Chapter 22 #2
Jessica didn’t say anything; she was still stuck on Victoria calling her ‘baby.’ It was so sweet. And her hair was ruffled from the cold December breeze up this high.
“In the least,” Victoria continued, “we can talk about it when we get back home. Okay?”
“Hmm?” Jessica said, knocking herself out of her fangirling moment. “Oh. No, need. I would love to go apartment hunting with you.”
“Good,” Victoria said with a quick nod, indicating the matter was settled. “You need better hiking shoes.”
Jessica looked down at her worn out sneakers. But they were so comfy. “Okay,” was all she could manage because she was positively putty in Victoria’s presence and that dominant demeanor.
“Come on,” Victoria continued. “Let’s head down after you get some good pictures. We need some selfies, don’t we?”
After Jessica took some photos, they headed back down the steps, this time Victoria led the way.
“I put in an application at the elementary school where I used to work,” Victoria said.
“But the principal called me this morning and said, although they’d love to have me back, there was simply no opening.
She’d keep my app on file, though, in case anything opened up. ”
“That’s a good sign, babe,” Jessica said, trying out the new pet name. Yes, it had just the right ring. Of course, she’d be trying out other pet names in the near future.
“Yeah, I guess.”
At the bottom of the stairs, Victoria turned and offered her hand chivalrously. Jessica took it as she melted into the mulched walkway. How had she gotten so lucky? Right place, right time, maybe?
“And I need to get back to Erin’s,” Victoria said and held her hand as they walked the rest of the way around the loop and back to the pickup. “I have to get the last of my stuff.”
Victoria stopped walking and turned to face her. “Christmas is less than two weeks away. Will you be going home to see family or something?”
“Funny you should say that,” Jessica said and relayed the conversation she’d had that very morning with her mother.
“Ah, I see. And you know about my family. So, we have an invitation to spend Christmas Day with Shasti and Madison. I’m supposed to ask if you can come.”
“Yes,” Jessica said so quickly that Victoria jumped.
“C’mon, let’s go home,” Victoria said and grabbed her hand. “We’ll have just enough time to get some lovin’ in before we have to head over to Rowena and Minjung’s for dinner.”
“Will this lovin’ involve my hands bound to the headboard?”
“And your ankles bound at the bottom,” Victoria said. “And my strap-on finding warm, slick places to visit.”
Jessica picked up the speed, dragging Victoria behind her.
~~~
A few weeks later, Christmas had come and gone, and Jessica and Victoria sat in Erin’s apartment in Indianapolis. The pickup was loaded with the last of Victoria’s boxes, and they were finally resting and visiting with Erin.
While Victoria sat manspreading on one side of the couch, Jessica sat on the other, pumping Erin for information and juicy tidbits about Victoria’s childhood.
“Seriously,” Erin said, “she was such a tomboy, playing with my brothers all the time. But she always made time to play board games with me.”
“She tried to get me to play dolls,” Victoria said with a grimace, “but that never worked out.”
“She’d make them into MMA fighters and pop their heads off,” Erin said with a laugh.
Victoria shrugged.
The front door opened, and Erin’s fiancé, Robby, came in bearing to-go bags.
“What do I owe you?” Victoria asked, standing up.
“Our gift to you,” Robby said.
Victoria scoffed, seemed uncomfortable for a moment, and finally said, “Thank you.”
“And speaking about ‘owing,’” Erin said. “You will not argue with me, Vic.”
“No, you will not,” Robby re-emphasized.
Jessica was on high alert. What was happening? A quick glance at Victoria told her she didn’t know what was going on, either.
Erin handed Victoria a piece of paper. It looked like a check. “This is just the start, Vic. You’ll get one of these every month for at least a year, probably more, if I have my way. It’s not nearly enough.”
“What is this?” Victoria held the check away from her as if it were a dirty diaper.
“Think of it as severance pay,” Erin said. “But it’s from my brothers and my father.” Victoria started to say something, Jessica wasn’t sure what, but Erin cut her off. “I worked hard to get you this.”
“I don’t want hush money or stolen money,” Victoria said quietly.
“Actually, it’s not,” Erin said. “You were off in Denton Heights doing your thing and your Dad, well, we know what happened there, but when Grandma Addison passed, neither of you saw a dime from her estate, right?”
Victoria looked confused. “I guess not.”
Erin pointed to the check. “There it is. Part of it, anyway. My family—” Erin’s words were choked off when she started crying. Robby put his arm around her, consoling her.
Jessica reached over and held Victoria’s hand, the one not holding the check.
