She was shuffling through her dresser to find a t-shirt and a pair of panties when her phone rang.
It was Dante. She was curious to hear what he had to say, so she answered, “Yes?”
“Hey,” he said.
Irritated, Victoria repeated, “Yes?”
“Victoria, we need to talk.”
Victoria tried to figure out why he was calling now, after all that they’d been through. “Dante, what exactly do we need to talk about?”
“Us,” he responded.
“Dante, there is no us. I’m tired. I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” she said before disconnecting the call.
Without further thoughts of Dante, Victoria jumped in the shower and went to bed thinking of how much she wished that she was in Jack’s bed instead.
CHAPTER 15
STORM
It was one o’clock in the morning. Jack eventually gave up on trying to sleep, so he decided that he’d go into his home office and do some of the work that he’d ignored all day. He couldn’t stop thinking about Victoria, and he didn’t understand his reaction to her. He knew that he was becoming possessive and overprotective. He also discovered from their run Sunday that he couldn’t stand other men looking at her with eyes filled with lust.
Jack had sailed into unchartered territory. He’d never felt so much for a woman before and he didn’t know what to do with the feelings that he was having. Leaving Victoria Sunday night was extremely hard for Jack. It took every ounce of will power that he had to keep from turning his car around and dragging her from her apartment. Dinner on the yacht was perfect, and she had agreed to be his. So he wasn’t happy about her not being in his bed. It didn’t help that her scent lingered on his sheets. Jack would have to explain to Victoria exactly what “his” meant. She still hadn’t mentioned the fact that she was a cop, and Jack wondered why. She had opened up to him and shared information about her family and friends. She spoke extensively about her passion for the Sickle Cell Foundation. And to Jack’s surprise, she even told him all about her cheating ex-fiancé. He didn’t understand why she was secretive about her profession. Although Jack thought law enforcement was an admirable profession, he couldn’t help wishing that she had picked another career. Victoria being a cop was starting to be a major stress factor for Jack, and he worried about her constantly. She’d cancelled their dinner because she had to work late.
Earlier that afternoon, Jack sat in his home office accomplishing absolutely nothing so he decided to give up on work and find his lady. He drove to the same spot where he saw her for the first time. Jack spotted Victoria and parked a half a block away because he didn’t want her to think that he was some kind of stalker, even though he was. Victoria was leaning into the passenger window of a white pick-up truck wearing a tight pink dress that was entirely too short. Jack wanted to run over to her, throw his suit jacket over her half-naked body, and drag her kicking and screaming to his place. Jack was thinking of ways to convince Victoria to take a desk job when, all of a sudden, there were lights and sirens coming from every direction. Police cars were moving at a high rate of speed towards Victoria, so Jack immediately returned his attention to her to see if she was in trouble. They quickly surrounded the pick-up truck and a handful of cops jumped out with their weapons aimed at the truck. Jack could feel his heart beating all the way in his stomach. He was beginning to panic. He gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white and stared down the street. He couldn’t see Victoria through the chaos, so he jumped out of his car and started running in her direction. She suddenly emerged from the small crowd, so Jack stopped running and ducked into a doorway. When she turned her back, Jack hurried back to his car. He watched the officers put a small man in the back of a squad car and drive away with the other police cars following. Victoria returned to her task of sashaying up and down the street.
He decided that he couldn’t take it anymore so he pulled away from the curb, did a u-turn, and headed in the other direction. Jack was certain of one thing: he wasn’t about to trust the police department alone to protect what was his. He decided to call John. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to get any work done, so Jack didn’t bother going back to his office. He decided to go to the gym. He needed to clear his mind and figure out why he was so fixated on Victoria.
