by Jacobs, Kyle
Roger was always demanding things. It hadn't started out that way. They had met at a friend's party, and Roger practically zeroed in on him from the moment he arrived. Like a heat seeking missile. Or a money seeking missile, as it turned out to be.
Once the mooring was untied Cole threw it into the back of the boat, then moved up to undo the front one. As he passed the bridge he glanced up at Owen.
All Cole could see was his upper profile, and it did wonders for his mood. Owen sort of reminded him of Roger. In a way.
Owen noticed him looking and smiled. "Got that, okay?" he called out to him.
"Oh," he said, bringing his thoughts back to the task at hand. "Yeah, I got it." He undid the mooring, coiled it quickly and tossed it onto the boat.
Stop thinking about the one gold digger that got to you, he thought. There are more important things for your brain to be focused on right now. Like buying an island.
Once he was sure everything was fine, he came back to the middle of the boat and stepped over. Just then Owen fired up the engines and the huge twin motors roared to life.
Cole quickly scampered up the step ladder to the bridge. Owen had all the electronics turned on, and was concentrating on pulling the boat away from the pier. Other docked ships crowded around them, but Owen seemed skilled enough to handle the situation.
Standing this close to him, Cole noticed how short he was compared to him. He was tall enough already. He found himself smiling. Short was good. Real good.
He found himself dawning his sunglasses, so Owen couldn't see where he was looking. He turned back, nonchalantly, and watched the dock, and all its ships, pull away from them.
If Roger was here, he would want him to buy all the ships in the bay. Or maybe the whole island nation. He frowned.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Owen asked. He was casting glances in Cole's direction, but keeping his main attention on where he was going. Like a good captain should.
Cole gave him a big smile, his eyes taking Owen in completely from the safety of his sunglasses. He really was a sight to behold. "Yes," he said finally. "It is very beautiful." He found he was not talking about the island.
As if he didn't notice the intensity of his gaze Owen asked, "So, how long have you been looking?"
"Looking?" Was he that obvious? Staring at him?
"For an island? There aren't that many left to be had. I figured you must have been looking for a while."
"Oh," he said, turning so he was angled to see where they were headed. Vast blue ocean stretched out before them. He pondered his response. "Well, to be honest, I've been doing this for quite a long time."
"Looking for an island?"
"Buying them."
This took Owen aback, and his eyebrows shot up from behind his sunglasses. He laughed. "Really? This isn't your first?"
"I have nine, currently."
"Nine islands! My God. That's more than some countries could say."
Cole found he was looking for an edge to Owen's voice, something that indicated there was more to his comment than just genuine surprise. But he could find any.
Stop being such a suspicious jerk, he thought. Ever since he broke up with Roger he realized that the presence of other men, no, other people, made him slightly paranoid. He was starting to assume that because Roger wanted everything from him, then everyone wanted everything from him, too.
Owen seemed to sense he was lost in thought. "Sorry, I didn't mean to blurt that out loud." He must of confused Cole's silence with annoyance.
Cole hurried to ease his mind. "Not at all!" he said, with a laugh he hoped sounded as genuine as it was. "I find it kind of surprising, too, myself. It's not a common hobby." He grinned.
Owen laughed at this, and Cole was relieved to see he hadn't made him uncomfortable. Making him uncomfortable was the furthest thing Cole wanted to make him feel.
"No, I don't think it is. My sister, Naomi, collects little crystal pigs. And those can get expensive. I can't quite get my mind around collecting anything that people and buildings could stand on."
Still smiling, Cole shrugged. "I love nature. I love the ocean. And more importantly, I love being away from cities. Islands seemed like the perfect idea."
"Resorts?" Owen asked.
"Pardon?" The motors were very loud, so they had to practically shout at each other.
"Are you going to build resorts on them? Like Vadisha has?"
"No, not at all. Each island I purchase gets assessed for its natural properties. Its flora and fauna. Then I have my lawyers work on getting them earmarked as nature preserves."
This seemed to take Owen by surprise. Thankfully, his shocked expression quickly morphed into one of joy, complete with that incredible smile. "Really? That's amazing! So all your islands are nature preserves?"
"Nearly all of them. Some still need to go through the legal hoops. The idea is that as long as they are privately owned, then they will no longer be at risk for development. I want them left alone more or less."
Owen was nodding in agreement, his smile growing wider. "Well, count me surprised. I thought because of the resort here, that you were interested in bringing it back up to snuff."
"Well, I might, but not for tourists, or any kind of profit making ventures. I was thinking the resort here could be converted into maybe a lab of some sort. For studying the island plant life and animals. Also, maybe the jumping off point for an oceanographic society." Saying the words out loud made him feel a tad sheepish. He was still with Roger when he started this silly idea, and had purchased his first two islands. When Roger realized his intent, he was almost furious with him.
