Secret Caress
Victoria Pinder
Secret Caress
Copyright©2018
* * *
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemble to actual events, business establishments, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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Published in the United States of America.
Copyright © 2018 Victoria Pinder Love in a Book
All rights reserved.
Created with Vellum
This book was born when the news about families being separated at the border by the government happened. As an author I want to understand people and feel and try to see myself in the shoes of another. So my heart broke. I’m a mother. I can’t imagine my life without my girls and I don’t want to. So to see a mother or father who was running from danger, even if it’s just one person, it broke my heart. So this novella is for any man or woman and keeping families together that love each other. It’s a basic tenet of humanity to me and not political. And my sister adopted two boys years ago and to me they are just as much my nephews as anyone else. So this book is dedicated to my two nephews who were taken in to a family who loves them.
Contents
The House of Morgan Family Tree
Join Victoria Pinder
Series Information
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Start Reading the House of Morgan Now
Also by Victoria Pinder
About the Author
The House of Morgan Family Tree
Mitch Morgan married Isabelle Marshall
Their children: Peter, Victoria, John, Luke, Elizabeth, Matthew.
Mitch Morgan had an affair with Fiona Dupree
Their children: Mitch, Damien, Galen, Axel, Catherine (also called Jess).
Mitch Morgan had an affair with Maria in Italy and they had five children, Bartolomeo, Giorgio, Anthony, Aurelia and Lorenzo.
Peter married Belle Jordan in Secret Bet.
No children.
Victoria married Colt Collins in Secret Baby
Their children: Clara.
John married Alice Collins in Secret Crush
They have one child, unnamed.
Luke is engaged to Caro Soliz in Secret Wish
No children. Luke and Caro get married in Secret Romeo
Elizabeth married Rafe Soliz in Secret Dad
Their children: Brandon.
Matthew is currently not married.
Mitch Morgan married Tess Taylor in Secret Heir
No children.
Damien married Serenity Hanscom in Secret Tryst Expecting Twins.
Galen marries Natalie Parker in Secret Date
Axel is in love with Emily Wilson in Secret Bridesmaid.
* * *
Catherine Morgan aka Jess Taylor is currently single.
Bartolomeo will find his true love in Secret Admirer (April 2019.)
Giorgio marries Kiwi Washington in Secret Match.
Anthony is in love with Jennifer Gonzales but my find true love later.
Aurelia is currently missing and presumed dead.
Lorenzo is currently not married.
Soliz Family served the Morgans for 30 years.
Pilar and Samuel re-connected after 25 years apart in Secret Romeo. Pilar and Samuel had two children, Rafe and Caro. Samuel had a third child Valentina during his years of amnesia.
Valentina is currently single.
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Please check out the entire House of Morgan Series and get caught up.
The House of Morgan
Secret Crush
Secret Baby
Secret Bet
Secret Wish
Secret Dad
Secret Heir
Secret Tryst
Secret Date
Secret Romeo
Secret Match
Secret Bridesmaid
Secret Admirer (Coming Soon)
The House of Morgan Boxed Set 1-3
The House of Morgan Boxed Set 4-6
Chapter 1
A House of Morgan Prequel
20 years ago…
* * *
Andrea Garcia’s heart still beat a mile a minute, and her tears didn’t stop. The billionaires and millionaires around her in this house as she served them hors d'oeuvres on a silver platter had no idea of real troubles.
They stood around this mansion and outside on the balcony that overlooked the water in designer clothes.
Her black servant’s clothes were itchy, but at least this job paid. Not enough to get Camila back, but it was something.
She needed money, now. Fast.
Her daughter’s life depended on her, and she’d never let her baby down. How could she have trusted that day care?
In moving to the United States, she had no one.
Her tears grew wetter on her cheek until her new boss lady, the head housekeeper, saw her. Andrea turned and held up the tray of food she was carrying, but she sobbed more tears as Pilar Soliz tapped her on the back and said, “Andrea, are you crying?”
“Sí. I’m sorry,” Andrea said. She’d been hired three hours ago and realized she was about to be fired from her first job.
If she lost this, she had no means of even saving up to get her baby back, if the ransom was legit.
The kidnappers might do unthinkable things to her baby girl.
Her mind was a mess.
Pilar wrapped her arms around her shoulders and guided her into the house as she said, “Mr. Morgan will fire you if he sees you.”
