Never Ending Love Chapter one pt 2

***

Vanessa sat in between the Dalton clan and the McPherson clan as she watched Tom walk across the stage to get his MBA degree. She had tears in her eyes when he gave his valedictorian speech. When they were all released from the crowd Vanessa ran into his open arms and held on tight as he spun her around in a circle.

He introduced her to some of his new friends that he had met on campus. "So what did you think," he asked.

"I think you did good," Vess said hugging his waist. "I've missed my best friend,"

"I've missed mine too," Tom admitted hugging her tight once again.

Vanessa moved away from the embrace wondering just where to go now.

Tom reached for her, encircling her wrist with his hand, and all thought ceased to exist. Vanessa looked down at his hand and then back up at him, confusion written all over her beautiful face. "Come with me," he said quietly and began to lead her around the side of the building.

"Where are we going?" Vanessa asked as he led her down the street to the apartment complex.

"Just come here for a minute," Tom said as he pulled her behind him, leading her to up his apartment and opening the door.

"Oh my God. Are you trying to get me in your bed, Johnathan? Is this where you take all of your girls?" Vanessa laughed as she stepped over the thresh hold into the foyer.

"You are the first girl I have ever brought up here," Tom said firmly as he moved to the center of the hallway and back against the wall.

"But Johnathan, what if we're late for the party?" Vanessa asked breathlessly as he came to a stop.

"Stop that," Tom growled.

Vanessa looked up at him, her eyes wide and innocent. "Are you going to kiss me, Johnathan? Does this mean that we're going steady?"

Tom slipped his hand up under her hair, his fingers dangling in the loose curls at the nape of her neck. "Yes," he said as he stared into her eyes meaningfully.

Vanessa's laughter died on her lips. She reached up, balancing herself with two handfuls of white cotton as she tipped her head back and looked up at him expectantly. "Are we gonna make a baby now?" she asked softly, stunned by the intensity in his dark eyes.

"I just want to kiss you," he said raggedly.

"Kiss me," she whispered as his lips descended on hers.

Soft and slow, thick and heavy, the fog descended, wrapping them up in a world of their own. His lips brushed hers gently, but Vanessa was having none of that. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him closer. The force of her body against his pushed him back against the wall as she kissed him hard, her body arching into him. Tom's hand spread over her back, the tips of his fingers brushing the bare skin of her shoulder blades, as he groaned low and deep and parted her lips with his tongue.

Vanessa responded enthusiastically, her tongue seeking his, her body sliding against his in a slow sensual dance, moving to the rhythm set by feel of his tongue sliding over hers, falling under his spell. They parted, their chests heaving as they gasped for oxygen, their eyes locked on one another.

"Oh my God," Vanessa whispered.

"What?" he asked fearfully.

"Oh my God," Vanessa said again as she launched herself at him. Her hands framed his face as she kissed him again. Her breath came in soft pants as he yielded, taking her into him again, and their kisses grew fierce and frantic. Vanessa's hands slipped to his shoulders, and then to his chest, feeling the hard planes beneath her fingertips, her mind mentally cursing the same cotton it had praised just minutes before.

Tom tore his moth from hers, turning her around and pressing her up against the wall. He kissed her again, his hard body grinding into hers, desperate to get closer still. He kissed his way to her ear and whispered hoarsely, "Let me, Vanessa. Let me be the guy, the right guy for you."

"You are," she said breathlessly.

"I'll give you anything you want. All of it," he promised as he drew on the delicate skin beneath her ear. "You always have been," Vanessa panted as she ran her hands over his back. "I don't know what we were waiting for," she murmured.

Tom bent his knees raining kisses over her neck and shoulders. "That's what I want, Vanessa. I want you." he growled against the sensitive flesh.

"Oh God, I want you too," Vanessa gasped as he pressed soft wet kisses to the sweetheart neckline of her dress.

Tom pressed his lips to the hint of soft flesh between her breasts and whispered, "I want you, I want you."

