My Salvation (5 page)

“Would you be quiet? And keep the ice on your
lip.” Cali shook her head and leaned against the couch. Owen
reached over and took her hand into his.

“I’m sorry, Cali. I ruined our night.”

“Yes you did.” She sounded like she wanted to be
serious, but he could hear her voice wavering. “You’ll have to make
it up to me.”

“You bet your ass I’m going to make it up to
you. Now get over here.”

Cali moved over and laid her head on his chest
while his arm wrapped behind her back. Owen sat, rubbing her back
until they both drifted off to sleep.

A few hours later Owen woke confused as to where
he was. Looking around, he noticed Cali was sound asleep next to
him on the couch. Shaking her arm slightly he said, “Cali, you
should go to bed and I should get home.”

She blinked a few times. “You’re not going
anywhere, but to bed with me. I want you sleeping beside me.”

Owen was thrown off guard by her words, but
nodded and followed her into the bedroom. Cali stripped him of his
pants, leaving him standing in only his boxer briefs. She pulled
off her clothes, tossing them to the floor. They both got into bed
and she faced away from him as she reached for the alarm clock.

“What time do you need to wake for work?”

“Six-thirty,” he said.

She set the alarm and he pulled her close. His
arm wound over her stomach and he rested his on the pillow beside
her, breathing her in. She smelled like flowers and the night air.
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He knew then and there
that he would do whatever it took to keep her in his arms. She was
his, even if she didn’t know it yet.

~ 5 ~

An alarm clock was buzzing, but someone turned
the sound off. He couldn’t figure out who did it though. It was
only ever him in bed.

Rubbing his eyes, he looked to the right and
lying next to him was Cali. The rest of the night came rushing
back. The evening was a mess and Ethan was to blame. On a positive
note Owen got to sleep in bed with the gorgeous woman next to him
all night. He knew he was going to have to talk to Ethan when he
got to the office. He just hoped Ethan didn’t come in and cause a
scene.

He rolled to his side and grabbed Cali by the
waist, pulling her in close. “Good morning,” he whispered.

She turned to face him and smiled. “Good morning
to you too. Your lip looks better, but it’s still going to draw
some attention.”

He groaned. “Great, just what I need. Everyone
at work looking at me.”

“Just tell them your girlfriend beat you
up.”

“Girlfriend huh?” Owen was surprised by her
words. The two of them had only been on two dates, but had known
each other on and off for years. He would love to be able to use
that term. Internally Owen was jumping up and down. He never
thought that she would want to be his girlfriend.

“I think so. I don’t want any other chick
staking their claim on you.”

Laughing, he said, “It’s not like women are
beating down my door, Cali.”

She rolled over to face him and starting running
her hands all over his arms and chest. “Owen, I’m sure there are
women out there that would love to be with you. Have you looked in
a mirror lately? You’re quite a catch.”

“You’re not so bad yourself. Does this mean
we’re exclusive? I feel like I’m back in high school.” They both
laughed.

“Yes, we are. I’m yours and your mine,” she said
with finality. Owen kissed her quick, but then pulled away.

“What are you doing? Don’t you want to kiss me?”
Cali asked while sticking out her bottom lip to pout.

“Oh no you don’t. I have to go to work.”

“Can’t you go in late? You are the boss.”

“No, not today. But what if I clear my schedule
tomorrow, can you come in with me? I’ll show you the company and
introduce you to a few people.”

“I would like that. Okay, go home and shower so
you’re not late.” Owen moved to get out of the bed, but not before
she kissed him one more time.

He made it to work just in time. On top of the
everyday work he needed to take care of, he also had to talk to
Ethan. He used to work for OLM Yachts, but after what happened with
his ex-girlfriend he told him not to bother going to work there
again. Owen took the cell phone out of his pocket and dialed.

“Owen.”

“Ethan. What was so important that you drove to
my cabin last night?”

He could hear Ethan sigh on the other end of the
line. “Look man, I’m sorry. I wasn’t in a good mood and just wanted
to talk to you. You won’t return my calls and we haven’t spoken in
two years.”

