by Mia Madison
We were awaiting Riley’s performance on recital night. The audience was full of parents using their iPads, phones, and devices to capture the memories.
I opted not to. Riley and I had taken plenty of pictures before, and I was sure the school would have an actual recording available later on.
I wanted to sit back and enjoy the moment.
It would have been easy if Riley’s mother had shown up as promised. She was MIA, and I was already dreading my little girl’s disappointment when she realized her mother had no intentions of keeping her word.
It also would have been easier if Valencia wasn’t wearing that fuck me fragrance she’d been wearing since our… whatever it was.
She looked utterly gorgeous, smelled completely fuckable, and distracted me. I wondered what kind of panties she had on, and if her toes were cherry red or strawberry.
Either way, the way she smelled and teased me… Like a dirty old bastard, I was dying for a taste.
“Is she coming?” Vit asked, referring to my ex.
“She’s supposed to be here, but she hasn’t responded to any of my calls or text messages.”
“Hm.” Vit seemed to consider what I said. He nodded his head. “Well, we’re here. We can even buy some ice cream if it’s needed.”
Valencia said nothing, instead she buried her attention in her phone, refusing to indulge in conversation.
We settled into the show, moving in and out of attention, until the very end, when Riley’s performance occurred.
Her group did a performance to Sia’s “Chandelier.” All the girls dressed in all pink or purple ensembles. Their routine was amazing, and Riley’s breakaway performance was nothing less than stellar. She was so focused that she didn’t even stop to see where we were like other girls did.
After the song ended, the audience gave them a standing ovation. As the curtain drew and the principal made her way to the stage, that dreadful knot made its way to my stomach.
Riley would be out here, asking for her mother.
I had no idea what I’d tell her.
I suppressed my sigh, determined to get this over with. The sooner, the better. It just broke my heart to know I’d be consoling a little girl whose mother had no interest in her.
Vit and Valencia followed me to pick up Riley, meeting her at the right side of the stage as promised.
When we got there, I received the shock of my life. Instead of looking fretful and worried, or even anxious to see me, Riley was all smiles, talking to someone. A woman, wearing a flowing dress, with long deep black cherry colored hair.
Riley pointed at me. “There he is!”
The woman turned, revealing herself.
“Hey, Gio.”
I knew that voice anywhere.
It was my ex-wife.
And she was visibly pregnant.
25
Valencia
Well, this was awkward.
Nothing about the woman in front of us looked anything like the woman Gio used to call his wife.
Her once blonde hair was now a deep crimson red color, like a sexy vampire. Her arms were covered, but I could see the edges of a sleeve tattoo. Her makeup was much more dramatic and funky, with an exaggerated cat eye and scarlet lips. This look was less conventional than the simple, natural makeup she used to wear.
“Hey!” Dad leaned in, giving her a hug. “It’s great to see you!”
“Great to see you too,” she said, replying. She looked at me, and hugged me also. “You’ve gotten so big, Valencia!”
“Thank you,” I responded quietly. I snuck a glance from her to Gio, waiting to see his reaction. He wasn’t giving his feelings away, but I could see the flex in his jawline.
He was pissed.
And that bothered me. He wanted her at the play, so I knew it wasn’t her presence that bothered him.
It was the fact that, after all she’d put him through, she’d show up, very visibly pregnant.
What she’d ripped from him, she’d obviously given to another man. If the rock on her finger was any indication, she was happily married to this man as well.
“Mommy said I’m going to have a little sister!” Riley squealed. She jumped up and down.
“Oh did she?” Gio’s tone was painfully biting.
“Yes! This is so cool!” Riley twirled in a circle between her parents, blissfully oblivious to the change in temperature that descended in the chill of this new revelation.
“ViVi!” She looked at me. “Wanna get some ice cream?!”
Reaching down to hug her, I said. “As long as your daddy says it’s okay!”
“Daddy!? Can ViVi and uncle Vit take me for ice cream!?”
“Sure.” He told her, patting her head. Looking at us, he sent a thinly veiled message when he stated, “Your mother and I need to talk.”
Vit took advantage of the opportunity. “Come on, girls. Let’s give your dad some privacy while we go celebrate with ice cream.”
We ended up driving to Applebee’s for ice cream. They were the only place open this hour, and the atmosphere gave Dad and I a chance to relax while Gio worked out whatever was going on with his ex.
Riley went on and on about being a big sister, and how it was the coolest thing in the world. Dad and I indulged her conversation, and told her about the responsibilities of being a big sister.
“I love responsibility!” She squealed. “I’ll be really good to her. I can’t wait.”
My expression must have shown too much, because Dad raised his eyebrows as if to say, Don’t ruin it for her.
Gio called. Dad answered the phone, telling him where to meet us. Within minutes, he strolled into the restaurant, alone. We flagged him toward us. He slid next to Dad, directly across from me.
“How goes it?” Dad asked, smiling.
“Interesting.”
For the first time that evening, I looked Gio directly in the face. He looked at me for a split second and turned away.