"Tom, please," she said urgently.

"I know, I know," he mumbled as he kissed his way back up over her chest, pausing to lick softly at the hollow of her throat before he straightened up.

  "Don't stop," she panted as she snaked her arm down between them and stroked him lightly over his jeans. When he looked up at her, startled, Vanessa smiled and said, "No one ever needs to know. Just you and me."

"Vanessa, I," Tom started to protest, but she silenced him by pressing one finger to his lips as she continued to stroke him through the worn denim. "You can't be serious. Are you serious?" he asked breathlessly.

"Dead serious," she answered, her gaze never wavering from his.

"It's crazy."

"You're making me crazy," Vanessa whispered as she found the tab on his zipper. "Now, you could just be messing with me or you could just be the biggest tease in the world, but I really hope that you're not," she said softly as she drew his zipper down. When Tom made no move to stop her, she smiled and reached for her skirt. He stared at her dumbfounded as she reached up and pushed at her hips. A moment later, she wriggled those hips and then looked down pointedly as her panties pooled at her ankles.

Tom's jaw hung open as he searched her face, incredulous. He swallowed hard and glanced down as she stepped out of her panties. “I’m not teasing,” he said nonsensically.

Vanessa smiled as she unbuckled his belt and said, "Well, maybe I'm taking advantage of you, then."

"Vanessa, this isn't what I…" he stammered, closing his eyes as she slipped her fingers into the open fly of his jeans and caressed him through his boxers.

"This isn't what you want? I'd say that there is evidence to the contrary," she teased gently.

"This isn't what I want for you," he managed to say.

"Well, it's exactly what I want for both of us," she argued. "Come on, Johnathan, this is your chance to finally live up to that reputation of yours. Take the shot," she taunted. Vanessa saw the fire light in his eyes as he looked down at her, his eyes lingering on her breasts before they fell to her hand buried in his jeans. "Chicken out?" she asked as she raised one eyebrow.

"What?"

"Did you chicken out?" she repeated slowly. When he didn't respond right away, Vanessa gave him a knowing smirk and added, "Again."

A muscle jumped in his jaw, and Vanessa’s lips curved into a small smile of victory as she marked a direct hit. She pulled away from the wall a bit and held her arms out to her sides and said challengingly, "This is what you want, right? Just remember, it's not my fault if you don't take it."

For once in his life, Luke Danes didn't think, he acted. He stepped into her, pushing her back again, trapping her soft body pressed between the solid heat of his and the cool, hard wall.

"This is nuts," he said as he finished unbuckling his belt and opened the button on his jeans.

"This is hot," Vanessa said as she pressed her head back against the wall. "We have to hurry," she urged.

Tom reached for her skirt, his fingers grappling with the slippery material and the petticoats beneath as he tried to gather them higher. He finally gained the soft flesh of her thigh, and lifted her leg, holding it to his hip as his other hand slipped under her skirt and unerringly found the soft damp curls at the apex of her legs. Vanessa moaned and pressed into his hand instinctively, and he was lost, the fog clouding all common sense and reason from his mind, and her heat searing through him.

He slipped one finger into her folds and found her wet and wanting. "Oh God," he groaned hoarsely.

"Oh yes," Vanessa said as she pushed ineffectually at his jeans and boxers. "Dammit," she muttered as she tried to free him. "Oh!" she gasped as he pushed one finger into her, her eyes opening wide. "Now, now," she moaned as she redoubled her efforts, and succeeded in working them down over his straining erection. "Mm hmm," she hummed appreciatively, stroking the thick length of him as his finger slid into her once more. She looked at him, her eyes clouded with desire, her eyelids heavy as she blinked at him drowsily. "Now," she whispered.

Tom withdrew his finger slowly as Vanessa gathered her skirts to give him better access. Tom bent his knees, and still holding her leg at his hip, positioned himself at her entrance. He looked up at her through his lashes and asked, "You are gonna marry me someday, right?”

