Taken

by Mia Ford

  “You’re not ready yet…with me or with anyone?” he asked, and his voice had softened a little.

  Veronica looked away from him, trying to avoid his questioning gaze and she breathed deeply in through her nose and let out another sigh.

  “I don’t know Calvin, I just think it’s the wrong time…it isn’t your fault,” she said and Calvin shook his head, then he let out a small cruel laugh.

  “I know it’s not my fault. I’ve done everything by the textbook. I’ve done everything I could to give you a better life, to guide you in the right direction, save up for our future together…Hell, I even got you this job,” he continued with a snarl in his voice.

  “Maybe, that’s just it Calvin, maybe I didn’t need your guidance. Maybe I didn’t need you to give me a better life. You didn’t approve of my business decisions any way,” she snapped and then there was silence between them.

  Calvin was staring at her, with a sort of blank glazed expression in his eyes, while Veronica stared back at him with her shoulders heaving. She wasn’t exactly sure what he was going to say next.

  He allowed the silence to extend between them for some time, before he cleared his throat and clenched his jaw.

  “So, can I just put us out of this misery and ask you here and now if your answer is going to be no? I’m giving you the chance, Veronica, to get out of this easily,” Calvin said and Veronica suddenly felt like her mouth had run dry.

  “Yes…I mean no. I mean, it’s going to be a no. I’m sorry Calvin,” she cried and felt hot tears pricking the backs of her eyelids as she tried to hold his gaze.

  Calvin only nodded. Like he was expecting that very answer.

  “Okay. Just one more thing, Veronica, before I get out of your hair. Are you sleeping with Frank Davenport?” Calvin asked, keeping his voice as steady and neutral as before.

  As Veronica heard the words, she felt like she would rather dig a hole and jump in it herself, rather than face Calvin for one more second.

  Veronica stared at Calvin in shock, speechless for a few moments. In her attempt to refuse Calvin’s delicately, she hadn’t once entertained the thought that he might have figured it out himself.

  “I take it the answer to that is yes,” he said and Veronica tried hard to even her breathing. She wasn’t angry, she was only feeling guilt. Guilty because the man who had been her boyfriend for so long, who had done nothing truly evil himself…now knew about the fact that she had been unfaithful to him.

  “How could you sleep with your boss, Veronica? I didn’t expect that from you. Is he the reason why you’re turning my proposal down?” Calvin asked, and took a few more angry steps towards her.

  Veronica stepped away, afraid of him a little now. Never before had she felt the need to physically defend herself from Calvin, but now she wasn’t so sure. She couldn’t be certain what he might do in his rage.

  “It just happened, Calvin. I didn’t plan for it,” she said meekly, but her voice only seemed to anger him more. Calvin’s eyes were rounded and fiery, the expression in his gaze seemed like he was ready to pounce on her at any moment.

  “So what if you didn’t plan for it? How could you not even think of me?” he growled and Veronica felt a fat tear drop roll down her cheek. He was right. She had been selfish. She shouldn’t have slept with Frank while still in a relationship with Calvin. And she had kept it from him for so long.

  “I’m sorry, Calvin,” she cried and he shook his head. He wasn’t buying it.

  “I don’t care how sorry you are. You’re going to stop it right now and come home with me,” he said and she noticed the way he clenched his fists. Go home with him? She had just refused his proposal. She had just confessed that she was unfaithful to him. Why did he still want her?

  “I can’t do that Calvin, I’m not ready to do that,” she said, still in a soft voice. He had backed her into a corner of the room now and she still wasn’t sure if he was going to physically hurt her.

  “Why can’t you do that, Veronica? Because you think that Frank Davenport actually gives a shit about you? You’re a nanny to his kids. That’s all you are,” Calvin spat out and Veronica pressed her eyes close.

  “Why do you want me anyway, Calvin? After all this. Why do you care? Why don’t you just leave me alone?” she asked, aware that she was screeching now. She could only hope that Ashley and Kaitlyn weren’t able to hear them fighting. The last thing she wanted was to scare or hurt them.

