Priceless Investment

The officer that picked her up led her into the next room where there was vending machines and water. She asked for a restroom. He pointed to a door. "What do you want to eat?"

"Anything is fine. Thank you."

When she came out, he said "I got you a snickers. They seem to stay with you longer."

He had also gotten her a cold water.

"Thank you, sir."

"Wade, Nicole was found. She's alright. She's at a highway patrol station" Mr. Turner told Wade.

"Which one? Can I go get her?"

"I'll give you the number of the investigator I talked to. He will have more answers."

When Nicole walked into the police station, her parents were there. She ran to them and hugged them. Her mom was crying and her dad was trying not to. "We were so worried!" her mother cried.

"I'm sorry. I'm alright. I need a shower, but I'm alright."

She looked up from her mom's embrace and saw Wade standing there looking rather haggard. She ran to him and he enfolded her in his arms.

"Are you really alright? I can't believe you are here."

She pulled him down to kiss him on the lips. Nothing sexual. Just a reassurance. He hugged her tightly again. "Come here." she said as she pulled him toward her parents. "Mom, Dad. This is Wade. He is a friend, a special friend."

Wade had introduced himself to them earlier, but they hadn't really conversed much since they all were so fraught with worry.

A female officer came up to Nicole. "I'm sorry mam. But the special investigators need to get your statement. Anything you can tell them would help."

She apologized to the three of them and followed the officer. The questions seemed endless.

When she was dismissed to go home and entered the waiting area, it was just Wade waiting for her.

"I asked your parents where they were staying or where they wanted to stay. They wanted to get their things from the hotel and stay with you. So, I sent them in the car to do that. We may have to take a taxi."

"It doesn't matter. I'm just so happy to see you."

He started to hug and kiss her. She said, "I'm sorry but I haven't had a shower or brushed my teeth in two and a half days.

"Stop. I don't care. Do you know how worried I was about you? How desperate I've been to see you? I wanted to go into the questioning with you, but they wouldn't let me."

When Wade looked outside, his car was there waiting. "My car is here. Where is your purse, by the way?"

Nicole asked about it and after five minutes it appeared.

Wade held her in the car and kissed her forehead. "You know, you're never leaving my sight, right?"

She laughed.

"Oh, you think I'm joking. That's cute. How long are your parents going to be in town?"

"I don't know. I'll find out. Where are you staying?"

"Same hotel, different room. I want to be with you but I know you don't get to see your parents much and so I don't want to intrude on your time."

"I'll find out and we'll make a plan. Alright? God, I need to be with you too."

Her parents were ecstatic to see her without the watchful eyes of the police. "Mom, Dad, I love you, but I have to take a shower. I feel so gross."

"Okay, dear, you go ahead. Can we order some food for you or do you want to go out?"

"There are a couple menus on the fridge. Pick whatever you guys want and something for me. You know what I like. And have them deliver it. She looked in her purse for money and her father objected.

"Don't worry, honey. We've got it. Go take your shower and take your time."

"Thanks Dad."

She came out of the shower to a veritable feast. "We didn't know how much you'd been fed. So, we wanted to make sure you ate."

There was pizza, stromboli, salad, chicken wings and soda.

Nicole recounted the whole story to them as she ate. They were horrified. "Nicole, do you still want to live in this city?"

"Yes, mom. I love my job and it was really a fluke thing. I won't be working late at the museum again unless it is an event. The only reason that I would leave is if I need to in order to be with Wade."

Mom said, "He seemed very taken with you. And nice. We didn't talk a lot. He introduced himself and pretty much paced and sat there and looked dejected. How long have you been seeing him?"

"We met on Friday, but we have a real connection. One I've never felt before."

"From the look of how distraught he was, he feels it too." affirmed her father.

"He didn't come up because he figured we needed some alone time. From the look of him, I'm assuming he was going back to the hotel to get some sleep. Mom, Dad, how long can you stay?"

"Well, honey. We sort of left things a mess. Is it alright if we go back tomorrow?"

"Of course. Whatever you need to do is fine. I'm just sorry that I put you through so much."

"Darling, we are just glad you are alright. Thank God." Her Mom asserted.

So, they dug into the feast and lazed around the apartment. She texted Wade their plans and asked if he wanted to do something with them that night. He called her an hour later.

"Sorry, I was sleeping and just saw your text. What would your parents like to do?"

"They haven't seen much of the city. So, do you think we could drive them around a little and find a really casual place to eat and talk?"

"Sure. What time should I pick you all up?"

"Is 4:00 okay?"

"Of course."

Wade showed up with his driver driving a touring van. The top and sides were glass for unobstructed views.

