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THERE’S NO WAY! When I got back home, I tossed my bag on the couch then toed my heels off. Of course, the card and the man were still on my mind. What if Jenna was right and he wanted to offer me a position? Or what if contacting him leads to something better? I already knew my life needed to change direction. I was unhappy and had been for years. Novak was an ass and full of himself. He never cared about me one way or the other.
Changing into a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt, I decided to work out a bit, then shower. Funny, I hadn’t even thought about eating at all this afternoon. I smiled.
An hour later, my smile was decidedly absent. My workout was proving to be more difficult than I had imagined. I couldn’t run in place here or my neighbors would be on my ass. I laughed. I’ve got a pretty big ass, too, so maybe five of them could climb on? I laughed, even though it wasn’t funny. I finally gave up and headed to the shower.
While the steamy water cascaded down and over me, I smoothed my hands over my wet skin. What if Nick did like me? Would he care I had larger sized boobs? I hefted up my breasts. They aren’t hideously huge. Of course, some men only wanted to date me because of them and I never liked that kind of guy. Like I was just walking boobs with no face. I dropped them and refused to think of this man as a date, or dating material. Emilie Swan was not the right type for a man like him. I rolled my eyes. For all I knew, he was gay. I shut the shower off and paused, remembering the intense look in those dark eyes as he’d gazed at me. Nope. Not gay. I knew it in my bones. The man was into women, all the way. Then I remembered his wicked smile as Novak stood next to him acting like the ass he was. I laughed. Asshat, as head. Grrr. I did hate Novak now. I always prided myself on being easygoing and a person who got along with everyone. But Novak had made that impossible and I just knew it was my size that was the cause of him hiding me in a tiny office and having me be the fetch girl.
Once I dried off and dressed, I decided to stop being a big wuss and was just going to call him.
I sat down on my sofa and grabbed my cell. “Okay, here goes.” I dialed the number on the card. Then I froze before pushing send. Come on, girl, do it! I took a deep breath and pressed the green button. Raising the cell to my ear, I almost choked as I’d forgotten to let my breath out.
Her heart started hammering in my chest and I tried to focus on the sound of the ringtone, not the echo or the blood rushing through me at sprinter speed.
“Hello?”
Oh wow, his voice on the phone was even sexier than in person.
“Helllloo?” he repeated over the cell.
“Uh, yes hi. This is Emilie.”
“Oh...” he replied.
Such a titillating conversation, I thought while rolling my eyes. What was I doing?
“Well, hello, Emilie.”
I sat up straighter at the purr in his voice. “Um, yes. I-I... I found your card.”
He laughed. “Well, I left my card on purpose. I’d like to take you... on a business date.”
My shoulders slumped. “Oh... yes.” Then I wondered why I was disappointed. He was interested in my designs! I smiled.
“Okay, is tomorrow night good?” he asked quietly.
I blinked my eyes. My thoughts were already on what to wear. Then if I should dress businesslike or...? Dammit! And I should bring one of the purses I myself designed. Should I wear black, it was flattering—
“Are you there?” he asked.
“Oh!” I bit at my lip. “Yes, sorry, got distracted. Um, yes tomorrow night would be fine.” I tried desperately to keep the tremble out of my voice.
He chuckled. “Okay, my car will pick you up at seven.”
“Okay,” I answered as calmly as I could.
“Well, Emilie, it was nice hearing your voice tonight.”
Dammit, that voice did purr. “Thank you,” I answered lamely.
“Bye for now.”
“Bye,” I said.
The click in my ear seemed to make it all real. I dropped my phone and stared around at my apartment. “Holy crap! Holy crappers!” I jumped up and flew to my closet in my bedroom. It would take a while to decide what to wear. Like forever! Then after I went through six outfits, I halted. “Send his car?” I raised my hands up to my mouth. “But I never gave him my address!” I ran back to the living room and picked up my cell, then hit redial.
“Hello?” His voice sounded breathless.
“Um, hey again. It’s me, Emilie.”
“Yes, sweet Emilie. You aren’t cancelling, are you?”
NO! I quietly answered aloud, “No.”
“Oh, good,” he panted.
Oh, shit. Did I interrupt something? Was he... I shut my eyes blocking the vision in my head. Or at least trying to.
“I’m halfway through my workout,” he supplied the answer.
“Oh, okay. Um, I never gave you my address.”
He chuckled and released a sigh. “I looked it up and know it.”
My eyes widened. That showed interest for sure. “O-okay. Well, see you tomorrow.”
“I look forward to it.” He again lowered his voice.
Hot damn, his voice just got sexier with this call. “Okay, bye.” I hung up and dropped to the couch. Then I slumped lower and lower until I was staring at the ceiling. Oh, damn. I’m in trouble. I already have the hots for this guy and I know I don’t stand a chance in hell.
