Chapter Four

Anya groaned and tried to shield the light hitting her eyes. “Oh my head.” She mumbled. She shifted her position and yelped. Her bed was moving. Trying to open her eyes she was surprised to see a light canopy with palm trees in her profile. “What!” She sat up and fell flat on her face. Her head was pounding, the last thing she remembered was sitting with Liv in the spa, now all of a sudden she’s flipping out of a hammock onto a strange deck in an apparently tropical setting.

Standing gingerly trying to brace herself against the wall she noticed an envelope with her name on it. She dumped the contents of the envelope on the abandoned hammock. There was her passport and all vital information, a phone, a key and apparently a letter. She picked up the letter first,

Hey Anya.

You have not been kidnapped. It has been decided that you need some rest. You need to find fun again woman, you’re 25 and you act like you’re 80! Don’t worry about any of your engagements they have been rearranged. You are officially on that island for the next two weeks. Oh yeah it’s your island, the one you sent Orlando to. If you haven’t seen him yet it’s because he’s been warned that you might flip out. You will find all of your vitals in the envelope along with a phone that has a direct line to Bruce; don’t yell at him he only wants what’s best for you, as do I. And Anya so do your parents, that key is for a room that your dad had made just for you. If they had not died they were going to send you there as a form of rehab if need be, the alternative was to use it for people who needed to relax. One of those people is Orli I totally agree, but one of them is also you. Since you are there with him maybe he can teach you how to have fun again?

We’re doing this because we love you Anya please know that.

Love always,

Liv.

“Damnit!” Anya yelled, “How could you make these decisions without me? How DARE YOU!” She screamed into the air then stepped into the cabin.

The rooms in the cabin were in a loft position over the main area, which was open. If you stood in the front door way you would be directly in front of the spiral stairs. You could see up to the opposite doorways of the two bedrooms. Looking downstairs the kitchen was at the far right corner a dinning area in the far left. The corner to the immediate left was a sitting room surrounded by windows that looked onto the deck. To the immediate right was the bathroom. There were two doors by the kitchen one on the left that led down to the cellar and the other that lead out onto the back deck.

Orlando had been leaning his back enjoying the heat of the hot spring when he heard her yell. The sound that carried allowed him to hear her slam the door at the front and stomp through the home. He figured she’d gone upstairs to the locked room he’d encountered when he arrive a couple of days previous. He decided he’d stay right where he was until she at least calmed down. This was something he definitely had not anticipated from the calm, cool and in control woman he’d encountered before.

Anya was so angry she could hardly hold the phone to her ear. “Bruce.” She exclaimed through gritted teeth.

“Lee tells me you arrived without incident Miss Anya I am happy to hear that.” Bruce said calmly.

“Don’t you act all smug with me Bruce. It’s fucking dirty what you’ve done I can’t believe you went along with it!” She exclaimed and started pacing. She was in front of a room in the loft of the cabin. It was found to the right of a spiral staircase. She was looking at the locked door of what was to be her room.

“It was Liv who went along with the idea Miss Anya and it started with your father a year before they died.” He explained.

“What are you talking about Bruce?”

“You were headed in a bad direction before they died you of all people should know that.”

“Yes but I changed my ways I haven’t done any partying since then Bruce YOU should know THAT!” Anya didn’t think she had ever been so angry.

“You stopped partying yes and for that your parents would be very proud. But Anya you have been drowning your sorrow in business and charities for the last three years. You allowed your need to find someone for that island to help consume you.”

“Finding Orlando wasn’t an accident.” She said coming to some conclusions.

“Not totally, Miss Liv telephoned me one day saying she may have found a candidate for your island. When I expressed my concerns she came up with the idea of giving you young Mr. Bloom as your answer. Then we would take that opportunity to help you rest.”

“How dare you decide to help me without consulting me?” She seethed, “I can’t believe you’d be so meddlesome Bruce.”

“You are too stubborn to be consulted and you know it Miss Anya. Your father and mother are not here to teach you this lesson so those closest to you decided to intervene. You will thank us in the end.”

“I doubt it.” She muttered.

