Mr. Blue Eyes
By Camiel Rollins
Published by Camiel Rollins
SmashWords Edition
Copyright 2014 by Camiel Rollins. All rights reserved
This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, companies and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of either the author or the publisher.
* * * * *
Carla’s childhood friend, Thera, is visiting Greece after ten years and she is bringing her new boyfriend with her. He is none other than a breakout young programmer, Jake Winters.
Jake turns out to be as Thera claimed him to be – very handsome, very wealthy, very hot... and all the other qualities women wish for a perfect boyfriend. But there is just one catch – Jake Winters also turns out to be Tom Sawyer. Tom Sawyer is the pseudonym he used when he was working as a male escort two years ago, when Carla “met” him.
It did not take long for both of them to find out that the passion that drove both of them that blissful whole week in a romantic island in Greece drives them still. How can she tell Thera that she is in a relationship with a very dishonest man without confessing her part in the betrayal?
And what about the emptiness she’d felt since their encounter and eventual parting? She might be in love with him, but she has no choice but to give him up before she also betrays herself.
* * * * *
Chapter One
Carla stared at the airport’s electronic board of arrivals for the second time in the last ten minutes, and of course nothing had changed. The flight from Australia had a half hour delay, so, logically, Thera would be here in about twenty minutes.
She hadn’t seen her friend for years, ever since she went to Australia. Thera had left Greece for Australia ten years ago with her mother and step-father and had never come back since then. Of course they talked on Skype all the time, but it wasn’t the same. And now, she was almost here…
She just couldn’t wait. The mere thought of having her friend for a whole month made her green almond-shaped eyes glow from inside her sunglasses. Even though Thera was two years younger than Carla, who now was 25, they had been best friends since they were kids. Their parents were good friends, too, and they lived close to each other’s houses. After Carla’s parents died five years ago in a car crash, the absence of the only friend she had ever connected with despite having more friends around her since Thera left became much more painful.
She tossed her head decisively and chased the bad memories away. Then a playful smile appeared on her soft, full lips.
Thera was coming with company – her new boyfriend of just two weeks ago. The notorious Jake Winters, thirty, owned a bunch of companies that sold various applications for smart phones through the internet. He was supposed to be Mister Perfect, according to Thera – good-looking, charming, kind, thoughtful… her friend made him sound like a living commercial ad model. Carla planned to tease Thera about him nonstop. Of course, when he couldn’t hear it.
The airport speakers announced that the 1427 flight from Melbourne had just arrived. Carla got up from the chair she had been sitting on and stretched the hem of the short blue dress down her thighs. She started for the exit her friend would eventually come out of. Her fingers tried to brush her long, raven black hair in an automatic manner. She hardly noticed the admiring looks of men around her. Her tall, lean figure, with the endless shapely legs always had attracted men’s attention and she was used to it by now. She walked fast in her athletic shoes heading to exit number 7 with her typical grace, which she acquired through many years of dance lessons.
As she waited for the flight passengers to emerge, she fanned her face with her hand. Even though it was only 9 am, the heat was already intolerable, even when the airport was air-conditioned. It was only natural for August, but was still annoying. She imagined being at home and diving in the sea right below. Her house had a swimming pool but she had always preferred the beauty and vastness of the sea.
A small hurricane of blond hair rushed on to her to embrace her laughing. “Carla!”
She laughed back and at last hugged her friend tightly. “Thera!” Then she pushed her a little further so she could look at her. “Let me see you, you little gecko!” she said tenderly, using the nickname she had given Thera when they were children.
Thera was the absolute opposite of Carla. She was short, and standing near her in her tall frame made her look like a little child. But she was a joy to the eye! Thera was so lovely in her cuteness. Her long blond hair with their soft curls, her baby-blue eyes and her light skin gave her the beauty of a wispy window-doll. She wore tight dress pants and a strapless red blouse that flattered her curvilinear body.
“Oh, Thera! You are so beautiful!” she said as she smiled widely.
“You don’t look bad yourself! Oh god, you have turned into goddess, love! You are like the models you shoot for the magazine!” Thera gushed.
“Okay… now you’re being silly,” she said. It had always made her feel awkward whenever people told her that. Although she did succumb for a while and modeled when she was in college to help with her school finances, she had quit as soon as she could. She never liked it when the lights were turned towards her and she had to posture for the camera. She had loved beauty, though, and had a tendency to capture it as authentically as she could by using her cameras. She loved playing with lights to get more of the drama from her subjects as much as she could. She just really didn’t like when those lights were turned towards her.
In truth, Carla had been a very shy child. In fact, Thera was the first to approach her before she had the courage to do it. Although she had overcome this intrinsic behavior of hers when she had finally mastered the art of smiling at people, that seemed to always worked, there was still that part of her that would doubt that if she had not been good to look at, would people like her?
“So, where’s your significant other?” asked Carla to deflect the attention from her.
