Ride to Restoration (Ride Series Book 2) Read online

  “D good Candice. You ask, you explain, he will.”

  “I hope so, Gio, but first I have to find him. I know, I know, start with the dog. I’ll call Marcy this afternoon and get her on that hunt. In the meantime, what about you? When are you and Mile going back to Milan?”

  “Your momma say tomorrow. We stay if you need us.”

  “Thank you for the offer. I’m a big girl now, soon to be a much wealthier big girl. I can handle Mom. It’s just going to take time and space. Lots and lots of space.”

  Before Gio could offer a verbal or non-verbal reply, the French door to the kitchen swung open, revealing my mother, the messenger. “Joseph called. He said you were getting together with him today. He will be here at seven to take you to dinner at your favorite restaurant, Byrnes. I took the liberty to tell him you would love to go. Besides, what else do you have to do tonight?”

  I have lots to do, none of which includes Joseph. Biting my lip just as Gio put his hand on my shoulder, I nodded yes to acknowledge her affirmatively while I thought, ‘No! Hell no!’

  I made the call to Marcy, no answer. I hope she listens to my voice mail and its urgency and blocks off Saturday morning for a little detective work. If anybody can find Major, it’s her. I’ll throw in a girls’ weekend in Calgary as a reward. I want to go back. I wasn’t done there. I want to finish the ride to Jasper. I want, I want, I want. In truth, without D being a part of it, my wishing is all for naught.

  Chapter 9

  Dressing conservatively, I kept my make up to a minimum. No Sephora tonight, just lip gloss, eyeliner and a little blush. This was a business dinner, nothing more, nothing less, I kept telling myself, over and over, while I waited impatiently for the witching hour to arrive. Promptly at seven, the doorbell rang. One trait I always admired in Joseph, he was punctual. Opening the door, I found Joseph standing before me in a double-breasted, black Armani suit with a red silk tie. “Welcome Joseph. Have you been on family business today or did you dress in your finest just for me?”

  “Hello to you. Well, Candice you look, how can I say this nicely, average?”

  “I am average, Joseph. What you see is what you get. Tonight is strictly business. I hear you’re taking me to Byrnes. Any special reason you chose it, other than the fact that it’s where you proposed to me?”

  “I’m supposed to woo you, remember? What better place to make a fresh start.”

  “Not to blow your bubble, but it didn’t work out so well for us the first time.”

  Probably not the best way to begin an evening. Abruptly, no forcefully, Joseph locked my arm in his and escorted me to his shiny new red Ferrari. “Beautiful ride you have here. Does it make picking up sluts any easier?”

  “Hush please, Candice. Get in the car!”

  The drive to the restaurant was made in deafening silence. Staring straight ahead, I wondered how many women he’d managed to bed with this fine automobile. Pulling up to the valet, Joseph exited first, and flipped him a twenty, before stomping into the restaurant, leaving me to escort myself inside. It wasn’t hard to find him. Another virtue he exhibits is predictability. He’s always sitting in the darkest corner booth, nearest the bar. He must have already ordered a Black Crown neat, because an all too familiar waitress was dropping it by the table as I sat down.

  “Lori, I’d like to introduce you to my ex-wife, Candice. Candice, I’d like you to meet Lori. Bring her a bottle of white Merlot. Be sure to leave just one wine glass. Oh, and Lori keep bringing these,” directed Joseph, lifting his glass as if to offer a toast before turning it up and draining it in one long gulp.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Candice. Mr. Joseph and I go way back.”

  As far as the seat will recline, I thought. “It’s very good to meet you. If he drinks too much, do you see that he gets home safely?”

  “Oh, I do that all the time. I’ll do anything he asks to drive his car,” bubbled Lori, before catching herself with her foot in her mouth.

  “I’m sure you do, Lori. I’m sure you do.”

  Joseph’s demeanor was rapidly changing and not for the better, his face flushing red. “Lori, you’ve graciously shared more than enough. Leave us alone please, we’ve got business to discuss, privately.”

  “We’d better be quick. You keep downing those Crowns and you’ll not remember anything we’ve agreed on today.”

  “I told you, Candice, I’ll keep my end of the bargain as long as you keep yours. First, I need something from you. A good faith gesture if you will.”

