Betrayed (Dark Desires 2)

As she took care of the dishes, Veronica was constantly aware of Frank’s presence in the kitchen. It seemed that no matter how she tried to occupy her mind, she always found her eyes wandering to him. And each time, his eyes seemed to meet hers, and her world seemed to center solely on him.

> Veronica could hardly think at all.

“Alright, I’m off,” Frank finally said, standing from his place at the table. Veronica felt a mix of relief and disappointment that he would be leaving.

Veronica stood back as he kissed the girl’s goodbye, smiling a little as she witnessed their interactions. When he finished, he looked up at Veronica.

“The movers should be bringing your things in today,” he said easily. “Someone will be here to take care of everything for you.”

“Oh,” Veronica blinked. If she was honest with herself, she had forgotten all about her belongings in the flurry of activity that had taken place in the short time that she had been there.

“Thank you,” she managed.

“Of course,” Frank smiled over at her. “I’ll see you this afternoon.”

“Yes sir,” Veronica gave him a nod. Frank blinked and frowned a little, apparently a little confused by her use of a title.

Frank said nothing more as he moved to leave, though he did cast her a curious glance. Veronica let out a soft sigh as she heard the front door close. She gathered up the few remaining dishes and took care of them as the girls chatted at the table. With Frank gone, she was finally able to focus on her job.

When she was finally finished cleaning up, she turned to the girls. She gave them a smile, and they both smiled back eagerly.

“I think the weather outside is nice and warm,” Veronica pointed out. “Who wants to go for a swim?”

Veronica was immediately met with squeals of excitement.

Veronica spent the day entertaining the girls, frolicking with them through the house. After their swim, she helped them get cleaned off and changed into fresh clothes. No sooner were they redressed, though, they wanted her to take them out on the trails, and of course, she obliged.

As Veronica took care of the girls, bringing them in to have lunch after their trek on the trails, she noticed that rest of the staff had filtered in. Most notably, she caught sight of the men who she assumed were the movers taking her possessions up to her room.

Veronica felt a flash of guilt as she saw them. Her belongings reminded her of the home she had made with Calvin, and she wondered vaguely what he was up to. She realized she hadn’t spoken with him much at all the previous day, and she realized she should probably call to check up on him.

It was strange not to be around him all the time, where the details of each other’s lives just sort of came out in the midst of everyday life. Now, though, that they were no longer physically together, she knew she would have to put forth a bit more effort if she wanted to keep tabs on him.

Veronica considered all this as she cleaned up the dishes from the girls’ lunch. She decided then that she could dwell on all this later, and she refocused her attention on her young charges.

They seemed a little worn out from their swim and their hike through the woods, so Veronica opted to settle them down in the den for a while and put on a movie. She nearly laughed as she had to intercept what may have turned into a fight over what movie to watch, and they finally agreed upon a system wherein they would alternate who selected the movie to be watched.

For today, Veronica picked the movie, and the girls were content to watch it. They were quiet for the duration of the movie, but after sitting still for so long they were well rested and ready to go at it again.

While it was definitely more than she was used to dealing with, Veronica was learning to accept that she would be a major fixture in the girls’ lives. She was not having to hard a time keeping up with them, and the more she interacted with them the more she seemed to like them. In general, they were very smart and well-rounded girls.

Veronica caught herself smiling as she thought of the opportunities they would have, and how their father had created them. Having grown up under such rough conditions, it would have been easy for him to go down a horrible road for the rest of his life. Instead, he had made a name for himself and paved the way for an excellent future for his children, as well as providing for the countless members of his staff.

Veronica tried to keep her mind off Frank, but it was hard when she was so clearly surrounded by all that he had made of himself. Even as she took care of his children, she was reminded of him in their smiles and their deep, dark skin. Veronica found herself vaguely wondering what their mother looked like.

The rest of the afternoon was occupied with trying to put together a large puzzle. It was only when a much larger pair of hands joined in that Veronica looked up and saw Frank kneeling down and helping them. Veronica hastily looked back down at the puzzle.

Soon, the whole work was completed, and the girls cheered excitedly for themselves.

“We’ll have to get a frame and hang it up,” Frank said to the girls, and they giggled their approval. Frank glanced over at Veronica and have her a smirk. Veronica offered him an easy smile.

“Why don’t you run downstairs and get a snack,” Frank leaned over and suggested to the girls. “Miss Lawrence will be right down.”

The girls immediately raced down the stairs, and Veronica felt her stomach clench in a way that was becoming all too familiar. Frank looked over at her and seemed to consider her for a moment before he spoke.

“How were they?” he asked her, his voice seeming more tentative than usual.

“They were great,” Veronica answered, trying to keep her voice light.