Is that Vic?
She blinked her eyes in disbelief at the familiar figure standing on the curb in the distance. There was no mistaking the thick, dark mane of hair and chiseled jaw. She drank in the sight of him dressed in dusty jeans and a muscle shirt that showcased his biceps. His arm was draped around a long-haired blonde woman, wearing denim shorts and a snug t-shirt.
Ronnie jammed on the brakes as she craned her neck for a better look. Yes, it was the same girl she’d seen on Vic’s phone the night he rescued her on the dark road. Andrea. She watched as Vic smiled down at the young woman before kissing her on the forehead.
“What the hell?” Ronnie murmured aloud.
She fought against tears that pricked the backs of her eyelids. Vic hadn’t missed a beat. No wonder he hadn’t returned her calls. He didn’t want anything to do with her. He had somebody else. While she’d been agonizing and having sleepless nights for the past two weeks, he’d been frolicking with some blonde bimbo. To think, she’d let him fuck her senseless. Those intimate moments had meant something to her. But apparently, she’d just been another notch on Vic’s tool belt. He’d used her, and she’d fallen for his sweet caresses and brutal kisses.
“How could I have been so stupid?”
She wiped at the tears that flowed freely now. She threw her car in reverse and pealed out of the parking lot. If she never heard from Vic Romano again, it would be too soon.
Vic glanced toward a car burning rubber out of the parking lot. With the sun in his eyes, it was hard to see, but it looked like a black Beemer. Just like Ronnie’s car. He shook his head. No, it couldn’t be her. Or could it? She’d been leaving messages on his voicemail, but he’d refused to call her back. He just needed time to think. The accusatory looks she’d given him the last time they saw each other still cut him deep. She acted like he was a common criminal she couldn’t stand to be in the presence of. He would never forget how her maple eyes flashed with anger and distrust. He’d felt lower than a snake on the ground.
Less than a man.
As though he were beneath her.
That day, he tore out of her neighborhood like a bat out of hell in his car. He swore he’d never speak to her again. He’d even called his P.O. and gave him some lame story about not being a good fit for the job.
Good fit, my ass.
Ex-cons didn’t fit in. They put up. They did whatever was necessary to survive.
He knew there was no way he could go back to working for Three Sisters Construction. Not when Ronnie looked like she hated his guts. And not with that fucker Allen out to fulfill some personal vendetta. He couldn’t be around the guy without wanting to smash his face in. And he couldn’t be around Ronnie without remembering how she’d responded to his touch. Lord help him, he couldn’t stop thinking about her. Couldn’t stop dreaming about the kisses they’d shared. Couldn’t stop thinking about his hands on her silky skin.
Before prison, it seemed Vic had his whole life ahead of him. He often recalled a line from an old movie with Marlon Brando. ‘I coulda been a contender.’ That was how Vic felt. He could have been something, done something great with his life. Instead, he let his anger rob him of five years of his life. He’d done a lot of thinking while he was locked up. If he had a do-over, would he make the same decision? He didn’t know. Prison had a weird way of transforming a man’s outlook. Some guys became hardened and bitter. Others became enlightened about their purpose in life. He’d been through a wide range of emotions.
In prison, he’d wanted nothing more to do with fighting. He hit the books and got his college degree while behind bars. He changed his attitude. Oh, he still got angry, but he found positive things to think about and encouraging people to surround himself with. He’d thought Ronnie was one of those people. When he was with her, he felt invincible. Yeah, they’d gotten off to a rocky start, but as soon as they stopped fighting their insane attraction to each other, they made up for lost time. The way she looked at him made him feel like he could do anything. She had become special to him in such a short time. Imagine him, an ex-con, kicking it with a classy businesswoman like Ronnie Jones.
Seeing her car had an odd effect on him. It made him realize how much he’d been missing her.
Vic tweaked Andrea on the nose. C’mon, he signed. It should be safe to go back in now.