Even in that brief moment that our eyes connected, my heart felt a tug. It hurt to see him so dejected. His wife had pulled the ultimate level of disrespect. She pulled away from him, what he built for her and their daughter, and decided to build with another man.
My heart broke for him. I couldn’t begin to imagine how it felt to explain to your daughter… that the baby sister she was going to have would not be under the same roof. Or even around to begin with.
We went our separate ways after Applebee’s, Dad promising to see Riley after he comes back from his “trip.” That was code for trip to the hospital, as his surgery was in the next few days.
“Have fun and be safe!” She said, still on a sugar high and adrenaline rush from the night’s activities. “Bye ViVi!”
“Bye darlin’!” I blew her a kiss, and smiled at Gio. Deciding that he’d had a tough enough evening, I extended warmth in his direction also. “Goodnight Gio… Sleep well.”
“You too.” I was surprised by the way he grabbed me for a hug. Blood rushed to my head, and I grew dizzy for a spell. What was it about his touch that made me so discombobulated?
Get it together, ViVi. You’ve been down this road.
He kissed me on the forehead. “We’ll talk later. About the ’trip’. Gotta work out some details.”
26
Gio
Two days past the recital, and here we were in the hospital. Valencia and I spent the last few hours leading up to surgery with Vit. He was in good spirits for a man getting ready to have open heart surgery. It helped dissolve the stressful mood Valencia was in.
Valencia had become a dutiful daughter and office manager. She assumed over the role of screening calls to us, and took ownership of small issues that didn’t need our attention. Anything she couldn’t handle on her own, she would bring to us for guidance.
I found her take-charge attitude sexy and refreshing. She was assertive, professional, and serious. She was not only beautiful, but built to run this empire alongside us.
… By m
y side as well, if I could put my pride to the side.
Valencia’s phone rang again. One of the nurses, perhaps annoyed by the constant ringing, informed her that she needed to turn the phone off, or exit the wing.
Valencia started to speak up regarding the nature of the situation, but I placed my hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay. I can take it.” I held out my hand to her, but she refused to hand over the phone.
“I’ve got it, Gio.”
We were dealing with a demanding commercial contract. The other side’s lawyer had sent multiple revisions of the agreement. As the nurse insisted we leave if we couldn’t keep it down, the doctor came in, letting us know he was getting ready to kick us out to prepare Vit for his surgery.
“I’ll be right back.” Valencia said. She silenced her phone and sent a text message. “I have to use the restroom, and then we’ll leave.”
“Okay honey,” Vit said. “Love you.”
Vit smiled at Valencia, who returned the love before disappearing from the room.
Twenty seconds hadn’t passed when Vit called out to me.
“Aye, Gio? Come here for a sec.”
He motioned with his arm. I stepped toward the hospital bed. He waited until I was close enough to speak at in a very low tone.
“I need a favor from you.”
“Sure. What?”
Vit’s face was a thin, flat line. He reached out to me, grabbed my arm.
“If anything happens to me… Promise you’ll take care of her.”
Vit’s cheerful facade was muted. His expression had never been so grim. There were no positive airs in his demeanor. He was a man who seemed battle-weary, and perhaps aware of impending doom.
“Promise.” He pushed, his voice a breath louder. He gripped my forearm, and looked me in the eyes, worried sick and pleading for me to give him the right answer.
I gulped, nearly swallowed my own fucking Adam’s apple. This man was possibly on his deathbed, more afraid than I’d ever seen him in my life. He was asking me to solemnly swear that I’d protect his only child, only living immediate relative, and the sole heir to his empire.
That was a big responsibility. Even when the child in actuality is an adult who is fully capable of making her own decisions.
It hit me, then and there, how real this was. Heart surgery was always serious, however, this was the first time Vit had let his guard down about his feelings.
He felt vulnerable, scared shitless.
He didn’t need to say it.
His request spoke volumes.
Now wasn’t the time to tell him how I felt about Valencia.
“You have my word,” I pledged. I took his pale, cold hand from my forearm and wedged it between the thick soles of my palms. “I’ll love and protect her like one of my own.”
“Thank you.”
Vit nodded in satisfaction, his expression lightening as his eyes closed. The weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulders in five seconds. I now assumed responsibility for our company, and the empire we’d built.
With every breath in my soul, I prayed to God I didn’t fail him should this be our last conversation.
The ride back to the building was filled tension so thick you could cut it with a knife.
Valencia’s soft fragrance lingered in the air, teasing me as it spread throughout the cabin, bringing my cock to life.
Considering the way things ended with us, she’d softened up considerably since the night of Riley’s recital.
“How are you feeling?” I said, attempting to break the ice as we walked to her door. Even though it was daytime, I insisted on escorting her to the door. It was more for her than me. I just found it comforting to be near her.
“About?” Her tone was composed with equal measures of annoyance and curiosity.
I shrugged. “Anything. Everything.”
A low, thoughtful sigh as contemplation took over her expression. She twirled one of those black locks, wringing her mind for the perfect answer.