Andrea stopped crying and said, “I cannot lose the only job I’ve found.”
Pilar opened the servants’ entrance door and waved off other staff as she said, “Come into the kitchen.” She directed them to a small enclave with a small wooden table, took Andrea’s platter from her, and set it down as she asked, “What happened?”
The only people she’d told were the police, but she wasn’t sure that mattered in Miami. The police might be as corrupt as those back home. When she reported to her own police that she’d been raped, no one cared.
But right now, she needed someone. She wiped her face and decided to tell Pilar., “You hired me because you felt sorry for me earlier.”
Pilar scoffed and shook her head. “I hired you because we’re desperate for help here. Mr. Morgan doesn’t inspire loyalty in his staff. What’s going on?” She then handed her a tissue.
Andrea cleaned her face and ignored how fast her heart still beat as she took a b
reath and said, “It’s my daughter, Camila. I don’t know what to do.”
“What’s happening to your daughter?” Pilar asked and gripped her arm.
She’d been a fool. She knew better than to trust that day care, but she’d been desperate. And now she’d lost the only thing that mattered. Her daughter had been the one bright spot that came into her life when she’d been so shaken.
Andrea hugged her waist and covered her face as she shook. “My baby girl. She’s gone. I need money to pay for her return because who knows what they will do to her.”
Pilar’s eyes widened, and she lifted her head. “Have you called the police?”
Hopefully Miami PD was better than she imagined, but she wasn’t sure. Right now, her arms ached to hold her baby girl. “Sí, but there is no news other than the demand I already had.”
Then Mr. Morgan’s young preteen son said, “My father won’t help, but I’m going to call my uncle Todd.”
Oh no. She was definitely fired now. Her heart fell to the ground as she wasn’t sure where to go.
Pilar called out, “Wait,” but Peter Morgan had already run out of the kitchen.
Andrea clutched her chest and asked, “Will he tell his father I was crying?”
Pilar shook her head and then patted her on the back to comfort her. “No, Peter tries to help. I will talk to the young master. And we’ll figure out what to do. I know a few of the officers who are looking for my missing husband. But for now, please clean your face and bring this tray of food out to the party. Remember, don’t let Mitch Morgan see your tears, and we’ll talk in an hour.”
Right. She needed the money. Every penny she could scrape together meant she was one step closer to getting Camila back. She nodded and picked up the tray. “Thanks, Pilar.”
Andrea checked her face in a mirror and wiped her face. She was still red, but the party goers wouldn’t care or notice.
She took a deep breath and swore she’d get her Camila back, but her stomach was in knots.
Everything about her life today was surreal.
She circled around guests and people took the food, without looking at her at all.
Good.
She finished her tray and headed back to the kitchen to get more, when the young, dark-haired preteen boy stepped into her path, holding a muscular and tall white man’s hand. “Uncle Todd, this is the lady I was telling you about.”
She clutched the tray now and wondered if she should go around them, but then the man reached out and brushed his hand against her arm. “My nephew said your daughter was kidnapped?”
Oh no. If she didn’t serve these four hours, she wouldn’t even have anything, and she needed money. Her jaw trembled, and she knew she was going to cry again as the image of her daughter flashed in her mind.
She looked away. “Sí, but I can’t talk about it now.”
Todd massaged her shoulder as if he wanted to comfort her. “My brother, Mitch?”
“He’s the boss, sir,” she said and straightened her spine, holding the tray higher as she intended to run inside to do her one job.
Todd and the boy walked with her into the servants’ kitchen, where Pilar saw everything.
Todd then said, “Come with me and tell me so I can help.”
Pilar smiled. “I’ll take the tray, Andrea.”
Todd Morgan must be rich if he was at this party and holding the young boy’s hand. If anyone had the means to help, he might. The police had only told her to hold. She nodded at Todd but couldn’t bring herself to smile.
She turned her head and said, “Okay, thanks again, Pilar.”
Pilar waved her off and took the twelve-year-old young master with her as they had a private conversation.
Andrea took off her black apron and left it on the counter. Todd continued to massage her back like he cared as they walked out of the kitchen and headed to the servants’ parking garage door.
The moon was full as they walked across the large, well-manicured lawn and headed across the street to another mansion on Starr Island.
Todd’s home was only slightly smaller than the mansion she’d just left, but unlike the white marble, the Spanish-style manor had warm yellow and red tiles. He closed the front door and locked it.
