CHAPTER 3

Maria tried to remember the last time she felt this nervous. Seated in an car with a guy. A car?

"How come you have a car?" she spoke her thought.

"I've been working hard"

"H-A-R-D, hard?"

"Not that hard" he laughed, the sound settling her nerves "It's not like I'm a workaholic, my Mum gave it to me"

"Oh! For a moment i was wondering what you are doing at Hen's"

"Trying to raise money"

"For?"

"School"

"Uni?"

"Hun-um"

"How old are you?" That slipped out.

"21"

"I never thought you're that old"

"I'm very old" He laughed and his eyes sparkled.

She suddenly had the urge to give him a bare hug. Instead she smiled at him, really smiled. He winked.

..........

Victor took her to a cozy restaurant 20 minutes from her home, she studied the room while he got their food. She noticed a couple kissing a few tables from theirs. Some other were involved in a telepathic communication, just staring into each others eyes.

What a way to communicate.

"Here we are" Victor smiled setting their tray on the table.

"I don't have an appetite this big" she gasped.

"I did not know what to get, so I picked everything" he sat "Though you should finish more than half of this"

With that they resumed eating, he kept stealing glances at her. He'd look at her with this strange look then draw himself out. that pattern continued for a while.

"Told you you'll survive" he pointed to her now half empty plate.

"I'm trying" She said with her mouth full. She looked at his own empty plate "How is this possible?"

"I'm the man" he flexed.

"The man" she repeated quietly.

.........

Sometimes, she thought, you'll meet someone who makes you feel right about yourself. Someone you didn't have to pretend with because they love those embarrassing details about you. Maria didn't know it all but could tell she'd found that person in Victor Dervis.

It was a few minutes past eleven when he pulled into her drive way "Hope your parents wouldn't mind you stayed out late" he asked when she invited him in for tea.

"My parents are dead" she told him.

Surprised, Victor tried to put two and two together. Ana-Blaire couldn't be more than two months old. Did their mother die during childbirth? Maybe their father died of something, could be----maybe be--- different scenario formed in his head, he finally decided that nothing she said could be worse than his imagination."How?"

"An auto-crash " she said distantly.

"I'm sorry" he felt bad that they'd talked about everything but parents.

"Hmm-nm, are you still coming for tea?"

"Is the offer still available" he teased unfastening his seat belt.

"Would expire in 30 seconds"

He raced her to the apartment. Maria opened the door to a silent apartment.

Rufi and Ana-blaire were already asleep.

She flicked switches here and there and got the water started.

"Rufi went to bed already"

"She must be tired from all day's stress"

"Does she overwork herself?"

Seeing her worried look made him guilty about his comment, so he amended "No! Not at all, she works mostly before noon then chats with me 'til closing"

Still not convinced "You sure Victor? If she's working too hard I'll prefer she quits and I work harder to feed the family"

She really does love her sisters to say such a thing, and that got to him "She works fairly Maria, and I'll make sure she doesn't work too much" he promised.

The kettle hummed announcing the boil of the water. After pouring their tea into mugs maria went FBI on him

"so... Tell me 'bout your Parents"

"What about them?"

"Everything"

"You've got the time?"

"Lots of it" she said with gravity.

So he told her everything. E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G.

That night she learned they had a lot in common. He had lost his father a few months back.

"Cancer" he said.

"Was there a way you could have helped him?"

"Liquidated every stock and spent every cash"

"Did it Help?"

"It did" he refiled his cup "Lessened his pain"

"Sorry you had to loose your father that early"

"It really hurts" he said memories flooding back "But I still have my mother" he felt selfish "You lost both, I should be the one comforting you not the other way"

Maria smiled understanding, most people thought she needed comfort, on the contrary helping others helped her heal. Yet as she held his gaze she felt comfort, companionship and...what's this feeling... Love... lust... infatuation? The list went on.

What does love feel like by the way?

Victor knew what he ought to do; Get up and leave, looking into Maria's eyes was addicting but if he stayed he was sure to regret it. Not regret his actions, far from it, he would regret that his action came too early.

"I'd better get going" he said standing up.

"Hunn--oh OK!" she was incoherent.

"Thanks for dinner and tea" He told her with an amused grin.

"Hey, I should be the one thanking you for dinner" she corrected.

"OK!" He laughed remembering the whole Rufi drink shebang. It runs in their gene.

Outside her door they said their goodbyes.

"Thanks for letting me take you to dinner...and tea" he winked

"You're welcome"

Whatever made her think she could get away from Victor with just a shake after spending that much time with him? Don't ask.

He pulled her closer with her outstretched arm. He was going to kiss her...He really was and she couldn't believe her eyes!

Wow!

Then nanoseconds before their lips met, power went out.

"Hmm" she groaned more at the shattered moment than at the now dark street.

The power came back on.

Victor laughed, not at the situation but at himself. "I better get going"

He kissed her knuckle instead.

Hot sensation burnt up her arm from the simple act.

Too tranced-if there is a word like that, but that's the only way to explain. TRANCED.- to form word she stared blankly at him not able to answer.

........

"Could you not wait for me to get back" Maria complained over breakfast.

"So sorry sis, I tried, I didn't even know when I slept off.

"Hmm I see" she grumbled biting into her bread.

"Serious, I tried to stay awake"

"No worries"

Sitting up in her chair she winked "Any gist?"

Here it comes! Her date with victor was not something she was embarrassed about but for one part she still couldn't bring herself to believe. Just remembering made her blush.

