Reclaiming A Life

This is a sequel to amber_now26 story "Reunion," by mutual agreement both the original author and myself are submitting a sequel to her story at the same time. Although she has seen my version, I haven't seen her submission.

This work may not be copied to or used at any other site without the express permission of the author in writing. "Reclaiming a Life" © Writingdragon November 7, 2005.

*

As the BMW slid out of the parking lot into the nighttime traffic, Angelica turned on the CD player.

"Late at night, the big old house gets lonely

I guess every port of refuge has its price

And it breaks her heart to think her love is only

Given to a man with hands as cold as ice."

Angelica could only pray that the tears would stop before she got home.

- (Reunion - by Amber_now26)

Arriving at the impressive looking mansion she had called home for more than a decade Angelica managed to stop her tears. She had cried for her life, for her loneliness, for her own loveless marriage. But as she looked at the structure before her she knew one thing had changed tonight, and it had become crystal clear in her mind on her ride home. Her life as she had known it for the last twelve years was over and it was time to move on... no matter how much that might cost her.

Angelica walked into her house looking around as if she was seeing things for the first time. The priceless paintings and rare antiques which were so prominently displayed thought out the house completely veiled the slow life draining emptiness of the relationships encased within those hallowed walls.

She laid her coat on the table near the front door moving quickly towards the study where a light shinned. Entering the room her aged husband stood to face her it was obvious he had been waiting for her to come home. The sickly little grin on his face spoke volumes, almost as if he knew her words before she spoke them.

Angelica stood her hands on her hips feet spread as she flipped her hair to the side and said. "I'll take your offer for a buy out and be gone by tomorrow afternoon."

*************

Looking intently at her his eyes seemed to shine with a light all there own. Then nodding tersely towards her he said "Because you're a smart woman I'll give you the house out on the sound and the BMW as parting gifts. The money will be in your account by morning you can sign the final papers before you leave."

He turned and walked slowly back to his suite, his actions spoke volumes to anyone who knew him, Angelica was dismissed. He looked at the door to his suite thinking about Angelica's replacement who lay on his bed in the afterglow of four hours of intense fucking. He thought to himself, 'All these delightful young bodies all so willing to share their assets to get some of my assets.' He reached into his robe and withdrew his phone, hitting speed dial he heard the familiar "Yes Sir."

"Make sure you get this J.T's phone number so I can call him at my leisure."

"Yes Sir."

As he reached the door to his suite he turned to look over his shoulder at his latest soon to be ex-wife. She had her back to him, the up and down movement of her shoulders indicating she was crying. He smiled and said in whisper, "Goodbye Angelica, we had a good business venture for the past twelve years. Your pussy was one of the very best I have ever paid for. Thank you for never cheating on me until tonight, after you had made up your mind to leave. Too bad I can't claim I have been as faithful to you. But then again you and all the rest of those girls were just rented. Some, like you, longer than others."

Entering his private suite he walked through to his bedroom and the twenty year old Japanese International student who was waiting there, eagerly desiring to please him again. She wasn't looking at their almost fifty year age difference, or their generation differences, or even their cultural differences. All she saw was a ticket to easy street and all the things she could have. He didn't care either, all he saw was a rented slut, whose body he would ravish until he died, and leave her with but a small pittance of what she thought she would get.

He filed the thoughts of Angelica away in his mind he needed to do one more thing in a few months to ensure closure with her. After that he would never consider her again.

********

Angelica took off her engagement and wedding rings her body still shaking from her outburst and placed them in the silver tray on the desk in the study. She felt the weight of the world slide off her shoulders as she walked to her suite one last time. She thought,

'Maybe she couldn't have J.T. but she would find a man who wanted her for her. A man who she could love and respect and be completely happy with, not a loveless existence, married to some one who considered her property.'