After hours in the gym, Jack looked at the clock and it was one forty-five in the morning. Working out hadn’t worked. Victoria was still on his mind. Jack couldn’t focus on spreadsheets or accounting reports. He wanted to see Victoria, but she’d never invited him into her apartment. Jack went back into his bedroom and threw on a t-shirt and a pair of sweats. He was tired of the phone calls and text messages. She had said that she was his, and it was time she learned what that meant. He stepped into his running shoes, grabbed his keys, and walked into the elevator. Jack had no intention of sleeping without Victoria that night. When the elevator stopped, Jack walked into the garage and over to an Audi. He slid into the driver’s seat and backed out of his parking space. He was going to Victoria’s, and he wasn’t going to call and let her know that he was coming. Jack didn’t want to give her the chance to say no. He drove for ten minutes before he arrived at Victoria’s apartment building. He turned into the parking lot and parked. He saw movement from the corner of his eye so he turned to see what it was.
It was just some guy getting out of a Camaro. Jack hopped out and headed for Victoria’s building. He stood in the doorway and searched the doorbell list until he found Victoria’s name. He pressed the doorbell and turned around to survey his surroundings. He noticed a black Cadillac Escalade with tinted windows sitting at the exit of the parking lot. Jack figured that they were waiting for someone to come down, so he turned and pushed the doorbell again.
“Yes?” Victoria’s voice indicated that she had been sleeping and she was clearly irritated.
Jack spoke into the intercom. “It’s Jack. Can I come up?”
“Umm, yeah. Second floor to the right,” she said through a yawn.
The door buzzed, so Jack pulled it open and entered the building. He turned to make sure that the door was locked when he noticed the black Cadillac pulling off. Jack turned and started walking up the stairs. When he arrived on the second floor, he was greeted by an older woman instead of Victoria.
The lady narrowed her eyes at Jack and said, “It’s two thirty in the morning, young man.” Jack smiled at the lady and she actually started batting her eyelashes.
Jack responded, “Yes, ma’am. I know it’s late. I’m sorry. Did I wake you?”
The old lady smiled. “No, I’m a night owl.”
She was still smiling and batting her eyelashes when Jack heard Victoria clearing her throat behind him. He turned to find Victoria standing in her doorway with wild hair wearing a Bears t-shirt and tiny shorts. His pants instantly got tighter. She was glaring at the lady with a confused look on her face. Jack turned back to the lady, who was now frowning at Victoria, and smiled.
“Goodnight, Mrs....”
“O’Malley. Goodnight, dear.”
Jack nodded and smiled before turning to enter Victoria’s apartment. Once inside, Jack looked around her tiny apartment. The walls were painted in warm colors. Her leather sofa was a soft brown and she had bright red throw pillows. Her home was warm and welcoming, as opposed to his white walls and cool colors. He heard the door close behind him, so he turned to Victoria. She was beautiful. Jack walked over to her and pulled her into his arms.
He wondered why he missed her so much, but yet still confessed, “I missed you,” as he kissed her forehead and pulled away. He turned and headed down the hall in search of her bedroom. Victoria followed him, turning lights off along the way. When he found her bedroom, he entered and started removing his clothes. He remained in his boxers because it was late and Victoria had to get up in a few hours. Jack had no intention on keeping her up any longer than he’d already had. He climbed into her bed and held the sheet open for Victoria. She leaned in and gently kissed
his lips before climbing in next to him. Jack pulled her to his chest and wrapped her in his arms.
“I missed you too,” she whispered.
Jack ignored his near painful erection and fell into a deep sleep. Deep sleep was only accompanying him for a few hours before he found himself floating in pleasure as the warmth of Victoria’s mouth surrounded his cock. She wrapped her soft lips around his shaft and sucked him deeper into her mouth. Jacks dream took a sweet turn when Victoria began twirling her tongue around the head.
“Mmm,” he moaned.
Victoria wrapped her fingers around his shaft and took it deep into her throat.
“Oh God,” he moaned. He began to feel pressure building in his balls. She sucked him in and out of her mouth while using her hand to expertly stroke his cock.
“Ugh. Yeah, baby,” he growled. Jack jerked from the bed and opened his eyes when his cock hit the back of Victoria’s throat.
