Chapter 1

Dinner with Victoria was pleasant. They ate a place called Emil's. A nice but casual restaurant where no one had to really dress up. They were given a booth where just about everyone could see us. He wore my best suit for his first day on the job and Victoria was in her gray satin blouse. Nearly all the men were in suits and females wearing sexy garb having their after work meal. Victoria put a spoonful of soup in her mouth but had to spit it out because she found it too hot. She blushed in embarrassment thinking everyone saw her.

"Sorry," she apologized, taking a drink of ice water with a lemon wedge on the glass. She gazed around quickly to see if anyone saw her faux pas in her mannerisms. She showed a vanity that Josh never saw before in his dreams of her when they were married. Then she didn't give a shit what others thought.

"For what?" Josh asked.

"For spitting the soup in my mouth back into the bowl. It was too hot."

"Don't worry about it. I used to do that to my older sister so she wouldn't sneak a sip of my milk shake or pop," Josh smiled. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"Thank you," she gave him her lovely smile. Victoria poured part of the ice water into her soup, then stirred it. Taking another mouthful she nodded that it was much better. "I may have burnt my tongue," she stated.

"Well Uncle Josh has a remedy for that," he said, amused.

"What is that?" she laughed.

"My tongue caressing yours until it feels better."

A bright smile lit her face and her eyebrows lifted, "Ooo-la-la," she answered. "And what else does Uncle Josh do?"

"Whatever Miss Victoria needs," he replied watching her break into a laugh.

"Miss Victoria may ask too much of Uncle Josh if she took him up on that statement. She's a very demanding woman."

"You just demand me! I'll do whatever you want me to. I am a very good at giving a beautfiul woman like yourself anything she wants."

"Mmmmmmm," she pushed her soup away to make room for the salads the waiter just brought them. "I'm expensive too."

"Well, that's where you have me. I have limited funds. Plus I have to pay back my student loans, pay my portion of the rent, the utilities, gas for my car, and the groceries. Chet, my room mate is a pig when it comes to food. He's always eating. He pays his fair share, but he eats two-thirds of what we buy."

"Sounds like a great white shark to me," Victoria's smile lit up Josh's heart. "He sounds like an eating machine."

"And he admits to it," Josh informed her. "He's moving out at the end of the month and moving to California. I have to find a roomie pronto. I can't afford the whole rent nor I can't sign the lease for the next year until I find someone."

"Do you have a girl friend? Perhaps she can move in with you."

"I have a friend who is a girl, but it's nothing serious. She still a student at De Paul and can't afford the rent I need to make it comfortable for me."

"I see," she said, looking at the meal just served. "Can you wrap his up so I can take it home?" Victoria asked the waiter.

"Uh... mine too," Josh said.

"You can stay and eat. I'll wait for you, I'm not that hungry at the moment."

"To tell you the truth, neither can I." he handed his plate to the waiter. "Two doggy bags, please."

Victoria drove her new Camry to Josh's apartment. She pulled up to the curb and sat there facing him. "Leave your dinner with me. I'll go up with you to meet your friend and take a set of clothes with you. I want you to stay with me tonight."

"S-s-stay with you?"

"I'd like that very much," she smiled, unhooking her seatbelt and getting out of the car. She grabbed his hand and let him lead her up the three flights to his flat. Josh warned her of the torn up furniture and the mess.

"Hey pal," Chet grinned, seeing Victoria was another matter. His jaw dropped and eyes widened. Victoria, used to having this happen to hrt all the time, grinned at the look on his face.

"Chet, this is Victoria... Victoria, this is my old roomie Chet."

"Hello Chet," Victoria smiled.

"Uh... Hi Victor," Chet struggled with her name.

"Hey Lunkhead, it's Victoria, not Victor. She's a lady, not a man," Josh grinned. "Does she look like a guy to you?"

"What did I say?" Chet stammered.

"I don't have a cock," Victoria said. "My name can't be Victor." Josh broke out in a loud laugh watching his buddy turn different shades of red. He knew Chet wished the floor could open up and swallow him whole.

"Let me get my things," he said quietly. "Have a seat." Victoria nodded, sat on the worn couch and crossed her legs as her tube skirt inched up to show more leg. Josh disappeared into his room to get his things.

"So you're an ocean biologist?" Victoria tried to put Chet at ease. She felt she had carried this joking at his expense far enough.

"Uh... yes, I am."

"Where are you going to work, Atlantic or Pacific."

"He wants to work in the Antarctic," Josh shouted from his room.

"Pay him no mind," she felt sorry for embarrassing him.

"I'm headed out to California for assignment," Chet sat in an easy chair.

"I see," Victoria recrossed her legs, again the skirt inching a little higher. "What do you hope to achieve?" Her voice was soft so Josh couldn't hear.

"All creatures in the sea," Chet felt nervous that this centerfold blond was showing an interest in his work. "I'd love to study why dolphins are so dangerous to sharks. I know that they are so much faster and they can kill sharks by repeated blows to the shark's body but I want to study why they have the courage to do that."

"I'm sure that they are natural born enemies," Victoria said, knowing nothing about life in an ocean. It just was a wild guess on her part.

"That could be," Chet shrugged, staring at her killer legs and lush breasts in that sexy satin blouse.

"Ready?" Josh asked coming out of the house.

"Nice to meet you," she shook his hand. "Hopefully we'll continue this chat before you leave for your new work."

"I'd hope so," he stood close to Josh.