Rapine: Abducted by the Billionaire

by Charlotte Rose

  “The most important thing is that you are happy. My blessings are with you,” she says sincerely.

  “Thank you mom.”

  “Where are you having your honeymoon?”

  “Oh Julian is taking me all around. I’m having so much fun. We’ve already been to numerous paradise islands, and now we’re in St. Barts. It’s so beautiful and romantic here!”

  “Oh that sounds so exciting.”

  “I have to go; I need to make a few more phone calls mom.”

  “Bye sweetheart.”

  “Bye mom. I love you.”

  I tap to end the call and gaze at Julian.

  “Who’s next?”

  “My friend Tanya.”

  “I remember her.” Julian smiles brightly.

  I tap the screen and am swiftly connected with Tanya.

  “Oh my God Cheryl. How are you?”

  I smile. “Better than I’ve ever been.”

  “Really? What about you and Derek?”

  “I’ve found someone better.”

  “Who? When?” she inquires in her typical, noisy way.

  “Well, you remember that guy from Top of the Standard?”

  “What! You mean that hot stud Julian? You’re with him? This is so exciting!”

  I chuckle and look at Julian. He smiles back at me.

  “He’s there with you now?”

  “Yes Tanya.” I hand the tablet to Julian.

  “Hello Tanya.”

  “So Cheryl agreed to go out with you finally?” Tanya questions in her usual energetic tone.

  “Yes, she finally gave me a chance. You think she made the right choice?”

  “Of course! I like you so much better than Derek.” I’ve always loved Tanya’s blunt honesty.

  Julian smiles and puffs up his chest triumphantly. “I’m a lucky man.”

  “So you’re dating now?” Tanya asks excitedly.

  “We’ve done more than that. We’ve eloped.”

  “What? This is amazing!” Tanya responds. “I’m so happy for you two! We have to throw a party after the two of you return!”

  I hear Julian’s world phone ringing in the background.

  “Yes, we will,” Julian replies. “Sorry, I got to go, I have another phone call.”

  Julian hands the tablet back to me, answers his phone, and goes into the master bedroom.

  “OMG Cheryl. How did this really happen?”

  “I know! I’m so happy. Julian is amazing.”

  “Did you break off the engagement because of Julian?”

  “Yes and no, but who cares? Derek just wasn’t the man for me.” I smile at Tanya.

  I hear Julian raising his voice in the other room. Oh no, is he speaking with Derek again?

  “I have to run Tanya.”

  “Okay, but I expect a call soon again. I need to know how this all happened.”

  “Bye Tanya.”

  “Bye.” I tap the screen and Tanya’s face disappears from the tablet.

  I hear Julian raising his voice even louder and when I enter the bedroom, his face is reddened and I see him looking ruffled for the first time.

  I stand staring at him. Then, an idea comes to my mind. If Derek hears it from me that I love Julian, he should leave us alone.

  “Here, let me talk to him.”

  Julian hesitantly hands me his phone.

  “Derek,” I answer.

  “Cheryl,” Derek barks into the phone. “Darling,” his voice suddenly softens.

  Hearing his voice after this entire ordeal suddenly gets me emotional.

  “Cheryl, I’ve missed you.”

  “Derek, I…” my eyes well up with tears. Do I really still have feelings for Derek? Even if only a few traces left?

  “Cheryl, I’m going to get you back.”

  I glance at Julian, who is staring at me intently, possessively, his face still reddened.

  “You’re mine and I’m going to get you back,” Derek growls over the phone.

  “But I’ve decided to be with Julian, we’ve married.”

  “I don’t care. I told you, you’re mine and I’m going to get you back.”

  “I love Julian.”

  “I don’t fucking care,” Derek spits into the phone. “You’re fucking mine bitch.”

  I’ve never had Derek speak to me like this before, even when we’ve argued.

  “No, I’m not yours. I’m Julian’s wife now.”

  There is a chilly silence over the phone and I glance at Julian who appears to have cooled down. He is watching me intently.

  “I will kill him if I have to,” Derek says under his breath in a cool, dangerously low tone and his words send a shiver down my spine. He hangs up.