Talk about giving a piece of bloody meat to an hungry Lion.

"Oooh! Is there something you want to tell me?" She said in her signature i-know-it-already tone.

"Kill me."

"Not yet"

The look Rufi gave her was fuel for her embarrassment. There was no denying it now, not that she had a chance before, so she'd better spill the beans.

"We almost kissed" she whispered.

"Almost! Are you kidding me?"

Maria looked up from knotting her hands at Rufi's tone "What were you thinking?"

"You kissed, maybe more" she hissed "This better be interesting"

That was her clue. To Explain.

For an abused child Rufi does amazingly great in the relationship department. So far it wasn't about her.

After she took a deep breath she said "When we got back, I invited him in for a cup of tea" unable to keep meeting Rufi's gaze, she suddenly picked interest in her teaspoon "When it was time for him to leave i followed him outside and---- outside I extended my hand to him---- and he drew me closer and---hem---- and, just as he was going to kiss me power went off"

Rufi studied her, really close, then declared her verdict "Oh Maria! You're in love"

"In love?" she was stunned "How can I be in love with a guy I met only last week? I like him but, love?!" She said as if just grasping the meaning.

"hum-um, how would you be?" She mocked "Seriously Maria, if you're not in love then why are you so hot and bothered" she stood up to clear the table "I could boil water on your cheeks girl" she laughed.

Rufi's laughter bruised her ego "I'm not hot and bothered" she almost pleaded.

"Sure you're as cool as cucumber" she snorted.

"Are---"

"Shit!" Rufi gasped cutting short Maria's retort "It's 7:30 we are late!"

"Sweet Jesus!" with that the rush started. They broke a glass in the process.

"No way!" Maria swore "Go pack Ana's bag while I clear this mess."

.................

 It was exactly two weeks today since Rufi started working at Hen's bar, from her point of view it's been good so far, Coupla her sister now had a boyfriend...Victor.

Earlier today Maria had asked her what to tell Victor because he thinks her Mum was also Ana-Blaire's implying she only died recently since Ana-blaire was just three months old.

  "Tell him the truth"  She had told her.

  Sitting at her usual spot -people spotting point -as she called it, she watched the love birds and smiled.

Standing to go into the store she sighed "I'd better find a boyfriend"

Not even in her dreams she laughed. Now inside the storeroom she bent to carry a crate of egg, while at it she heard someone come in "You can make a person go boyfriend hunting you know". She said assuming it as Víctor.

"Really? No one's ever told me that" she heard someone say in a seductive tone. 

Recognizing the voice, she instinctively straightened.

"Sir, I didn't know it was you" she said quickly carrying the crate.

Since she'd started working here, she had not seen much of Henry, and from the look of things he wasn't  planing an employer-employee talk.

 As if to prove her right he stopped her from going out. "Come on" he laughed "Surely you are not leaving me here" he said coming closer to her; too close for comfort.

She doesn't like the closeness one bit, the last time a guy was this close to her was when  she was raped and right now she was going déjà vu.

" I_ I_ I " she stuttered feeling beads of sweat forming on her head "Excuse m-me please" she tried passing again but failed.

"Hey"! He said faking surprise "I'm not trying to eat you?" He stroked her cheek intimately.

"Stop" she whimpered.

"Stop what?" He took over her personal space. His hand went under her blouse stopping just under her bra.

Her breathing became shallow as fear took over. "Please"

She flinched, a wrong move as it made her trip over a bag of rice dropping the crate.

Eyes blazing he yanked her up "Look what you've done!" He barked.

He then smiled wickedly "You'll have to pay for this somehow you know" With that he pinned her to the wall.

One look at his face told her he was going to rape her.

NO!!

She would not allow it! Not the second time.

Her brain was in overdrive.

What can I do, what!

Knee jerk him! The small voice in her head said.

She brought her knee up to his groin sharply. He wasn't expecting it.

Relieve washed over her as he bent over in pain letting her go, it was short lived though because as she raced for the door his strong arm caught her.

"Help!" She screamed, praying someone heard her over the music "Somebody help me!"

"Where do you think you are going?" He spat.

"Please" she sobbed. She closed her eyes.

Fine! This is it. This is what my life is all about. There is  definitely something wrong with me.

"Henry!" The voice of her savior boomed. He let her go so sudden she fell.

She opened her eyes to see Victor who had a different fire in his eyes. Anger.

Henry looked from her to Victor then stormed out.

.........

"What kind of a man are you?!" Victor yelled.

Silence.

"Can't you control your sexual urge?!"

Henry still kept quiet and that enraged him the more.

"Have you lost it so much you'll rape a little girl! One who could pass for your daughter?"

Henry rose violently "Will you shut your mouth!" He ordered.

"If I don't?" victor countered "What would you do, fire me?!"

"You do realise I'm your boss" Henry snarled.

"To hell with you Henry!" He was boiling with anger. "What kind of a boss tries to rape his employee, tell me!"

Victor rounded the table so he was leaning over Henry "Henry McKenna, listen good, you can go around with tramps as much as you want, but the next time I catch you abusing an innocent child you will not Like the things I'll do to you" he allowed his tone convey the rest of his message. "For your own good, stay away from Rufi"

Henry stared in shock at Victor's outburst, he had never seen him so enraged.

What was so special about this girl.

As Victor stormed out of his office it dawned on him that he had just lost two of his employees.