My Salvation

by Michelle Dare

  She stepped into the master bath and took a ten minute, hot shower. None of the clothes she had were clean and she wasn’t allowed to disturb the ones in the cabin. She dried her hair quickly and walked out of the bathroom completely naked. Owen had been checking his phone, but quickly glanced up when she entered the room. His eyes roved all over her.

  “I don’t have any clean clothes. Do you have a shirt I can borrow?”

  “I do, but you’re not getting it. I want to feel your body against mine when we sleep.”

  A slow smile crept across her face. “Okay, but don’t get any ideas. I’m so tired I can barely stand.”

  She climbed into the bed and slid underneath the soft, cotton sheets. Sleep overtook her before Owen finished in the shower.

  The next morning when Cali opened her eyes to see she was alone in bed, but laying on the pillow next to her was a folded piece of paper. It read:

  Stay in bed all day, rest. Your clothes should be clean and outside of the door by the time you wake. If you need anything at all, Adeline will be downstairs. She takes care of the house for me. Call when you can. I want to hear your voice since I’m not able to see your beautiful face.

  XO

  OLM

  Cali smiled at the hug and kiss he wrote on the note. She sat up and her eyes swept the room for her purse. Standing, she realized she was still completely naked, but a black robe was lying across the bottom of the bed.

  She grabbed the robe and put it on. Pulling up the collar, she inhaled deeply. The robe smelled like Owen. A mix of aftershave and a smell that was unique to him. It was a clean, crisp smell and reminded her of being in his arms at night.

  Bending, she pulled the phone out and called him. He answered on the first ring. “Hi, beautiful.” The smoothness of his voice sent a shiver through her.

  “Good morning.”

  “Morning? You do know it’s one in the afternoon right?”

  Cali’s eyes widened. “Shit! I slept half of the day.”

  He chuckled. “You were tired, plus the time difference doesn’t help. Go downstairs when you’re hungry. Bagels are on the counter, cream cheese and butter are in the fridge.”

  “Thank you. Owen, I can stay at my house if this is too much trouble.”

  “No. You are staying with me until we find out who broke into your cabin. That is not up for debate.”

  Cali sighed in defeat. By the tone of his voice she knew he wouldn’t change his mind. “Fine, but I need to go to my house and grab some more clothes. I don’t want to keep having to do laundry every couple of days.”

  “You won’t, Adeline can.”

  “No. I have plenty of clothes. I want to go home and get them if I am to stay with you.”

  Owen took a few seconds to respond and when he did, he said, “If we’re going to your house then Steven is going with us and sweeping the place before we go in. I don’t know if whoever did this knows where you live.”

  “Deal.”

  “And tomorrow I’m having a security system put in. This is also not up for discussion, so don’t even try.”

  Cali didn’t know whether to be irritated or thankful. Was all of the precaution really necessary? she thought. But what if Owen is right? What if they found out where I live by going through all of my belongings? Shit!

  “Owen, do you know if the police found any fingerprints last night?”

  With a heavy exhale, he said, “No, they didn’t find anything which means whoever is responsible was wearing gloves. We’ll figure it out. Try not to worry.”

  She heard someone talking in the background and Owen answering, but the voices sounded muffled. “I have to go, but I’ll be home at five-thirty. We can go to your place after dinner.”

  “Okay. Enjoy the rest of your day.”

  Owen snorted and said, “Thanks, but I highly doubt that. I’ll see you later.”

  Cali was happy she would be able to get more of her belongings. A thought occurred, My laptop was in the cabin. Fuck! I wonder if it was found. She remembered sliding the computer under the bed, near the headboard before leaving. She had a habit of tucking it away at night. At least she had her phone and Kindle. She brought both on the trip, not knowing if she would have time to read.

  She went over to the bedroom door, opened it and noticed a neat stack of her folded clothes. She dressed, brushed her hair, found a brand new toothbrush on the counter. The man whose house she was in didn’t seem real to her at times. Never had anyone taken care of her so well and if felt really good.

  ~ 12 ~

  After devouring a bagel with cream cheese and a big cup of coffee, Cali felt much better. She felt rested and had her energy back. It was late when they got in the night before and she really didn’t get a chance to see much of the house besides the kitchen and master suite. A tour was in order.

  Leaving the kitchen, she walked into a formal living room. The room had a light green couch and loveseat and both faced a large stone fireplace which went from the floor to ceiling. The ceiling was two stories high and a wrought iron chandelier hung down. There were windows along the entire exterior wall.

  Going to the window, she looked outside. The large property backed to the woods, but knowing Owen it was all protected by whatever means necessary. An in-ground pool with a large stone waterfall and a hot tub off to the side was the main feature of the yard.

  Exploring the rest of the lower level she found a family room with a flat screen television and DVD player. The next room she came across was a library. It had large cherry wood bookshelves on three of the walls. On the other was a fireplace with floor to ceiling windows on either side. There was a large comfortable looking couch as well as two chairs in the room.

  She walked around the room touching the books and looking at the titles. Every genre of book was housed. Autobiographies, poetry, historical books of war, and surprisingly some romance. Cali wondered if those books were kept for Adeline. She couldn’t picture Owen sitting to devour a romance. The thought made her laugh out loud.