Erin cleared her throat, shook herself out of her emotion, and said, “My family takes advantage of people. Your father. You. And now me. My mother, for all her faults, was positively livid when she heard what her not-so-precious sons did to you.”
“And to you, Erin,” Robby reminded her.
“Yes.” Erin looked up at him, her lips pressed tightly together. “And to me.”
Erin gave a brief summary of the family meeting they’d had, where it had been heatedly decided that, in exchange for the inheritance money going where it should have gone in the first place, Erin would agree not to press charges against her brothers or father.
And she would ask Victoria not to press charges, either.
“I don’t want to see any of them go to prison,” Victoria said softly. “Your brothers wouldn’t survive it.”
An uncomfortable silence followed. Jessica was certain they were all thinking about Victoria’s father still serving his sentence in Illinois. Victoria stood up and said, “I’ll take this then and look forward to more.” She tucked the check in her pocket.
“And,” Erin continued. “You’re getting all that workout equipment. Eddie bought it all as a prop for Kimo to lure you in. Once you’re settled and have an address, I’ll make sure it gets delivered there. At my family’s expense, of course.”
Victoria wasn’t sure she wanted the equipment because it might trigger bad memories, but she simply nodded. She said they had to get going, and tearful hugs were given all around.
“Come visit us in Denver,” Robby said as they headed out the apartment door.
“We’d love that,” Jessica said and hugged him briefly.
Erin hugged Jessica next and said, “Welcome to the family. Such as it is. You’re lovely and just what she needs.”
“Thank you, Erin,” Jessica said, almost tearing up.
Once down in the pickup, Victoria closed her eyes, exhaled loudly, and said, “Let’s buy a house.” She started the engine, checked her side mirror, and pulled onto the main road. “No apartment. You deserve a house.”
A house? Whoa. This was moving way too fast, wasn’t it? “How much was that check for, babe?”
“Five thousand.”
Jessica’s jaw dropped open. “Whoa.” To distract herself, she divvied up the gooey grilled cheese sandwiches from the to-go bags, making sure Victoria could eat hers without making too much of a mess while she drove.
Victoria took a bite and then stole a glance at Jessica. “It’s a lot of money, so I’ll ask for advice from Rowena. She knows money, but this still feels dirty.” She sighed and added, “But, hey, this is the Addison family. What doesn’t feel dirty when it comes to my family?” She seemed embarrassed.
“Aww, babe,” Jessica said and rubbed Victoria’s arm. “It will be okay. We’re okay.” She took a bite of her own sandwich and moaned.
“We’re more than okay,” Victoria said. “We’re golden. And, I know, Rose’s Diner is the one thing I’m going to miss from Indy.” She devoured her sandwich, and Jessica tucked away the greasy wrapper.
“Babe?” Victoria asked.
“Yes?”
“If we have any energy left after dumping all this at Rowena’s, do you want to go home and have a little fun?”
“Fun?” Jessica teased. “Like going on another bird count? Or going to Miss Shasti and Madison’s to play more card games?”
Victoria laughed. “Madison loved that food fight game you got her for Christmas. Taco something?”
“Taco versus Burrito,” Jessica said. “I love my new friends and love that you already knew them.”
Victoria nodded as she pulled onto the highway.
“I think I needed you to help me see how much I needed other people, chosen family, community.” She groaned.
“Whatever you want to call it.” She glanced at Jessica after merging into the traffic.
“I’m not used to being so touchy-feely. Dr. Sumner says it’s okay to feel vulnerable like this. ”
Jessica simply picked up Victoria’s hand and kissed the back of it. She turned it over and kissed the palm.
“Better stop,” Victoria warned. “I might need to pull over and have my way with you.”
Jessica moaned and then confessed her fantasy about being taken over the hood of a sports car in broad daylight, with traffic going by.
“I’m not sure how to make that one come to fruition, babe, but it sounds like a hot scene.”
They then spent the better part of the two-hour return trip talking about their fantasies. Jessica was ready for Victoria to pull over and woman-handle her. She even made the suggestion, but Victoria simply grinned and said, “Good things come to those who wait, my precious.”
In the quiet that followed, Jessica thought about the power exchange dynamic she was entering into with Victoria.
A lot of it took place outside the bedroom with small things.
Like Victoria holding doors open for her, placing her hand on the small of Jessica’s back to guide her, and letting her know she was safe.
And, on the flip side, Jessica made sure Victoria got the proper amount of nurturing love she seemed to need. That one was easy.
“Vic?”
“Yeah?”