Whetted Appetites (17 page)

Chapter Eleven

     Saturday started out great.  Victoria woke up to Dalton’s head between her legs.  It was better than any old alarm clock.  She liked waking up already pulsating and halfway to orgasm. 

     Saturday afternoon proved to be different altogether.  Victoria made grilled chicken with pomegranate barbecue sauce, a cremini mushroom slaw and sweet potato fries for her and Dalton to enjoy.  She was putting the finishing touches on it while he showered.  She sprinkled some pomegranate seeds on top of the chicken for garnish then stepped back and scrutinized her work.  She nodded her head and smiled. 

    
Beautiful.

    Before she could set the plates on the table, the phone rang.  Thinking it might be a telemarketer—they always seem to call during lunch or dinner or whenever you were having a good time---she set the plates down and went to look at the caller ID.  Her mother. 

     She shrugged and went back to setting the table and decided to let the answering machine get it so they could enjoy the chicken before it got cold.

     Her machine beeped.  “Victoria, darling.  I really think it’s vital that you answer this phone.  If you’re not there, then give me a call as soon as you get this message.”

     Victoria heard a little panic in her mother’s voice.  Thinking it might have something to do with Dad; she went to pick up the phone, her mom in mid-sentence.

     “Hello, Mom.  I was just eating.  Is something wrong?”  Victoria was worried that something bad had happened.

     “Oh, Victoria.  You’re home.  Good.”  Her mom took in a breath.

     “Is it dad?” Victoria wanted to know.

     “Well, no.  He’s out on business again.”  Her mother hesitated, making Victoria think that this was just a ruse to get her to answer the phone now instead of later.  Really, her mother needed to cool it on the dramatics.  If she cried wolf too many more times, Victoria was going to stop answering the phone when her mother called.  She was inclined not to ever answer it again after this little show.

     “Then what is so important that you had to call me in the middle of lunch?  It’s one o’clock,” Victoria reminded her.  She certainly wasn’t going to tell her that Dalton was showering in her bathroom. 

     Mrs. Bradley cleared her throat.  “Yes.  I’m well aware of the time, Victoria.  I wasn’t aware, however, of exactly what time you eat lunch.”      

     “Trying to eat is more like it,” Victoria muttered.  “What is it you want me to know?  I’d like to eat my chicken before it goes bad.”

     Mrs. Bradley sniffed.  Victoria could practically see her glowering at the phone.

     “This man you’re seeing?  Don’t bother trying to deny it, Victoria.  I don’t think it’s going to work between you two,” she warned melodramatically.

     Victoria tightened her lips then asked in a clipped tone, “And just how do you know I’m seeing a man or that he would be bad for me?  Have you asked one of your wretched cronies to spy on me?!”

     “It’s for your own good, Victoria.”  Her mother was really good at faking concern.

     “How dare you, Mother!”

     “Now, don’t use that tone with me, young lady.  I think you should hear what I have to say.”

     It didn’t matter that she sounded serious.  Her mom usually did when she tried to get someone to change their mind and agree with her. 

     “What is it now?”  She walked over and sat down, silently hoping the food didn’t go cold before they had a chance to eat.

     She heard her mom rifling through papers.  Obviously, a report on Dalton.  Victoria’s heart was hammering.  Of all the dreadful things to do, her mom had to do this.  This time, she had crossed the line.  True, she should have crossed it after the last matchmaking scheme but she’d managed to let it go.  Her mother had been dangerously close before, but now, she was way over it.

     “Dalton isn’t who is says he is.”

     “What?  He’s not the president of Hughes’ Catering Supplies?”

     “Yes.”

     “Then why the big production?  Did he steal the money to buy it and he was never caught?  Is he a felon?”

     “Not exactly.”

     Victoria sat up.  “What do mean by that?”

     Mrs. Bradley hated to stretch the truth but she felt she was going to have to in order to keep Victoria from going down the tubes with Dalton.

