THE TAINTED TRUST (Volume 2 of The King Trilogy)

CHAPTER 71

        Visconti used Kerri's first step toward getting Brian Pyper out of her life as an excuse for celebration. He took her to see Jerome Robbin's 'Broadway', a show which had played to near capacity audiences for more than a year and a half. After the show, they went to Paulo's Ristorante, a tiny but intimate eatery nearby, to gorge themselves on spaghetti and meatballs.

The evening was a bitter sweet experience for Kerri. Hours earlier, Jackie Crawford had diminished her marital anxieties, while simultaneously injecting her with new ones. In spite of her concerns for Louis's alleged preference for money, she elected to hold them in abeyance, to enjoy the moment, to savor the euphoria of being with the men she loved. It was, after all, quite conceivable that Jackie's comments were only manifestations of jealousy and bitterness.

"Is it my imagination, or is something bothering you?" Visconti asked as they emerged from the restaurant into a swarming mass of noisy humanity on Broadway.

"It's your imagination," Kerri said, smiling and reaching for Visconti's hand, urging him to walk.

Visconti tugged at Kerri's hand until she stopped and turned to face him. "You can't fool an old dog," he said.

Kerri grinned. "You're very perceptive...I was just thinking about a comment Jackie Crawford made this afternoon. It probably didn't mean a thing."

"About the divorce?"

"No. About you."

Visconti's brows furrowed and his lips tightened. "What did she say?"

"She didn't think you could ever love a woman. She said your only true love is money."

Visconti smiled, then laughed. "Obviously, she allowed the conversation to descend to the personal level."

"Is she jealous?"

Visconti nodded. "I'm sorry. I should have been completely honest with you before I sent you into her den. Jackie's a great gal, but she's incredibly possessive."

"She said your relationship with her is over. Is it?"

"I dated her a number of times this spring. As the relationship progressed, she began to expect more out of it than I did. A couple of weeks ago, she invited me to spend a weekend with her at her ski chalet in Aspen. When I told her I couldn't go because of a business commitment, she tore into me with the vengeance of a scorned tigress."

"Is that what ended it?"

Visconti nodded. "I couldn't believe it. She behaved as though I had cheated on her, or somehow denied her inheritance...So, she invited someone else and that was the end of us."

Relieved, Kerri kissed Visconti's cheek. "Forgive me. Sorry I mentioned it."

"I hope you understand, Kerri. It's extremely important to me. With the exception of my first wife, I have never, ever asked a woman to live with me. You are the only one," Visconti said, his eyes begging for approval.

"I do understand. Let's walk."

Visconti refused to move. "I can't wait until the weekend. Let's take the day off and move you into the apartment."

"I can't."

"Why?"

"I can't just rush out on Andrea and Miles. I'd feel as guilty as hell."

Visconti nodded, accepting her excuse. "I've already waited a lifetime for you. I guess I can wait a few more days...What would you say if I invited you to run away to Europe with me and live in Monte Carlo?"

"You're kidding!"

"I'm very serious." Visconti's somber expression and cold gray stare were clear indications of his sincerity.

"Why would you want to run away? You have everything right here."

"Now that I have you, I have everything but the one thing I've wanted for as long as I can remember."

"What's that?"

"Freedom. I've never really experienced it. I'm trapped here. A slave to telephones, computers, the market, everything. I want to live the rest of my life in a place where everything is a choice, not a decision."

"You're really serious, aren't you?"

"I've never been more serious about anything."

"How would we live? Are you talking about retiring?"

"That's exactly what I'm talking about. I'm close to completing a deal that's going to give me more money than I could spend in several lifetimes."

Kerri was uncomfortable, off balance. Everything had moved too fast and was accelerating. "I don't know what I would say," she replied, desperately trying to think of what her answer would be if Visconti demanded one.

"You don't have to say anything. I just want you to think about it."