Destiny and a Bottle of Merlot (11 page)

“Oh… okay! I’ll try to give everyone the condensed version.” Sasha took a sip of wine for confidence. “Monday, I went to White Plains. I had several legal matters to take care of.”

She had everyone’s attention now.

“I have a new name… just for self-preservation’s sake. It’s silly really, but I like it. Mia knows what I’m going to say.”

Eight heads turned toward Mia.

“What? Stop looking at me you guys.”

Sasha laughed and continued. “Anyway… my new legal name is Martha Destiny. I’m also going to quitclaim the Victorian to my new name as a precaution. It’s only because of Jack that I went to the extremes I have, with my looks and the name change. I feel safer though, especially now. This sounds impossible, but when I was at the courthouse, I actually saw Jack there. I had to walk right past him to get to my courtroom. I was shaking so hard, but I did it, on my own.” Sasha began to cry.

Mia and Karen jumped up to comfort her. They felt somehow responsible for this mess.

“It’s okay… anyway, the good news is, he didn’t even recognize me. Isn’t that wonderful? I’m free.” Sasha tried to smile as she wiped the tears streaming down her face.

“You did this all alone without telling anyone?” Karen was astonished by Sasha’s tenacity.

“I had to, so I could prove to myself that I’m a strong woman. While I was there, I also got a business license and named the Victorian. She’s now officially and legally named Martha’s Vineyard. I’m going to turn the extra lot into a tiny vineyard, filled with wonderful grape vines so we can have a few bottles of wine every year.”

They all agreed the name was wonderful, and they toasted to that as well.

“Here’s my long term goal. Once the remodeling is complete, next summer, I’m thinking of opening her up as an inn. Sort of a B&B, I guess, only renting out two of the spare rooms now and then. I mean, this house is enormous and I want everyone to fall in love with her like I did. But here’s what I think would really be a fabulous idea. I want to host weddings here, in this big, beautiful home. I picture lovely gardens, and trellises filled with grape vines. There will be beautiful spots for wedding pictures, and now that the news is out, I want to christen her with Mia and Aaron’s wedding being the first one. That is, if you guys agree?”

“Of course we do, honey,” Mia said, wiping her own eyes. “Hasn’t this been the best party ever?”

The chimes on Sasha’s grandfather clock rang out twelve times as the party dispersed. The house was spotless, as if a party never happened. The only evidence that remained was the volume of leftovers in the refrigerator. Everyone pitched in with the cleanup and they enjoyed a glass of wine together before saying good night.

“Wow, you people really know how to throw a party.” Josh complimented Sasha on the successful evening. “Are they always that nice?”

“The parties or the people?” Sasha asked, as she put the leash on sleepy little Kismet. One more trip outside and Kismet would be good for the night.

“I’ll go with you. I guess I meant both. You have great friends, Sasha. They’re very loyal to you.”

They stepped outside, leading Kismet to a grassy area. “I’m really blessed, Josh. The parties are always nice and my friends? I can’t even imagine my life without them.”

They walked together in the chill of the night, their breath visible in the crisp November air. Sasha shook from the cold and Josh wrapped his arm around her to offer warmth. The full moon created moon shadows of themselves on the sidewalk. Kismet finished, and they hurried inside. Josh added another log to the fire as Sasha put Kismet to bed.

“Would you like another glass of wine before you leave?”

“That sounds nice, thanks.” Side by side, they sat at the dining room table, mesmerized by the flickering fire and the sound of an occasional pop, followed by a sizzle. They shared an empty chair with their legs, putting their feet up and relaxing. The warmth near their feet felt good. “I admire you, Sasha. You’ve been through a lot lately. If there’s anything I can do to help, just let me know.”

“Josh, you’ve done so much for me already. There’s just one thing you haven’t done, but I wish you would.”

“Really? Whatever it is, I’ll do it if I can.”

“Kiss me.”

A surprised smile crossed his face. “Can we stand? I want to do this properly.”

