Blind Love

When he put her down, she raised her hand and went to slap him, but he grabbed her wrist before she made an impact.

“No one slaps me,” he barked.

“You have no right to treat me this way. My father will have your head when he finds out how you manhandled me.”

“How do you think he’ll feel when he finds out the way you were behaving, and how that creep had his hands all up in your business? I bet Daddy will never let you out of the house again. Now get in the fucking car.”

“I hate you,” she yelled at him.

“You’re breaking my heart,” he said sarcastically as he opened the passenger door, waiting for her to get in. He got behind the wheel, fastened his seat belt, and looked at her. “Seat belt,” he snapped.

“Asshole,” she said loudly as she buckled her seat belt.

With his hands on the wheel, his eyes on the road, he headed back to her home. “You really shouldn’t act like that in public, especially with some moron.”

“I can act any way I want to. And that moron is a nice guy.”

“Nice guy my ass,” Drake scoffed. “He had his hand down another woman’s pants when you were in the washroom.”

“You’re lying,” she said, turning her head in his direction.

“I’m afraid it’s true. Even when you were sitting with him at the table drinking, he ran his hand up the server’s legs every time she came over with drinks. She handed him a piece of paper—I’m assuming it was her phone number.”

Drake felt sorry for her when he saw her face turn pale.

“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice softening.

“Don’t you dare feel sorry for me,” Catherine said, turning her head away. “If there’s one thing I hate, it’s someone feeling pity for me.”

When they got home, she waited for him to open her door. When she got out, she took her cane from her purse and unfolded it. She then headed to the door with Drake following her.

She entered the house and, not saying a word to him, she headed upstairs.

Drake needed a drink, so he went into the kitchen, looking for a beer. “Is there no beer in this damn place?” he cursed as he searched the fridge.

“You won’t find any in there, sir.”

He straightened up when he heard a male voice. Drake turned and saw the cook. “I know there’s beer. I had one before,” Drake said.

“Yes, sir, but it’s kept in the cooler. Let me go get you a couple,” the cook said.

He opened a door, walked in, and returned moments later with two bottles in his hands.

The cook opened one and handed it to Drake, putting the other one on the counter. “I see Miss Templeton is home early tonight.”

Drake took a swallow of his beer. “Yeah, I guess her date didn’t turn out the way she thought it would. Have you worked for the Templetons long?”

“Going on twenty years, sir.”

“How do you ever put up with her?”

“Who, Miss Templeton? She’s all right—a lovely young woman.”

“Are we talking about the same person?” Drake asked, wiping the drop of beer that missed his mouth.

“She’s not as bad as she tries to make people think. I’ve known her since birth, and I have to admire her.”

“Why’s that?”

“When she lost her sight in the accident, she could have depended on people to do everything for her. But instead, she picked herself up, learned how to do things for herself. And she has become quite good at it. She’s quite a remarkable woman. Many a night I’d find her in here making a snack or coffee.”

“With no sight how could she?”

“Mr. Templeton hired someone to teach her, and she through time learned where everything is placed. I’m sure he’s told you not to move anything—and if you do, put it back the way it was. Nothing has moved in eight years, and we all do our part in keeping an eye on her.”

“If you think so highly of her, why is it that she’s gone through so many bodyguards?”

“Most of them made the mistake of treating her differently. Some of them tried to get away with things they shouldn’t have. It will take someone very strong, someone who will pass all of the tests she’ll throw at them. The girl will test you, sir. She’ll push your buttons.”

“She’s already pushing my buttons.”

The cook laughed. “It’s only just begun. My name is John, and if you want more beer, please help yourself. Good night.”

“Night, John.”

Before John walked away, he turned to Drake. “I hope you will pass the tests. I have a feeling you are just what she needs.”

Drake finished his beer, grabbed the full one, and headed up to his room. He wanted to check on her to see if she was all right. He knocked on her door.

“Who is it?”

“It’s me, Drake. Can I come in?”

She opened the door, wearing a white nightgown. “What do you want?” she asked, not letting him enter.

He could tell she had been crying. Her eyes were red and her face pale. “I wanted to see if you were all right. I’m sorry about your date, but he was a jerk.”

She opened the door wider, walked over to the bed, and sat down. “I should have known what he was doing to the server when she brought over our drinks. I sensed it but chose to ignore it.”

“There’s no way you could have known,” he said, sitting down next to her. “Don’t shed any tears over him. He was a creep, and you deserve better than him.” Drake stood up and loosened his tie. “I’ll see you in the morning. Night.”

“Good night, Drake.”

He went back to his room and got undressed. His thoughts went to her.

Could it be possible that he had her all wrong? Was she really a nice person who was hiding her true self behind the mask of a spoiled bitch?

Or were her tears just another game she was playing with him?

Damn, he was so confused right now.

It was so hot the next day Drake decided to go for a swim, and when he got there, Catherine was already in the pool. He watched her as she swam from one end to the other, going back and forth several times before she stopped.

“Are you going to come in, or just stand there watching me?”

“How did you know I was here?”

“I could smell you. You have a very intoxicating scent,” she said, hanging on to the edge of the pool. “Come on in, the water feels so refreshing.”

