The Girl With The Curves #1 (Positive Curves, #1) (2 page)

‘Let me guess. Blonde, long legs, walks like one of those models on the runway.’

He fixed his eyes on her.

‘I know about every little witch you take on at the Forrest.’ Susannah cut a slice of cheese and took it into her mouth.

‘I bet you do.’ His mind drifted to the dark chocolate beauty they’d taken on. It had been the oddest situation. Both men had out voted him and Angelina had been the first choice, but he wanted Harley.

There was something about her, something strong and fierce. There was a story that hadn’t been told and yet at times she wore it on her face. It spoke of anger, fight and drive. There was also the hourglass body that had captured him. The wide round hips and the curved bottom that made his manhood feel things he was yet to explore.

‘As a matter of fact I have no interest in the blonde, if you must know.’

Susannah raised her eyebrows, this was new territory.

‘Really?’

‘Yes, really.’ He looked at his watch. ‘Early start tomorrow I must get a good night’s sleep.’ Sebastian bent down and kissed his wife on the forehead.

Susannah didn’t flinch or resist, instead it was welcomed. Sebastian wasn’t a man a woman could easily resist, Susannah wasn’t the exception. When her parents had introduced them she was overjoyed. He was the man every woman drooled over. Susannah was gorgeous but her heart was black and it soon turned Sebastian away. It was the secret spy thing she had going on with his father that drove him crazy. Each time he’d been summoned by his father, it had always been because Susannah had brought something to his attention.

‘Are you sleeping in our room tonight?’ she asked.

‘No, goodnight.’ He picked up the jacket that had been flung across the chair and walked out.

Sebastian’s mind was on one thing only, Harley. For some reason he just couldn’t get the woman out of his mind.

****

Harley let herself into the house and leaned against the door. It had been a hectic day at the office. Buttercup was soon against her leg purring and meowing.

‘Hello darling.’ Harley picked up the golden cat and rubbed her nose against it. ‘Yes, I missed you too.’

Buttercup had been rescued. The poor little darling dumped in a dirt bin just outside her house. It had been a horrid affair, fleas, scars and bits of fur missing on the little thing. Harley had taken Buttercup to the vet the moment she’d seen her. It was love at first sight, Buttercup had been given all the jabs, flea treated and a prescribed diet, in no time the kitten had become a healthy ball of fur.

‘You hungry?’ Harley put the cat down.

Buttercup always had a way of calming her down after a long and hard day at the paper.

‘Come on little one.’

Buttercup followed Harley as she picked up the mail and headed for the kitchen. There were two bills and university loans. Harley tossed the mail aside and pulled out a tin of Whiskas. Buttercup made her voice known and jumped onto the kitchen counter pushing her head to take the food as Harley emptied it into the bowl.

‘Patience my dear.’ Harley loved her to bits. ‘There you go.’ She put the bowl on the floor and Buttercup was quick to follow.

Satisfied she opened the fridge and wondered what to have for dinner. It was a choice between salmon with salad or ringing up for a Chinese. The latter took her fancy and soon Harley was on the phone ordering Chinese.

After the delicious food, Harley and Buttercup snuggled up on the couch and watched television. Even though the pictures and the voices flowed, nothing made any sense. Instead her mind was on the one thing that annoyed her the most. Mr Forrest. The meeting they’d had earlier that day had been nothing more than an annoyance. Every suggestion she’d made had been put down but every suggestion that Angelina had made would be considered. It was a male dominated company with a thirty seventy split. The majority of the women were gorgeous with flawless skin, manicured nails and cute little shoes. Harley had made friends with Pauline, who had been at the company for more than twenty years.

Pauline was too expensive to make redundant and wasn’t too far off retirement. It made sense to keep her on but she seemed to be the only one who could see what the company had turned into.

‘It’s not like it used to be in the days his father ran the company. Even though women had less equality in the workplace then, now it’s just ...’

‘I know, I know but we must keep working.’ Harley would recite the same line as if it were a line in a play.

It annoyed Harley that every move she made or every story she had, never seemed to be good enough for him. At times she wondered why they’d even hired her.

‘It’s just me and you Buttercup.’ She stroked the furry ball besides her. ‘Just me and you.’

