My Salvation Read online

  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.”

  “I’m sure. The yacht is unbelievable. I can’t believe this is what you do.”

  He chuckled. “Well, this isn’t what I do, but what all of my employees do.”

  He walked over and introduced her to a few of the workers, but didn’t want to disturb the ones busy inside the ship. “Let’s go. I have more people for you to meet.”

  Walking back to the front they went to the offices. Owen introduced her to a few of the department heads and as they walked down the hall a stunning blonde started walking toward them. Avery. Owen thought the two of them meeting was going to be interesting to see what one thought of the other.

  Avery put on a fake, forced smile and said, “I heard you had come in, but hadn’t seen you.”

  “Avery, this is Cali, my girlfriend. Cali, this is Avery, my Chief Financial Officer.”

  Cali reached out to shake hands, Avery looked at it for a second before shaking her hand. Looking at him, Avery said, “You didn’t tell me you had a girlfriend, Owen.”

  “My personal life is just that, personal.”

  Cali must have felt the tension. She interrupted and said, “So nice to meet you, Avery.”

  Avery’s eyes locked onto Cali’s. “Yes, it is.” Looking to Owen, Avery continued to talk like Cali wasn’t standing in front of her.

  “When you have a moment, I have some numbers to go over with you. We need to talk through the new customer contract that was signed this morning.”

  “We can discuss the agreement tomorrow. I’m only going to be in the office for another hour or so.”

  “We really should sit and discuss this,” Avery said, but was cut-off quickly by Owen.

  “You are quite capable of handling anything that happens within the next day. If there is an absolute emergency you can call or email me. I’ll have my phone on.”

  Seeming to admit defeat, Avery nodded, turned and sauntered down the hall. She walked like she wanted every man in eyesight to stare at her ass. Luckily, all of the men knew the game.

  Grabbing Cali’s hand, Owen tugged her toward his office. Unlocking the sleek, black, glass door, he let her walk in first. After taking a few steps she stopped, frozen in place.

  He had a very masculine, modern office. On the wall to the left were two tall cabinets and in between was a shelf with small cabinet above and drawers below. On the right was a door leading to the private bathroom.

  There was also a rectangular, black table and four white, leather chairs. On the wall behind the table was a large whiteboard. On the other side of the bathroom door was a small wet bar. He liked to have drinks in his office since the clients were all very wealthy and used to being treated a certain way.

  The best part of the office was the floor to ceiling glass making up the far wall. In front of the window was a black modern L shaped desk with a black leather chair behind on the other side. Owen watched as Cali walked past the desk to the glass wall.

  Walking behind her, he placed his hands on her hips. He slid her hair aside and kissed along her neck. Owen felt her shiver beneath his touch. Cali reached behind her head and threaded her fingers into his hair. He continued to kiss and lick along her neck, slowly running his hands to her breasts.

  Cali’s breathing started to quicken as he rubbed his already hard length into her backside. Spinning her around and taking possession of her mouth as she gripped his back, fingernails digging into his skin.

  Pulling away, she said, “Owen, we can’t. We’re in your office.”

  He raised
an eyebrow. “And? You could help me live out one of my fantasies right now.”

  Trying to keep a serious look on her face, Cali said, “We are not fucking on your desk.”

  Owen made sad puppy dog eyes and put his hands together to beg. “Hell no,” she said. “Our first time together is not going to be in your office.”

  “Fine. I have to check email quickly before we leave. The bathroom is through the door if you need it. Drinks in the small fridge under the wet bar. Make yourself at home.”

  * * * * * * * *

  After using the bathroom quickly, Cali sat in one of the leather chairs that were situated by the table. She was surprised how comfortable the chair was. The leather was supple and cushioned her perfectly. She sat and stared out of the window and watched the boats move in and out of the harbor.

  Owen shut the laptop, stood and walked over to the table. With a smile he asked, “Ready?”

  “Where are we going?” He didn’t say what they were doing for the afternoon. She planned on hanging at his office all day, not going out to do anything.

  “It’s a surprise.” He closed the office door behind them. She didn’t miss the electronic keypad next to the door which was very high tech.

  Walking out onto the marina Cali took in all of the beautiful yachts. She closely followed Owen, watching as he stepped in front of one of the smaller, yet nonetheless impressive ones. Holding out his hand to her, he helped her climb aboard.

  “Is this yours?” she asked, taking in the surroundings.

  “Yes. I know my yacht is one of the smaller ones, but I didn’t want a huge yacht. And mine is fast. What this lacks in size, it makes up in speed.”

  “It’s incredible,” she said. Running her hand along the steel railing that ran along the boat she got lost in thought, thinking about how much money he must have, yet was very modest at the same time. Money didn’t seem to rule him.

  Breaking her from thoughts, he said, “Come with me. I want to introduce you to someone.”

  Owen led the way through the yacht to the cockpit. Sitting amidst the controls was a man who appeared to be in his late forties, maybe early fifties at the most. He had short brown hair with just a sprinkling of grey and appeared to be in great shape. He was wearing a white dress shirt with black slacks. Cali could see how muscular he was when his movement pulled his shirt tight.