by Anna Collins
“I’m sure you want to go in there alone and handle your business in private. I’m more than willing to let you do this, but it might be best I am there in case things get out of hand. A soothing feminine voice could be the difference between a black eye and raised voices. There’s always a woman behind the scenes. Let me be that woman for you. I don’t want your masculinity to be threatened, but I do want us to be equals. I like this partnership is a 50/50 collaboration,” I said as he stood there and looked at the door as if it was going to open itself.
“I can do this by myself, but I don’t want to. We’ve come this far, and it seems useless to fight you. I was born to negotiate, and there are times I have to do it my way. I think you know by now I’m here to please you. Last night on my knees must’ve been a clear sign I was open to letting you take control. I sometimes think I can’t take it anymore, but looking at you this morning made me realize I wasn’t in it alone. You have this way of turning me loose,” Casper said as he held my hand, but it wasn’t like he was afraid of what was behind the door.
“I never could see what was best for me. I was always doing what everybody else thought I should do. I’ve always wanted to please people and give them a reason to like me. I now realize being a doormat can be a lonely proposition. I sometimes look back at who I was, and I want to find that woman and slap her back to reality. She’s still there. It’s those insecurities I fight every day. It’s getting easier, though. All it took was coming here, meeting you and start writing my book,” I said as I knew six chapters were pretty damn good for the first couple of days of being here.
“You have a real knack for romance. It’s not conventional. I think it goes without saying we’re never going to settle for something that doesn’t make our blood pump in our veins. I don’t believe we have used a bed other than to sleep in it. It might be a novel idea to try it,” Casper said as he made a forward motion with his foot leading the way to give the indication he was making a very grand entrance.
Chapter 19
The entrance was meant to make the man lying in bed feel like he was in no position to argue. He was in traction and the way he looked at Casper made me think there was no way he was going to be able to hear what Casper had to say. The anger in his eyes burned deeper than the scorching sun. There had to be a reason for his animosity, and there seemed to be a personal connection here I couldn’t see.
Casper walked around to the other side of the room, slapping his leg, watching him jump from the pain radiating through his limbs. He couldn’t move, and the poor man was unable to feed himself. Casper was hurting on purpose him to make a point.
“From the way you’re looking at me, I get the feeling you know me in some way. I have to say you have me at a disadvantage. You seem to have a deep dislike for me, and I have no idea where it comes from. Frederick was very forthcoming about why you’re here. It was a good idea I didn’t stop and talk with you out there, after all. I certainly didn’t mean to put you in the hospital, but you kinda brought it on yourself. I’m not going to make this a lengthy discussion. Tell me what it’s going to take for you to leave me alone and go home. I don’t care what it is. I’ll move heaven and earth to make it happen if it’s at all possible,” Casper said as he was playing the bribery card to see if this was something the man was going to bite on like Frederick did.
“I don’t know you, Casper, but I do know people exactly like you. You all think you are privileged and the law doesn’t apply to you. I have made it my problem to find guys like you and bring them back so they can face the consequences. I wish it was as simple as that. I could just tell you what I wanted, and you would magically make it happen. It’s the attitude that really rubs me the wrong way,” Blake said as he tried to move, but it was better that he stayed completely still otherwise he risked more injury to his already broken bones.
“You’re not wrong. I’m not going to stand here and tell you I wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth. I don’t know about the suffering of others. It’s a foregone conclusion men like me with money have certain advantages. It can’t be much of surprise money works miracles. Things out of reach for others are not for me. I might be a little cavalier with my money; I didn’t know any other way. You don’t like me on principle. Do you really think that’s fair? I didn’t do anything to you, or at least, I don’t think I have,” Casper said as he stood out of reach and it was probably a good thing he did.
“I could crush you with my bare hands. I can’t do it right now, and it’s all because of you. I will admit I was about to use extreme force to take you one way or the other. I really didn’t care if you were in one piece or in a body bag for that matter. I wouldn’t have been very gentle with you. I was hoping you were going to put up a fight, but I had no idea you were going to be resourceful enough to put me in the hospital. You can’t just come in here and expect me to roll over. I have been thinking about this ever since Frederick called to warn me you were coming. I figured he was joking, but then I realized you got to him in a way I didn’t think he would ever fall for. Money is the only language you speak,” Blake said as he tried to reach for the call button. I was right there to pull it away from him before he could get a nurse in here to put an end to this discussion.
“I think you should know by now it took a lot more than money to change his opinion. I want you to know I’m willing to pay for your medical bills. It’s the least I can do. It was not my intention to hurt you, but you left me with very little choice. You scared Angel, and I couldn’t allow you to get away with that. You’re lucky she was with me; I was this close to ending your life and use your car as your own personal grave. I had the gun loaded and was about to sneak up on you while you were vulnerable. You have Angel to thank for the fact you are still breathing. Perhaps, instead of being angry at me, you should feel grateful she was there to prevent me from taking your life,” Casper said as Blake was looking at him with no expression, to show he even believed the words coming out of his mouth.