  “Looking for something in particular, dear?”

  She turned and saw Adeline in the doorway. “No, I was giving myself a tour and trying to picture Owen reading some of these books.”

  Adeline laughed. “All of the romances are mine, but you are welcome to them. I love to escape into a good book. Although, and don’t tell him I told you, but I did catch him reading one once. He acted like he picked it up by accident. I could tell by watching him that he was really reading the book.” Cali laughed even harder at the thought

  “Why don’t I make us a couple of drinks and we can go sit out by the pool? The weather is nice outside, no reason to be cooped up.”

  “Sounds perfect.”

  They spent the rest of the afternoon on the patio, sipping drinks and talking. Adeline told stories about Owen, funny ones that happened since Adeline moved in. She said what a nice person he is and how she couldn’t ask for a better boss for Steven and her.

  Cali confessed how she was falling in love with him and enjoyed all of their time spent together. “But it’s like we’re in a bubble,” she said. “I’m not working, nothing to do, but being jobless isn’t my reality. My life won’t be like this forever. I need to work, go to my home. Being here is fun, but I know it’s going to end soon.”

  “Why, hun? Why does it have to end? Owen cares deeply for you that much is clear. You could continue to stay in his home. I know he would like having you here,” Adeline said.

  “Even without him, I don’t need to work right now, but I like to stay busy. I would love to find a job where the work makes a difference and isn’t just pushing paper from one desk to another. Plus, we haven’t been dating long and I feel like it’s moving so fast.

  “Even though we knew each other as teenagers, I still want to get to know him better. I knew him ten years ago, but Owen is a little different now, more mature. There is no need to rush into anything. I want to do this right. Does that make any sense?”

 
“It does make a lot of sense. Have you told him how you feel?”

  “Only that I’m falling for him and he knows I’m independent. I don’t want to jump to any conclusions. We need to sit and talk. Right now I want to find out who broke into the cabin.”

  “I know, we all do. Steven has been checking the video footage today from different angles trying to get a good look at the suspect, but hasn’t had any luck. The person is completely concealed.”

  “The what?” Cali’s eyes widened. “He has video of the person who broke into my cabin and didn’t say a word? I didn’t even know he had cameras on his cabin. Why wouldn’t he tell me?”

  Cali was angry that he didn’t tell her. She couldn’t understand why he would leave the cameras out of their conversations.

  “I’m sure he didn’t get the chance to. You were both so tired and upset when you came home last night. It probably slipped his mind.”

  “Adeline, he had plenty of chances to tell me. I’ve been in his cabin! He could have mentioned it was being monitored.” Then a thought came to her. “Oh no.”

  “What?”

  “Do you think … do you think he filmed us, you know, fooling around?”

  “Dear, Owen has all of his properties under surveillance. Even if anything was filmed, it wasn’t for the reason you’re thinking. And I know for a fact none of the bedrooms have cameras in them. Plus no one has access to the footage besides Steven and him. No one would see it.”

  Cali shook her head and pulled out her phone. She sent a quick text to Owen saying they needed to talk. Adeline went inside to start preparing dinner, leaving Cali on the patio alone. The phone rang 5 minutes later.

  In a clipped tone she said, “Hi.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Why didn’t you tell me you had cameras all over your properties?”

  She heard him exhale. “Honestly, it slipped my mind. When I’m with you, nothing else exists. I’m sorry the cameras were never mentioned, but I’m telling the truth. I forgot.”

  “Owen, is there a video of us having sex in the pool in Hawaii?”

  “Yes, but only because we were outside where the cameras are. Cali, it’s strictly for security, nothing else.”

  She knew that and understood his reasoning, but now felt lied to. She wanted him home so they could talk face to face.

  “I know, but you should have told me.”

  “I’m sorry. Listen, someone just came in. Can we talk when I get home? I’m leaving in a little bit.”

  “Yeah. See you then.”

  The call ended and she stayed out by the pool, thinking everything through. She was so deep in thought that she didn’t hear the door open or the person who walked up behind her. A hand touched her shoulder. She jumped, screaming at the same time. She swung around ready to fight, but saw it was only Owen.

  “What the hell?”

  He had a smile on his face, trying to suppress a laugh. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I thought you heard me come.”

  “No, I didn’t. Damn, don’t scare me.”

  He took a step toward her, but she took one back. “What?”

  “We need to finish our conversation. You should have said something, especially since the person who destroyed my cabin is on film.” She needed him to know she was still upset.

  “I know. I’m really sorry. Last night we were both so tired and I didn’t want to worry you until the footage was reviewed. I was going to show you tonight. Then you could see what we found.”

  “Owen, we have been together every day except when you are at work. You’ve had plenty of opportunities to tell me you monitor your properties for security. I know you have your reasons for needing surveillance, but for you to not tell me, this isn’t okay.”

  He looked directly into her eyes. “Please, Caliana, I’m telling you the truth. I forgot to tell you. No one sees the footage besides Steven and me.”

  “We were both naked in Kauai and a camera was on us. All you had to do was tell me. It was that simple. The whole thing could have been avoided if you had just said something.”

