by Blue Saffire
“Yes, I like that you were so ready to defend me. You’re cute when you’re angry,” I admitted in a seductive voice.
“Umm, I’ll keep that in mind. Can I ask you a question? What did you mean about getting myself in trouble?” She questioned, curiosity lacing her voice.
I laughed. “Same thing,” I said pointedly.
“What do you mean?” she asked bemused.
“You think about it. You’re smart,” I suggested, as I relaxed in my seat. I was enjoying hearing her voice on the other end of the phone.
She contemplated what I said for a minute. Then she squealed through the phone. “Oh, really! Are you serious? I mean, how, what did I do?” I could hear her laughing on the other end now.
“I like the way you speak Italian. You have a way of making it sound…I don’t know…sexy,” I told her, keeping the seductive tone in play.
“Lorenzo, you’re kidding. I sound like anyone else. That really excites you? You’re not hard to please, you know,” she teased.
We both laughed. “That’s a good thing, so you always know how to keep me happy.”
“I like that. I want to keep you happy.” Once again, she spoke with a seduction I didn’t think she intends to use. It’s just natural.
“Not as much as I want to make you happy,” I replied. Victoria had no clue how much I owe her or how much I was willing to give her. Until that day, I had no idea how much myself. Chris made me think about how much I cared for her.
“What makes you think that?” she said, sounding a little wounded.
“It’s not what I think, it’s what I know,” I spoke with confidence.
“Don’t be so sure of that. I…,” she paused and changed the subject. “Maria promised to take me driving tomorrow.”
I thought about what I knew she was going to say. I wanted her to. I wanted to prove that Chris was wrong. This wasn’t a one-way thing.
I know what she was going to say. My stomach twisted by the words that were cut off in her mouth. I needed them like air.
“I love you, too, Victoria.” There that would get me what I wanted.
She paused, leaving a long silence to fill the air. “Was I that obvious? I thought I had stopped in time? I love you, Lorenzo, but that scares me. I have lost so many people I love, all at the same time. I don’t want to love you and then have to lose you too.”
That was more than I expected to hear, but I was happy to know what she was thinking. I felt like I understood. Although, it hurt me to know what she was feeling.
I was the one who made her lose those people she loved. Here I was, getting to love her and have her love me. It seemed so wrong. I wanted to tell her the truth and see if she could still love me, but I couldn’t.
That was my father’s one condition. I could never tell the truth about what I had done. My father warned that I better pray Venny never told her himself.
I took a deep breath. “Victoria, you will never lose me. I don’t want you to be afraid of loving me. You have nothing to be afraid of.” I wanted her to believe this. I needed to reassure her I was good for her.
“What about when you go to grad school? From what I hear you might be going away. I’m not stupid, Lorenzo. I know you will want to be with someone. Someone ready to give you what I can’t or won’t. Someone older, more mature,” she spit out angrily.
“You’re the someone I want to be with. You’re very mature for your age. If I have you, then you have given me enough.”
“Ugh, you know what I mean, Lorenzo. I don’t know how…I’ve never…I’m not sure I am ready to…I want to wait.” She managed to say almost sounding frustrated.
“Didn’t I tell you, you worry too much?” I laughed.
I did however give thought to her words. How could I not think about giving her nothing but pleasure with the way she looks? Although, that wasn’t as important to me as us just being together.
“Yes, but sometimes the way you sound when you speak to me. I don’t know… it makes me afraid you want to,” she spoke shyly.
I snorted. “We can talk about that later. I don’t want anything you don’t.” I told her. I was ready to brush the subject off. I meant every word, it just wasn’t something we needed to discuss at that moment.
“See, that’s the problem. This is easy to say over the phone, but what if…the way I feel about you changes that when I’m with you?” I could tell these were thoughts she’d been going over all day.
“Victoria, I know you’re younger than I am. That’s important to me. I understand you may look a lot older, but you’re still a girl in some ways. Ways I don’t want to change too quickly.
