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THE TENTH pt2
Taking my hand, Taylor guides me back to bed and pulls the covers over us as he spoons me, both arms cradling me gently. At this moment I feel like Taylor's most precious possession, and it scares me. This feeling of being cherished is something so alien to me that I can't believe it is going to last.
"Abby!" Taylor's warning tone brings me back, and I roll over to look at Taylor face-to-face. "I know when you are thinking all that crap in your head, you know."
I gulp. "Sorry, Taylor. It's just that this all seems too good to be true. I don't know how to handle a guy being nice to me." Something about the way he is looking at me makes me feel like I need to explain further. "I mean, I don't have much experience, but the whole two times I had sex before this, the aftermath was, let's just say…um…horrible. And it's not like I have even been in a relationship with a guy." I can't read the expression in Taylor's eyes, so I carry on babbling.
"The
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Thirty Days THE ELEVENTH
I manage to sneak into Taylor's office early by telling Patrice, his personal assistant, that I am dropping off some samples for him. She gives me a look but doesn't challenge me, so I leave the cake on his desk, hoping no one peeks in the plain box.My day passes in a blur, and I only stop when Michelle appears at my desk with a tapping foot, exclaiming loudly that it is lunchtime and she is hungry. I grin at her and gather up my purse so that we can head down to the little café we both love."How are you doing, chick?" she asks when we sit down with our sandwiches and coffee."I am surprisingly okay. The funeral was hard, particularly when I had to do my speech, but then Taylor stepped in…" I stop as Michelle's eyebrows disappear under her fringe in surprise. "Um, yeah, he turned up at the crematorium…" I trail off."Mr Tall, Dark and Handsome Bossman turned up at Nonna's funeral?" Michelle squeals, and I have to shush her and remind her we are in a public place. I take a breath and
Thirty Days THE ELEVENTH pt2
At some point in the drive I pass out, and when I finally come to, I find myself lying on Taylor's bed. A strange, but kind face suddenly appears over me, and I start. My body aches fiercely. My head feels like a fire is burning out of control. "It's okay, Abby. This is my friend James." I hear Taylor's voice, and I relax as his face comes into view. "He’s a doctor. I know you didn't want to go to the hospital, but you need to be looked at by a professional." Taylor takes my hand, and I nod my consent.James starts gently prodding my body, making me wince. When he is finished with his examination, he talks directly to me. "Abby, there is nothing broken and you don't seem to have a concussion, but you have taken a bad beating and you are going to be really sore for a few days. I’ll leave some painkillers with Taylor, and I want you to get some sleep. Can you do that for me?" I hear the concern in his voice and make a mental note to quiz Taylor about him later."Thank you, James." My vo
Thirty Days THE ELEVENTH pt3
The pain is astonishing. Hands beat me and voices scream words like 'whore' and 'bitch'. I struggle to free myself, but my arms are held firm. I hear Richard laughing and smell the stench of his breath on my face. I scream."Abby. Abby, wake up. It's only a dream." Taylor's words jolt me back to the present, and I can feel the sweat pouring off me. Taylor's hands work to free my arms from the sheet I have managed to tangle myself up in. I am breathing hard, and I can feel the tears leaking down my face. When my arms are finally free, I fling them around Taylor's neck and sob into his chest. He cradles me gently, stroking my hair until I calm down a little. Tender kisses fall on my head, my cheek, my ear. Instinct drives me forward, and I turn, pulling Taylor's mouth to mine. We kiss slowly and Taylor cups my face, taking care not to press on my damaged cheek.The kiss intensifies, and all I want is for Taylor to make me whole. I can feel the lust building in Taylor, and I wriggle
Thirty Days THE TWELFTH
