The Eyes That Own Me (Timing is Everything Book 1)

by Rebecca Fischer

  Table of Contents

  Copyright

  Prologue

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Twenty-one

  Twenty-two

  Twenty-three

  Twenty-four

  Twenty-five

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Social Media Finds

  Copyright © RP FISCHER

  All rights reserved. Except as permitted by U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior permission of the author.

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, establishments, or organizations, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously to give a sense of authenticity. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Cover Designer: Jennifer Ragone

  Editing and formatting: Silla Webb- Masque of the Red Pen

  Photographer: K Keeton Designs

  Models: Kerrigan Brianne and Nathan Weller

  To those who thought they couldn’t and did it anyway.

  There is that old myth that the eyes are the windows to the soul.

  Our eyes can express so much, but they can also hide everything behind a mask. So many different shades can have a million messages to send us. It’s just the matter of finding which ones will knock you on your ass and make you question everything you’ve ever known.

  I found my set of windows.

  They are like a fresh spring day, bright green, and warm with dew when they are happy. Rich and inviting to everyone around them. They get as dark as night when they are angry and burning with rage. Little flecks of gold dance around the black rims when they are turned on and gleaming in mischief. I hate the times when they are red rimmed and watery with sadness or dull with loneliness. Luckily, both of those are rare occasions these days.

  My favorite set of eyes is when they are smiling. I get that may sound weird and unconventional, but hear me out. They project an illuminating light, drawing you in, and making it impossible not to smile along with them. In a sea of people, they single you out, dig into your soul, and plant the roots for a future you could have never imagined for yourself in a thousand years.

  How did I find these magical eyes? The eyes that can capture all of the love I was willing to give?

  Well, it might help to talk about the woman who owns them. The woman whose life and body I have turned upside down, and in doing so, she's turned mine upside down as well.

  I can't pinpoint the exact moment I saw Charlotte because it was a slow and gradual notice, spanning a few months. I would see a blur in class and around campus. They were all glimpses of a pretty face and a hot body. I noticed the tight jeans to a cute round ass on a chilly day and then the warm days where her sun-kissed legs would be exposed in sexy as sin shorts. I'd have to quickly look away so I wouldn't get a hard-on in the middle of campus. Every time I saw her, anywhere, my heart would start pumping, and my dick would immediately get semi-hard.

  This woman had some kind of power over me, and I couldn't have stopped it even if I wanted to.

  Timing is everything in life. Sometimes we just have to be patient for true love to find us. Fate was giving me little teasers of what was to come my way. That my heart would stop anytime she was close-by.

  I never truly got to see the entire package until I was hanging out at a concert. I say the entire package because that was when her eyes, well, they locked me in for good. They grabbed onto every part of me. I may sound like a sap and throw away the card to my manhood, but she literally shined. She was angelic with her head thrown back in laughter, smiling so big that everyone turned their heads, and she didn't notice it at all.

  I had to officially meet her and do whatever it took to make her mine.

  A night of good music, good beer, and good friends never gets old. Living in a smaller city, you tend to enjoy the simpler things in life, and stop to appreciate everything around you. Sitting outside in the middle of winter may not hold any appeal to most people, but in a town like Aiken, South Carolina, it just brings the community together. Most people have never heard of Aiken, much less think that they would host some popular concerts. The town has about 30,000 residents, between Broxton College students and the locals, a decent number of people to come out to these events every season.

  The scenery around town is outstanding. What you see in the guidebooks and on the internet pale in comparison to the real experience. Vibrant, thick green woods surround a vast portion of the city, with long gravel trails leading to several ponds and lakes. There's a great community center that offers everything from horseback lessons to hosting a carnival every summer. We're in the southwestern side of South Carolina, twenty miles from the Georgia border, so we gather in visitors from there, too. It's funny to say we because I've only lived here a short while, but it's become home to me.

  Plus, I love that I can drive to five different beaches in a few hours.

  This is what life is about.

  There's a lot of history here, too, with some of the buildings dating back to the 1800s being used for small farms and plantations. I like the classic architecture and landscapes here more than my hometown of Chicago. I enjoy the ability to actually see the stars when sitting on my back patio at night and not have to worry about the blinding lights and incessant noise.

  At the beginning of every school semester, the city throws a welcome back mini-concert series for Broxton College students and the rest of the town. I may be thirty, working full-time, and busy in grad school, but I never turn down a relaxing night with my friends. I didn't go in the fall because of my schedule but figured it out this time. Spring classes started last week, which means everyone is back in town from winter break. I worked most of the break and then snuck in a visit back to Chicago to see my family and friends from Christmas through New Year's. Is it sad that I needed my thickest and warmest jacket the second I left the airport in Chicago because I was so cold and I've barely lived in Aiken a year? My blood is already enjoying the barely freezing climate. Despite the feelings I had of being a tourist in my own hometown, it was nice to spend time with my family.

