*Michael*I felt New York City’s oppressive air even before we landed. Not that I didn’t like the city, but after spending time in the open, tropical air, the concrete ocean was stifling. It was also raining, and a light fog hung suspended over the towering buildings. A car was already waiting for me at the landing strip, and before long, we were stuck in the usual city traffic. I was heading straight to Bruce’s apartment and then back to the airport. I knew Shelby was in good hands back at the hotel, but I wanted to get back to her as soon as possible.Bruce’s apartment was in a cozy Brooklyn neighborhood, though there was no elevator in it. I made a mental note to offer him a place at one of my buildings downtown, rent-free, of course. He’d need the rest while he recovered from his wounds.I climbed up the five floors and realized I hadn’t brought him or his wife anything, so I went back down and bought a bottle of wine and chocolates from the nearest bodeg
*Shelby*The helicopter sent deck chairs flying as it landed. Small ripples were sent out in all directions across the surface of the water. I still couldn’t believe that the yacht was really big enough to have its own landing pad, but Michael landed with no problem. He stepped off of the helicopter just as the pilot killed the propeller.Michael ran across the landing pad and swept me up into his arms, spinning me in a small circle. A giggle burst out of my mouth as he squeezed me tighter. He finally set my feet back down on the solid deck, but he didn’t let me go.“I’m so glad that you’re safe,” he whispered in my ear.“I missed you so much. I’m so glad that you’re back,” I said, barely choking back the tears that threatened to fall as soon as I saw him.Michael released me from the embrace, but slipped his fingers through mine, and walked away from the helicopter. I was unsure of where he was leading me until we got halfway down a hallway I vaguely remembere
*Shelby*“What’re the plans for today?” I asked Michael as we were eating breakfast on our private deck. I’d discovered a love for the yacht’s chef’s famous french toast, and I’d ordered it every morning since the very first on the yacht. I shoved the last piece of the decadently cinnamon-covered bread in my mouth as Michael sipped on his black coffee.“I scheduled a private snorkeling tour for everyone this afternoon. I guess there are supposed to be sea turtles in the area, and I thought we’d test our luck and see if we could spot one. Do you think that’s something your friends will enjoy?” he asked.“Are you kidding? That sounds absolutely amazing, Michael,” I said, leaning over the table to kiss him.“I’m glad that you like the idea. I just have to finish up a few things for work before we head out. I’ll meet you down on the main deck at noon,” Michael said, setting his coffee cup down and heading back inside our stateroom.I enjoyed the rest of my mo
*Shelby*The jet skis motor filled my ears, and the cool breeze whipped against my face. I felt the sunlight on my eyes before I opened them. One side of my body was cold from being wet and exposed to the wind, and the other side of my body was warm against Michael. It took me a few seconds to remember exactly where I was.I came to just as Michael pulled the jet ski up to the side of the boat; the crew was waiting on the swim deck. One of the pool boys grabbed my arms to hoist me back onto the yacht. He settled me down on the swim deck, and I watched the blood pooling around my injured foot.Michael was at my side in seconds. He ripped his shirt off and wrapped it around my foot, securing it by tying the sleeves together in a makeshift tourniquet.“Is that okay? It needs to be tight enough to stop the bleeding but not to the point of pain,” Michael said, concern knitting his brows together.“No, it’s okay,” I answered, holding myself up on my elbows trying to
*Shelby*On our last day at sea, the water was extremely choppy and made us all a little seasick. I spent most of the day by the pool, watching the water slosh from one side of the deck to the other. The motion of the pool matched the motion of my stomach, and I wasn’t the only one walking around the decks with a slightly green hue on my face.We were all overjoyed when the yacht docked at Michael’s beach house in the Bahamas that next morning. The sun was rising over the top of the mansion and made the white stone glow as if it was an answer to all of our prayers. The swaying palm trees colored the pictures of my memories of this place as if they had turned slightly gray with time, but as I stared out at the land from the deck, everything came back to me in the perfect colors.“Shelby, this place is absolutely unreal. You really stayed here before?” Lin asked me, coming to stand next to me on the deck as the crew dropped the anchor. “It does seem unreal, doe
*Shelby*The sun started setting as Lin, Aubrey, and I finally got up from our lounge chairs under the beach cabana. We’d spent the entire afternoon talking about old times, drinking cocktails, and eating our body weight in fresh fruit.“I don’t know how we’re possibly going to fit another bite of food in after that lunch,” Aubrey said, rubbing her stomach.“Oh, I promise you’ll be able to find the room as soon as we sit down for dinner. I’ve discovered you actually have a second stomach on vacation. It’s always right there, ready to go just when you think you’ll never be able to eat again,” I said.Lin and Aubrey laughed at my comment, and we all linked arms with each other as we made our way back up to the mansion. Our feet continued to sink into the dry sand as we walked, making the journey back feel so much harder than our walk down to the cabana.“Where have you three pretty ladies been all afternoon?” Giani asked, sitting next to the pool with a glass of
*Shelby*I woke up late the next morning, having fallen asleep in Michael’s arms after we showered together. I still felt some sand between the strands of my hair, but last night was so magical that I didn’t mind it. That was until I heard Michael speaking on the phone in the bathroom.“It’s a party, Calvin. Bring whomever you want.”I snuck up to him and snatched him at the waist, startling him.“I have to go. See you tonight,” he said to the phone, setting it on the counter by the sink, and hugging me.“What party are you talking about?” I asked, ruffling his hair to see if it was in the same situation as mine. No sand there, though.“I thought it would be a good idea to have some of my colleagues and friends over. I want everyone to know about our official engagement. The people I like, anyway.” Michael kissed me on the forehead. “If it’s alright with you, of course.”“How formal will it be?” I said. “I should let Aubrey and Lin know as soon as possible. They’ll kil
*Shelby*When my body collided against the dock’s wooden beams, I was sure I’d broken something. But that was nothing compared to the pain of being dragged over them by this masked man. The rough planks scraped my legs as I tried to stand and get myself free from his grip.“Stop! What are you doing?” I screamed, and the man turned toward me and smacked me in the head, quickly inserting a piece of cloth into my mouth and tying the ends to the back of my head.My head began to throb in the place he’d hit me, and I felt him reaching around my body with a prickly material.It was rope, the one used to tie up the boats. With a strong twist that pressed my hands together, he had me tied up. He then pushed me back to the ground, tying up my legs.I wiggled and thrashed around, trying to make it hard for him to move me, but it was useless. He was so much stronger than me.As if I weighed no more than a sack of clothes, he slung me over his shoulders and roughly tossed me onto a boa