"Hi!" Nicole said to Wade. She explained to her parents, "Wade doesn't do things half-way. I asked him to drive you around to show you some of the city and this is what he shows up in." She kissed him and told him that he was incredible.

Nicole and Wade sat in front of her parents to try to point things out to them. They went by the museums, Madison Garden, Central Park, Times Square and Rockefeller Center.

"What do you feel like eating?" Wade asked.

"Oh, we are easy. You pick." said Nicole's mother.

Wade picked a very quaint, casual restaurant that served a little bit of everything.

"Mom and dad ordered a feast of delivered food so we could spend time together quietly in my apartment."

"Can I get the full story. Or is that going to be too hard for you to hear again?" Wade asked her parents.

"Oh, no. Go ahead. I'd say you've been very patient in waiting to hear it." her dad said.

She recounted the whole thing. Different emotions played on Wade's face as she told it. At the end, he held her hand and kissed her. "Thank you," he said. "I know you are tired of telling it."

Nicole's parents asked Wade about his company. Nicole found out that he owned a few different companies. One was art related in buying and selling to museums and private collectors. One was investment banking. And another was a building corporation that operated in the US and Canada. Nicole thought, "Why didn't I ask him more questions? I guess because our relationship had been such a whirl wind."

At the end of the evening, her parents said goodbye to Wade as they would be going home before he could see them again. He asked Nicole when he could see her tomorrow and she told him 4:00. "Don't you need to get back to Boston?"

"Not yet. I'll see you tomorrow."

She texted him the next day about what she should wear. The response was: "If you have to wear clothes, then make it dressy casual. If you're up for it. Let's eat in the restaurant at the hotel. Is that alright?"

She was finishing her make-up when he knocked on the door. "I couldn't wait any longer. God you look good. And you feel good," he said.

"I haven't dressed yet if you want to choose the nude option."

"Not yet. Mike is circling the block. Go on you minx. Put some clothes on."

She chose a comfortable wrap around dress that had a mandarin collar and an oriental print to it. It was black with copper and tan hues to it. It complemented her hair.

"Beautiful. Let's go before I take that off of you. She gave him her overnight bag and he smiled.

Dinner was lovely. They both had seafood and pasta with delicious crusty bread. When asked about dessert, Wade interjected, "It's been taken care of. Can you charge this to my room?"

In the room, there were flowers, chocolate covered strawberries with champagne and a whole lemon cake. "You are amazing. So thoughtful and generous."

"It's nothing. I would have given anything to get you back."

He proceeded to unwrap her dress to find a corset, garter and hose.

He drank her in with his eyes. "Are you trying to kill me? I'm already overwrought with emotion. And you spring this on me? Heart don't fail me now."

She undressed him slowly, savoring every detail that she hadn't known if she would see again. He picked her up and threw her on the bed. He held her and she could see a tear in his eye.

"Sh-sh. It's okay. I'm okay," Nicole said trying to comfort him.

They became lost in a long kiss that reassured them both and that made promises of a future with each other.

He looked her over and said, "it's like Christmas came early. I don't know where to start."

Nicole decided for him. She folded the corset demi cups under her breasts and begged him for some love with her eyes. He didn't disappoint her. He played with her breasts and ran his face all over them. And then he hungrily suckled her nipples. There was still a little desperation in his attentions. After suckling her for a while, he calmed down considerably. He slowly opened the corset and peeled it away from her.

"Can I leave these on?" (meaning the garter and hose). He didn't wait for an answer before he went down on her.

Her hose garbed legs were thrown over his shoulders as he drove her crazy with his tongue and lips. He sucked her clit as he filled her with his fingers. He focused a lot of time on her g-spot. She came a few times before he made love to her. With her legs still over his shoulders, she was so open and exposed to him.

Wade penetrated her so deeply. And he slowly thrust into her with all the time in the world. She tried to urge him to pick up the pace, but he refused. She came several times before he finally started to fuck her quick and hard. She was holding on for dear life. Her breasts were bouncing up and down so much that she thought he was doing it just to see the show. Finally, he came, long and hard. He thrust his spent cock into her deeper and stayed inside of her quite a while. They were both fragile and vulnerable in those moments.

"I love you. I can't ever lose you." He said.

"God, I love you too. I didn't know if I would ever see you again."

He rolled to the side and held her tightly against him. I know it's too early to ask. "But you should know that I'm never going to let you go."

"Good. Because you couldn't drive me away if you wanted."

That was all the commitment they needed. They knew that they were each other's future. It didn't matter how the rest of the journey played out, as long as they were together.

The Vermeer was recovered, but the person behind the heist was never identified.