Fire In His Eyes (25 page)

I looked down at my freshly painted manicured fingernails, French
-tipped.  I had the nail tech add a little sparkle to the pinkies, but other than that, nothing fancy. “Oh, brother,” Victor laughed, “am I in trouble or what?” he joked, but clarified when he saw my confusion, “She’s been begging her mom and I to let her get a real manicure and not a fake one.”

“They grow up fast,”
I offered looking around and realizing for the first time we were standing by ourselves and that Joe and Kat were now sitting with another group of people.

“Yeah, they sure do,” he grumbled.  His hands rubbed his temples. “It’s scary.  It scares me that I won
’t be there every night.”

My heart l
urched.  It sounded as though he was resigned to it being over with his wife.  I squashed that feeling and put it away to ponder later.  “You are,” I whispered and then more firmly.  “Maybe not physically, but you see her every week at least, and every other weekend for three days, and when you do, I am sure it’s quality time.  The time you spend apart, the lessons you teach, and the morals are with her always.  Those just don’t go away,” I explained.

“You’re right, you’re right,”
he muttered and shook his head.   “You were great with her, by the way.  You really can talk to kids,” he added mildly surprised.

“I, um, am
a teacher, Victor!  Kids are my life.” I teased. “I’m the kid whisperer.”

“Well, then I m
ay have to come to you for advice if you’re such an expert,” he laughed at my joke.

“
Sure. Anytime.”  I laughed in return.

“Come on let’s go circulate,
” he offered me his hand, and I took it. He gave my hand a little squeeze and I trailed behind him.  He introduced me to a few new people and I got reacquainted with those I knew; Michael, Tina and Maria.

At one point
, Victor wandered off to spend a little time with his daughter and I found myself back talking with Kat.

After a few minutes of conversation, she came out with it. “Yeah, so . . .,” she paused.  “You s
till love him, don’t you?”

I couldn’t lie. 
I sighed. “Yes, but I am not a husband stealer.  I just couldn’t do that to anyone.  But, I do care for Victor, and I think we both just needed to know that the other was all right before we could move on,”  I explained hoping she would understand.

“I don’t think you’re a husband stealer, Mon.  Please don’t take it that way.  I’m glad you are
here for him.  His wife, er, Julianna, she bailed on the marriage four years ago.”

My eyebrow arched up at her words.  “Yeah, at first it was the sex.  He
hasn’t had sex with her in three years.  He only started . . . ,” she paused searching for the right words, “seeing girls a year or so ago after she kicked him out.  There were a lot, mind you, but he never saw any of them more than once or twice. And at first, it was only out of anger.  But since you, there has been no one, not even since you . . . well you know what I mean,” she finished lamely.

I was shocked by this revelation.
She was telling me Victor had been in a marriage for three years without any sex at all, a man like him, and that he had just meaningless flings before me, then it was just me.  I didn’t know what to say. I just stood there, jaw dropped, staring.

She continued, “But I can understand why you want to be cautious. 
She was a winner.  She played head games, making him think he was a freak, when it was more about the money.  Her folks are loaded.  She never got used to Army life.  Would not even consider living in base housing even after Stacey came along.  She would stay with her parents when he was away, or in training.  Julianna made him get an apartment and never wanted to hang out with his Army buddies.  We weren’t her people.  She never even tried to get to know us.  She kept to her own circles.”  It was clear Kat was not a fan of Julianna’s.

I was taking this all in.  It confused me, and I couldn’t seem to make
sense of all the information.  It did, however, make me understand why Victor had lied for so long, and it did make me understand why he was such a mess.  But, what I didn’t get was why he was fighting to keep a woman that didn’t love him.  Why he didn’t understand it was more important for his daughter to see both her parents happy, than to be miserable together?

“Thanks for sharing this with me
, Kat.  It helps me to understand a little better why Victor has done what he did.  He hasn’t shared anything like this with me,” I reached out to squeeze her hand.

“He would never bad mouth the mother of his
child.  That is just not him,” she offered with a smile.  “But I wanted you to know.” Joe was calling her over, so we both strolled over to the other side of the lanai where Joe was talking to Michael and another guy I had not met yet.