  “What might that be?”

  “You.”

  “Me?” I stammered, “just what exactly do you want, Joseph?”

  “I want you to make love to me. I want to know you’re trying to make us work. The offer to split the money was a kind gesture on your part. But, you couldn’t care less whether you have any or all of it. Thanks to your Family, you’re set for life. What I want is what we had and that begins with having you.”

  “Are you out of your frigging mind? What happened to wooing me, taking it slow, winning my heart back?”

  “That will come, Candice. Right now I can’t get this guy D, out of my head. You were falling for him. I saw the way you looked at him. The way you dressed for him. I bet you’ve been riding his cock for months. If you want to keep him safe, it’s your turn to ride mine. Prove to me you’re over him. Screw me the way you screwed him and mean it.”

  “You’re drunk, Joseph. This is the alcohol talking.”

  “I’m not drunk enough. Watch this.” Pulling his cell phone from his coat pocket, Joseph pressed a memorized number, then hit send.

  After two rings, I overheard a too familiar voice answer and immediately ask, “Boss, you ready for me to take care of the problem?”

  “Hang on, Donny. Candice, what will it be? I need to know now, not tomorrow, not next week, NOW!”

  Blackmail, rape, coercion, any and or all of those words crossed my lips and settled into the pit of my stomach. Suddenly I was nauseated and on the precipice of tossing the remnants of a lunch, long since digested. Strength and bravery were not the attributes I could readily claim. Self-sacrifice, however, is one I had recently learned, compliments of D. In a barely audible whisper, I mumbled, “Yes.”

  “What did you say, Candice? I didn’t hear you. Louder please.”

  “Yes, damn you, yes!”

  “Donny, hold off for now. Things are actually looking up. I’ll be in touch. Good bye.”

  “Are you satisfied, Joseph?” I asked before realizing what a bad choice of words it was.

  “Not at the moment, but I will be shortly, thanks to you,” he replied, as his right hand moved from the table and onto my knee. “I’m not hungry anymore. What say we get outta here and go back to my place before you change your mind?”

  “I don’t really have a say in the matter, do I?”

  “No, tonight you don’t. Tonight, you’re mine.”

  “Then give me the valet ticket please, I’m driving. You take care of the tab and Lori. I’ll be in the car.” Waiting impatiently for the Ferrari to be brought up, I shuffled my feet along the ground, thinking back to the last time I drove with a male in the passenger seat. Bringing a smile to my lips, I fondly recalled the male, aka D, was not in the passenger seat at first, but the back one, directly behind me. That was the day he gave me an anniversary present of sorts, a toy if you will, the infamous BOA. How I long to feel that toy inside me, along with the man behind it, beside me. Jolted from my daydreaming, reality knocked, repeatedly.

  “Unlock my door, Candice,” shouted Joseph, pounding on the passenger door. “Where is your head?”

  Rummaging around in the dark, unfamiliar slut mobile, I finally found the unlock button on the console and pressed it.

  “Thank you,” Joseph huffed, before quickly calming down and smiling. “I’m glad you offered to drive me home. It’s changed quite a bit since you’ve been there. Hopefully, you’ll see it for the better. Candice, I was just thinkin
g, with you driving, I’ve got two free hands to get you wet and ready. Speaking of that, I popped the little blue pill before I left the bar, compliments of Lori. That girl is an amazing resource if I do say so myself.”

  “Joseph, you’re drunk. Let me just take you home and we can have sex some other time.”

  “I told you, Candice, I’m not drunk enough. I heard just have sex, but that’s not what we’re doing tonight. You’re going to make love to me as if your life depended on it. Hell,” Joseph boasted, “I can screw anyone I want. This is not about getting off; it’s about getting inside you. You’ll prove your sincerity by the way you kiss me, touch me, suck me and fuck me. I want you to convince me there can be an us again.”

  Screaming out of the parking lot, I made it less than five miles with his hand in my pants before the nausea returned. Grabbing the steering wheel, white knuckled, I jerked the shiny new Ferrari off the road and into a gravel parking lot where I announced, “excuse me, I think I'm going to be sick.” Just as I opened the door, most of the contents from my stomach tossed violently onto the ground.

