by Hazel Gower
I had other friends, but Toby, Jessica, and Isaac were my closest, the people I trusted, and to me, trust was a big thing. I wasn’t one hundred percent blind. I have a rare form of Horizontal Perpendicular Nystagmus, which causes my eyes to make repetitive, uncontrolled movements from side-to-side. I can’t see things right in front of me unless I turn my head to the left slightly. I see from the side of my eyes. Sadly, I’ll never be able to drive or operate heavy machinery, but with new technology, my future and hope is bright.
Ethan thought I needed extra babysitters, thanks to my disability, hence why Britney was staying with my friends and me in the apartment he booked for us for schoolies.
I glared at Britney. “We’re not waiting any longer for your other two friends to show up. I’ll meet you down by the pool.” I didn’t wait for her or her friends responses. I gathered my pool page and followed my friends out of the apartment. Once out, I hooked my arm through Toby’s and Jessica’s and decided I was just going to do what I wanted from now on and ignore Britney.
*****
Richard
Soul Surfer’s Paradise, the resort I lived in, had an amazing infinity pool that overlooked the beach. The resort was in the perfect spot off Cavell Avenue in Surfer’s Paradise.
I was in the back of the elevator on my way to the pool hidden behind a young couple when it stopped to let four young girls in. They were so busy talking that they didn’t seem to notice anyone else, which was good as I wasn’t in the mood for any attention. I just wanted to relax by the pool and swim.
“Bailey is already down by the pool with Luka, Brett, Coby, Toby, and Isaac.”
“I don’t know why the hell you invited her. Although she makes us look super skinny and hot, but really, even Jessica looks attractive next to her. I suppose you did it for the guys. I mean, for some weird reason, they’re all friends with her.”
“Yeah, what does Toby see in her?”
“I know, right? Toby is hot, and she isn’t even in his field.” The Barbie look-alike with the bleach blonde hair sighed. “And I had no choice but to invite her. My mother begged me. Argh, I think she’s scared Bailey’s brother, Ethan, her boy toy will leave us if we’re not nice to his sister. Plus, her brother paid the extra for us to stay in this place rather than the cheaper four-star we were all going to stay in.”
The strawberry blonde beside Barbie huffed. “I suppose she’s good for something then.” The girls giggled. “It sucks we’re at schoolies, and she is the only one who isn’t eighteen and doesn’t have a fake ID.”
“Yeah, but we wouldn’t want her with us anyway. Not that she could go anywhere anyway. She can’t see and is just a burden,” Barbie said.
The elevator opened at the pool floor and most of the people got out. I followed the girls.
Strawberry blonde nudged Barbie. “At least Bailey is eighteen in a couple of days and will be going to University next year. Maybe she’ll get the hint no one wants her and move out.”
Barbie tsked. “I wish. Ethan didn’t want her to go to a university out of state or more than a couple of hours away. He’s super protective of her. It’s why he rented us this apartment for the next couple of weeks. It’s five stars, high security, easy for disabled people and Ethan knows the manager.”
The pool gates were before them and the girls stopped. I’ve had about enough of the bitches in front of me. I’m seriously thinking of going back to my penthouse suite or going to my brothers for a swim.
One of the blondes that had been quiet held onto the gate and groaned, “You ready to see a blind beached whale?”
Barbie laughed. “Yep. You should thank me. I told her to wear her one piece bathers.”
“Oh, my God. She has a two piece? I didn’t know they made them in sizes that big.”
I followed behind the girls, appalled at what they were saying about someone who they hung around with. They walked into the pool area with the infinity pool, and a smaller one above that and a spa. Groups were scattered around and I should have known with it being schoolies it would be too busy to find a peaceful spot. My club had been at full capacity last night. I’d been there until three in the morning making sure everything worked and the supplies didn’t get depleted before I took the skank home. I would have stayed later if I hadn’t given into depression, drank too much, and then let that woman seduce me.
Throwing my towel on the daybed, I peeled my shirt off, placing it down with my key and wallet that I fished out of my pants pocket. Slipping out of my shoes, I stretched before going to the pool and diving in. I did a couple of laps before just floating by the edge and enjoying the sun and view.
