When the day finally arrived for her to fly to California, Amanda was more than ready to have a few days away from the craziness of her job. Her bag was packed and she was ready to go straight to the airport after work. She could hardly restrain her excitement as she left her cubicle. She texted Viktor as she walked out to let him know she was on her way.
Chapter 19
Amanda’s flight touched down in San Diego just after 10:00 P.M. She was exhausted but beyond excited to see Viktor. She texted him when she landed and he told her he was waiting by the exit. As she stepped through the doors she looked around but couldn’t see him. She heard a sharp whistle come from her left and turned towards the sound. She saw Viktor waving and hurried towards him. When she got near she let go of her bag and nearly leapt into his arms. He squeezed her tight and spun her around.
“I’m so happy you’re here,” he said.
“Me too,” she grinned.
He leaned in and kissed her. “I missed you.”
“Not as much as I missed you.”
He laughed. “Hmm. I don’t know about that.”
She smiled and kissed him again. “Trust me. I know what I’m talking about.”
“We can argue that point another time.” He gestured towards a black Nissan Maxima parked next to him. “Shall we?”
“Is this your car?” she asked.
“Rental.”
“Oh. Don’t want me to see yours?” she half-teased.
He opted to ignore her remark and simply smiled. He placed her bag in the trunk as she got into the passenger seat.
“So where to?” she asked him.
“Our hotel is only a few minutes away,” he answered. “I thought tomorrow we could go to the beach or to the Zoo. It will be less busy. Then on the weekend we could tour some wineries if you like.”
“Sounds great to me,” she agreed. “Can we do the zoo tomorrow and the beach on Friday?”
“Sure.”
“What will we do on Monday?”
“We can do whatever you like.”
“I’d like to see your place before I leave. I almost get the feeling you don’t want me to know where you live. All I know is you live ‘outside of Los Angeles’,” she said using air quotes.
Viktor gave her a look as though she were being paranoid. “I was going to invite you to stay in my guest room on Sunday night.”
“Well now. This is an interesting turn of events.”
“Oh, stop it,” he laughed. “I will get you a room if you do not wish to stay with me.”
“Well, I guess that depends. Considering how shy you are about where you live, I’m slightly worried it might be decorated like a medieval castle with torture paraphernalia everywhere.”
He shook his head. “You’re ridiculous.”
She reached over and took his hand, grinning from ear to ear. “I would love to stay with you.”
He kissed the back of her hand and returned a smile. “Good.”
Viktor had already checked into the hotel so he parked and they walked to the elevators. With the long day finally beginning to hit her, Amanda leaned against Viktor as they rode the elevator to the 5th floor.
“I am so tired,” she moaned. “It feels like it’s midnight.”
He chuckled. “For you it’s after midnight.”
“Oh, that’s right. Well that makes sense,” she said, seeming slightly out of it.
He put his arm around her and kissed the side of her head. “You’ll be in bed shortly.”
He escorted her to her room and carried her bag inside. It was the largest hotel room Amanda had ever stayed in. The main room when you walked in had a large couch and armchair, coffee table and a flat screen TV mounted on the wall. There was a desk along the wall near the door and a dining table and chairs by a sliding glass door that led to a balcony. The bedroom was separate with the bathroom accessible through the bedroom.
“How much did this cost you?” Amanda asked, wondering why he didn’t get a normal room.
“It didn’t cost me anything. The owner is comping the suites.”
“Wow,” she said as she glanced around at her accommodations. “I guess I should enjoy it since I’ll never be able to afford something like this.”
Viktor just smiled. “I’m directly across the hall. If you need anything, just call me or knock.”
“Okay.”
He stepped close and pulled her towards him. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he slipped his arms around her back and held her tight. He kissed her neck and then her lips. “Goodnight, my love.”
“Goodnight.” She kissed him back.
He pulled himself away and walked to the door. He looked back at her before leaving and gave her a warm smile.
“See you tomorrow,” she said cheerfully.
“I’ll let you sleep in. Text me when you’re awake.”
“Okay,” she agreed.
Viktor shut the door and tried not to panic about bringing Amanda to his home on Sunday. He planned it that way so he would have 4 days to work up the courage to come clean about his finances. Judging by how he felt in that moment, he would need all 4 days. It was getting harder to keep it from her and he knew if he wanted to continue having a serious relationship with her, he had to tell her. He still had no idea how he was going to break it to her, though, or how she would take the news. While he hoped for the best, he feared for the worst.
Amanda woke shortly before 9:00 the next morning, still feeling very tired. She texted Viktor to let him know she was up. He replied that he had coffee and to come to his room if she wanted some. She said she would be over in a few minutes.
She rolled out of bed and went to the bathroom. After quickly surveying herself in the mirror, she brushed her hair. She debated whether to change her clothes or go in her pajamas. She decided not to bother changing until after she showered which she