“I feel… I don’t know how I feel. So I’m just trying not to at the moment.”
A moment of honesty, if I’d ever witnessed it. She looked at me, giving me her best attempt at nonchalance, but I could see by the way those beautiful brown eyes shifted, that she was holding back her true feelings.
“What do you mean?”
“Exactly that. There’s way too much going on, and it’s just best I protect myself, and feel as little as possible.”
Her testiness had a detectable source. Me. We were slowly returning to a more normal interaction with each other, but there was still a very clear boundary in terms of where we stood.
“Alright,” I spoke after thoughtful pause. “I guess I deserved that.”
The haughty “humph” she provided was all I needed. She folded her arms and leaned against the door, as if waiting for me to continue. I looked at her, lost on what to say, but the challenge in her eyes dared me to keep going.
“Look. I know I fucked up, okay?” I raised my hands. “I’m sorry.”
“Keep going.” Her head tilted to the left and she adjusted her form, leaning against the door to take in my apology.
“I should have never pushed you away. I thought I was doing the right thing - the smart thing. I wasn’t scared of falling in love with you. I never wanted anyone else but you. I mean, I never wanted anyone else period after my divorce, but you… we kind of just… we happened.”
She looked down, took a deep breath. I waited, hoping to hear her reply, but nothing came.
“When I saw you again, you were amazingly beautiful. Working with you daily has shown me you’re everything I’ve ever wanted. Everything I ever needed. But when I looked at all the details, I realized this wasn’t…”
“That it couldn’t work because I’m a virgin.” She sneered when she cut in. She threw her hands in the air, and then shifted from one side of the door to center on both her feet.
“You know,” she scoffed. “If anything, I would have thought giving you my virginity would have turned you on. Showed you how I felt about you, about us. You talk about a woman who can handle you and your priorities, but when you get one right in front of you, you dismiss her before you realize what you have.”
Ouch.
“I’ve worked, day in and day out, at my father’s company - my father and your company - to help build our name and legacy. I am on top of my shit and take on tasks needed at the drop of a hat.
“You think I wasn’t scared to kiss you? You’ve been hot as fuck ever since I’ve come back, and you’ve got my dad working out to be a hot fucking DILF like you -”
“DILF?”
“A male version of a MILF,” she explained, rolling her eyes. “Anyway, my point is this: I’ve been here, and while I may have been scared, I’ve been ready.
“The reason I kept my virginity so long is because I didn’t want to give it to some young boy who didn’t know what to do with it, with me. I didn’t want to be discarded as a college hookup story for some frat dude to share with his friends, especially because I wouldn’t just be some girl he liked. I’d be that ‘fat virgin with the nice tits.’”
“You’re not fat, Valencia.”
“Yes, I am. That’s part of the problem too.”
Tears watered in her eyes when she said that. Her bottom lip quivered, but she closed her eyes and steadied her breathing to continue.
“I have never been able to get a man to take me seriously with my weight. It’s always frustrated me. The few men who did take me seriously left as soon as they realized I wouldn’t go past third base with them.”
“All I wanted,” she looked me square in the eye, “Was a man who was secure in himself to date me without having to change me or hide me in order to do so. And because that wasn’t happening in college, I let it go and decided to have discreet experiences. I excelled and figured I’ll work on my weight later. But then here you came along, making me feel beautiful, showing me that nothing was wrong with
me, and giving me the ability to see myself as gorgeous just the way I am.”
“In the middle of one of the biggest crises in my life, my dad in the hospital having surgery, here you are telling me you’re sorry for being a dick and not giving me what I wanted. I wanted nothing but you. And you were oblivious to it, simply because I’d never gone all the way before.”
27
Valencia
I truly felt like shit, opening my heart to Gio in the penthouse hallway. As if he understood the magnitude of my heartache.
He stood in front of me, hands in his pants as he took in my words. A single tear fell from my eyes, but I was able to control the rest from flowing.
“You’re right,” he spoke up. “I pushed you away because you were a virgin. Life had no guarantees; I didn’t want to be that guy you think you’ll be with forever, only to see we couldn’t work out in the end. For whatever reason.”
“But seeing my ex only made things worse… and better.”
“How?” I was ready for this.
“I don’t think I ever allowed myself to be at peace with her decision to leave. I just built a wall around my heart, and worked even harder. Between Riley, Vit, and the business, I didn’t need anyone else in my mix. To love meant to suffer, and I was tired of suffering.
“When I looked at her, it killed me to see her pregnant with another man’s child. It hurt me to see that she’d found happiness with someone else, someone who wasn’t me. But then I had to talk to her, and realize… I may never understand what it is that I didn’t give her that made her stay. All I can do is accept that the past is the past… and that I deserve my shot at love.”
He stepped forward and dropped to one knee.
“And if you can forgive me…” He dug into his pants and pulled out a box. “I want that shot of love with you.”
He opened the box, revealing the most beautiful pink diamond ring I’d ever seen. It was heart shaped, and one of a kind.