by Imani Banks
Married To
The Cowboy
By Imani Banks
***
Tamara just got the opportunity of a lifetime. Work at the ranch of a wealthy cowboy as his head chef, and be able to completely run her own kitchen. This was the career opportunity she was waiting for, but when she meets the cowboy she falls head over heels for him.
Kevin just lost his long time chef, and his girlfriend. Since he never went for the debutante types, he found it hard to find a down to earth girl who wasn't just after his money. When his lawyer mentions that his sister is a great cook, Kevin invites her out to the ranch as a test run.
Her cooking is amazing, but when he sees her, he is floored. She's the mysterious beauty that has been visiting him during his dreams. He takes it as a sign and takes the next step with her.
Their relationship develops into something much more, until a mysterious stranger from Tamara's past emerges...
Will Tamara and Kevin overcome this new threat to their love? Will love triumph over everything?
***
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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Copyright © 2015 Imani Banks. All rights reserved. Including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof, in any form. No part of this text may be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the author.
WARNING: This book contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language. It may be considered offensive to some readers. This book is for sale to adults ONLY.
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Dedicated
To My Mother, Who Sacrificed Everything So I Could Have A Better Life
Chapter 1
-Tamara’s Boring Life-
Tamara was almost done with her online study session when her three year old son, Kennedy, fell from the chair while playing and started screaming for his mom’s attention. Tamara bowed her head and almost shed a tear. The online degree she was doing was a tough nut to crack and she didn’t think she was going to survive this.
She finally had to leave the online lecture and go calm her little boy down. But that didn’t wipe the scowl off her face. Tamara had tried each and every single thing in her life to improve the quality of her life. Being a chef wasn’t really paying off since the cost of living kept on rising and she was starting to find it a little bit difficult to cope.
The only way she thought things were going to be better was if she had gone back to school.
But school was tough now that she had a kid to take care of. Thanks to her big brother, Adrian, Tamara found a good course online and both of them chipped in so that she could at least get a degree and start off from there. Tamara figured that it would probably be a better idea for her to pretty much multitask for a couple of months and as soon as she had graduated, she could start hustling for a better job in the city.
And now as she was holding a sobbing Kennedy, Tamara realized that it was going to be a difficult thing to pull off since all the challenges seemed way too much for her. Raising a little boy without any help, paying bills as well as keeping up with her courses was just something that seemed impossible.
Too many times Tamara wanted to give up and just walk away but from the look of things, it wasn’t going to be as easy as possible since she was already way too far into it to quit. And she also thought of the many opportunities that would pop up with her new degree. That was what actually kept her from leaving the program.
Kennedy also needed to be in better schools as well so he could live a better life in the future. And all this and much more would be possible if Tamara stays in school.
Finally, Kennedy stopped crying and Tamara put him down. Using her sleeve, she wiped the tears from the little boy and placed him on the table right before she continued with her studies. She took a deep breath and Tamara connected her laptop back online and took another sigh, covering her mouth with her sleeve.
Right before she could get down to some serious business, the microwave clicked and that was when Tamara remembered that she had some chicken heating up
This wasn’t the life that Tamara signed up for. But there she was. She did fall in love with some cute guy in culinary art school and she got pregnant. And that was just as far as the relationship went. She tried to get back on her feet but she just couldn’t manage to. So she decided to take things one step at a time.
After school, Tamara decided to go back to her old place and start her own life. She got way too engrossed in raising her child and being independent that she had to look at her son’s face to realize that time was flying by. It had been three years but Tamara couldn’t see any progress in her life and that made her a little bit sad.
That was why she took it upon herself to get out there and get a job and get another degree while she was at it.
“One of these fine days straining is going to kill you, my dear girl. You know that right?”
“I know, Mom… but what I’m I supposed to do? Your grandson needs caring and the bills need to be sorted out. I think this is the only way.”
Tamara was the direct photocopy of her mother, as some people used to say. She looked exactly like her mother from her soft caramel skin to their accent and it was just way too hilarious. Her mother wanted to take Kennedy so that Tamara could get an opportunity to start over since she became a mother when she was too young.