Vanessa laughed breathlessly and said, "I'll make an honest man of ya someday."

"Good," Tom said as he pressed into her. "Ohh," he groaned as she opened for him taking him deeper into her hot, wet walls. "Oh geez," he whispered. Tom reached for her other leg, and pressed her against the wall as he motioned for her to hop up.

Vanessa complied, wrapping both legs tightly around his hips as he cupped her bottom, squeezing it gently in his large hands. He began to move slowly, his hips circling against hers. "Oh Tom," Vanessa murmured, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her face to his shoulder.

Tom continued to thrust into her, pulling her down on him with deliberate determination, never wavering from the tempo. He closed his eyes, his nose buried in her soft, fragrant hair, her body wrapped around his in every way possible. Their soft gasps and low moans until the urgency became unbearable. Vanessa pushed back on his shoulders, lifting her head until she could capture his lips. He swallowed her moans as she tightened around him; she captured his soft grunts as he surged deep within her.

Tom bent his knees again, gently lowering her to the ground as he slipped away from her. Vanessa curled her fingers into the soft cotton covering his shoulders as he pulled his pants up, but left them undone. With one hand wrapped firmly around her waist, Tom kissed her sweetly, over and over again. They parted, and he rested her forehead against hers, their breaths mingling as their hearts tried to recover.

Tom chuckled as he shrugged slightly and said, "You said you were going to marry me."

Vanessa smiled and said, "Yeah, but we should probably give dinner and a movie a chance first."

Tom smiled as he kissed her again and said, "More of a chance of things not working out with that, than with this."

"Probably," Vanessa agreed with a grin. "I think this is going to work out very nicely."

Tom glanced down at his disheveled clothing and began to tuck his t-shirt back into his pants as he saw shook her skirt down and pushed away from the wall in a daze.

***

Chet Dalton was sitting at the desk in the head chair when Tom walked into the office in his power suit. “Johnathan  you’re late.”

“I know and I’m pushing a clock,” Tom said turning to hold the door open. “Come on in boys,” Tom said walking over to where Chet was sitting. “Have a seat,” Tom said.

“Johnathan what are you doing,” Chet asked.

“I’m being Clint Dalton at his own game,” Tom said, remembering all too clearly what Vess’s last parting shot was to him when he went away to college. “Don’t bother trying again,”

“Johnathan this has always been a family business,” Chet said firmly.

“I know but I’m bringing in my own family,” Tom said. “And there is nothing you can do to stop me,” Tom added firmly knowing he just bested his grandpas’ in their own game, as he started to pass out the portfolio’s he had made up just the other night.

“Johnathan what are you doing,” Chet said looking at the folder Tom handed.

“A new order of business, as of Friday I was officially able to come and take over the company. I came in here and I went over the record books and new plans for company. This is a legal document putting the heads over what ever division I want,” Tom said firmly and loudly. “And if no one likes my changes well there is the door,” Tom added in a booming clear voice.

Chet watched in amazement as he looked over the list. “No offense Johnathan, but these boys have no experiences in the fields,” Chet said.

“Wrong they do, because they all went back to school with me, now some of them didn’t go to that stupid Ivy League school that you and Clint forced me into going to but they got their MBA’s.” Tom said firmly. “Now is there a problem because we’ve been working on these projects for three months now,” Tom said.

“Please continue Johnathan, this old fuddy duddy won’t stand in your way,” Chet said leaning back in his chair.

“Good,” Tom said with a nod. “Jered, you’re in charge of the overseas operation. Jason you’re in charge of the small business ventures. Cole, I want you over the accounts. Shawn you’re in charge of the west coast line from Arizona up, Jake you’re in charge of everything east of the Mississippi.” Tom said as Jack burst into the office.

“You’re late Jack,” Tom said looking at him.

“Sorry, there was an emergency,” Jack said taking a seat.

“Well unfortunately I don’t care what kind of an emergency Lori had at the moment, and take care of them on your own time,” Tom said, getting back down to business.

