by Madyson Grey
“What we figured was that he never told Mom about the raises, but just used the money to buy more booze. I know that our living conditions never got any better. Instead they got worse. And when Dad showed up at drunk that last day, your dad had no choice but to let him go. I can understand that. I wouldn’t have a drunk working for me. Your dad also told me that about once a week he’d send someone over to the house when Dad was at work with a box of groceries to leave on the front porch.
“I remember a couple of those boxes. Mama always said that an angel must have put them there. I just never knew who that angel was until years later. He told me, too, that when my dad stepped in front of the train, he had so much alcohol in his system that no one could tell whether or not he did it deliberately. But Mama latched on to the idea that he had killed himself because he couldn’t bear the shame of having lost another job. Mateo was enough older than I to understand a little more of what was going on. The hate took root in his heart and he nurtured it throughout the years.
“In fact, he was the one who called me that morning to tell me that your dad had died. He was gloating over the fact, but not me. I had learned to truly like and admire your dad. I tried to explain that once to Mateo, but he didn’t want to hear it, so I just quit trying. I don’t have much to do with him anyway. He’s just a lazy leech.”
“Oh, wow,” Victoria said. “I just got another reminder that I’m not the only one in the world with issues. I guess I need those every now and then.”
“I think we all do,” Rafael said gently.
“So how did you get in with my dad?” Victoria asked.
It was the perfect opening. Maybe she would learn something here. Although after hearing Rafael’s story, she wasn’t sure that there would be anything to learn.
“Well, after Papa died, Mama got Papa’s old job back working for Thornton Enterprise. Then when I got old enough, I applied for the job of messenger there. My goal was to figure out a way to destroy your dad. I had no clue at first how I was going to do it. But over time, I worked out a plan. I would learn all I could about the business, and then offer my knowledge of his dealings to his competitors, which I thought would bring him down. Eventually, after several years, your dad asked me if I wanted to be his personal assistant at double the wages.
“I wasn’t dumb. Here was my chance to really get inside his office and inside his head. I might even be able to figure out how to safely embezzle money to the point of bankrupting him. I may not have been dumb, but I was pretty stupid. I know now how much skill it takes to be a successful embezzler. There are very few people on the planet who are that skillful. I certainly am not one of them.
“However, getting to work so closely with your dad allowed me to see him for who he really was, not who my mother and brother had been telling me all those years. I saw what a kind, thoughtful, generous man he really was. That was what got him into trouble financially. He was always donating to one charity or another. Or he would bail out another failing company to help them stay afloat, not to corner the market. Even a man with his income couldn’t save the whole world without it affecting his own finances.”
Victoria mulled this information over and over in her mind. There was nothing here to corner him with. Not unless he was lying to her. Not unless some of those huge withdrawals were payments to him to keep quiet about—what? What could her daddy have possibly done that was so evil that someone would blackmail him for? No, it just wasn’t possible.
“I saw that there were some awfully large monthly withdrawals from his business account each month. What do you know about those?”
Rafael squirmed in his seat just a bit. Just enough for Victoria to notice.
“I’m not at liberty to say,” he finally said. “Client confidentiality you know.”
“That’s the line the bank manager laid on me this morning,” Victoria said cynically. “I told her it shouldn’t matter now that Daddy is dead. She told me that the recipients are alive, and telling me would be a breach of their privacy.”
“She’s right. That’s the same reason I can’t tell you.”
“So you know, but you won’t tell me.”
“Sorry.”
“But since it’s your company now, do you still have the same clients to hold in privacy?”
So she knows, he thought.
“So you do know that I bought the company,” Rafael said, looking sideways at her.
“Well, yeah,” she said. “Mother told me.”
She debated whether or not to mention that she had found the paperwork on the sale. Then she decided to hold that back. It was best to do more listening that talking. After all, she was supposed to be learning about him, not him learning about her.
Their conversation was broken at this point because they had arrived at the convention center, parked, and were walking into the building. Rafael paid their entry fee at the door. Walking into the entry hall, Victoria’s eyes were assaulted by the first display of paintings. Ahhh. She was back in her element. Rafael took note of how she came alive at the first sight of fine art.
He hadn’t told her this yet, but he felt the same way. He was pretty sure he didn’t know as much as she did about the various artists, or their techniques, or the mediums they used. After all, she had gone to college and had some fancy degree in art. But the feelings of awe were the same. In fact, he had never told anyone of his affinity for art. His mother would have told him to get a job and get his head out of the clouds Mateo would have called him a sissy. But he had a feeling that he could confide in Victoria. That she would understand. He had sensed her love every time she mentioned her job or anything else connected with the art world. Would she sense the same feeling in him?
Victoria drifted from one painting to another, oohing and aahhing reverently over each one. Many of them she could name the artist from a distance. A few she had to check the signature. After they had examined each one in that area, they moved into the main room of the show. It was a huge room and was filled with paintings. Victoria just stood still for a few seconds, soaking in the ambience of the room. Rafael stood just behind her, hands on her shoulders. He could feel the aura permeating his soul, too.
