertips up and down
his arm that was draped over her stomach. He felt as if he couldn’t
get close enough. The dream was still so clear in his mind. It was
more than an hour later before he finally fell asleep. He hoped he
never had another dream like that.

* * * * * * * *

Cali opened her eyes Sunday morning to Owen
absent from the bed. She had started to get out of bed when the
door opened. He walked in holding a tray of food. She sat against
the headboard as he set the tray in front of her.

Smiling, she asked, “Did you make me
breakfast?”

He gave her a lopsided smile in return. “I
helped. Does that count?”

“Yes, it does. Thank you. I can’t wait to taste
everything.”

She checked out the food in front of her, taking
it all in. On the tray were scrambled eggs, fresh cut fruit,
buttered toast and a glass of orange juice. The smell made her
stomach rumble.

“Did you eat already?”

“Yes, I ate while helping. I had to sample
everything to make sure the food tasted good.”

She laughed and picked up her first forkful of
eggs to take a bite. They were cooked perfectly. Not too runny or
overcooked. “Holy shit, these are so good. The eggs have got to be
the best I’ve ever eaten.”

“Yeah, I think breakfast is my favorite meal.
Adeline makes great pancakes and French toast too.”

After a few more bites of the eggs, she drank
some juice. “What are we doing today?”

“No plans. Is there anything you want to
do?”

“Not that I can think of,” she said.

“I wanted to ask you something.”

“Shoot.”

“I know you’re bored sitting in this house and
was wondering if you wanted to come with me into the office a few
days each week.”

“What would I do? Do you want me to work?”

“I don’t want you to do anything unless you want
to, but I was thinking of starting a charity for kids. One where
the kids learn how to sail or operate a boat. Something they can do
after school, keep them out of trouble. And every child will be
welcome, regardless of income. The charity will be free. I also
want to offer swimming lessons for those who can’t swim. What do
you think?”

“Owen, I think that’s a great idea. I’m not sure
where I would fit in though.”

She would welcome the chance to do something
with purpose. Something that, at the end of the day, she could be
proud of. Something which made a difference in someone’s life. The
charity was just what she was looking for, but not sure how she
could help.

“Well, I need someone to run the program. To
bring everything together, set a schedule, get the word out to the
community, et cetera.”

“I could do that, but might need some help. At
least in the beginning.”

“Sure, we can bring on a couple of people to
help,” he said.

“But I don’t know how to sail or drive a
boat.”

“That’s okay, we have plenty of people who do.
We could even ask some of the employees if they want to help out.
We could bring five of them on. I would still pay them of course,
but instead of doing their normal job, they teach kids in the
afternoon. And only a few hours a day, one day, every week. The
charity wouldn’t take too much away from what they are currently
working on.”

“Very doable. I would need to learn how
charities work so the program is set up properly,” she said.

“Avery can help you with that. She works with
various charities on the weekend. I’m sure she knows a lot.”

“Great, Avery. I’m sure she’ll be thrilled.”

“I don’t give a shit if she’s happy or not.
She’ll help you if I ask and she’ll be nice to you while doing
it.”

Cali rolled her eyes. “Whatever you say.”

“So is that a yes?” He had a hopeful look on his
face and she couldn’t resist him or the idea to help kids.

She smiled. “It’s a yes. I can’t wait to get
started!”

“Great! How does tomorrow sound?”

“Do you want me to dress in suits or is a little
more casual okay? And by that I mean, dress slacks, skirts and so
on, but not jeans. Either way, I need to go shopping.”

“Cali, whatever you wear will be fine. You see
what I wear to work every day. I put on dress clothes if there is a
meeting, but when I’m out with the guys working on the yachts,
jeans are the way to go. We can shop this afternoon and buy
whatever you need. I’ll let Steven know since Erik won’t return
until tomorrow.”

“Owen, do we really need to bother him? It’s the
weekend. He needs a break.”

“If he knew we went out without him he would not
be happy. And I told you before, no chances will be taken in
regards to your safety. As long as this asshole is out there
somewhere, you will be protected,” he said in a firm tone.

“Fine, but I’m going to shop. Steven needs to
relax too.”

Cali meant what she said. Within an hour at the
local department store, she had seven new outfits and a few pair of
stylish shoes. Owen did dress nice some days for work, and by
dressing nice it was a collared, button down shirt and dress pants.
She hasn’t seen him in a suit yet. Other days he wore jeans and a
polo shirt. She wanted to look nice when she was in the office and
knew she was an extension of him and didn’t want to disappoint in
any way.