  “I honestly hope you didn’t get any of that crap on my car,” barked Joseph. “You could have at least stepped outside, you know? Hold on a second. Let me find something for you to wipe up with.”

  Reaching into the console, Joseph handed me a wadded up napkin, which I used to wipe off my chin before expanding it to wipe off the doorjamb of his precious damn car. Bad move on my part, because just as I unfolded it, a used condom fell out and spilled its remnants onto my pants. Turning back toward Joseph as if to ask, “What the hell?” I saw him snickering while mouthing the word sorry, just as I threw up again — this time in his lap and all over the rest of his precious car.

  “Get out of the car. Now!” screamed Joseph.

  I readily complied, amused that he had managed such a hasty exit, the remnants of my stomach sliding gracefully down his black Armani pants.

  “What is wrong with you, Candice? How could you do this to me … to my car?”

  “I’m sorry, Joseph. I may have a stomach bug, possibly a souvenir from your plane ride home.”

  Sobering up rather quickly, he slung the goo from his pants with his fingers and wiped his hands off on the back of my jacket, “You’re not getting out of tonight that easy. If you're done throwing up, get in the car. I’m driving.”

  Regardless of how the rest of the night presented itself to be, I could at least claim one small, unheralded victory — Candice, 1; Joseph, 0.

  Chapter 10

  Vic and I walked into the Inn at dusk to find Josie putting out paper plates and silverware for a feast. Before us were an enormous Greek salad and a large deep-dish pizza from Nikko’s Pizzeria. “Please excuse me for not cooking tonight, but we’re celebrating. Vic, you and D take a seat while I go round us up a bucket of beer.”

  “Beer and pizza, no better way to celebrate an occasion, any occasion for that matter,” I offered in a toast to Vic and Josie.

  “Not just any pizza, D. Vic, this is the best pizza in all Alberta. Their salads are almost as good as mine. The best part is, I didn’t have to cook. That way we can spend some quality time together without me worrying if you’ve had enough to eat.”

  “Works for us. Thank you, Josie.”

  “D, promise me, you’ll come back when the storms subside in your life. I know you’ve got quite a bit going on right now. I’ve really enjoyed having you around. Oh, and you too, Victoria. He can sure pick his women.” Realizing the hole she was digging, Josie attempted to fast forward the subject. “The Calvary, as you call them, were extremely cordial to me. All of them asked if they could come back next year during the Stampede.”

  Vic, answering for the both of us, my mouth stuffed with salad, “I’m sure we’ll gladly come back whenever we can get our schedules on the same page. Why don’t you just plan on us coming back for the Stampede as well? We’ll take your Inn that entire week, if it’s OK?”

  “That sounds wonderful. I’d like that. You’re welcome any time before then, you know. I’m sure by early spring, I’ll have quite a few letters from the children to make into a book, just as you suggested.”

  “I got it, Josie. We’re family, even after this twenty-year hiatus. I promise it won’t be that long again. You have problems with the construction, just let me know and I’ll be up here within a few days. That is if I’m not off in Europe somewhere chasing down Frank.”

  After cleaning up the leftovers from our feast, Vic and I adjourned to the patio overlooking the beautifully landscaped gardens and fountain. Even at night they were inspiring, complimented by the soft glow of low voltage lighting, strategically placed among the trees, waterfalls and boulders.

  This is relaxing, not a care in the world. “Wouldn’t it be great if we could just stay here, D?”

  “It’s tempting, girlfriend. Candi asked me the very same thing. I’d venture to guess you and I would both be barn butt wide within six months. Josie reminds me of my mom and how she was never satisfied until everyone was bursting at the seams from her home cooking.”

  “D, did I tell you I can’t cook? You wind up staying with me for a while and I promise you, you’ll lose weight. However, what I lack in culinary skills, I make up in other ways.” I giggled.

  “Of course you do, I bet few of which require clothes.”

  Smart boy, this guy. “How did you know?”

  “Call it my sex-th sense. Speaking of my incredible senses, let’s go upstairs and rummage through Candi’s road gear and see if I can outfit you with enough clothes to get you home on the bike.”

  I am not Candi! “Seriously D, you don’t expect me to wear her clothes do you?”

