Seven Days: A young black woman makes a deal with a mob boss. (37 page)

But there was one room that he did want to help Victoria with and that was the baby's room. This was all new territory for both of them, and two minds were definitely better than one.
Victoria noticed a significant change in Nic. He was more calm and relaxed now. And he hadn't woken up from a bad dream since the night that had started their argument.
But, at the moment she was inwardly groaning. She hated these awkward business parties Nic had to attend. And plus she felt a little heavier than normal, for obvious reasons, so she had absolutely nothing to wear. It was just a tiny little paunch she had, but to her, it was still a different body. But Nic loved it. He said it made her look even sexier if that was possible. Of course, he could have just been trying to make her feel good about her changing body, but either way, she needed the boost of confidence. This whole pregnancy thing was all so foreign to her. She never dreamt of being a mom, let alone Nic Andretti being the father. 
She remembered the first time she saw him, when he had walked into her father's restaurant years ago. He looked so young, yet intimidating. She had been cleaning off a table when she looked up at the group of men entering. She couldn't take her eyes off him. He glanced over at her and then turned his attention towards the kitchen.
Yes, they had definitely come a long way since that day. But she brought her attention back to the task at hand. She needed to figure out what dress to wear.
Nic had called her earlier that day, and asked her to be ready. Well, since she was forced to go to these lame, stuffy parties she would try something a little different. She grabbed the dress of her choice, and slid it on. Tight...much tighter than she last remembered. But whatever, it would have to do.
Once she was dressed she sat on the couch until she saw his car lights in the driveway. Showtime.
Nic was about to get out, when Victoria opened the front door. Goddamn, she...just Goddamn. She looked so fucking good, he wanted to march her ass right back upstairs and put their new bed sheets to good use. She was wearing a short, off the shoulder red dress with thin strapped high heels. The dress was extremely tight, due to her current condition, that turned him on. He could see the slight bulge in the lower section of her stomach. He never thought he'd be one of those men that got turned on even more by their pregnant wife...but he was learning a few new things about himself since Victoria had come into his life. She had her curly thick ringlets swooped into a messy up do and minimal makeup, which is exactly how he loved to see her face.
Even though his windows were extremely tinted, Victoria knew that he was staring at her. She smirked at him and walked toward his newest toy, which was a Ferrari. This man spent way too much money.
When she got closer, Nic finally got out and gave his wife a noticeable once-over. He walked over to the passenger side door and opened it for her.
"You're going to make this very distracting for me, Victoria," Nic growled, as he squeezed his wife's ass as she got in.
Victoria smiled. She knew she had chosen a more risqué dress, but chalk it up to hormones, because she was feeling frisky tonight. She was definitely going to try to make this party interesting for herself. She turned to look at him when he got in.
"Okay, let's make a bet then," Victoria said. "If I can distract you at least three times tonight, then we get to leave early, okay?"
Nic thought about it. "Alright. And how will you know if I'm distracted?"
"Smile at me."
"Game," Nic said, squeezing his wife's smooth toned thigh, and then rubbing his hand further up.
Victoria pushed it back down. "Nope, you have to wait until we get to the party."
When they finally arrived, Victoria realized this party was just like the previous parties they had attended. She even saw a few familiar faces from the past get-togethers. None who she actually knew their names, though. She held tightly to Nic's hand as he walked through groups of people, shaking hands and introducing her. They finally approached a larger group of men. She recognized one of the men, Sam. He worked for Nic and was his Vice President of Designs. He was a pretty nice guy, but Victoria couldn't stand his wife. From the moment the two were introduced at an office party, his wife Rhonda seemed to look down on her. Victoria wasn't sure if it was because she was much younger...or black, but after their initial greeting, Victoria didn't have two words to say to that snooty bitch.
"Hello, gentleman, this is my wife, Victoria Andretti," Nic said, as Victoria said hello to the large group of men.
A thin balding man grabbed Victoria's hand and shook it. "No wonder Nic never seems to be stressed," he joked. "Nice to meet you Victoria."
Victoria smiled back and surveyed the group. They were all staring at her. It was times like these that she wished she paid more attention to what her husband did. So she'd at least have some talking points. Well, she did have a mission tonight, and she needed to get started, so she could get the hell out of there.
