Seven Days: A young black woman makes a deal with a mob boss.

by Diana Hoffman

  He walked around behind her and kissed the top of her head. "I added something else to it...it's at the bottom of the other poem I wrote in the back," he whispered in her ear.

  Victoria smiled and opened the book to the last page. She quickly skimmed over the beautiful Italian cursive of the first poem he recited for her. But when she reached the bottom, she only saw a few words scribbled on the page. She leaned closer to read them: 'I Love You. Turn Around, Beautiful'.

  Victoria crinkled her brow as she turned around. "Nic, it just says--," she started, then froze. Her hand went to her mouth in utter shock. She came face to face with Nic kneeling behind her, with a familiar looking blue box tied with a white ribbon, in his hand.

  "Victoria?"

  "Yes," she quickly replied.

  Nic raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Is that a yes because I said your name, or yes because you know what I'm about to ask?"

  "Both," Victoria whispered, visibly shaking at this point.

  "Marry me?"

  "Yes! Absolutely," she shrieked, as she leaned over to kiss him. Her legs were complete jello as she slid over top of him, straddling his knee. She couldn't even breathe, but she knew it was a combination of shock and joy, which she could possibly die from.

  Who would have even thought this possible? The first time they had met, she had been scared to death. And when he had walked briskly into the his office and sat down in front of her, he was probably the most handsome man she had ever seen. Next to his actor friend, Mr. Big Time, who she had crushed on for years in various films—a fact that she still hadn't told Nic.

  But it had been Nic's eyes during their first meeting that caused her to shiver. They looked so cold and empty. But to look into them now, instead of a blue glacier storm, they resembled something more peaceful. Like a cool, calm crystal lake. She felt as though she could stare into them forever.

  He pulled the bow off of the light blue box and opened it. The most jaw-dropping, gorgeous diamond ring was staring back at her. He slid it onto her finger and kissed her again. She was almost afraid to close her eyes for fear that she'd lose the small platinum trinket, which she was sure cost more than her car.

  "Do you like, baby?" Nic asked.

  She didn't know what else to say. At this moment, words were so underrated. There wasn't even a phrase she could utter to explain the feelings she felt. Nothing. So instead of trying to inarticulately tell him that she loved him, she pressed her lips to his mouth and kissed him deeply.

  As their lips continued to lock, Victoria thought about everything that had happened. She was engaged? To Nic Andretti? Life...could be full of impossible, yet incredible surprises.

  The next day, Victoria couldn't stop smiling, even as they cuddled on the sofa watching some mystery romance movie on Lifetime. She was practically in his lap with her head leaning back against his solid chest. His arms were tightly wrapped around her, while her fingers mindlessly stroked the top of them, loving the feel of the smooth delicate hair that lightly covered his masculine limbs.

  Every few seconds, she would stare down at her diamond ring. It was the most beautiful thing she'd ever owned, and definitely the most expensive. She had debated on asking him how much it cost, which was tacky, but she couldn't help it. But she decided against it, telling herself that it would make her even more self-conscious than she already was.

  Telling Marianna earlier that morning had been fun. She screamed through the phone into Victoria's ear, almost causing a slight ringing, and then proceeded to babble on about babies this and babies that. Jimmy and Isabelle had called her together on speaker phone to congratulate her on "slaying the beast". They were so cute and funny over the phone. They finished each other's sentences...and when Jimmy said something Isabelle didn't agree with, she would argue back with him, and eventually he'd just laugh and say she was right.

  When she called to tell Antonio, she could tell he was in complete shock. The last news he had heard was that she had broken up with Nic. Victoria could also tell there was just a hint of disappointment in his voice, but he still congratulated her and wished them the best. He told her about the new things he has lined up for the club and how grateful he was to Nic. He already moved his mom out of the place she was in, and into a small house with a washer and dryer. That's all his mom cared about, and he joked that she probably slept in the laundry room the first night.

  "I know who did it," Nic whispered to her, bringing her thoughts back to the movie.

  "No way! We've only been watching it for fifteen minutes. You can't already know who the killer is. I doubt we've even seen everyone."

  "Trust me, I know."

  Victoria turned her head toward him to give him a kiss when her cell phone started ringing. She leaned over the table and plucked if from her purse. The screen read private, but she was pretty sure she knew who it was.

  "Hello?"

  "Hello, Victoria. It's Paul," he said.

  "Hi, how are you?"

  Nic could hear that it was a man's voice on the other end. He hated this new feeling of jealousy that was overcoming him. Actually, it wasn't new. He had felt it the second day they were together, when Sonny had wanted to bet her for a night. That slight tinge from the green-eyed monster had reared its head even then. But Nic knew for a fact that Victoria didn't really hang around other women, so he wondered who this guy was. His mother, Jimmy and Antonio were the only people he knew that had that number, and they...never mind, he knew exactly who it was. Paul Marconi. He also had her number, since he had called her while she was staying with his mother.