  I hand the phone back to Julian, and he slides it into his shirt pocket.

  I let a few tears roll down my cheeks. Julian embraces me in his arms, tilts up my head to meet his eyes, and wipes away my tears. “What’s wrong? You know I hate seeing you cry.”

  “I didn’t know Derek wanted me back. He said he’ll kill you if he has to.”

  Julian chuckles heartily. “That’s if he find us.”

  “But is there any way he might just be able to find us?”

  “Unless he has implanted a tracking chip in you, there’s no way he can find us.”

  “A tracking chip?” I ask, wide-eyed.

  “Yes, it’s possible he’s implanted a tracking chip inside your body, but there’s no way for me to tell, because the one he could have used is undetectable with any device currently invented.”

  “So it’s possible that he may find us?”

  “Yes, Cheryl, but even if he finds us, he still has to fight me to get to you, and there’s no way I’m letting him win.”

  My chest tightens as I consider this and picture in my mind Julian and Derek fighting with each other yet again. I know Julian is stronger than Derek because I saw this when they fought the first time. But to think that Derek might find us and that there will be another fight, makes my stomach swirl.

  “I was this close to breaking him, but I stopped because you told me to,” Julian says while piercing me with his stare. “If he insists on fighting me again, I will break him this time.”

  “What do you mean? You will kill him?”

  “No, not intentionally, but I will hurt him so bad that he won’t be able to walk for life.”

  That sounds horrible. Men are so violent. But Derek said he would kill Julian and that is even worse!

  “Let’s not let this ruin our day Cheryl. I can easily crush him if he wants to fight me again,” Julian says, and I feel confident in his ability to protect me and I’m amazed at his composure.

  We spend the next few days busy with fun activities; swimming, scuba diving, snorkeling, windsurfing, hiking, and playing tennis. I have completely lost track of time and don’t even know what day of the week it is, but it really doesn’t matter to me anymore. The last evening of our stay, Julian informs me we are going to our next destination tomorrow.

  CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

  In the morning, we board a private plane headed to Saint Thomas. Julian has booked the very best suite in the Ritz Carlton - The Ritz-Carlton Suite. As soon as we get to our suite, we have breakfast set up on our private terrace. I consume it hungrily and realize my appetite has increased dramatically over the past few days.

  “You’re appetite has increased Cheryl,” Julian comments.

  “Yes, I guess it’s because we’ve engaged in many activities in the past few days, but I’m having so much fun!” I smile and return to my breakfast, popping a piece of muffin into my mouth.

  Julian’s phone chimes, and he reads the screen. He frowns and clenches his jaw.

  “What is it honey?”

  Julian doesn’t look up at me.

  “Nothing you need to be concerned about,” he mutters.

  After breakfast, Julian takes me to one of the main downtown areas in Saint Thomas. There is jewelry store after jewelry store. It’s a woman�
�s heaven. I’ve never seen so many jewelry stores in one spot.We enter every single high-end jewelry store. Julian points out what he thinks would look good on me. I am overwhelmed. There is diamonds and gems in every color.

  I pick out a few pieces of jewelry that appeal to me; diamond stud earrings, a diamond bracelet, a blue sapphire and diamond necklace, an emerald diamond necklace, and a Harry Winston watch fully studded with diamonds. Each piece is worth a fortune and Julian appears to be enjoying himself spending his money on me. Julian insists I pick out more jewelry, but we’ve already spent hours hopping from shop to shop and I let him know I’ve had enough of shopping.

  Once back at the resort, Julian has arranged for us to have dinner on the beach. I am wearing a long, flowing, white dress with the blue sapphire and diamond necklace Julian has purchased for me. Julian is wearing a sharp black suit by Valentino, and he has paired it with a black silk shirt and a black tie. Julian can’t take his eyes off me and neither can I take my eyes off him.

  Tiki torches and candles surround us and a musician plays on a Spanish guitar. All my senses are delighted; everything is so beautifully set up, the music is so romantic, the food smells and tastes delicious, and Julian’s full attention is on me. Our personal butler makes each plate a work of colorful and abstract art.