As Nic stood there speaking with the men, Victoria slowly slid her hand from his waist to his ass and pinched. She heard Nic pause just briefly before she looked up and saw a slight grin from the corner of his mouth. One down, two more to go. 
After a few more minutes, Victoria finally excused herself from the group and went to look at some interesting paintings on the wall. Anything to take her mind off this dull party, until she could think of another distracting trick. But as she was looking over the artwork, she was really drawn in by a painting of a mother holding her child. She was so mesmerized, that she didn't notice her own little audience staring at her. 
"So, who are you here with?" she heard a raspy voice ask. Victoria glanced to the side and noticed a tiny older woman. She was in very good shape with a few thick pieces of perfectly placed white strands through her short dark brown hair.

"Hi. My husband's Nic Andretti. The tall one with his hands in his pockets," Victoria pointed out. The woman followed her finger until she spotted him.
"Oh, he's very handsome. I think my husband introduced me to him at the last party. My name is Hilary McCray. Nice to meet you," she said, extending her hand to Victoria.
"I'm Victoria. Nice to meet you as well."
Hilary gave her a once-over and then turned back to Nic. "You and your husband make a very handsome couple. You should come to one of our parties. We throw a big bash every month. Spectacular key parties, and I'm sure our regular guests would be thrilled to meet you two."
"Key party? Is that like a costume party, or something?" Victoria innocently asked.
Hilary smiled. "Sort of."
"Oh, well that sounds nice. We'd love to come. Thank you," Victoria smiled, as she looked over at her husband. 
"Hope you do join," Hilary said, handing Victoria her card.
Well, at least she had met one nice person. But Victoria still had some distracting to do. She walked over to the bar and asked the bartender for three olives. He handed her a large toothpick with the olives impaled on it. She turned to look at Nic.
Once she had his attention, she slowly and seductively licked the top olive. He narrowed his eyes at her and tried to rejoin his conversation. But she could tell that curiosity got the better of him, and he glanced in her direction again. She took that opportunity to quickly place the entire toothpick with all three olives in her mouth and slowly pulled them off. She closed her eyes and moaned.
But then something didn't feel right. Her eyes flew open as she coughed and patted her chest, trying to dislodge the olive that had gotten stuck in her throat. In an instant, she felt Nic standing beside her, patting her back.
"Are you alright?" he asked, his voice laced with concern.
It finally went down and Victoria turned her watery red eyes up to her husband. "Oh my God, that was embarrassing," she said, as she took a sip of the water he handed her.
Nic had to laugh. Hard. Now that he knew she was okay, that was one of the funniest things he had ever seen in his life. It was so Victoria to do something like that.
"Well, at least that's smile number two," she said.
"Hey, no fair," Nic said, trying to calm his chuckle.
"Yep, it is. The deal was just distracting you. Even if I'm choking."
"Oh, you have learned some tricks from me," Nic said, placing his hand on his wife's ass. "But you still have one more smile to get from me before we can leave. And this one has to be sexy. No falling down or choking, okay?"
"Fair enough."
Victoria tried again to get Nic's attention throughout the night, but nothing seemed to work. And she didn't feel daring enough to flash him any skin, considering people could be watching.
But then, she came up with the perfect plan. The most daring thing she had done in front of this many people, but she had to try. She called the bartender over.
Nic was bored to tears, but he'd learned the art of looking like he was listening intently, even though his mind was far, far away. Truthfully, he was thinking about Victoria. He glanced up at her again, and she was just looking at him. She hadn't tried anything else. Maybe her shyness won out and they would be staying longer. He had kind of hoped that she would have won, so they could get the fuck out of there.
He was about to make a comment on something one of the men had said, when he noticed the bartender started walking toward their group with the largest grin on his face. He was carrying a tray with a champagne glass. But upon further inspection...this wasn't an ordinary champagne glass. Well, the glass was, but its contents were definitely not. Along with the sparkling champagne, was something else. 
When the bartender finally reached their group, he whispered into Nic's ear that the glass and the note were from his wife.
Nic stared down into the glass and smiled. He couldn't help himself. Damn that little minx! She had stuck her tiny black thong into the drink. He couldn't even look at her just yet, knowing she had won. He could see the men in his group through his peripheral vision, and they were staring at the glass. Someone coughed, but their mindless chatter ceased.