I tried to free my mind and relax, but I couldn’t stop thinking about the poor girl those bitches were talking about. I wondered if the girl knew how the bitches felt about her. Curiosity got the better of me, and I saw the bitches with a group of five boys and two girls. Swimming closer to get a better look, I dismiss the boys and the bitches and gaze at the two other girls. One is tall, close to six feet, with long brown hair and a willowy body. She wasn’t what I would call beautiful, but she was average looking.
The other girl was hard to tell her height. She sat on a lounge chair with a towel wrapped around her. Her arms hugged her waist, and as I gazed up, my heart started to speed up, and I had the uncanny urge to get even closer. Moving towards her, my body stiffened as the girl came more into view, and a fragrance floated from her direction, scented cinnamon and apples. Her hair the colour of a Raven was so black it had blue highlights, and curls in waves around her face stopping just below her breasts. Her round face with big green eyes and full, plump lips had me ready to throw her over my shoulder and make love to her all night long. Damn, she was gorgeous.
Need like I’d never felt before overcame me, and I eased out of the pool, and like a bee drawn to honey, I went to the Raven-haired beauty. The closer I got, the stronger the smell of cinnamon and apples got—and the urge to claim the woman. I pushed through the group, determined now to get to her and stood before her staring, enthralled by her. She didn’t seem to notice me straight away, which was odd as I was standing right in front of her. The tall girl next to her nudged her shoulder and whispered, “Bailey, turn your head. Someone wants your attention.”
Bailey blinked, cocked her head to the side, and I watched as her eyes widened for a moment before she shut them, took a deep breath and stood. She then opened her eyes. “Hi. Can I help you?”
Her voice was like music to my ears, and I could listen to her for hours. The realization of what she was to me was like a punch in the gut. Fuck me, the girl before me was mine. She was my one. My soul mate. Her voice was soft, sweet, and almost had me on my knees begging to hear her say anything more. I opened my mouth to reply, but for the first time in my life, I was speechless.
“Sorry if I was staring. Sometimes, when I’m really tired, I can’t control what my eyes do.”
I was almost giddy with happiness and couldn’t help the smirk I knew now covered my face at her confession that she’d been watching me. I needed this woman in front of me. I needed to talk to her. I needed to know this girl. Opening my mouth, I licked my lips and smiled, holding out my hand ready to introduce myself. I silently groaned when that wasn’t what happened.
“You’re mine.” A consuming need to touch Bailey, to feel her against me, overwhelmed me, and I reached for her, desperate to touch her only to be pushed away.
“What the hell, man? Are you crazy?” A young guy around eighteen or nineteen blocked my view as he stood in front of my woman.
Gritting my teeth and trying to gain some control so I didn’t punch the guy and throw my girl over my shoulder, I narrowed my gaze and grunted, “Move or I will move you.” The rational side of me told me I was going crazy, turning into the caveman legend, but the caveman side tells me to beat the crap out of the boy before me, get our mate, and take her home where I won’t let her go until she knew who she belonged to.
“Jessica, call the p
olice. Bailey, you stay close behind me,” the idiot before me ordered.
Growling, I reached for the guy ready to beat the shit out of him for coming between my mate and me, only to stop when my Raven-haired beauty moved from behind the boy and to the side of him.
“I’m sorry, sir, if I’ve done something to offend you. I really didn’t mean, too. Please don’t hurt my friend.”
Her soft, sweet, voice went straight to my cock hardening it. Now she was standing. I could see she was only a little thing. Her head would barely reach my nipple. She was all curves too, soft, full, round curves. Licking my lips, I let my gaze travel down her plump, full breasts, her wide hips, and thick thighs. She looked like she ate, which would be nice. I hated when I took a woman out and all they did was pick at their food. I felt a slight flush of guilt as I realized I hadn’t ever dated anyone with the figure like my soul mate has. Frowning at the thought, it wasn’t that I didn’t like full figured women. It was just that they weren’t the ones who threw themselves at me. My gaze roamed over my mate again. I liked her fuller body, my cock couldn’t wait to sink into her, and I bet she would be soft and conformable to cuddle, whoa, what the fuck… I wasn’t a cuddl—
“Sir,” she snapped, stopping my train of thought.
