by Dawn Brower
Vitoria stopped and stared at her. Vivian looked like she couldn’t get rid of her fast enough. “I haven’t seen you in years and this is all you have to say to me?”
Vivian pursed her lips, her displeasure rolling off her in waves. Her blue eyes mirrored every emotion twisting inside Vitoria’s stomach. “What do you want from me Tori?”
“Oh I don’t know…” Vitoria’s shook her head. She walked over to her sister and waved her hands around. “A small explanation would be nice.”
“I don’t owe you one.” Anger tinged Vivian’s voice. Her was face mulish, and determination filled her blue eyes.
“I know you don’t, but it would go a long way.” Vitoria couldn’t help the frustration bubbling out of her.
“To what? Sisterly bonding? Don’t you think we are well past that?”
Some things never changed, while other things dropped on her harder than a sledgehammer on top of her head. This was the last place she ever expected to see her sister. Her attitude, on the other hand, was something Vitoria was rather used to when dealing with.
“Maybe, but I thought you went to law school.” Something she found very alarming, her presumptions being so wrong. What and when had things changed? “Why are you working in a gallery?”
“You wouldn’t understand, and I’d appreciate it if you would drop it.”
Vitoria placed her hand on her sister’s arm. “I want to—understand what is going on with you. If you would give me a chance—”
“No.” Vivian pressed her lips together into a firm line. They went from a pale pink to a washed out white. With a hard slow movement she shook her head. “Fill this out, Tori. I have a lot to do. It doesn’t include having a little bonding time with you. Our time has passed and we can’t get it back.”
“Why not? As far as I can see the only thing standing in our way is your reluctance to give it a chance.”
Vivian glared at her with heat in her eyes. “And that isn’t going to change. Go back to New York, Tori.”
Vivian was under the assumption it would be that easy to get rid of her. She was in for a rude awakening when she realized the art her sister wanted to purchase would be delivered to a local address.
“I’m not going to argue with you, but you should know something.”
Vivian looked up from her paperwork and smirked. “I don’t really care.”
Fine, if she wanted to be that way, she wouldn’t push. Vitoria grabbed the paperwork and filled it out. She wrote out a check for the amount Vivian listed on the bottom. Vivian snatched it out of her hand and placed it in the register. Not once during the whole transaction did she look at the delivery address Vitoria wrote down.
“Nice doing business with you, Sis.”
“Yeah. I’d say let’s do this again—but we’ve never lied to each other. I don’t think we should start now. The sooner you leave, the better my life will be.” An emotional quiver, barely recognizable, filled Vivian’s voice as she spoke, a clear indicator something unnatural inhabited her mind. Her cheeks were devoid of color, and she kept looking past Vitoria. She would scan the streets outside the window every thirty seconds. It wasn’t normal behavior by any one’s standards. Vivian never had a nervous disposition, and it was clear something bothered her. She was going out of her way to push Vitoria out of her life.
Vitoria shook her head, disbelief filling her soul. Something wasn’t right here. The relationship she had with her sister remained strained on a good day. Vivian’s reaction went way beyond what was normal for them. Nothing would be solved by arguing with her about it. What she would do was scout out the scene a bit and then ambush her later. After she had more information, she would come back. What her sister failed to realize was Vitoria planned on making Seattle her new home.
“Fine Viv, have it your way. I will go.” She paused and gave her sister one last look before she turned to leave. She considered all her options and decided to leave her with something to think about. “If you change your mind—”
Vivian interrupted her, “I won’t.”
Vitoria opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She shook her head several times. Vivian was doing her best to be a bigger bitch than normal. There had to be a reason for it. “Regardless of how you feel now, you have my contact information.” Vitoria pointed at the paperwork she’d filled out. “Use it if you feel a need.”
Vivian didn’t give her a chance to answer. She didn’t have time to deal with her sister’s histrionics anyway. Trish expected to meet her to look at some condos. Something she found inherently more important for her immediate plans. When Vivian was ready to talk, she knew how to find her. In the meantime, she would take some steps to figure out the secret her sister kept buried deep. Something had to make her change direction and work in an art gallery.
The Vivian she knew wouldn’t have easily given up on her dream of world domination. Success had been drilled into them since they were toddlers. Nothing and no one would have stood in her way. Vitoria had a deep-seated need to find out what could have made such a drastic life change for Vivian. If she got one thing out of the short conversation—Vivian was hurting. Pain edged the corner of her eyes with each glance she managed to hold with Vitoria. Even though they’d never been close, she wanted to ease her hurt and make it go away. Her twin needed her, even if she didn’t want to admit it.
Chapter Thirteen
Vitoria pulled her vehicle into a parking space and turned off the engine. It was half past five, and she needed to meet Trish to look over the first condo. She scanned the outside of the tall building and liked the look of it. If she was on a higher floor she would have an awesome view. Her stilettos clicked on the pavement as she strolled over to where Trish waited in front of the building.
“Oh good you’re here. We can go up and look at the condo. It is the penthouse and has two balconies.”
Vitoria nodded her head in excitement. “Really? I like it already, but let’s see what the inside looks like.”