Nic turned the note over and read it. 'When do you plan on fucking me? Love, your wet and willing wife.'
Nic's dick turned hard within a millisecond. That was it.
He grabbed the drink and the note and excused himself from the group. He heard over his shoulder one of the guys whisper to the group, "Well, fuck, can I marry her?" Not a chance in hell, Nic thought as he approached Victoria. She was all his, from head to toe.
Victoria waiting in anticipation as Nic closed in on her, like a hawk zoning in on a defenceless, small mouse. When he reached her, he stared down at her and slowly sipped the champagne, pulling her delicate article of clothing out with his teeth. He grabbed her hand and leaned down to her ear. "You win, baby. Now let's get the fuck out of here before I give this entire room a show."
Once the valet retrieved his car, Nic could barely pry his hands from his wife's body. When they did finally get in, Nic pulled the car out and hit the gas, propelling the car onto the street. Victoria reached into his pants and massaged his dick. He leaned his head back against the headrest and moaned.
"Fuck, Victoria," Nic whispered as he slowed the car down. He pressed the button to remove the top of the car as he pulled over by the side of a building. There were no cars in sight, which was good for what he had planned for her. 
Victoria looked over at Nic, becoming antsy from whatever it was he had in his mind at the moment. He quickly pushed his seat back and leaned over her to unbuckle her seatbelt. 
"Are you still wet and willing?" he asked.
Before she could say a word, he was half lifting and pulling her over to his side, until she straddled his lap in the tight space.
He slid his pants to his thighs and pulled her down onto his lap, while his hard thick member entered her sweet, wet pussy in one effortless glide. Both of them gasped in unison.
"Oh, Nic," Victoria whispered, with her eyes closed. Once she was fully adjusted, she began to roll her hips back and forth, in a smooth, rhythmic motion, causing both of them unbelievable pleasure.
Nic pulled the top of her dress down, exposing her tits. He massaged them, rolling each nipple around his fingers before he licked and lightly bit them.
"Shit," Victoria moaned, as he continued to fuck her.
Nic felt like he couldn't get as deep as he wanted in such a small space, but he damn sure was going to try. Sexually, this woman drove him to the brink of madness, and she had since the first time he'd made love to her.
"Nic, wait, oh...I'm coming, oh!" Victoria shouted, as her head rolled back and her body jerked with the intensity of her orgasm.
But Nic needed more. He opened his car door and stepped out, with Victoria still wrapped around his cock. He leaned her up against the side of the car and started to drive in and out of her with tremendous sex-crazed force. This was the penetration he needed. His lips found hers as he passionately kissed them, until he was sure he had lovingly bruised the tender flesh.
Then he could feel his own orgasm take over his body, causing him to ram into her one last time, as he stilled and emptied his essence deep within her. Nic wasn't sure how long he held her against him, completely spent, but he knew he wasn't done with her. Not by a long shot.
Later that night, Victoria knew the true meaning of exhaustion. Nic wouldn't let her fall asleep until he had staked claim in every hole in her body at least twice. She felt sore, but she knew the aching that coursed through her body was due to how much her husband wanted and loved her. She fell asleep in his arms with a contented look upon her face.
Marianna racked up her share of frequent flyer miles over the next few months, flying back and forth, so she could dote over her daughter in-law. And the more Victoria started to show, the happier Marianna was. Nic warned his mother not to be so overbearing, but she rolled her eyes at him, and proceeded to pick out maternity clothes for Victoria, and food she should be eating, and books she should read. Marianna obviously didn't understand the meaning of overbearing.
Victoria was still trying to deal with the changes in her body, mentally and physically. She would never admit this to Nic or Marianna, but it felt as though some tiny little creature was inside her, and at any moment, it would pull an Alien, and she'd be Sigourney Weaver, trying to fight it off. She wondered how much weight she would gain. At first, when she stepped on the scale, it was fine. The next few times after that, she cringed. The last time she stepped on the scale, she burst into tears.
And although Nic continued to assure her that she was the most beautiful woman in the world, she still felt so awkward. And when Victoria got to the point where she could no longer touch her toes or even tie her shoes, she felt completely useless.
