by Love, Sandra
“Yes?”
Brianna walked in and joined me on the bed. “Have you talked to Jeb?”
“No, our parents won’t let me.”
“Hmph. I can change that. Dad will be at work all day tomorrow, and Mom has a book club at her friend’s house. I will cover for you.”
I turned to look at her. “You would do that for me?”
“Of course. I saw the chemistry that you both have toward each other.”
“He is really hot, and I guess I worked for him. Err! Why is it so hard for me to remember?”
She grabbed my hand. “Toria, I have to tell you some things that happened. But I want to tell you when you are stronger. The things I will tell you will upset you.”
“Okay, you can tell me anything.”
“I will tell you soon. Now, let’s go shopping. I just got my driver’s license, and you need clothes that fit you.”
I got up and went to the bathroom to get ready. I had my own bathroom off the side of my room. I walked in there and my mouth hung open. I had so much make-up, hair products, and shoes. The bathroom was a mess. I went over to go through my stuff.
“Yeah, we didn’t get rid of anything when you left.”
My mother walked in to the bathroom.
“Mom, why did I leave?” She gave me a tight smile.
“That’s a story for another day.” She handed me a credit card. “Here, use this and get things that you need. No limit.”
I went over and gave my mother a hug.
“Thank you, Mother.”
After I got ready, my sister and I went shopping. I ended up getting about ten new outfits, two pairs of shoes, and a new hand bag. I did end up with the shakes again and had to sit down for a bit. I could see the concern in Brianna’s eyes. I assured her that I would be fine and that I would never do drugs again. Once we got home, there was a red corvette in the driveway. We got out and walked in. When I got into the house, there stood the girl that was in the photo.
“Toria, oh my god, it’s really you.”
She walked over and gave me a hug. It felt awkward. “I guess it’s me.”
She let out a high laugh, and I jumped back. “I miss your sense of humor. Oh my god, we need to catch up. We should go up to your room. Mrs. Jacobs, can we go up to her room? I don’t want to interrupt her home coming.”
“No, honey, you girls go have fun. Just remember we are not talking about certain things.”
She grabbed my hand and I followed her to my room. This girl was getting on my nerves. She had a high pitched voice that would make dogs’ ears bleed. Once we were in the room, she went straight to my closet. “So Toria, you really don’t remember anything?”
“No, I don’t. I guess I was walking down the street and was bashed in the head with something.”
She took off her shirt and pulled on one of mine. “Well, that’s probably a good thing.”
Looking at her, confused, I watched her try on yet another shirt. “Why do you say that?”
She came to sit next to me on the bed. “Oh girl, the choices you made back in the day were pathetic and horrible. I had to stop hanging out with you.”
I suddenly became sad. “Can you tell me some of the things I used to do?”
“No can do. Your mother doesn’t want your memory to come back.”
I started to pick at my fingernail. “Was I really that bad?”
“Yes. But just think about it like this. You get a do over. Get to start fresh. Be someone new.”
“But what if I don’t want to be someone new?”
She laughed. “Trust me, you don’t want to go back to being the old Toria.”
I sat there and watched her go through my stuff. “I’m tired. Do you think you could leave now?”
“Oh yeah, I will try to stop over soon to visit you.”
After she left, I sat on my bed and wondered why my parents didn’t want me to remember my past. Was I really that bad of a drug addict? I was determined to get some answers. I hated not knowing what was going on.
I laid back on my bed, and I really felt out of place in the overly pink bedroom. Pink walls, pinks blankets, and pink curtains. It reminded me of that stomach medicine that you take. This bedroom made me feel as if I were ten years old again. In one corner, there were so many stuffed toys, and then I wondered why my parents would keep them all. Why didn’t my parents just toss them out? I turned onto my back and looked up at the ceiling, and I could see that there were stars that were letting off a glow. Why on earth would I have put those up there? That was so lame. Was I really that lame, and was pink really my favorite color? I sighed, and turned to my side and curled up in a ball and waited for the darkness to take me.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Jeb
I was on my way home from the hotel when I got a strange call. “Hello?”
“Mr. Turner?”
“Speaking. May I ask who this is?”
The young lady chuckled into the phone. “This is Bri, Toria’s sister.”
“Hey, how is she?” Surprised by the call, I felt nervous and excited at the same time. My heart started to beat faster and my palms became sweaty.
She sighed. “She is confused, and I want to help her remember, even though the last time I saw her I said horrible things to her. She needs this. I don’t understand why my parents don’t want her to remember.”
“Me either. So what can I do? They won’t let me near her.”
“Well, what if I bring her to you?”
“How?” I asked, confused.
“My parents won’t be home, tomorrow, so how about around two I bring her to your hotel?”
I pulled into my spot at my condo. “Yes, please bring her to me. I want to help her get her memory back. She has to remember me, remember what we could have.”
After hanging up with her, I got out and walked into my condo. I was surprised to see that my father was sitting on the couch drinking some of my whiskey. “How did you get in here?”
“Barb gave me her key to give back to you.”