Startled that he wasn’t dreaming, Jack looked down and found Victoria on her knees, ass in the air, with her beautiful lips wrapped around his cock. She tightened her grip and aggressively sucked and stroked the entire length of his hard-on. Jack fisted her hair and lost all control. He raised his hips from the bed and started fucking her mouth. Jack’s balls tightened and he began to pant.
“Ugh Fuck! Fuck, baby! Ugh! Baby, I’m gonna cum in your mouth!”
Victoria’s pleasure-filled moans and the slurping noises she made sent Jack over the edge. He slammed his head back on the pillow and exploded. Jack’s cock pulsed hot cum into her mouth.
“Umm,” she moaned her approval and swallowed.
When Victoria licked Jack completely clean, he was tempted to jump from the bed, run out, and buy her a ring.
He was breathless. “Damn!”
Victoria climbed up his body and lay on top of him. She planted a tender kiss on his lips.
“Good morning,” she said smiling.
Jack simply responded, “Yes.”
Victoria laughed and climbed off him. She went into what Jack assumed was a bathroom. Jack sat up and looked at the clock. It was five o’clock in the morning.
“Damn, she gets up early,” he muttered to himself.
Jack was beginning to feel guilty for waking her last night, but he thought back to the awesome blow-job that she’d given him and all guilt was washed away. Jack heard the shower running and he had the beginnings of another hard-on, so he decided to join Victoria.
After a very erotic shower, Jack and Victoria were dressed and sitting at the kitchen table having coffee. Victoria energetically spoke about an outdoor musical concert that she was putting together for the Sickle Cell Foundation. She said a local up-and-coming vocalist had volunteered to perform, and sponsoring businesses were donating items to auction. Her passion for charity was contagious and, in his mind, Jack was putting together a list of donations from Storm Enterprises.
“Oh damn! I gotta go,” she said before gulping down the rest of her coffee. Jack finished his coffee and took her cup. He rinsed both cups and placed them in the dishwasher. Victoria grabbed a gym bag, tossed it over her shoulder, and opened the door.
They entered the hallway and the door across the hall opened. Mrs. O’Malley stepped into the doorway. Jack took notice of the woman’s hateful glare towards Victoria before she turned to him.
The old lady smiled at him and said, “Good morning.”
Jack ignored the hateful old lady. He grabbed Victoria’s hand and led her down the stairs.
“Is she the hall monitor?”
Victoria laughed and pushed through the door. They exited the building and walked through the parking lot to her car. When Victoria led him to the Camaro that Jack saw last night, Jack grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her away from the car. Victoria looked up at him with confusion in her eyes.
“Is this your car?”
She nodded her head, still confused.
“Give me your keys,” he ordered.
While handing him her keys, Victoria asked, “What’s wrong?”
Jack grabbed her keys and walked over to her driver’s side door.
“What’s wrong, Jack?”
Without answering, he unlocked the door with the remote and looked up at Victoria.
“Victoria, I saw a man getting out of your car last night. I didn’t know at the time that this was your car.”
Victoria’s eyes widened. “What?! What did he look like?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t pay that much attention. All I saw was a figure in the dark, but I could tell it was a man.”
Jack turned back to her car and looked in the window. There was a piece of paper on the dashboard. Jack pulled the door open and got in the car. He turned the ignition and started the car. Jack prayed that the car didn’t explode and blow him to pieces.
Apparently Victoria was worried about the same thing, because she started shouting, “No! Jack! Wait!”
But it was too late. Jack had already turned the car on. He stepped on the gas pedal and heard the roar of the engine. He turned the car off and pulled the paper from the dashboard. Jack got out of the car and walked over to Victoria.
“Was this already on your dash board?”
Victoria shook her head. “No.”
She took the paper from his hand and unfolded it. It read: See what you made me do?
Jack looked down at the note then back to Victoria. He was waiting for an explanation.
“Victoria, is someone stalking you?”
When she didn’t answer, Jack grabbed her shoulders and forced her to face him. “Has someone been stalking you?”
“Someone wrote the word ‘mine’ on my windshield yesterday and my ex has been leaving notes under my door and on my windshield, but I don’t understand this note.”