Early the next morning after breakfast, Angelica met with Mr. Synder the family lawyer. He had all the papers drawn up and showed her where to sign after carefully explained: "Your husband still cares for you Angelica and has been extremely generous. He transferred the house on the sound and the BMW to you this morning. As well as transferring two and a half million dollars to your investment accounts leaving Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars in your private checking and savings accounts. The remaining portions will be in different investments of your choosing that will give you a guaranteed yearly growth of three hundred and seventy thousand dollars. That amount would be before your ongoing yearly income of two hundred thousand dollars was deducted.

Full medical insurance will be in effect for ten years. Also the judge will sign the final divorce this very afternoon waiving the normal six month waiting period. You will be divorced Monday morning at eight O'clock. Included in that package will be a request to change your last name back to Morretti which will take a few weeks longer."

Angelica replied, "Please thank him for his generosity; I am very happy with how he is taking care of me. But how did he get the judge to... "

Mr. Snyder raised his hand, "Angelica, you should know by now money and power does have its privileges."

Angelica nodded, and Mr. Snyder stood and gathered the papers, "Your copy of the papers and financial guarantees is in the package next to you. All the papers have Mr. McCombs signature as well as mine and are notarized so they are all legal documents."

Angelica looked at the documents and when she was satisfied of the content, she looked up at Mr. Snyder and said, "All of this appears to be in order, thank you."

Packing his paperwork away he stood and said, "Have a good day." He moved quickly out the front door to get his car and was gone.

Moments later three men and three women appeared, "Maam we are here to move you to your new house."

Angelica wasn't expecting this much help but showed the crew what to pack and move. To her surprise most of her private suite including her bedroom furniture was on a special list the foreman of the moving crew had in his possession. She smiled as she looked the list over. Almost everything she had purchased for the house over the last twelve years was going with her. She realized her ex-husband was clearing out the house for his next trophy wife to decorate to her own tastes.

Angelica took one last look around the mansion it had been home to her for over a decade, as she closed the front door for the last time. Her heart pounding she thought, '

This is what a prisoner who is being released from incarceration must feel like.'

The smile on her face was ear to ear as she moved smartly to her car and drove away.

Late that afternoon Angelica had settled into her new home. When she arrived she found the cupboards, pantry, refrigerator and freezer stocked according to her desires.

She loved this house from the moment she had first seen it. Three large master suites, a large living room, den, formal dinning room, office and library. There was a work out room, and an indoor pool and jacuzzi in an attached building out back. The eat-in kitchen was huge and there were three full size and two half baths. It was nestled on a one and half acre lot on a bluff overlooking the sound, with access to its own private boat dock.

As she sat in the den looking out at the gathering fog she realized how cold, empty and so very alone she felt. For a brief few minutes last night she had been alive for the first time since she married.

For the briefest of moments she was back at that homecoming dance when J.T. had asked her to step out on the floor with him. It was the highlight of her four years at Younger High School. It was such a very good memory and she now had the reunion to add to it.

How had she allowed herself to sink to the kind of life she had endured over the last twelve years so easily? It was almost as if she'd just given up and quit trying. She had been fed up with poverty and wanted to live life to its fullest or at least on a different level. Her soon to be ex-husband had provided her with the means to at least satisfy the pecuniary portion of that dream.

What a fool she had been. At least in high school she had about five or six people who were friendly to her. Now she had isolated even those few caring people and there was no one to rely on. Over the last three years she had come to think of herself as an extremely high priced prostitute, except she had only one customer. Her deep sobs drowned out the music in the background. Even after escaping, it was still going to be a long night.

***********

Six months after she moved house, Angelica sipped on her tea and tried to make sense of her life over that time. From the moment she moved into this house after accepting her divorce, minutes had turned into hours, which slowly became days that turned into weeks. She awoke early last week suddenly realizing months had passed her by. Her mind was still a conflicted cauldron of fear and desire. She was free, but free to do what?

She had enrolled in college and her first day of class was a week from now. She had the money and mental skills to be anything she wanted to. Now all she needed to figure out was what she wanted to be when she grew up.

