Jack cut in. “Mother, this is Victoria.”
“Well, aren’t you lovely? Come with me so I can show you off.” Then Katherine pulled Victoria from Jack’s grasp.
Katherine was still quite beautiful. She had salt-and-pepper hair that she wore short and spiky. She had the same ocean-blue eyes as Jack. She was wearing a striking cream pantsuit and had the nerve to be sporting a pair of beige, to die for, four-inch Christian Louboutin pumps.
“Everyone, this is Victoria, Jackson’s girlfriend,” Katherine happily announced.
Victoria was a deer in the headlights. She looked back at Jack, and he had the nerve to wave goodbye. After what seemed like hundreds of introductions, a man that had to be Jack’s father walked into the parlor. He stood as tall as Jackson. He had dark hair that was slightly gray on the sides. He made his way over to Victoria and Katherine. It was clear that Jack inherited his mother’s eye color, because this man had emerald green eyes. He approached and looked lovingly at Katherine. He gave her a tender kiss on her lips. Damn, he was fine!
He reached for Victoria’s hand, brought it to his lips, and spoke in a deep smooth voice. “And, who is this lovely young woman?”
“Darling, this is Jackson’s girlfriend, Victoria,” she answered breathlessly. It was clear that the man still swept her off of her feet. “Victoria, this flirt is Jackson’s father, Joseph.”
Joseph smiled at Victoria. “Well, he certainly made a lovely choice.”
“Yes, Father, I did, so stop kissing her,” Jack said as he pulled Victoria to his side possessively. He reached out and shook his father’s hand. Victoria was staring between the two men. The resemblance was uncanny.
She forced herself to speak, “It’s very nice to meet you, Joseph.” She looked over at Jackson and said, “You are the spitting image of your father, and you should thank him every day.”
The group erupted in laughter. Jack’s hold tightened on Victoria, and he was no longer laughing. His expression went cold, so Victoria followed his line of sight. It was her, “angry blonde.” Katherine turned to see what was affecting her son’s mood and quickly turned back, rolling her eyes. “Angry blonde” hoisted her overexposed boobs up, plastered a fake smile on her silicone-filled lips, and approached the group.
“Well, hello all,” she said loudly.
Victoria was sure that she saw Jack’s parents cringe.
“Caroline,” they responded in unison without looking at her.
“So, you’ve met Victoria,” Caroline said in an even louder voice.
Victoria realized that the bitch was trying to cause a scene. Victoria noticed that the room had become quiet and the other dinner guests were staring.
Caroline looked smugly at Victoria and announced loudly, “You do know that he paid a million dollars for her, don’t you?”
Victoria gasped along with everyone else in the room. She was humiliated, and she wanted to run from the room. Actually, she wanted to beat the shit out of the stuck up rich bitch, and then run from the room. Jack looked as if he wanted to punch Caroline himself.
Suddenly, a female voice from behind yelled out, “Well, it looks like she’ll be getting about fifteen billion more out of the deal! Which is a hell of a lot more than the one night and lobster tail that you got!”
Victoria could actually hear laughter, and Caroline turned completely red when an older man, who Victoria assumed was her father, walked over and grabbed her by the arm. The man yanked her away. Victoria turned around to see the woman that defended her. She was walking in Victoria’s direction. She was beautiful. She had long dark hair and piercing blue eyes. She was about five-nine with a gorgeous figure. She looked like a supermodel. She winked at Victoria and threw her arm over her shoulder.
“Sorry, I’m late. Got caught up at the office.” She directed her apology toward Joseph and Katherine.
“Emily, it’s Sunday,” Katherine scolded.
Victoria squeezed Emily’s hand and said, “Thanks, Emily. I’m Victoria.”
“Yeah, I know. I heard Caroline from the front porch,” Emily said laughing. She released Victoria and rushed Jack for a hug. She punched Jack on the arm and said, “I haven’t seen this busy man in a month.”
He responded with, “Emily, no one works more than you.”
Emily actually managed to return the smile to Jack’s face. William entered the room and announced dinner, so the crowd filed into the dining room. Victoria had never seen a dining room so opulent in someone’s house. Gorgeous centerpieces filled with yellow and white lilies lined the extremely long dining room table. The seats were covered in luxurious white fabrics tied by bright yellow bows. Victoria was floored. She looked up at Jack, assuming that he was accustomed to such beauty.