“Father,” I sighed, “I don’t want to fight with you. I am sorry that I couldn’t marry someone that I had no chemistry toward. That woman annoyed the piss out of me.”
He said nothing, but took a drink of his whiskey. “Have a seat, Son.” I took a seat next to him. “So this situation with my lawyers daughter is about to get ugly.”
“Why?”
“Her parents are going to do everything in their power to keep you away from her. They don’t want her to remember her past. They are hoping that she has total memory loss.”
Confused and livid, I asked, “What the fuck? Why would they want that?”
“They told me that they just want their baby back. But, Son, after doing a lot of thinking and talking to your mother, we decided that this is your life and if you want to fight for her, we will stand behind you. Now, for me signing off your company… I stopped the paperwork.”
“Really?” Relief washed over me. As much as I hoped it didn’t come with any stipulations, I knew I needed my father behind me in order for the company to have a chance. “I am sorry for the deal, though.”
“Don’t be. I found out some stuff about Barb, and I don’t want that part of this family.”
“What about all that money?”
“Trust me; I am doing well with money.”
Feeling relieved, I got up and walked to the window. “How are we going to help Toria?”
“First off, I am going to find out who attacked her. They searched her bag and nothing was taken. Her drugs were still there, so it wasn’t a robbery. I am talking to my investigator, and I am going to find out who would do this to her.”
“Thanks, Dad. I am falling hard for this girl, and I could use all the help I can get. Yes, I know she has a bad past, but we are all human and we all make mistakes.”
He stood up and walked over to me. We embraced in a hug. “We will get this taken care of.”
After we said good
bye to each other, I walked into my room. Barb took all her things out of there and I felt relieved. After I got in the shower, I let the warm water pour down my naked body. I started to think about her and how she really is. I just want to see her, to hold her, let her know that I am here for her. I can’t wait for tomorrow so I could do just that.
I finished up my shower, got out, and got dressed. For the rest of the night, I did some work and watched some television. I was just ready to see Toria the next day. I was determined to get her to remember me and what her parents did to her.
***
The next morning, I got up and got ready for work. When I got to work, Vanessa was there in my office with Sean. They were working on the books together.
“So, anything I should know?” I asked them, and Vanessa looked up and smiled.
“Nope, boss, all the paperwork is right on track. Business is booming and the moolah is rolling in.”
I chuckled. “Sean, at two I am going to be leaving the building. Do you think you can take over for the day?”
“You got it, boss. Hey dude, Maddie wants to know if you want to go sailing this weekend.”
“Yeah, that sounds like fun. Maybe when I see Toria, I will ask her to join if that is okay.”
“Sure, why not.”
He sounded like he really didn’t want her to go.
“Cool. Okay, you two get back to work. I am going to do a walk through and make sure things are running smooth.”
I left the office and did a walkthrough of the hotel. Everything looked great. The house keepers were keeping the rooms up to date. I spent the rest of the day helping the employees clean and get things ordered. Once two o’clock rolled around, I went to wait by my office. Right on time, Bri and Toria stepped off the elevator. Toria looked beautiful. Her long brown hair was curled, and she was wearing a yellow sundress with a pair of flip flops. She looked absolutely flawless.
“Hi ladies.”
Bri winked at me and smiled.
“Make sure you have her back in a couple of hours.”
I watched as she walked away. I looked at Toria and she smiled, and I noticed she had dimples. “Are you hungry?”
“Kinda. Jeb, listen, can we just talk? I really want to remember what we had.”
I took her hand and when we connected, I felt that chemistry we had when we were together last time. I took her to a conference room and we both sat at the table. “What do you want to know?”
“Were we together, like a couple?”
“I would like us to be. Toria, that night we were together was amazing. I know things happened that day, but, babe, we have this connection that I can’t explain.”
“I do feel a connection with you,” she said. “So I was wondering: could we kiss? Maybe I will remember something.”
I got up and walked over to where she was sitting. I took her by the hand and helped her stand up. Putting one arm around her tiny waist and taking my free hand up to her face, I leaned in and touched my lips to hers. It was a slow and passionate kiss. But just when I was about to pull away, she deepened the kiss. With a moan, I picked her up and sat her on the table. She wrapped her legs around me and put her hands in my hair, pulling me closer to her. She moaned in my mouth. I took the one hand that was on her face and I pulled down her sundress, exposing her beautiful breasts.
She broken the kiss and rested her forehead against mine. “Did we have sex?”
“No.”
“I am not sure if I am a virgin or not, but right now I want to make love to you.”
I closed my eyes. “I don’t want to take advantage of you.”
She kissed the tip of my nose. “I will never think that.”
She then pressed her lips against mine. I pinched her supple nipple, and she moaned again. I lowered my head and I started to suck on her nipple, moving from one to the other. She took my hand and placed it on her pussy. I could feel the wetness through her underwear. I slid her underwear to the side and I started to slide a finger up and down her wet folds. I started to slide a finger into her pussy, and she let her head drop back and let out a loud moan. I started to play with her clit, and she started to move her mound with the motion of my hand. She took her right hand and started to undo my pants. Once they were undone, she started to stroke my hard cock.