But Tamara wasn’t the kind of person who would go ahead and dump responsibility on someone else and just walk away like nothing happened. She wanted to make sure that each and everything was managed by no one else but her. Her mother had reached a point where she didn’t feel like she wanted to engage in that conversation ever again.
But on visiting her girl and seeing how she was straining, she didn’t really have any other choice but to bring up the topic once again. Tamara had to cut short her online course so that she could tend to her mother who had a knack for showing up unannounced.
Her excuse was that her daughter was living a couple of blocks down from her house and she didn’t need to announce herself when she came to visit.
“Mother, how many times are we supposed to have this conversation before you accept that I am not your little girl anymore? I told you I got this and you don’t really have to worry yourself to death over this… okay?”
“If you insist… but the next time I come down here and I find you going through any kind of stress… I’m taking my grandson.”
Tamara didn’t want to agree and cuff herself off on that promise. But she just had to agree so that her mother could go ahead and change the topic for her to get a break.
“And have you found a man to help you take care of your son?”
Tamara took off her spectacles and let out a long tired sigh. Her mother knew that she had stepped on yet another nerve but she wasn’t going to apologize until she got the kind of information that she wanted. Tamara wanted to start a fight but she decided not to.
Swallowing her pride she opted for a softer tone when talking to her mother.
“Look, Mother, when I ever find a man that is suitable… I will let you know.”
“You said that when Andrew left. And that was three years ago. Look, you aren't getting any younger. You're going to catch up with me in no time. How about you just get to finding yourself a pretty handsome man from the neighborhood and start a family?”
“Okay, Mom, I will.”
“That’s exactly what you said two and a half years ago.”
“Mom, please!”
Tamara just realized how stupid she was. Her mom just wanted the best for her. The last time this happened Tamara swore that she was never ever going to be caught off guard but there she was, feeling like she was out of place. Once again, there was absolutely nothing she could do about it. Her mother was just smart that way.
“NANA!” an adorable little voice shouted.
Kennedy came running from the other room with his little toy car with his arms wide open and flung himself into his grandma. Tamara’s mother scooped her little man up and spun him around in the air, just the way he liked it. And that was when the five minutes of gibberish began.
Kennedy and his grandma had developed a code that even Socrates himself couldn’t crack and they seemed to understand each other. Tamara felt a little bit zoned out and she didn’t really feel like bothering them. It was moments like this that made her a little bit happy and away from all the hustle and bustle that life threw at her.
At only twenty five, Tamara was already starting to have wrinkles from stress and her body was starting to have baby fat since she had forgotten what the inside of a gym looked like. For some reason, Tamara always hoped that a prince charming was going to save her from all of her worries and make her the happiest woman alive.
She knew that telling her mom about this would encourage her to start sending men over to her place like she did a couple of months back. Tamara didn’t really need that at that moment. She thought her career, her lively son and her online courses were enough as it is.
“And lest this bundle of joy make me forget… your brother wanted to talk to you.”
“What about, Mom?” Tamara asked, trying as much as possible to shake her head from the cloud that she had stuck it in.
“He was in a rush to work but managed to tell me to deliver his news. And that I have. You can go ahead and talk to him on Facebook or Twitter or whichever social media platforms that you young people have nowadays.”
Tamara shook her head in silence. Apart from being lovingly nosy and a bully, Tamara’s mother hated technology. Years of trying to make her access her Facebook account had proven futile. She even chose to stick to her old handset when Adrian got her a brand-new one since it seemed way too complicated and complication was the last thing that Mrs. Johnson needed in her life at that moment.
“I just got a little bit bored in the house and I thought I would come here and borrow the little one… may I?”
“By all means… take him. At least I can get to finish up this course.”
After a couple of hours, Tamara finished the lecture online and she chose to rest for a couple of minutes right before she could hit the shower and have her dinner. It had been a very long Saturday morning and since she only had a day to rest and get to reenergize, Tamara opted to use it up to the fullest.
So Tamara squeezed herself into a crooked L-shape and went to sleep. Since she was a little bit too tired, she fell asleep as soon as she had closed her eyes. That was when she had a strange dream that she always had day in and day out. That dream of her prince charming with a well sculpted body with blonde hair and blue eyes sweeping her off her feet and kissing her on the lips as they skipped into the sunset.
