Choices We Make: The Moretti Brothers Series (2 page)

CHAPTER TWO

Over the next week Victoria worked with the moving company she hired to assist her in packing up her mother's house.  She finally set up a meeting with her mother’s attorney to do the reading of the will.  A week and a half after her mother's burial Victoria was in the attorney's office. She felt very uneasy; there was something final about reading someone's will. It’s their last will and testament; it would be the last tangible impact her mother would have on her life.  She sat in the attorney's office waiting patiently for him and her eyes began to water.
“Keep it together girl, this should only take another half-hour,”
she said to herself. 

She searched her purse for a clean tissue to wipe her eyes, when the attorney walked into the office. “Good afternoon Ms. Hart, sorry to keep you waiting.  This should not take long,” he said as he set at his desk and opened up the file.   “As you know your mother was a very wealthy woman and fond of her charities.” 
Victoria started thinking about her mother’s charitable contributions not only monetary but with time.  She thought back to the time when her mother took her for the first time to a homeless shelter at the age of ten to help prepare meals for the residents.  The place was dingy and some of the people had on dirty clothes.  She said to her mother “mommy why are we here, I don’t like it, I want to go home.”  Her mother knelt in front of her and said “You need to learn humility Vicky, and be thankful for what you have because there but for the grace of God goes you, and me” she said as she looked towards a mother and daughter who was waiting to be fed.  “Vicky, wherever you land in life you will have to decide what’s important to you, and the type of legacy you want to leave behind.  When I close my eyes I want to know that I did something to make a difference in someone else’s life.  Those are the choices we make baby.”  Vicky looked over at the girl who was about her age and walked over to her.  “Hi my name is Victoria but my mom calls me Vicky, what’s yours?”

The shy girl took a few seconds to speak.  “My name is Monica but my mom calls me Mo.”  Victoria pulled her favorite toy out of her pocket and gave it to her.  From that day forward they were inseparable.  Victoria would go with her mother to the shelter every week until Monica’s mom got a home.  They stayed in contact and eventually went to college together; the rest was history.  As it turned out Monica’s mom had been laid-off; her husband had left her and they lost their house.  Once her mom got another job Monica was never homeless again. Victoria could hear the attorney going on about the charities.

Victoria heard the attorney calling her name. “Ms. Hart?” 

“I’m sorry, please continue.” She encouraged.

“She left $1 million to each one of her favorite charities totaling $5 million.”

Victoria's was a little stunned; she knew that her mom was wealthy but they never discussed how much money she had.   She would always say that even after she was gone I would never want for anything.  The truth was she never wanted for anything because her mother made sure she had everything she needed and then some.  When she learned how to drive she had a new car waiting for her in the driveway.  They always ate in the best restaurants and travelled extensively.  There was never a question of whether something was too expensive, she got what she wanted, but she was not a spoiled child.  Helen would not have that and Victoria was appreciative of everything she got.  The attorney once again interrupted her thoughts.  “Ms. Hart are you okay, do you need a moment” 

“No I’m sorry, please continue.”  

The attorney continued. “The rest of the estate totaling a sum of $30 million was left to you.” Victoria put her hand over her mouth, unable to comprehend her mother having that type of money.  She knew Helen did really well as an author but Victoria never imagined her mom accumulating that kind of money.

“Wait a minute, you're telling me that my mother was a multi-millionaire?”

“Yes, your mother did extraordinarily well as an accomplished author,” he said as a matter of fact.  “Now do you have any questions for me?”

Victoria looked at him and thought,
seriously, your drop that in my lap and expect me to think clearly? 
She would need time to process all of this.

“No I don't have any questions at this moment but I may call you later if I think of anything.” 

He gave her a faint smile.  “Of course, the final piece of business is a box of paperwork that your mother had in our office and it now belongs to you.”  The attorney put the box on his desk in front of Victoria. “Do you need help taking the box to your car?”

Victoria reached for the box to gauge its weigh.   “No I can manage, thank you.”  Victoria shook the attorneys hand, grabbed the box and made her way out of the office.  When she got home she stared at the box unsure of what she would find in it.  Finally she mustered the courage to go through the box.  She opened it and the first few documents were contracts her mother had signed with various publishers.  She placed the documents back in the box and placed the box in her storage closet, she would look at the entire contents another time. 

*****

A few weeks had passed and Victoria was back at work in the full swing of things. She had been working long hours over the last three weeks, trying to secure a major client. Victoria looked at her calendar and noticed that her birthday was coming up in a few months. Since her mother was no longer here, she decided she would take a vacation, provided she could close the deal with the Sloan group, a major client they had been courting from the last several months.

