Blind Attraction by A.C. Warneke Read Free Book Online Page A

parents were still happily married nearly thirty years later.
    “Then you’re just gonna have to kill him when he strays,” Taylor said in such a straight voice Victoria wasn’t entirely sure she wasn’t joking. “You could hire a hit man; I think they advertise in one of those mercenary magazines.”
    “Whoa, wait a minute, when did we start plotting his murder?” Victoria asked with an amused grin. “I’ve had one date with him.”
    The corners of Taylor’s mouth kicked upwards, “And if you play your cards right, you could be walking down the aisle before he gets his sight back.”
    Victoria would be the first to admit that Taylor’s casual remark hurt. A lot. But she kept her smile in place and shrugged a shoulder, “Whatever.”
    “I didn’t mean it like that,” Taylor rejoined. “You know you’re gorgeous; it would just be easier if the ring was on your finger before he could be swayed by your looks.”
    “You’re digging a deeper hole, Tay,” Victoria grimly smiled, her confidence in this budding relationship wavering a bit. If only Taylor weren’t echoing her own thoughts!
    “Vi, you have to admit that you lack a certain… polish,” Taylor tried again. “I mean, it’s nothing that money can’t fix; spend some time with the right people and they will be able to put you together perfectly; you’ll fit right into his world. That is, if he can truly afford to whisk you off to Milan for a weekend.”
    “I think that I would be better off if he was just wearing a nice suit and then I wouldn’t have to worry about fitting into his world or losing him to a trophy wife when I’m thirty.”
    “If you’re lucky,” Taylor scoffed. Taylor was a bit jaded since her father left her mother before she was born because of the not-so-secret secret scandal of Taylor’s mother’s affair with George Danner. Because Phoebe married George before Taylor was born, Taylor ended up with Danner for a last name, which was sometimes confusing because her older sister Vivienne remained a Moore. Taylor never got over it. Definitely not the right role models.
    Victoria grew up with Taylor and the like and she still didn’t understand the workings within elite social circles. At times, it became almost incestuous – everyone sleeping with everyone else’s spouses, girlfriends, boyfriends. One almost needed a scorecard to keep track of all of the affairs. Maybe that was why she held on so tightly to her own virginity; in a world where she didn’t have much wealth, she had that. It wasn’t much, and once it was gone she wouldn’t be able to get it back, but it was something and it gave her a small sense of pride.
    “Oh!” Taylor interrupted herself. “I forgot to tell you; Chandler is taking me out this weekend. We’re going to Park City for a few days of skiing.”
    “You don’t ski,” Victoria frowned, wondering if perhaps Taylor had forgotten.
    “Of course I don’t ski,” Taylor said, affronted that Victoria should think otherwise. “It’s just that we’re going so I won’t be around to help out.”
    Victoria had to smile; again, Taylor lived in Taylor-land, a place Victoria enjoyed visiting. “If it’s any consolation, Marnie will be here; you know, just in case.”
    “Whew, that’s good,” she sighed in relief. After a moment of silence, she shook her head, “I’ve gotta tell you, Vi, I don’t know what to make of this guy. How do you know he isn’t looking for an easy lay?”
    “I like him,” Victoria grinned enthusiastically, giving away far more than she realized. “And if he was looking for an ‘easy lay’ he is definitely looking in the wrong place. Besides, he makes me forget my name with a kiss.”
    “I’ll give you the kiss,” Taylor consented. “But what if he is a poor philosopher; you don’t want to be broke for the rest of your life, do you?”
    “That’s why I opened my own store,” Victoria reminded her with a brilliant grin. “Hopefully it will be a huge