Anything But Mine (14 page)

Jen returned to the table and, after serving Vince and then herself, she sat down and raised her wine glass in a toast. “Welcome to my home, and my favorite place on earth, Vince. Here’s to a great weekend!”

They touched their wine glasses together, and Vince replied with a toast of his own. “Thank you for inviting me here, Jennifer, and for cooking such a beautiful meal. Here’s to this weekend, and many future weekends spent together.” After taking a sip of the wine, he said, “This is delicious. It’s buttery, but not oaky.” He picked up the bottle and inspected the label. “Since this is your favorite, let’s order a case for home.”

“I’d love that,” Jen said. “Thanks.”

As they ate, Jen outlined some ideas she had for the weekend, but Vince found that he was only half-
listening
to her when she mentioned a few suggestions as to what they could do together, because he was focused on only one thing.
I don’t care what we do,
Vince thought,
as long as we sleep together.

He snapped back to attention when she asked him which restaurant he would prefer to eat at the following night. “It doesn’t matter to me, Jennifer,” he said, as he covered her hand in his. “Whatever makes you happiest.”

“Okay, then I’ll call Almond and see if I can get a reservation for around 7:30,” she said. “It’s my favorite restaurant.”

“Whatever you want, my love.”
As long as I get to have you,
he thought.

After they cleaned up the kitchen, Vince asked Jen to give him a tour of the rest of the house. She brought him downstairs, showing him the lower-
level
guest room, in-
home
gym, sauna, wine cellar, bar, pool table and home theater. “This is a perfect man cave. I’m a little surprised that you have all this, being a single woman.”

“Actually, it all came with the house. I was able to negotiate a deal that included all the furniture and electronics, so the house was ‘turn key ready’ for me. I had gotten the seller down as far as he would go on the price, but I wanted a better deal and thought getting everything in the house was a good way to add value for me.”

Vince raised his eyebrows, surprised by Jen’s negotiating skills. “I love it. On top of everything, you’re a good businesswoman too. You never cease to amaze me.”

They climbed the stairs back up to the main level of the house, and Jen opened the French doors leading from the kitchen to a large patio overlooking the backyard’s in-
ground
pool, spa and built-
in
fire pit. “This is my favorite part of the house – the outdoor part,” she said. “I can’t wait until the weather is warm enough to open the pool.” After standing outside for a few minutes, Jen began to shiver, and pulled her cardigan tightly around her. “It’s a little chilly out. Let’s go back inside.”

Once they stepped back into the kitchen, Vince pointed towards the stairs to the second floor. “What’s up there?”

“Four more guest bedrooms.”

I’ll be damned if I’m sleeping in a guest bedroom tonight,
he thought.
But it has to be her idea, her suggestion that I stay with her.
“So where do you sleep?”

“My bedroom is down the hall. Let me show you.”

Vince followed Jen past the great room, down the hallway, and into the first floor master suite. He was pleased when he noticed a set of French doors in her bedroom leading to the patio overlooking the back yard.
Play on her fears,
he told himself, as he tried the lock on the French doors. “Aren’t you afraid to stay here alone? These doors can be easily compromised.” He watched Jen carefully, as she shuddered and a look of panic crossed her face.

Taking her into his arms, he tried to re-
assure
her. “I didn’t mean to upset you, my love. The lock seems fine, and you have a good alarm system for the house,” he said, as he held her tightly. “And besides, I’m here to protect you. I’ll keep you safe.”

Jen was quiet and ill at ease the rest of the evening as they watched a television show about celebrities tracing their family trees. When she put down her knitting needles to yawn, Vince suggested they turn in for the night. He stood up and asked, “Where do you want me to stay? Upstairs or downstairs?”

She didn’t answer him at first, instead pretending she was busy putting her knitting away for the evening.
I’m not sure that I’m ready to have him back in my bed yet
, Jen thought.
But I’m so scared, now that he pointed out how easy it would be to break into my bedroom. I don’t know what to do.
Finally, she stood up, took a deep breath, and said, “Neither, Vince. I want you to stay with me.”

“I will, Jennifer, but only if you’re sure you are ready,” he replied, staring at her intently.

“I’m sure.”

Jen turned off the television, before checking the locks on the doors and setting the alarm. She walked down the hallway and into her bedroom, and found Vince exiting the bathroom, wearing only his boxer briefs.

“Hope you don’t mind that I looked through your drawers to find some toothpaste,” he said.

