They’d landed, and Jack had yet to remove her blindfold. She was carefully escorted from the helicopter and led to an open vehicle, either a jeep or a golf cart, she assumed. She rode for about three minutes before she was assisted off of the vehicle and led up a set of steps. Victoria had no clue as to what the surprise would be. It wasn’t until she was completely inside that Jack removed her blindfold. Victoria looked around at what seemed like a beautiful country cottage.
“Oh, Jack! This is beautiful,” she said enthusiastically. “Are we at a bed and breakfast?”
Jack stood in front of Victoria with a smile that completely reached his eyes.
It took Victoria’s breath away. His vibrant blue eyes were gleaming with excitement as he stood holding Jasmine in his arms.
“Sort of,” he responded.
Suddenly, three women and one man walked into the cottage. The man carried a long garment bag and a shoe box. Victoria looked from Jack to the strangers.
“What are you up to, Jackson Storm?”
He smiled wickedly, “Plenty.”
Before Victoria could respond, a feminine voice came from behind.
“Mrs. Storm, I’m Emma. I’ll be taking care of Jasmine this weekend. Mr. Storm has informed me that you are breastfeeding and that you’ve pumped a sufficient amount of milk.”
Victoria turned to an attractive black woman. She was maybe in her fifties, but she had smooth dark skin and kind eyes, causing Victoria to long for her own mother.
“I can assure you that Jasmine will be perfectly safe in my care.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’m sure she will. Thank you,” Victoria responded.
Then, yet another woman stepped into the room.
“Mrs. Storm, your bath is ready,” she announced.
Victoria walked over to Jack and kissed the top of Jasmine’s head, before standing on her toes to kiss her sex on a stick husband.
“Loooove youuu,” she sang. “See you later.” Then she followed the woman up a set of stairs.
JACK
Jack patiently waited by the golf cart for Victoria. In the time that it took her to get ready, Jack had gone to the ballroom and met with Lawrence in order to ensure that the night would be perfect for Victoria. After that, he toured the grounds with George, who assured him that the camp was fully operational and ready for summer. The medical facility was the last stop on Jack’s tour, and once he was satisfied, he returned to the cottage to get ready for the gala.
When Victoria finally stepped out in a black, lace, form fitting dress that sparkled, her beauty caused Jack’s heart to skip several beats. The gown that she wore was clinging to her in all the right places, and it flared like a fishtail at the bottom. It was long–sleeved, but off the shoulder, exposing her soft caramel skin.
He gasped as he made his way to the porch. “Oh God, you’re beautiful.”
Jack assisted Victoria down the steps, and when she reached the last step, he couldn’t resist tasting her. He kissed her delicate neck and inhaled her essence. She made him weak in the knees. She was indeed his kryptonite.
“Oh, Jack. Honey, you look like sin,” she swooned.
Jack walked her to the cart and helped her into the seat, before jogging around to the driver’s side. Jack drove them through the camp, to the main building.
Victoria’s curious eyes attempted to take in everything that she saw on the way.
Even though she was no longer on the department, Jack could see the cop in her, clawing her way out.
“Victoria, we’re about to arrive, and since you’ve obviously spent some time on your makeup, I don’t want to blindfold you. I need you to close your eyes, my love.”
To Jack’s surprise, Victoria closed her eyes without protest. He continued for a minute or two before he arrived at the front of the main cottage. George and Lawrence waited just outside the double doors as Jack helped Victoria from the cart. He escorted Victoria up the short walkway. Once they reached the entrance, George and Lawrence opened the double doors.
“Keep ‘em closed,” Jack urged as he walked Victoria to the ballroom. He could see the struggle within her as her eyelashes fluttered, but never opened.
Victoria, obviously, wasn’t good with surprises.
Jack looked into the ballroom, and he was taken aback by the amount of well-dressed supporters that stood before him. His entire family, along with Victoria’s stood in a hush, waiting for her eyes to open. Victoria really believed that they were at some sort of bed and breakfast, and when she realized the truth, she’d be blown away. Curious, Victoria raised her head, attempting to decipher the chatter about the room.