  "I'm fine, now that I know you're safe," Paul said.

  "Oh, thank you," Victoria said, before Nic snatched the phone out of her hand and pressed speaker. She twisted around to grab it back from him when he put a finger to his mouth. Victoria sighed.

  "I would have liked to have called much sooner, but under the circumstances, I felt it was best to keep away. I hope you understand."

  "Oh, of course. Even you just calling now means a lot."

  Silence.

  "So is everything okay now? I'm assuming that the guys responsible were handled?" Paul asked.

  "Um," Victoria said, as she watched Nic shake his head. "Um, I don't really know about all of that stuff, Paul. They don't tell me those things." Victoria hated lying to Paul. She knew for a fact that the three guys who had kidnapped her were dead. She saw that with her own two eyes. But for whatever reason, Nic didn't want Paul to know about any of that.

  "Of course. And that's probably the best thing. I'm just glad you're back home and safe."

  "Thank you. So am I. How's Sonny? I know you were worried about him."

  "Sonny, well, he's Sonny. He's fine. He actually spent the past few weeks vacationing with some girl in Amsterdam. But he refused to tell me until last night because he knew I would have disapproved."

  Victoria looked at Nic when he pinched her arm. He mouthed, 'Ask if he's still there?' Victoria narrowed her eyes at him mouthed back 'No.'

  "Well, that sounds like Sonny. I'm sure he had fun though."

  "Yes, but it was irresponsible. Especially with everything that was going on," Paul said, then he chuckled. "You know, I used to think that because Nic and Sonny grew up together, that maybe some of Nic's more honorable characteristics would rub off on my son. But over the years, they became more enemies than friends."

  "Well, all of it is silly to me, and perhaps both of them should grow up," Victoria said, looking at Nic and sticking her tongue out.

  "That's exactly what my wife would have said," Paul laughed, then sighed. "Well I'll let you go. But I just wanted to make sure that you were safe. And if you ever need anything, you know you can come to me."

  "Thank you, Paul. And likewise. Good bye," Victoria said, then clicked the cell phone shut.

  "If you ever need anything?" Nic repeated, glaring at her. "What, is he supposed to be your genie in a bottle now?"

  Victoria could tell by the clipped tone Nic was using, th
at he was pissed.

  "That's not what he meant. It's just he knows for a while I was having a hard time. And he doesn't know that you and I are together. He was just trying to be nice."

  "Nice, huh?" Nic said as he scratched his slight five o'clock shadow. "How nice?"

  "Don't even go there. You weren't there when he just handed me seventy thousand dollars, knowing it was going to his competition and that he would probably never get it back, but he did it anyway. And he didn't want anything in return."

  Nic turned away from her as his face burned with shame. Was she throwing their past relationship back in his face? "You mean like I did," Nic said, moving away from her and standing up to stretch.

  "No, that's not what I meant. I wasn't comparing you two. There's no comparison. I look at Paul more like...like a father figure. And you...well, I definitely don't see you as my father," Victoria laughed, but then quieted and cleared her throat when she noticed that Nic wasn't cracking a smile.

  She stood up, walked over to him and placed her arms around his waist. "I don't need anything from Paul, Nic. He's just a really nice older man who holds you in very high regard, you know."

  Nic knew that she was right, but he still couldn't help feeling possessive over her.

  "Well, just know from now on if you need something, you come to me, capisce?"

  Victoria laughed. "Si, capisce!"

  "I can't believe that's where you want to go for your honeymoon. You're going to pass over Paris, Venice, Rio de Janeiro and other spectacular places for an aquarium?" Nic said, shaking his head still in disbelief. He stared over at his wife's beautiful face. His wife...he loved that. They had been married approximately twenty minutes. Twenty amazing minutes.

  Victoria had shocked him in not wanting a big wedding. Actually, she hadn't wanted a wedding at all, insisting he was all she needed. And she also commented that there wouldn't be many people, if any, to invite on her side, other than her mother. Her outlook on it had been a welcome change. He and Amber's wedding had been small, but very expensive, mostly due to Amber. And half of the people who were there, Nic wasn't friends with, so he had spent most of the reception talking to Jimmy and Raymond. Yes, he preferred Victoria's low key approach. They had gotten up early that morning and gone to City Hall. The whole process lasted less than ten minutes, but they couldn't stop touching and kissing each other.

  Victoria smiled, and nodded her head. "Yep. You've been to all those other places right?"

  "Yes."

  "I want to experience something new with you. Somewhere you haven't already been and something you haven't already done. Since you and I have been together, we've visited some amazing places, dined in the finest restaurants...but I want to do this, well more my style if you don't mind."

  He looked over at her, while she was piling a fork full of pancakes in her mouth.

  "Izz good, huh?" she smiled at him, chewing around her food. He had to chuckle.

  "It sure is. Because there's nothing better than pouring sugar on top of carbs and shoving it into my mouth," Nic joked, biting into his pancakes.