Just then the doorbell rang. Harley squinted at her watch, it was almost eight thirty.

‘Who on earth?’ Harley dragged herself to the door. ‘Oh my god, what’s happened?’

Amber fell into her arms and let out the loudest howl scaring poor Buttercup to find refuge under the couch.

‘He left meeeeee!’ The cry was deep and painful. ‘He left meeee!’ The tears poured down Amber’s pretty face.

‘Come, sit down.’ Harley led her best friend into the living room and sat her down.

For a moment she watched her strong and independent friend turn into a dependent and weak woman. It made no sense at all, she was the strong one, the one who never bowed down to anyone. If Harley had learnt anything about confidence she’d learnt it from Amber.

Amber had gone onto to work for a solicitor’s office. She’d turned into a strong and powerful career woman but had suddenly turned into a marshmallow.

‘Honey start from the beginning.’ Harley reached for a box of tissues that sat on the coffee table.

Amber pulled two bits of the absorbent paper and blew her nose profusely.

‘Itssss Kyle....he left meeeeee!’ The tears started up again and she sounded like a choking engine.

‘Oh gosh, why what happened?’ Harley hadn’t been under the impression they’d been in trouble.

Kyle was Amber’s solicitor boyfriend. He worked in a different department but for the same company. He was handsome but nothing striking and Harley had often wondered what Amber had seen in the guy in the first place. Kyle was arrogant and sarcastic; dining out with him was like scrubbing a brillo pad against ones skin.

‘He said.’ She sniffed and straightened up. ‘That it just wasn’t working.’

‘What wasn’t working?’

‘Us.’

‘Did you ask him why?’

She nodded.

‘And?’

‘He gave me that line, it’s not you it’s me...I just need to play the field a bit more. I feel as though you’re suffocating me.’

‘Jerk!’ Harley was hardly surprised; he was never one to deliver bad news delicately.

‘What am I going to dooooo!’ The tears erupted again.

Harley took both Amber’s hands into hers and waited for the cries to die down. When only a few sniffs were heard, Harley stood up and made her way to the kitchen; pulled out a giant tub of chocolate ice-cream from the fridge and picked up two desert spoons.

‘Here.’ Harley handed her a spoon and put the tub between them.

‘I can’t eat that, I’ll get bigger. Lips to hips.’ She tried to smile.

‘Oh honey please. Listen to yourself. You and I both know we’ve got big booties, we are never going to look like Victoria Secret models, so eat.’ Harley popped open the yummy ice-cream. ‘Come on, why try and be something you’re not? Your words not mine.’ She took the first scoop and took it into her mouth.

A smile crept up on Amber’s face and soon she was digging into the creamy ice-cream too.

‘I hate men!’ Amber screeched.

‘Hmmm, but we love them too!’ Harley thought back to her boss. He was the sexiest man she’d ever set eyes on and yet she couldn’t stand to be near him.

‘Doesn’t it just annoy you?!’ Amber dug the spoon into the tub and brought out a big blob of ice-cream.

‘They think they rule the world!’

‘I’m assuming you mean your boss in particular?’

‘I don’t get that guy. Why the hell did he hire me if he doesn’t want any input from me?’

‘Honey it looks good on the books.’

‘What’s that supposed to mean? I worked damn hard to get to where I am.’

‘Why don’t you leave?’

‘And go where? I’m probably already past my sell by date.’

‘Oh don’t be so hard on yourself. There will be someone who will appreciate you.’

‘I don’t think I can handle another string of interviews.’

‘Hmmm there’s that.’

‘I’ll be competing with a new set of graduates.’

‘You’ll have experience behind you.’

Harley pondered on these things, would it be that difficult to get another job. Her thoughts drifted to the time she’d begun to job hunt, it hadn’t been very uplifting, more soul destroying.

‘I’ll stick with it for a while longer. Maybe when I’ve more experience I could freelance.’

‘Good idea.’

Soon the talk died down and the pair watched some television. Buttercup came out of under her hiding place and made herself comfortable between them. Two hours later, Amber asked if she could stay over.

‘I really don’t want to be alone tonight.’

‘Yeah sure, take the spare room.’

Amber had done that many times before.