“Baby, open your eyes,” Jack whispered in her ear.
Jack watched as Victoria’s eyes fluttered open and widened. She focused in on the people that stood before her. Victoria’s parents, his parents, and all of their siblings wore smiles filled with warmth. Victoria’s mouth flew open and she inhaled sharply. Curiously looking around the ballroom, her eyes landed on her former team members. Finally exhaling, she turned to face Jack. Beautiful pools of warm brown eyes were filled with curiosity, looking to Jack for answers.
Leaning in to place a gentle kiss to Victoria’s forehead, Jack felt as if he was the luckiest man alive. Words were not yet invented to describe how much he loved his wife, and he would do anything to make her smile.
“Baby, welcome to the Delilah Rose Summer Camp.”
Victoria’s loud gasp preceded the tears that fell from her eyes. Jack used his thumb to swipe a rolling tear from her cheek.
Her continued shock humored Jack. “So this is not a bed and breakfast?!”
Jack shook his head with a laugh.
“This is a summer camp for children with Sickle Cell?!”
Jack nodded still laughing.
With tears pouring and lacing a big grin, Victoria blurted, “You did this?!”
Now, those nearby that could hear her, were laughing as well.
“Yes, but with a lot of help.”
Victoria charged him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Jack tightened their embrace while Victoria sobbed. Although Jack was happy that she was happy, he couldn’t stand to see Victoria cry, for any reason.
“Baby, stop being a crybaby and greet your guests,” he teased while planting kisses along her jaw line.
“O... Okay,” she hiccupped. Victoria wiped her tears and turned and turned to face the crowd.
They all yelled with smiling and adoring faces. “Surprise!”
GIANNI
Gianni walked into the ballroom just as everyone yelled surprise. He immediately scanned the room for Natasha, knowing that she would be there for Victoria. They were lethally loyal to each other. He searched through a sea of his and Victoria’s family, but no Natasha.
Because of his sizable contribution to the charity, he was extended an invitation.
Since Natasha had avoided all of his calls when he left Chicago, the weekend would give him a perfect opportunity to corner her. Gianni had tried everything, short of returning to Chicago, to get her attention. He sent flowers that she refused, and gifts that she sent back. He didn’t understand why Natasha would just push him aside, since he was sure that she’d had a good time the last time that they were together.
Assuming she was just late, Gianni temporarily suspended his search for Natasha and walked over to greet his family. He spotted his father and his uncle Joseph.
They were laughing, no doubt ribbing each other as usual. He walked over to the twins, amazed at how much they still resembled each other.
“Dad. Uncle,” Gianni acknowledged, stretching his arm to shake their hands.
“Boy, I’ll just bet you’re beating the ladies off with a stick,” Joseph commented. “You just thank your lucky stars that he took after me and not that ugly father of yours.”
Joseph winked, causing Gianni to chuckle, and Jonathan to shake his head.
“I am thankful, Uncle Joe. How’ve you been?”
“He’s
been a pain in the ass,” Jonathan interjected.
Since Gianni had been in Europe for so long, he almost forgot how good it was to be around both men at the same time. He hadn’t seen his uncle in years.
“Ciao amore mio!” At that, Gianni turned to the sound of his mother’s voice.
Catarina Storm was a former beauty queen, and she was still every bit as beautiful as she was back then. Gianni bent to hug her. She gently grabbed his face and kissed him on both cheeks.
“Ciao, Mama. I’ve missed you,” Gianni admitted.
“Nonsense. You miss your mother, you call. You, Gianni, hardly ever call your poor mother,” she scolded sweetly.
“Mama, I call you four times a week,” he replied, laughing.
“Hush! Don’t talk back to your mother,” she fussed, swatting his arm, causing all three men to laugh.