Trish got out the key and unlocked the front door. The main entrance was filled with lush green plants and a few comfy chairs around a square table. Magazines were spread across the table in a neat line. Vitoria followed Trish to the elevator. She put a key into the switch panel and then hit the button with a PH on it.
The elevator opened directly into the entry of the penthouse, a hallway with a cherry hardwood floor. The walls were brilliant white and bare of any marks. They walked down into a living room with a marble fireplace. There were long windows that almost went up to the cathedral ceilings. To the left were a dining room and a kitchen with cherry-colored cabinets and black granite countertops.
“I like what I see so far. Are the bedrooms upstairs?”
“Yes, there are three bedrooms and two bathrooms. One is a master bath and there is also a half-bath downstairs,” Trish explained. “Also on the first floor is an office. That is where the first private balcony is. The other one is outside this room here, past the fireplace.”
Vitoria really liked the fireplace. The more she saw of the condo, the more she liked it. So much in fact, she didn’t want to look at the other one.
“I am going to go get a look at the bedrooms.”
The stairs were not that long. They led up to a landing, which overlooked the room below them and gave a nice view of the fireplace. She would definitely be spending a lot of time in that room. It was so open and inviting. Down the hallway, she inspected all the rooms. One had a neutral-beige carpet and white-alabaster walls; one was painted a sky-blue with a navy-blue carpet, but the master bedroom was the true treasure. It had burgundy walls and hardwood floors. The closet took up the entire wall on the south side, and every door was a mirror. A window went from floor to ceiling on the west side of the room.
Yes, this condo would do very nicely.
“I’ll take it.”
“You don’t want to look at another condo?” Trish had a baffled expression on her face, her mouth gaping open with surprise.
<
br /> “I know what I like. When I see it, I don’t see a point in shopping around. Draw up the paperwork. I’ll be by the office in the morning with a cashier’s check for the amount of the condo. I want to close this by the end of the day.”
“You don’t even want to bargain with the seller?”
Vitoria stuck to a decision once made. She didn’t see any reason to change a well-ingrained habit. “No, I can afford their asking price, and I prefer expediency.”
“All right, as long as you’re sure—”
With a firm nod, she cut Trish off. “I am.”
“Good. Well then, I’ll draw up the paperwork in the morning. Once it is prepared, I’ll give you a call and schedule a time for you to come in. The seller will be contacted tonight to let them know you’ve made an offer and make sure they can come in and sign tomorrow as well.”
“If they balk at coming in, tell them I will pay the closing costs.” She waved her hand at the place. “I like it, and I want to move into my new home as soon as possible.”
They walked over to the elevator and pressed the down button. No key was necessary to leave, only to come up. When the doors opened, they entered the elevator. “How do I have guests come up if you need a key to get to the penthouse?”
“The doorman has a master key that can let them up if needed.”
Vitoria shrugged her shoulders. “Not that I’m expecting a lot of guests, but I figure it is something I’ll need to know.”
“It’s a logical question. I should have remembered to tell you, but you threw me off when you said you wanted it right away.”
“Like I said—when I see something I want I go for it.” Vitoria smiled.
The elevator door dinged as it opened, and they both exited. Trish snapped her fingers and started to speak, “Oh and there is a parking garage. Two spaces are included with the condo.”
A loud throaty laughed filled escaped from inside Vitoria. “I don’t even own a car. I suppose I’ll have to buy one now. I can’t expect to get around the city without one.”
“How did you get around before?”
“Mostly cabs. The subway if I was desperate enough. Cars are taboo in New York.”
“Ah I see. It will be a nice change for you to be here in Seattle.”
“I sure hope so.”
Trish started to walk to her own car, waving her hand. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
Vitoria saw her get in her vehicle and drive away. She pulled out her cell phone and checked the time. It went quite well, leaving her plenty of time to get ready for her date later with Miguel. She had an hour to get back to her hotel and wash the stress of the day off. She got in her rental and drove back to the hotel.
* * * *
Vitoria tossed her purse on a bedside table, stripped, and took a quick shower. She blow dried her hair and swept a brush through it. It fell to her shoulders in soft waves.
Vitoria didn’t have to bother with too much makeup. She swept her eyelashes with mascara and dabbed some glossy pink lip tint across her lips, pressing them together to spread it evenly. Now she needed to choose what to wear.
She walked across the room and opened her suitcase to scan through her choices. At least Wes brought her other suitcase back to her. The odious man should never have taken it. Of course, he didn’t do so out of any tidings of good will—all the man wanted to do was be a thorn in her side. Always staring at her with a deep-seated hatred she didn’t understand—and gave up trying to.
After tossing several outfits on her bed, she decided on a gold and champagne skirt so long it went past her ankles. It had a slit on both sides giving her legs some freedom and making her feel sexy in the process. The matching top hugged her breasts, with long sleeves so sheer they bordered on being transparent. The back of the shirt crisscrossed her shoulders and tied at the base of her spine, leaving it relatively backless.
For lingerie, she pulled out a lacy gold thong and a matching bra with sticky sides, no back closure, to give the illusion of not wearing one. As she was tying the back of the shirt, her door opened.