     “The business isn’t going well for him.  He might have to lay off workers.  You know that when that happens, bankruptcy is next.  Honey, he knew that when he met you.  You did mention going by there to clear up a shipping problem?”

     “Yes.”  Victoria didn’t like where this was going.

     “It’s been happening more often that you think.  I guess you came in at just the right time.  He knows you have money.  He’s familiar with the Bradley name.  His mother sure is.  In fact, she knows a lot of my friends on this block.  She hasn’t been here in a while.  She left the country.  I do hope she didn’t take anything of value.”  She didn’t exactly lie to her but she said just enough truth and let Victoria put the puzzle together the way she wanted to.  She didn’t say this woman was a maid or a thief but it wouldn’t hurt to let her think that she was out of the country soon after being in her friends’ houses.  Of course, she didn’t know how long this woman had been gone or how long she worked for her friends.  Let Victoria come up with her own conclusions.

     Mrs. Bradley didn’t want Victoria to be hurt by this man and its best if she let him go before that happened. 

     The silence told Mrs. Eleanor Bradley that Victoria was definitely tossing it around in her head.  Which was good, so far.

     “Mom,
if
this is true about the woman, then why hasn’t anyone reported her for stealing?”  Victoria was so mad; she failed to notice that the shower had stopped a few minutes ago.

     “Because they can’t be sure that she was the one that took anything.  But leaving the country looked suspicious.”

     “I guess it would.  But what does Dalton have to do with it if she did?  That doesn’t make him a bad person.  I’m not even sure if I can believe his mom would steal.  Like you said, there’s no concrete proof.  Innocent until proven guilty, remember?”

     Mrs. Bradley didn’t like that Victoria was still hesitant about Dalton.  “Victoria, Dalton’s mom didn’t have a lot of money….”

     “I know that.  Dalton told me that she worked hard for everything.  Which makes it even harder to believe she would stoop to robbery.”  Victoria didn’t want to believe it, but she hated that her mom had planted that damn seed of doubt.

     “Like I said, I can’t say for sure but when you’re on government help like welfare and food stamps, a person can get pretty desperate.”

     At Victoria’s sharp intake of breath, Eleanor knew that Dalton conveniently forgot to mention it to her.

     “You didn’t know, did you, dear?” her mom asked, her voice consoling.

     “Well, no.  But, Dalton is still president.  That doesn’t mean they’re still getting help.  Besides,” she said crossly, “why is it any of your business or mine that they had used this?  A lot of people sometimes need help until they get on their feet.”

     “I don’t know if they still use it.  You could always ask,” her mom hinted offhandedly.

     “Mom!  That’s not my business.  Or yours either.”  She sighed.  “You know, I made chicken but now I think I’m getting a lot of boloney instead.”

     Mrs. Bradley huffed.  “Well, it might become your business if he had to file for bankruptcy and he starts to mooch off of you, too.”  Mrs. Bradley figured she said enough to keep Victoria thinking.  “Well, good-bye, dear.”  She didn’t wait for Victoria to respond before hanging up.

     Victoria replaced the receiver and sat down at the table.  She looked at her glass of iced tea and uneaten food.  She didn’t feel like eating any of it now.  Thanks to her mom, the rest of her night was completely shot to hell.

     Just like her mom to ruin a day like today.  Why couldn’t she still savor that incredible sex she and Dalton had yesterday?  It was Saturday and she wanted to spend it with Dalton, not have what her mother said floating around in her head.  It was a distraction she didn’t want or need.  

     A thought flashed in her mind.  If her mom would spy on Dalton, getting all this information, then how would Victoria know that her mom was able to find out about the relationship growing between herself and Dalton?  If she knew that and knew about his family’s background, of course she would try to do anything to keep her away from him.

     New money.  He was new money.  She knew her mother wasn’t fond of people that weren’t born into money.  Dalton was born into poverty.  Her mom would do just about anything to keep them apart.