“No problem, Vince. I’ll just be a minute.” Jen closed the door to her bathroom behind her, thankful to have a minute or two of privacy. After washing up, she changed into a matching pink cotton camisole and pajama pants set, and looked at her reflection in the mirror.
Cute, but not sexy,
she thought.

When she re-
entered
the bedroom, she found Vince sitting up in bed, and a fire lit in the gas fireplace. “I couldn’t resist a fire, once I found the remote control,” he said.

Jen smiled at him as she turned back the covers, climbed into bed, and turned over on her left side, facing away from him.

“You should see how beautiful you look in the light of the fireplace,” he said.

Vince reached out and pulled her towards him with one hand, while smoothing her hair with his other hand. Jen squirmed slightly when he gently kissed her bare shoulder, which Vince took as a signal that while she welcomed him in her bed, she wasn’t quite ready to make love yet.

When he kissed her shoulder again, Jen turned over and looked up at Vince, the corners of her mouth turning up into a shy smile.
You have no idea what you do to me,
he thought, as he slowly leaned in and kissed her softly on the mouth. “Sweet dreams, my love,” he said, kissing Jen once more before extinguishing the flames in the fireplace and drifting off to sleep.

The following morning, Vince woke up first and slowly sat upright, being careful not to wake Jen, who was peacefully sleeping beside him. It took every ounce of self control for Vince not to reach out and wake her with kisses all over her body.
Take your time,
he reminded himself as he stared at her.
I could watch you sleep all day.

He watched as Jen stirred, rolled over onto her back, and opened her eyes. “Good morning, beautiful,” Vince whispered as he snuggled up next to her, softly kissing her lips.

“Good morning. How did you sleep?”

“Really well, thanks. This is a very comfortable bed, and it was good to have you sleeping next to me again.” He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her again. “How did you sleep?”

“I always sleep well here,” she replied, as she remembered having a dream about Drew calling to break the news to her that he was in love with his new girlfriend, and that they were getting married.
Forget about him,
she thought as she shook her head to banish the memory of her dream.
He’s clearly moved on.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine,” she replied. “It’s just that I’m surprised that it’s already 9:00, and that we slept so late.”

“I think you slept late because it’s the first time you’ve been able to really relax and let your guard down since the break-
in
at your apartment,” Vince said, before leaning down and kissing her, softly at first, and then more intensely. He pulled back from her and looked into her deep brown eyes, which seemed to hold more questions than answers. “How do you feel?”

“What do you mean?”

Vince propped himself up on his left elbow, and let the fingers on his right hand lightly trace patterns from her lips to her neck, down to her chest and over her breasts, causing her breathing to become shallow. He continued to slowly move lower on her body, until he slipped his right hand under her camisole. When she didn’t stop him, he moved his hand up her torso until he touched her breasts.

He felt her heart beating rapidly as he softly traced an outline around one nipple, and then the other. He continued to lightly tease her nipples with his fingers, until they were standing upright and at attention. He leaned in to kiss her, before asking, “I mean, how do you feel about us resuming a physical relationship?”

Jen didn’t answer him at first, but the sounds of arousal involuntarily escaped her lips as Vince continued to caress her breasts. By the time his hand moved back down her torso, underneath her pajama bottoms, and between her legs, he found she was slick with desire and had already soaked through her panties. “Are you ready?”

“I’m ready,” she simply said, as she wrapped her arms around Vince’s shoulders and pulled him in closer towards her.

It had been over two weeks since they last made love, and their overwhelming need for each other made it feel more like the first time. Vince was desperate to consume and possess her, while Jen was determined to banish the images seared in her brain from her dream about Drew.

When they were spent, Vince collapsed on top of Jen, and then rolled over, pulling her on top of him. Reaching up, he pushed her hair back from her face, and said, “I love you, Jennifer.”

Jen closed her eyes, and felt a surge of gratitude towards Vince, as she thought back over the events of the last few weeks.
It was Vince’s arrival that scared off the intruder and prevented me from being raped, or worse, during the break-
in
, and it is Vince who has committed to protecting me and keeping me safe.
He’s really been my hero,
she thought, with a new-
found
appreciation for the man who held her in his arms. Opening her eyes, she looked deeply into his eyes, and quietly replied, “I love you too, Vince.”

“I’ve been waiting for you to say that for a long time,” Vince said, as he clutched her tightly. “You have no idea how happy you just made me.”

Jen leaned in to kiss Vince again, wrapping her arms and long legs around his body. “Mmm…you’ve been so good to me. All I want is to make you happy in return. I love making you happy.”