  I've been moving nonstop since being back from my trip, and I'm exhausted. Thank Thor that the concert is being held on a Friday. I just want to fuckin' sleep in tomorrow before my intramural team meetings at eleven, and I plan on being a couch potato on Sunday. This semester will probably suck with my schedule, but I'll power through.

  We've never had a lot of country concerts in Chicago. Not that I paid enough attention as I’m more into rock. There is a lot more to it than 'my dog got run over by the truck my girlfriend took when she left me'. I was presently surprised to enjoy the new music when I moved to South Carolina last summer. After finding
out about an upper management program, my company approved a transfer for me and offered to pay for grad school. I did well in undergrad and passed the GRE easily last year even after a long break. I hated the idea of going back to school years after getting my bachelor’s, but the company wouldn't promote me unless I had my MBA. Hence, the management program. Personally, I think it's a shitty bribery tactic, even though they've treated me well over the years. I can't complain too much.

  Now, I’m going to school on top of working full-time.

  I'm an idiot. An idiot who might be his own boss someday.

  The South Carolina branches for Sterling Finance and Investments are rapidly growing, and at the time, they were looking for anyone who was willing to put the time in. With all of the surrounding states to Aiken, they figured it was a great hub for new business in the South.

  I’ve been with Sterling since my internship during my senior year of college. I loved Chicago and still miss my family, but I didn't mind moving. I had to get away from all of the damn drama my ex-fiancé, Kelly, caused about four years ago. I needed to start fresh in a new place. She hadn't left me alone even after the breakup because the scandal was 'damaging to her career'. She wanted a trophy husband, and I grew out of that bullshit mentality. It was always about superficial images with her and nothing else. Thinking about her makes me want to bleach my brain.

  Moving here was a great idea in the long run. It took a lot of time and effort. I pray it pays off someday, hopefully, sooner rather than later. Something about moving to the Southeast appealed to a bigger part of me, and I had to find out what it was. I'm not a religious man per-say, but I believe in something greater than us. I'm still waiting and making the most of my new life here.

  It doesn't hurt that living in Aiken is much cheaper than Chicago. I managed to buy my first house for the same cost as a small apartment in downtown. It took me four months just to pick one out. It's a sweet three-bed, two-bath house with good size front and back yards. Now, my labs Nike and Zamboni have a place to run around. Kelly never wanted dogs and constantly complained about seeing them in streets. They were 'filthy loud monsters'. Once we broke up, I sold her ring, which she didn't take well, and adopted the pups a few weeks later. They are both four years old now and as adorable as the day I got them. They seem to have adjusted well to the change of pace and scenery over the last year. The cold and depressing Chicago winters weren't something any of us would miss. I love that the sun is still out in the heart of winter.

  It's nice to have the extra space for whenever one of my best friends, Leo, comes to visit. My other best friend, Jeremy, became my roommate when he decided to move here as well a few weeks ago. We all sort of drifted apart after college when I moved in with Kelly and they started their own career paths. Once Jeremy joined Sterling and my dad started mentoring Leo at the fire station, it was like no time had passed at all.

  Tonight, the guys and I are just hanging out while listening to some pre-concert music by Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert. The overhead speakers are booming about something bad going to happen, and I just can't help but have a dirty fantasy about the two of them. I mean, come on? Have you seen those two?

  We are at the outdoor amphitheater that is owned and run by the community center. The raised stage is set up between the Olympic size pool zone and soccer fields. The concrete archways of the stage hold ivy trailing around the top, spiraling down the pillars, keeping to the trail-like atmosphere. They also kept lights strung throughout the ivy from the holidays. From what I hear, most of the concerts go on here during the year. Burgers and brats are being sold at one big booth, liquor is being sold very quickly at another, and don't even get me started on the three beer tents.

  They have two artists on the line-up tonight. I’ve never heard of the first girl at all. She might be local or a rising singer, and she’s set to come on any minute. I can't remember her name for the life of me. I will most likely forget it again by the end of the night, too, which sounds eerily like my dating life after Kelly when I wanted to blow off some new bachelor steam. Apparently, it’s Leo's current one in Chicago since he hasn't stopped talking about it. His black book app is probably taking up most of the storage space on his phone. I've gone out with a few women since moving here last May who have approached me from classes or the gym. None of them managed to capture my attention for anything serious, much less long-term.

  “Dude, this crowd is starting to get thicker and crazier,” Leo says.

  I nod and reply, “I’m glad we got here a little early because I heard parking at these things are a major bitch.”

  We set up a spot of camping chairs close to the dance floor in front of the stage and then went straight for the beer.

  Jeremy scopes around the crowd before saying, “It’s pretty cool that big-name artists like Chris Young will come to a small town to perform. It kind of makes me respect them as a person rather than a stuck-up celebrity.”