She laughed. If not, let’s make some popcorn. That should get rid of the smell.
He grinned. Yeah, especially since you burned it last time!
His building had been sprayed with pesticides earlier this morning. It was standard procedure for the entire complex to be sprayed once every couple of months. He’d totally forgotten about this when he invited his sister to hang out with him today. He thought they could chill out and watch a few close-caption movies, but when she arrived, the acrid smell of roach spray still lingered in the air. They’d played baseball outside instead.
He’d left his cell phone on the kitchen counter. While Andrea searched for a pack of microwave popcorn, Vic checked the display on his phone. Two missed calls from Ronnie. His heart rate jumped as he listened to the voicemails she’d left. The last one said she needed to see him and she was on her way over. He checked the time on the message. That was almost two hours ago.
Maybe that was her car in the parking lot.
What the hell was Ronnie up to? Vic dialed her number. After a few rings, he figured he’d get her voicemail, but she answered just as he was about to hang up.
“What can I do for you, Mr. Romano?”
Vic frowned at her choice of words. Why was she being so formal? And did he detect an attitude? She was the one who’d rejected him. Now, she had the nerve to try and pull rank. “You asked me to call. I’m calling.”
“Never mind.”
“Never mind?”
“That’s right. Whatever I had to say to you is null and void. There’s nothing you and I need to discuss.”
“Look, Ronnie. I don’t know what kind of game you’re play—”
“Me? How can I play the master? You’re the one with all the game, Vic.”
Even though Andrea couldn’t hear him, he moved away from the kitchen so she wouldn’t be able to read his lips. He paced in front of the hall mirror. The frown on his face reflected how he felt inside: confused. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about Blondie. Your little plaything you were kissing outside of your apartment.”
“I knew that was your car hightailing it out of the parking lot.”
“I’m surprised you even noticed anything else around you, being so busy with your public displays of affection.”
“Now, hold on a minute—”
“You know, I was under the false impression you couldn’t keep your hands off me. But I see with you, it’s an epidemic. You can’t keep your hands off any female.”
“Woman, you got me all wrong. I—”
“Don’t you think she’s a little young for you, Vic? For God’s sake, she looks like she’s fifteen years old!”
“Ronnie…”
“And here I thought I was the cougar. You’ve got me beat by a long shot.”
“Listen, Ronnie. Andrea is my—”
“Oh, I know what she is. You don’t have to spell it out for me. I got the message loud and clear.”
“Listen to me!”
“I’m done listening to your lies, Vic. I should have known I couldn’t trust a man like you.”
He stopped in his tracks. “A man like me? What is that supposed to mean?”
“You’re smart. You’ll figure it out. And don’t bother calling me again.”
Vic stared at his phone. Did Ronnie just hang up on him?
Aw, hell no!
He stalked to the kitchen, where he found his sister munching on a fresh bag of buttery popcorn and playing with her new camera. He was furious as he signed, Time to go!
Her mouth dropped open. Bits of popcorn fell to the floor. I just made the popcorn.
We’ll
take it with us.
But I thought we were going to watch a sci-fi flick.
Trust me. What I have planned will be a lot more entertaining!
# # #
Vic stormed through the lobby of Three Sisters Construction. He dragged Andrea behind him, focused solely on one mission. Making Ronnie Jones see things his way. That was if she opened those jaded eyes of hers.
He barged through her open office door, and planted himself and Andrea firmly in front of Ronnie’s desk. He knew she would be here. She was a workaholic—a fact that didn’t bother him. He admired her dedication to work, among other things. Only at this moment, she wasn’t working. She was standing in front of her office window. She’d been looking out when he made his entrance.
Now, her mouth hung open, and he barely had time to register the new shade of coral lipstick she wore. Her lips looked damn kissable. His eyes greedily roamed her tall form from her lacey blouse and short denim skirt where her long legs gave him pause, and then back up again. Her eyes were red. For a moment, his heart dropped, thinking she’d been crying.
