Eye in the Sky Bk 02: Artifact Ch. 02

I must thank my team. Harddaysknight is my mentor and gives me critical review. SBrooks103x also gives me a pre-post read. My editors are Girlinthemoon, Hale1 and GeorgeAnderson. I thank you all.

Oliver sent Ben with Kane and Bannon when they got to George Town. He gave him money and told him to buy fresh vegetables and any fresh herbs he might find. He took him aside and told him to buy clothes for the girls. He gave him a great deal of money and a credit card.

"They left all their stuff in Nassau, and if we want them to stay we need to get things for them. See if you can find out their sizes and don't let them know you're buying the stuff. Get one of the clerks to look them over and tell you what they will need. Have it delivered to the boat and put in your cabin so they won't know. Then when we get back out to sea they'll have to take them. It might embarrass them if we just try to buy things from them. I have the feeling that they don't have much money. If they see anything while you're shopping that they like but don't buy, you slip back and buy it for them. Have it delivered to the boat. You understand, son?"

Ben could hardly contain his excitement at the prospect. He left at once, walking between the girls and holding their hands. He looked back at Oliver and winked.

Oliver walked to the police station and asked the man at the desk where he might enquire about people looking for work. He was directed to a certain Mr. Cali who would be able to help him. It turned out that it would require a small fee but Cali would be able to find all the people he needed except for the estate manager.

"These people work very hard and they can do all the things you want, but they cannot manage other people, schedules or money. I am sorry, sir, but you need someone with an education for that, and I just don't have anyone like that available. Perhaps you might find someone in one of the larger cities. These people won't take orders from one of their own."

Oliver was disappointed, but after he met the people Cali brought in he was very satisfied. He realized that he wouldn't have room for all these people in the house and that living quarters would have to be constructed. Cali knew just the people to do such a project, and Oliver recognized some of the names of those who had worked on the restoration and modernization of the castle.

He arranged to take the Captain and mechanic along to sail The Nimbus and he was introduced to a slender young black woman named Monique, who, along with her 8-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, would cook and take care of the house. They would live in the house until their quarters were finished. Their wages seemed ridiculously cheap to Oliver, and he immediately gave them a 25 percent raise in his mind. He suspected that Cali was getting a cut of their wages and determined to put a stop to that immediately.

He took them down to The Nimbus and saw numerous packages being delivered. Ben was on the job. He left Captain Jimenez and the mechanic; a small Hispanic man named Perez, to familiarize themselves with The Nimbus and got the two women into their cabin. They were overawed by the vessel and worshipped Oliver immediately. Packages kept arriving, and soon Ben's cabin had large stacks of items inside, wrapped in brown paper with strings.

In an hour, he returned with the two girls and they started for home. Once Great Exuma disappeared over the horizon Ben could no longer contain his excitement. "Dad, can we tell them now?" He was like a kid at Christmas.

"Tell us what?" Bannon wanted to know.

He took their hands and led them down the winding staircase to the large seating area below. He made them sit on the large, circular white sofa and began carrying packages in and stacking them on the round coffee table in the center.

Oliver helped carry the packages and got Elizabeth to help as well. He introduced the shy little girl to Kane and Bannon.

"What are all these packages, Oliver?" Kane asked him.

"They're for you and Bannon," Ben told them excitedly. "I got them for you while we were shopping."

"I wondered where you kept disappearing to," she told him. "There are so many."

"Yeah, Dad told me that you had left all your clothes and things back in Nassau and that if you were going to stay with us you would need things. I really, really want you to stay so please let us give you these things."

Kane was very uncomfortable and reluctant, but Bannon jumped in right away and soon had piles of paper spread all around while she held things up to herself and Kane. "Look, Kane, here's that wrap around thing you liked. You said it was too expensive. And they got that necklace with the shark's teeth on it I wanted. They got us bathing suits and look at this really nice underwear."

"How on earth did you know our sizes?" Kane asked Ben.

"I got one of the girls to follow you around and look at the sizes of the things you looked at. She had to guess on some of the things. but I asked her to pick out all the things she thought you would need to stay with us for two weeks."