***

Tom walked into his new plush corner office, carrying a cardboard box of his personal belongings. The office seemed larger then he remembered it being, granted he had only been in here a few times when his grandfather was still alive but….now it was his. The office was somewhere a cross between Lionel Laramie’s office in Sabrina, and J.R. Ewing’s office in Dallas. There was a bed room hid tightly in one corner of the office a small luxurious bathroom with a shower beside the bedroom, and a small utility kitchen then another door that he knew went into another office, the vice presidents office if he wasn’t mistaken.

He walked over to the desk and sat the box down. He gathered someone had come in to clean out his grandfather’s belongs. He pushed a button locking him off from the outside world. “Ms. Adams, no interruptions,” Tom said softly into the intercom. He knew Ms. Adams would follow his orders to the letter. He pulled out a silver framed picture of the one exception to all his own rules. He didn’t want anyone knowing that he was pinning away for her.

How old had she been when this picture was taken, fifteen, and sixteen maybe even seventeen at best. It was one of the town’s dances during the festival he knew that much. It had been evening and the mountains loomed in the background as the gray blue sky acted as a backdrop. Her lovely heart shape face was all a glow and radiant in her olive skin complexion. Her big blue gray eyes were shinning like stars with a twinkle of her smile.  Her black spaghetti strap dress dipped low over her full pert breast that left nothing to imagination. You could see the swells above the dress in the tight sharp v-neckline. It clung to her skin molding her flat tone stomach, and flaring hips. Her long auburn hair hung loosely well past her waist. She was gorgeous in the picture of perfection. He looked at the picture one last time before he put it in the middle drawer and shut it up tight with lock and key, before he started to put the other things on his desk.

He finished putting things the way he wanted them on his desk and threw the switch again. “Ms. Adams,” Tom said through the intercom, “Would you and Mrs. Travis and Mrs. Barrett come in here please,” Tom said softly.

Two minutes later the three secretaries were walking into his office. “Mrs. Barrett would you shut the door behind you please,” Tom said, watching the mid thirty year old woman shut the door, before she moved to stand in front of his desk. “Ladies please have a seat,” Tom said, offering them the three chairs in front of his desk while he leaned back against the desk.

“I don’t know how my grandfather did this, so I’m just going to be very blunt,” Tom said. “I have certain rules that I want followed to the letter and I expect you all to do so,” Tom said.

“Rules sir,” Mrs. Barrett said looking at him questionably.

“Yes, rules, Ms. Barrett, now they don’t necessarily fall under your line of work but since you will be showing people in my office and things I think you should know my ground rules,” Tom said watching them all three nod their heads.

“I will not tolerate anybody that shows up late for work, or who can’t follow orders and simple procedures. Ms. Adams, you’ve worked for my grandfather for a good many years, and I’m sure he had you coming into the office early to make sure the coffee was on and so forth,” Tom said.

“Yes, Mr. Dalton he did,” Ms. Adams said.

“Well you won’t be doing that anymore, I’ll make my own coffee in my office, you ladies may have the coffee at your desk, I know he was a stickler for nothing personal, and I hated that rule, so decorate your offices accordingly but I want them to be professional at the same time.” Tom said looking at their faces. “Now when I’m in a board meeting on a conference call there are to be no interruption what so ever, or when I say no interruptions,” Tom said.

“But there is one exception to that rule, and only one exception to that rule, Miss McPherson and my family,” Tom said firmly.

“Which Miss McPherson,” Mrs. Travis asked.

“Any of them but especially Miss Vanessa,” Tom said.

“Very well sir, will there be anything else,”

“That’s all and go ahead and take the rest of the day off, and I’ll see you in here at eight o’clock sharp in the morning,” Tom said.

***

Tom had to go to Australia for a production meeting and he left with very firm instructions to Jace who was going to take over playing “Jace” with Vanessa as himself for a couple weeks, to leave his pants zipped.

