Kept (Bound Book 1)

by Leona Keyoko Pink

  Two hours passed before Cage finally slammed down his phone and ran his hands through his hair. He saw what time it was and knew ordering from the chef was going to take some time. He pushed himself away from the desk and said, “Fuck it! Let’s go out.”

  Autumn looked up at him, surprised. Usually when he made plans he made them hours in advance. He seemed tired as he ordered the helicopter readied. A few minutes later they left and Autumn got an amazing view of the city. They went to a restaurant several miles away, landing on its roof. Cage ordered on the way and when they got there it was ready.

  The meal was rather nice for such short notice and Autumn wondered if this place already had its food waiting for when people arrived. When she finished before Cage, she sipped her ice cold lemonade and looked out the window. Cage seemed to have enjoyed the meal. He looked relaxed for the first time in days. He ordered them some desserts and when they came he put his hand on top of Autumn’s, smiling at her.

  Autumn looked at him. She knew she probably shouldn’t push him, but she hadn't talked about it in weeks. She needed him to know how important it was and that she was always thinking about it. “I want you to let Byron go.”

  Cage groaned loudly as he pulled his hand away. He couldn’t believe she was doing this yet again, especially after he flipped the table. It felt like she always wanted something and was always nagging him. He looked to his dessert and said, “Please, can we just have one meal you don’t ruin? We're almost done, really.”

  “Cage…I’m sorry I won’t complain about Adel. I’ll do whatever you ask and if I don’t get anything for a very long time or ever again it would be okay. Just let him go. Please, I’m asking you to make an exception to your rules. Byron went to school to be a doctor. He was top of his class. You should let him be a doctor. Let me take on his family’s debt.”

  “You? I already have you.” said Cage, laughing.

  “Please Cage, I’ll do whatever it takes.” pleaded Autumn.

  Cage picked at his dessert as she continued to plead with her eyes. Eventually he sighed. He pushed his plate away. Autumn didn't think he would flip the table again, at least not in public, but she bit her lower lip and pulled back. She readied herself just in case. Cage sat there for a few minutes before he rested his elbows on the table. He intertwined his fingers before he said, “Whatever?"

  The way he looked at her was almost frightening. He looked like a devil about to make a deal. Autumn swallowed hard before she nodded. “Whatever.”

  “Fine.” said Cage, with a smug smile. “Then go away with me on a date.”

  “A date? Isn’t this... a date?” asked Autumn, looking around.

  “A real date. You and me for an entire day, having a nice time together. No arguments, no struggling, and most of all no asking for shit.”

  “And you’ll forgive Byron’s family debt?”

  “No.” said Cage, pulling back. “But I can consider giving him a job where he could put his skills to use. I could get him a position as a doctor at a real hospital. When we need a doctor from time to time he can provide his services. It’s a compromise, Autumn. It’s all I’m willing to offer. Accept it, or don’t. I have things to do, as do you.”

  Autumn wanted to think about it and Cage let her. He paid for their meal and they went back to the helicopter. It took them back to the tower in silence. When Autumn got home she expected Adel to start bossing her around again, but Adel told Autumn that Cage had given her the afternoon off to do some thinking.

  Autumn thought about it for the rest of the afternoon and into the evening. She rubbed Poppi’s belly and considered what he’d offered. She didn’t really want to spend an entire day with Cage, to have to pretend to be happy with her life. But this might be Byron's only chance to be a doctor. Before she went to bed she told Adel to tell Cage she had accepted his offer and it was a deal.

  **********

  The next morning she was woken around two or three in the morning. She was half awake as Adel handed her a lime green string bikini and a short white dress. She changed slowly and after a few minutes she found herself stumbling into some sandals before she was practically dragged up some stairs to the roof. The helicopter was waiting and ready to go. She got in and Cage buckled her up before he buckled himself in. Fredric was flying and they were soon off into the air.