"That was very clever, Ben. I don't know what to say," Kane told him.

"It was Dad's idea, but I did it. I talked to that girl and paid her to help me."

"Thank you, Oliver. I can't believe you did this. You're the nicest guy I've ever met. Thank you, Ben." She bent down and kissed his cheek. "I was going crazy in these clothes. They're dirty and salty and I can't wait to get out of them."

She walked over to Oliver and hugged him. "Bannon, let's get a shower and put on some clean clothes. Would you guys mind helping us carry this stuff to our cabin?"

They made piles and carried them into the girl's cabin, and they hung some of them up and put the rest in drawers. Kane shooed them out and the girls showered. Oliver and Ben put the wrapping paper in the trash and Monique sent Elizabeth in to tell them dinner was ready.

She knocked on the girl's door and stuck in her head to tell them as well. In five minutes, Kane appeared wearing a little black dress. It had no shoulders and her tanned skin was flawless. She was barefoot and the effect was stunning. Bannon was equally beautiful in a pale yellow sarong and a yellow button up shirt with the tails tied up leaving her midriff bare. They ate outside on the deck with torches lit and planned the girls vacation.

Oliver offered Kane his arm when she told them goodnight and walked her to their cabin. She kissed his cheek and blushing a little, she and Bannon closed the door.

The girls were very excited when they arrived at Darby Island the next morning. They left the two crewmen aboard the Nimbus; they would be living aboard until their quarters were finished. Oliver got a golf cart out of a shed at the marina and they drove up an asphalt path for three miles and the castle came into view.

The girls squealed with excitement when they saw it. "Jesus, Oliver, you're such a liar," Kane punched his shoulder. "You said you didn't live in a castle."

"That's the servant's quarters," he laughed. "Wait till you see the palace. Seriously, though, I wanted it to be a surprise."

He pulled up in front of the door and dropped them off. He left them with Ben to look around and went back for Monique, Elizabeth and their things. The girls ran from room to room in excitement and Ben showed them where they would be staying. They each had their own huge bedroom and bath on the third floor, with curtained doorways leading to balconies with stairs winding down to the gardens. It was very warm outside, but the sea breeze, blowing through the curtains made the rooms very cool. Ben took Bannon away to show her his room and Kane wondered back down the stairs to the huge living room. She found the refrigerator in the kitchen and got a glass of cold water. She took it back to the living room and sat on the sofa. She kicked off her shoes, put her feet up on the sofa and leaned back and closed her eyes. She could hear the sounds of sea gulls and waves crashing on the rocks at the foot of the cliff. The cool breeze rustled the curtains and she heard the front door open. There was no sound for a moment and she opened her eyes. Oliver was getting a light throw out of a chest. She closed her eyes again and felt him put it over her. She felt his lips brush her forehead. He turned away with a sigh of contentment and went out to the golf cart. He carried their things up stairs and came back with Ben and Bannon. He held his fingers to his lips and pointed at Kane.

They quietly carried the things upstairs and put them away. Kane slept for 20 minutes. She stretched and drank the rest of her water. She got up and heard voices out back. She walked through the curtains and found them sitting on the patio looking over the garden.

"Oliver, I want to go to the beach," she told him.

The kids were instantly in favor of the idea and ran away to change clothes. Kane followed at a more leisurely pace and Oliver went and packed a cooler for the trip. He went and put on trunks and a t-shirt. Two white gold goddesses waited for him at the bottom of the stairs. Their deeply tanned skin contrasted with that light hair. He stopped when he saw them and nearly dropped the towels he was carrying.

Kane had on the red sarong she had admired and a red t-shirt with a tweety-bird on the front. Bannon had on a white tennis skirt and a bikini top. She was as cute as a button.

"I think Oliver likes us," she told Kane. Kane blushed and picked up the cooler. "Well, stop staring and take us to the beach," she told him.

He laughed and walked down the stairs. He gave Bannon the towels and took the cooler from Kane. They went outside and Ben was waiting in the golf cart.

