Passion, Victoria 2: Toni's Reluctance (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  “Oh God, I love you both so much,” Toni sobbed, tears running down her cheeks, “but how the hell do I marry both of you? I don’t want to choose one of you over the other. I love you both equally, but it’s illegal to be married to more than one person.”

  “We’ve already discussed this, baby, and we took note when the men from The Triple R farm proposed to Simone on national television. You would marry Jack on paper as he is the oldest, but you would also be married to me in my heart. We will all sleep in the same bed and live in the same house. Any children we produce, no matter who the father is, will belong to both of us. So what do you say, baby, will you marry us?” Ben asked, opening his clenched fist and showing her the ring in his hand.

  Jack held his breath as Toni looked from him to Ben and back again. His heart was beating so hard it was a wonder it hadn’t burst through his chest. He glanced over at Ben and could see his brother was just as nervous as he was. Just when he didn’t think he could wait anymore Toni smiled at them.

  “It would be my great honor to marry you both, have children with you, and grow old with you. Because there is no way I could live the rest of my life without either of you by my side.” Ben held her hand still and placed the solitaire diamond on her ring finger. It looked a perfect fit. Toni launched herself from the sofa into his arms and laughed. Jack hugged her back while Ben hugged her front. She was right where she was supposed to be, sandwiched between the two of them. She hugged and kissed them until he couldn’t wait a moment longer. He wanted to make love with her all night long.

  “I think you’ve earned yourself another punishment, sugar. What did I tell you about you and that potty mouth of yours?” Jack gave her a lascivious grin and winked.

  Toni jumped to her feet looked down at him and Ben and gave a saucy smile. “For the life of me I can’t fucking remember, maybe you should remind me.”

  When Jack scrambled to his feet she took off and ran down the hall to the bedroom. By the time he and Ben caught up with their sassy lover she was waiting for them on the bed wearing nothing but a great big smile and a diamond ring.

  * * * *

  Toni sighed and got out of the truck. She’d spent the whole of last night and most of the day being “punished” by her men, but now it was time to face reality again. She didn’t really want to go back to work tomorrow morning and was worried how Tasha would react when she asked about the coffee shop but Toni had put her hopes and dreams on hold for too long. Life was too short to just go on accepting things the way they were. It was time to take the bull by the horns and direct her life the way she wanted it to go.

  She’d already overcome her penchant for being scared of having an intimate relationship. It had been one of the hardest things she’d ever done, telling Jack and Ben about her first experience with a man, but things had worked out way better than even she had imagined. Now that she was engaged to be married and knew that Ben and Jack loved her she felt strong enough to tackle anything. She hurried up the sidewalk toward her door intent on opening up so Ben and Jack could come in so they could share their dinner together. After a quick glance over her shoulder she saw they were still near the curb talking. They looked so happy and it made her feel special knowing that she was the reason for their joy.

  Toni went to unlock the front door to the apartment but the door was already unlocked. Silently cursing Tasha for her negligence, she turned back to smile at Jack and Ben as they finally began walking up the foot path with her pizza and drinks about ten meters behind her. As she stepped inside she caught movement off to her left and spun back around but she was too late.

  He grabbed her around the neck, pulled her back against his front and held a knife to her neck. Neville pulled her away from the door and when she reached up to pull the knife away from her throat he pushed it a little harder into her neck and she felt the tip prick into her skin. A warm trail of fluid slowly trickled down her neck. Toni whimpered and looked at Jack and Ben when they walked in the door. She could see the fear in their eyes when she met their gaze but when they looked at her crazy neighbor Neville, their eyes went ice cold.

  “Let her go, man. You don’t want to hurt her.” Jack slowly moved to the side of the door and placed the pizza box on the floor, but he once never took his eyes from Neville. Ben moved to the other side of the door and he placed the six pack of beer on the floor close to the wall and he too kept his gaze on Neville.

  “You can’t get away so you may as well let Toni go, now.” Ben took two more steps to the side and began to move around the sofa.

