Sweet for You: A BBW Billionaire Romance (7 page)

Energized by the defined scope of the new Blake Foods diet desserts line, the marketing team began working on logo concepts, advertising copy, and dessert designs. The manufacturing group started building the production line. As the weeks flew by, Stephen reveled in the excitement of being at the heart of the action – and working side-by-side with Abby Branson.

Even though he had been at the helm of Blake Foods for almost 15 years, he had never taken a hands-on, in-the-trenches role at his company. His father had taught him to sit at the head of the table, bark orders, and focus on ways to make more money. But he realized now how flawed and isolating that was. Being a figurehead was simply a way to detach from emotion and avoid human interaction. A way to hide his hurt and protect himself from getting too close to others.

Stephen could now see that Martha had recognized this flaw long before he did. And he was only beginning to reconcile her gentle prodding of him to open up with his newfound insights. While he wasn’t quite ready to step completely out of his shell, his executive assistant seemed to sense the crack in his tough exterior and used her powers of observation to slowly widen the chasm. And for the first time in their working relationship, he let her. Maybe it was because he was tired of living such an empty life.

With Abby on his team, every day had become an adventure. Even though Stephen was in charge, Abby was leading the way forward. He couldn’t wait to get to the office each morning to see what she had in store for him. It was exciting because he never knew what she would come up with next.

There was that time when she dragged him on a tour of her favorite bakeries in the city, where they sampled baked goods until they were almost sick. Another time, she took him on a guided tour of the gourmet foods section in a dozen grocery stores so he could see how his products were positioned compared to the ones from the boutique producers. She even convinced him to do away with formality and start addressing each other on a first name basis. This immediately changed the dynamic between them. Instead of being employer and employee, they became more like friends sharing a grand journey toward an unknown destination.  

What was most surprising about all the changes in his life was that he was actually
enjoying
himself. Miss Branson had a flare for turning the most mundane and ordinary task into something stimulating, whether they were tasting a new recipe, reviewing ad designs, or doing a walk-though of the production facility.

A knock on his door interrupted his internal reverie. He looked up from his desk and spontaneously smiled. It was Abby.

“Chef Laurent is ready for us, Stephen,” she said. This was going to be the final tasting before the production lines were fired up.

“Is Molly coming?” Mr. Blake asked.

“She can’t make it, but Martha’s coming.” Abby approached Stephen’s desk and lowered her voice. “I think the chef is sweet for her.” She winked at him. “Pun intended.”

“How can you tell?” Stephen responded, wondering if Abby could also tell that
he
was sweet for
her
.

“It’s obvious from the way he looks at her and does little things to make her feel special, like bringing lunch to her desk a couple times a week. And I think she likes him, too. They would make a great couple. After all, Martha’s an attractive woman and Chef is so jolly and fun.”

It dawned on him that he didn’t do much of anything to make Abby feel special. That needed to change if he was going to convince her to see him as more than just her boss. “Chef Laurent and Martha; I never would have guessed. But now that you point it out, I suppose I can see the subtle signs.”

Abby perched on the edge of his desk and leaned forward. “We should do something to get them together,” she whispered. Stephen was temporarily lost in the twinkling of her mischievous blue eyes.

“You want to play matchmaker between Chef Laurent and Martha?” He laughed at the irony. Why did women always feel the need to poke their noses in other people’s romantic business? “I don’t think that’s a very good idea. If they were meant to be together, it will happen naturally.”