“Bailey, get back. He’s sick,” the idiot who blocked her before said. If he kept talking, he’d be a dead idiot.
“You, little Raven beauty, are mine. Say bye to your friends.” In the very back of my mind, I knew I was acting crazy. I was probably scaring Bailey, but as I reached over and lifted her up, all I could think about was getting her somewhere where we could be alone.
Holding Bailey to my chest, she screamed, pounding on my chest and kicking my shins. “Put me down. Put me down now, you big…you big idiot. Help. Help, Toby? Isaac? Put me down now before I kick you somewhere way more painful.”
I flipped her over my shoulder just as her knee was inches from my dick. She screeched, kicking and punching. She might be tiny, but she was a fighter.
By now, my security was beside me fending off the other two boys. The others looked unsure whether to get involved. I ignored everything else knowing my guards would do their job, and I went to get my things. Placing Bailey on the day lounge that held my stuff, I got my shirt, shoes, wallet and keys. Bailey tried to run, but Cole appeared and didn’t let her get away. Once organized, I picked a fighting Bailey up ignoring her struggles and walked back towards the elevator and my penthouse.
“Oh, my God. You’re crazy. Please, please let me go,” she yelled.
Once in the elevator and alone, I placed Bailey down. Frightened eyes stared up at me. My heart sank, and I knew I’d done this all wrong. “Please don’t be scared. I’d never hurt you. You’re mine.” Crap, I sounded crazy even to myself.
“Sir.” Her voice quivered as she mumbled, “Please let me go.”
Scrubbing my face, I grabbed her hand and held it in my own needing to feel her. “I know I sound crazy. Look, let me start again. Hi, my name is Richard Silverman.”
Bailey gasped and tried snatching her hand from his. “You’re joking, right? This is some cruel joke from Britney or the other girls? I have no idea how she organized this so quickly after last night, but I’m not putting up with this. I’m killing Britney. This is the last straw.”
Who was Britney and why did Bailey think he was joking?
*****
Bailey
What the hell had Britney done? She was such a bitch, but surely, she wasn’t evil enough to do this, have a guy take me claiming to be a Silverman. How the hell had she organized all this so quickly? Tears threatened to spill, but I knew now wasn’t the time to show any weakness. I straightened myself and studied the man before me. I saw he was a man and not a boy. He had a couple of day’s stubble. His blond hair was short and his blue eyes were what gave his age away. They looked like they’d seen a lot. I guessed him to be at least in his mid-twenties. His skin was olive. His lips were thinned as his gaze narrowed on me. He was more than just handsome, he was gorgeous, and I hadn’t even glanced down at the hard body I knew he had because I’d been bashing it.
Richard, if that even was his name, grabbed my arm as the elevator dinged, and he walked us out and into a small hall with two doors. I struggled to get out of his hold, but he ignored me and went to the left, and without dropping my arm, he got his card out and scanned it until the door opened. Okay, there was no way I was going in there with him. Screaming at the top of my lungs, I fought my capture.
“Stop screaming. Stop. I would never hurt you. Stop now.” His hand came down and swatted my arse.
I yelped, then a shot of pure anger coursed through me and I yelled, “How dare you. Get your hands off me. Help. Help me.”
This time, he picked me up, threw me over his shoulder, and walked through the open door. “Cole, shut the door and make sure no one gets in.”
Who the hell was Cole? What the hell was going on? I kicked, punched and did everything I could to get him to put me down. It didn’t seem to bother him with anything I did or said. Once inside, he put me down on a sofa, and I scrambled away from him.
Richard sighed loudly. “I won’t hurt you. I’d never let anyone hurt you. You’re special.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “I know I shouldn’t have just taken you, but, well, I have been waiting for you for a couple of years.”
Holy crap, the guy was insane. I looked around me, but my vision was out of focus probably from being upside down. I couldn’t get my Nystagmus to slow and my fear was doubling. Clearing my throat, I tried to talk to him again. “Please, let me go.”
