Victoria And Her Secrets Ch 02

To those who wait!

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We shared my bed for the first time, and for the first time as an engaged couple, I held her next to me through the night. At first doubtful, given my experience with my sister, Victoria had demonstrated to me a surprising ability to have a healthy relationship without sex. I called it surprising, mostly because of how my sister had struggled, and failed.

As usual, I woke up first. Pee time. It was also Monday morning, the start of a new work week. I hated to be dragged away from Victoria right now, but I knew I had documents to finalize that week for a new commercial office building. The deadline was a little tight for the simple reason that some of the parties took a long time to review the interim drafts. Their delay had become my problem.

I returned to bed and kissed Victoria to wake her up.

"Ummm ... that's how I would like to be wakened from now on. How are you this morning? Do you regret proposing to me in a hot tub?"

"Are you asking about me proposing, or the location? I loved proposing to you!"

"I loved both. I wanted you to propose, and the location will be legendary in our family lore!"

"I think you should put on that swimsuit every year to celebrate."

"You only want to see me in it once a year?"

"Ok, I can see where this is headed. I need to get ready for work, because I need to take you home first. Otherwise, we would sit around all day and swim and kiss, and I would be fired by this client."

"Honey, when will I see you again?"

"How about if we go out for dinner Tuesday and play in the pool Wednesday?"

"Will you call me tonight?"

"I'll have Roscoe pass you the phone after we have our nightly call."

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I worked my butt off that day and made a surprising amount of progress. Like about twice as much as I thought I would finish the first day.

Matt and I met for dinner again. We are becoming good friends and enjoyed trying out a new restaurant. We also planned a surprise for Victoria.

I was waiting in the shadows as Victoria approached the neighborhood park with Roscoe on his leash.

"Hey, Babe," I said, still in the shadows.

Victoria jumped, terrified at first, until I stepped into the light. She screamed, dropped the leash, and ran to me. So did Roscoe.

"Now I get why Dad asked me to take Roscoe to the park for a walk!"

I held Victoria in my arms until Roscoe, tired of waiting for belly rubs that never came, started to wander off. We retrieved him and walked home, holding hands.

We went inside and formally confirmed what Matt already knew, so Liz could scream and hug Victoria. My favorite moment came when Liz kissed me on the cheek and thanked me. What she was thanking me for was unspecified, but I figured I knew.

Victoria and I sat on the front porch swing, in her favorite position.

"Sweetheart, we really need to invite my parents for dinner so they can get to know you."

I felt her react to that. She sat up and looked at me.

"Scott, give me some advice. I feel I need to tell them about my past. I mean, one of their first questions is going to be how we met. What if I don't and they find out something later? How will they react?"

I had been worrying about this for a couple of weeks. It's why I had not yet taken her to meet them.

"Don't forget, they lost a daughter, their baby, to what almost consumed you. They will be sympathetic and not condemn you. Their pain will be realizing you survived, and their baby didn't, but I don't think they will blame you. And I agree, you have to tell them. Don't forget, though, I'll be there, holding your hand."

She put her head on my shoulder. I could see tears in her eyes.

"We need to do this soon, like this week, Scott. It would be too weird to wait."

"That's what I'm thinking. How about Thursday?"

"Can I cook for the four of us?"

"Are you sure you want to?"

"I am. It'll take my mind off it as I prepare and get the ingredients I need."

"I'll confirm it with them and then with you, babe. You know I love you."

We kissed for a few minutes. Then she put her arms around my chest and back and held me tight.

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We went to dinner the next night and then had fun in the pool and hot tub on Wednesday. I could tell she was worried, but it only showed a couple of times.

"Babe let's go shopping for an engagement ring and for wedding bands. How about Friday, morning?"

"How's your big transaction project coming? Do you have time?"

"I'll be done. I made a lot of progress today. I should finish tomorrow sometime."

"This will be very real when you put a ring on my finger, won't it?"

"Doesn't it feel real now?

"Scott, you don't think like a girl. I've dreamed about the love of my life proposing to me and giving me a beautiful ring. What time do you want to pick me up?"