  Autumn yawned and asked where they were going, but Cage just smiled and wouldn’t tell her. He talked on his cell phone and made arrangements up until they got in his private jet. Once they were seated Cage turned off his cell phone and handed it to Fredric, who put it in his front pocket. Cage leaned forward and touched Autumn’s knees as she sat across from him. “As of now, no work. No engagements. Just you and me together, doing whatever we want.”

  Autumn knew that wasn’t true because if she could do whatever she wanted she would be back in bed. Still, she didn’t say anything as the jet took off. After they were in the air for a few minutes, Cage put Autumn’s seat back and she fell asleep. When she woke up Cage was dressed in a black button up shirt and a white tank top with knee-high black jeans. He had on some black water shoes and his hair was messy behind a pair of sunglasses. She wondered where they were, and she found it strange to see him so causal.

  From what she could tell they were landing on an island. When they got off the jet Autumn saw two sports cars. A black one and an orange one. Cage got into the black one with Autumn and Fredric got into the orange one. There didn’t seem to be any other security as far as Autumn could tell. She wondered if Cage owned the island. He took them to a beach home some thirty minutes away.

  Fredric picked up some keys at the door before opening the house. Cage looked around like it was the first time he’d seen the place. Autumn had no idea he’d just purchased it hours ago. It was fully furnished and looked nice.

  As Autumn looked around she asked, “Is this entire island yours?”

  Cage laughed as he looked things over and said, “No, just this house. Believe it or not, Autumn, I don’t own everything. Mind you, I could own this island, I suppose. But I don’t want the hassle of tourism. It can be a fickle market.”

  “Hmm.” said Autumn as she checked out the different rooms. Cage followed her and took hold of her hand before she could wander off too far. “Come on, lets go to the beach.”

  Autumn let him lead her out of the beach house. It wasn’t a far walk to the beach. It was a bit chilly when they got there, but nice nonetheless. Cage quickly took hold of Autumn’s white dress, pulling it off her so she was just in her sparkly lime green string bikini. Though it barely covered anything she felt comfortable in it. She was in the best shape of her life and, as Cage took her in, she could tell it showed. He shoved the dress in his pocket and together the two walked along the wet sand.

  Cage told her this was one of the best times to come to the beach. He told her early morning usually had a few people running or looking for treasure, and of course there were those that wanted to watch the sunrise. By mid afternoon the morning people were gone and it was usually too early for the afternoon crowd. Come lunch, the entire area would fill up and stay that way all afternoon. By evening it would die down a bit, and then at night it would fill up once more with the night crowd.

  Autumn listened to him and found it oddly interesting. As they walked they picked up seashells and every so often Autumn ran into the water. When she went too far in Cage rushed in and lifted her off her feet before he carried her back to land. He warned her that she could get pulled in and he wasn’t about to get wet saving her. She laughed, but kept an eye on the water. Cage picked up some rocks and began to skip them across the water.

  Autumn watched him for a while before she wondered if this no fight, no struggle thing went both ways. She wondered if she could get some real answers from him and asked, “Can I ask you something?”

  “If it won't cause a fight.” said Cage, picking up another rock.

  “Well, I just wanted to ask you about your childhood. You said
it was like any other, but where did you grow up? What was it really like?”

  Cage sighed. She wondered if she should just let this drop but she wanted to know him. If she had to spend all day with him, they should at least have one meaningful conversation. Cage skipped his rock across the water before he scratched his head and said, “I grew up in the mountains and my uncle beat me every day.”

  He said it so casually that it caught Autumn off guard. She watched him bend down and get another rock. She couldn’t help but say, “Really?” She felt like an idiot as soon as she said it.

  Especially when he replied, “Yes, really.”

  He threw another rock and it skipped seven times. Autumn bit her lip before she quickly asked “What about your parents? Where were they?”