Abby’s lips formed into a pout. “Fine, be a spoilsport. But if nature doesn’t take its course soon, I just might have to give it a nudge!”

~~~

I
n the test kitchen, Abby made sure that Martha was seated closest to the chef, who greeted the older woman with a warm smile and friendly hug. She threw Stephen a knowing smile and he shook his head, as if to say, “
Stay out of it!
”

“Are you ready for me to unveil the desserts?” Chef Laurent asked.

“More than ready,” Martha eagerly responded before Abby did. “My mouth is watering just thinking of the delicious morsels you have prepared for us to taste.”

Abby bit back a smile at the surprised look on Stephen’s face as he watched the interaction between the other pair. “Me, too,” she said. “Show us what you’ve got, Chef.”

The chef removed the cover from the large tray on the counter to reveal a stunning presentation of miniature cupcakes, cookies, cakes, and pies. Abby clapped her hands with delight. “They’re beautiful!”

Chef Laurent beamed with pride. “That’s quite an honor coming from you, Miss Branson,” he said. “I just hope that their test exceeds your expectations. Which dessert would you like to start with?”

Stephen responded before Abby had a chance to. “Let’s start with the cheesecake.”

The chef served each taster a tiny triangle of sweetened cheese filing nestled on a thin layer of graham cracker crust and topped with fresh, antioxidant-rich blueberries. Abby’s mind momentarily flashed back to her original tasting experience, and she decided to put on a similar show for Mr. Blake.

Let’s see if he can maintain his cool after this!

All eyes turned toward Abby as she picked up the bite-sized cheesecake and brought it slowly toward her lips.

~~~

S
tephen watched, mesmerized, as Abby Branson made love to the cheesecake, flicking out her tongue to taste the confection and draw a single blueberry into her mouth before parting her lush, pink lips and letting her pearly white teeth sink into the creamy center. He groaned inwardly as she closed her eyes and let her head tilt back slightly, savoring the morsel with abandon.

“Heavenly,” she whispered, popping the rest of the cheesecake into her mouth before opening her eyes.

“You have a speck of...right here,” Stephen said as he ran his finger across her top lip to scoop up an errant tidbit of filling.

Unless he was mistaken, he just gave nature a nudge in another direction.

“Thank you,” Abby said softly. She picked up the cheesecake bite on his plate and brought it to his lips. “You have to taste this. It’s to die for.”

He dutifully opened his mouth and she slid the sweet treat inside, letting her fingers brush against his lower lip. “Divine,” he said, his voice thick and low.

Without a word, Chef Laurent slid a plate toward Abby with two mini cupcakes on it. Not stopping to think about his actions, Mr. Blake picked one up and fed it to her. Her warm, soft sigh of ecstasy caressed his fingertips.

“Wonderful,” she whispered, before picking up the other tiny cupcake and feeding it to him. His mouth closed around her fingers as he savored the tidbit of frosted cake.

“Delightful,” he said as she slid her fingers from between his lips.

One by one, the chef slid the different bite-sized desserts forward. Crisp peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, succulent red velvet cake, chewy frosted pecan brownies, tangy blackberry pie – Stephen and Abby tried them all.

Not even trying to hide their surprise, Chef Laurent and Martha devoured their own desserts while watching as the younger pair fed each other, bite after bite, each of them voicing a singular word of pleasure after each taste.

Only after every dessert had been tasted and blissfully approved was the inexplicably seductive spell broken.

“Chef Laurent,” Abby proclaimed with flushed cheeks and a very satisfied smile, “you are a culinary genius.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Stephen added, grinning from ear to ear. “I believe we have a hit on our hands. A true recipe for success!”

A
bby sat back in her desk chair and closed her eyes. Even though she had checked every launch party detail twice, she wondered if she should make one more pass just to make sure that everything was set. It had been a long day and she was exhausted. Could she muster the energy to look things over again?

The six weeks since the final dessert tasting had been filled with a whirlwind of activity. There had been so much to do that she barely had a chance to reflect on what had happened that day. While she had planned to put on a show for Stephen, it was her billionaire boss who had taken the leading role, turning the tasting into the most erotic experience of her life.

Using those small morsels of pleasure, he had seduced her so thoroughly that she had forgotten that they weren’t the only two people in the room. Stephen had felt the connection between them too. She was sure of it. She had been surprised and sad when all the desserts had been tasted and the yummy experience ended.

After that, her relationship with Stephen was different, although she couldn’t quite put her finger on what had changed. On several occasions, she caught him looking at her with a hunger in his eyes, almost as if she was a serving of dessert and he wanted to devour her. But in a flash, the look would be gone and things would be back to business as usual.