"How about 9:45 am? Please understand something. Do not look at prices; pick something you love."

"Dinner tomorrow is at 7, right?"

"Correct. What time do you want to come over and start cooking?"

"I think 5. Will you be home by then?

"Not likely, but I brought you something."

I handed her a key to my house. From the look on her face, you'd have thought I'd given her the ring!

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I got home the next night just before 6. I parked in the garage and entered into the kitchen.

"Honey, I'm home!" I always wanted to say that.

The kitchen smelled wonderful! Victoria was smiling and walked over to kiss me.

"I'm looking forward to when you come home from work after we're married. One of those nights I'll probably greet you naked and drag you to bed before dinner."

'I've always liked dessert first."

"I know how I'll do it! Chocolate sauce and whipped cream on each breast!"

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Mom & Dad arrived just before 7. Victoria had just taken off her apron and checked her hair, so she was at the door with me.

"Mom and Dad, I want you to meet Victoria Simpson. Victoria, these are my parents, George and Juliette Nelson."

"Please, Victoria, call us George and Juliette. We're happy to meet you."

I took drink orders and got those while Victoria had them sit at the table. She had already plated everything, and the presentation wowed me.

She had prepared salmon cutlets, with a basil cream sauce and cherry tomatoes. It was beautiful on the plate and, as we soon discovered, sensational to taste.

There was a lot of light-hearted chatter, but finally, Mom asked the question, the one Victoria dreaded.

"Victoria, how did you and Scott meet?"

"Mom, before that story, we want to tell you something. Victoria and I have decided to marry."

"George may be surprised but I saw it in the way you looked at each other at the door. So how did you meet?"

"Well, a little over a year ago, I needed an attorney. A friend, Susan Miller, told me to call Mr. Nelson and gave me his number. I learned later Susan was best friends with Sophia."

She saw the look exchanged between my parents.

"I'm so sorry for your loss. I didn't know Sophia. The sad truth is I knew Susan because we were both prostitutes. I was a star athlete, headed for a great track career, when I made a stupid mistake and got involved with drugs. I was kicked out of school, lost my scholarship, and with it my future as an athlete.

"I should have gone to my parents then, but I didn't. I thought I could handle my situation, but the next step was prostitution. I hated it. I eventually ran to my parents. They loved me, supported me, and helped me get clean. I'm lucky to have made it out."

"You are, Victoria. I wish we could have helped Sophia more."

Mom and Dad were both wiping away tears.

"I had another friend, Wendy. She wanted out and knew I had been out for three years. She called me and wanted to meet. She was afraid of her pimp and what he might do, so she wanted to meet in Washington Park, near the big fountain. Late at night.

"I was approaching that area, still in the trees, when I saw a man cut her throat. I knew who he was, because he supplied me with drugs and got me involved in prostitution. I already had Mr. Nelson's number--that's the only name I knew then--so I called first thing and asked for an immediate, urgent appointment."

"You need to know that I called in a partner at the firm, and he worked miracles, that very day. Victoria had handed the perp to the police on a silver platter, and they found enough evidence to put him away for life, without parole. He confessed to the murder, so there will probably be no appeal. Her courage got the attention of the police association and the state bar, who joined my firm in giving her a reward to help her finish her college degree."

"How did you two get together?"

"Maybe I should tell this part from my perspective. I met with Scott a bunch of times over the year it took to get to sentencing. Although Tom did the key work, I always thought of Scott as my attorney.

"He called me into his office after sentencing to tell me about the cash reward and that the firm was also waiving its fees. Then he made a big deal about me being a former client at that point. I didn't understand why that mattered, until he told me an attorney cannot date an active client.

"I still wasn't sure what he was getting at. He had to explain it to me by asking me out."

My parents were laughing.

"You need to know something about your son. I understand now he was worried about me because of your experience with Sophia. I was worried about the same issue. I even asked him if he wanted to go out with me because he thought he could get some easy sex. Scott told me he would not have sex with me unless we were married. I knew I could trust him, and the rest is history.