But there were perks of being pregnant, which she later figured out, much to Nic's displeasure.
Nic walked into the twenty-four hour grocery store that was all the way across town. His eyes were half closed as he mindlessly walked up and down the aisles. Pickles...where the fuck were they? he thought. Once he saw a jar, he made a bee line to the aisle that housed peanut butter. The thought made his stomach queasy.
When he finally made it to the cashier, he slowly reached into his wallet for cash, and just then the cashier started laughing. Nic looked up, barely able to focus. It was a young black kid, chuckling while placing his items in a bag.
"What's so funny?" Nic mumbled, placing ten dollars down.
"Oh, nothing. Sorry man, I was just tripping because it's two in the morning, and you're buying a jar of pickles and peanut butter. Your girl pregnant?"
"Yes."
"Mine too. She has me bringing home the craziest shit. So, I feel your pain," the young guy said, as he handed Nic his change.
Nic smiled. "Well, congratulations...and thanks for the support," he said, grabbing his bag to leave.
"Thanks man, you too," the kid smiled back.
When Nic pulled into their driveway, Victoria was standing by the door, waiting on him. Jesus, she was staring at the bag like it was a million dollars.
"I'll make it for you, just go back upstairs, okay," Nic whispered when he reached her. She nodded and he patted her rear when she turned around.
"Okay. But, um, just make sure to put extra pickles on it okay. I want a lot, you know," she said over her shoulder.
Nic walked into the kitchen and quickly fixed what he figured was probably the two nastiest foods that could go together. Victoria had awakened him, really wanting a peanut butter and pickle sandwich. He almost gagged at the thought. Once he made it, he poured her a glass of water and marched upstairs.
She was sitting up in the bed, waiting for him.
"Oh, thank you so much, baby," she said, damn near snatching the plate from his hand. He grinned and sat the drink down on her nightstand.
Nic crawled into bed and looked over at his wife. She was so cute. Her little feet were wiggling back and forth under the cover and she had the plate resting on her swollen belly. 
He turned around and closed his eyes.
Crunch, crunch, crunch.
Nic opened his eyes and slowly rolled over and looked up at her. Crunch, crunch, crunch, he heard again, as his wife bit into the sandwich. He looked over at the clock. It was already three in the morning, and he had a meeting with his company at nine.
He rolled back over and placed a pillow over his head. Crunch, crunch, crunch. Damn those fucking pickles! The sacrifices we make for the ones we love. Nic squeezed the pillow tighter over his head.
Victoria had tried to catch an afternoon nap, when her cell phone started ringing. At first she hadn't planned on answering it, but she noticed on the caller ID it was her mother. She was sure she was calling to bug her about the status of the baby.
She and Nic had wanted to wait until the baby was born to know the sex, but the anticipation had been killing them. They had to know, and were pleasantly surprised when it was a boy. It honestly didn't matter to Victoria, but she could tell that Nic was secretly thrilled about that. Then came the hard part of deciding a name.
Victoria had wanted Nicolas Sebastian Andretti V, but Nic was dead set against it. He didn't want to go that high with the numbers and he felt like that name was cursed. He said their kid needed a fresh start. 
But Victoria still wanted the kid to have a part of Nic's name, so they went with Sebastian Andretti. The real argument came with the middle name. Victoria wanted his middle name to be Paul, explaining that her son would be named after the two best men she knew. Nic eventually conceded, since Paul was a simple name, but he did insist that he was to be called Sebastian, and not Paul. Victoria agreed. So Sebastian Paul Andretti it was. 
"Hey Mama," Victoria said, raising up from the couch to answer her phone. 
Silence.
"Mama?" she asked again.
"Vicky, I um...damn," her mother whispered.
"What's wrong, mama."
Her mother paused again, before she spoke.
"Vicky, James...died this morning," her mother said through sniffles. 
Victoria couldn't breathe. She wasn't ready to hear this. She wasn't ready. 
"No, mama," Victoria whispered, holding her hand over her mouth. She knew that this was a possibility, but she honestly thought that her father would fight through it. He couldn't possibly die. 
"I'm going to take care of everything. And I'm fine, so don't try to rush back here. I'll let you know when the funeral will be, okay?" Olivia said, her voice no longer cracking.