  After dinner, we talk a stroll on the beach, hand-in-hand, enchanted with each other and with the stars in the sky. I’ve never seen so many stars in the sky as I do now. Julian informs me we are going to Puerto Rico in the morning.

  In the morning, I awake full of energy. Another day, another destination, and I am super excited. Julian is not in bed so I hop out of bed and go looking for him in our suite. I find him on our terrace, on his laptop, and sipping on a cup of coffee.

  “Good morning beautiful,” he says cheerfully. “Come, sit down, let’s have breakfast, our server will be here shortly.”

  He puts his laptop away and within minutes our server arrives and serves us breakfast on the terrace. We eat rapidly and then the server clears our table.

  “I need to discuss something with you,” Julian says after the server leaves.

  “Okay honey. What is it?”

  “Our honeymoon is coming to a conclusion and I need to determine what you would like to do next. I’m free to do as I please as I can work from my laptop. I’d like to do whatever you’d like to do.” I study Julian’s face, and he appears to be so intent on pleasing me. I’ve also noticed that in the past few weeks, his demeanor has changed. Everything we do is for me, and Julian has little if any interest in pursuing activities catered simply to him. He acts like a man truly in love.

  ‘I’d like to continue traveling,” I respond.

  “We can do that if you like,” Julian raises my hand to his mouth and kisses the dorsal of my hand. “Where would you like to go?”

  “I’d love to see Canada, Europe, and South Africa.”

  “Any places in particular?”

  “I guess the main cities in Canada and Europe.”

  “Well then, I’ll plan the destinations and after Puerto Rico we will head to Canada.”

  I smile and realize Derek would never let me decide what I would like to do. It was always about him and what he wanted to do. Yet here I am doing what I thought I wouldn’t want to do; traveling the world full-time.

  “I’m so excited.” I smile broadly at Julian.

  We arrive in Puerto Rico in the late morning. We are staying at the Governor's Suite in St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort. It’s a spacious resort.

  Our suite has a fully furnished terrace with spectacular ocean views, a living room, a dining room, a fully equipped kitchen with private elevator access for the butler, a walk-in closet, a 40-inch LCD television, and two bathrooms. The master bedroom has 300 thread count linens and a master bathroom fully equipped with a spacious five-fixture marble bath with an oversized infinity tub, two separate showers and rain showers, and a double vanity with an oversized mirror featuring an embedded LCD Television.

  Julian and I play golf together. Robert Trent Jones Jr., one of the world's pre-eminent golf course architects has designed the spectacular golf course at our resort.

  Julian is patiently teaching me the skills of golf and I am starting to get the hang of it. After I’ve had enough, Julian and I go on a nature walk with a naturalist. Puerto Rico has some of the most beautiful nature scenery of all places I’ve been to yet. There are waterfalls, lush greenery, and colorful wildlife.

  Back at the resort, we get couple’s massages at the spa. I get a customized facial and Julian gets a customized men’s facial. We finish the day off by having have dinner on the beach. This is the last day of our honeymoon and so we make the best of it by staying up late.

  After dinner, Julian lays out a blanket for us to sit on right on the beach. We have a bottle of Romanee Conti. Julian brags it is one of the most expensive wines available. Julian flicks through his iPod and jazz music begins to play from the wireless, portable speakers Julian has set up around our blanket.

  Julian pours us each a glass of wine, and we click glasses. Julian wraps his arm around my shoulder and pins me to his right side. We are gazing at the millions of stars, sipping on wine, and listening to the music and the sounds of the ocean. It couldn’t get any more romantic than this.

  In the morning, I awaken to the sound of Julian screaming over the phone. I quickly hop out of bed and find him in the living room. When Julian sees me he waves me away. Maybe it’s Derek!

  “I’ve had enough of this bullshit,” he roars into the phone. Although his voice portrays his rage, he looks fairly cool and composed. I stand gaping at him. He glares back at me and waves me away again. I quickly make my way back to the bedroom and get showered and dressed.

  Once I’ve dressed, I go back into the living room.