Think of the money you could be making! He had practically screamed. Rich tourists love islands. And they are willing to pay big bucks to go sit on them. And you want to just... what? Do nothing with them?
Cole had stood resolute. It was something he felt passionately about, regardless of what Roger said. But Roger would have none of it.
If your going to waste them then at least let me have them, Roger had said. I could be turning a profit on each one within a year. Easy!
Cole had been aghast, and a little saddened at his attitude. Now Roger was demanding islands from him?
Cole had had enough and they broke up almost on the spot.
"A swanky lab for scientists and oceanographers?" Owen said, bringing him back from his dark thoughts. "I like that idea. I really, really like that idea!" He was grinning from ear to ear, and looking directly at Cole, as if seeing him for the very first time.
Cole found he wanted to be in his gaze for a long time.
Suddenly, Owen pointed. "Hey, there it is. Vadisha Island!"
He turned to look. The profile of an island took up most of the horizon. From here, he could make out the lush jungle that seemed to encompass it entirely. One end, the south portion, had a higher elevation of hills than the north. A nearly unbroken line of white beach met the lapping blue waves of the ocean.
It was stunning.
"The resort is on the north side, in a bay. It will take us about twenty minutes to get there," Owen said.
"Take you time," he said. He was enjoying the view. He snuck a sideways glance in Owen's direction. And not just of the island.
If Owen noticed his attention he didn't say anything. Instead, he pointed past them on the horizon, further out to sea.
"That looks to be the only other ship in the entire area. If you were looking for a place of isolation, this place certainly fits the bill."
Cole squinted at the distant ship, then cast his gaze all around them. Sure enough, there were no other boats at all.
Perfect.
Again, he found himself looking more at Owen than the island jewel.
Who was this guy? What was his story? Cole found himself really wanting answers to those questions. More than anything at that moment.
Whoa, easy buddy, he thought. A rebound situation would not be good right now. Not what you need. Just focus on the work at hand. Its th
e best thing for you.
But glancing at Owen, he didn't think that thought process would hold for very long.
As they steered around the the island, toward the bay, Owen took time to point out some features, and talk about the island's history. Cole took all this in, but only politely. He just liked hearing him talk. Watch his expressions, and the way he moved.
Soon, they entered the north bay. At its deepest point was a line of buildings, mostly resort rooms made to look like oversized huts. And above them, spread almost majestically was the main resort building. The Sunshine Resort.
Owen deftly manoeuvred them up to the only dock, which was covered in debris.
"I got this," Cole said, and scrambled down to the deck and grabbed the ships front rope. Once they were close enough, he hoped easily across to the dock, and he tied it to the moor. He then did the same to the rear one, as Owen cut the engine.
No one came out to greet them. Nor were there any sounds, at least man made. They appeared to be completely alone.
Owen jumped over onto the dock, clutching a bag stuffed with what looked to be Realtor related stuff.
As Owen landed, he slipped, and Cole quickly caught him in both arms.
"Are you okay?" Cole asked, enjoying this little movie moment.
"Yeah!" Owen said, laughing nervously as Cole let him go. "I'm just fine. Thank you." He seemed to appreciate thier proximity more than he expected.
They turned to take in the island and the resort. Lush green jungle crowded in all around. Water lapped at the bay's white beach. The resort and all its buildings seemed to beckon to them.
It was quite amazing to look at, he thought. And again, his eyes were drawn to Owen.
He seemed equally impressed with the island. "Wow. Quite the sight. So, any first impressions?"
He removed his sunglasses so Owen could see his eyes were firmly fixed onto his. "My impression," He said, "is that I may have found more than I was expecting on this trip."
Chapter 4
Owen
Did he just make a pass at me?
Owen was stunned. He managed to blink out of his shock and return Cole's smile. He guessed Cole was complimenting him, and he found that he liked it.
"I'm glad to hear it," he said for lack of a better response. What else do you say when a single, handsome billionaire tells you something like that?
Then, without thinking, Owen said, "I like to know that my clients are happy."
What the heck did I just say? he thought. He mentally scolded himself. Now Cole must think he was this eager to flirt with all his clients.
Cole seemed to sense his inner conflict, and said, "Well, I'm most certain that I may be the first client to truly mean it." Again, that easy smile. He turned toward the resort, and Owen found himself breathing again.
"Shall we look around?" Cole asked.
"You bet," he said, glad the subject had changed. Keep it together girl! He fumbled out a folded laminated map of the resort. "You'll have to excuse me as I haven't the chance to be here before, so I can't go by memory."