“Hi, Monica. 
It’s nice to see you again.  This is my friend, Rick,” Michael stated.  “Rick, this is Monica,” Michael added finishing the introductions.

“Hi
, Michael.  It’s nice to see you again, too.  And, it’s nice to meet you, Rick,” I smiled.

“It’s always
nice to meet a stunning woman,” Rick smiled wickedly proffering his hand.  He was tall, taller than Victor, leaner too, but well defined.  He was quite a bit younger, with brown, close cropped military hair, and hazel eyes.  Good looking, rugged. I shook his hand intending to make it quick but he would not let go.  “Come on and dance with me and we can get to know each other,” he stated as he pulled me to an area where some couples were dancing.  I had no choice in the matter, really, he was practically dragging me.  But I was happy to see Michael following us and Tina not far behind.

When we started dancing it was an up tempo song, and Michael and Tina kept circling around us making it more like a group dance so
that I felt more comfortable.  After two songs, Victor interrupted us to tell us the kids were all going to Joe’s for a sleep over, and wanted to say goodnight.  I saw that he looked upset and was eyeing Michael like crazy.  We stopped dancing, said good night to the girls, and Stacey hugged me. I was a little surprised at how affectionate she was.  “You’re so pretty. Good night, Monica.  I hope I get to see you again.”

“I hope to see you
, too, Stacey, goodnight.”  I leaned down to hug her back.  “And, I think you’re pretty, too.”  I straightened and Victor wouldn’t look at me.  He was deliberately looking the other way.

“I’ll be back in a bit,” he said to Michael.  “Joe’s daughter is going to put in a movie for the kids.  I just want to see Stacey settled.”
And with that, he marched off with Stacey.

“Catch you in a bit
, buddy,” Michael called out to his back.  “We’re good here.”

“Right,” he
called over his shoulder.

I was a bit concerned with his sudden change in mood and a bit distracted when Rick pulled me over to a chair.  “Hey, let me get you a drink, Monica, and we can get to know each other. What will it be?” he asked, referring to the drink.

“Umm, a
Michelob Ultra would be nice.  If they don’t have it, anything light will do,”  I murmured absently as I was distracted in trying to puzzle out Victor’s mood change.

“A beer drin
king woman. My kind of girl,” he stated as he walked off.  That snapped me back to reality.  Uh-oh, Vic didn’t think?  Well, I would straighten that out right away when he returned, I thought, suddenly nervous.

Michael and Tina sat with me, asked me a few questions
about work, I answered, but was edgy as heck.  I would be until Victor returned and I had a chance to explain, and to let him know I hadn’t been flirting or anything.  But before Victor came back, Rick had returned and handed me my beer.  I would deal with him first, I thought as he sat beside me in one of the pool chairs.

I turned to Rick, and gave him a polite shake of my head.
“Hey, thanks Rick.  I just want to be upfront with you, okay, so there are no misunderstandings.  I’m thirty-one, you look like you’re twenty.  I am not from here, and don’t come to Tampa often.  I don’t do one night stands, and I’m just not interested in dating right now, ok?”

“Ouch!  I’m wounded, I’m twenty-four
and I dig older chicks. They can teach me a thing or two,” he teased, not giving up so easily.

He was a funny guy, not a bad sort, but he was persistent.  So
Michael chimed in, “Give it up, man, you’re not going to get anywhere with Monica,” and there was a cautionary note in his voice, but Rick still wasn’t hearing it.  He was twenty-four, and a little buzzed.

“I don’t see a ring on her f
inger,” he joked, and kept trying to give me flirty glances.

“Please, Rick.  You’re a nice guy and all, but
too young for me, and frankly, I’m just not that into you,” I teased back using that famous line from the movie.  Often humor helped to diffuse a potential situation, before it arose, so I tried that tack instead.

“A
w, surely you jest.” He pouted.  “I can’t do anything to change your mind, another dance maybe?  I can show you my moves.”  When I nodded in the negative, he just shook his head, but clasped my hand and gallantly stated, “Well, my dear, at least that was the nicest put down I ever had.”  With my hand in his, he kissed the top. 