“I want to give you what you need. Anything you need. If you need shelter, then I can do that. If you need food, I have that covered. If you need someone to listen, you know I’ll do that.
“But please do understand…those are things you need, not things I want. I’ve been taught to be a man. I know how to control myself, and I will wait as long as necessary, until pleasing you becomes a need and not a want. Be it yours or mine,” I promised with authority.
When I said, all I had to say I saw Chris staring at me with his mouth open. Victoria was quiet on the other end of the phone. I just sat confident that I made my point.
I gave Victoria a minute to absorb what I said. Suddenly, I could hear her crying on the other end. I panicked. I thought about what I said and wondered what I said wrong.
“Victoria, did I say something wrong? Baby, what’s wrong?” I asked.
“I just …I umm…I didn’t expect you to say that. It makes me love you even more. I love you so much. You’ve made me so happy. I’m not afraid of what is going on because you made things so much better,” she whimpered.
“Please stop crying, Beautiful. I want to make it better. Maybe I can get Chris to drive me to your house…” I was beyond caring what my father would do.
She cut me off right away. “Are you crazy? I’m fine, you can’t come here. My father would kill me,” she screeched anxiously.
“No, he won’t, Victoria, relax. I won’t stay long, I just want to see you,” I spoke impatiently.
“I will see you Thursday,” she demanded.
“Shit, it is Tuesday, Victoria. I want to see you now.”
I was becoming irritated. I wanted to see her to know for sure she was okay. I didn’t care about her father. I had to find a way to see her.
She sighed. “I know, but it’s what I need. I need you to wait.”
I rolled my eyes. I couldn’t believe she was using my words on me. This girl had me wrapped around her finger already.
“That’s not fair, you know,” I hissed at the phone. Victoria sighed, causing me to feel bad for talking to her so harshly. “Baby, I’m sorry. If it’s what you need, I will do what you ask.” I eased my voice.
Victoria sensing my mood change, changed the subject. Purring softly in Italian. “What are your plans tomorrow?”
I was hers in a matter of seconds. I lost my focus on trying to plan a trip to her house. Chris had gone back to pretending he was not listening.
It didn’t matter though. He couldn’t understand a word I spoke anyway. All these years, you would think he would understand something.
Victoria and I continued our conversation in Italian for another hour. That’s when Maria appeared outside her door, telling her to get ready for dinner. I have to say I was a bit disappointed.
“I promise to call you in the morning,” she whispered. “My dad wants to watch movies tonight when he gets home. I don’t know what time we’ll be done.”
“I love you.” I said wanting her to hear the words from my lips and needed to hear them from hers.
“I love you too,” she said in the sweetest voice ever.
chapter Thirteen
Promised
Victoria
Tuesday night was great. I had dinner with Maria and my father came in during dessert. I sat with him while he ate and we all talked about the plans
for the party.
Maria said she had most of the heavy things out of the way. Moving forward, she’s just going to focus on my dresses and following up with the guests. The woman had it all mapped out.
“You know we could have movie night another time,” I offered. My father looked tired.
“You deserve to celebrate your accomplishment this afternoon,” my father said with a grin.
“Yous guys enjoy the movies. I’ll see yous in the morning,” Maria said as she kissed my forehead and turned to leave the room.
My father waited until Maria stepped out of the room. When she was gone, my father turned to me with a broadened smile. He leaned and whispered.
“Your mother is so excited for you. She’s proud of you, Kid,” he said warmly.
His words brought a smile to my face. I thought about calling my mom to tell her my news. In the end, I had changed my mind.
“I told Maria yous guys should go to the spa to get ready for Thursday,” My father says after some thought. “You should have your hair straightened.”
I wrinkled my brows at that statement. My father, wanted me to straighten my hair. I sat back in my seat to process this. I was speechless.