  “You’ll need leathers, boots and silks. Surely, if they fit you can wear them for a few days, can’t you? Candi has excellent, by that I mean expensive tastes. They’re worth trying on, I promise.”

  I relented. “All right D, let’s do it. If they’re expensive, they can’t be all bad.”

  “In every woman lurks a clothes whore longing to get out. I saw your eyes brighten just now when I said excellent and expensive. You, too, have been gifted with the desire for the finer things.”

  “I believe that to be true. I heard that for the very first time when I was sixteen, serving as a page in Congress.” Catching myself, I dared not go further, immediately changing the subject before D could ask me to explain. “Hey, what about my overnight bag? Can I take it on the bike?”

  “You can if it’s the size of a backpack. Otherwise, we’ll need to ship it.”

  Once in the room, I brazenly stripped down, revealing nothing but my bright green thong and matching bra. “What should I try on first, D?”

  Grabbing the backpack, I tossed it on the bed, “Try on the silks,” realizing the befuddled look on her face needed further explanation. “They're black and look like long underwear for women silly.”

  “Found ’em.”

  Watching Vic slip into them comfortably, I realized how close she and Candi were in size. “Try on her chaps and jacket. Now her boots, please.” Seductively, Vic peeled off the silks before holding up the chaps, questioning in her mind just how she was supposed to attach them. “Here, let me help you. Buckle them around your waist and I’ll zip them from the top down.” I couldn’t help but laugh, remembering in vivid detail the first time these chaps were tried on by Candi. Les, from Leather Outfitter’s was way too touchy-feely for her liking.

  “Why are you laughing? Are my legs fat?”

  “Nope, your legs are perfect, so’s your ass,” I replied, complimenting her by playfully slapping her on the rear. “I’ve decided my next side job should be in a leather store. I mean where else can you cop a feel over and over, helping women try on tight fitting attire and get away with it?”

  “What do you mean, I haven’t felt you...” My voice trailed away as he used both hands to lift the chaps as high as they would go into my crotch while purposely running his fingers across my mound. “Yep,
that would do it,” I purred sheepishly. “Higher D, higher. I can’t wait for you to put my other leg on.”

  “See. I told you it’s a tough job, but somebody has to do it. Success,” I announced as I managed to zip down the other leg without lingering too long near her lady parts. “A little long in the length,” I guessed, “but I can take care of that. Put the jacket on for me. That works. Now the boots, I believe they’re a size nine.”

  “I wear an eight.”

  “I got it, Victoria. With two pairs of socks they should fit just fine. It’s not like we’re going on mile long day hikes.”

  “They fit, D, but just barely. Two pairs of socks help. What else is in this bag that I might need?” Digging through the bag I pulled out two matching red thongs, one definitely for a woman, while the other confused me a bit because of the pouch. Twirling it round and round with my forefinger, “judging by it’s little size, I’m assuming this banana hammock belongs to you. These have a story to tell, don’t they, big fella? I’d like to hear it … now.”

  “You want the long version or the short one? There’s not much to tell really. I mean it was a little innocent fantasy I played out in my mind.”

  “So you and Candi played make believe? I can’t see that coming from you. I’m sorry D, but you’re a doer. If you dreamed it, then you damn well did it.”

  Remembering I did it and how I did it, two times as I recall, caused my skin to flush pink. “You’re embarrassing me, Vic. I’m not sure I know where to start.”

  “At the beginning, big boy. That’s usually the best place.”

  Chapter 11

  Tampa Bay

  Pulling up to the gated entrance of our — excuse me, his — eighth floor condo overlooking beautiful Tampa Bay, I couldn’t help but think how much I welcomed the opportunity to bath in the wall-less rain shower I left behind a little over two years ago. “Joseph, when we get inside, the first thing I’m going to do is take a long hot shower, in private. Please open a bottle of Pinot noir.” Waiting not for a reply, I scurried past ‘my furniture’ in the great room and into our bedroom, which by the looks of things was now his playroom. Mirrored panels adorned the ceiling over the bed, while a 72-inch widescreen TV took up almost an entire wall where my armoire used to sit. Surround sound speakers filled every corner, suspended from the ceiling along with a plain giant silver ring that somehow conveyed something more sinister, than simple.