Victoria looked out of her office window and noticed that it had gotten dark, just then Jacqueline walked into her office with Chinese food in hand.  “Time to take a break, you have to eat sweetie.” Jacqueline looked around; she loved the décor of Victoria’s office.  The walls were painted in a soft cinnamon color with artwork from around the world that she and her mother collected on their many trips.  Victoria was probably the most classy, self-confident woman she had ever met.  She always commanded attention when she entered a room.  She was glad that they decided to take the option of moving up several floors in the Melton Center building in center city Philadelphia.  The offices were more spacious on this floor and it gave them the much-needed room for expansion.  She had questioned Victoria’s decision on wanting to move the office, but it turned out to be the right one for their company.  Now they had the entire 30
th
floor.  Jacqueline set the food on the table in her office, sat down and started to prepare a plate.

“You know Jackie, if we can close the deal with the Sloan group I think I'm going to take a vacation for my birthday. I really don't want to be here, it will just be a painful reminder that my mom is not around anymore”

“Sweetie you really need to live a little. You know I take a two-week vacation twice a year with a companion.”  Victoria looked at Jacqueline and rolled her eyes.

“Yeah Jackie I know what kind a companion you travel with,” Victoria said with a devilish grin.

“You’re being judgmental Victoria, it’s not a pretty look and besides, I always have a wonderful time, think about it, you can go to a beautiful island with an amazing looking companion and have all the fun you want for two weeks.”

“No thanks Jackie, I’m not paying for sex.” Jacqueline was raising the fork to her mouth and stopped midway; she looked a little hurt. “Jackie I didn't mean it the way it sounded….”

Jacqueline interrupted her “It's okay sweetie, I know what it is, but I still have an amazing time, it’s a wonderful stress reliever.”  Victoria walked over and sat beside Jacqueline to make herself a plate.   Jacqueline placed her fork back on her plate.  “Let’s just think about this… when was the last time you got laid?”  Victoria looked up from her plate with a raised eyebrow.  “Exactly!” Jacqueline said as she continued to eat. They finished their meal and got back to work. “Think about it sweetie, and I can’t believe I am actually agreeing with Monica, but it may be just what the doctor ordered.” Jacqueline handed Victoria a business card. “Give him a call, what could it hurt?”  Victoria looked at the card and placed it in her wallet.

*****

A few more weeks had passed and Victoria had all of her mother's belongings packed away and was able to put her family home up for sale. She couldn't imagine herself living in that house without her mother. Victoria was close to finalizing the deal with the Sloan group and her birthday was fast approaching. She decided to treat herself to a two-week vacation. She thought again about what Jacqueline and Monica said. 
Could I really go on vacation with a perfect stranger and have sex for two weeks?
She thought as she bit down on her lower lip.  “I can’t do that.”  She said softly. 
But it would be nice to vacation with someone, and if that someone was a handsome man willing to take care of your sexual desires I guess that would be a bonus.
  Inwardly she battled with herself over what her mother would think verses desire.  “I’m a grown woman with desires, I deserve this.” She said with resolve as she searched her purse for the business card.  She decided to call before she lost her nerve. “Hello, may I please speak to Kevin Garrett?   Yes I’ll hold.” Victoria could not believe she was doing this; just as she was about to hang up she heard a strong deep voice on the other end of the line.

“Hello this is Kevin.” 

“Hi Kevin, I’m Victoria, a friend of Jacqueline.  She said that it would be okay if I gave you a call.” 

“Hi Victoria, I spoke with Jacqueline a while back and she said that you might call. So you think you might be interested in someone accompanying you on your vacation?”  The voice was deep and sultry.

“Well I'm not really sure how this works, I think maybe we should start with dinner and have a conversation,” she said nervously. 

“That sounds great just let me know the time and the place.”

She paused, “I'm in the middle of finalizing a major contract, so how about we make arrangements to meet next week?”

“Sounds like a plan, you have my number so text me the information, and if I have a conflict I will text you back.  Victoria, it's nice hearing from you, take care.”

Victoria disconnected the call as she stared into her cell phone not believing that she had actually just made that call. “Well mom you always said live life to its fullest, I'm not sure this is exactly what you meant, but what the hell, I’ll give it a try.”  Victoria smiled as she placed the card back in her purse.

CHAPTER THREE

The following week Jacqueline, Victoria and the rest of the firm celebrated the closing of the deal with the Sloan group. After having two glasses of wine, Victoria decided to give Kevin a call.

“Hello is this Kevin.” 