She kept waiting,
hoping
for the day when he would tell her how he felt. Or, at the very least, make it clear that he was interested in her romantically. So far, that day hadn’t arrived.

Sighing in frustration, she decided against reviewing the launch party details again. It was time to go home and get some rest so she wouldn’t look exhausted at the event. But there was one more thing she needed to do first.

She shut down her computer, slung her purse over her shoulder, and headed toward the elevator bay.

~~~

S
tephen couldn’t believe that tomorrow was the official launch of Sweet for You. Once the recipes had been nailed down, the rest of the details fell into place. After the grand gala planned tomorrow night, Blake Foods’ frozen gourmet desserts would arrive at grocers across the country. A very expensive advertising blitz was scheduled to air at the same time and would tell dessert lovers across the nation that, with Sweet for You, they could now have their cake and eat it, too – Now and Forever!

Abby knocked on Stephen’s open door. “Do you have a minute?”

He waved her in. “I always have a minute for you, Abby.” He glanced at the clock. “It’s late. I’m surprised you’re still here.”

“I had a few things to finish up for the party tomorrow.”

“Shouldn’t the event planning firm be handling the party details?”

“Oh, they are,” Abby said. “I’m just reviewing the setup directives to make sure nothing’s been missed. I really want the night to be perfect.”

Mr. Blake slipped his right hand into his jacket pocket and his fingers closed around the hard rectangular ring box he had been carrying around for over a week. He was going to present it to Abby after the launch party, where he was planning to profess his love for her and ask her to be his wife.

He smiled. “I have no doubt that the night
will
be perfect.”

And if all goes as planned, it will be the perfect beginning for our life together.

“I have something for you,” Abby said, reaching into her purse and pulling out a small white box tied with pink ribbon, which she set on top of his desk.

Stephen was surprised. “You do?”

“Go on, open it.”

He pulled the ribbon apart, lifted the top of the box, and parted the tissue. Inside was a custom pink tie adorned with the Sweet for You cupcake logo. The gesture moved him deeply and he didn’t know what to say or how to react. Nobody had ever given him something so personal before.

“I was thinking you could wear it at the launch if you wanted,” Abby said. “But now that I think about it, I can see it’s kind of silly, so you don’t have to. I just wanted you to have something unique to signal the launch of your innovation. It’s okay if you just stick it in a drawer or something.”

He didn’t understand what her rambling was about. He certainly wasn’t going to put her gift in a drawer! “It’s perfect for the launch party. Thank you.” He put the lid back on the box; he didn’t want anything to happen to the tie before the party.

“You’re welcome,” Abby said, moving toward the door. “Like you said, it’s late. I better get going.”

He got up from his desk and closed the gap between them. “Abby, wait.” He was tempted to drop down on one knee right then and there and pop the question, but he stopped himself from doing so. He wanted his proposal to be the icing on the cake, so to speak, of the biggest night of his life. Of
her
life. Without Abby, there wouldn’t be a party to celebrate the launch of Sweet for You.

“What is it?” she asked. He watched as she licked her plump, juicy lips and he fought the desire to kiss her.

“I just wanted to say good job. And to thank you again for the tie.”

He watched as her face fell. “You’re welcome, Stephen. Again,” she said, almost sadly, before walking out the door.

Stephen watched Abby leave, kicking himself for being an idiot.
Good job?
That was the best line he could come up with? Holy hell. No wonder he was almost 40 years old and still single despite having more money than God.

He reopened the tie box she had given him and picked it up, admiring the quality of the silk and the details of the custom embroidery. Smiling to himself, he marveled at how much he had changed over the last few months. A year ago, he wouldn’t have been caught dead wearing a pink tie. Now, he couldn’t wait to wear it. Not only was the tie a symbol of Abby’s affection for him, it represented his transformation from a reclusive billionaire to a man in love. 

If he was going to convince Abby to marry him, he needed to work on his proposal so it didn’t come across as some sort of stilted business proposition. Part of him wished that he had confided in Martha about his intention because he could use one of her pep talks right about now. But he wasn’t sure if Abby would accept his proposal. If she turned him down, he didn’t want to endure Martha’s pity.