  “If it makes you feel better, I’ll go right now and delete the video of us in Kauai. You can come along. I’ll show you everything and you can watch me erase it. I promise, I didn’t mean to deceive you. And I know Steven hasn’t seen the video. He doesn’t review footage unless necessary.”

  “Fine, but before we go, you really didn’t get anything concrete off of the footage from the burglar?”

  Shaking his head, he said, “No, nothing. The person was concealed and we didn’t see anything defining. I’m going to copy the footage and bring it to the police station tomorrow.”

  “Damn. Well, let’s go delete the rest of the shit so no one can ever see it. And swear that from now on you hide nothing from me? I don’t want to wonder if you’re leaving something out.”

  Making an X over his chest, he said, “Cross my heart.”

  He reached for her hand and she let him take it. He led them through the house to a small room off of the living room. She had thought the door led to a closet when she saw it earlier. He flipped open what appeared to be a light switch, but underneath was a key pad. After typing in the necessary code, a click was heard. He opened the door, stepping aside to let her enter first.

  “Holy shit!”

  In the room was a crescent shaped, frosted glass desk with three black chairs. Along the wall in front were multiple screens with various views of Owen’s properties. On the desk were a few laptops, all docked and wired in. A storage room was off to the right which held the servers and other computer equipment that was needed.

  “This is also a safe room. The walls are reinforced and no one can get in without the code. The code can also be disarmed from inside. That way if someone is trying to get in and you don’t want them to, you disable the panel making them unable to open the door. I’ll give the code to you before we leave just in case.”

  “Just in case? What the fuck is going on where I’ll need to be in a safe room?”

  He shrugged and said, “You never know. I told you I would always keep you safe and I meant it. Now, let’s find the pool in Kauai and go back to the other night. You can watch me delete the video, for good.”

  They each took a chair. He typed something on the computer and a picture of the pool appeared on one of the two larger screens. “This is from the other day.”

  He went and played the video. When Cali saw him take his clothes off to get into the pool, her breath hitched. She watched herself enter the picture next and run her hand over her body. Shit, she thought. This is like watching porn, except I’m one of the stars.

  She looked over at him and saw he was just as mesmerized. She could feel herself getting turned on. Her nipples were hard, there was a familiar ache between her legs and her mouth was becoming dry. She wondered if he was getting hot too.

  Looking to the screen, she saw his dick enter her and the look of pure bliss on his face was the icing on the cake. He was fucking her on the screen and wetness was forming below her waist.

  Without thinking, Cali brought her hand to her neck, brushed the hair aside and slowly slid her fingers over her nipple. Before realizing it, she let out a soft moan. Owen’s head snapped over to look at her and next thing she knew, her chair was spun so they were facing each other. His lips found hers within a breath.

  They kissed and their hands roamed all over the other's body. His were massaging her breasts, hers were rubbing his hard length and he lifted to push his cock into her hand.

  He pulled the shirt over her head and unclasped the lacy bra to let her breasts fall free. His mouth quickly found her hard nipple. At the same time his hand found the button on her shorts. In one swift movement his fingers were on her clit, circling it. She tipped her head back in the chair from the onslaught of sensation.

  They went from watching the video to almost fucking in a matter of a minutes. “Owen, I can’t take much more.”

  He pulled her shorts and
panties off and moved to his knees, putting his mouth on her center. When his tongue found her most sensitive spot she cried out.

  He licked and sucked, then pushed two fingers inside. He hooked them and rubbed her g-spot, sending her right over the edge. She held on to the armrests of the chair as the orgasm tore through her.

  But Owen wasn’t done. In a husky voice he said, “Stand and bend over the desk.”

  Cali did as instructed. She heard his zipper and his shorts hitting the floor. Breathing heavy, her head was hanging down, trying to catch her breath. The moment his cock found her entrance, her head went up and she turned to stare into those gorgeous, green eyes.

  His fingers dug into her hips as he connected them. He leaned over her back and said, “Damn, beautiful, you feel so good. I want to savor this moment, but can’t stop at the same time. I need you.”

  “I need you too, baby.” Every time he moved another orgasm built higher.

  “I like when you say that,” he crooned.

  She tried for the sexiest voice she could manage. “Fuck me hard, baby.”

  Owen growled and moved faster. “Touch yourself, Caliana. I want you to come with me.”

  She didn’t hesitate to rub herself. It didn’t take long before she was yelling out she was coming and Owen came at the same time.

  His hands were braced on either side of her on the desk. He slowly slid out and stood. Cali turned to face him. She stood on her tip toes to gain better access to his neck. She could taste the salt from sweat as she kissed the way to his irresistible mouth. They were both sticky from sweat and she loved the feel when their bodies touched.

  She started out biting his bottom lip gently, but he pulled her in tight and slid his tongue into her mouth. She loved being able to feel the passion in him. He didn’t always express how he felt, but she knew by the kiss along with the way he touched her.

  Staring into his eyes, she didn’t miss the smirk. “Still want to delete the footage?”

  She laughed. “No, let’s keep the video. But don’t let anyone watch it.”