FIVE YEARS LATER
Tori had been planning the multimedia exhibition for months. This was her night. Five years, she’d climbed the corporate ladder and worked her ass off to get to this point in her career that they would entrust her with such an event.
She glanced at herself in the mirror as she freshened her deep red lipstick and puckered her lips. Her black cocktail dress clung to her curves in all the right spots, and the long silk sleeves with the slits gave it the right amount of elegance mixed with sensuality. She wore her hair back in a low French twist with a few strands of her waves cascading down her face.
She came out of the restroom and scanned the room. She loved the club-like atmosphere with the lights low and the music blaring in the background. It gave a whole new feel to the museum. Her eyes stopped on the devilishly handsome, silver-haired man in the three-piece suit.
Holy shit. It’s a congressman.
She couldn’t believe her eyes. Congressman Donaghue was standing at the bar, ordering a drink. These events tended to draw the younger, less conservative crowd, so to see a congressman there was a bit of a welcomed shock.
“Vic!” Keith tugged at her arm as she walked past him. “Hello? Still remember me?” He waved in her face.
Tori threw her arms around him. “I know. I’m so sorry.” She pulled back and rubbed his shoulders.
“I’ve barely seen you these past few weeks! I get that you’re into work—fantastic job, by the way,” he waved his hand to the room. “Thanks for ditching me this weekend. You missed all that beautiful foliage.”
Tori and Keith took a road trip to Connecticut every year to watch the leaves change, and Keith would snap photographs. This was the first year she bailed on him.
“Sorry, been busy.” Tori darted her gaze over Keith’s shoulder, watching the congressman as he disappeared around a corner. “I always have next year, Keith. It’s not like the leaves won’t come around again.” Tori squeezed his arm and kissed him on the cheek. “I gotta run. Drinks Saturday?”
Keith pursed his lips. “Fine. Go hunt down your prey.” He waived her off.
She walked around for a bit, mingling, keeping her eye out for where Nathaniel disappeared to.
Finally, she spotted him eyeing a piece of sculpture—geometric abstract made of copper on crystalline base—when she walked over and made her move.
“Lovely, isn’t it?” Tori raised her voice over the music. He turned and looked at her with a cocky half grin. His pearly white, plastic smile matched every campaign photo plastered through town.
His eyes raked her up and down. “Why yes, it is lovely.” The eye eye-fucking he was giving her told her he was no longer referring to the sculpture. “Nathaniel Donaghue, Congressman.” He extended a hand.
“Victoria Johnson, one of the masterminds behind this event.” She gave a half bow. “Pleasure to meet you.” She shook his hand and flashed her sultry smile as a waiter came by and offered them champagne. Nathaniel took two glasses and offered her one of them.
“The pleasure is mine.” He grinned, and her knees went a little week. “You’ve done a phenomenal job organizing this event.”
“Thank you. We don’t normally get your kind in here.” God, he was handsome; she truly was hoping to grab herself a congressman tonight. His wavy, silver hair was longer than most men in Congress would wear it but well maintained. His piercing blue eyes could stop traffic, and she adored the hint of salt and pepper scruff on his square jaw. The tailored suit he wore fit his six-foot frame well. If you were to look up silver fox in the dictionary, you’d see his picture smack dab underneath it.
“I hope that’s in reference to my position in congress and not my age.” He gave a charming chuckle as he stared into his drink.
Tori cocked her head to the side and batted her lashes. “Well, of course. Age is just a number. It’s arbitrary.”
They walked along and chatted for a bit, talking about the art, and her flattering him with what little she knew of his politics as the live band played in the background. Tori learned he was recently separated from his wife and single, which meant fair game.
Reel him in, girl. You’ve got this.
She excused herself to mingle with others. Tori worked the room and continued to charm the pants off all the DC elite.
“…and the board of directors will want to meet on Monday to discuss all the financial details to make sure these events are worthwhile…” the vice president of the board droned on. “I expected to have had the budget on this prior to all the spending…” Tori had been cornered in a conversation with him for what felt like an eternity. He reeked of cheap scotch and bad cologne, and his suit was a size too small for his stumpy frame. She nodded and pretended to be intrigued with whatever it was he was carrying on about.