He offered his hand to Sasha, and she reached out and took it. They stood in front of the fireplace, with the crackling flames warming their bodies, and kissed. Real kisses, slow at first, but the passion increased with every flick of their tongues. The fire between them became as intense as the one next to them. The lust they shared and growing love, couldn’t be denied. Josh ran his fingers through Sasha’s short, blonde hair and pulled her even closer. Their mouths searched frantically, hungry for the next kiss. Josh sat on the chair with Sasha on his lap. She leaned in and kissed him, drinking in his taste and scent. She was in deep, and wanted Josh Redmond. He wanted her just as much. Josh did everything he could think of to show Sasha he’d changed, and was now worthy of her attention. He was a different man, just like she was a different woman.

He lifted Sasha and carried her to the couch, setting her down gently. Josh took off his shirt, exposing his hard body and muscular abs. He kissed her neck and full lips, but wanted more.

“Sasha?”

“I want you, Josh, I really do.” She stood and unzipped her dress, letting it slide down her body to the floor.

He lowered her panties and unhooked her bra. She was naked and vulnerable. Josh stared at her beauty, longing for her. His belt hit the floor along with his jeans, releasing his waiting manhood. He caressed Sasha’s thighs and breasts as he lay her on the couch and made love to her.

Vic’s house was full of chatter. The beer bottles clinked together as Mario carried three of them to the living room and handed them out.

“Thanks, bro,” Vic said. “So what do you guys make of the Sasha-Josh thing? Are they destined to become a couple or what?” She chuckled at the thought of Sasha really being interested in Josh in a romantic way.

“Who knows? I’m new to this crowd. You guys paint him as a womanizing jerk, but he’s pretty nice to Sasha. It seems like he cares about her, and he’s been giving her a hand with the remodeling. Let’s see how it plays out,” Max said.

“You’re right, honey. I just don’t want to see her get hurt, that’s all. She’s so happy now.” Vic finished her beer and took the empty bottle into the kitchen.

Max followed her and nuzzled the back of her neck as she stood at the sink. “You tired?”

“I’m never too tired for you, babe,” she replied.

Max led her down the hallway by the hand as Vic called out to Mario. “Night, bro, see you in the morning.”

“Yep, wake me up when breakfast is ready.”

Vic yelled back, “Yeah, yeah, dork.”

They lay in bed together, the ceiling light dimmer turned down low. Max was almost completely healed, his scars just thin white lines and barely noticeable. The slight limp remained, but his leg strength was back to normal. He leaned over Vic, resting on his elbows as he kissed her eyelids and nose. She smiled.

“I love you, Vic,” he whispered. He nibbled her earlobe, then moved down her neck to her breasts. He flicked her nipples with his tongue, sending small shockwaves throughout her body. Vic moaned with pleasure. He continued lower, stopping briefly to kiss her navel. Vic arched her back with ecstasy when Max found that perfect spot between her legs. He lingered, licking and kissing her inner thighs, knowing how much she loved it. “Let me pleasure you to perfection, Vic.” Max’s tongue sent Vic over the top as she climaxed over and over again.

Vic straddled Max and lowered herself on his throbbing shaft. He pulled her down and squeezed her butt, as she rode him to his own orgasm. Muffling their excitement was difficult, but necessary with Mario just down the hall. Vic giggled as she dropped her head on Max’s chest. “This does work better when we’re alone.”

“Ya think?” he said, with a grin.

Vic played with the sexy hairs just below Max’s navel as she lay next to him. “I love you, Max Cole.” She kissed his cheek and rested her head on his chest. They fell asleep together, their bodies intertwined.

Mia walked from room to room trying to decide what she wanted to keep and what she didn’t. Aaron’s house was already fully furnished with beautiful antiques. Other than a few precious items that were in her family and passed down to her, there wasn’t a lot she cared about. Luckily, Jack didn’t bring much to their marriage that she needed to dispose of. Most of his belongings were long gone or thrown out already. There was the basement to deal with too. She hoped there wasn’t much down there other than the Christmas decorations. The basement was the one area that gave Mia the creeps.
Aaron can check it out
, she thought. Emptying out one room and using that area for things she wanted to keep seemed reasonable. The rest would be fair game at the estate sale she planned to have. Mia wondered if Karen spoke to a Realtor yet. It was time to give her a call.

“Hey, woman, what’s up? How about lunch? My treat. We can talk more about the house situation too.”

“That sounds great. Morey’s at noon?”

“You got it, sister, see you then.”