Steven stood on the side the whole time she
shopped, not even trying to blend in. He looked like someone who
would snap your neck if you fucked with him. He gave Cali space,
but kept her in the line of sight.

And every once in a while she would see a woman
check out Owen. Today he was dressed in jeans which hugged his ass
but were straight in the leg. He had on an ocean blue, fitted tee.
The muscles in his upper arms stretched the sleeves with each
movement. She knew she was lucky get to go to bed with him every
night.

Adeline had lunch prepared when they got home.
She made BLTs and homemade macaroni salad. Owen told her they
wouldn’t need her for dinner tonight. He planned on ordering in,
although Cali didn’t know how she would fit anything else into her
stomach. She had gained a few pounds since staying there.

“Hey, do you have a gym you go to? I need to
exercise. All of the good food is not helping my figure.”

“You do not need to work out. Your body is
perfect, but if you want to get some exercise, I have a full gym in
the basement.”

“You have a basement?”

“I’m sorry I forgot to show you.”

After lunch, he took her to the lower level.
Like everything else he owned, the gym was amazing. Every piece of
equipment she could think of was in the basement, even some she had
no clue what each piece did. And the basement was actually fully
finished with small windows and folding doors leading to the back
yard.

“Damn. Is there anything you don’t have?”

He laughed. “Yes, there are some things not
here, but this is all I really need. If you have questions about
any of the equipment or how to use it, just let me know.”

“No wonder you’re so damn muscular. Look at this
place. It’s huge!”

“It’s not bad,” he said looking around. “And if
something is missing that you would like, I can have it
delivered.”

“This is where I’ll be on my days off. I’m going
to be busting my ass to get back into shape.”

“You know,” he said, walking over until he was
directly in front of her. “If you ever want a really good workout,
I can help you. I happen to know something that will make your
pulse accelerate, make you sweat and help you burn calories.”

She looked him in the eyes. When she began to
talk, she noticed her voice became throaty. “Oh I know you can help
with that.”

They spent the next hour devouring one another
all over the gym. “I’ll never look at this place the same,” Owen
said once they were both spent from their lovemaking. She laughed
and pulled him in for another kiss.

~ 17 ~

Monday came and Owen was happy to have Cali
going to work with him. He had a lot to do in order to get things
situated for her, but knew everything would all fall into place.
Steven and Erik came along.

Steven was driving, Erik sitting in the
passenger seat. He looked over to the right as they were driving
in. She was wearing a pair of black slacks and a sleeveless, white
blouse. Her hair was straight, falling over her shoulders. He
smiled and placed a kiss on the back of her hand.

“Why are you smiling?”

“I’m just happy I’ll get to see more of you. I
can request your presence in my office whenever I like.”

She attempted to hide her smile. “Oh no, buddy.
There will be none of that at work. I’m there to do a job.”

He heard Steven chuckle in the front seat and
pushed his knee into the back of it, pushing Steven slightly. They
liked to joke around.

He looked to Cali and stuck out his bottom lip,
making a sad face. She shook her head and said, “Nope, not going to
work. The sad puppy dog look won’t get you anywhere.”

“Fine, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to
try.” She rolled her eyes in response and turned to look out the
window.

Owen never tired of the location of his office.
Every day he was able to work looking out at the ocean. He made
sure Cali’s office was next door and had the same view. Yeah, he
had to move out one of the managers, but he only moved him a few
offices away. The guy’s view remained the same. And besides, no one
was going to tell the owner no.

Walking in, he spoke to the receptionist, “Rose,
you remember Cali.”

Rose wore a warm smile. “Of course. We are happy
to have you working with us.”

“Thank you. I’m happy to be here.”

He led the way to the offices, stopping in front
of the door next to his. He noticed she saw the nameplate on the
wall next to the door. A keypad was below it to keep the office
secure. He entered the code and stepped away so Cali could walk in
first. She scanned the room quickly with a slightly shocked
look.

“This is all mine?”

He nodded. “Yes, do you like it?”

He had furnished the office with a small,
modern, black desk, and white chairs behind and in front of the
desk. Off to the side were three dark red, suede chairs and a small
black table. In the middle of the small table was a dozen
long-stem, red roses in a white vase.

“Owen, the office is great, but don’t you think
it’s too much? I don’t think this is all needed.”

“Nonsense.”

He closed the door behind them and stepped
within inches of her. “I’m not going to put you in a cubicle out on
the floor. I want you safe, behind a door, and right next to
me.”

He pointed to another door along the wall. “The
door leads to my office. If you ever need me, just come in.”

He had the furniture arranged so her back was to
the wall opposite of his. That way she could look out onto the bay
and see if he entered through the door.