"Do you think I could drive the cart?" Bannon asked.

"I don't see why not," Oliver told her. "Just pull up on that shifter there and push the accelerator."

She drove them back to the marina and along the beach to a secluded inlet with a large coral reef across the mouth. Oliver set up a large beach umbrella and Ben and Bannon claimed it and sat down with sodas. He put up another and he opened a beer and gave it to Kane. She lay back under the umbrella and sipped her beer. He sat beside her and took off his t-shirt. It was her turn to stare. The man was huge! He didn't have an ounce of fat anywhere on him. Muscles rippled under his skin and he was smooth. He had no body hair and his skin looked like it had been oiled and stretched over his muscles. His large veins stood out under his skin and she had never seen anyone who looked so fit. He put the guys at the gym where she worked out for volleyball to shame.

He glanced at her. "You're embarrassing me," he told her.

"I... I'm sorry," she stammered. "I just didn't expect someone that is professionally decadent to be so... swole. You have muscles on your muscles"

He laughed. "We decadent types have to keep ourselves in shape for our nights of debauchery. None of the nymphs are interested in old fat guys."

"How often do you work out?" she asked him.

"I lift weights four days a week for an hour and a half in the morning," he told her. "I run on the treadmill for half an hour every evening. If you're going to stare at me, it's only fair for you to take off that wrap."

She blushed furiously and looked away from him. "I won't stare anymore. I'll take it off when we swim."

He reached out and took her chin in his fingers. He turned her face back to him. "I was just kidding, Kane. You can look at me all you want to. I didn't mean to make it weird. It kind of makes me feel good; knowing that a hot girl like you doesn't think I'm ugly."

He dropped his hand and her heart fluttered a little. She hadn't noticed before but his eyes were a deep emerald green. He was a very good looking man. She wondered that she hadn't noticed before.

"If it will make you feel better I'll put my shirt back on," he told her.

She laughed. "No, I'm just being silly. I just didn't expect that you'd be so fit. You're right; I should take off this wrap and soak up some sun. Will you put sun block on me, Oliver?"

She handed him a bottle of sun screen, a little shocked at her own boldness.

She stood up and facing away from him she pulled her t-shirt off. The strings of a red bikini crossed her broad shoulders. She folded her shirt and he admired the play of her muscles under the brown skin. Her body narrowed quickly below her ribcage to a tiny waist, then flared again dramatically to the rounded shape of her hips. She unwrapped the sarong and his breath caught in his throat. A triangle of red cloth covered the cleft of her butt, leaving her mostly bare and the shape of her full firm cheeks under the thin material was the most incredibly sexy thing he had ever seen.

She turned to face him and her cheeks flamed as she saw the look on his face. She put one hand on her hip and posed for him. Her breasts were large and full, held high and firm on her muscular body. He could clearly see the shape of her erect nipples through the thin cloth, and she shook her head; making her long hair flair and swirl around her.

"You are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen," he told her.

"Thanks, Oliver," she said. "I try to keep in shape, just like you. Maybe we can work out together this week. I'm sure I don't lift as much as you, but I'll bet I can run you into the ground on that treadmill. Volleyball has a lot of cardio involved."

"I can imagine," he told her. "What I can't imagine is anyone being able to watch the game with you on the court."

She lay beside him. "Stop flattering me and rub some of that sun block on me. I'll do you and then we can lower that umbrella and soak up some sun."

He rubbed the sunscreen into her face, feeling the fine bones underneath. He oiled her neck and shoulders down to the top of her bikini. Her large breasts were hardly contained by the fabric and he ran his fingers just inside, making sure that she was covered in case her top slipped. He worked his way down her ribs and her firm belly, again running just under the edge of her bikini bottom. She shivered a little and goose bumps appeared. He massaged her firm thighs and the tops of her little feet.

She sighed and turned over so he could do her back. He repeated the process down to her bikini string and she reached around and untied it. He covered her legs, paying special attention to the insides of her thighs. She was squirming on the towel by the time he finished and he couldn't resist putting some oil onto his palms and slipping them under her bikini bottom, massaging each firm buttock.