UP BRIGHT AND EARLY the next morning, I did my workout, ate some fruit, took a shower, and then headed out the door. I intended to find the right dress for my date. Wait—not a date, my business... Oh, hell, I didn’t care, the whole thing was so nerve-wracking I’d probably lost five pounds overnight just from the stress. I’d never moved so fast in my life. Still, I kept having pangs of guilt. This Mr. Tessaro, as I forced myself to think of him as, was a competitor to the company I worked for. What I was doing was not kosher. Oh, damn, who was I kidding? Novak wouldn’t care at all, probably.
I made it on the subway to downtown and went to one of my favorite shops for the dress. I knew they were pricey, but they also had the best clothes and this date was—damn, there I went again! Business date. This meeting was important.
I went in and began my hunt. Dress after dress went off the hanger then back on.
“Hello, Miss Swan.” The clerk waved at me as I was at yet another rack.
“Oh, hello, Lena.” The clerk was more my size and had helped me many times to find the right outfit.
“Special occasion?”
I rolled my eyes with a giggle. Yeah, that would be an understatement. Hot designer wanting me or my designs! “Could be.” Very special, new job, new guy? I shook my head. You’re being dumb again.
“Is it business casual or flirtatious?” Lena asked.
I turned my head to stare at her. “I-I don’t know.”
Lena raised her brows.
“Um, you see, he’s a great-looking guy, and he asked me out, but it might be just for a job?”
Lena smiled at me and patted my arm. “It could be both, though?”
Suddenly, my stomach dropped then seemed to heave back up. “Oh, wow.” Yes, the thought never occurred to me. I looked up at Lena. “So, can you help me find a, ‘it’s business but it might be more’ dress?”
“Yes, I bet I can.”
After ten minutes, Lena showed me the third dress to try. It was a cute black one with a curve-hugging style. I hoped it looked as good on me as it did the hanger. I tried it on and had to admit it did look good. I turned in the mirror.
“Yes, that’s the one!” Lena cheered.
I turned to look at her. “You think so?”
She nodded. “It has it all, and it fits you like a glove.”
I turned back to the mirror. Yes, they were supposed to say things like that, but I’d known Lena for a year now and she wasn’t like that. She was also curvy and wouldn’t advise me to wear something my body shouldn’t be in. Besides, I had eyes and Lena was right.
“I’ll take it.”
“Okay, great. And I hope this turns out to be the date that becomes very flirtatious.” Lena giggled.
I caught the giggles from her.
Then I decided to really throw a curveball at the very clever Lena. “Well, since you’re in the fashion business...” I faltered. This could tell me just how crazy I was myself by gauging Lena’s reaction. “This um, date? That I’m going on tonight...”
Lena nodded.
“Well, it’s with...” I leaned closer and whispered, “Nicholas Tessaro.”
Lena looked blank for a full minute. Then her eyes rounded and her mouth popped open.
“Yep. That would have been my expression last night while on the phone with him, when he said he would send his car to pick me up.”
Lena squealed. “Oh, wow!” She jumped up and down and grabbed me up in a hug.
I gaped at her reaction. “You—you really think he wants to date me?”
Stopping my happy dance, Lena looked around. “Come on. Change and let me ring you up.”
I felt bewildered. What kind of answer was that? But I went and changed.
Lena was all smiles as she’d waited outside the dressing room, and then led me to the front. Standing stiffly by the counter, I took out my credit card.
Lena went around the counter and set the dress down then looked around. She then tapped some keys on her laptop. Looking around again, she set it on the counter and nodded at it as she turned the screen toward me.
Puzzled, I looked down at it. It was a sort of collage of Nick and women on Google or some site. Blinking, I realized they were all plus-sized or close to it. “Oh!”
“Yes... oh!” Lena nodded then slyly tucked her laptop under the counter. “I think he’s interested in you and you are far prettier than these bimbos.”
She laughed and grabbed my card from my now-limp fingers, wrapped up the dress, then rang me up.
I stood there and stared, shock reverberating through my whole being. Then suddenly I blurted, “So, he likes curves?”
Lena handed the card to me, along with the bag. “Damn straight. BBW, all the way!”
BBW? Big, beautiful women! I took the bag and card. “So, if he starts flirting?”
Lena nodded. “You’d better flirt back.” She laughed, then hushed me, gazing around. “Go get ‘em, Emilie Swan.”
When I stepped out on the sidewalk and peered around, I felt like everything was different somehow. Oh, what a change shopping for a dress made. I shook my head. Now, I felt even more nervous. Who would think that was possible?