  “Stay back or I’ll kill her,” Neville yelled, his spittle hitting her in the cheek.

  Toni couldn’t stop trembling but she couldn’t let her fear rule her. She’d bested him once, she could do it again.

  Jack moved a step forward and spread his arms out as if showing Neville he was unarmed. With each step he took, Neville took a step back. Toni tried to remember how far away the coffee table was. If she could just time it right she might be able to shove Neville back over it. He wouldn’t be able to keep a hold on her if he was falling. Would he? Yeah, but if you’re unlucky enough he will probably cut your throat as he goes down?

  Jack shook his head slightly as if he knew what was going through her mind and she gave up that idea. She was just going to have to trust her men to get her out of this unharmed.

  “Why are you trying to hurt Toni? What has she ever done to you?” Jack took another step forward.

  “She ignored me. I only wanted a kiss and she hit me on the head. She humiliated me and then had the police try and warn me away. Toni made me look like a fool and now she has to pay.” The knife dug in a little deeper.

  “Does it make you feel good to harass helpless women, Neville? Does it make you feel like more of a man?” Jack took another two steps forward as he continued to talk but Toni could see Ben working his way around in her peripheral vision. Neville was so intent on Jack he seemed to have forgotten Ben was in the room. “Real men don’t need to force their intentions on a woman. I don’t think you have any balls at all, do you, Neville? If you did you would come for me and let Toni go.”

  God, Jack, are you trying to make him even more crazy?

  All of a sudden the knife was pulled away from her throat, a loud snap sounded and a scream of pain rent the air. Toni was shoved forward and right into Jack’s arms. He spun her around and used his own body to protect her, but a moment later he eased his hold and half turned to look over where Neville had been holding her captive.

  Toni tried to see around Jack but he cupped her face and tilted her head up and to the side. “Shit, that fucking arsehole cut you. I’m going to rip his fucking head off.”

  Toni placed a hand on his chest and rubbed soothingly. It only felt like a small cut and nothing to really worry about. “I’m fine, Jack. You and Ben saved me. Ben, are you okay?”

  “I’m fine, baby.” Toni finally managed to calm Jack down and then she sidestepped him to see that Ben had Neville trussed up with his belt. The leather was wrapped around his wrists and one of them looked like it was swelling. “Did you break his wrist?”

  “Yeah, baby. It was the only way to get the knife away from him without you getting cut.”

  “Good,” Toni said and then she sank down onto the sofa because she was shaking so much she couldn’t stand any longer. Ben and Jack surrounded her with their arms and heat until her shaking stopped and when Jack moved away, Ben cradled her on his lap. When she heard Jack talking she realized he had called the police. After he hung up from the law he called his friend Ryan.

  Zach and Noah arrived on the scene at the same time Ryan did. Ryan gave her an incredulous look when he saw the small cut but disinfected it and covered. After a quick word with Jack, he left again. Noah and Zach took their statements and arrested Neville and lead him away. Neville was going to be spending his time in jail until he was due to face trial for breaking and entering as well as grievous bodily harm. She was glad to press charges this
time and hoped that her creepy neighbor would spend a long time incarcerated.

  * * * *

  Toni had opened the door to the coffee shop just before her sister arrived.

  “Hi Tasha,” she greeted and hugged her. “Thank you for allowing me to have a few days’ rest. I really appreciate it, honey.”

  “No problem. I must say you’re looking a hell of a lot better. The dark circles under your eyes are gone and you’re not as pale and drawn. The rest has done you good, Toni. I’m just glad creepy Neville won’t be around anymore.”

  “You and me both.” Toni took a deep breath. “Tasha, there’s something I need to ask you and I want you to answer honestly.”

  “This sounds ominous,” Tasha gave her a curious look. “Okay, give.”

  “I want to know if you really like working in this shop, if it is your dream, or if you hate it,” Toni asked.

  “Well actually, I’m getting kind of fed up with having to work in this place all the time. I never imagined this would be what I would end up doing for the rest of my life. Why?” Tasha asked.