She turned to see Wes standing in the doorframe.
“Good grief, give me the key you have to my room. This has to stop.”
“No.” Wes shook his head. “We need to talk.”
“About what now?” Tori’s hands rested on her hips as she glared at him. “Didn’t we take care of everything earlier when you cornered me on the street?”
“No, we didn’t get to the most important topic.”
“What’s that?”
“Eric.”
Vitoria rolled her eyes and crossed her arms across her chest. “I already told you I don’t know anyone named Eric.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Look, Ginny told me earlier that he was your best friend—and about him dying. I’m sorry about your pain, but I don’t know him.”
“How the hell can you not remember him?”
“Maybe because I’ve never met him.” Vitoria raised her hands exasperated at his stubbornness.
“But you did.”
“No, Wes, I really didn’t.” Vitoria sat on the bed and slipped on her gold stilettos and bucked the strap at her ankle. “You’re actually confusing me with someone else.”
“What? Your evil twin?” he asked with venom in his voice.
Vitoria nodded, pushing her bottom lip over the top. “In a manner of speaking, but I’d hardly consider her evil. Misguided at times, but never intentionally malicious.”
“Are you serious? Are you really talking about yourself in the third person?”
“No you fool, I’m talking about my twin sister.”
“Wow, how convenient.” Wes’s lips twisted into a sardonic smile, a look of disbelief clear in his aquamarine eyes. “You have a twin to blame all of your nastiness on.”
Vitoria sighed and threw her hands up in the air. “I honestly have a twin sister, you moron. Her name is Vivian.”
“Why am I just now hearing about her?”
“Because I never saw the point in telling you before. Now I’m trying to get rid of you so I can go on my date in peace.” Vitoria picked up her favorite gold handbag and put her room key, some cash, her ID, and her phone inside. “If you don’t believe me, ask Ginny.”
“I will.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less.” Vitoria waved her hand at the door. “Now if you could please leave, my date should be here soon, and I’d rather you were not here when he arrived.”
As the words left her mouth, a knock sounded on the door. “I’ll let him in on my way out.”
Damn it. Why couldn’t Wes have been gone before Miguel arrived? He always had to complicate things. She followed closely behind him, stopping next to him at the entrance. He opened the door and stared at her date like he was a bug that needed to be stepped on. Something he usually pinned her with. Did he dislike him on principle because he was her date?
He turned to her and sneered. “Why am I not surprised? I was actually starting to believe you. You have an innate ability to blind the world to your true nature.” His eyes filled with disgust, shadowed with unending hate. “I won’t play the fool again.”
He pushed past Miguel, shoving him to one side as he left. Vitoria shook her head, pissed at his behavior. It occurred to her as she watched him storm away, he still had her room key. Damn man needed to leave her alone and quit surprising her in her room. The next time she saw him, she would get it back from him. This nonsense needed to stop.
Chapter Fourteen
Vitoria shook her head in abhorrence—Wes really knew how to push her buttons. Shaking off the ugliness, she turned to Miguel Santiago. Handsome as she remembered but his normal smile and dimples were gone, replaced by a look of displeasure.
“Did that man upset you, querida?” he asked.
The last thing she needed was Miguel and Wes to come to blows of some kind. That would make things ten times worse. No, it was best to let it seem completely innocuous
. Miguel didn’t need to know how much Wes hated her.
“No, he’s just upset. Don’t give him another thought.” Vitoria waved her hand in an effort to dismiss Wes’s bad attitude. “Don’t worry about him”
“Are you sure?”
She nodded her head, attempting to reassure him. “Yes, let me grab my purse and we can go to dinner.”
“Certainly, querida.” Miguel’s dimples made an appearance as he smiled at her.
Vitoria went into her room and grabbed the clutch she’d already packed with her necessities for the evening. She refused to allow anything to spoil her night. It had been a long time since she had the chance to go out with a handsome man. Miguel fit that description more than words described. He had to be one of the most beautiful men she’d ever encountered. Every time she got a glimpse of his dimples, something inside of her melted into a puddle of need. She rushed to exit the room and join him in the hallway. By the time she reached him, she was a little bit out of breath. “I’m ready to go.”
“I hope you enjoy Thai food. I thought perhaps something a little spicy to add some excitement to the evening.”
“Oh, I’m not enough?” she asked with a little laugh.
“Trust me, querida, you are more than enough.” He pulled her hand up to his lips and placed a soft kiss on the palm of her hand. “With all the commotion, I forgot to tell you how beautiful you look tonight.” His eyes trailed down to her feet and back up to rest on her face. Miguel made her feel beautiful.
A little flutter swept through her belly at his gesture. Miguel was beyond charming. Vitoria liked him, she truly did, but something about him didn’t feel right. She wasn’t sure what it was and didn’t want to think about it too much either. All she wanted from him and the night ahead was a bit of fun and laughter. She could really use it.
At a loss for what to say, she cleared her throat and said the first thing that came to mind, “Thai sounds fine.”
“Wonderful, then let’s go. We have reservations at a lovely place I can’t wait to share with you.” He placed her hand in the crook of his arm and tapped it as they began to walk to the elevator.