Surprisingly, he appeared to be just as impressed as Victoria. “Mom, this is beautiful.”
Victoria was now feeling a little less out of place. Jack led her to her seat and pulled out her chair. She sat and he took a seat next to her.
Victoria leaned in and whispered to Jack. “Your mother is telling everyone that I’m your girlfriend.”
Jack smirked and whispered. “Good. It’ll keep their gold digging daughters away.”
They shared a private giggle, but Victoria shook her head. “I’m sorry, Mr. Storm, but that little girlfriend announcement just made you even more desirable.”
Jack looked briefly confused, but then confusion turned to mischief. He narrowed his eyes and asked, “So what you’re saying is, all this time, all that I had to do to get women was get a girlfriend?”
Victoria narrowed her eyes at him and punched his thigh under the table. They shared another laugh until their private moment was interrupted.
“So, Jack, tell us how you come to purchase Victoria,” asked a voice from across table.
Jack and Victoria looked up to find a man smiling and staring directly at Victoria with what looked like desire. Jackson smiled at the man that she hadn’t been introduced to. Something changed in Jack’s demeanor. He became protective. He reached under the table, possessively placed his hand on Victoria’s thigh, and put on his businessman’s face.
Everyone at the table quietly awaited an answer, and Victoria couldn’t wait to give them one. This was her chance to tell a bunch of rich folks about the Sickle Cell Association. She smiled brightly and explained the benefit and Jack’s generous donation at the auction. She spoke passionately about the charity. The dinner guests seemed genuinely interested and, by the end of the conversation, some even promised to write checks before the end of the evening. Jack leaned in and kissed Victoria on her forehead. Victoria noticed Joseph give Katherine a small nod. Katherine looked at Victoria with a smile filled with pride and approval. Victoria began to feel as if she and Jack were being deceitful by allowing his parents to believe that they were in a committed relationship. She didn’t much care what the other guests thought, but she didn’t want to lead his family on. She became instantly uncomfortable and decided that she would ask Jack to come clean to his parents. She quietly got through the rest of the dinner and, when it was over, the guests then returned to the parlor. Victoria stayed behind and walked over to the patio. She decided to step outside to get some air. The Storm’s patio was like being at the expensive luxury resorts that she’d seen on TV. It truly took her breath away.
“I have a million dollars,” a voice said from behind. Victoria turned to see the smiling man from dinner. He was an attractive man of about thirty-five. The man was impeccably dressed and stood at about six feet.
“Good for you.” Victoria quickly responded and returned to the view.
He moved beside her and said, “I’m Greg, Gregory Donovan.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Gregory Donovan.”
Since he obviously wasn’t going to allow her to enjoy her moment alone, she turned and walked towards the house. When she entered the patio doors she looked back and said, “Enjoy your million dollars.”
She walked through the dining room and
into the hall. Victoria said a silent prayer that she didn’t get lost on her way to the parlor.
“Wait!” Gregory was calling her from behind, but she kept walking.
“I didn’t mean to offend you,” she heard him say. He sped up his pace and caught up to her just as she entered the parlor. He continued with, “I figured since you’re just Jack’s charity, you wouldn’t mind hanging out with me.”
Victoria’s steps haltered and again all eyes were on her. Caroline smiled victoriously. Victoria looked at Jack. His expression was murderous. Katherine and Emily looked sympathetically at her. Wondering if she was really Jack’s charity, she stumbled backwards with embarrassment. Victoria decided that she didn’t belong there. She just didn’t fit. She turned and hurried for the front door. She heard Katherine call her name. Then she heard what sounded like glass breaking. But she didn’t look back. In fact, she started running. She ran from the front door and headed down the winding driveway. After fifteen minutes of walking, Victoria had to remove her shoes. The driveway had to be about three miles long. Every time she saw headlights she hid behind a tree. Victoria didn’t want to be found. Jack had called her repeatedly, but she’d just hit the ignore button. She wasn’t mad at him. She just didn’t want to talk. She didn’t share his lifestyle. Maybe he did just want to get his money’s worth for his donation. She dialed Deon's number and prayed for an answer. When she heard his voice, she thanked God. She sat on a rock outside of the Storm’s property, hidden from passing vehicles. Thirty-five minutes later, she was sitting in Deon's car avoiding all conversation. She didn’t want to talk. Deon gratefully didn’t push.
