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

success and by the time I’m fifty I’ll be fabulously wealthy and be able to spend the rest of my life in comfortable leisure.”
    “And you ’d have wasted the best years of your life being a drudge,” Taylor shuddered. “No, I think it is better to marry well; what you do after that is irrelevant.”
    Victoria laughed at the whole conversation, ignoring the doubts that tried to sneak into her mind. Otherwise she would be spending the next seventy-two hours talking herself out of any kind of relationship with James and to be completely honest, she really didn’t want to do that. There was something to be said for that zing .
    Walking home with him the previous night had been really lovely, despite the large wet spot on her thighs. He held onto her, trusting her to lead him, and the immense sense of joy that that had given her lasted until well into the morning. Plus, she admired his strength and determination; she figured he was a force to be reckoned with in all walks of life, whether blind or fully-sighted.
    She wondered what it would be like to be looked upon with those ama zing green eyes of his, if he would gaze at her with love. The idea sent a little quiver of delight to her belly. Despite her worries, she was looking forward to the day when he would be able to see her. What would he think of her? Would it matter that she didn’t look like Taylor?
    Maybe Taylor was right; she could use a bit of polish. It’s just that she had more or less shied away from that whole lifestyle all her life. Just seeing the difference between her family and those of her classmates was enough to realize that money didn’t always buy happiness. Sure, it bought luxury – lots and lots of luxury – but not necessarily happiness. Victoria wanted a marriage like her parents shared, one that overcame hardships and still thrived; a marriage of friendship, love and devotion.
    There was no point in begging for trouble; she didn’t know what the future held – if they would even make it past their second date. At least she would be able to get a better idea of who James was by how he interacted with his friends. He was very courteous to the employees at the café, which boded well. Victoria was pretty sure that it wasn’t an act; it’s hard to fake innate kindness.
     
    *****
     
    “I’m bringing someone to the party on Saturday,” James told Tony, his best friend and one of his business partners, as they sat in James’s office Wednesday afternoon. James’s jacket was off and his shirt sleeves were rolled up after some intense negotiations towards the purchase of a new business that was starting to flounder. It was a brilliant plan, just not well-executed and Tony hoped to go in and make it float. James was grateful his friends encouraged him in areas outside of the design department while he was… recovering.
    “Really?” Tony raised an eyebrow, clearly interested in this bit of news. “When did you have time to meet someone?”
    “Yesterday morning,” James couldn’t help but smile at the thought of Victoria. Crossing his hands across his flat stomach, he leaned back in his chair and grinned. “She’s great; I think you and Phil are going to really like her.”
    “Is she like Teresa?” Tony halfheartedly asked.
    James chuckled, “She’s nothing like Teresa; she’s… sweet. Without knowing me, she helped me find the laundromat to drop off my shirts.”
    “What the hell were you doing taking your laundry to the cleaners yourself?” Tony asked, obviously flabbergasted. “I thought you had an assistant for that purpose.”
    “Cate was busy and I had a suit that had to be cleaned,” James explained, not telling him about seeing Victoria months before. That would have sounded kind of creepy and a bit stalker-ish.
    Tony wasn’t buying it, “You have a ton of suits; what was so special about this one?”
    James raised his eyebrows briefly but didn’t answer. Instead, he smiled, “Last night I took her to