Insistently, I became determined to find out what I was missing. Somehow, I knew Lorenzo knew more than he is saying, but he was going to tell me. I never got around to pushing the subject with my father. I decided to let it go.
I didn’t have a final the next day. I only had to show up for an hour of study hall. My father and I stayed up for hours watching movies, since I didn’t have exams. I had a blast.
I curled up next to my dad with his arm wrapped around me, as we watched the movies. We laughed, I cried, and we both yelled at the screen. It was fun.
The next morning, Maria was excited about the spa day. She decided that I needed a new outfit too. As if I didn’t have a closet full of brand new clothes.
I was super tired in study hall. I couldn’t be happier when the hour was up. Maria hadn’t bothered to leave because she would’ve had to turn right back around.
Angie was tagging along with us for the spa day. Unfortunately, we had to wait an extra twenty minutes for her to finish a final. Our time at the spa flew.
We had such a great time receiving the full treatment, including manicures, pedicures, massages, and some extras. After the spa, we went to a boutique Maria had been raving about. I tried on outfit after outfit, but I didn’t find anything Maria or I liked right away.
I was in the dressing room with my third pile, when I heard my phone ringing outside of the dressing room. Oh no! I felt the panic rising.
It hit me insistently that I forgot to call Lorenzo. I’d been so tired after study hall. I knew it had to be him. Angie and I never kept secrets before, so I knew she would just pick up the phone and read the text.
I started to freak out, trying to put on anything so I could walk out of the dressing room. By the time I made it out, Maria and Angie were standing over my phone reading and laughing. I snatched the phone and read the message myself.
Lorenzo: You’re in so much trouble. Call me. Love you.
My stomach dropped and my eyes flashed up to Maria’s face. She was tickled pink. Lorenzo’s name was saved in big bold letters for all to see. I knew they knew exactly who the text was from.
“I had no idea yous two were that serious. Wow! How long has this been going on?” Maria asked.
I was so embarrassed. I tried to find my voice, but my mouth just flapped open repeatedly. I rubbed my forehead in frustration. Suddenly, the consequence of it all slammed into me.
“Please don’t tell my father, I don’t want him to be upset with me. I don’t want to stop talking to Lorenzo either. Please…” I rushed out.
“Oh, my goodness, Victoria, calm down. Your father likes Lorenzo. I don’t think he will mind. I mean we’re here shopping to impress this kid, but it seems you already have,” she said, as if I was overreacting.
I was totally confused. What was she talking about? This was a part of the mystery I’d been trying to solve. I needed to pay attention. I decided to answer her question.
“He has been my boyfriend since Monday. We’ve been talking on the phone since Sunday.” I replied.
She smiled. “You move fast. I can’t blame you. Lorenzo is hot,” Maria giggled excitedly.
I had to smile at that. I started to text Lorenzo back immediately as I relaxed.
Me: So, sorry. Forgot, way too tired. Out shopping. Call you soon. Love you too.
Before I could hit send Angie stood beside me to read my text. She gasped, her expression totally flabbergasted. She waved Maria over as she pointed to my phone.
“Oh, my gosh, she loves him too. What’s that, four days? Six if you count the days since they first met,” she said flummoxed.
“Shut up, Ang,” I hissed.
I sent my text, turning to head back for the dressing room. This time with my phone in hand. I almost stomped my way there.
I couldn’t understand why was Angie being such a pain about this. I thought she would at least be happy for me. Before I made it back in the dressing room, Maria gasped stopping me in my tracks.
“Wait, I like that dress. That one is cute. Turn around, let me see.”
I had no clue what I had on. I turned to look in a mirror. It was cute. It was something Angie had handed me off the rack.
I was draped in a form fitting heather grey dress, that hugged the top of my body, down to the middle of my thighs. It then broke off into a pleated shirt that stopped just above the knee.