“Hi Kevin, this is Victoria I know that I was supposed to text you but I figured I would give you a call instead. Are you available tomorrow evening say around 7 o'clock?  You are? Great!  We can have dinner at a restaurant that I heard was really good, it’s called Napoli's. That sounds great, I’ll see you there.” Victoria ended the call and place the cell phone to her lip as she smiled “I'm really going to do this,” she said softly with resolve.

The day went by so quickly that Victoria didn’t realize that it was almost time to meet Kevin, until she received a text from him confirming their date for the evening.  Victoria rummaged through her closet trying to find something to wear. 
Why am I making such a big deal over this, it wasn’t a date, it was a meeting
. She ended up choosing a chocolate colored wraparound dress.  She loved wraparound dresses because they accented her curves. Victoria was not a small girl, but had everything in the right places. After putting on the perfect pair of strappy heels, she headed out the door to meet Kevin.

The restaurant was extremely crowded but Victoria was able to secure a table.  As she walked to her table she noticed a very handsome couple with a beautiful set of twins sitting at a booth; the twins couldn't have been any older than three years old and they were a combination of both their mom and dad. Victoria was drawn to them because interracial couples always fascinated her and looking at their beautiful children she knew they possessed something that she would never be able to have.  Sadness crept over her as she thought about her inability to have children; she turned her attention back to the hostess who was escorting her to her table.  Once she was seated she ordered a glass of white wine to settle her nerves as she waited for Kevin. Victoria had decided to arrive early so that she could see Kevin when he entered.

As she looked over the menu she could see one of the beautiful twins she noticed earlier running ahead of her mother as they exited the restroom.  She came to an abrupt halt in front of Victoria’s table.  “Hi, what’s your name, my name is Giana Quinn?”   Victoria was instantly drawn to her amazing green eyes. 

“I’m so sorry,” the mother said to Victoria.  “Gigi I told you not to disturb the other guests.” 

“It’s okay, I don’t mind.”  She turned her attention to the little girl “My name is Victoria and it is nice to meet you Giana.”  She said smiling at the little girl. 

“Okay Gigi back to our table.”  Her mother tugged at the little girl’s hand then turned back to Victoria, “I’m sorry that my daughter disturbed your meal.”  She extended her hand to Victoria.  “My name is Stephanie Quinn and we normally have a tighter reign on our little munchkins.” 

“It’s no problem at all; your children are beautiful, how old are they?” 

“They just turned four and they are a handful.  God only knows why I’m putting myself through this again” she said with a smile. 

Victoria noticed Stephanie’s baby bump. 

“Congratulations how far along are you?” 

“I'm five months and thank you.  Well, we have taken up enough of your time.  Say goodbye Gigi.”

“Goodbye Ms. Victoria,” she said in a playful child’s voice as she waved.  Victoria waved back. As they walked to their table, she noticed the extremely handsome man with the same beautiful green eyes, stand as they approached.  He affectionately kissed his wife’s cheek as they sat to continue their dinner. 

Victoria started to feel depressed; she would never be able to have children.  As a child she was diagnosed with cancer, and the side effects of the chemotherapy left her sterile.  She remembered her mom crying for days when they were told.  She would never know the feeling of carrying a child inside her.  Adoption would be an option when and if she found the right person to settle down with. 

After looking over the menu for about five minutes she noticed a very good-looking brown skinned gentleman looking around.  She surmised that it was Kevin from Jacqueline's description so she took a chance and waved.  Kevin smiled and walked over to the table.

“Kevin Garrett I presume?” 

“Yes, and you must be Victoria Hart,” he said with a huge smile on his face not believing how extremely beautiful she was. “Jacqueline described you, but her description didn’t do you justice, you are an extremely beautiful woman.”

“Thank you Mr. Garrett.”

“Please call me Kevin.”

“Kevin, thank you for meeting with me this evening.” 

“Actually Victoria, it’s my pleasure to meet with such a beautiful woman.” Victoria was blushing as she turned to look at the menu, “I hear the food here is amazing, have you ever been here before?”

“I've been here a few times, the lasagna is incredible, you should try it.” 

“Sounds great to me,” Kevin signaled the waiter and gave him their orders, which included another glass of wine for Victoria. 

Smiling, they made small talk about their respective families and businesses until their food arrived.  Victoria was surprised to find out that Kevin was an accountant by trade but owned a fitness club and was actually working on opening a second one.

“So Jacqueline tells me you are interested in taking a trip, do you know where you want to go?” Kevin asked switching subjects. 

“I'm not really sure, I just know I want to go somewhere warm and tropical and of course, all inclusive, any suggestions?”