She hugged her arms, knowing she didn’t fit into this place at all. A huge Frida Kahlo original hung above a mantel.
Todd joined her in the living room. “So, who took your daughter?”
She swallowed, ignored the flutter in her heart for answers, and clutched her crucifix on her neck as she said, “I don’t know. They wanted a ransom, and it’s more than I can ever afford.”
She reached into her back pocket and unfolded the note left for her at the abandoned day care she’d left her baby at this morning so she could go find a job. Her landlord had directed her to that place, and now Andrea’s life, and her Camilla’s life, was a disaster.
Todd held out his hand for the ransom note she’d copied fast when the police took the original from her. His kind eyes made her trust him. “Let me see?”
Her hands trembled, but she handed over the copy.
He read it and walked over to his phone, then picked it up. “Give me a few minutes, and I’ll get the money and a plan of action for you.”
A bubble of hope washed through her, but she clutched her hands and narrowed her eyes. “Why would you help me?”
“‘Cause you’re pretty.” He said it fast and then spoke to someone on the other end of the phone.
Her mind raced. No one had ever done anything for her out of kindness. Ever. She’d escaped the violence in her own country the day her parents were murdered on the street in a cross fire of feuding gangs when someone put a note on her door saying they were coming for her next.
If she needed to, she’d give Todd whatever he wanted. She took a deep breath and ignored how her spine tingled. He kept the phone near his ear though he didn’t speak. Her mind reeled as she said, “Okay, I’ll sleep with you if you can give me this money.”
He shook his head, and the knot in her stomach lessened slightly. He held out his hand and held the phone in the other. “Andrea, you are beautiful, but that’s not what I meant. We need to call this number on your paper, and I want my security team with us. They are already on the line, listening.”
Someone heard her?
Her body tightened, but she took the phone he offered. “Why? What are we doing exactly to get Camila?”
He said, “I’ll buy back your daughter, but we need to know where they are, so we can get to her as fast as possible.”
Tears drenched her eyes as she sobbed while she held the phone and looked up at Todd. He was handsome and beautiful, like an angel sent to her. “The good Lord will bless you, sir.”
He handed the paper back to her and pointed to the number. “I’m not looking for blessing. It’s the right thing to do. How old is your daughter?”
Right. She’d cry when and if her daughter was back in her arms. Her heart filled with adrenaline and hope that she finally had a way to get her baby. “Four. I left her at the day care so I could apply for jobs. I didn’t think they’d steal her away.”
He let her hand go and walked away. She stood and swayed, unsure what to do.
He picked up a tissue, returned, and handed it to her. “When did this happen?”
She ran her hand through her hair and relived her nightmare. “This morning. I left her at nine and went back at one. We only moved to Miami yesterday, and I needed to find a job and I don’t have any family—”
He massaged her shoulder and then lifted her hand with the receiver in it. “The trail is getting cold. Call fast and tell them to come here for the money, but keep them talking.”
Talking? She didn’t understand. “Why?”
He moved even closer, and she smelled his woodsy cologne, which made her think of home. She swayed on her feet, wishing she could hold on to him.
“I want my security team to trace the call, and they are working with M
iami PD, but you’ll need to stay on the line with them for sixty seconds.”
Okay. She’d do anything. She dialed the number, though her hand shook.
A minute later, a man’s deep voice said, “Hello?”
The voice sent a tremor through her. Todd’s massage felt good as she focused on his sweet touch while she prayed for her baby. “Sí. Hello, I have the money. Please come to 23 Star Island Drive.”
The deep, evil voice laughed. “I knew with your pretty face, you’d get us the money.”
That was why she ran toward America and Miami. She refused to let her daughter live in violence and fear. For now, she needed to pretend she was strong as she clutched the table that held the phone. “You only get it if I get my daughter back, alive.”
The man on the phone, which she imagined was probably in one of the gangs from her own country, said, “She’s alive and well, for now.”
Todd held out his watch, and she saw the timer. She needed a few more seconds, so she asked, “How do I know?”
The man laughed. “Do you want to hear her scream?”
The last thing her daughter needed was pain. She trembled and shook her head. “No… no…”
Todd tapped his watch and whispered so the man on the phone won’t hear, “We have it.”
That was the longest minute of her life. Hopefully her daughter would be in her arms again soon. “Just bring her to me now.”
Secret Caress Page 1