I was trying to keep quiet to give them the time they needed to reach some sort of consensus. I could tell Blake was thinking about what Casper had said. Could he actually believe Casper was capable of murder? This was the argument between the two of them; something I wasn’t sure Blake was ready to fully accept.
“I can’t tell if you’re trying to intimidate me or give me a reason to hate you even more. I have no love lost for anybody who thinks their money makes them untouchable. That really does get on my nerves. There is nothing you can possibly offer me to give me a reason and let you walk away. Your money means nothing to me, and I’m happy with what I have. I don’t need to reach for the stars, and I have a family I care for deeply,” Blake said as he apparently had a slip of the tongue.
“You’re right, and I do have the kind of money to get anything. With that being said, I’ve done my due diligence. I figured money wasn’t going to make much of a difference to you. I thought I would give it a try and see if something would make you believe there was a price. Since you don’t seem receptive to it, then I have another proposal. I know you have an illegitimate daughter from another woman, not your wife. Your family has no idea you have this daughter. You’ve been married for the past 15 years, and she’s 13 years old. This means you have been lying to your wife and child for quite some time now; a child you claim to be your one and only,” Casper said as I looked at him and wondered if he was truly going to stoop to this level.
“You’re lucky I’m in this bed. How dare you go looking into my past when you have no idea what the circumstances are? It’s just like you to use blackmail to make me back down from pursuing you any further. I didn’t like you when you came in here unannounced, and my opinion is drastically changing and not for the better. The life I have made for my family and me will go down the toilet if you mention it. You have me where you want me, and there’s not much I can do about it. I will back off, and you’ll not hear from me again. I should’ve known you would be willing to use questionable moral
s to make sure you weren’t prosecuted. I think you should leave before I get out of control. You should not count on the fact I’m in traction to keep you safe. You threatened my family, and this is not what a real man does to settle an argument. To me, you’re not much of a man. You’re lower than a speck of dirt on the bottom of my shoe,” Blake said. I doubted if that was going to make Casper believe he was wrong.
“Let me make one thing perfectly clear. There’s absolutely no level I won’t lower myself to make sure I never see the inside of a cell in my lifetime. There’s absolutely no regrettable act I won’t think about to get that freedom. I am highly motivated and having you breathing down my neck around every corner is not going to make me feel any better. You are going to leave me alone, and you’re not going to mention where you saw me. If I find out you did or even suspect you might have, then your world will crash down around your ears. I will make sure your wife and child know about your little secret. Do you really think your family can survive something like that? The timing is suspicious, and your wife will know you were not exactly faithful,” Casper said with such venom in his voice it was almost like I was looking at a different person.
“Nobody will hear it from me. That’s my bond, and I will never go against it. You really are a piece of work, Casper. You should burn in hell, and I hope you never find atonement for your sins. You may come off as somebody who is innocent, but we both know you have burned a lot of bridges in your life. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and let’s say for argument’s sake you are innocent. It doesn’t mean you don’t want something getting out to the public. If I were you, I would be careful about who you trust. You never know when this person is going to stab you in the back. Isn’t it ironic somebody close made it impossible to you to live the life you are used to? Let this be a bit of a hint to let you know enemies are found when you least expect them. Call it my own personal service announcement. I hope it keeps you up at night,” Blake said as a parting gift before pressing on the drug pumping through his veins. His eyes rolled into the back of his head from that narcotic making him feel no pain.
Casper didn’t know what to say to his tirade. I could tell he was visibly concerned and his eyes showed he did not take what he said lightly. His expression was startling, and for a moment, I was scared for Blake’s life. Casper's fist had turned into a ball while he was standing there shaking. He walked away without blinking and then I saw a sense of eerie calm come over him like some sort of Jekyll and Hyde personality switch.
“I tried to stay quiet as much as possible in there. There didn’t seem to be a reason for me to say anything. There was a lot of testosterone being flung around. If I had gotten in between you two, I’m not sure how either one would have responded. I think you should console yourself he won’t be a problem anymore. What he said after you blackmailed him was his way of getting his pound of flesh. He wasn’t going to be able to bring you in, so he did the next best thing he could, he assaulted your character. I know, and you’ve told me repeatedly there are things in your past you’re not proud of,” I said taking his hand and seeing him glare at my direction, but then his eyes softened to a kinder look.
This man had a different way than others. He was dangerous, but there was also a real breathing charming man underneath it all. I knew I should have cut ties with him, but there was no way I was going to leave him to his own devices.