He’s too old to even appreciate the combination of the music with the art.
Thinking of someone who was older and could appreciate it, her eyes scoured the room looking for Nathaniel. She finally caught sight of him over in the corner by the bar in a heated conversation with a few other men. The carefree look he had earlier in the evening was gone. She was glad she wasn’t in the business of politics. It never interested her one bit.
She turned her eyes back to the VP. “I’ll have a detailed expense report for the board on Monday. Enjoy the evening.” She patted his thick arm and gave a charming grin as she excused herself from the conversation. She sauntered over to the bar, making certain she caught Nathaniel’s gaze. He broke free of his conversation and headed her direction.
“I see you’re without a drink in your hand.” He grinned. “What would the lady like?”
“Vodka cranberry, please.”
“Yes ma’am,” the bartender said. Nathaniel handed him a large bill and passed Tori her drink.
“You’re the highlight of the party tonight, Victoria.” He leaned his elbow on the bar. “I can hardly get a moment alone with you.”
“Well, you have my attention now.” She took a sip and smiled sweetly. “I’m all yours for the remainder of the evening, if you like.”
He scratched his brow and tilted his head. Tori was direct with her intentions, and it seemed he appreciated that. She grew weary of watching the men try so hard for what she was going to give them anyway. “So, you need to tell me more about this one piece in the exhibit I was eyeing.” He pointed in the direction of a large sculpture.
Tori chuckled inwardly. He seemed like the type of person that would be no more interested in modern art than she would be on foreign policy, but she played the game well. She knew how to pick her targets, and Donaghue, with his reputation and recent separation, wasn’t looking for any type of attachment. He was perfect. She discussed a few more pieces of work with him. She noticed the men from the earlier conversation eyeing him, but Nathaniel seemed to be doing his best to ignore them.
Her director’s heels clicked as she quickly walked over to them in a rush, “Victoria,” she said, “I’m so sorry to interrupt. However, is it possible to get the budget report now?”
She had to be kidding. “I said to Tony I’d have it to him first thing Monday,” she groaned. I’m a curator, not a budget specialist. Tori loved her promotion, but her fancy office came with all kinds of administrative responsibility she despised.
“Yes, he insists that he wants the weekend to pour over it. I’d have you email it to him, but he’s insistent for a printed copy.”
Tori let out a sigh. “Sure. No problem.”
“Thank you, Victoria. You’re the best.”
She turned to Nathaniel. It seemed like every time they got a moment, they were interrupted. “I’m so sorry. I need to run to my office.” She smiled seductively. “You can escort me there, if you like.” She flashed him a no-holds-barred grin and her doe eyes.
“I’d love to.” Nathaniel took two more glasses of champagne and handed one to her. “For the walk?” He offered his arm.
They took the elevator to the fourth floor and strolled along the long, circular hallway.
“It seems like you have trouble separating business from pleasure,” he remarked.
“I could say the same for you,” Tori said, not missing a beat. “I saw you earlier, having a heated discussion on what I can only assume is politics. Seems you also schedule business meetings for after hours.”
“Touché,” he said, raised his glass to her, and took a large gulp. She swiped her key card when they arrived at her office.
“After you.” She held her hand out, letting him in first. She shut the door behind her and leaned against it. She licked her lips and honed her fiery gaze on him. “I guess busy people like you and I have to find whatever time we can to squeeze in pleasure.” She locked the door, making certain nobody would be interrupting them.
He raised his brow and nodded. “I suppose we do.” He crept closer to her, took her glass, and set it on her desk, along with his. “You’re stunning.” He trailed his knuckle down her smooth arm.
“Nathaniel, you don’t need to seduce me. I’m a sure thing. We both know what this has been about tonight.” Tori crushed her lips to his hastily as her fingers tugged at his zipper.
He stopped and came up for air. “I must say, Victoria, you make your intentions quite clear.”