Victoria gradually became aware of Rafael’s hands on her shoulders. The feeling wasn’t one of just affection or attraction. It was the feeling of two souls blending as one. And sex had nothing to do with it. This was incredible. This was the moment she had waited for all her adult life. The moment when she found her true soul mate. She could sense his affinity for art that seeped through his hands into her arms. She stood stock-still, fearing if she moved the spell would be broken. She hoped, how she hoped, that she wasn’t just fantasizing. She longed to turn her head just far enough to look into his eyes. She knew that his eyes would reveal the truth.
Rafael stood transfixed. He felt Victoria relax as he tightened his hold on her shoulders. The moment was amazing. He was actually at an art show, with a woman, whom he knew wasn’t there to humor him, or who was just treading water until he would bed her. This was the most amazing experience of his life. This was the one. The one woman for whom he had been searching since he was twenty years old and first considered the option of marriage. David Thornton had been right. She was the one for him. Now all he had to do was convince her.
Victoria finally dared to turn her head to look up into Rafael’s eyes. What she saw there answered all her questions. All her doubts. All her dreams. He was as enchanted by fine art as was she. They had a connection that went far deeper than the flesh. Their souls were united as one, here in the midst of the crowded art show, it was as if they were the only two people on the planet.
Rafael looked down into eyes that he could drown in. She did sense his passion, too. He could see it in her eyes. Now that he was certain of their soul connection, he must not let her go. There would come a day when all the ugliness, all the secrets, all hurt, lies, and love, and protection would have to be revealed. But today was not that day. Today was a day to lo
se themselves in the joy of immersing themselves in the glory of art.
The moment was even too sacred to spoil with a kiss. The look that passed between them was far deeper and more meaningful that pleasures of the flesh, however wonderful they were. Rafael slid one hand down the length of Victoria’s arm and took her hand. Wordlessly, they turned to meander down the outside aisle of displays. The jostle of the crowd finally cracked the cocoon in which they had isolated themselves. They began to discuss each painting as they stood in front of it. Rafael was amazed at the depth of her knowledge, and Victoria was delighted with the depth of his perceptions.
They were so enthralled with the works they were viewing and with their new-found connection, that they didn’t notice that the crowds had thinned until half of the lights were turned off, and a voice came over a loudspeaker announcing that the show had closed. Victoria looked at her watch, shocked to see that four hours had passed without her having the slightest concept of the passage of time. So much for dinner. It was nearly her bedtime. Victoria was a morning person, which meant she was in bed, and usually asleep by ten o’clock. It was now nearly nine.
“I guess we lost track of time,” Rafael said sheepishly. “Are you hungry?”
“Not really,” Victoria said. “I had such a big lunch that I guess it’s lasted me all afternoon and evening. I’m usually getting ready for bed about this time. But we’ll have another day. I hope.”
She looked into his eyes, and saw that the light was still there for her.
“I hope we have many, many more days to come,” he said softly. “I’ll take you home now, if that’s your preference.”
“Well, I am a morning person, not a night owl, so yes, if you don’t mind, I’m ready to call it a night.”
She figured if they had made this much of a connection, maybe she could be her real self with him, and not pretend to be one of those women who was just coming alive at this time of night. She never did understand how anybody could wait until nine o’clock at night to go out for dinner. The thought of food at that hour was revolting to her. Her only nighttime indulgence was a small dish of ice cream on occasion, or a cup of hot chocolate if the evening was cool. If he could accept her rhythm of life, he was truly interested in her, not just to use her for a plaything for a while, then cast her aside when a new toy came along.
“To tell you the truth, I’m not a night owl either,” Rafael confessed. “I just seem to always date women who think that they’re just getting good and started by late evening. I really pay for it the next morning sometimes. I’m happy to call it a night, too.”
“You know, I appreciate your understanding and your honesty,” Victoria said. “I was almost afraid to suggest calling it a night for fear you’d think I am too weird for you to waste your time on. I’ve dated a couple of guys who, when I told them just what I’ve told you, I never saw them again. I figured it was no great loss, though. If a guy can’t accept me for who I am, then I’m not interested.”
Rafael opened the car door for Victoria and she got in. When he was behind the wheel and had the car started, he took Victoria’s hand in his.
“I feel the same way, Victoria,” he said. “I felt a connection with you tonight that I’ve never felt with any other woman. I just wonder if you felt it, too.”
“Yes, I did,” she said. “I wondered if you felt it.”
“You know, your dad told me more than once that you were the right girl for me, but I didn’t believe him until tonight. I don’t know how he knew, but he knew,” Rafael said. “Now, don’t get me wrong. I was immediately attracted to you. Shoot, I was attracted to the photograph he kept of you in his downtown office. But you were just another pretty girl until this evening. This evening I got it. Now, I hope to keep it. Forever.”