  “My father’s in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Not that he hasn’t committed worse crimes, but he didn’t commit the one he’s in for. I should know. I saw it happen.” Cage sighed as he picked up another rock and added, “And my mother died when I was seven.”

  “That must have been awful.” said Autumn.

  “Ehh.” said Cage, shrugging his shoulders. “Everybody dies eventually.”

  “Still, I’m sorry.” said Autumn, feeling sorry for him. Maybe all of this explained why he was what he was. It didn’t excuse it, of course. A lot of people had hard upbringings. It didn’t turn them into monsters. But still, she could see where he might be jaded, or warped.

  Cage groaned with annoyance before he said, “I don’t care about sorry. Sorry doesn’t help you. It doesn’t get you anywhere. It just opens you up.”

  Autumn didn’t say anything and the two walked silently for a few minutes until Cage asked, “So, what do you want out of life? I know you want to be free. But if you were free, what would you dedicate your entire life to? What would you want to do if you could do anything? I don’t want a bullshit answer like spending time with family and friends. I mean what are you passionate about?”

  Autumn stopped walking and looked at Cage. He stopped a few feet away from her and waited for her to answer him. She thought about telling him that freedom was all she was passionate about, or that spending time with family and friends would be a worthy dedication. But she had made a deal not to fight with him. So she looked out at the water and really thought about what she wanted to do if she could do anything. “I guess…I want to travel. I want to see everything and... go everywhere. I want to take pictures and make memories so that when I’m old and settled I can look back on my life and know that I’ve lived.”

  Cage was silent as he thought about what she said. After a few minutes he said, “You know, if you let me, I could take you all over the world.”

  Autumn looked at him. She didn’t know what to say so she didn’t say anything at all. They continued on for a bit before turning around. By the time they got back it was lunch and they were both hungry. Cage gave her back her dress and suggested they have lunch at a restaurant on the beach. It had a nice sit down area with parasols. As Autumn put her dress back on she agreed and together the two walked up to it.

  A waitress seated them a few minutes later. She looked more like a model than a waitress. She had beautiful hair and was wearing a short white t-shirt and short, short, red shorts. It was part of her uniform, but fit ever so tightly. Autumn could admire her features, and she knew Cage no doubt would.

  The waitress took notice of Cage, as he was rather handsome. She blushed when he charismatically greeted her. He sparked up some pleasant conversation and the waitress began to flirt with him as she asked what they wanted to drink. Cage ordered them some wine and she swayed her hips side to side as she went to get it. Autumn watched Cage follow her with his eyes. A moment later she returned with the wine and menus.

  She was slow to pass out the menus and pour the wine. She rested her hands on Cage every so often as she laughed at a joke he made. She was there for a good ten minutes before some other people came up and she went to seat them.

  Cage looked at the menu for the first time and Autumn glared at him. How he could just flirt in front of her so openly was beyond her. After all, this whole day was supposed to be his idea. It was supposed to be just her and him, and here he was latching on to any woman he saw.

  Cage noticed her searing gaze on him and looked up. “What? What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.” said Autumn, looking at her menu.

  Cage sighed before he said, “I thought we had a deal. No fighting, no struggling. If something is on your mind, just tell me.”

  “It’s nothing.” said Autumn. “I just don’t like it when... you know.”

  “What? When what?” asked Cage.

  “When you flirt with other women. Whatever, I mean if you want to be with them be with them. But you’re here with me now and this was sort of your idea. So I figure, I mean, if you want to be with me then be with me.”

  Cage smiled as he realized what Autumn was getting at. He leaned back in his chair and said, “You don’t like me being with other women.”

  “I didn’t say that.” said Autumn, blushing. She hid behind her menu. She felt stupid for bringing it up. “I just figured since it's our date…whatever. Do what you want.”

  Cage chuckled at Autumn‘s obvious jealously. He sipped some wine before he set it down and said, “If you don’t like it and don’t want me with another woman, all you have to do is say so Autumn. If you ask me, I won't ever sleep with another woman.”