She shrugged. “People sometimes just need to blow off steam.” No reason to make a big deal about it.
She undid the knot in his tie and pulled it off at it as their tongues explored each other. This was it. She’d finally climbed all the way to the top, crossing a congressman off her list.
He lifted the skirt to her dress, and palmed her naked, firm ass. She quickly stripped off his jacket and unbuttoned his shirt, letting it hang loose. She grabbed his cock through his pants and gave it a firm squeeze.
Tori pulled back, chest heaving hard and her body throbbing for him. With her eyes locked on his, she led him over to her desk. She hopped up on the edge and spread her legs open, leaning back, stretching out, inviting him in. She was wearing no underwear and from the look on his face he appreciated that. Her pussy stared back at him, naked, wet, and ready.
“Do you, um, have a…” Nathaniel started to ask.
“I’m on the pill,” Tori breathed, crushing her lips to his. She pulled open the drawer underneath her and brought up a condom between her fingertips, handing it to him with a grin. “Or, I can just blow you and you can come on my tits or ass.” Tori shrugged. “I’m flexible.” His eyes bulged at her filthy mouth.
He grabbed the condom. Obviously, the congressman wasn’t wanting to take any chances.
He fucked her deep, hard, and fast. Tori gripped the desk as he thrust, biting her lip to stifle cries as she climaxed. A few moments later, he erupted in orgasm.
They lay there catching their breath for a moment then began dressing in silence.
Tori walked over to the mirror on her wall, pulled her compact out of her purse, and dabbed her slightly smudged eye makeup and freshened her lipstick.
“Husband, friend, or boyfriend?” Nathaniel nodded to the photo on her desk of her and Scott as he knotted his tie.
“I’m not attached, if that’s what you’re asking.” Scott was nobody’s business but hers, but the thought of him caused a slight tug in her chest. She wondered where in the world he was this week and hoped he was safe.
Nathaniel wrapped his arms around her waist. He kissed the nape of her neck. His silver eyes gleamed back at her in the reflection. “Come home with me. I haven’t got enough of you yet,” he whispered.
“Ok.” She puckered her lips and popped the lipstick in her purse. She could go for round two with him. “But we shouldn’t be seen leaving together.”
His expression was pleased that she understood his need for discretion. “You’re a smart woman.
Nathaniel’s silver sports car that screamed mid-life crisis rolled up to the curb and came to a quick halt. Tori glanced around for prying eyes then quickly opened the door, taking off her jacket and tossing it into the small backseat. She was a little shocked the congressman didn’t have a driver.
Tori’s phone chimed in her purse, and she pulled it out. Text message from Scott Harris. She snorted. Ironic. It was an image, her thumb hovered over to click it.
“You ready?” Nathaniel sounded impatient.
“Yes.” She tossed the phone back in her purse. She’d look at it later. She settled in, buckling her seatbelt.
He glanced in his rearview mirror and sped away from the curb so fast her body jolted backwards. She let out an annoyed grunt. He looked at her, smiling strangely, rubbing his hand up her inner thigh as he took the corner like he was on rails.
Tori’s heart thumped as he weaved in and out of the traffic. She flashed a nervous grin and shifted, double-checking her seatbelt. If he was trying to impress her, he was going about it all wrong.
He adjusted his mirror and sped faster as he rounded Connecticut, nearly running a red light. How much had he drunk? She swallowed hard, gripping to her seat as her knuckles went white.
“We have all night, Nathaniel. No need to rush.” Tori placed her shaky hand on his thigh.
He didn’t acknowledge her at all. His eyes narrowed on the road in front of him, his palms gripping tightly to the steering wheel. He glanced in the rearview and pressed harder on the gas.
She gasped and struggled to find the air to scream for him to let her out, but it was too late.
I’m going to die.
The last thing Tori saw as he ran the red light was two headlights shattering through the window behind his shadowy frame.
Tori floated in a dreamy abyss. There was no pain, no fear, just peace. She wasn’t sure if she was alive, dead, or somewhere in between.