Mia started the process of clearing the smallest bedroom, and then systematically using that space for the things she would take to Aaron’s house. Just going through closets and drawers proved to be more time consuming than she thought. She had to check everything. Old photos and letters needed to be looked at and reread. Mia laughed out loud at some of the crazy things she came across.
This is going to take forever. Some of this stuff just needs to be thrown in totes for now.

Mia called Sasha. She had time to spare, it was only ten-thirty. “Hey, girl, are you free? I need a favor.” Mia gulped down the half cup of cold coffee she rediscovered on the bedroom windowsill.

“Sure, what’s going on?”

“I need you and your truck. I have to buy some totes. It’s time to start clearing out things, but it’s the small stuff that takes forever. I think throwing junk in totes and going through it at another time will help the process move along faster.”

“I hear you. I’ll be there in twenty minutes. Out.” Sasha threw on a pair of carpenter jeans and a pink sweatshirt. She checked her reflection in the mirror and laughed out loud from pure joy.
Who am I, and what happened to the narcissistic model I used to be?
She jumped in the truck and took off toward Mia’s house, making sure to put on her sunglasses.

Sasha pulled into Mia’s driveway and honked the horn. Two short beeps followed by a long one.

Mia grabbed the truck door and stepped up on the running board. “Hey, sister. It still kills me every time I see you behind the wheel of this monster truck.” Mia laughed as she climbed in and closed the door. “Do you want to have lunch with Karen and me? We’re meeting at Morey’s at noon.”

“Sure, why not?” Sasha back down the driveway and headed north toward Home Depot.

It was just after noon when they scored a booth at the far back corner of Morey’s. They got lucky. The lunch crowd usually had every table and booth taken. Most days between noon and one, you might find a single barstool empty, and nothing more.

“Sasha, I didn’t know you were joining us,” Karen said, as they sat down.

The menus were already on the table, but the chalkboard showed the daily lunch specials. Lena came by and took their drink orders as they paged through the menus.

“Yep, last minute idea. Mia and I went to Home Depot to get a bunch of totes for the things she doesn’t have time to go through right now.”

“Smart idea. So spill.” Karen looked at Sasha with a smile on her face.

Mia joined in with a devious grin.

Three beers were delivered to the table, already cracked open with glasses at their sides. Mia poured hers into the glass.

“Spill what?”

“Don’t be coy, we aren’t falling for it,” Karen said, her eyes twinkling.

“Fine… what do you want to know, Nosey Rosie?”

“Did Josh stay overnight after the party? And if he did, where did he sleep?” Mia had a slight glint of drool showing from the side of her mouth.

Sasha handed her a napkin. “Wipe your mouth before that drool hits the table.”

Their eyes were locked on Sasha. They weren’t going to let her wiggle out of this one.

“Okay… he stayed over, and we kissed.”

“And?”

“And we did it too. There… are you both happy? You’re like friggin dogs with a bone, I swear.”

Mia did a fist pump. Karen pouted and reached in her purse, pulling out a five dollar bill. She reluctantly handed it to Mia’s greedy fingers. Mia snatched it out of her hand with a huge laugh and an “I told you so” smirk on her face.

“What the hell was that?” Sasha asked, already knowing the answer, and appalled at the thought of her friends betting on her.

“You know damn well what that was,” Mia said, as she bit into a ketchup coated French fry. “At least tell us if he’s any good.”

“I’m not telling you shit. You two are nothing but sex trolls.”

The three burst out laughing and clinked their beer bottles together. “You know it, babe,” Mia said.

Back at Mia’s house, they carried the four totes inside and set them in the empty room. Karen closely checked the house and the way it was laid out. She really liked Mia’s backyard, being perfect for entertaining. Buying the house of a close friend had its benefits. Mia and Aaron could both help Karen out with anything that might come up. The size was just right at 2,300 square feet, plus a two car garage. The nicest benefit was the fact that Karen would be near her best friends, and the taxes and insurance were much lower in Tarrytown than Greenwich.

“You know, Mia, the more I’m here, the more I like this place. It’s cozy and inviting. There isn’t much I’d have to change.”

“Have you talked to a Realtor yet about your house?” Sasha asked.

“Yeah and they’ve already done a walk through and given me comps to look over. He’s thinking about $670,000 as a starting point. That sounds reasonable to me.”