CHAPTER 33
VICTORIA
Victoria handed Jack the diaper bag and placed Jack Jr’s head on her shoulder. She looked up at the Victorian. The floating mansion couldn’t be called a yacht. It was more like a cruise ship. Jasmine squealed with glee when Jack hoisted her in the air and placed her on his shoulders.
“We can board now,” he announced to the rest of the family.
After the short flight from Paris to Morocco, they were getting ready to board the ship that was to take them to Dream Island. On the side of the large yacht, in big bold letters, spelled out THE VICTORIAN. He clearly hadn't chartered the yacht. Victoria turned to Jack. He was grinning like a twelve-year-old boy. His love for his man toys never ceased to amaze her. Jack rarely denied himself anything that he desired and he certainly never denied Victoria, so she had nothing to say about the elaborate purchase.
As Victoria boarded the Victorian, she noted that the yacht shared absolutely no resemblance in size to the yacht that Jack kept at the 31st Street Harbor. Whereas the yacht in Chicago was large, the one that she was standing on was colossal and even more beautifully designed; the perfect combination of class and decadence. She was giddy with anticipation, and since it was Victoria’s first time visiting the island, the rest of the family was excited for her. The thought of what she had missed out on because she, along with Katherine and Emily, had been abducted by Katya Romanov made her want to dig her up and kill her again.
Their bags were left on the dock for the staff to handle, so Jack took the family on a tour. The yacht seemed to have everything. There were fifteen spacious staterooms, a pool, a fifteen person jacuzzi, a cinema, a large gym and spa area, and sauna. There was even a hair salon. The yacht actually had a freaking helideck with hangar and refueling capability. Victoria wouldn't have been a bit surprised if Jack had bought a helicopter just to have something to land on the helideck. The deck and the interior of the yacht was nothing less than stunning.
Victoria looked up at Jack and uttered, “You've been busy.”
“You’ve been through so much. Because of that, I intend to make this a memorable experience for you.”
Victoria’s eyes narrowed immediately. “Get out of here. You know damn well this boat is for you,” Victoria chuckled.
“No, ma’am.” Jack shook his head as if he was innocent. “I’m just trying to impress my lady.”
Victoria leaned into Jack and looked him in the eye.
“You impress me every day. How about you impress me in one of those exquisite cabins?” Victoria teased.
“Mmm, you’ll be happy to know that our suite has a private desk. I’m thinking about bending you over the rail and giving you a workout.”
“Shiiid, you ain't bending me over no rail. I might fall in, and I can't drink all that water,” Victoria joked.
“It’s a short trip to the island. Let’s dump the kids on Mom,” Jack suggested.
“What? You wanna dump our beautiful children for a quick roll in the sack?”
“Damn right,” Jack confirmed without shame.
“Cool,” Victoria quickly agreed.
Together they laughed and hurried toward Katherine.
****
While unpacking, Victoria looked around the elegant suite. The island was nothing like she had pictured. For some reason, Victoria thought that the island would have a quaint beach house surrounded by white sand and clear, blue water. But that wasn't the case. The quaint beach house turned out to be a resort with restaurants, a gym, a spa, and even a ballroom. Inside of the lobby, there was a gorgeous waterfall that poured over large decorative rocks. The entire resort was occupied by family, friends, and a few key employees. Then, it struck Victoria. She knew that Jack was ridiculously wealthy, but she truly had no idea what he was actually worth. Even though they were married, and she had every right to know, she never asked. It just never really mattered to her one way or the other.
“What are you over there thinking about?” Jack asked from the doorway of the en suite bath. He was wearing nothing but a towel. His thick, athletic body was still wet from the shower.
Jackson Storm was just too good to be true. He was slap-your-mamma-gorgeous, stupid rich, and well endowed. On top of everything else, he was also an awesome father and a great husband, even if he was a bit controlling and possessive. Victoria sometimes couldn't believe it, but she had found the man of her dreams.
“I was just thinking about that deck action from earlier,” she lied.
And of course, Jack knew that she was lying.
“What were you thinking about, Victoria?” he repeated.
Victoria hung her evening gowns in the closet and turned to him. “If we ran out of money, would you be able to survive?”
Jack laughed and walked over to Victoria. He pulled her into his arms. Victoria inhaled his fresh, manly scent. “Baby, we could live three lifetimes on the money that we have without ever going broke. Don't worry about money. We’ll always be okay. I have trusts set up for you and the kids to ensure that you’ll never have to work again if you don't want,” Jack reassured.
“No, baby,” Victoria said, shaking her head. “It’s not me that I’m worried about. I’m used to not having any money. I just want to know if you’d be able to handle it.”
“Nope,” Jack answered bluntly. “I’ve never been poor. That’s not part of my plan. But I am a man, and my natural instinct is to fix things. The difference between me and someone born into wealth is the fact I know how I made my money. Therefore, I can make it again. Besides, as long as I have you and the kids, all will be right in my world.”
“Baby, you’ll always have us, for richer or poorer.”
“Good, now hurry up and finish getting ready. We’re gonna be late for dinner,” he said as he entered the walk-in closet. “Oh, babe…can you wear that yellow dress? I love that dress on you.”
“Yes, dear,” Victoria agreed.