Jack was furious. Someone was stalking his Victoria. “Go pack a bag. You’ll be staying at the penthouse for a while.”
He grabbed her arm and practically dragged her towards her apartment building.
Victoria yanked her arm away. “What? No! I can’t move in with you. Jack, I can take care of myself!”
“I’m sure you can take care of yourself, Victoria, but the penthouse has twenty-four hour security and it would make me feel better knowing that you’re safe,” Jack said in a calm voice. He was trying to neutralize her attitude. Victoria seemed to relax her stance so Jack went in for the kill. He pulled her into his body and when she looked up at him, he planted his trademark smile on his face. Jack knew that some women couldn’t resist his smile, and he was hoping Victoria was one of them.
“There’s one more thing that makes staying at the penthouse a good idea,” he said seductively.
Victoria narrowed her eyes at him. “And what’s that, Jack?”
“Me,” he moaned sexually. “Me and mornings like this, nights like Saturday, and me owing you one.”
Victoria was stubborn, but Jack had no intention on losing this battle. Victoria nodded her head in agreement, and Jack was instantly relieved. She was truly his now, and he wasn’t going to let anything happen to her.
Victoria stood on her toes and gave him a quick peck on the lips. Then she pulled away and headed towards her car.
“Whoa! What are you doing?”
She turned to face him. “I’m going to work. I’ll pack a bag when I get off.”
Jack caught up to her. “Let me drive you.”
Victoria shook her head. “No, I’ll be fine. I can handle my ex.”
Jack didn’t want to take his eyes off Victoria for a second, but if he pushed too hard she might change her mind about staying with him. He nodded, figuring that he would let it go for now.
Victoria walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She kissed his chin and smiled up at him. “I gotta go. I’m gonna be late. I’ll text you when I get there. I promise.”
Jack agreed and walked her to her car. When Victoria got in, Jack kneeled to kiss her.
“Oh and Victoria, you won’t be dea
ling with your ex. I want you to stay away from him.”
Victoria nodded. Jack rose and closed her door. He backed away from her car and watched as she drove away. Jack turned and walked towards his car, while dialing John’s number.
Chapter 16
Victoria
Victoria was aware of the attention that she was getting as she strutted through the luxurious lobby of Chicago’s famous Drake Hotel. She was wearing a fitted knee-length white Versace bandeau dress and five-inch royal blue Christian Louboutin pumps. She’d applied a moderate amount of makeup and added a clear gloss to her lips. Victoria glanced at herself in a mirror as she walked by. She had achieved her desired look: elegant but sexy.
Victoria had received countless responses since creating her internet profile two months ago. She was spending a lot of time in Chicago’s most expensive hotels. Since being with Jack, Victoria found that she was getting very comfortable among the rich. Since her ex had gotten a little too stalkerish, Jack had insisted that she stay with him for a while. It turned out that Jack’s “while” meant indefinitely. She’d been there two months. Every time she mentioned returning to her apartment, Jack convinced her that she should stay. Victoria had even started bringing up the subject of leaving just so that Jack could convince her to stay in his special way. The truth was that she couldn’t imagine not going to sleep with him every night and waking up next to him every morning. Jack made sweet love to her almost every night and again in the morning. She thought of him every minute of every day.
Victoria changed her cellular number, so she hadn’t heard from Dante since she started staying at Jack’s penthouse. There were no more notes or flowers left on her car. Life was good and she enjoyed being surrounded by such luxury. But she knew that this wasn’t her life and she’d eventually have to return to her tiny apartment. She’d finally shared what she did for a living with Jack, and he thought it was admirable. But that didn’t stop him from constantly trying to convince her to take a desk job. Victoria just wasn’t a desk officer. She loved being a street cop and was most happy when she was doing active police work. She couldn’t catch a killer sitting behind a desk. The killer that she was hunting had brutally murdered three additional women last month, and each murder was more violent than the last. He was killing more frequently and becoming more sadistic. It was as if he was becoming angry, but his anger was a good thing because he was getting sloppy.
Beautiful Prey: The Storm Series Page 9