She sat up a little on her elbows and turned to look at him. She smiled. "I think I'm covered there Oliver."

"I know, I just couldn't help myself" He grinned down at her and she laughed and lay back down. "Tie me up again," she said.

When he tied the bow, she sat up and pushed him down on his stomach. She sat astride his butt and worked the sun screen into his shoulders. She was amazed at the feel of the huge ropes of muscle under his skin and she probed and pushed firmly. She worked his back and legs and pulled at him to turn his over.

"How much do you weigh?" she asked him.

"Somewhere between 240 and 250," he told her. "Why do you ask?"

"I just knew you'd have to be pretty heavy with all those muscles."

She rubbed and massaged his pecks and traps, working the oil into his skin, down across ridged abdominal muscles and then skipped down and worked his legs. Her heart thudded in her chest as her hands slipped under the edges of his trunks and were drawn irresistibly upward.

Squeals and splashes from the water brought her head around swiftly and she saw Ben and Bannon swimming out into the lagoon. She stood and called to them. "Did you put on sunscreen?"

They called that they had, and Ben got out and ran to the cart for snorkeling masks and fins. Kane lowered the umbrella and watched the two little brown bodies bobbing around the lagoon.

She lay down against him, loving the feel of him against her. "You've got a wonderful boy, Oliver. He takes care of Bannon like she's his sister."

"She's pretty special, too. She's a lot like her big sister, except she doesn't embarrass as easily."

Kane laughed. "No, she's not shy at all. This is a beautiful place. I think I've died and gone to heaven. I never dreamed a place like this existed. The Bahamas were all shops and tourists. It was hard to find a place on the beach. This was exactly what I hoped they were."

"I'm glad you like it. You deserve it. Has anyone ever told you you're a great girl, Kane?"

"Thanks, I'm getting hot; you want to go for a swim?"

"Go ahead, I'm feeling too decadent to move."

She tickled him until he jumped up and chased her into the water. They swam and snorkeled and sun bathed until the sun began to set. They had eaten the sandwiches he had packed and the cooler was empty except for one bottle of water when they packed up and got back to the golf cart. They shared it on the ride home and when they arrived they saw that a construction crew had already arrived and were beginning to build five small houses about 200 yards down the drive from the castle.

"We need to name the castle," Bannon declared. "We just can't call it the castle."

"What would you suggest?" Oliver asked her.

"How about castle Brennan?" she said.

"No, there's already a castle Brennan in Ireland," Kane told her.

"Why don't we call it Baxter House?" Ben suggested. "Sir Baxter built in in 1939. Let's name it after him."

Bannon was delighted with the idea, and since Oliver and Kane had no opinion, it was christened Baxter House.

Monique had dinner nearly ready and they quickly showered and changed. After they ate, Oliver gave them the grand tour. When they finished he led them down a flight of stone stairs to a heavy vault door.

"I just want to show you this one more thing."

He punched in a code and took them inside. "The code is 5224521," he told them. I'll write it down for you."

A large room had been carved into the rock of the cliff and shelves full of canned and boxed food, cases of bottled water and clothes lined the walls. A door opened in the rock at one end and inside was were sets of bunk beds, with another door opening into a bathroom. The bedroom opened into three more rooms. What looked like dozens of guns, bows and knives lined the walls, and ammunition cases were stacked under the guns.

"Why do you have all these weapons?" Bannon asked.

"There aren't any police on this island," Ben told her. "There are a lot of pirates and criminals around these islands. If we are attacked, we come here and shut the door. We kill the power to the key pad and no one can get in here. We're safe here, and if they do manage to break in we can defend ourselves."

"That's very wise, Ben," Kane told him. "Many people in Northern Ireland have rooms like this from back when all the fighting was going on."

"The other room is a storage room," Oliver told them. "The fourth door leads to another door in the face of the cliff. We can get out that way by rappelling down the cliff if we need an escape route."

They went back upstairs and Ben and Bannon played chess while Oliver and Kane talked. They decided to go water skiing the next day and they all went to bed exhausted.