“True and that was done on purpose. What do you
want?” Owen wasn’t in the mood for his games, but knew that if he
didn’t hear him out there was a possibility he would show up
again.

“I … I would like my job back. Or any job for
that matter. Just give me a chance, please.” He sounded sincere,
but Owen wasn’t sure he was buying the pleading tone.

“Why now? Did something happen that you all of
the sudden want back in?”

“I got fired and need the money to pay rent and
other bills.”

“Why were you fired?” Owen had an idea but he
wanted to hear the words.

“I went to work drunk one day and my boss caught
on.”

He wasn’t at all surprised by his statement.
“Ethan, I can’t have you pulling that shit in my company. This is
my life. I can’t take the chance. You’ve been drinking for years
and you need help.”

“I know, I know. Listen, I stopped drinking. I
promise. If you hire me back I’ll get help, too. Please. I need the
money, Owen. I want to put my life back together.”

Owen didn’t know what to do. On one hand, he was
his brother and would never turn his back on him if help was truly
needed. On the other, he didn’t want to take the chance of having
him drunk at work. Plus, two years ago he fucked Owen over and he
still hadn’t forgiven him.

“I’ll give you one shot and only because you’re
my brother, but you’ll have to follow the rules. Every day when you
get to work I’m going to make you use a breathalyzer. If the
reading shows alcohol on your breath one time, you’re out. And not
just for a little bit, but for good. You will never work here
again.”

Owen wasn’t sure if he was making the right
decision, but wanted to believe Ethan could change. This would
either be a very smart move or one of the stupidest he’d ever
made.

“Thank you. You won’t regret it.”

“We’ll see. You can start on Monday. Oh and
Ethan? No fucking any of my employees. You come to work, not to
find your next conquest. No bullshit.”

“No worries. I’ll see you on Monday. Thank you
again.”

Owen knew what position to put him in. Ethan was
amazing with his hands. He could craft the interiors of these
yachts like no one’s business.
I just hope he can keep his head
clear and his dick in his pants.

* * * * * * * *

Cali spent the day shopping in town. She wanted
to find something nice to wear to Owen’s company tomorrow. Finally
settling on a black dress with a form-hugging halter-top, but that
flowed out at the waist and ended just above the knee. She also
bought a pair of black slingbacks to go with the dress. She knew by
seeing the way Owen dressed for work that she didn’t need to dress
up, but wanted to make a good impression and his employees were
important to him.

That night she was sitting on the dock when Owen
came home from work. She heard the truck door shut and the sound of
boots hitting the wood on the dock as he walked toward her. He
stopped just behind Cali and she tipped her head back to stare into
his mesmerizing green eyes.

Peering down at her he said, “Hi, beautiful.”
Bending over, he placed a quick kiss on her lips.

“I could get used to that greeting every day,”
Cali said, running her tongue along her lips, savoring the slightly
minty taste.

They spent the next hour lounging on the dock,
talking over nothing important, only enjoying each other’s company.
When they went inside to get a bite to eat, Owen saw the shopping
bags on the chair near the door. With a chuckle he said, “You were
busy today.”

“Yup, I now have something to wear
tomorrow.”

“Cali, you didn’t have to buy anything. We build
yachts, we are not a corporate office building or anything. You’ve
seen how I dress.”

“I know, but I want to look nice. And any excuse
to shop is a good one,” she said with a smile.

Shaking his head Owen wrapped his arms around
her, pulling her body flush to his. He kissed the top of her head
and leaned to look into her eyes. “You would look sexy no matter
what you wore.”

Cali shook her head disagreeing. In response he
captured her face in his hands and kissed her intensely. One kiss
alone made her weak in the knees.

“Damn, I can’t get enough of you,” Owen said
while kissing her. “Your smell, your taste, and the feel of your
skin intoxicates me. When I’m not with you, I’m thinking of you.
And when I’m with you, I’m thinking of what I want to do to
you.”

Cali raised her head to see the intense look on
his face and knew how serious he was. She had been thinking about
him all day, but didn’t want to admit how strong her feelings were
becoming, not wanting to let him all the way into her heart.