“Well I actually have a few suggestions but you would have to let me know what you're interested in spending.”

“Let's dream a little, say price was no object, where would you go?”

“That’s easy I would definitely stay at a villa in
Terres Basses - Baie Rouge in St. Martin.”

“Very interesting have you been there before?”

“I've never been but I've heard from a friend that is an amazing place to visit.”

“Okay I have to ask you Kevin how does this work?  I mean, do I look at pictures and choose?”  Kevin looked at Victoria and smiled.  “No Victoria, I don’t have a staff, it’s mostly been me, but I do have someone in mind for you.  I don't do this very often I have a few clients that I see on a regular basis.” 
And by few he meant one, the love of his life, she just didn’t know it yet, but she would soon, he
thought as he conjured up images of Jacqueline.
“This is only a small part of my life.  As I told you before, I’m an accountant by trade, but running my business consumes all of my time.  I actually had decided not to take on any new clients until I talked to Jacqueline.  She convinced me that you were special and I have to say after sitting here and talking with you, I wholeheartedly agree with Jackie: you definitely are very special.” Victoria could not contain her smile or her embarrassment.

“Thank you for the compliment Kevin.  I don't know how special I am, but after sitting here and talking with you I would be interested in discussing the vacation.   I don't even know where to start with the questions?” Kevin looked at Victoria and could see her nervousness; he smiled as he touched her hand.  She was a gorgeous woman with the sexiest chocolate brown eyes.  Her skin was the color of light caramel and she had amazing curves; he always admired a woman who had a little weight in all the right places. “I don't want this to be uncomfortable for you. We can lie out the ground rules.  The fee is ten thousand dollars a week and that includes the undivided attention of your companion, twenty-four hours a day seven days a week. He will be at your beck and call to do whatever your heart desires; there are no ménage à trios with men. If you are interested in having another female join, that may be an option.  I tried to pull together a list of things that you might enjoy. You let me know what you like and I’m sure we can make it happen.  I think you will enjoy it and safety is our main concern, so there is always protection used during sex.”

Victoria lowered her head thinking it had been five years since the last time she had sex. “That’s one of the things I want to talk to you about.”  She remained silent for a few seconds. “I'm interested in having sex without barriers,” she said nervously not believing that she was actually asking this but she continued anyway, “We would both have to be tested, of course, but that is one of my stipulations,” Victoria's tried to say that as gently as she could. Kevin looked at her a little confused.

“I don't understand, are you asking for your companion to have sex with you and not use any protection?”

“Well yes, kind of, let me just lay it out there, I have not had sex in five years and I have never had sex with a man who was not wearing a condom. I would like to know the feel of a man without the barrier.  We can both be tested now and then tested again, right before we go away.” Victoria had a nervous look on her face.  She knew that she was asking a lot, but if she was going to do this she wanted to have it her way,
living life to its fullest,
she thought about her mom. Kevin stared at her for about a minute.  “Victoria, what you are asking is uncommon; we have always practiced safe sex, no exception.” 

He could hear the anxiety in her voice, so he conceded.  If testing was done now and right before going, he thought that could possibly be arranged.  “What about the issue of pregnancy?  I assume you will verify the protection you use to avoid that?”

“I will allow my physician to verify that I am unable to conceive.  When I was young I was diagnosed with Extracranial Germ Cell Tumors, it’s a form of ovarian cancer.  The high dosages of drugs caused my sterilization.  I can also give you written documentation.” 

Kevin could see the sadness in her eyes.  “Okay… Victoria I’m really sorry about that.” he said not knowing what else to say.  Victoria nodded then let out the breath she didn't realize she was holding.  A weight had been lifted off her shoulders, she did not like having these types of intimate conversations but she needed to have this conversation with Kevin.  He stared into Victoria's eyes and really wanted to find someone who would make her happy for two weeks.

After dinner and conversation they decided against dessert and both headed towards the exit.  As they stood, waiting for the valet to bring their cars, Kevin turned to Victoria “It was very nice meeting you and I look forward to seeing you again.” he brushed his lips lightly across her cheek.  Kevin thought of his best friend Dominic; he hoped that his plan of having Dominic take this beautiful woman on this trip would work.  He really needed to talk to Jacqueline and tell her how he really felt about her before she recommended more clients.  She was the only client he had and the only client he wanted for the rest of his life.  He decided after their first trip that she was going to be his, and that was almost three and a half years ago.  She had been so against relationships since her divorce that he didn’t want to push too hard, but that was going to change tomorrow after he got a chance to convince his friend to accompany Victoria.  They both got into their cars with the promise to talk in the next couple of days to firm up their plans.