Free Whetted Appetites by Anastacia Kelley Page A

owned a Victoria Bradley? 
         Yes.  He most certainly did.
         She leaned back, glad she didn’t rouse Jake.  How could she?  He could sleep through a hurricane.
         Victoria…..yes.  She remembered the sweet, shy little girl she had been a personal said to.  She felt almost like a second mother to her.  Her own mother was too busy ordering people around and spending money on her house or herself.  Mostly on herself. 
         The poor child had all the luxuries in the world but the one luxury she didn’t have was the one that couldn’t be bought or forced.
         A mother’s love.
         A child doesn’t care about the cost of her new doll.  A child doesn’t want to buy the most expensive toy in the store.  What a child wants and needs from her parents is their unconditional love and devotion.  Giving the child attention doesn’t cost a penny; just some time every day.
         Love should be given freely.  It doesn’t have a price tag.  It could be given anywhere, any time.  As well it should be.
         The one thing that cost nothing, yet Mrs. Bradley couldn’t seem to afford it. 
         What a shame.
         When Jeff died, it had left Dora with practically nothing financially but she had all the love from her children that she felt richer than the wealthiest kings and queens.
         She wondered how Victoria was doing.  Would she even remember her?  Would she even care?
         Victoria was a sweet girl, but growing up around snobby, rich, self-absorbed people could have changed her.  Money changed people.  Sometimes, not for the better.
         Dora remembered her mother telling her a quote from the bible:  “The love of money is the root of all evil”.
         Amen to that one .
         Dalton had money now and was financially secure but he wasn’t evil by any means.  He didn’t have a contemptuous bone in his body.  But Dalton wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth.  He worked his way to the top.  He didn’t throw around his name or his money to stay there either. He didn’t Lord his success over people or berate them to get his way.  He was fair but was no push-over.
         After her vacation, she would go visit Dalton for a day or two and introduce him to Jake.  If it was possible, she would like to see Victoria again.
         She hoped Victoria was the same charming girl she once had known.  If not, Dalton deserved a hell of a lot better.
         She hated being skeptical but when she’s seen firsthand what money did to a person, who wouldn’t help wonder.  Money weakened some people’s morals; made them do things they normally wouldn’t do.  All for the sake of the almighty dollar.
         She sat back on her pillow and smiled.  She was sure Victoria was a good person.  After all, Dalton seemed taken with her.
         “I hope that smile means you’re happy to be with me,” said a sleep-roughened voice.
         Dora leaned to kiss Jake’s forehead.  “It sure does.”
         Jake pulled her into an embrace.  “Good.  Because I’m happy with you, too.”
     
         Dalton cracked his eyes open to the sun shining brilliantly through the curtains in his bedroom.
         “Ah,” he said lazily as he stretched his arms over his head and cracked a jaw-splitting yawn.
         Saturday.  He loved Saturdays.  No work on the weekends.  He could relax all weekend if he was the type to like to lie around.  But, he wasn’t.
         He looked at his alarm clock, which he never set for the weekends.  It was only seven.  Even on his day’s off; he still couldn’t help but get up early.  His body was its own internal alarm clock.
         It would be nice to lay here and dream about Victoria but he knew where that would lead to.  With his hand under the covers.
         Damn it!  He wanted the real thing.  Yeah, in a couple of weeks, he could have her but he was changing the