Was he the source of her unhappiness?
She scowled at him. Before she could say anything, Vic turned to Andrea and began signing.
Andrea, this is Ronnie Jones. Tell her who you are! he demanded.
Andrea’s eyes widened as she took in his countenance. He knew she rarely saw him mad. The last time had tragic consequences.
I’m his sister, she signed to Ronnie.
Ronnie gave them both blank stares. “I don’t understand sign language.”
“She’s my sister,” Vic translated.
Ronnie scoffed. “Yeah, right!”
“I have no reason to lie,” Vic countered.
He grabbed a pen and paper from Ronnie’s desk and thrust it toward Andrea. She dutifully scribbled on the paper and held it up for Ronnie to see.
Vic’s heart thundered as Ronnie glanced at the paper. To his surprise, she started laughing.
Now it was Vic’s turn to scowl. He plucked the paper from Andrea’s hand to see what she wrote.
IT’S TRUE. WE HAVE DIFFERENT FATHERS, WHICH EXPLAINS WHY I’M SMARTER AND BETTER LOOKING THAN HIM.
Stick to the facts, Vic signed to Andrea.
Those are the facts, she signed back. She tugged on her camera still dangling from a thick strap on her neck. I’m going to go snap a few shots.
Don’t go far.
Yeah, yeah, Big Bro. I’m not a child. I just play one in real life.
Vic rolled his eyes as Andrea waved to Ronnie and then she slipped from the room. When he turned to Ronnie, she was trying not to grin. She did a damn good job when it came to him. Within seconds she was serious again. But at least she hadn’t thrown him out on his ass.
“You owe me an apology,” he told her.
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me.” He walked around her desk and stood in front of her. “You made some nasty accusations about me. Things that weren’t true.” He stared into her eyes. “I’ve had a lot of folks say a lot of things about me, but what you said was the most painful, Ronnie. Do you think so little of me that you’d believe I’d be sleeping with someone else?”
She shrugged.
“You must not have a lot of faith in me. That’s what hurts most.”
“C’mon, Vic. We’ve only just met each other.”
“That doesn’t make what I feel for you any less important. That doesn’t make the time we shared any less sacred.”
She tried to turn away, but he cupped her chin in his hand, forcing her to look at him. God, she was beautiful. The most beautiful woman he’d laid eyes on. Out of habit, he lowered his voice. “When I held you in my arms and made love to you, it meant something, Ronnie. Are you telling me it didn’t mean anything to you?”
“You know it did.” Her brown eyes held his captive. He could get lost in those depths.
“For weeks, I’ve been agonizing about what I should do. It’s hard to come back here and see your face when I know you hate me.”
“I don’t hate you, Vic.” Her bottom lip trembled. “In fact, I feel just the opposite. I’m scared because I want you so bad. More than I’ve ever wanted anyone.”
He brushed his thumb across her cheek. “I feel the same way, Ronnie. Woman, you got my stomach in knots wondering how you feel about me. When you forced me away, I was devastated.”
“I didn’t force you. You left.”
“I figured you wanted me to.”
She shook her head. “No, I was just in shock over what happened that day. I couldn’t think straight. Why didn’t you tell me about your past sooner?”
“I was wrong for that. You never asked, and I never pushed. Once we got to know each other, I was too ashamed to give you the details. I didn’t want you to think differently of me. And I see I was right.”
“I’m sorry, Vic. I should have asked you. I’m just as guilty. Then, being confronted by Allen and Toye…I had a meltdown. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you when you needed me.”
“I can never let you take the blame for something that was my fault, Ronnie. Truthfully, I never thought I had a chance with you, but when we made love, something powerful happened.” He put his hands on her shoulders and pulled her close. “I’m still not sure what it was, but I’m not ready to let it end. I’m not ready to let you out of my life.”
“That’s just lust talking. You’re riding high on the emotion of a good fuck. I know. I’ve been there.”