  “I’m so glad you said that, because I am totally bloody sick and tired of this place. I never wanted to work here in the first place, but we just sort of eventuated into this shop. What do you think of selling up?” Toni asked.

  “I think you’re quite mad, sis, and I’m just as mad because I can’t wait to get out of here. I’ve had enough of these four walls to last me a lifetime,” Tasha smiled.

  “So, what’s your dream job, Tasha?”

  “I’ve always wanted to be an artist. You know how I used to love to draw and paint? Well that is my dream job. To be able to paint and draw whenever I like without having to worry about where my next paycheck is coming from, or how to pay for the food I eat and keeping a roof over my head,” Tasha sighed. “I also want to get married and have kids, not right now, but in the not too distant future. Are you sure it’s what you want, Toni? To sell up and leave this wonderful building?”

  “I’m definitely sure,” Toni held up her left hand and waited.

  “Oh! You’re engaged? When did this happen? You don’t have to tell me to whom. When are you getting married? Is this why you want to sell the shop?” Tasha squealed and then pulled Toni in for a hug. “I am so happy for you, sis, and it’s about damn time.”

  “Whoa, hang on a minute, sis, one question at a time,” Toni laughed. “We haven’t set a date yet. I wanted to sell the shop because I never wanted it in the first place. My dream is to become an author and have a family and now that dream can come true. Half of my dream is already beginning and the other half will start after we sell this bloody burden.” Toni hugged her sister. “We need to call mum and dad before we do anything and I would really like your support when I do.”

  “You’re worried about what they’ll say about you having two men.” Tasha grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

  “Yeah. God, I love you. You know me so well.”

  “It works both ways, Toni.” Tasha took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Let’s call them now. Putting it off will only make it harder. I just hope mum isn’t too disappointed that we don’t want to keep the shop.”

  Toni pulled her mobile phone from her pocket, placed it on the table and then hit speed dial. She made sure to put it on speaker phone so that their parents could hear both her and Tasha.

  “Hi, Toni, how are you honey?”

  “I’m fine, mum.” Toni mentally cursed when she heard the nervous waver in her voice.

  “What’s wrong, Antonia? Do you need your father and I to fly down.”

  “No and nothing’s wrong, mum.” Toni took a second to clear her throat and was glad when her mother waited patiently without peppering her with questions. “Would you be upset if Tasha and I sold the coffee shop?”

  “Are you having money problems, Toni?”

  “No, mum,” Tasha answered this time. “Toni and I have just realized that this wasn’t our dream.”

  “Mum, I want to write a book. I can’t do that with so many of my hours taken up running this place.”

  “And you, Natasha?” Their mum asked. “How do you feel about that?”

  “I want to paint,” Tasha blurted then bit her lip and glanced nervously at Toni.

  “Well, now. I am so glad my girls want to follow their dreams. You don’t need to ask me if you can sell that shop. It’s yours and you can do anything you like with it. You bought it from your father and I and if you don’t want it anymore, then that’s a decision only the two of you can make.” Toni relaxed and smiled at Tasha. “Thanks, mum. I’m glad you won’t be upset about the shop.”

  “What else is going on?”

  Toni should have known her mum would pick up on the vibes of tension. It didn’t matter that she was thousands of kilometres away in another state or on the phone. She always seemed to know when either she or Tasha had something on their mind.

  “I’m in love with two men,” Toni said and held her breath as she waited for a reply.

  “And?”

  “They love me too.”

  “Oh, Toni, I am so happy for you, honey. I don’t care if you love five men. If they love you back and treat you right then you hold onto that. Life is too short not to be with who you love.”

  “They asked me to marry them, mum.”