"Your son is the most wonderful man I've ever known. I love him."

My parents were still wiping away tears, except Mom had gotten up and come to hug Victoria.

"Victoria, we lost our baby, and you escaped. Maybe she needed someone like Scott in her life, but I think you had already overcome what she couldn't. We'll never really know, but I'm thrilled for the two of you. Your happiness together says it all."

Obviously, I had a box of Kleenex nearby. Not my first rodeo.

My mother had one more thing on her mind.

"Victoria, have you and Scott talked about children?"

Victoria blushed and looked at me, but she answered.

"We have, and we want children together. Probably soon."

Victoria squeezed my hand.

"We want to have you over here for dinner again with Victoria's parents. We would like to get married in about four weeks. I know that isn't a lot of time, but her next year in college starts in five weeks. Victoria and I don't need a big wedding. Family and close friends would be great, but we realize you and her parents, Matt and Liz, might feel differently. We're wondering whether Saturday night for dinner would work for you. We already know it works for Matt and Liz."

"We'd love to meet them, and we'll make Saturday evening work. This is more important than anything else in our lives right now.

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Victoria drove herself home and I spent an hour moving things around and clearing space for her car in the garage. I also rummaged around and found the other remote for the opener on that side.

The next morning, we shopped for rings. The best part for me was watching Victoria's face, especially her smiles. She was full of joy.

It took a while, but she found a one carat ring she loved, designed with white gold and already correctly sized. There was a wedding band in the same design for her, and I selected a wedding ring I liked. I told her I wanted to put the ring on her finger the next night, in front of the four parents. I also handed her the remote for her side of the garage. She cried over it and hugged me!

That night we went out for dinner and then sat with her parents for an hour or so. We finally succumbed to Roscoe and took him for a walk. My training is progressing nicely, as Matt predicted.

A thought suddenly struck me.

"Victoria, is Roscoe your dog? As in moving with you when we marry?"

"He is. Are you ok with that?"

"You know I love dogs, and Roscoe loves me. I just need to prepare myself for when he sticks his cold nose on my butt while we're making love."

"Will he really do that?"

"He's a dog. They all do. I might make you get on top after that."

"I'll laugh so hard the first time. However, I do like the thought of making love with you, Scott. I am going to have a difficult time waiting."

"For me it will be a hard time."

Victoria laughed a lot over that.

"You know I'll be wet whenever I see you with an erection."

"Good. You can share my discomfort and make my entry easier."

She turned bright red. I was laughing as I held her close.

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The next night Victoria and I teamed up cooking dinner for our parents. We made Jambalaya, using a recipe we brought from from New Orleans. We had not tried it after returning, but it turned out wonderfully.

When we finished the Jambalaya, I knelt by Victoria's chair and put the ring on her finger. She cried. The mothers cried.

Our parents hit it off right away, and we had trouble getting a word in. I figured that was a good thing. Right away, the two mothers sensed the success of the wedding was up to them, a conclusion their husbands were too wise to refute!

One thing I learned over the next few weeks is I hate planning a wedding! The only thing that saved me was work. Well, not the only thing. Victoria, Liz and Juliette made a great team and pulled all the details together. They even picked out a wedding dress and printed invitations. All I had to do was show up for measurements for a tux.

About two weeks before our wedding, Victoria wanted to talk about babies.

"Do you care if I get pregnant soon? Given your age, I would think you would want children before you're on Social Security."

"Ouch! Is that where we are now? Old man jokes."

"If low hanging fruit is there, why not pick it? Really, though, I want to go off birth control now. Is that alright with you?"

"Getting you pregnant sounds hot, and I do want to start our family. Let's do it."

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We got down to one week, and then it happened.

Victoria and I were sitting on the sofa, streaming Ted Lasso. Suddenly Victoria stood up and was in tears.

"Scott, I can't do this. I can't marry you. I just can't!"

"Victoria, what's wrong?"

"Please, I can't talk about it."

"Do you love me?"

"Oh Scott, you know I love you."