     Would she actually lie like that?  Would she actually make it seem that Dalton’s mom was a thief to make sure she got what she wanted?

     Victoria couldn’t accuse her mother of pointing the finger.  Not exactly, anyway.  She never outright said this woman was a thief.  But she implied it.  Wasn’t that the same as accusing that person?

     She didn’t know.  But what she did know was that she was going to have to talk to Dalton and find out who’s been watching them.

     She couldn’t blame him if he backed out of all of it.  She couldn’t ask him to put up with her mother.  She was her daughter and she even had a hard timing dealing with her.

    “So, your mom’s been spying on us?” asked the deep voice from behind her chair.

     Victoria shot up out of her seat.  “Oh, Dalton!  I had no idea you were there.  I’m so sorry you heard that.  I’m sorry that it even had to happen.”

     “Do you want to talk about it before we eat?  It might help,” he suggested calmly.  He didn’t seem all that upset.  Maybe it was boiling below the surface.

     Victoria nodded and sat down.  “She called me, making a few accusations.  I’m not going to believe gossip, of course.”

     Dalton’s brows creased.  “These accusations are about me,” he stated.

     Victoria nodded.  “About your mom.  About you.”

     Dalton ran his hand over his face and blew out a breath.  “I don’t know what it could possibly be but let’s hear it.”

     “Your mom’s out of the country because she was having some kind of trouble.”

     Dalton nodded.  “I bought her a trip out of the country because she needed it.”

     Victoria didn’t want to beat around the bush but she didn’t want to flat out repeat what her mother had said.  As a matter of fact, she was beginning to think this whole discussion wasn’t necessary.  “You know, Dalton, forget it.  It’s not important.”

     Dalton put a hand on her knee.  “Come on, Victoria, it has to be pretty significant for you by the look in your eyes.”

     Victoria just said it all in a rush of words.  “It was implied that your mother had stolen some valuable things in the homes of some very wealthy people because, since your dad died, your mom needed to have government help to keep the family afloat.  But it just wasn’t enough and she ended up taking things and then she left the country.”

     Dalton’s eyes grew as big as saucers and he had gone a little pale. 

     “Dalton?”  Victoria jostled his elbow.  “Dalton, tell me something.”

     Dalton licked his lips and drew in a breath.  “Victoria, I don’t know why you were told that, but my mom did not take anything.  She would never steal from anyone.  She’s worked all her life, held many jobs to put food on the table.  She never really had a break or vacation so when I was able to afford it, I bought her some cruise time in the Bahamas.”  He laughed a little.  “She’s out of the country but not for the reasons you think.”

     “I never said I thought that,” she reminded him.

     “You’re right.  But as far as the government help goes,” he took a breath, “yes, she had to have more help because, even with the jobs, she just couldn’t make ends meet with kids to feed.”  He looked a bit uncomfortable.  “I was going to tell you.  I certainly didn’t want you to find out this way.”

     Victoria gave him a reassuring smile and put her hand on his thigh.  “A lot of people have gotten help.  It’s nothing to be ashamed of.  I think that people who abuse it should feel ashamed.  And for those who complain about their tax dollars funding it or making fun of those that need help and calling them moochers, well, they should be the ones to be the most embarrassed.  You know what they say about Lady Karma.”  She winked.

     Dalton laughed.  “Yeah.  She can be a real bitch.”

     Victoria kissed his cheek tenderly.  “I wouldn’t want to be around when she unleashes her fury on fools like these.”

     Dalton caressed her cheek.  “Don’t let your mom put a damper on your day.”

     Victoria smiled.  “I won’t.  But we still need to figure out what’s going on and who’s been prying into our business.”

     Dalton ran a hand over his face and sat back.  “I’m just having a hard time digesting the very notion that a mother would do that to her child.”

     Victoria sighed, blushing slightly.  It was a little embarrassing to have someone you care for know that your mom was that vindictive.  And that messed up.