Just above the seam of the pleats, there was a two inches wide black ribbon laced into the fabric that tied into a bow at the center front. The neckline came up to my collarbone in a boat neck style. The back was cut low, into a v that met where it zipped shut, just at the waistline.
Maria walked up behind me to zip it closed. “Wow, this is it, Victoria. You look great,” she said, as she pulled my hair up out of the way.
I twisted and turned, trying to look at as many angles as I could, in the mirrors. Lifting up on my toes, I tried to see what the dress would look like with heels.
It was a great dress, but I thought it might be too much. It was for someone older. Nether my mother or father would approve.
“It’s perfect,” Maria purred with joy.
I scoffed. “Perfect for me to be buried in.”
“Oh, please. Leave all of that to me,” Maria said as she lifted my hair, holding it first to the side of my head, then to the back.
“I think I should keep looking. This is going to get us both killed,” I groaned.
“Not a chance, Kid. You are getting this dress. It is perfect,” Maria said as she glared at me in our reflection in the mirror.
We argued for almost thirty minutes. The argument ended with Maria demanding that she was buying the dress. I pouted as we walked out of the store.
When we got in the car, Maria ignored my mood. Her mind was set on going back to her questions about Lorenzo. She could care less that I was unhappy with the dress she purchased and was demanding I wear.
“So, why are you keeping your boyfriend a secret?” Maria asked.
I sighed. “Maria, have you met my father? He doesn’t want me to date.”
Maria threw her head back and laughed. “Yes, I’ve met your father. Since you have been with us, I have seen how over protective he is. I just truly don’t think this would be a problem,” she replied considerately.
“Well, I’m not willing to chance it. I really like Lorenzo. Everyone in this car is going to keep my secret until I know for sure this will be okay with my father,” I demanded.
Angie flopped back into her seat pouting. “I don’t understand why I’m just finding out you’re dating him. You said you two were just friends. We tell each other everything,” she sulked.
I felt so bad. I turned around to look in the backseat, but Angie wouldn’t look at me. I reached out to touch her leg.
“I’m sor
ry. I was going to tell you today. I was dying to get a chance to. Especially after yesterday. I have so much I want to tell you.”
She turned to me, rolling her eyes. I knew insistently what I could say to fix this.
“Lorenzo promised to bring Chris to the party,” I presented sweetly.
It worked like a charm. “Are you serious? Oh, my God! I have to change the outfit I was going to wear,” Angie started, talking at full speed. “I need something to make me look older, but not slutty. Oh, my God. We have so much to do. I need a new swimsuit.”
I let Angie rattle on, surprised at how cool Maria was. She hadn’t said a word at first. Letting Angie get out all her ranting and raving about how epic this party had just become.
“You know, Lorenzo asked if he could pick me up and bring me to the party like a real date,” I winced and bite my lip as I looked at Maria out the corner of my eye.
She glanced from the road over at me with a wide grin on her lips. “Why do you sound so unsure about that?” She asked.
“I don’t know if my father will allow that,” I said with a slight whine. “Lorenzo seemed convinced that Dad would be okay with it, though.”
“Lorenzo was right. Your father would let him take me to the party. You’ll see, everything will work out,” Maria turned to me once again to wink at me.
When we got to the house, I went upstairs to put away my dress and the new boots Maria bought to go with it. Angie stayed downstairs with Maria. They were looking at some party details I wasn’t allowed to see.
I decided it would be as good a time as any to call Lorenzo and tell him all that had happened. I flopped across the bed and called him.
“Hey, Beautiful,” he crooned into the phone.
“Hey, you,” I twisted out.
“Umm, ok. Why do you sound like I forgot to call you?” he joked.
“Because your text message may have caused a little trouble.” Hearing his voice kind of made it hard to be upset with him.
“What happened? What do you mean?” he asked anxiously.
“I want to know what is going on, but we’ll get back to that,” I thought out loud. “Maria and Angie read your text while I was in the fitting room,” I blurted.