There was just enough light coming through the windshield from the parking lot lights to see that Victoria was smiling at him. He took that as a good sign and reached over to kiss her. This time, it was a delicate kiss, one that was full of truth, sincerity, and the beginnings of new love.
Then he put the Ferrari in gear and gunned the engine. The car leaped to life across the empty parking lot. He felt like taking her out and opening her up to her top speed of 220 mph. But that was far too risky on several levels. So he paced himself to stick to the speed limit all the way back to Victoria’s place. It seemed as if he had cleared the first hurdle towards fulfilling his last promise to David Thornton.
Chapter Thirteen
When Rafael stopped the car in the Thornton driveway, he shut off the engine and turned to face Victoria. Reaching for her hand, he took it in both of his.
“Victoria, I feel like something special happened between us tonight, and I don’t want to cheapen it with mere sex. There is plenty of time for that later. Tonight, I feel that it would only detract from what we’ve had tonight. Do you understand where I’m coming from?”
“Oh, yeah, Rafael, I do. I was so hoping you wouldn’t spoil the mood. I had resolved earlier today to not allow a repeat of last night. I don’t know what got into me last night, except that I was just caught up in the feeling of that moment. And had too much to drink, which won’t happen again either. You are a very attractive man, you know. But that’s neither here nor there now. I am usually much more reserved, especially on a first date. In fact, that’s never happened to me on a first date. Ever. This morning I renewed my resolve to save myself for the man I marry. Whoever that may be. I hope you will understand.”
“Indeed I do, Vic. And I am glad to hear it. To tell the truth, I realized something today myself. I’m sick and tired of women who only want to go out with me for the money I spend on them and the sex. I’m ready for a real relationship. One that will lead to marriage. Not one that ends with marriage either, because I want my marriage to be just the beginning of a lifelong love affair.”
“Oh, yeah, Rafael, me, too,” Victoria breathed.
The sight of her barely illuminated in the glow of the security light nearly made Rafael lose his new resolve. She was incredibly desirable. However, waiting until they were married would only heighten her desirableness.
“The only question left to resolve is how do you feel about me?” Rafael felt himself holding his breath awaiting her response.
“Before tonight I would have said that I find you incredibly sexy and attractive, attentive to detail, thoughtful, and fun. Just like thousands of other guys out there in the big wide world. Now, after this evening, I feel that we connected on a deep level that can’t be touched by mere physical attraction. I feel as though I’ve met my soul mate. I know there may be some messy issues to resolve between you, me, my mother, and my dad’s business, well, your business now. But I feel that there is something between us that is bigger than the issues, and big enough to be worth holding on to, and fighting for if necessary. What about you?”
“Oh, yes, Victoria. I feel exactly the same way. There are going to be issues. Hurdles; seemingly impossible barriers, but if we stick together and fight the world rather than fighting each other, we can overcome anything. Vic, I am, I have fallen in love with you. It’s still a baby love, but it will grow. It’s already growing every moment since we arrived at the art show.”
“I am falling for you, too Rafael, I’ve been sensing it all evening.”
Rafael took Victoria’s face in his hands and gently kissed her. The kiss was full of new love and promises for the future. Then he got out, walked around the car, opened her door, and helped her out. He walked her to the front door and waited until she unlocked and cracked it open. He took her hand, brought it to his lips briefly.
“Good night, Victoria,” he murmured.
“Good night, Rafael,” she breathed.
“See you tomorrow,” he added.
He turned and hurried back to his car before his resolve cracked.
Victoria opened the door and went inside after watching his tail lights disappear through the front gates. She leaned against the door and sighed. The first rea
l man she’d ever dated since Travis so long ago—and he was still only a boy—and it was the man whom her mother had commissioned her to dig up as much dirt on as she could to bring him down. How in the world did life get so complicated?
Daddy, why did you do it? If you had only lived, none of this would be happening right now. If you had just lived. Surely nothing was bad enough that death seemed the only way out.
Tears threatened to slip down her cheeks, but there was no time for them now. She could hear her mother coming down the stairs, presumably to interrogate her about her evening. She would be highly disappointed to learn that Victoria had absolutely nothing on Rafael except that he was a fellow art lover, a kind and decent man, who had apparently struggled to work his way up the corporate ladder. He’d had his own share of hurt, too. If there was anything underhanded, she had yet to find it.
She straightened up and crossed the room to head for the kitchen. She would need a cup of chamomile tea to relax her after her mother confronted her and spoiled the evening’s mood. Marian found her there, heating the teakettle on the stove, tea bag already in a teacup.
“Well? How did it go this evening?” Marian asked, the gleam of a predator in her eyes.
“This was one of the most wonderful evenings of my entire life, Mother,” Victoria answered.
It was the honest truth. She could say no less.
“I don’t care about how wonderful your evening was, I want to know if you learned anything important today.”
Boy, that’s the truth. You really don’t care about my evening. All you care about is your scheme to get Daddy’s company back. That’s what she wanted to say. But that’s not what she really said.