“And I love making you happy too, Jennifer.” They lay silently in her bed amid the tangle of sheets, their bodies intertwined, with Jen’s head resting on Vince’s chest, as they breathed in unison.
You’re finally mine, Jennifer.
He silently vowed,
and I will make you mine forever.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

L
ater that day, Vince and Jen strolled down Main Street in Southampton, on their way to Silver’s for lunch. “The best bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich anywhere,” is what Jen had promised, and after taking his first bite, Vince readily agreed.

While they ate, Jen filled him in on the history of the restaurant. “When I was a little girl, Silver’s was also a newsstand that carried many foreign magazines, and I’d come in with my mother to purchase them, especially the French fashion magazines. I fell in love with fashion and the French language way back then, and I spent hours looking through those magazines, clutching my little French-
English
dictionary so I could get help with the translation when I didn’t know the words.”

“How would you rate your French skills now?”

“I’m definitely not fluent,” Jen replied. “But I studied it throughout school, and I’ve spent a lot of time in Paris, so I guess I’m fairly conversational in it. Do you speak any other languages?”

“I speak Italian. My parents weren’t fully fluent in English, so we spoke Italian at home,” he replied. “I’m conversational in Spanish and French, and have been studying Chinese with a private tutor.”

“Wow,” Jen said, somewhat at a loss for words. “Is the Chinese for business?”

“Yes. I find it helpful when I go there for business. I have an office in Hong Kong.”

“Where else does your company have offices?”

“Besides New York and Hong Kong, we’re in London, Geneva, and Mumbai.”

“I’ve been to London and Geneva, but never to Hong Kong or Mumbai,” Jen replied. “What are those cities like?”

“Instead of telling you about them, why don’t I show you? You should try to come with me next time I go, if you’re not too busy,” Vince said, as he paid the check.

As they walked along Main Street after lunch, they stopped into some of the stores, including Hildreth’s, where Jen pointed out the sign indicating it was the oldest department store in the country. As they browsed through the housewares section, Jen couldn’t help but smiling.
This is so normal, and feels so right,
she thought.

She picked up a large white platter with a raised leaf motif. As she admired it, Vince said, “Let me buy that for you.”

“Really? You don’t have to,” Jen replied. “I can buy it myself.”

Any other woman would want me to buy her everything in the store.
“Jennifer, I insist. I wanted to bring you a gift for your home, but didn’t know what to get you.”

“Aww…thank you, Vince! I love it!” Jen impulsively hugged him, and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, bringing a broad smile to his face.

After they exited Hildreth’s, Jen and Vince continued walking hand in hand along Main Street, until Jen abruptly came to a stop in front of an empty building with a double storefront, and sighed.

“Something wrong, Jennifer?”

Jen gazed at the storefront, before turning towards Vince. “You might not believe this, but it’s always been my dream to open a yarn shop here in Southampton,” she confided. “This particular storefront would be the perfect location.”

As Jennifer continued to stare inside the empty storefront, Vince asked, “Any reason why you haven’t done that yet?”

“Well, I’m so busy with my modeling career, I just don’t think I have the time to devote to starting a business and making it a success,” she said with a sigh. “Maybe someday.”

“I know you like to knit, and you’re very talented at it, but you never told me that you wanted to open a yarn store.”

“It’s just a silly dream of mine. I’d love nothing more than to live out here year round and run my own business.”

Vince put his arm around Jen’s shoulders, and pulled her close. “It isn’t silly at all. It’s important to have dreams.”

“I guess.”

They continued looking at the storefront for another minute. “You really should think about buying the building,” Vince suggested. “You can lease it out until you’re ready to open your store. There’s even an apartment upstairs you can rent out.” He took out his cell phone, and snapped a photo of the real estate broker’s information on the sign in the window. “It would probably be a good investment for you. Let’s reach out to the broker, and run the numbers together later on.”

When they arrived back at Deer Run, Jen and Vince sat side by side at her kitchen table, analyzing whether she could purchase the building on Main Street. “It just doesn’t look feasible at the current asking price, even if I manage to negotiate it down,” she said.

“It’s only been on the market for a month. If it’s still on the market in another few months, the price will probably drop enough to make it manageable for you, assuming you get a tenant for the upstairs apartment and the adjoining storefront.”

Jen nodded her head but said nothing in reply, as she looked over the figures she and Vince had worked on together. Finally, she spoke, “Maybe you’re right. I’ll just have to wait it out and see if the price drops in a few months.” She leaned over, and kissed Vince on the cheek. “Thanks again for trying to help me.”

“Anytime, Jennifer. I’m always happy to help you, my love.”