“If you keep doing that, I will come all over your pretty dress.”
She giggled. “I am ready for you.”
I reached down into my pants pocket and pulled out my wallet and got out a condom. I opened it and slid it on. I positioned myself at her entrance, and then I slowly entered her.
“Oh my god, Jeb.”
She was so tight. “Am I hurting you?”
She dug her nails into my back. “No, please don’t stop.”
I started to go really slow, because I could tell this was her first time. She felt so good, and I didn’t want to stop. I started thrusting in her a little faster, and she moaned a little louder. She started to shake as she began to climax, and I couldn’t hold on any longer and let my orgasm go. I let out a moan and pulled her closer to me. I didn’t want the moment to end. Holding her like that just confirmed that I loved her. I was so in love with this girl, and I would do anything to keep her safe.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Toria
We held each other until our breathing became normal. He slowly pulled out and I gasped. “Toria, I think you were a virgin.”
I looked down at the blood beneath us. “Oh no. I am so sorry.”
He kissed my forehead. “Don’t be sorry. I will grab a towel. We keep some in the storage closet.”
I watched him go to the closet, and then the pain set in. It hurt, but also felt so good. I began to shake.
“Hey babe, why are you shaking?”
I smiled at him. “It’s the withdrawals. My body is trying to detox.”
He started to wipe me up, and once he was done, I stood up and I got really dizzy. “Whoa, take it easy.”
I sat in the chair. “I get like this all the time. I start sweating and sometimes I get so irritated. Like last night. I got mad at my mom for no reason.”
He ran his hands through his hair. “It will take some time to get over this. And with the help of me and your sister, we will get you to remember.”
“I hope it’s sooner. I think my parents did something bad to me, because my room is like a seventeen year old lives in there. I was told I’m twenty, almost twenty-one.”
“I wish I could tell you, trust me. But right now, I just want you to get better.”
“Oh, and today I am telling my parents to back off. I want to be with you. And to be honest, I feel way more comfortable with you than I do with them. They just give me a bad vibe, you know.”
“Good, because after what we just did, there is no way I am letting you go.”
I smiled at him. “Well, I hate to have sex with you and leave.” I laughed. “But I promised I would be back, and I don’t want Brianna to get in trouble.”
There was a knock on the door, and a guy walked in. I looked at him and something about him seemed familiar. “Hey Jeb. I am taking off for the day. Oh hey Toria.” The way this guy said my name made my skin crawl.
“Thanks Sean. I will see you tomorrow.”
As he walked out of the room, he winked at me.
“Jeb, who was that guy? Do I know him? Because something about him seems very familiar.”
“Yes, you know Sean; you knew him a couple of years ago.”
I stood and fixed my dress. “Well, I got a bad vibe about him.”
We started to walk toward the elevator, when an older man and woman stepped off. “Son, there you are,” the woman said, coming up to Jeb and giving him a hug.
“Mother, Father, this is Toria. Toria, these are my parents.”
I held out my hand and shook both of their hands. “Hello dear. How are you feeling?”
His mother seemed very kind. “I have my days, but I am trying to get better. I just
wish I could remember my life.”
She squeezed my shoulder and smiled at me. “It will come in time, my dear. What are your plans for tomorrow evening?”
“I have no plans, ma’am.”
She looked at Jeb, and then to her husband. “Now you do. We are having a small gathering at the museum downtown for some local artists. Would you like to join us?”
I looked at Jeb, and he nodded. “I would love that, Mrs. Turner.”
After talking to his parents, we headed to my house. We discussed what I would wear and what a gala was. It sounded like an event for stuck up rich people. But this was for Jeb.
Once we pulled into my driveway, I saw that both of my parents were home. “Great.”
“You will do good, babe. I will be here tomorrow to pick you up. Oh, hold on.”
He opened the glove box and got out a cell phone. “This is for you. My number is stored in there. If you need anything, please text me or call.”
I smiled at him and leaned in to kiss him. He placed both hands on my face and kissed me back. I had no idea how long we were kissing, but I felt like crying out in protest when he pulled away. “Mrs. Jacobs, if we don’t stop, I am going to want to make love to you in this car.”
I giggled. “I can’t wait to see you tomorrow.”
“Bye Toria.”
I got out of the car and headed up to the house. I was on cloud nine, but when I walked into the house, my mother got off the couch and started to yell at me. “I told you to stay away from that man.”
“Mom, I am old enough to see who I want.”
She tried to grab my arm, and I pulled it away from her in one swift movement. “You are under my roof; you listen to me.”
“Well, maybe I will go live with him. At least he wants me to remember my life. Unlike you two. God, what was so horrible that you don’t want me to remember?”
“You heard what the doctor said. You were a drug addict. We don’t want you to remember that.”
I sighed. “Mom, I am trying to get better, but I highly doubt that Jeb was the reason I was an addict. He is good to me. I think I love him.”