  Autumn scoffed at Cage. She knew his reputation with women and doubted he would stop on her behalf. Besides, what did it matter? She didn‘t care about him or what he did. She rolled her eyes and said, “I could care less.”

  Cage took another sip of his wine and doubted she was telling the truth. When it came time to order he ordered for the both of them. The waitress flirted with him again but this time he didn’t take his eyes off Autumn. She eventually walked away.

  When the waitress brought their meal several minutes later, she smiled at Cage. He looked right through her as he asked for their check. She gave it to him and he paid her in cash. He also tipped her twenty percent of the meal before coldly telling her they would no longer need her services.

  The waitress looked at Cage and then gave Autumn a sour look. She walked off and Autumn wondered what Cage’s deal was. She said she didn’t care, so why had he stopped? They ate their meal in silence after that.

  When they were done they left and took a stroll down the main streets. They stopped at nearly every gift shop, taking in all the odds and ends. At one point they stopped to watch several street performers. Autumn liked them so much she asked Cage if she could tip them. She quickly wondered if that was asking him for something, but he didn’t seem to think so. He gave Autumn a fifty to put in their tip jar.

  After that they started walking again. By mid afternoon they passed a pedal car rental shop and Autumn thought it looked like fun. “Oh, let’s get a pedal car!”

  A pedal car?” said Cage, looking at the rental shop.

  “Yeah, it looks fun!” said Autumn walking towards the shop.

  Cage reached out and grabbed her arm. She turned and looked at him as he shook his head. “Let's not. It might look like fun, but it won't be. It will be a lot of work.”

  “Oh, come on. We’re both in shape and it looks cute.”

  “If you want something cute, I can get us a fucking golf cart. Or, fuck, it I’ll buy one of these and have it outfitted with a motor.”

  “But that won't be the same thing.” said Autumn, sighing.

  Cage looked at her and then to the rental shop. He let out a deep sigh of his own before he said, “Fine, we’ll get one. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  Autumn smiled and they walked up to the rental shop. They found a two-seater pedal car that had a basket in front and in back for their things. They rented it for a full hour. Autumn was excited to pedal all over the place and asked if she could drive. Cage let her and the two took off.

  While it looked
like it might be easy and fun, it actually wasn’t. The steering wheel screeched when she turned it, and was difficult to turn. The wooden seats were hard and after a few minutes hurt to sit on. The worst though was the pedals. Autumn had assumed that once they got started it would be simple momentum that kept them going. But it felt like they were always going uphill.

  They had to ride the pedal car in traffic at first, and every time they stopped and started it was a struggle. Cars honked at them, and when they finally got off the road and onto a bike path Autumn realized Cage had been right. She didn’t want to admit it though, so for twenty minutes they attempted to pedal around. When they nearly killed themselves going up a small hill and then down it, she finally decided to admit she was wrong.

  “Okay, you were right.” said Autumn as they came to a stop. She rested her head on the steering wheel and said, “This sucks.”

  She expected him to gloat, and he did as he got out. Autumn got out as well and they switched sides. He steered as they both walked the pedal car back to the shop. They turned it in with a good thirty minutes left on their time.

  Cage gathered their things once more and together they walked away. Hand and hand, they walked down the sidewalk. Cage teased, “You should trust me more.”

  “I know.” said Autumn. “But there are some things I just have to figure out myself.”

  “I’m getting that.” said Cage, and he smiled at her. “I imagine we’re not the only ones to get one of those and turn it in so quickly. That guy probably makes bank. Can you imagine how many people get one of those only to turn it in a few minutes later? We were in shape and we had it for thirty minutes. Imagine a couple who doesn’t work out. They probably only lasted ten, if that.”

  Autumn didn’t feel so bad then. At least they had gone thirty minutes. And in the future she would know better than to get a pedal car. “Maybe next time we’ll try one of your golf carts.”