Thera threw her a knowing look but did not pursue it. Thera knew all about her hang ups, and that they had their roots from the fact that her friend had been adopted. “Oh… he’s coming. He lingered to collect our baggage from the conveyor belt. I left him because I just couldn’t wait to see you!”
They both laughed and hugged again because of that. Then Thera exclaimed.
“But… oh there he is! He’s coming.”
Carla looked at the direction Thera was looking at, taking her glasses off so that she can have a better look at the approaching man who was easily pushing a stroller full of two enormous suitcases and two smaller ones. She abruptly brought the glasses back to cover her eyes as she felt her face paling and her eyes popping out.
She couldn’t help it. Even after all these years, she recognized him. Thera’s boyfriend was one of the most gorgeous man she had ever met – and in her career she had met many – and her memories of him didn’t give him justice now. The man – boy – that she knew had been a force to reckon with already, but he was more so now. Everything had been amplified. His magnetic personality was so palpable she could almost feel it heating her skin. She had noticed that it wasn’t only her that was affected. People couldn’t help but look at him as he passed. He moved gracefully and powerfully. There were so many positive adjectives she could still use, but that was the most appropriate. Po
wer.
He had become a walking Zeus, dammit.
Chapter Two
“He doesn’t speak a word of Greek, so we’ll speak English in front of him, okay?” Thera whispered as Jake Winters halted the stroller in front of them and stood by her side, smiling.
On the other side of her glasses, Carla had recovered enough sense to observe him. He was taller than her – not surprisingly. He had been taller before. He would be about, if not over, six feet tall. His tallness gave him a lean look despite having an obviously muscular body. He stood casually in a t-shirt, jeans and short boots – hardly the get up of a wealthy man, but he gave the clothes power. She would guess that he would give old faded capris an expensive look. His hair was thick, brown, and curly. Most of all, he had the grin of a child on his face – naughty and very attractive. And she just knew that he was remembering, too.
Thera was giving the introductions in English. “Jake, I’d like you to meet Carla, my best friend in the world! Girlfriend, this is my Jake,” she said in a loving tone.
Then Jake took his dark glasses off, and with a smile that turned rueful and friendly, he stretched his hand to greet her. His eyes had an intense, blue color. Not that she didn’t already know that.
“Hey, Carla. Nice meeting you at last. Thera just wouldn’t stop talking about you on the plane.”
His voice was a low baritone, full and sensuous. She gave him her hand but as soon as their fingers touched, she felt what seemed like an electrical current, which he must have felt, too because they both pulled their hands away at the same time.
“Nice meeting you, too, Jake.” She felt heat flush on her cheeks as his eyes watched her face, his smile a bit frozen on his lips. “Ahm… let’s get the car. You must be exhausted from the flight,” she mumbled, and hugged Thera again as she turned her back on him.
She had her smile back on her face when they all started walking down the airport’s exit.
* * *
CHRIST… Jake Winters… is Tom Sawyer, Carla screamed inside, though she looked calm outside.
As they exited the airport and headed to the parking lot, four women stood on the sidewalk. They all looked in their early 40s, clothed in conservative attires that shouted businesswomen, yet they were all looking at Tom with the admiration of girls towards an attractive man. Their cheeks started blossoming with color as they exchanged knowing glances that screamed HOT, then they unashamedly and avidly watched him again as they passed.
And they weren’t the only ones.
* * *
JAKE watched the young woman walking in front of him with Thera. He hadn’t felt this excited for a long time, and he was barely managing to contain it all inside.
Oh, she was stunning then, and she was more so now. He had started to believe he would not see her again, and then she suddenly popped out of nowhere. His mind was still a bit numbed. He still felt a little overwhelmed, but he had calmed enough to observe the image that he had not seen for two years, but still remembered as if everything had happened yesterday.
She was as tall and graceful as before – he almost groaned as he distinctly remembered how her gorgeous long legs felt while they were wrapped around him. Her eyes were dark green and exotic, her lips full and soft-looking… the variety that were exclusively made for long kisses, hot or warm. Oh, yes, he remembered that. Her skin was still as dark, flawless, and healthy. Her soft curls, tousled by the wind when they got out of the airport, made it easier to remember how she would look as she just got out of bed. He, again, couldn’t control himself and stared at a specific part of her body, the one rounded so seductively just below her waist. The way her ass moved was just… poetry in motion.
He suddenly felt very uncomfortable inside his pants.
He knew she recognized him, and yet she said nothing. He, too, hadn’t known what to do after he recognized her. He was not sure if that was good or bad. He noticed her struggling for a moment before she quickly recovered her wits. He was hoping it was because of the same reason he was still trying to recover his wits now.
Then his eyes fell on Thera, and the smile he hadn’t known was on his lips slowly vanished.
What the hell was he doing? Had he completely lost his mind? He was here with Thera, and he was already thinking of hitting on her best friend.