  “I’m willing to forgive you,” Calvin said, through gritted teeth.

  “I don’t want your forgiveness,” Veronica said and Calvin took in a deep breath. As though he was losing his patience with a small naughty child.

  “Okay, look. I’ve been unfaithful to you in the past. I slept with Jeanine from work, a couple of months ago and I didn’t tell you about it. So we can call it even now, and just move on, okay?” he said and reached out to grab her hand.

  Veronica pulled her hand away, her face aghast with rage.

  “You slept with Jeanine? The girl we had over for dinner with your other colleagues?” Veronica asked, in utter disbelief. She didn’t have a clue. Calvin had managed to keep that under wraps very well.

  He stared back at her now, silently.

  “And you think that’s okay?” she spat out.

  “You think sleeping with your boss is okay isn’t it?” he said, a sarcastic smile was lifting the corners of his mouth.

  “No, I don’t think it is okay. I have been racked with guilt and I was going to tell you. I refused to marry you because my relationship with Frank actually means something. Whereas you, you had no intention of telling me. You had a one night stand with someone else and pretended like nothing happened for several months,” Veronica said, glaring at Calvin with her nostrils flared.

  He rolled his eyes and looked away from her.

  “It’s the same thing, Veronica. No matter which way you put it,” he said in a quiet voice.

  “It’s not the same thing. Frank and I have feelings for each other. How many other girls have you had one night stands with?” she was yelling now, unconcerned about who could hear her.

  Calvin’s silence said a lot about his answer. He had definitely slept with more women.

  The door to the bedroom opened abruptly, and Veronica whipped her head around to find Frank entering.

  “I’m going to have to ask you to leave now, Calvin,” Frank said and crossed his hands in front of him. Beside Calvin, Frank towered above him and even though he was older, he appeared to be stronger and more muscular. Calvin looked up at him and then back to Veronica.

  “So, this is how it’s going to be? Your new boyfriend is going to step in and kick me out of your room? After all these years?” he said, his words drawling and dripping with rage.

  “All those years mean nothing after what you just told me. You’ve been cheating on me the whole time. I tried to do the right thing here and not get into a marriage based on lies,” Veronica yelled and Calvin only scoffed it off.

  “Please, leave Calvin. I’m going to ask you politely this last time,” Frank’s deep calm voice cut through the air and now Calvin looked like he wasn’t going to take his chances.

  “Goodbye, Veronica,” he said and she watched him in fuming silence as he walked to her dresser, picked up the box with her ring and left the room, sidestepping Frank on his way out.

  When he shut the door behind him, Frank turned to look at her and she could tell that he had been worried.

  “I’m so sorry that you had to witness this, the girls…” Veronica cried, but before she could cover her face with her hands, Frank had rushed towards her and taken her into his arms.

  “Don’t worry about that. Are you okay?” he asked, trying to get her to look up at him.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. Just a bit in shock. I didn’t expect him to just turn up here,” she said, wiping her damp cheeks with the backs of her hands.

  “I heard loud voices and came up here. I didn’t want to interven
e unless absolutely necessary. But I didn’t want him to hurt you either,” he said and drew her into his arms.

  Veronica rested her head on his chest as she tried to catch her breath again. Frank remained as he was, with his arms around her, and gently rocked her from side to side.

  “He’s been cheating on me. For years, Frank and I had no idea. I feel so foolish,” she burst into tears again, and now Frank wiped the tears away from her cheeks and continued to rock her. It comforted her, the rocking motion, and she laid her head on his chest again.

  “He figured out about us, and wanted me to stop and just go back home with him,” she said, in a meek voice. Frank allowed a few seconds to pass before he said anything, almost as though he was allowing the words to sink into his mind.

  “Your home is here, Veronica, with us,” he said and she looked up at him with her sparkling earnest eyes. He was right. There was nowhere else on Earth that she would rather call home.

