Chapter 23

Victoria was starting to get worried about Josh. He was having too weird of dreams. These nightmares were getting to her as much as Josh wanted her pussy all the time. Not that Victoria minded that. She got those itches only her husband could stratch. But the dreams were getting her nervous, She knew when they would begin. His body would twitch, become rigid, start to sweat profusely followed by mumblings and then shouts. She was cognizant of the fact were getting more frequent. With the baby coming, she didn't want to be a burden to him or herself.

Both Jane and Estelle told her that when he was in his shell, he didn't have those kinds of dreams. When put to bed, Josh fell right to sleep. He didn't move until he awoke the next morning. They affirmed that if Josh dreamed at all, it couldn't be what he was not projecting any of the visions he had in his sleep. Brie told her that she didn't recall Josh having any of those nightmares while growing up. The only thing she remembered was his bed springs squeaked as he masturbated. Those sounds could be heard all over the upstairs.

Victoria, at one time, thought it was cute when he told her he had wet dreams fantasizing over her. She could just picture his cum shooting out of his cock without anyone or anything even touching him in that area. She laughed and was genuinely flattered when he confessed this to her. But now it was no longer cute. It was frightening. Her jumping to her death, losing the baby, and being shot to death by Jane in a fit of rage.

Irv Rubenstein finished the summation of his closing arguments. The judge now had to decided the case alone. He sat at the bench looking at his laptop computer trying to figure out when to render his decision. Once he had all the transcripts in front of them, he had to carefully read the papers, then make his decision. All the evidence was in front of him. The only thing that was for sure was Yvonne Mikleski would be going to prison for kidnapping, but would be left to the Federal courts to decide. Judge Barnes knew that no matter what his decision would be, it was apparent the verdict would be appealed to a higher court. He now adjusted Yvonne's cash bond from a million to ten million dollars and her home in Lake Forest would also be seized if she fled the jurisdiction.

"I will render my decision on October fifteenth," he announced to the parties involved in this suit. Both Rubenstein and Isaacs looked at their calendars to see if that date didn't conflict with anything else. Both agreed to the date.

"We've got ten weeks to wait," Rubenstein told Josh and Victoria as they stepped from the courtroom. They watched Yvonne walk by in handcuffs to be driven to the Federal Court to post her cash bond and to turn over her deed to the mansion. She gave Josh, Victoria, and Irv hateful stare.

"If you would have married Theodore, I wouldn't be in this shit," she snarled at her daughter. Victoria turned her back to her.

"She's not worthy of a reply," Victoria stated to her husband. She appeared to have a beach ball underneath her maternity blouse. All of the rest of her was sexy except to her waistline.

"If you deliver before the verdict, let me know," Irv told the Howards as he shook their hands. "I guess I'll be part of the family when Art and Brie get married next June."

"Never, ever and I mean ever let Art forget Brie's birthday. I forgot all about my sister's thirteenth birthday and she made life hell for me for a month even though I ran out to get her a gift as soon as I could," Josh said.

"He's a sweetheart, he doesn't forget mine," Victoria added, looping her arm through his. If she wasn't so large in the middle, she'd mash her breast to the back of his arm.

"I'll warn him," Irv started to walk away.

"Your wife is famished, what are you going to do about it?" she asked.

"Take you to the Lincoln Park stables and feed you, I suppose."

She playfully slapped his arm, "I'm not in the mood for hay or oats. I think I'd like one of those lobsters at Nick's Fishmart."

"I can't talk you into McDonalds?"

"NO!" her voice echoed all through the marble hall.

Josh and Victoria treated Art Rubenstein and Brie to dinner the following weekend. He felt he owed it to Brie from all the multi-tasking she was doing while the Howards were in court. She took care of the business and her mother whose span of grief didn't last too long. Sally decided to attend a support group of widows and widowers at the local church. Being only fifty- two, she met a man who had lost his wife about a year ago to cancer. They were immediately attracted to each other. His name was Bill Weathers and all of his kids were grown, married, and left the nest. He lived in Barrington which meant they were less than ten minutes apart.

"Mom's going ga-ga over him," Brie related as they were having an after dinner coffee. "I wouldn't be surprised if they weren't doing the nasty."

"Now how do you know that?" Josh asked.

"I don't know but I said I wouldn't be surprised."

"If they are, it's none of our business," Victoria added.

Art, soon to be part of the family, still didn't know where he stood so he just listened to the other three.

"Right," Josh said. "If we make a lot of noise getting out of the car, it'd give them time to get dressed real quick to cover themselves. Besides, if it's good therapy for Mom, what do I care. When I was moving out of my flat on Addison Street, Mom asked me, 'what's her name?' I'm happy to say she became my wife..."

"Awwwww, you're soooooo sweeeet," Victoria smiled, running her long nails across the back of his neck.

"So you and Victoria shacked up?" Brie asked.

"We did just that," Victoria said. "He was my love buddy." She didn't want to use the F word because of Art being there."

"So if Mom isn't sleeping with Bill, I guess it will be safe to just walk into the house unannounced?" Brie inquired.

"Just to be on the safe side, why don't we make a lot of noise and stay outside long enough for them to be presenable before going in?" Victoria stated. The waiter came by with the check and Josh handed him his credit card.