“You will Miss Anya, just think it could be worse. I could just have locked you in the basement of the estate. Instead you are on a tropical island with decidedly wonderful company.”

“Don’t you even try…” She couldn’t believe he would suggesting something romantic between her and some guy who may have been nice but was living the life she had left behind.

Bruce cut her off, “I’ve tried nothing. Enjoy your stay. Please only telephone if it’s an emergency.” He then hung up.

She stared incredulously at the phone, “I can’t believe this.” She muttered, “This isn’t happening.” Putting the phone on a hall table she then turned her gaze to the key in her hand. Her parents had built that room for her; she was scared to enter it.

So she didn’t she left the key in the door and went downstairs to find some alcohol. She needed a good stiff drink and she knew there was some expensive tequila around there somewhere.

Orlando waited for at least an hour before thinking it was safe to go back to the cabin. He let the water drip off of him as he walked back. The weather was so comfortable that he hadn’t taken a towel many places. The cabin was placed on the edge of what could only be called an oasis. The front faced the ocean and was about 100 feet from it. There was a spacious porch that went right around the building. Orlando found Anya where he had left her, on the hammock to the left of the front steps. The only difference was this time she was awake and halfway through a bottle of tequila.

“My God you are gorgeous.” She slurred.

He stared at her for bit, “Are you all right?”

“I’m just wonderful now. This is stuff is heaven in a bottle.” She laughed, “And you are heaven in a man while I’m on heaven of an island. I’m surrounded by heaven.”

He chuckled and picked up the half open bottle, “I think you’ve had enough heaven for one night.”

“It’s better than emotional hell.” She muttered her mood changing drastically, “They made that room for me, up there. My room…Daddy built me a room and now he’s gone. Daddy and Mom…gone.” She sniffed and reached out for the bottle, “I think I need more heaven.”

He kept the bottle an arm’s reach away from her, “I hear water can be heaven.” He suggested.

In reaching for the bottle she flipped out of the hammock, “Ouch. Why don’t you just let me drown Mr. Heaven?”

He put the bottle down and went to help her up, “Because I’m too much of a gentleman. Now let’s get you up to your room.”

“My room? Daddy’s room…Mom’s room…my room.” She mumbled and leaned on him. He opened the door with one hand and supported her with the other.

“Come on Anya keep walking love.” He coaxed as they slowly made their way up the stairs.

She giggled all of a sudden, “You’re wet.” She ran her hand down his chest, “You’re wet and now I’m wet…look at that. No shirt and wet. God you’re gorgeous.”

Under any other circumstances he would have been extremely turned on. She was rubbing precariously low on his abdomen. “Watch it there.” He took her hand and held it in his; “You’ll be embarrassed enough as it is.”

Upon reaching the room he noticed the key in the handle. He propped her up against the wall and turned it, “I can’t sleep there…he made it for me…she decorated. Daddy…Mom.” She was mumbling again.

He stepped into the room and flipped on the light. It was decorated in stark colours, blue and yellow. The bed was a large canopy with cascading blue silk. He set her down on the bed, “Your room is beautiful.” He breathed.

She just nodded keeping her gaze to the floor, “Blue for my eyes. Daddy always said there was no blue like my eyes.”

She lay back her feet still dangling over the side. He lifted them up and gently placed them on the bed. The weather was cool enough that he pulled back a light blanket. “Are you going to be all right?” He leaned down to see her face her eyes were half open.

She patted his cheek with a smile, “I’ll be okay Mr. Heaven…you go back to being relaxed.” The last word was a mere breath.

He moved some hair from her face which she acknowledge with a deep sigh, “Passed out.” He muttered. “Sweet dreams Anya Hart.” He left the door to the room open in case he heard anything then went back downstairs to get a drink of his own. He sat on the hammock that swung to the right of the main door and took a shot out of the discarded tequila bottle. He tried to read one of the books he brought but his mind kept drifting to the woman passed out upstairs. She really wasn’t as put together as he’d first imagined. She needed help and he was short of people he could pass her off to, not that he wanted to. He was curious about this woman and he had plenty of time to get answers.

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