  Victoria lovingly rolled her eyes.

  "I can't believe this. I'm essentially spending what is supposed to be my wedding reception at The International House of Pancakes and you want to spend our honeymoon observing fish."

  "Have you ever been to the Aquarium?"

  "No."

  "Neither have I, but I've always wanted to go. Hey, you asked me what I wanted."

  "Which I now regret," Nic said, then dodged a packet of sugar that she threw at him. "But I still love you, Mrs. Andretti."

  Victoria smiled. She would NEVER get tired of hearing that.

  A few days later, they set out for their honeymoon. Victoria was so excited. She loved the thought of experiencing something new with Nic that he'd never done.

  But when they pulled into the Aquarium entrance, her heart sank.

  "Oh, shit," Victoria said, as she stared at the empty parking lot. "It must be closed today. I swear, I checked it online and it's supposed to be open all year long."

  "Hmm," Nic muttered, as they parked.

  "Nic, we might as well turn around. I'm sorry."

  "Well, we're already here, we can at least check and see if they will be open tomorrow."

  Nic escorted Victoria to the ticket booth. Standing there was a man dressed in one of the park's uniforms and a big smile.

  "Hello Mr. and Mrs. Andretti. Welcome to the Aquarium."

  Victoria's mouth dropped and felt like it hit the pavement. Did he really close down the park for them? She looked up at Nic who pretended to be surprised, like he didn't know.

  "Hi," Nic said, shaking the man's hand.

  "Right this way, sir," the man said, leading them inside the large building. All of the lights were on, but there wasn't another soul in sight. No lines to view the exhibits, no screaming, crying kids, or cameras flashing every few seconds. Just them and the beautiful marine animals.

  Victoria couldn't stop shaking her head. She still couldn't believe it. "Oh my God, Nic...this is, it's amazing," Victoria whispered as they moved from tank to tank. She had never had the time nor money to spare to visit this Aquarium. She was mesmerized by the fish, which came in all different sizes and colors. Some were absolutely terrifying like the eels and tiger sharks...others were adorable and she would 'ooh and ahh' over them, like the penguins and seals.

  Nic walked closely behind her, again more interested in her than what they were viewing, but Victoria was quite alright with that. Every now and then his hands would grope her, but he tried to be good and somewhat pay attention.

  One brightly colored fish kept following her as she walked back and forth in front of the tank. It was the cutest thing and she kept laughing at it.

  "Nic, I think he likes me just as much as you do," she giggled.

  "Hey, come here and close your eyes," Nic said to her, pulling her away from the stalker fish. Victoria complied and when he told her to open them, she screamed and jumped back into his chest. Staring right at her was probably the ugliest fish known to man. It was giant grouper. He was twice the size of her and had the biggest mouth that was sure to cause her nightmares.

  Nic laughed and wrapped his arms around her. "Don't worry baby, I'll protect you," Nic whispered into her ear.

  As they continued on their tour, they walked past a tank full of jellyfish. Victoria observed their electric, neon colors and how smoothly they flowed through the water.

  "Now these, I like," Nic said, staring at them.

  "Hmm, beautiful and dangerous...just like my husband," Victoria retorted sarcastically. Nic chuckled as he grabbed her hand and led her to another tank.

  When they reached the final room, Nic opened the doors and Victoria gasped.

  It was a large room, and the tank was from floor to ceiling and covered two walls. The tank was filled with brightly colored coral reefs and fish. And located directly in the middle of the room was a small table, beautifully decorated, with two silver covers.

  "Nic, I--," Victoria was speechless. Again.

  "I figured a little of your style and mine mixed together, and we couldn't go wrong with this honeymoon."

  Victoria looked at the bright blue water from the tanks and then to their table. This was all way more than she would have ever expected.

  Once they sat down and Nic removed the covers from their food, Victoria could finally speak.

  "Nic, thank you. This has been so incredible. Something I will never forget."

  "I'm glad you like it, baby. I enjoyed it too."

  They ate and talked for hours, enjoying every moment they were there. In the car on the way back to his condo, Victoria fell asleep. He sat in his parking place staring at her sleeping form for several minutes before he begrudgingly woke her up so they could go inside.

  Inside the condo, Victoria stood in the bathroom brushing her teeth and flossing. Nic stood behind her, just observing. She felt a little self-conscious, but as his w
ife, this is something she would normally be doing in front of him. She smiled at him in the reflection of the mirror, to ease her embarrassment. But he didn't smile back. He just continued to stare at her.

  Victoria grabbed her birth control from the sink and popped one of the tiny pills out. She lifted her hand to her mouth about to swallow, when Nic's hand stopped her, causing her to drop it down the drain.

  "Nic, I--," she started, before he turned her around and began kissing her. Oh, his kisses were always so sweet and powerful. She felt him pull the pack out of her hand and she heard clanking noise as he dropped it into the trash. Victoria's eyes widened, but then closed as his tongue caused her to moan.