Chapter 13
STORM
Jack was sitting at his desk getting absolutely no work done.
He just couldn’t stop thinking about Victoria. He couldn’t understand why he was missing her so much when they had just met. It had been five days since his mother’s dinner party, and he still hadn’t spoken to Victoria. It’s not as if he hadn’t tried. She wouldn’t answer his calls. He thought back to the horrified look on Victoria’s face when that asshole Gregory called her a charity; not to mention that jealous bitch Caroline’s attempt to belittle her. Jack knew that he should have immediately run after her, but he couldn’t resist beating the shit out of the bastard. What Jack didn’t expect was Emily joining in and kicking Greg in the balls. Jack’s mother tried to catch Victoria, but Victoria was just too fast. By time Jack’s father peeled Jack off of Greg, Victoria was nowhere to be found. He even went to her apartment, and she either ignored her doorbell or she never went home. He couldn’t show up at her job. She had never told him that she was a cop, so if he did show up, she’d know that he had her checked out. Jack was worried, so he decided to play hardball. He knew how much her charity meant to her, so he had his assistant, Mary, call her with a very businesslike message. Mary reminded her of his donation and that arrangements for their date needed to be made. He knew he was hitting below the belt, but he had lost all patience. He needed to see her, and he knew that this would work. Jack wondered if she ran because of embarrassment or because she believed what Greg said about her being charity. If Victoria knew how obsessed he had become with her in such a short time, she would have stuck around to join the fight.
“Mr. Storm, Ms Victoria Price is on line two,” Mary announced over the intercom.
Jack almost knocked over everything on his desk to get to the receiver. He grabbed the phone and took a deep breath. He needed to control this conversation.
He pushed line two and spoke, “Victoria?”
“Yes, Mr. Storm, I’m calling to make arrangements for our evening that you so generously donated a million dollars for.” Victoria’s tone was so formal. Jack leaned back in his chair. He was amused. She was trying to keep it business.
“Very good. I’ll have you picked up tomorrow at seven. Oh... and Victoria... wear something sexy.” Then he ended the call before she could protest.
He had big plans for their evening. Just hearing Victoria’s voice energized him enough to finish snatching the funding from Greg’s acquisition of a tech company that he’d been trying to acquire for the last four years. He had Amy pull his financials, and he learned that Greg had sunk a lot of his own money in the project. The man was a little too ambitious. She’d also discovered that Greg had padded his expenses just enough to fly under the radar. Amy had found every single discrepancy. Jack thought it was time to promote his baby sister. She certainly earned it over the years.
“Mary, tell Amy that I want to see her in my office,” he said into the intercom. He walked over to the bar, pulled out two champagne glasses, and sat them next to the champagne that he had chilling in a bucket. Jack’s thoughts returned to Victoria. He was wondering if she was working.
“Excuse me, Mr. Storm. Ms. Storm is here to see you,” Mary announced interrupting his thoughts. Jack walked across his office and sat behind his desk.
“Thank you, Mary. Send her in.”
Amy entered the office with a confused and almost worried look on her face. He gestured for her to sit, so she slowly and curiously took a seat.
Jack smiled and said, “Congratulations, Amy. You’re the new CFO of Storm Enterprises.”
Amy sat frozen in her seat as if she didn’t believe him. “But you said you didn’t believe in nepotism,” she whispered.
He smiled at his little sister and said, “I don’t.”
He was proud of her accounting and business skills. He’d kept a close eye on her work ethic since she started at Storm Enterprises and he was impressed. She deserved the position.
Suddenly, Amy jumped up and started screaming. She ran around Jack’s desk, hopped in his lap, and wrapped her arms almost painfully around his neck. A startled Mary busted through the door in a panic. She looked over at the pair with confusion.
Amy turned to Mary and yelled ecstatically. “He promoted me to CFO!”
Mary clapped her hands and said, “Congratulations, Ms. Storm. You certainly deserve it.”
Jack looked at his baby sister and groaned. “Please get up. You’re heavy and this is so inappropriate.”
Amy jumped up and mumbled, “Shut up”.