The doorbell rang and she jumped as the loud buzz startled her out of her reverie.

"I wonder who that is?" she said out loud to herself. "Mom and dad are on vacation and, unfortunately, I don't have a whole lot of friends."

She opened the door and froze. She looked at the man in front of her. The emotional dam broke and a torrent of tears poured out.

********

J.T. reached out the hand without the flowers and pulled her to him. Angelica wrapped her arms around him and just sobbed.

Moving her inside J.T. kicked the door closed behind him, placing the flowers on a small table in the foyer. He picked Angelica up and carried her to what he felt must be the living room and sat down with her cradled in his lap. She allowed him to cuddle her as she cried out the pain of her loneliness and fears. J.T. was sure her emotional outburst was over the loss of her marriage.

J.T. thought back to this morning when just before noon he received an unexpected call. "Hello this is J.T."

"Mr. DeNillo, we haven't been properly introduced, but my name is Marshall McCombs." A nasally tone replied.

J. T. thought for a moment the responded, "Mr. Marshall McCombs the Oil Barron."

A sardonic chuckle ensued, "Yes Mr. DeNillo, the very same one and please call me Marshall."

"All right Marshall, what can I do for you." His mind was running a thousand miles a minute, 'I

t's not every day a multi-billionaire calls you up and wants to be buddy, buddy with you

.

Wait till I tell the kids

.' He thought.

"Mr. DeNillo, I am sorry for overstepping my bounds, but there is a situation that may be of interest to you, that I hope you can help me with."

"If I can, I will be happy to help you Marshall."

"Mr. DeNillo can I call you J.T.?"

"Of course sir."

"Well J.T. my ex wife is an old friend of yours, her maiden name was Angelica Morretti. We were divorced six months ago and she isn't doing very well at all. She seems to be depressed and isolated and has been for a while.

J.T. whether you know it or not you were the one man for whom she had held a special place in her heart. I knew she was in some emotional pain from the destruction of our marriage, a situation I am probably more than partially culpable for.

It's a delicate situation as I don't want to intrude on her life. But I don't want any ill to befall her, so as the last act as a husband or more to the point a friend now, I was hoping to find someone who could maybe help her.

Since J.T. was a name that she mentioned once in a while during the marriage I tracked you down. I promise not to get involved any further but could you help me to help her."

J.T. thought about this and was more than happy to help. Truth be told, he had been searching for Angelica for the last six months. He had tried everything he could think of and was at his wits end on what to do next.

"Yes Marshall I would be more than happy to contact her I know some of my old friends from high school who would love to see her too."

"Thank you J.T. thank you so much."

J.T. noted that Marshall's voice had a sarcastic inflection but he chose to ignore the older man's tone in lieu of obtaining Angelica's phone number and address from him.

Moments later the phone call ended with the abruptness it had begun. J.T. stared at the name, address and telephone number that had dropped out of the sky and into his hands. He had some previous appointments but the pot of gold he had received wasn't going to slip through his hands again. He was going to be talking to his auburn haired dream woman very soon.

********

J.T. held Angelica until she stopped crying and her breathing became slow and regular. She went limp in his arms and he cuddled her as she slept. She awoke some time later and looked up into J.T.'s handsome face. She was embarrassed and a bit self-conscious, "Hi", she said, "sorry about the little scene."

"No problem at all. I would have been here sooner but your ex called today, unfortunately I had a lunch date with Neil and Gloria that I couldn't break. I've been looking for you since the reunion and was stymied at every turn. So his call was like a gift from above."

Angelica sat up and nervously combed her hair behind her ear and asked, "Marshall called you?"

"Yep, and said you might need a friend right now." His smile was ear to ear. "So here I am a friend and lover. Someone who owes his life to you, thank you for your wonderful effort at the reunion.

All my friends want to know who was the girl with me and what had she done to turn around my depression. I just told them you were my guardian angel sent from Monica to set my ass straight about getting on with my life. All three of my kids are so happy to have their dad back. Thank you so much."