Chapter 20
He wasn’t quite the same after his discussion with Blake. He had this faraway look like he was trying to come up with those demons that could probably hurt him in the long run. He was mumbling underneath his breath, and there were moments when he looked as if he was going to scream. I needed to take his mind off of this. The only way I could think of was to get him someplace public where he couldn’t show this kind of outright emotion.
He was standing outside on the deck looking down at the water’s edge, and I had no idea what he was thinking. I put my sneaky ways into play and my hands around his waist.
“I was going to offer you a penny for your thoughts, but I’m not sure I want to see the underbelly of that side of you. Don’t worry; I’m not going anywhere. However, you can’t stay stuck in your head like this; it’s going to drive you crazy. You know somebody is out to get you, but there has to be a pattern to their madness. There has to be a reason why they needed you out of the way so badly they were willing to throw you to the wolves for something you didn’t do. Thinking about it all the time is only going to make you lose your mind. I have an idea, but I’m going to have to ask you for your implicit trust. I know I’m asking a lot, but you must know I would never do anything to hurt you on purpose,” I said with my fingers clenched, feeling his chest contract with each breath he took.
“I know you want to experience the island for research, but I just don’t think I would make good company today. It might be better that you just go about your business on your own. Thinking isn’t going to make anything better, and I’m going to have to act, but I have no idea where to begin. I keep getting progress reports from those working on my behalf, and still they haven’t come any closer to finding anything that would lead me to the person responsible. I’m trying my best to remain hopeful, but every day is a constant struggle to keep the hope alive. There are times I think I have brought this on myself and eventually, something like this was going to happen. I don’t even know why you are with me. You have to know my past will always come between us in some way. Somebody will always take exception to what I have done regardless if I get out of this one or not,” Casper said trying to push me away, not having very much luck with it.
“You can scream, and you can tell me you’re not right for me, but that’s not going to make much of a difference in the long run. I know the kind of man you are deep down. You might be capable of killing, but I have not seen anything to indicate this is true. For the most part, I see a man who has the ability to make me see him as a danger to others, but I’m not sure you could actually go through with it. I can’t believe for one second you would be able to kill and look the person in the eyes while you are doing it. This is something you could never come back from. I could never come back from something like that. Trust me; when I say you need to find something to put this on the back burner. Leave it alone and have some fun; maybe tomorrow your insights will become clearer,” I said hoping he was going to take me up on my offer of showing him a good time and not necessarily in the bedroom.
“I can think of a few things we can do right here that will put a smile on my face. You do owe me a rematch for the game I found myself losing last night. I tend to make up for it, and hopefully, this time I’ll be able to turn the tables on you. I’ve been thinking about it and you being so open lets me think outside the box. I don’t think I can get lost from my life in between your legs, but I’m willing to try. I like the idea of it, but it’s not fair for me to use you in that way,” Casper said as he finally turned and gave me the same embrace I had given him.
“I know it’s hard for you to trust anyone after what you’ve been through. I can’t blame you, and I would be the same way if I were accused of something I didn’t do. Running from your problems might have sounded like a good idea at the time, but being here doesn’t help you clear your name. I’m not suggesting that you go back and face what they are saying you did. I do think it would be better to be close to the problem than to be so far away; you can’t think straight. But you know, this has been a very serious discussion, and we need to lighten the mood a little. You know the island better than I do. I have been talking to some of the locals, and I know about a couple of things today which might give you a reason to think of something else other than your problems,” I said with him shrugging his shoulders like he really didn’t care one way or the other.
“Being around people doesn’t exactly make me feel safe and secure. You know the reason why I have been hiding. There are too many vacationers who come here every year; it makes it difficult for me to be in the public eye. My
face has been plastered on every newspaper and television station. I’ve just been lucky, and for the most part, I’m able to keep to myself. On the occasions I have to go to town, I disguise myself and have identification on me with fake names in case I’m questioned by the local authorities,” Casper said as we both watched the water crashing up against the rocks. I was still pondering on the idea of bathing nude.
I wasn’t sure it was a good idea, and it would only make him think we could be more intimate. I didn’t want to be his only lifeline. It was nice to have this kind of power over a man, but it also made him appear needy and wanting. It was not an attractive trait, and the man I had seen with Blake had really turned me on. I didn’t want to believe it, but that danger and that fire in his eyes reminded me of the same passion in a different way.
I didn’t like the person I was, but there was no way I could possibly change the way my heart felt about Casper. I wanted to believe he was a good man underneath it all, but what I had seen in the hospital room had scared me in more ways than one. I could only hope if faced with a terrible decision he would think twice about doing it. I wasn’t sure what would have happened if I wasn’t there when he had been accosted by Blake in the land rover. I wanted to believe he wouldn’t do anything bad; there was no way in hell he would have found it necessary to use this kind of violence.