That evening, when they arrived at Almond, they were greeted by one of the restaurant’s owners, who hugged Jen and shook Vince’s hand. “Good to meet you,” he said to Vince. Gesturing towards the dining room, he continued, “Lots of LaBellas in the house tonight!”

Surprised to see her parents, who were seated at a table for four, Jen smiled and waved. “I didn’t know they were out here this weekend.”

Vince asked, “Do you want to join them?”

“If it is okay with you, yes, I’d love to,” replied Jen, as she entered the dining room.

Peter and Grace stood as Jen and Vince approached their table. “What a nice coincidence!” Grace said, beaming as she hugged her oldest daughter. “Would you like to join us?”

“We’d be delighted to,” replied Vince, as he kissed Grace on the cheek before shaking hands with Peter.

After their first course was served, Peter asked, “Any word from the police on the status of the investigation?”

Jen extracted a mussel from a shell and dipped it into the garlic, butter and wine broth. “Nothing yet,” she replied, before popping the mussel into her mouth.

“I hope they catch him soon, so you can have some peace of mind,” Grace said. “It must be awful, not knowing where he is or who he is,” she added, her voice trailing off.

“I’ll follow up with the mayor and police commissioner again this week,” Vince assured Grace, as he took Jen’s hand in his. “In the meantime, I’m keeping my promise to you to keep Jennifer safe.”

As they drove home later that evening, Grace turned to Peter and said, “They seem happy together, don’t they? He’s very attentive towards Jen.”

“Maybe a little too attentive, don’t you think?” Peter went on to note that he thought there was something that he couldn’t put his finger on about Vince. “He’s very possessive of Jen, isn’t he? He was visibly distracted when she went to the ladies room, and kept looking in that direction until she returned to the table. There was something slightly ‘off’ about the way he acted while she was gone for those couple of minutes.”

“I think he is still very worried about her, because the police haven’t caught her attacker yet.”

“Maybe.” Peter said, as he turned onto North Main Street in Southampton. After driving a few moments in silence, he continued, “Don’t you think he’s too old for her?”

“I don’t know. She’s very mature for her age. Look at all she has accomplished, and she is only 24 years old.”

“And he’s 41, making him 17 years older than she is.”

“Vince has taken such good care of Jen since everything happened.”

Peter sighed as he turned left onto North Sea Mecox Road, before maneuvering the car up the driveway of the farm and towards their home. As they entered the house, he said, “You’re right, Grace. I’m just not crazy about her being involved with someone who is closer to our age than to hers.”

“Peter, I never thought I’d see you acting like the over-
protective
father. You know Jen can take care of herself. She has a good head on her shoulders. And, besides, I like the way Vince has a calming effect on her, and her anxiety issues. He’s been so generous, and has taken such good care of her since she was attacked.” Grace led her husband over to the sofa, where they sat down and snuggled together. After a moment, she turned towards Peter, and asked, “Are you ever going to like anyone she dates?”

Taken aback, Peter asked, “What do you mean?”

Grace chuckled, and said, “Well, you tried not to show it, but it was pretty apparent to me that you were not a fan of Chris.”

“Not really, but I wasn’t going to stand in the way of their future. I know Jen was devastated when he cheated on her, but in the end it was for the best.”

“Why do you say that?”

Peter turned and, looking at his wife, took a deep breath before revealing, “I never told you, because Chris had asked me not to say anything to anyone, but he had asked for my permission to marry Jen. I wasn’t really in favor of the idea, and questioned him pretty heavily, but in the end I gave my permission. I agreed, not because I was happy about it, but because I didn’t want to alienate our daughter, if that was what she wanted.”

A look of astonishment registered on Grace’s face. “I never knew you had that conversation with Chris.”

“Like I said, he wanted to surprise Jen. And after they broke up, it didn’t make any sense to mention it. But I have to admit, I’m secretly glad it didn’t work out with them.”

“Hah! So it’s true—
you
don’t like any of the men she has been involved with.”

“No, that’s not entirely true. I liked that friend of hers, Drew. I wouldn’t have minded one bit if they had dated. He fit right in with the family.”

“Yes, he did,” Grace agreed. “I liked him too. It’s a shame that his father became ill and he had to move back home to California. I think that if he had stayed in New York, they would have become a couple.”

“Well, it’s a moot point now, unfortunately.” Peter was silent for a minute, before wrapping his arms around Grace. “And maybe I’m wrong about Vince. He has taken really good care of Jen since she was attacked, and for that I’m grateful. He’s been incredibly generous,” he sighed, before continuing, “and he does seem to love her.”