Taken (Dark Desires 1)

“Okay,” Calvin’s eyes lit up a little. “He is an assistant to this big-time lawyer, a guy named Frank Davenport.”

Veronica frowned a little, not quite sure where this narrative was headed.

“Well as his assistant, Jason spends a lot of time with him,” Calvin went on. “And Jason tells me that Davenport is looking for a babysitter. A babysitter that he is willing to pay a good deal of money for their services.”

Veronica’s eyebrows raised.

“Is that so?” she asked speculatively.

“Yes,” Calvin confirmed. “And I took the liberty of telling Jason to tell Davenport that I had a wonderful recommendation.”

“Calvin,” Veronica frowned a little. “You shouldn’t have done that without even talking to me about it first.”

“I know, I know,” Calvin reached across the table and took Veronica’s hand in his own. “I just got a little caught up in the moment. But tell me, what do you think about it?”

Veronica thought for a moment, her eyebrows meeting in a frown. It really was a good opportunity. By making the money, she could afford to cut down prices for her other clients, and at the same time, appease Calvin. Maybe then they could be as happy as they were earlier in their relationship.

If anything, she could at least give it the old college try, and if it didn’t work out, they would just have to find another solution.

“I think it would be a great idea,” Veronica spoke up.

“Great!” Calvin exclaimed, baring his bright teeth in a smile. “Because I already set you up for an interview with him. It’s tomorrow morning at nine, before you have to go in to watch the Jackson’s kids.”

Veronica was a little taken aback, and the irritation must have shown on her face.

“I know, I know,” he held up his hands in a gesture of innocence. “I really should have talked to you about it first. But I really think this will be a good thing for the both of us. And I know that if this guy sees you, and you talk to him about how good you are with kids and how much experience you have, you’re sure to get it.”

Veronica’s mind was more than a little overloaded, and she shook her head as she tried to process all of it. She stood up, placing her napkin on the table.

“Look,” she said, her voice a harsh sigh. “This is a lot for me to have to think about, okay? I just need a little bit of time to think it over, apparently before nine in the morning.”

“I understand,” Calvin gave a nod, looking appropriately contrite.

Veronica took a breath and adopted a calm tone.

“I am going to take a shower,” Veronica said simply.

“I’ll put up the leftovers and wash the dishes,” Calvin said, offering her a smile. Veronica did not smile in return, but she did feel a little appeased.

“Thank you,” she said softly, and turned to make her way into their bedroom.

She moved into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. She stripped out of her clothes and tossed them into the hamper, and then turned on the hot water. Once the temperature was to her liking, she stepped in and began the process of cleaning herself.

As she bathed, she let herself think over the opportunity that Calvin had found for her. It had certainly caught her off guard, and she wished that he had asked her if it was even something she was interested in before he went ahead and made an interview date for her.

In the end, though, she knew it was a great idea. Calvin was right. This way, she could make enough money to satisfy him, and still manage to help out the people in her life that needed it. It seemed like a win-win situation. She could at the very least go to the interview and see how it went. After all, she may not even be selected for the position.

After she had rinsed herself off, Veronica stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel, using it to collect the water off of her deep chestnut skin. She shook some of the water droplets out of her hair, and then left it to air dry.

She began the process of moisturizing her skin, and when she was finished, she moved out of the bathroom and over to her closet. As she crossed the room, she saw Calvin laid out on the bed, his reading glasses on as he perused some law journal.

Veronica put on a pair of shorts and another tank top, then moved to get in her side of the bed. As she settled down beside him, she could se

e him looking over at her.

“Well?” he finally asked, and she could see that he was eager to know what her response would be.

Veronica simply looked at him for a moment, and then released a soft sigh and gave him a smile.