“No. Never. You’re mine.”
I shook my head. Doubt seeped in. Maybe Britney hadn’t hired him. “I don’t know you. I think you have the wrong girl. My name is Bailey Rodgers. My brother, Ethan Rodgers, is important. I’m sure he’d pay to get me back.” The guys blond brows furrowed. Okay, maybe this was a prank. “Look, if Britney paid you, I promise to tell her your joke worked, and I get it. I’m worthless and she’s important. I’m nothing. I’m a burden. She’s beautiful and no guy would want me and so on. I get it. Please, can I go now? I promise I won’t get her or you in trouble.”
“Who the fuck is this Britney? What the hell are you talking about? You are not worthless and you are everything to me. You are the most stunning, gorgeous, beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. You’re mine. I’m keeping you and never letting you go.”
Huh, what was I talking about? He was the one acting crazy and saying things that didn’t make sense. I stood and backed away from him. “Look, how about I go and you, um, come talk to me, er… uh… later.”
I turned to run, but I was still off centre and hit straight into the friggin corner of the wall. “Shit.” Falling to the ground on my hands and knees, I crawled to what I hoped was the exit. I stood when I saw a door only to groan when I hit a table with a vase, keys, and other knick-knacks.
Arms circled my waist, and I was picked up. “What the hell? Are you blind?”
I winced at his angered tone. “Yes,” I whispered. Right then, I didn’t feel vision impaired—I felt completely blind.
“You have got to be fucking shitting me?” He held me gently as he walked back and placed me on the sofa.
My head throbbed from where I’d hit it, and I was really getting scared now. I needed to get out of here, so I hoped if I tried to explain everything, he’d let me go. “I’m vision impaired. I don’t know what you think you know about me, but I’m not blind, well, not completely. I can’t see you if you stand directly in front of me. I have to turn my head to the side. I have a rare eye condition called Horizontal Perpendicular Nystagmus, which causes my eyes to make repetitive, uncontrolled movements from side-to-side. I can see, though, just out the side of my eyes.” I knew I was rambling, but I was so scared, and my head hurt from hitting the corner wall, and my side hurt from hitting hard into the table. “Please, let me go now. I’m sure my friends have called my brother and the police w
ill be beating down the door.”
He chuckled. “Do you know who I am?”
I shook my head. I didn’t believe he was a Silverman. The ones I’d met were sane. Surely, I’d have heard of a crazy one. The Silverman’s were well known.
“I’ll tell you again. I’m Richard Silverman. I have three brothers. Zeck, Mason, and my youngest brother Andrew is in year eleven. My mother is Gillian and my father’s name is Albert. I have a bunch of cousins. Would you like me to name them, too?”
Holy shit, he couldn’t be. This couldn’t be Mason and Andrew’s oldest brother. Surely, it would have been known if they had a crazy brother. Ethan dealt with Zeck. I’d met him and he seemed sane, but I really hadn’t been taking notice of his personality. He was super-hot, and he talked to me like I was normal, which just made him even more attractive. All the Silvermans were handsome, though. Mason had been a year above me and Andrew was a year below me.
Nibbling on my lip, I tilted my head and moved so I straddled him and was close to his face. If he were a Silverman, he shouldn’t harm me. I focused my gaze on Richard. The longer I stared, the more my eyes focused and the more I could see the resemblance to Mason, Andrew and Zeck. “Oh. My. God. Why did you take me? I know your family. I’ve met your brothers. They go to my school. Mason and Zeck are …well, Andrew is, too. They’re, just so, so…” She licked her lips at just the thought of the wickedly sexy Silverman. “Well, they’re so ho—”
“Be careful what you say, my little Raven. They may be my brothers, but I’ll still beat their arses. So choose your words carefully.”
“Um, well, I knew your brot… er, everyone knows your brothers. Zeck, he, um… deals with my brother, Ethan. I’ve met some of your other family members, too. They’re all…They…” Shit. I was so nervous. Pinching my arm, I closed my eyes and winced. Opening them, I gazed up at swirling blue orbs.