  I give my opinion, “It's usually how most of them got their big breaks, and it's awesome to see them go back to their roots.” I lift my beer up before continuing, “Gentlemen, a toast to Jeremy’s new move, Leo’s visit, and the fact that we are not wearing twenty layers of clothing in January.”

  We toast our beers before the DJ announces the opening act. She could make it someday, but who knows. The young, barely legal looking, female singer comes on, and she isn't half bad. She seems to be trying a bit too hard to woo everyone by constantly walking back and forth on the stage or asking everyone to clap. It's obvious that she's nervous, but I give her props for being brave enough to get out here. Unfortunately, the crowd isn't too big or rowdy yet, so her efforts are somewhat wasted. She's a little too small in body for my tastes, and bottle-bleached blondes are not my type. I like a girl who looks like she will actually eat a fourteen-inch deep dish Chicago pizza and doesn't spend hours on her appearance. After four cover songs, she ends her set so that they can set up for the highly-anticipated headliner.

  My buddies are talking about hot her and the other chicks are walking around here. We're guys; we check them out.

  Sue us.

  I turn to the guys and tell them my recent thought, “Guys, I've decided that southern women outdo the women of Chicago every day.”

  They both laugh at me so I defend, “Don't get me wrong, we have plenty of fiery, sexy, and heart-stopping women back home. However, these southern women will gut you while smiling, eating a lemon square, and discussing their next gardening venture. They are definitely in a category of fucking hotness all on their own.”

  Jeremy just shakes his head at me before talking. “Matt, you are pathetic man. Your game really has fallen. Go get another beer and grow your balls again.”

  He’s right. I am pathetic because sadly, my dick's not twitching for any of them. Guess I might as well go get another beer.

  As the DJ comes back out and announces Chris Young, Leo, Jeremy, and I people watch to get a feel for tonight's crowd. Everyone is moving closer to the dance floor or running back to their spots on the lawn to get comfortable by the heat lamps scattered across the grounds. We don't plan on moving from our zone.

  Leo always stays near exits and watches everything around him. He tends to tower over most people no matter where he’s at, six-feet-four, sporting shaggy blond hair, and his famous 'female-seducing muscles'. He's a damned good firefighter and a licensed EMT back in Chicago, and even a vacation doesn't stop him from doing his job. Jeremy couldn't give a shit either way where we chill as long as he has a consistent beer supply and has no problem kicking anyone's ass that bothers him. Me? I'd rather avoid being groped by drunken old ladies or accidentally step on the kids running around. I love kids, but sometimes, they need to lay off the sugar.

  A few songs into Chris' set, I notice something shining in white out of the corner of my eye. The sun is setting in the background of the stage. It's probably just the reflection from someone's sunglasses that's making me need to squint. I look over and holy
shit my dick immediately stands up! That is definitely not a pair of sunglasses. I have to shield my eyes as it takes a second for them to adjust and stop squinting. There is an angelic glow coming from hair so dark, it almost looks black, but has just enough red in it to make it brown. The head is thrown back with the long, curly hair I would now love to grab and wrap around my wrist falling down to a gorgeous dark jean-clad ass.

  Wait! I know that ass. I've admired that ass.

  “I've got to get a closer look”, I say out loud without even realizing it.

  Before I even move an inch, I see fingers snapping in front of my face. I look over at Leo laughing at me while I'm shoving his hand out of my face. "Hey! Earth to Matt! I've just said your name like three times, dude. Who are you trying so hard to look at?"

  I shake my head out and get back into reality, hoping to hide my stalker moment from the guys. I defend myself, "What? No one, bro. I'm just watching the concert. This is a lot different than I expected."

  Jeremy pipes in, "Yea sure, man. We see you checking out that brunette up there. It's okay to look, man. Get off the denial train. She looks a little young in my opinion." Nodding over to them. "Her friends are pretty hot, though."

  I look back, and her friends aren't there. She is just staring up at the stage watching Chris Young belt out how he can take it from there and drinking too much beer. Seems fitting for the general moment. Her face just lights up as he's crooning to the crowd. Ahh, someone has a crush on Chris Young.

  It barely takes me a minute to decide I'm going to talk to her.

  I get out of my seat and turn toward the guys. "I'm going in. She's mine."

  Both douches start laughing and say good luck.

  She's only maybe twenty feet away from where we’re sitting. I can tell the moment she sees me walk up. Her back is stick straight, and her head is overly focused. Her hands start to fidget a little from trying not to watch me approach. I take slow strides around the small cliques of people, hoping to not make her run off like a scared gazelle. Now, she's craning her neck toward the stage as if she's looking for someone. Nervousness is pouring out from all around her, and I instantly feel guilty to make her that anxious, but I have to talk to her. I will fight for what I want and work hard for it; that's just who I am. I'm not a what-ifs guy, never letting opportunities pass by, and I refuse to not at least meet her.