In the evening they shared dinner together,
talked and watched television very late. Cali had fallen asleep on
his chest again. She awoke when she was being carried to the bed.
Peering into Owen’s eyes she saw his stare, like he was memorizing
every one of her features.

“I wasn’t ready to let you go yet.”

“Okay, don’t. Stay here tonight.”

“You know I can’t say no to you,” Owen said and
kissed her forehead lightly.

It was late and they were tired. He carefully
placed Cali on the bed. She saw his shoes hit the floor as well as
his clothes. She stood and grabbed a long t-shirt from the dresser
to sleep in.

Cali went to put the shirt on, but Owen grabbed
it. “I like your skin against mine.”

They climbed into bed. She moved so close to him
that she was against his side, her cheek resting on his chest. His
arm found her waist before they both fell into a quiet slumber.

The alarm went off too early for Cali. She
wanted to stay in bed all day with the man in the bed beside her.
After shutting the alarm off, she moved over so she was partially
laying on top of him. Slowly, she brought her leg over to rest on
top of Owen’s. Shifting slightly, she felt his cock beginning to
harden.

Smiling, she said, “Happy to see me?”

“Always. Too bad we don’t have the time to take
care of this.”

“No, we don’t. I’m not going to meet your
employees with the just fucked look on my face.”

Laughing, Owen said, “The what?”

“You know the look people get when they have
been fucked really good. You can’t tell me you’ve never seen that
look on someone.”

Still laughing, he said, “I never thought of
that look. Okay, no just fucked look today, but maybe tonight?”

“Depends on how good the day goes,” Cali said
with a wink. “Now get your ass out of my bed. The shower is calling
my name and this face doesn’t look pretty by itself. Makeup is
needed.”

“You don’t need to do anything to look pretty.
You have natural beauty.”

Brushing a loose hair away from her face, he
said, “I’ll return in an hour to get you.” Owen kissed her softly
on the lips and turned to walk out of the door.

But before doing so he said, “We’ll stop on the
way in and grab something to eat.”

“Okay, sounds good.”

~ 6 ~

Owen was always on time so he arrived exactly an
hour later. Cali was in the kitchen sipping coffee when he came in.
Walking over, he draped his arm around her small waist. “Damn,
beautiful, you look amazing.”

She was wearing the black dress and heels, her
hair was loose over her shoulders and a gold necklace with a small
diamond hung on her neck. He couldn’t wait to show her off.

Blushing, she said, “Thank you. I’m guessing you
approve.”

“Yes I approve. In fact, I approve too much. We
better go before we are delayed even more.” He dragged his nose
along her neck, then to her ear, breathing in the sweet, yet subtle
perfume.

“Okay, let’s go. Keep your thoughts in check
until later.”

She grabbed her purse and suggested they take
the Jeep since the gas mileage was slightly better than his truck.
They stopped at a small diner to get breakfast on the way to the
office. After a short drive they pulled into OLM Yachts. The
company was a huge, white building with glass windows that covered
the entire front.

Stepping out of the Jeep, they walked to the
front of the building and took in the view. The ocean breeze was
lightly blowing Cali’s hair and the sun reflected off of the water.
He could see the content look on her face as her eyes closed.

Walking to her, he grabbed a hold of her hand.
Looking at him, she smiled as he led them into the building. Once
in the building there were a couple sets of doors and at the front
was the receptionist. She was an older woman who was smiling from
ear to ear. And he knew she didn’t miss her boss coming in holding
hands with the woman alongside of him.

“Rose, this is Cali. Cali, Rose.” Cali walked
over and shook Rose’s hand.

With a warm smile, Rose said, “Very lovely to
meet you, Cali.”

“Likewise.”

Owen told Rose he was going to take Cali on a
tour of the building and would be in his office later if anyone
called. He brought her through the doors off to the right that led
to the part of the building where the yachts were built. The
employees were busy working on one very large yacht in the middle
of the enormous room.

“We’re almost done,” Owen said, nodding toward
the yacht. “We’ve been working on it for a while now.”