Just a month ago, he had decided that it was about time to get serious, stick with a nice girl and “practice” settling down. Thera was the perfect candidate for the nice girl job. Now that he had his finances down pat after his drop out from his former occupation two years ago, he had time to have a serious, normal relationship with a woman. Now that he had Thera who, admittedly, didn’t know much about him but fell for him anyway, he shouldn’t be having these thoughts.
But as soon as he saw and recognized Thera’s friend, it was like he fell from the edge of the cliff to a fast flowing river, and it just got him carried away.
Pull yourself together, Mate, he scolded himself, but his still eyes followed the hypnotic sway of Carla’s hips with a mind of their own. He closed his eyes for a moment, and what he immediately saw were her green exotic eyes, watching his face as she laid on the pillow, her raven black hair scattered on the soft, silky cloth.
He immediately opened his eyes. Oh, those green eyes were trouble. Those got him hooked in the first place.
Oh damn…
Chapter Three
How to fit four suitcases in a small Opel’s trunk was a tricky issue and helped to occupy Carla’s mind. They finally managed to stick the two bigger ones together in the trunk and the two smaller ones on the back seat along with Jake. Thera sat on the front seat with Carla, and they drove home, taking the narrow by-the-shore road.
Jake sat on the left side right of the back sit, directly behind Carla, and every time she looked in the mirror her eyes would meet his. Why were those eyes focused on her? They were, each and every time, and he was watching before she looked. Like he was just waiting for her to look and… there.
Is he doing this on purpose, she wondered. What was he exactly remembering about their short encounter? Oh damn, she groaned inwardly as she remembered what she had started remembering eversince she laid her eyes on him in the airport.
“Oh… my country… I’ve missed you so much! Look Jake, look at all this beauty! Smell the sea, feel the breeze caressing your skin. Australia is wonderful but… there’s no place like home!”
On the right side of the road, green was the dominant color that relaxes the eyes. Hills full of grown trees and wild bushes succeeded fields with crops, while a house or a farm would pop out occasionally. On the left side laid the sea, calm as the day was generally windless, with the surface of the blue water sparkling like diamonds from the rejuvenating sun’s rays. The beaches already accommodated some swimmers who loved early dives. It was very hot but Carla didn't turn the air-conditioning on because Thera wanted open windows.
Again, Jake’s and her eyes met on the rearview mirror. Her eyes were accusing. His smiled, but managed to also look guilty.
“It’s really beautiful,” Jake agreed and finally took his eyes off Carla and turned them towards the window, to the view. But not for long. In a moment, his eyes returned to the mirror.
“Have you been to Greece before, Jake?” she finally asked. Maybe some light conversation would dispel the feeling of awkwardness that gratefully, Thera didn’t seem to notice.
Why would she? She would remember a Carla who didn’t talk very much when people she didn’t know much were around. She would remember a Carla shy with new acquaintances. Though she could hide this from others successfully, Thera had known her too much to know the signs. Why would she think that the awkwardness this time was not because she hadn’t known Jake before now, but because she had known him too much!
“Yes, a few years back, but not here. I was on an island, called… Mykonos?”
Of course, where else would you go when you were paid to go there, she bitterly thought.
“On vacation
or business?” Her voice sounded ironic, but before he could answer, Thera did.
“Oh, but honey, Jake’s work is mainly through the net. Why would he travel all the way to Mykonos? It was obviously a vacation trip!”
She blinked. Carla was now one hundred percent sure that Thera had no idea about Jake’s past job description. Her lips thinned as again, she looked at the rearview mirror, and at him, accusingly. You bloody scoundrel, her eyes accused him. The position you’ve put me in…
“Actually, it was little of both. I had to meet an important client there,” answered Jake, and answered her glare with a provocative look in the mirror, his lips slightly twitching.
“Oh, really? Locals?”
“A local,” he corrected. “I have to say, my transactions with her were… extremely satisfactory.”
This man had got a hell of a nerve, baiting her the way he was doing. She tried to swallow her anger as she seethed, and took her eyes away from the mirror.
Thank god that my skin is dark and I don’t blush too obviously, she thought as she heard him laugh low. The sound was sensual, giving her a shiver that started below her belly and spread throughout her body. She stepped hard on the accelerator, furious with herself. She shouldn’t let him get to her this way. She shouldn’t.
Soon, they arrived at the house. The car entered two wide open iron gates and drove through the paved driveway that led to the closed garage in the left of the main building. Thera became a little freaked-out by the way Carla drove, which she had noticed.
“Wow… I didn’t know that my friend has become a female Schumacher!” she teased as Carla turned the engine off right outside the garage.
She grinned at her. “My little car may be old, but it’s a rocket!” she answered proudly before she got out of the car.
The truth was speed was her passion. She found that out after Thera had gone. It was a passion that even her parents’ car crash hadn’t banished. Speed on a car gave her the feeling of freedom from all of her cares. It relaxed her and got her ready for stressful work. It was also a good thing that there were many stretches of roads here in the island that were free of traffic and heavy cars. She could indulge anytime she wanted.
Mr. Blue Eyes: Wild Night Dreaming 1 Page 1