  “Who was that?” I gaze at Julian, who appears unaffected by the phone call.

  “It was Derek,” Julian says matter-of-factly. “He wants to fight me again.”

  “Are you going to fight him?”

  “I am not going to make it easy for him. If he can first find us, then he can fight me, otherwise, fuck him.”

  If only Derek would leave us alone. Everything is so perfect just the way it is and I don’t want Derek to corrupt it.

  Julian embraces me in his arms and gazes deep into my eyes. He wraps his hands around my neck and pulls me in for a blood rushing kiss. I’ve never felt more fulfilled in my life. I realize that life is all about relationships, especially romantic relationships. Nothing else matters to me but Julian, and I believe Julian feels the same way about me. If only Derek wasn’t in the picture anymore.

  I pull away and gaze into Julian’s azure blue eyes. “I love you so much,” I say breathlessly as I feel my heart pounding with emotions of pure love.

  Julian tightly hugs me and I feel his heart pounding against my breasts. “I love you so much Cheryl, more than words can ever describe.”

  I take a deep breath, inhaling the spicy, delicious, and masculine scent of Julian from the side of his neck. I nuzzle into Julian’s neck as he tightly holds me in his arms. I am utterly surrendered to this man. I would do anything for him.

  “I don’t want Derek to ever find us,” I whisper.

  Julian is silent for a moment. His strong, muscular arms slide down my body to my hips. He grips my hips firmly and pulls me into him even closer. “You’re mine, and you always will be. If Derek wants to fight me once more, he can, but he will not defeat me.”

  “I know he won’t,” I say confidently.

  “Real men fight without weapons to prove their strength and skills. It’s how respect was earned in the past. Nowadays you have men fighting with a bunch of weapons such as guns; fucking pussies.”

  In the afternoon, we set off to Canada; somewhere I’ve always wanted to go, but never had a chance to visit. Our first destination in Canada is Toronto. We are staying in The Ritz-Carlton Suite at the Ritz-Carlton hotel.

  Julian an
d I grab Butter Pecan lattes from Second Cup and take a stroll hand-in-hand through the various streets. Toronto is a bustling, cosmopolitan city that reminds me very much of New York, although on a much smaller scale. Toronto has modern, all-glass skyscrapers, and nice patio restaurants on certain streets.

  We have dinner at Scaramouche with a beautiful view of the city through the window. The restaurant is very romantic and our meal is spectacular.

  After we finish dinner, Julian waves over the waiter. “Bottle of you best wine,” Julian says in his commanding tone, without looking at the wine menu.

  The waiter nods his head, glances over at me in admiration, and rushes off.

  “Everywhere you go, you cause heads to spin,” Julian says proudly.

  “What do you mean?” I say humbly.

  “You know what I mean,” Julian smiles. “Even today, every man turned his head to look at you as we were walking around.”

  I didn’t really notice, although I caught a few men glancing at me as they walked by.

  “You’re my trophy.” Julian’s eyes scan my face. “Most importantly though, you have a beautiful soul.”

  “Thank you, honey.”

  Our bottle of wine arrives; the waiter pours a glass for Julian. Julian expertly swirls the wine in his glass, inhales it, tastes it, pauses for a moment as he decides his verdict, and then nods his head in approval. The waiter pours me a glass and I try it. It’s fresh, light, crisp, and richly sweet.

  “Delicious wine,” I murmur.

  “I only like the best of the best, and my lady deserves the same.”

  The waiter hands us a dessert menu.

  “Dessert Cheryl?”

  “I’m so full; I don’t think I can have anything more.”

  “Then we will share,” Julian hands the dessert menu back to the waiter. “I’d like the sorbet.”

  When our dessert arrives, Julian feeds me a few bites and then finishes it. We continue to sip on our wine.

  “Now that you are my wife you can have this credit card.” Julian hands me a black card: The Centurion Card.

  Wow, unlimited funds. Not only has Julian handed over millions to me, promised to establish my career as a painter, paid for everything, and now he offers me a Centurion Card. It’s all a little overwhelming and surreal.