In the distance, someone called to her. Victoria. It was a voice she hadn’t heard in years. It was so soothing to her ears, and she longed to hear more. “Daddy…” she whimpered.
Then there was a sound like wind rushing through a tunnel. Strange hands grabbed her body, holding her down, pulling her away from the voice. Gasoline and burnt rubber filled her nostrils, and a copper taste seeped into her mouth. Pain ripped through her head. She wanted to drift again. She wanted to go back to that place of peace.
Finally, the agony went to a dull throb, then there was nothing. Just darkness.
In the distance, a beeping sound came into focus, then it was gone, and it was silent again.
There was no sense of time. Every so often, the beeping would break through, blaring in her ears, bringing pain back along with it. The pressure was like a balloon blowing up in her head. Her head had a heartbeat of its own. God, it was dark. Why was it so dark?
Turn on the lights.
That’s what she tried to say, but she couldn’t speak. Her mouth wouldn’t obey her brain. Her eyes were lead, unable to budge. She wanted to scream, but she was trapped in her own body.
The beeping flowed steadily in the background still.
Somehow, she managed a groan.
She willed her right arm to move through whatever sludge it was caught in. Her shaky hand instinctively reached to her face, and she felt something blocking her vision. She clawed at whatever it was.
Her arm was pulled down. “Tori…”
Is that my name?
“Tori.” The female sounded familiar, but she couldn’t remember it, either. “Tori, you need to calm down. You’re in the hospital. You had a car accident,” the voice cried.
Her heart began to thump, and the beeping grew more rapid, louder. Shouts filled the room. Her body went rigid then began to convulse. Hands were on her, rolling her to the side. Shuffled footsteps scattered across the floor, then her body went limp, and there was nothing again.
“They’re keeping her mildly sedated with pain medication. She’s been in and out today.” Tori listened to Jane explain to their mother, Maureen.
Maybe if I pretend to sleep, they’ll go the hell away.
“But she’s talking now, right?” Maureen said. “That’s a good sign.”
“Yes. She was speaking nonsense the first few days. Her speech was slow, could barely understand her, but she’s been pretty clear today,” Jane whispered. “She’s worse when she first wakes up. The doctors are optimistic and astounded.” Jane sounded so full of hope. “You know Tori. If nothing else, she’s determined.”
“Seizures?”
“No seizures today. Her short-term memory is still hit and miss. I have to repeat things a lot, and…” Jane trailed off with a gulp.
“Her vision?” Her mom’s voice cracked. Tori could hear the waterworks about to flow.
It was silent for a long beat. Too long.
“Well, we just have to keep praying. It’s already a miracle she didn’t die, and she’s woken up, and she’s talking…” Maureen trailed off. “Maybe we should call the priest again…”
Ok, enough is enough.
“I can f-f-fucking hear you,” Tori’s voice cracked hoarsely. God damn words were hard to get out when she first woke. Her mouth couldn’t catch up to her thoughts.
Jane sniffled and chuckled. “Well, you’re back to your normal potty mouth, so that’s good, I suppose.”
“Tori, it’s Mom. I’m here.” Maureen grabbed Tori’s right hand—her good one. The other one was in a cast, but that was the least of her worries. “Do you remember what happened?”
“Ccccar accident. C-c-can’t see.” Tori pulled out of Maureen’s grasp. Her mother reeked of alcohol.
She didn’t feel like company. Especially her drunk mother.
“I-I nnnnnn.” Oh, come on, brain. Get it together. Tori gritted her teeth. “I need to sleep. You guys are noisy.” Tori let out a breath, patting herself on the shoulder internally. She may not see today, but god dammit, she was going to speak like a normal person if it was the last thing she did.
“Why don’t we go grab a bite, Mom?” Jane suggested.
“Alright,” her mom sounded hesitant. “We’ll be back soon, sweetheart.” Maureen patted Tori’s hand. Sweetheart? Mom was laying it on thick today.
The bustling footsteps of activity in the hallway flooded through her room.