Each and every single time Tamara had that incredible dream, she ended up waking up wet. She couldn’t stop hating herself for this since she got very horny and ended up masturbating in the shower just to take away the urge. This was such an incredible way of releasing the pressure that life was piling up on her.
But this time Tamara didn’t wake up immediately. Instead, she dreamt a little bit longer till after the part where the prince charming swept her off her feet and started planting kisses all over her body as Tamara lay there, melting like a cube of ice on the tarmac.
Prince Charming kissed her on her neck, her breasts and her cheek and then went ahead and started nibbling on her ear. When Tamara was still seeing Andrew, she was addicted to that and that was how she got pregnant in the first place. Each time someone kissed her on the neck, Tamara would feel as though her pussy was going to explode with pleasure and it would send her to overdrive.
There was a little breeze blowing through the open window and Tamara woke up from the dreamy slumber with the usual wetness in between her legs. She gave out a sigh since she knew that she had to hit the shower and wash off, though she felt tired as ever. But she was left with no other choice but to do it.
As she was thinking about whether to wake up or not, Tamara heard her phone buzzing and she had an inkling of who was calling because of the ringtone. It was her big brother Adrian. She was about to ignore him but remembered that her mom had told her Adrian had some very important news that he needed to share with her.
So Tamara picked up the phone reluctantly and answered it.
“I’m surprised that you picked your phone up. This should be a cause for celebration.”
“Can you just get to the point already? I’m tired as hell and I want to go take a shower.”
“Okay princess… I have an incredible job opportunity for you.”
Tamara’s eyes opened wide.
That was the best news she had heard in three years.
Chapter 2
-All about the Money-
Mr. Kevin Powell sat down in his mansion wondering just what the heck he was going to do without a good chef to make all of his fascinating dishes. This was starting to sound a little bit awkward since he had the money to afford a Cordon Bleu chef to come over and do the food for him. But for some strange reason, all he wanted was Nancy.
And he would even throw a tantrum when the food was made in a way that Nancy wouldn’t approve. Nancy had been around ever since Kevin was a little boy and he was in love with her cooking from the first time she made him soup when he caught a cold. Kevin was five at the time and he never forgot the taste of that soup.
And now that Nancy had finally retired, Kevin didn’t really know how he was going to live his life without her.
“Go get a wife, man… don’t you think it’s about time?”
“Adrian… I don’t think I want to get married ever again, especially after the Titanic.”
Kevin always referred to his first marriage as the Titanic since it sunk without warning and all the feelings that involved died there and then. His ex-wife tried to get half of Kevin’s billions but she was foolish enough to sign the prenuptial agreement.
That meant that she only got to leave with the broken umbrella that she showed up at the ranch with. After a couple of investigations, they realized that her sole purpose was just to go out there and marry a billionaire and divorce. But Kevin didn’t really care about her. That relationship was only based on urges and obligations and once it was over, he didn’t want to look back.
His ex-wife started taking jabs at him but Kevin was already good at ignoring her. The thought of the Titanic made him cringe and Kevin blamed Adrian Johnson, his real estate lawyer for all of that. He reached for the glass of wine and refilled it. He wanted to refill Adrian’s glass but he covered the top right before declining politely.
“You are the first person I ever met who said no to vintage wine… that is epic. You should be added to the Guinness Book of Records.”
“I think I should, sir. But make sure you go over the papers that I gave you and you will see that the properties that they possess are being exaggerated. You will also find out that their market value is way below what is being stipulated.”
Kevin Powell hated when his lawyer started speaking jargon. All he wante
d to hear is how much and when he could purchase. But in as much as he hated all the law talk, he knew that Adrian was just doing his job. So Kevin sat back and watched as his friend keep on talking for the longest time and once he was done, he shook his hand and escorted him to the door.
Adrian turned around and cleared his throat.
“Man, how many times do I have to tell you that when you want to address me, just go ahead. You don’t really need to clear your throat so as to sound formal with me. We have been friends for years, man. Relax.”
“I am relaxed. I just have a cold. Hey, I know you're looking for a new cook. I have someone who is really talented and I think if they are given this chance they will impress you with their cooking. That's a promise.”
“I think I do have enough of them in the kitchen… but when I fail to find another Nancy by the end of the week then I will give you a call so that you can get me sorted out?”