He dropped his towel and dove right in. He splashed her, and she squealed. He did a couple of laps before swimming over to her.

“You’re right, this is very refreshing. You have no idea how lucky you are to live in a place with so many luxuries.”

“I do know, but money isn’t everything,” she said, moving closer to him. “Why aren’t you married with kids?”

“You’re getting personal.”

“I’m curious. You seem lonely, even though I’m guessing you sleep around a lot.”

“You’re very nosey. But I haven’t found anyone I would want to settle down with. As for kids, I’m not sure if I want to bring children into this world with all the sadness and crime that we have. What about you? Do you want to get married and have kids?”

She swam away from him before stopping. “I used to think about getting married and having kids, but with me being blind, who would want me? And how could I take care of a baby in my condition?”

“Don’t sell yourself short. Many women are blind or can’t walk, and they raise a family with no trouble.”

She swam over to him and put her arms around his neck. “Do you want to make love to me?”

He removed her arms from around his neck.

“Hold on a minute, where did this come from? You’ve been flirting with me from day one, and I have to ask you to stop. Nothing is going to happen between us. And no, I don’t want to make love to you.”

She was hurt, not liking that he was turning her down, so she swam over to the side and got out, grabbed a towel, and wrapped it around her.

“You need to drive me into town so I can do some shopping. Be ready in one hour,” she ordered and walked away.

Well, so much for thinking that deep down she was a nice person. She’d just showed her rude and demanding side once again.

Drake finished his swim and went in to change into his suit. At one time he’d been protecting high officials and movie stars. Now he was nothing more than a glorified babysitter for a rich man’s daughter.

They made it to the store she wanted to go to. When they were inside, she handed him her purse to hold.

He sat down in the dressing room while she went behind the curtain, trying on several different outfits. After each one she tried on, she came out to ask for his opinion.

The first one she put on was a blue dress with a plunging neckline. “How does this one look on me?”

“It’s nice but too revealing. I can see your breasts, and so will others.”

“That’s the idea, to show off what I’ve got. Tell me, do you like my breasts? Would you like to touch them?”

They’re really nice, but no thanks. I’ll pass,” he said, smirking. The truth was he couldn’t take his eyes off them and thought about what it would be like to touch and suck on them.

She tried on several dresses and ended up buying all of them, even the blue one.

“Where to now, princess?” he asked, carrying her bags to the car.

“I’m hungry. Take me to dinner at Mel’s steak house. They make the best steaks around, and they also have my favorite wine.”

“Or we could just go home and eat,” he said, not really wanting to go to some fancy restaurant.

He’d heard of that place—it was expensive, and one needed to make a reservation a month in advance. “We don’t have a table reserved, so I doubt we’ll get in.”

“That’s not a problem. They know me and my father and will give us their best table. If it’s the money you’re worried about, I’ll put it on my father’s tab.”

He sighed and drove to Mel’s. They were seated at a table by a window. She ordered a bottle of wine while he looked over the menu. He couldn’t believe the price of the meals. To him, it was an outrage.

He ordered the filet mignon and made a snorting noise when she ordered the creamy pesto shrimp. She turned her head in his direction.

“Is there something wrong with what I ordered?”

“No, it’s just that it has garlic in it, and I would never have taken you for one who would want it on their breath.”

She picked up her glass of wine, getting ready to take a drink. “I wouldn’t if I knew I was going to get kissed.” She leaned over just a little toward him. “Are you planning on kissing me, Drake? If so, I’ll order something different.”

He was glad she couldn’t see him rolling his eyes at her. The woman never gives up, he thought.

“Have your garlic, princess. You’ll not be getting kissed by me.”

She sat back with a smug look, knowing sooner or later she would get him to kiss her. “Will you tell me about yourself? Are your parents still alive? And where do they live?”

Normally, he would never discuss his personal life with a client, but to keep his mind from thinking about her in a sexual way, he opened up a little. “My parents are alive and living back in Ireland.”

“So far away. You must miss them?”

“Not really. I haven’t seen or talked to them in over five years.”

“Five years, but why?”

“It’s a long story, and one I have no intentions of telling you.”

“But they’re your parents. How can you be so cold?”

“Just drop it,” he snapped.

“It does bother you that you haven’t talked to them.”

“What makes you think it bothers me?”

“I can hear it in your voice. You miss them. You really should get in touch with them because once they pass away, you’ll regret it. You only have two parents, and life is short.”

She was curious as to what had happened between them but knew he wasn’t ready to talk about it.

“Just finish your meal so that I can get you home,” Drake said, placing his fork down.

It pissed him off that she brought up his family after it had taken him so long to push them from his mind. He didn’t want to remember them or what had caused the rift between them.

“Do you have any brothers or sisters?” she asked, still trying to get him to open up.

“I had an older brother, but he died years ago. And don’t ask me how because I’m not going to tell you. Are you ready to leave now?”

She wiped her mouth with the napkin and laid it down. “Yes, just wave the waiter over, and I’ll have the bill put on my father’s tab.”

“I’ll pay for it,” he said, pulling out his wallet. Drake handed the young waiter his card. He rose and walked with her out to his car. He wanted to get home and have a few shots of some hard liquor.