Gianni noticed the way that his dad looked at his mother as if they’d just fell in love the day before. They never seemed to tire of one another, and somehow their passion only grew with time. Hell, because of their very loud displays of passion, whenever he’d visit them, instead of staying with his parents, he opted to purchase the villa across the road from them. He just could not listen to his parents fucking, and practically every night at that.
Gianni excused himself and made his way around the room to greet the rest of his family. With no sign of Natasha, Gianni made the mistake of asking Victoria if she’d seen her. She gave him a curt “no” and politely thanked him for his contribution, before giving him the cold shoulder. He couldn’t for the life of him figure out what he’d done that was so wrong. They’d shared a beautiful night of unbelievable sex, and although he had to return to Paris to put out a few fires, he fully intended to return. Gianni had even left his assistant to make sure that Natasha was provided with anything that she needed.
An announcer spoke into a microphone, asking everyone to take a seat. Gianni decided to sit with Emily and Amy. Since he was their self-proclaimed favorite, he assumed he’d be safe with them. Sitting next to Amy, was a gorgeous black woman with copper skin, long jet black hair, and eyes the color of diamonds. Even sitting, Gianni could tell that she had an amazing body, with breast that threatened to free themselves from the strapless gown that she wore.
Clearing her throat, Amy must have noticed Gianni admiring her friend’s beauty.
“Gianni this is Mia. Mia, this is my cousin Gianni,” she announced.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mia.”
“Likewise,” she responded with a warm smile.
He nodded and did another visual sweep of the room, in search of Natasha. Gianni was hugely disappointed. He was clearly infatuated, because the woman sitting across from him was beautiful, and all he could think about was Natasha and the orgasmic sounds that she made when she was cumming.
Suddenly, the lights were dimmed, and spotlights were aimed at the stage. The announcer returned to the microphone. He introduced himself as Dr. Noah Stark, the camps in–house physician.
“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for attending the launch of The Delilah Rose Summer Camp for children with Sickle Cell Anemia.”
Applause erupted throughout the room. After brief description of the camp and the medical facility, he lowered the microphone stand and exited the stage.
Immediately following Dr. Stark, a little girl with chocolate skin and fat cheeks took the stage. She had a round puffy ponytail on the top of her head, but it was her big round beautiful brown eyes that stood out. She walked to the microphone stand in a long red princess dress.
The little princess reached for the microphone and introduced herself as Delilah Rose. She thanked her Uncle Jack and Aunt Victoria for the camp, and thanked everyone else for their donations. Gianni looked over at Jack, who along with Victoria’s dad, was stuck at a table occupied by emotional women, wiping away tears.
Gianni turned back to the stage just as the little angel finished her speech.
She smiled happily at the standing ovation that she received. Delilah walked to the end of the stage and was assisted down by a smiling couple that Gianni assumed were her parents. The three of them took a seat at Victoria’s table. Again, Gianni scanned the room for Natasha. He’d made a decision that when this event was over, he’d call her phone, repeatedly, until she answered his call.
Music started playing and the stage curtain was slowly opened. Gianni froze and nearly stopped breathing when Natasha walked up to the microphone. Literally taking his breath away, she stood on stage wearing a red halter dress that showed enough cleavage to swell Gianni’s cock. The dress fit Natasha like a glove, and the split that started at the very top of her thigh was doing him in. Natasha had a new hairstyle. It was cut shorter on the sides and back, and longer on the top. In the front, her black silky hair swept across one side of her face. Her new look was edgy and sexy.
Gianni openly gawked at Natasha, until he heard her voice. Natasha started to sing, and her voice was that of a wood nymph, luring him to her. She expertly sang her rendition of Prince’s, Beautiful Ones, and there were no traces of the bashful woman that he’d met a little over a month ago. She sang with confidence and moved seductively around the stage. Natasha was enticing Gianni with every perfectly executed note.