‘Just be aware I’m out the house very early. I’m covering a court case late morning.’

‘So why the early start? Can’t you just head straight there?’

‘The boss wants to have a word with me.’

‘Oooh.’

‘My thought’s exactly. It’s never good news behind his closed doors.’

They parted to their separate rooms at the top of the stairs. Soon the nightmare of work would start.

Chapter Three

The lift was stopped by the one and only Sebastian Forrest. Dark black suit, light blue shirt and striped tie, he was looking charming as ever. They nodded at each other as he stepped in and again Harley tried to start the trip to the office. Her hands grasped tightly to the leather bag. She gazed ahead and shuddered knowing very well he was behind her.

Sebastian’s eyes wondered, ventured down the broad hips that had been dressed in a black skirt. Harley wore black stockings that made her lovely legs look slimmer. The black jacket matched the skirt and underneath a white shirt emerged at the sleeves, overlapping the jacket. Sebastian couldn’t help but park his eyes on the voluminous bum. A bum that was begging too be touched by his manly hands.

He sucked in a sharp breath just as the lift pinged. Only slightly she turned and caught his eyes on her behind. But quickly he diverted his attention ahead and stepped out as if nothing had passed between them. He was through the doors. Staff who were already in the office suddenly scurried about like cockroaches caught in the light. There was a presence about him, something he demanded of his staff.

Sebastian nodded at his P.A then in a low voice spoke to her. She nodded glancing Harley’s way. Harley’s heart did a double skip, something was up, she could feel it in her bones. But until then she would get everything ready for the courthouse later that morning.

Angelina swung around as Harley walked by towards her booth. There was a wave of whispers and a few giggles. The group of it women, or sorority girls – that was what they were like – hung out together and for some reason Harley had been the hot topic.

It often surprised her that women of their nature even cared to consider her.

‘There must be something very strong about you they don’t like,’ Amber had said after they’d discussed the issue. ‘It’s not you, it’s them just leave it alone.’

At times Harley thought she was making things up. Had one of the ladies actually sniggered as she walked by? Had someone actually put a chocolate bar on her desk with a note that said, ‘Snack?’ How had the torture from high school followed Harley into the office? Didn’t people grow up, get lives?

As she settled into her desk, prepared to defend herself the best she could for whatever was coming her way, the desk phone rang.

‘Mr Forrest would like to see you,’ Erica, Sebastian’s P.A shrilled down the phone. There was something irritating about her voice.

As soon as Harley stood up, Angelina’s phone rang. Same message same tone. Harley was only two steps ahead, Angelina’s heels felt with each step. Harley could hear the sound of her heart in her ears, his office frightened her. Her step wasn’t strong and confident like her opponent’s who swung her hair as she walked and made kissing sounds with her lips. It was feeble, fearful and unstable. Her stomach felt as though it had been wrung dry and there was nothing left in it to squeeze out.

The pair stopped at Erica’s desk. The dark haired woman didn’t flick a smile, instead she picked up the phone and said, ‘They’re here.’

‘Send them in,’ he replied.

Angelina stepped in first beaming a smile so wide Harley felt sick to the stomach.

‘I won’t take your time so don’t bother sitting.’ He got right to the point.

Harley clasped her hands behind her back and waited for the blows.

‘Your story.’ He nodded at Harley.

‘Yes.’

‘I’m handing it over to Angelina. Angelina I want you to cover the story on the court case later this morning.’

‘But that’s my story! I brought it to you attention!’ Suddenly the lioness had erupted. Even Harley was shocked by her own sudden outburst.

‘Yes sir, I’m grateful for the opportunity.’ Angelina smiled at the same time turning to Harley.

‘You can’t do this! This is my story!’ The fight grew within her.

‘That will be all Angelina.’ Sebastian dismissed her.

‘Yes sir.’ She swung around her hair flowing as she did so and modelled her way out of the office.

‘Sir, I didn’t mean to shout but you know this was my story. I don’t understand what you have against me!’ The heat rose within her again.

He moved forward on the chair and placed his hands under his chin and just observed her.

‘Don’t you like me? Do you have something against me, am I just here to make the company look good?’

‘I don’t hate you Moyer.’

Harley was taken back; it had been the first time anyone had called her by her second name.