"I love you, too. You know that, so what's the real problem? Please talk to me."

"I just can't. I love you, but it's not fair to you to marry me."

"What is not fair is you not telling me why you're doing this. Haven't I earned a better explanation from you?"

She just stood there, sobbing. I stood and put my arms around her. She sobbed for a few minutes with her head on my shoulder. My shirt was wet.

"Please sit down with me, ok?"

She nodded through her tears, and we sat.

I held her for several more minutes.

"Victoria, does this have something to do with your past?"

She nodded.

"Is there anything you haven't told me?"

She shook her head. No.

"Well, I have no more guesses, and 20 questions is not likely to help either. Please tell me, my love."

"I don't think I can make love."

"I don't understand."

"I can fuck. I'm afraid I won't be able to make love."

"I'm sorry, but I still don't understand."

"Scott ... I spent five years performing sexual acts. Acts. Like on stage. Scream to make it seem he was so wonderful. Faking orgasms. I learned the better I acted, the better the tips. It was like delivering an order placed from a menu. No love. No passion. I had to do things I didn't want to. I hated it, but that's all I know, and I know you want something better. You want a wife and to make love. Not a sex worker."

The sobbing resumed. I held her close and thought.

"Victoria, can you just listen to me for a minute?"

She nodded her head, without looking up.

"Did you love any of those men?"

"Of course not."

"It seems to me you walled off a part of you to perform a job you were hired to do. It didn't touch your heart. But I've touched your heart, that place no one else has been, and maybe this will make it easier for you. I want to make you some promises.

"But first, please realize this. I'm not marrying you for sex. I'm marrying you because I can't imagine a happy future without you beside me. You've become my best friend. You're the one I think of at night and first thing in the morning.

"I will never demand that you do anything sexually you don't want to do.

"I don't want you to ever perform an 'act'; instead I only want you to do things from your heart. If you can't do that, don't feel pressured to do it.

"On our wedding night, I'll take the lead and make love to you. I'll do everything I can to make it a wonderful experience for you. You were probably never with a john whose focus was your pleasure, but that's all I want.

"If you still have struggles with this, I'm committed to you for the rest of our lives. We'll work it out, even if it takes time."

There was silence. Sniffles. She sat up and looked at me.

"I don't know what it's like to have someone who wants to pleasure me. All I've known is selfish sex. Is that really how you feel?"

"That's how I feel. Nothing will make me happier than giving you pleasure that overwhelms you."

"Scott, I don't know what that's like. Can you really do that to me?"

"That sounds like a challenge."

Victoria kissed me for a long time.

"Does that mean you're still going to marry me?"

"Yes. How can I pass up marrying a man who wants to overwhelm me sexually?"

After sitting for a few minutes, she told me something I didn't know and had never thought about.

"Babe, I threw away all the lingerie I had in my previous life, but even if I hadn't, I would now. I'm going shopping for lingerie only you will see."

"And then remove from your body."

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And then it was our wedding day. The girls had picked a local wedding/reception center. A high-end place that probably cost a fortune. Mom told me she and Liz had decided to go high-end and split the cost.

We had a rehearsal the night before, along with some wonderful wine. Victoria was sweet-talking me for information about our honeymoon.

"Honey, I need to know what to pack tonight. Where are we going?"

"Pack lingerie."

"Duh! I got that."

"We're headed for a warm to hot climate, humid and possibly a little cool in the evening. Lots of sun. That's all you're getting out of me."

The morning of the wedding I emailed Victoria:

Victoria, I've waited all these years just so I could find you. You're not only the most beautiful woman I've ever known, but with a strength of character that amazes me. You are my hero, and today you'll also become my wife.

Thank you for the honor of spending the rest of my life with you,

All my love,

Scott

About ten minutes later, her reply arrived.

My dear Scott:

No one has ever touched my heart as you have, and your email this morning is just another example.

I asked you once what your practice area was. You told me it was rescuing beautiful women. You've rescued me, and I will spend the rest of my life grateful to you for your love and confidence in me.

Let's start a wonderful marriage today and make babies together.