I heard
Victor’s roar of anger before I saw him, and when I turned my head he was charging across the lanai towards Rick with fury in his eyes.  Michael and Tina sprang out of their chairs and jumped in defense of Rick, placing themselves in front of him.  I got out of my chair and tried to step in front of them, but Kat was there all of a sudden, and just yanked me out of the way.

“What the hell,” I heard Rick say, as Victor pounded directly into Michael
’s chest trying to reach over and grab Rick. Michael went back two or three feet, but held firm barely remaining standing.

“She’s mine
, you fucker!  Don’t you lay your god dammed hands on her.  I’ll fucking destroy you!  Don’t touch her!”  While he was screaming this, he was also reaching over and trying to get out of Michael’s grasp.

Michael was yelling, “
He did nothing, man, and Monica told him she was unavailable. Cool it, man.”

Tina had pulled Rick several feet back, and it seemed she was trying to explain things to him.

“Why’d he kiss her, then?  Why goddammit?” he was struggling, still trying to swing out at Rick, but he wasn’t fighting as much as earlier and Michael was able to half turn him to get Rick out of his line of vision to deflate his rage.  He was panting with fury, anger and confusion and then there were tears of frustration in his eyes.  Michael kept talking, whispering, and Victor’s struggles began to cease, and eventually the fight went out of him. He was in Michael’s arms shaking still, cursing, “It’s just not fucking fair, it’s just not fair,” and then he saw me and ran out of the courtyard.

I pulled out of Kat’s grasp, “Let me
go to him,” I begged.

“I thin
k he needs to cool his heels,” she said still grasping me by my upper arm.

“
Kat, what if he drives in this state?  Let me go,” I tugged my arm again. She released me, and I ran.  He was in the parking lot, pacing in front of his car back and forth when I found him. Thank goodness he hadn’t gotten into the car, and something had happened.  I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself. When he saw me, he just stood there shaking his head; I just held out my arms, and kept approaching him. He shook his head one more time to clear it, and turned to me and stepped the last few feet into my arms.

“I’m
sorry, Monica.  I’m so sorry. Forgive me.  Please.  I had no right. That is not me.  I saw red, when he was kissing your hand and just assumed the worse.”  He panted into my shoulder letting his anger out.

“Shh, shh,”
I soothed.  “It’s okay.  I understand.  No apology necessary.  I see how it could have been misconstrued.”

“It’s not fair, though,” he said into my hair.  “
I can’t have you, and yet I can’t imagine you with anyone else,” I could feel him breathing in my ear. I felt a jolt of sensation as his lips softly brushed my head above my ear.  I heard his intake of breath.  I felt his lips on my ear, a gentle bite on my lobe.

“I can’t imagine being with anyone else
, either,” I whispered back.  Those words unleashed a storm. His hands began to roam, mine did, too.  The kisses made their way to my cheek, my neck, and I was kissing him, too, through his shirt on his shoulder, his chin, and then our lips found each other, and it was like coming home.  It was frantic and desperate.  He pushed me against the side of his car, and his hands continued their roaming exploration of my body, it was rushed, we both felt that way.  One hand slid under my shirt, and cupped my breast, squeezing, possessing, and I heard him groan; he pushed his cock into my stomach so I could feel it, all of it, feel what I did to him. I jumped up and wrapped my legs around him, so I could feel that cock where I wanted it most.  He pushed me harder back against the window giving me what I wanted and we didn’t need words to say it. I explored his back, his arms, gripping them, and then my hands were on his head pulling him closer to me as our tongues plunged, and sought each other’s out.  Car lights whizzing by, eventually brought Victor out of his delirium, but just enough to have him open the back door of his car and slide inside pulling me with him.  Once in the car and settled on his lap, the kisses became less about passion, but more about comforting each other.  It was about showing each other how much we loved and cared about one another. It was saying all the words we just couldn’t seem to voice.  It was the only way we knew how to communicate.  In each other’s arms.