It was early when he got back in, and instead of rushing off to bed he headed towards his brother’s house to get things ready for his date with Vanessa tonight as Jace. Only to hear that honey sweet husky voice screams out his brother’s name.

Tom wasn’t sure what made him open the bed room door seeing his brother and Vanessa together in the most intimate way almost made him black out with rage. He would have loved to go in there and pull his brother off of her and beat him to a blood pulp but instead he turned and walked away with his heart breaking in his chest.

***

Vanessa emptied the contents of her stomach for the third time that morning and sank back on the lush grass of the creek bank. She reached over toward the log and stared in disbelief at the test she'd just taken. She wasn't just late. She was pregnant. She'd suspected it for a couple of weeks now since she hadn't had a period in August, but she just hadn't gotten up the nerve to take the test, afraid of the results. It was weird.

Vanessa sat there beside the gently flowing creek, reflecting on her life. She listened to the ripple of the brook and felt the sun touch her creeks through the trees. She had fought, fought with a passion but nothing was going to change the little white stick in her hand from reading positive.

“Ugh!” she heaved to falling backwards. How could she have messed everything up so miserably?

She had to tell him…make him stand still long enough to listen to her. “Agh,” she closed her eyes, casting her elbow over them and swallowed hard. Who was she suppose to tell Tom or Jace. Maybe if she explained things to Jace he would understand, or maybe if she told Tom. But which one was she supposes to tell.

And then she’d have to tell her father, oh God, how could she tell her father. It might be complicated to explain but once she explained, maybe, just maybe he would understand. Then again, maybe he wouldn’t understand. She couldn’t tell her father or either one of her mothers that she didn’t know which of the Dalton boys was the father.

She was just going to have to think on this some more. She stood up shoving the test into her back pocket as she walked over to her horse and mounted up and headed for home. She felt tears stinging her eyes when she thought about how and when she was going to tell Tom. She dreaded his reaction with the way he'd been pushing her aside lately. Ever since Tom's "What about the kids?" outburst she realized that he wanted to have kids with her and how she herself wanted him to be the father of her children. She knew in her heart that he'd be an excellent father, but she wondered if this would be just one more thing to push him over the edge.

***

Tom Dalton stared at the open file on his desk; of new prospective companies that needed his finical backing. A matter he had to handle with the utter most care and importance with the utter most urgency. He was confident in his lawyer and assistants on their digression on the matter and more importantly his preference had been met on most levels. Shrugging his shoulders he arranged the file of full progressive spreadsheets to where they covered his desk.

One year wasn’t that long; he could make a year as a trapped bear. It wasn’t even that long out of a person’s life if they were well compensated for their time. He looked over ratios again. His gut tightened up again at the thought of four companies that needed his help.

His picked up the mergers portfolio as he began to pace in front of the windows. Dalton Enterprises merging with Vega Enterprises of development would be joining of two of the biggest oil and ranching and development grounds in the history of today’s business worlds.

He knew Diego Vega wouldn’t let his company go to anyone with out a family or part of the family but he didn’t want to pull personal ties into business. He could just ask Diego Vega to let him run the Vega and Dalton Enterprises together under his name. 

Of course he could use his name under the Flying V‘s or McKelote, but then McKelote and the Flying V’s were just starting to get a name for themselves with out the help of family names. He was doing well not mixing up the three companies: The Flying V’s was mainly his ranching developments and McKelote was a mixture of and Dalton Enterprises and the Flying V’s. He still couldn’t believe he was the head CEO’s of all three companies.  The best part about it was no one knew but the other CEO’s involved just who McKelote and the Flying G’s were.

“Mr. Dalton there’s a Ms. McPherson here to see you,” a sharp firm voice said over the intercom.

“Send her in Ms. Adams,” he said, he couldn’t help but smile big as he dared until he noticed which McPherson daughter it was. The smile faltered at seeing Lori McPherson standing in his door way. “Lori, what are you doing here?”