"And here I was getting use to the idea that you were perfect," Cole said, grinning.
Oh, my God, he needs to stop that! Owen thought with alarm. But he found Cole's flirtatious talk refreshing. And welcome. Jason almost never flirted with him. He was too lazy, and it wasn't in his programming to show any appreciation for a guy. Let alone his.
Owen chuckled and unfolded the map. From the dock, it was an easy walk through the first set of bungalows, and to the resort's front doors.
"Lead the way," Cole said. He had taken out his smart phone, which was a model Owen had never seen before, and was taking pictures.
They walked down the long dock, which was devoid of any features save for their own ship. The clomping of their feet on the old wood was the loudest sound. Just the rustling of the leaves in the trees and the occasional sound of water lapping against the dock was all that could be heard.
"Very peaceful," Cole said, as if reading his mind. "I like that there is no one here. No tourists, anyway."
"Yeah," he said in agreement. It was quite nice. Especially after almost an hour of the boat motors roaring in his ears. Without tourists, or staff, this place was a calm paradise.
I could live here, he found himself thinking. Maybe I could learn to be an Oceanographer, or study birds, or something. he glanced at Cole who was taking a picture of one of the bungalows. Maybe, if he bought this place, I could manage some type of position here.
The thought of the word position, and multiples, and the image of Cole's naked form pressed up against him suddenly flashed in his mind. It brought him up short. He found the thought very pleasant.
Cole noticed him stop suddenly. "Everything okay?" he asked. There was genuine concern in his voice.
Owen found himself feeling flush, as if Cole could see what he had just imagined. "No, just fine, thank you," he managed. "Maybe just a little hot," he said. Hot because of him!
"I forgot to bring water," Cole said, and turned toward the boat. "I'll grab you a bottle."
"No that's okay. I have one here," he said. Owen quickly fished a plastic bottle of water out of his day bag and unscrewed the top. As he sipped he tried to get his mind back on track. Naked, sexy billionaires were nice to think about, but he had an island to sell.
Keep it together, and make this sale. Naomi would kill him if he found out that his brother couldn't close a potential sale of this size because he allowed himself to become smitten with the client.
He envisioned Naomi's look of disappointment, and it brought him back to reality.
Owen placed the bottle back into the bag. "Shall we continue?" he asked.
Cole smiled and nodded. "Lead the way."
They walked off the docks and onto a cobblestone path that lead one way into the clutter of bungalows and the other direction up toward the resorts main building. Cole indicated the direction of the main complex and they sauntered up the path.
Various bungalows and service buildings lined their way, but everything was widely spaced. All of them were locked and the windows sealed to keep the elements from getting inside. But it was quite obvious that nothing else had been done since, especially any upkeep.
Dirt, leaves and other debris cluttered the pathway. Cole playfully kicked aside a coconut out of their way.
"It looks like the insurance company didn't bother to spend any money for keeping things clean here," Cole said.
Owen was relieved that Cole didn't say Owen, and his sister's company were responsible. "No, I guess not," he said, a little embarrassed. "After the original owners went belly up, the bank moved in. Afraid they would be stuck with something as large as an island and its resort they quickly sold to an insurance company, which for whatever reason, saw a way to turn a profit. But it looks like even they didn't want to spend any more than they had to."
"No security?" Cole asked.
Owen shook his head, as he navigated around a small fallen tree that lay across the pathway. "None. Just a lot of locks and chains I guess."
"So there is no one else on the entire island?" He asked. "Except us two castaways?"
Again, Owen felt the beginnings of a flush up his neck. "Not any more. The bank did, more out of necessity, I think. Once word got out the resort was closed they had some regular security guards. But once it changed hands to the insurance company, that ended. So, yes," he said, glancing at him almost shyly, "We are the only people on the entire island. Or should be, at least."
Cole was smiling. Almost mischievously. "I like the thought of that."
As Owen was trying to interpret what that phrase could possibly mean, beyond the obvious, they came upon the resort building's front entrance. Huge double doors towered above them. Wrapped around the doors' pull handles, was a thick chain. At its center was a gigantic padlock. It was almost comical in size.
"Well, it doesn't look like anyone broke it," Owen said, with a sense of professional relief. He would have had
strong words with the insurance company if he had arrived to find the whole place ransacked.
"No doubt thieves were intimidated by this thing," Cole said, indicating the lock. "Got a key?" He smiled.
"You bet," Owen said, and fished out a ring of large keys. He had visited the insurance company's lawyers office before stopping to buy snacks, earlier. They had supplied him with the keys but not before asking if he would need a captain for the boat. That seemed to set the tone for the rest of the day.