♫ The beautiful ones, they hurt you every time... ♫
By the end of the song, Gianni was totally impressed. Had Natasha walked into any one of his clubs for an audition, she would’ve been hired on the spot. He looked over at Jack to find him smirking as if to say, “Yea, you fucked up.” Gianni turned away, training his gaze on Natasha. She sang another song. One that Gianni had never heard. Never the less, he listened, mesmerized by her soulful voice.
♫...And I don’t wanna be without you.
Because I can hardly breathe without you.
This is what it feels to be the one
who’s standin’ left behind... How did I become the wrong side of the love song? ♫
Gianni was sure that he’d never heard the song, but he was concerned about the sad lyrics. Why were all of Natasha’s selections about heartbreak? What had she been through? By the end of her set, Gianni was sure that he needed more info. After dinner, he decided to grill Victoria on all things Natasha.
CHAPTER 17
VICTORIA
Jack couldn’t have given Victoria a better gift. Between the wonderful dinner, with friends and their entire family and Natasha’s surprise performance, the entire night was magical. Victoria had no idea that Natasha could sing. After her flawless performance, she found out that Jack had enlisted Natasha to help him pull off his surprise, tasking her with finding a band. The band that she provided informed Jack that, in the past, Natasha had performed with them. They raved about her vocal skills and stage presence, calling her a natural talent. Jack said it took quite a bit of convincing on his part to get Natasha to agree, not surprisingly because Jack Storm doesn’t take no for an answer.
Victoria stood by the patio doors and looked out at the camp that was built because of her passion for the charity, and Jack’s love for her. Old fashion street lamps illuminated the grounds and the lake mirrored the moon. It was all so beautiful. Victoria diverted her attention from outside to the ballroom. She scanned the room for Jack. He was standing near the bar with Gianni. Jack was still running interference for Victoria, since Gianni had been, without subtlety, fishing for information about Natasha. After the way that he’d treated her friend, Victoria had no intention of telling him anything, family or not.
Natasha was engulfed in a conversation with Deon and Steve, no doubt, avoiding
Gianni; but that certainly didn’t stop him from stalking her every movement. From her vantage point, Gianni seemed to be sincerely interested in Natasha, so she wondered why he would have sex with her and then flee the country. In any case, Gianni and Natasha would have to deal with their own problems since Victoria could see her own issue walking across the room. An issue in the form of a blonde heat-seeking missile with over-i
nflated breasts, aimed directly at her husband. Victoria watched as Caroline threw her shoulders back and sauntered over to Jack. Clenching her fists, Victoria took a deep cleansing breath. She closed her eyes and said a silent prayer for God to give her the strength to refrain from beating the fuck out of the slut that was licking her lips and approaching her husband.
Since Jack had put so much work into the perfection of the event, and the foundation meant so much to Victoria and her family, she was winning the battle within. She unclenched her fist and decided to let Jack handle Caroline. Judging by the way that Jack cringed when he noticed her, he didn’t want to deal with her either. Caroline closed the distance between them, too damn close for Victoria. She placed her hand on Jack’s chest, and Victoria instantly tensed. Jack immediately removed her hand from his chest but held on to it, longer than Victoria was comfortable with. Suddenly, the smile dropped from Caroline’s face and was replaced with a pained expression. Realizing that Jack was squeezing her hand, Victoria smiled when Caroline almost dropped to her knees. Jack said something to her that Victoria was sure wasn’t pleasant, before releasing her hand and walking away. Victoria almost laughed out loud when Caroline quickly recovered and noticed Gianni for the first time. Victoria could see the scheming behind her eyes from across the room. Apparently, Gianni was well aware of Caroline’s predatory intentions, because he raised his hands and crossed one finger over the other, warding off the vampire with the sign of the cross. Gianni walked away, leaving Caroline to stand alone at the bar with egg on her face. Victoria wasn’t at all surprised that Caroline would weasel her way into the charitable event in order to get close to Jack, using daddy’s money of course.
Beautiful Prey 2: The Storm Series (BWWM Romance) Page 10