“There’s a family emergency and our fathers are demanding that all of you come home immediately. “ Lori said softly.

“What kind of emergency” he demanded pressing the button to the intercom.

“One to do with the senior girls that’s in our family,” Lori said.

“What seniors,” Jake asked walking into Tom’s office.

“Janet, Cassie, Taylor, and Vanessa,” Lori informed them all.

“What’s the matter with Vanessa,” Tom demanded.

“Look all I know is that I’m suppose to come and get you and bring you all back home to help deal with this,” Lori said holding up a hand in surrender.

“Let’s go home boys,” Tom said. “Ms. Adams, cancel all appointments for the rest of the evening and reschedule them for later on in the week please, then you and the girls can go home,” Tom said going out the door towards the elevator.

***

Vanessa sat tight lipped on the counter by the fridge, dangling her feet as she listened to the five major families of her life fight over something they had no control over. There was an amuse smirk and twinkle in her eye as she watched the show, until she saw her sister Lori coming up the path to the house draped all over her husband Jack Colter’s arm, leading the rest of them. She didn’t have to get a good look at their faces to know each one of them would be determined to bail this family out of the trouble that had arose but even the bailer outers couldn’t fix this problem.

She almost felt sorry for her best friends who were getting the worse end of the stick; ha that was a laugh the worse end of the stick, not hardly. She had gotten the worse end of that stick.

***

“Stop that insane bawling and just tell us what we need to know,” James McPherson thundered at the group.

“You’re brothers’ will make him pay and be held responsible for this mess,” Ben Cartwright said just as loudly as James.

Tom saw Vanessa sitting away from the crowd gathered round the kitchen table. He took one look around and realized that they were pressuring the other girls into cracking all but her for now only because the rest of them were bawling their eyes out and crying out loud wails that made it hard for a person to think. “What on earth is going on here,” Tom asked idling up close to Vanessa.

“I don’t rightly know, I just got back from riding and found them all like this,” Vanessa said with a shrug of her shoulders.

“Hold it everybody what in thunder is going on here,” Tom shouted out above the noise.

“They are all pregnant,” Patrick McPherson shouted glaring at his granddaughter.

“And they are refusing to give us the names of the fathers,” Chet Dalton said looking sternly at his granddaughter Janet.

“Ever think that they might want to tell them first,” Vanessa snapped out. “In stead of having a rainbow of meetings to figure out what to do. When you can’t nothing to begin with because like it or not it’s not going to change the facts,” Vanessa said logically.

“Screaming and yelling at them isn’t going to get your answers,” Tom snapped out taking charge of the matter.

“It‘s been working so far,” Lydia McPherson said.

“Well it’s apparently not working,” he pointed out.

“Then what are you suggesting we do Tom,” John asked looking at his son.

“We can always send them to the island and have the babies put up for adoption if they keep refusing to tell us the father’s names,” Tom said easily enough.

“One problem,” Vanessa said logically jumping down off her perch on the counter. “We aren’t under age to force that issue,” Vanessa said clearly, noticing how a few of the girl were just about ready to crack.

“You and Mandy aren’t but you two are still in school which qualifies you as a minor,” Tom said. “Giving us the authority to force you,” Tom said loudly, causing the girl to wail louder.

“All right I give in Shawn’s the father,” Taylor burst out sobbing.

“What,” Shawn snapped out. “Now wait a minute here Taylor,” Shawn said looking at her.

“I’m four months pregnant, Sadie Hopkins’s dance,” Taylor said on a ragged sobbed fill breath.

Everybody watched the plain horror fill Shawn’s face as he stared at Taylor.

“How far along are the rest of you,” Patrick asked the rest of the four girls.

“Same as Taylor,” Janet, Cassie said all at once.

After the girls said that all hell broke loose in the kitchen, Cole Benson and Janet were yelling at each other along with Jake and Cassie, Taylor and Shawn, were all yelling at each other and their parents were yelling at the other’s one’s parents passing the blame around, until they all agreed to get married.