  Toni smiled when her mum squealed and started asking when the wedding was, who her men were and anything else that she could think of. By the time she and Tasha had spoken to both her mum and dad, Toni felt like the weight of the world had been lifted from her shoulders. Her parents were happy and would support her relationship with Jack and Ben as long as they continued to love and cherish her. As soon as she knew the wedding date she was to let her parents know so they could fly or drive down from Queensland to help with the wedding and meet her men. And even though Toni couldn’t wait to be Mrs. Landon she was so happy she could scream. She finally disconnected the call and looked at Tasha with a big grin on her face.

  “Shit. Let’s do it, Toni. I don’t mind making coffee but I want to follow my dream, too. Let’s see if we can sell this place.”

  “I could probably help you out with that, sweetheart,” Sean Gallagher’s Irish brogue drew Toni’s gaze. He was leaning against the door to the back room staring at her sister. She raised her eyebrow at him expectantly when he finally looked at her. “I have two friends in Bendigo who have a similar set up to this one and they are looking to expand to other towns. They have competent staff already running the other shop. If you want to get a market price on this place, I can give them a call and let them know the price and that you’re interested in selling.” Sean looked over Tasha’s body again and Toni had to stifle a giggle when she scowled at him.

  “I’ll take you up on that offer Sean. Let me call the real estate agent right now. I’ll let you know as soon as I have a price.” Toni walked over to the phone and dialed.

  Toni saw how engrossed Sean and Tasha were as they spoke to each other. It looked more like they were arguing actually, but since the phone was answered by the real estate agent she had to concentrate on her phone call. When she’d finished her call she turned back to Sean and Tasha.

  “The real estate agent will be here in ten minutes. Apparently she has some free time right now,” Toni bit her lip when Tasha glared at Sean, again. “So what are you two up to?”

  “This hunk of a Neanderthal wants me to go on a date with him and his arrogant brother. I keep telling him no but he doesn’t seem to want to listen. Maybe you can get it through his thick skull. I’m going to set up the salads for lunch.” Tasha stomped out of the room.

  “God, I love a feisty woman.” Sean grinned as he watched Tasha disappear.

  “Hmm. I’ve never seen her get so mad so quickly with anyone besides you. She’s usually such a docile person. Don’t get me wrong, she does have a temper but usually it takes her a long time to reach her limit. You and your brother just seem to push her buttons somehow.” Toni smiled and ga
ve him a wink.

  The smile he gave her in return nearly lit up the whole room. “Thank you, Toni. We were about to give up. You’ve given us some hope, darlin’.” Sean leaned down and kissed her cheek.

  “Hey, get your hands off my woman,” said a familiar voice.

  “Oh fuck, here we go,” Toni muttered loud enough for everyone to hear. They all burst out laughing when Toni smiled innocently up at Jack, as he sauntered across the room and gave her a kiss and hug.

  “Hello, I’m here to see the owner of this store for a real estate value.”

  “Hi, I’m Toni, I called you. Sorry, what was your name again?”

  “Rhiannon, pleased to meet you, Toni. If you could just let me wander by myself for a while I’ll enjoy one of your coffees while I write up the appraisal for you.”

  “Sure go ahead, give a yell when you’ve finished and I’ll have coffee ready and waiting for you.”

  “So, Tasha doesn’t want to keep the store either, sugar?” Jack asked.

  “No, she wants to be an artist and eventually a mother. What I’d like to know is how either of us got roped into doing something neither of us wanted in the first place?” Toni asked with a puzzled frown.

  “Don’t worry about it now, Toni. Your life is changing for the better so who cares how you and Tasha ended up doing this. What matters is that you’re taking the steps to do what you really want to do now,” Jack said.

  “How did you get to be so philosophical?”

  “Must be the company I keep,” Jack grinned.

  Epilogue

  “Tasha what are you going to do now that I’m moving out? You’ll have no one to share the rent and expenses with, and since the shop is sold you’re not going to have any cash flow.” Toni frowned.

  “Well, I thought about advertising for a border to share expenses, but then I reconsidered as they would probably drive me crazy when I am trying to paint. I haven’t thought about it any further than that, because everything has happened so quickly.” Tasha nibbled on her lower lip.