Taylor is gone when I wake up. I test my limbs and surprisingly I am in better shape than I anticipated. Thank heavens for super-strength painkillers! I throw on a robe and make my way to the kitchen, where I find a pot of hot coffee, more painkillers and a cinnamon muffin waiting for me. A short note lets me know that Taylor has had to duck out for a meeting and will be back after lunch. The kisses at the end of the note cause the butterflies in my stomach to swirl. As I drink my coffee and take small bites of my muffin, knowing I need to eat before I can take any more of the magic painkillers, I reflect back on our lovemaking last night. Because that was what it was, not fucking or doing 'it', as many people so eloquently put it. I pad back into the bedroom to retrieve my phone, which Taylor had so thoughtfully plugged in beside the bed to charge, and make a call to get an appointment with my doctor. Pregnant at twenty-one is not part of my life plan! I look over at my pil
Thirty Days THE TWELFTH pt2
"Change of plan, Abs. We can't go back to the apartment today.""Um, okay? Can I ask why, or are you going to yell at me?" I try to keep it light, but I can see the veins in Taylor's neck pulsing."Richard has just broken into the apartment." Taylor's voice is low, and I can see he is trying to rein himself in."What? How?" I stammer. "How on earth did he get in? I mean, you have so much security.""Exactly." Taylor's mouth is set in a grim line, and I can see the cogs whirring. I pity the poor person who will be on the end of Taylor's wrath. He bangs his hand against the steering wheel before doing an abrupt U-turn. I close my eyes to try and ease the throbbing in my temples, when I feel Taylor's hand taking mine and rubbing his thumb across my knuckles. The roar of the car's engine dulls my senses, leaving me to drift into my thoughts.I am brought back to the present when the engine abruptly shuts off. I open my eyes to find Taylor has already j
Thirty Days THE TWELFTH pt3
I tip the bag onto the bed and sort through the jumble of clothes. I have no idea how Taylor knows my size, but everything looks like it will fit perfectly. I have plenty of curves and normally struggle to find clothes that fit nicely. Plus I usually would never dream of wearing designer clothes, as my parents have always drummed it into me that I was too 'big-boned' to get into anything couture.Searching through, I find the most beautiful set of underwear in a pearlescent pink. The bra does amazing things to my cleavage, and when I slip on the delicate panties, I feel like a million dollars. All the tags are missing, but I could take a rough stab at what some of this stuff must have cost. Probably what I earn in a month. I pull on a pair of jeans, a beautiful long-sleeved silk T-shirt in the same pearlescent pink, a chunky knit grey cardigan and a wide belt. A pair of grey ballerina flats complete the outfit, and I am just pulling my hair back into a low ponytail when I hea
Thirty Days THE TWELFTH pt4
"After that, Richard changed tack, and rather than go after girls himself, he would wait for me to find a girl I liked and then would start inserting himself in there, just like at school. Being twins, I guess, is a bit of a novelty to most girls, and Richard can actually be quite charming when he wants to be. So he would end up either stealing the girl or pissing her off so badly she would dump me. I didn't end up having any proper relationships until I went off on my gap year and Richard went to university. And then I met Hannah." The overwhelming sadness that I see in Taylor's eyes rocks me to the core."I met her in Costa Rica, on a trek in the jungle. We just clicked and ended up spending most of the year together. When I decided to come back and start my business, she decided to come with me. There was just one problem…I never told her that I had a twin. When I got back, I stupidly thought I would be able to avoid Richard, but somehow he knew. At first, I didn't
Thirty Days THE THIRTEENTH
The buzzing of my phone wakes me and I grab it up quickly, trying not to disturb Taylor, who is still fast asleep. The caller ID shows it is my mother, which is strange as she never rings this early in the morning."Hey, Mum," I say in greeting."Morning, honey. Sorry if I woke you.""No, that's all right. How are you?""All good, sweetheart. Your dad and I had a call from Nonna's solicitor yesterday, and he asked if we can come in as soon as possible to discuss the contents of her will.""Oh, okay. I can ask to get some more time off. I don't think my boss will mind." In fact, I am sure I have plenty of holiday still available, so it shouldn't be an issue with Eddy, though I do need to give him a call to explain why I am not at work."Could you make Friday? It will be at the guy's office in Brighton.""Yeah, that's fine.""Excellent. I'll text you the time once I have it confirmed.""That's cool, Mum."Ther
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