"No J.T., thank you for my life. I still owe you so much more for your kindness and respect. In high school you were the most important reason I got out with my sanity intact." She looked up into his eyes. They showed deep compassion and his well known gentleness. Angelica reached her hand up around his neck, pulled his head down to her and tenderly touched her lips to his. The same electricity they felt that night coursed through both of them. Angelica opened her mouth and J.T. pushed his tongue into her's, searching her out, their tongues twisting and moving in an erotic dance of passion and desire.

They kissed and nibbled and teased one another until at last Angelica moved away and took a deep breath. "I could do that forever J.T. You don't know how long I wanted you to take me in your arms and ravish me. The night of the reunion was a dream fantasy come true for me, and it was everything I dreamed it would be."

J.T. blushed then smiled as he said, "Angelica, high school was a different time and different set of circumstances. I couldn't do what you wanted then, but I will gladly start seeing you now and see where it leads."

She looked at him intently, "First off mister let me make one thing very clear. If you give me even the smallest of openings into your life you won't ever be able to get me out." Angelica shivered she didn't quite know why she was so open and transparent with this man. But now that she had she needed to open all the way up.

"Second I need to tell you some things, ok? Afterwards I don't think you'll want to even touch me. But I need to tell you."

J.T. nodded and waited for her to continue.

"J.T. for most of my life I've been poor. My parents are hard working, but there has never been a lot left over. In high school you and Monica were two of only five or six kids who treated me as a human. Your attention to me was so important you can't believe it.

When I entered college I suddenly filled out and blossomed, but only finished three years before mom died. I'd always been active - working and walking all over the place since I didn't have a car, so I was also very toned and fit. One of the girls in college took pity on me and showed me how to make myself up and how to dress. I found out very quickly that with a wig until I grew my hair out, and my new look, guys were all over me.

Suddenly, here was all the attention I could ever want, and I craved it, soaked it up and reveled in it. I also found out guys would spend money on me and buy me things, especially when I was more sexually active. As I said, I was never able to finish college, I quit after three years, I didn't have the money. The guys who dated or more precisely used me, well, it took about three years for them to forget about me. I was working at the deli a lot to help dad keep it open. My whole life became the deli and my dad.

Then, like in some Hollywood movie, one day I met Marshall. He walked into my parent's deli while I was working and we were both smitten. He loves a good corn-beef, pastrami and provolone on dark rye, and dad served a great version of it. Marshall would come by four or five times a week, and after my shift we went all over the city, to the fanciest restaurants and to plays." Angelica's eyes still sparkled at the memories as she told her story.

Shaking her head a hint of a smile moved across her lips as she continued, "That was thirteen years ago. He was just in the midst of a divorce, and after four months of me treating him very special we married. Of course, I knew I was different and he really loved me. But deep down I understood I was trading my body to him in exchange for money to get the things I wanted.

We had a functional relationship and even friendly at times. I knew Marshall and I were tired of each other for more than a year, but I kept putting off the inventible. Until I received the letter with the information about our 20

th

reunion, I really wasn't sure what to do. When I saw there would be a dance in conjunction with the reunion I knew I had to take the chance.

I had read about the horrible accident involving your wonderful Monica a few years ago. I am truly sorry for you and your children's loss." Angelica's eyes reflecting the genuineness of her words.

J.T. nodded his understanding and as Angelica continued. "Anyway I hoped we could get together and I could show you what you meant to me. I did it, but a few days before the reunion Marshall offered to buy me out and give me a divorce. After being with you I told him I would do it. It's obvious he had my replacement lined up as he always does. He never leaves himself without a nice piece of ass to warm his bed and stroke his ego.

I had become a step up from a hooker, I just made my "John" legal. So, now you see what I am, what I've become. If you leave and never come back I'll understand. But I really hope you can see past all of this and still at least be my friend." Angelica began crying again.