“I’ve been there too,” he argued back. “That’s why I know what we have is more than that. I wouldn’t have dragged my sister down here to explain things if I didn’t care about you, Ronnie. We owe it to ourselves to work past whatever obstacles we have. How else can we really get to know each other?”
She nodded in agreement.
“Are you willing to give us a chance?” he asked.
He prayed she didn’t ask him to leave. He would honor her wishes, but it would hurt like hell to be away from her.
Without waiting for her answer, Vic dipped his head and claimed her lips. Her mouth felt so good beneath his. His fingers gently cupped both sides of her face, his thumbs delicately stroking the base of her cheekbones. He nibbled the corners of her lips, teasing until he’d coaxed them open. Then his tongue smoothly slipped inside her mouth. The feeling was powerful. Heady. Breath-taking. Their tongues circled each other, cautiously at first, then boldly mingling together.
He’d missed this. He couldn’t believe how much Ronnie had changed his life in such a short time. His temperature skyrocketed every time he thought about her.
He pulled away and gazed into her eyes. “We belong together, Ronnie. I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anyone, and I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you by my side—starting with telling you all about my past.”
SIXTEEN
Ronnie relished the warmth of Vic’s embrace. He was right. They did belong together. And she wanted him more than anyone she’d ever wanted too. More than her first love in junior high. More than her second love in high school. And certainly more than Frank, whom she thought she was passionate about, until she married him. Now, she knew she had no clue about passion. Not until she’d met Vic. He could set her on ‘smolder’ with just one look.
She listened as Vic recounted the story of why he’d gone to prison. He leaned against her desk and pulled her between his legs. His hands rested firmly on her hips. She draped her arms around his broad shoulders and waited for him to speak.
“Andrea was born deaf,” he started. “All her life, I protected her from mean-spirited people. She’s a smart girl, but people assumed because she was deaf, she was also ignorant. They tried to take advantage of her. I took pleasure in setting them straight.
“One night, when she was fifteen, a man tried to rape her at a party. Andrea managed to kick him in the nuts and escape. She came home bloodied and bruised, but she managed to tell me what happened. We called the police. That was our first mistake.
It turned out the dude who tried to rape her, Sam Beckley, had connections. His brother was a cop. Sam had been accepted into the police academy, too. So, it was Andrea’s word against his. And since there was no rape, there was no evidence to back up her story.”
“That’s horrible!”
“What’s worse is the son-of-a-bitch bragged about it on Facebook, accusing Andrea of coming onto him and then trying to get revenge when he rejected her. He threatened her online, saying how she’d better watch out the next time she went out by herself. Andrea was terrified to go anywhere. We had to change schools. The girls in her class bullied her. Can you believe that?”
“Unfortunately, yes. Sad things like that happen. Some kids commit suicide to escape bullies.”
“I wasn’t about to let my sister become a statistic, So, I took matters into my own hands. I found out where the asshole hung out. I waited for him to leave a bar one night. I slammed his ass on the ground. Then, I punched him, and I kept on punching. Once I got started, I couldn’t stop. All the rage and fury and frustration I felt for my sister came pouring out. I pummeled the guy senseless. I was gonna teach him not to screw with Andrea or any other female. By the time I was done, there was blood everywhere. His face was a battered mass of unrecognizable flesh. I didn’t stop to think—”
He stopped in mid-sentence.
Ronnie felt so bad for him. He had a haunted look in his eyes as though he were reliving the incident. “Allen said you were an amateur boxer.”
He nodded. “Yeah, the party was for me, in fact. It was held at the gym where I trained. This guy, Sam showed up with some thugs I didn’t know. I was no saint before the incident, but when it came time for sentencing, the fact that I had a reputation as a tough boxer sealed the deal for me.” Vic let out a long breath. “Now you know why I spent five years in the pen. I let my anger get the best of me.”
Blueprint for Love Page 13