Club Vice Ch. 02

Hands ran over his slicked back hair, normally he styled it loose with a few waves of darkness cresting his brow. Blue tinted irises observed the hasty retreat of the daughter. Thoughts swirled as to why she so snubbed her sire. He was a great man, personable to a fault. He could not fathom the need to insult Vic. Then a flashback struck the forefront of his cranium; a turn of a few years back when he was merely dating Julie instead of her being a kept doll.

They were in the restaurant of a rival Family. Julie was decked out in a blue silk strapless number showing class mingled with sensuality. Victoria had been the best friend along for a good time. Never did she mention her father except in tightly squeezed out terms. The trio had wined and dined for an hour. Carefree times only had during ones youth that seemed like they would last forever. In the later hours as the pair of girls felt the effects of booze, the future capo snuck his way to the back to conduct business. Dirty deeds a curious Victoria should never have seen...

Other memories passed in music video fashion, fleeting and indistinct. He shook his head to clear away the distraction, sending a few tiny droplets of dew in an arc. The Vice family limo sped off into the main throughway as Nunzio brought the sleek grey Mercedes into the now vacant spot.

Damien was rather impatient in motion. The back door was opened and loudly slammed into its housing before Nunzio could exit. "Follow her Nun, but at a safe pecking distance. I want to ask the inheritance queen a few questions. Is it going to be business as usual? Or is she ... clean?" He grinned like a panther sighting prey. White ivories gleamed in the rearview mirror as Nunzio sent them traipsing after Victoria. Nunzio had recognized that dangerous look in Damien's eye. The look always shown right before a new girl was corrupted from cotton into leather. The driving wise guy shook his head as the back up boys raced to get into their cars to follow the capo. Damien flicked his vision over a shoulder to observe the bodyguards.

His rule was always for them to remain at a distance and note every individual before they got close. And well... if they managed to get by the thugs, Damien always had a Heckler and Koch 9mm right over his stomach. He leaned back to prop Yemeni loafers on the seats in front of him. Another Lucky was snaked out of its soft pack and lit. Soon Victoria Vice would have to stop. And he would catch up with her... in all meanings of the word.

Victoria's limo sped up through the winding roads until it reached a busy interstate and finally merged into a steady flow of traffic. She sat well poised in her seat without a single tear botching her perfectly placated mask. How dare he die now. She'd had a childhood full of regret and absence to serve back to him upon a silver platter.

Somehow it just didn't seem right. Her father had left her empty and alone with these feelings and no chance to ever quench them. But hadn't she always been alone? He hadn't been there for her. It was never lost on her as a child. She knew she was basically strewn about to the families of her friends. And for some reason they never ask her how her father was or where he was at the time. It had all been set up. He'd managed her life from afar. And that's how she had always seen him... from afar, like a bad episode of Charlie's Angels and the ominous Charlie.

Her father never physically played a major role in her life and he was all she had. It was quite pitiful. But through it all Victoria had been lucky enough to spend most of her time with her friend Julie and her family. They had always made her feel as if she were a part of their home life.

It was just a crying shame that she knew better and had actually missed her father. No matter how well she'd been taken care of there was always a hole that was never quite filled. She needed her father and had always been denied. It took a toll on a person. And despite the fact that Victoria had never been a rebellious child, it damn sure hadn't made up for the fact that she had turned out to be a somewhat cynical woman that was on a mission to bring her father down.

That's how it had all started. Bringing him down was a satisfying thought. But it wasn't good enough just to see him in ruin, nor would it be easy since he owned every Prestige Hotel in this country and a few abroad.

No, instead Victoria had made sure to plaster her nearly nude body on every billboard in the nation. The scandal was small but it was a start at least. Where she was with her career at this current time, well it was hard to tell. For now too many emotions were still simmering in her mind. Emotions that she refused to think about while still in the public eye. Without a word from her lips, the limo sped through the city and slowed to a stop outside the Prestige Hotel in New York City.

Before she knew it, the limo was enshrouded by a darkness that matched her somber mood. The low beams of the vehicle washed the concrete parking garage wall with a luminosity that grew brighter with their approach. Victoria waited patiently for the driver to park and open her door.

She'd been here many times before. Her usual rooms were located on the top floor, the penthouse suite of the Prestige Hotel. Her father had given her rule over the top floor and Victoria had taken advantage of it to the up most.

Designers came and went until the penthouse was converted into a palace that hovered over the city. Every room from the dining room to the bedroom was detailed to her explicit tastes, including the private pool just a few steps away from her quarters. It was within those rooms that Victoria would seek solace. She'd made sure she would have no visitors. And as if sensing her arrival Andre was waiting at the private entrance in the parking garage. Once the driver had opened her door she swung slim legs from the limo and casually walked toward the private entry.

"I take it everything went well Miss?" Grey orbs slid up to look at him from the corner of her darkly lined eyes. "Yes of course Andre. And please can't we drop the Miss? I haven't been called Miss since I was fourteen. It's time to let it slide." The curve of her hips swayed against black linen as she walked past him into the entrance.

The black marbled floor was shiny enough to show undergarments if a person had half a thought to look hard enough. Andre simply bowed his head, the long dark ponytail that neatly hung down his back inched up barely before returning to its normal place. The man dressed entirely in black and seemed to never stray from the color or lack thereof. Although he was well dressed, he rarely varied from the tight t-shirt and slacks look.

The dainty clacking of steps finally stopped. He knew then that she'd reached the carpeted area before the confidential elevator. Waving the limo driver off, Andre shut the door and locked it. Within a few seconds he trailed behind her like a long shadow catching up with the form it was cast from. Not that Tori noticed. She seemed to be lost in her thoughts at the moment.

As usual Andre didn't say a word. He'd adopted this quiet demeanor around her. It was more of a quiet brooding manner that made it clear to the young woman that he had a job to do and he'd do it no matter what. Her protection was first and foremost. Obsidian eyes that never seemed to miss a beat noted her black attire in the form of linen. As usual she was stunning from head to toe.

She'd never hear a word about it from Andre. Of course he spoke with her on a daily basis. But never on a personal level that would provoke feelings. He knew everything about her. Every entrance and exit she made wasn't executed without his presence or call. Now they stood side by side in the elevator as it made the long trek upward through the inner workings of the hotel.

Victoria coursed her hand up behind her head and unfastened the pin that traveled within the coil of blonde locks. Once she'd grasped the pill box hat, she gave her head a quick shake to expand curling blonde tendrils that drifted over her shoulders and down her back. "It's good to be home." she sighed softly towards Andre. With a dull pinging tone that was barely audible to her ears the elevator announced their arrival upon the top floor.

To Be Continued...