  “I don’t ever want to see him again,” she said, in a whimpering whisper.

  “You don’t have to,” he replied and gently stroked her forehead, pushing her curls away from her face.

  “I’m just glad you decided to stay,” he added and she couldn’t help but smile.

  “I wouldn’t leave for anything. This is where I want to be,” Veronica admitted and Frank leaned in to kiss her. The kiss was soft and gentle, while they continued to sway in each other’s arms. Veronica felt like she could have stayed there forever, just rocking in his arms like that.

  “And he took your ring away too!” he said abruptly and she looked up at him and rolled her eyes. The last thing she cared about was Calvin’s ring.

  “But it’s a good thing that I have something to replace it with,” he said and gently pushed her away.

  Veronica’s brows crossed in confusion as she watched Frank take out a red velvet box from the pocket of his pants. Unlike Calvin, he didn’t drop to his knee but remained standing over her, looking down at her with a warm smile spreading on his face.

  Veronica felt like her breath was caught in her throat. She hadn’t expected him to propose. She hadn’t even expected him to formally commit. She was just happy knowing that she could be near him for a while.

  “I’ve been carrying this around in my pocket for a few days, before you went for your date with him. After that I just wanted to give you a chance to decide for yourself, before putting you in the spot like this,” Frank said and Veronica couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

  “That is the most romantic proposal I’ve ever heard,” she said sarcastically and Frank smiled.

  “What I really want to say is, that ever since I met you I knew that you were a woman who I respected and someone I could trust. The fact that I find you irresistible and I want to make love to you all the time, is just an additional bonus. I want my daughters to grow up around a woman like you, I can see the positive influence that you’ve had in their lives and in mine. My days are just nicer with you around. So, will you be my wife?” Frank ended this by popping open the box and presenting the ring to her. It was a pink diamond, cut out in the shape of a heart, studded with small rubies around it.

  Veronica could do all she could to keep her gasp from being too loud. She stared at the sparkling ring in front of her and then back up at Frank’s face.

  “There is nothing more that I want to do, Frank,” she said and before he had a chance to slip the ring on to her finger, Veronica had flung her arms around his neck and was kissing him.

  When they parted they were both laughing. Frank finally slipped the ring on and she held her hand out to admire it.

  “It’s gorgeous Frank. I can’t believe this. It’s all happening so fast,” she said, through her laughter. She still couldn’t stop giggling. Frank was smiling too and he reached for her hand and squeezed it.

  “I’ve always believed in love at first sight. When I know, I just know. And with you I knew from the moment you walked into my office. And kissing you, making love to you only strengthened that belief,” he said and leaned forward to knock their foreheads together.

  Veronica bit down on her lip as she looked at the man who was going to be her husband. She couldn’t help but blush, giggle and remind herself that this was all actually happening. She was going to be with Frank forever. Her deepest wishes were coming true. No matter what the world or her parents had to say about it.

  “I love you, Frank,” she said to him, for the first time aloud.

  “I love you, Veronica. I always will,” he said and pressed his hand on the back of her neck to draw her in closer.

  “Now, let’s go tell the girls!” Frank said and Veronica was laughing again. She was going to have that happy family after all.

  There are more bonus stories ahead…..just look what you want to read next via the Table of Contents (TOC)

  Cowboy Romance Series

  BOOK 1 : BILLIONAIRE COWBOY

  Celia shielded her eyes against the glaring Texan sun with the palm of her hand, this sun was going nowhere. She had just stepped off the train that had carried her from the Austin airport, and after a two-hour journey in a small cramped seat, she could feel her bones aching and her legs needing a stretch. How long would she have to wait here in the heat?

  Two stuffed-to the brim suitcases lay at her feet. She had packed everything she could, everything she would need, although she wasn’t quite sure what she might actually require. She had never been to Texas before, and definitely never to such a small town.

  Celia took in a deep breath and sighed. She had been standing there for over fifteen minutes now, and there was no sign of her ride.