Jack walked over to the bar, grabbed another glass for Mary, and popped the cork. The ladies turned suddenly, obviously startled by the noise. They ran over, grabbed their glasses, and toasted to Amy’s promotion.
Hours later, at seven-fifteen Saturday evening, Jack was sitting in his dining room waiting on his driver to alert him that Victoria was on her way up. He knew that she was not eager to see him again, but he wasn’t exactly sure why. He had plans for her nonetheless. He’d had dinner catered. He didn’t want to risk any interruptions by going out. Soft music played while he lit candles. Jack had every intention of having Victoria that night.
Just as he was lighting the last candle, he received a text informing him that she was on the elevator. When she arrived, he was there to greet her. Victoria stepped out of the elevator and his pants instantly became too small. She had on a skintight black strapless dress that reached her knees with red ‘come-fuck-me heels’. She wore her long dark hair curly and wild, and she was even wearing eye makeup. She was sexier than he could’ve imagined.
As she stood there trying to look indifferent, it was clear to Jack that she intended to fulfill her obligation and get the date over with. But Jack saw the desire in her eyes. He immediately pulled her in for an embrace. Victoria did her best to remain rigid. Against her will, her body betrayed her and she softened in his arms. Jack planted a kiss to the top of her head and led her to the dining room. He helped her into a chair and poured her a glass of wine. As they dined, they dove into a polite conversation that was beginning to get on Jack’s nerves. He just couldn’t take anymore small talk.
“Why did you run from me?”
Victoria’s eyes widened. She was obviously surprised by the change in conversation.
“I didn’t run from you. I just didn’t belong there.”
For the first time, Victoria seemed unsure of herself.
Jack placed his hand over hers, looked her in the eye and told her, “Victoria, I’m sorry about what happened at dinner, but you ‘belong’ wherever I take you. My family thought you were wonderful, and so did everyone else. Caroline was jealous, and Greg wanted you in his bed.”
Stunned with his response, Victoria was speechless as they finished dinner.
Since he released the caterers after dinner was served, Jack stood from his seat and started cleaning the table. He grabbed their plates and headed to the kitchen. Victoria immediately stood to help. She walked into the kitchen with dishes in her hand and Jack realized that he liked her so comfortable in his home. He usually took women out to dinner and went back to their place. He didn’t really like other women in his space, but watching Victoria’s ass sway as she walked through his kitchen placing dishes in the sink made his cock twitch.
He couldn’t help pulling her into his arms and leaning in for a kiss. However, he didn’t connect their lips. He wanted her to reach for the kiss as a sign of consent. When Victoria closed her eyes and lifted her face to his, that was all the consent that Jack needed. He closed the connection and she slowly kissed his lips. Her kiss was so tender and sweet. When she softly licked Jack’s bottom lip, he deepened the kiss. Their tongues danced passionately and, when Victoria wrapped her arms around his neck, he pulled her even closer to his body. She wasn’t close enough for Jack, so he gripped her ass and pushed his hard cock against her. She let out a soft moan from somewhere deep within her throat, and he couldn’t help but to imagine chasing that sound with his cock.
Without breaking their kiss, Jack lifted her to the island that sat in the middle of his kitchen. He positioned himself between her thighs. When her legs opened for him, her dress lifted over her ass giving him access. He pushed his hard-on against her pussy. He could feel the heat through his pants, and he wanted to feel it on his skin. With one hand, he reached down and worked to free his cock from his pants. Jack started grinding rhythmically into her pussy, causing her to moan loudly. She was making love to him with her tongue and grinding her pussy into his cock furiously. Her pussy was so wet that she was wetting his cock with her juices. Jack reached up and yanked the top of her dress down to reveal her breasts. He slowly broke their kiss and caressed one of her large breast. He teased and tugged at her hard nipple. Jack slowly licked around her nipple. Then he began quickly flicking at it with his tongue. He continued to slowly grind his cock against her wet and begging pussy. When he sucked her nipple into his mouth, Victoria began to pant and grind harder. He could tell that she was close, but he wanted her to explode around him. Jack prayed for control because he was damn close to cumming on her panties. Her thin panties stuck to her like a barrier, and he couldn’t take it anymore. He had to get inside of her. He reached down, ripped the material from her body, and slammed inside her pussy with one hard thrust.
Beautiful Prey: The Storm Series Page 6