Vicki- Chapter 3

Vicki knew that her new relationship with her master, Dan, would be hard to explain to her father. However, at some point, she had to do it. The issue was merely one of timing. She couldn’t just bring it up out of the blue Monday morning. She had to find out just how much truth her dad could accept at the moment. 

After conducting some business at the bank, she went to her office and began preparations for closing shop. A leading interior décor competitor had wanted to buy her out for some time now. She called this fellow, a rather ruthless, but effeminate guy named Martin, to let him know that she was interested in selling to him. He was still keen on the idea, though he offered her a worse deal than before. Clearly, he knew how to drive a hard bargain. Having little choice, she agreed. 

Hoping to survive for a while on the money from the sale of her business, Vicki still had to look for a new job. She didn’t expect Dan to provide for her completely yet, as he had indicated that such an arrangement would take some time. Naturally, she went looking through the papers for work in the medical field, where she had been employed in the past. She had no wish to be on Martin’s payroll, or any other competitors‘. That would just be too humiliating. 

A leading medical billing company had an ad for a certified coder, which Vicki could easily become again, having taken and passed the test before. She made a note to herself to call up that number. She then went shopping for groceries and a few sex toys, as she realized that Dan would want her to have some “marital aids”. 

She dropped those off at home, said “hello” to her father, and then went to pick up her son from school. At this point, she stalled further by getting dinner ready. She put a PG-rated movie in the new DVD player for her boy and knocked on her dad’s bedroom door. He answered it and saw her standing nervously outside. Realizing that she wanted to discuss something major, he closed the door behind them for a few minutes of privacy. 

“Okay, sweetie, what’s going on?” he finally asked his daughter.

“Dad, I met a guy last week at the bar. I spent most of the day yesterday with him. We have become involved, physically as well as romantically. He’s very different from Ryan. I just thought that you should know that he proposed marriage and I accepted. I love him and want to be his wife. It’s that serious,” she announced, anxious about his response.

“Marriage? That’s a big deal, you know. I hope that he’s as good as you think. I definitely want to meet a man who can you to take such a big step again, so soon after the last time. Are you sure this isn’t on the ’rebound’, dear? You know that I love you and will be happy for you if this works out, but I just don’t want you to make a rash move and get burned again. You thought Ryan was very special, too, you know,” her dad worried.

“I know. I’m impulsive by nature and sometimes take foolish chances. Believe me this time, Dad. He’s very strong and independent. He’s not a deadbeat, but a real man. He’s got his own business, which is doing a lot better than mine. He even has a great-looking house, not that it’s THAT big of an issue to me. He just wants to take care of me. I think he’d be a great stepfather to Trent. This is NOT a loser here, Dad. He does want me to work too, for a while, until he can make enough for both of us. Be happy for me, please?” Vicki explained.

“Okay, but what’s this guy’s name?” he inquired.

“Dan. Well, his full name is Daniel Eduard Leopold von Greiner, but he goes by ’Dan’. He hates to be called ’Danny’. He says it’s undignified, especially for a blueblood like himself. Yes, he’s from an old German family, or something like that,” she replied.

“Von Greiner? Yes, that sounds quite German and aristocratic to boot. I take it that he is a cultured gentleman with plenty of manners and a lot of ambition?” her father commented.

“Yes, but he’s also rather manly. He’s no dandy or anything like that. I really want you to meet him. I think that even you would be impressed,” she declared.

“Ah, so a Kraut with an old name, plenty of noblesse oblige, an education, money, culture, and plenty of machismo is your type now? Interesting indeed. Is he american or German-born?” he probed.

“Oh, he’s an American, just 5th generation. His family left Prussia around the turn of the century. They stuck around and he inherited a small part of their holdings, since they have about 50 members now. He’s a great guy. I got to see his family crest and coat of arms,” Vicki told her dad. 

“So, you’re not afraid that his high-flying, upper-class relations will look down their noses at this middle-class Creole girl from rural Louisiana wanting to marry into their noble Prussian house? I love you, dear, and I don’t want you to get hurt, because some well-meaning jet-setter took a liking to you that his old money family didn’t share. Can you really trust him?” Mr. Blois pointed out. 

“I trust him. I think that you will too, given time. I doubt he’s that prone to appeasing his more snobbish kinfolk. He seems more liberal and stubborn than that,” she responded.

“Then he will be very compatible with you, since you’re pretty stubborn too, when something matters enough to you. I just had to make certain that this was what you really desired. I’ll meet this new beau of yours and hope that he’s the gentleman that you claim him to be. Have you set a date yet?” he asked.

“Not yet, but we will. He’s made it clear that he wants to marry me soon,” she clarified.

“I gather that you’ve been…um…intimate. Is that right?” he stammered.
“Yes, Dad, I’ve consummated my relationship with him. That’s why I took those tests. He wanted to make sure that I didn’t have AIDS or an STD before he slept with me. That’s because he didn’t want to use a condom with me, like he does most of the time,” Vicki told her father.

“So, he generally does use condoms, then? That’s rather smart of him. I take it that he’s not bothered by your being a mom?” her dad reacted.

“No, he’s not. It’s not the pregnancy and parenthood thing he dislikes, just disease. He’s been very honest and upfront with me about things,” she answered.

“’Consummated’, eh? That’s a word normally used for the wedding night, you know. I’ve never heard you use large words like that, anyway,” her father noted. 

“He uses words like that a lot. It’s an intellectual thing, I suppose. He says that a long, serious relationship is equivalent to marriage and deserves the same kind of language. He says that man is an animal and marriage simply a matter of the law recognizing, institutionally, something that has already existed. Divorce is the law’s belated acknowledgement of the end of a relationship. A wedding is a public declaration of love and one’s intention to live permanently with someone that you love,” Vicki explained. 

“He seems very wise and profound. How old is he?” he inquired.

“30,” she told him.

“30? He’s younger than you by 5 years! Doesn’t that worry you? I guess not, if he’s so damned smart for his age. I just hope that there don’t prove to be a lot of chinks in this knight’s shining armor,” he commented. 

“There won’t, I’m sure. I know that I’ve been wrong about a lot of things, but I have a strong gut feeling that he can be trusted. Meet him and see for yourself, Dad. I really think that you’ll get along,” Vicki urged him. 

“I hope so,” her father said. 

The next time that Vicki saw Dan was 2 nights later, as he visited her house. Her Dad was there as well and took the chance to meet this man who would marry his daughter. The first thing he noticed was that the goateed fellow had the most piercing dark brown eyes he had ever seen. They looked like they could see his soul. It was an intimidating sight. However, he was very polite and friendly, despite his appearance of psychic powers. 

After they talked and ate dinner (which Vicki cooked, of course), Dan left for the night. He was determined not to reveal too much about his lifestyle to the father yet and he definitely didn’t want the son to know any of this at the age of 12. He might know that such things existed, but he wasn’t ready for that kind of information about his own mother. He would find out in time, but Dan wasn’t about to rush it. He was determined to respect Vicki’s wishes in that sense.