  Her grandfather had written a letter to her a month ago. Initially she had smiled when she found the letter slipped under the door of her tenth-floor apartment in New York, by the postman. Who hand wrote letters anymore? Clearly her grandfather did. But when she eventually read the letter, the smile on her face had disappeared. He was sick, very sick, and he was her only remaining family. She had to be there for him in his hour of need, there was no other choice but that.

  So, Celia quit her job, not that it was much of a job. It was an internship at a fashion magazine, but it was also a stepping stone towards the actual job that she wanted. Sure, it would have taken time, a few months, maybe even a few years…but it would all be worth it. Now, quitting her job, moving to a small town in Texas to care for her grandfather was going to be a major setback. But what other choice did she have? She couldn’t simply allow her grandfather to wither away by himself.

  She had written back to him, probably her first handwritten letter in several years, telling him her plan. She would quit her job and move in with him to care for him, for as long as he needed. He was her only family, she had to do this for him and for the memory of her parents who had brought her up to care for those in need.

  The roar of an engine nearby distracted Celia from her thoughts and she whipped around to find a red battered truck making its way towards her, sending dust clouds up in the air in its trail. Her grandfather had mentioned a ride, but this wasn’t what she was expecting.

  The truck came to a sudden halt, right in front of her feet and Celia took a few steps back in surprise. It looked like an old dusty thing, with the red paint chipped in several places, the rearview mirror broken and dangling on the side. The engine made such a great sound that it was clear that it needed major maintenance.

  Celia still had her face shielded with her hand when the driver’s door creaked open and she saw the back of a man who jumped off the truck. She still didn’t know what to expect, was this definitely her ride?

  “Celia Ferro?” The man banged the door shut behind him and turned to look at her, placing his hands on the burning hot hood of the car engine. There was steam rising from it, it was so hot. But he didn’t seem to notice, he kept his hands on it.

  “Yes.” She replied, in a meek voice. She had obviously expected a stranger to pick her up, but not such a handsome one. This man was
a cowboy through and through, the likes of which she had only ever seen in films or on TV. She hadn’t thought that people like him actually existed in real life.

  He was in a dark plaid shirt, with the sleeves rolled up. His jeans were dark too, with a wide boot cut at the bottoms. For shoes, he had ruddy dusty boots and a cowboy hat to shield his face against the sun. But the sun had definitely got to him, because his skin was darkened, and it glowed like bronze in the midday heat. His eyes were piercingly blue, and Celia dropped her gaze from his face when he looked at her, because his eyes nearly frightened her. He looked muscular and lean, like he worked outdoors all day. As hard as she tried to stop herself, she couldn’t help her mind from wandering and imagining what his bare torso would look like, underneath those clothes.

  “Do you have bags?” The man asked and she nodded her head.

  “They’re right here.” She said and pointed to her feet.

  He walked around the front of the truck silently, taking quick long steps and was by her side within seconds. She felt her muscles freeze from his closeness. She couldn’t remember the last time her body had reacted this way to the physical presence of someone else. Without a word, he picked up both the suitcases and tossed them into the open back of the van.

  Celia winced when she heard the thump of the bags as they fell. She didn’t want to imagine what the state of her perfume bottles and makeup cases were going to be inside them.

  “Get in.” She heard him say, and he walked back around to the driver’s side without waiting for a response from her. Celia gulped. How was she supposed to get in?

  She tried pulling at the passenger door, but it wouldn’t give. The man had already climbed back into his seat. He had his hands loosely placed on the steering wheel and was watching Celia struggling to get the door open. It was like he was enjoying her trying and failing and then trying again.

  She yanked and pulled, but the door wouldn’t budge; and the man wasn’t helping. She turned a sour face to him through the windshield, her lips quivering as she glared at him. What was wrong with him? She thought, but didn’t say anything. After she had glared at him for a good few moments, he leaned over and pushed the door open from his side. It slid open as smoothly as a knife through warm butter.