Thanks for shutting the fucking door. Tori huffed and rolled slightly to her side, wincing in pain from her lower abdomen where they’d gutted her open and fixed bleeding and whatever else was damaged in there.
Her mind played the events of the crash on a loop. Screaming. Headlights. Crunching metal. Repeat. She was locked in her own personal hell of darkness and memories. She pressed the pump on her pain meds, praying that it would take her back into oblivion.
“Present the neurological case for Victoria Johnson, Dr. Knowles,” Tori heard a voice echo, snapping her wide awake.
Again, thanks for shutting the fucking door. She wasn’t sure how many doctors were outside of her room. George Washington University Hospital was a teaching hospital, so every time a chief resident came in, he had two or three new doctor’s underneath them. The last several days had been a blur of noises and voices, until today. Today was clear. Today, she would remember for the rest of her life.
“Twenty-nine-year-old female presents with rare case of bilateral optic neuropathy following auto accident head injury.” The younger voice echoed in the hallway. “No other neurological deficits are noted,” he added. “Progress is remarkable.”
I’m quite the medical marvel, aren’t I?
“Please continue,” the older voice, this time, bellowed.
He heaved a big sigh. "Physical exam findings include bilateral no pupil response, bilateral scattered retinal hemorrhages, and bilateral absent spontaneous venous pulsations due to raised intracranial pressure. MRI showed discontinuity of the optic nerve anterior to the optic chasm bilaterally."
Well, whatever they just said didn’t sound good.
“Optic nerve decompression was performed, along with treatment to control swelling and pressure with intravenous steroids.” He sounded so callous and clinical as he rattled on the laundry list of everything they’d done.
Seriously, I can’t see you, but I can hear you. For God’s sake, have some tact and shut the damn door. It was like they were discussing a lab experiment.
“And what is your conclusion, Dr. Knowles?” Tori braced herself.
“No other treatment is possible, recommendation is to have plastics consult for facial reconstruction and contact social services to recommend local rehabilitation programs when other injuries are stable for release.” Her heart rapped against her chest as bile rose in her throat. No no no no. Please, God no.
“I’ll go tell her,” the older voice boomed. Quiet footsteps approached her bed.
“I hear you’re talking up a storm now.” The doctor’s voice turned from clinical to kind in a moment’s flash, putting on his bedside manner for her.
Tori took a breath and collected her words. “I’m a goddamn f-fucking…miracle…”
He chuckled. “Yeah, I hear you’ve got a mouth on you. Your sister warned me.” He patted her arm. “Your swelling has massively subsided. No permanent damage to your speech. I only expect it to get better.”
Tori heard the big but in his tone. She knew what was coming.
“Victoria I’m going to pull off the eye shields, ok?”
Tori nodded, and her chin trembled. She grasped on to a thin straw of hope. They told Jane she’d most likely have severe brain damage with deficits, and she defied those odds. Please, let them be wrong about this.
He pulled the medical tape and patches off. The flashlight clicked, then the doctor gently pried open her swollen, painful eyelids. There was nothing. Only endless, suffocating blackness.
He sucked in a breath. “Victoria—”
Tori held up her hand. “D-d-on’t say it,” she whispered and fought the urge to cry. The sorrow churned in her stomach, threatening to erupt like a volcano.
“I’m so sorry.” He patted her hand. “Would you like me to phone someone?”
Tori shook her head.
“I’ll leave you alone for a moment.” Footsteps walked away, and the door shut.
She let out the breath she’d been holding in. This wasn’t some bad dream; this was actually happening. Her entire future disappeared before her into the blackness. She couldn’t see anything. She had plans. There was so much of the world she hadn’t uncovered—the Grand Canyon, Hawaii, the mountains of New Zealand. The list went on and on in her head.
I can’t see… I can’t see... repeated like a broken record in her head.
Her career, her life, her very soul, faded into the desolate wasteland that was her world now. No more art, no more color.
This can’t be happening.
Tori leaned her head back on the pillow. She struggled to breathe as the air left her lungs. Her stomach lurched, and she rolled over the railing of the bed and vomited.