Becoming His

by Maria Hart

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Chapter 1 - Amy

  Chapter 2 - Keith

  Chapter 3 - Amy

  Chapter 4 - Keith

  Chapter 5 - Amy

  Chapter 6 - Keith

  Chapter 7 - Amy

  Chapter 8 - Keith

  Chapter 9 - Amy

  Chapter 10 - Keith

  Epilogue - Amy

  TITLE PAGE

  Becoming His

  Uptown Curves Book 1

  Maria Hart

  COPYRIGHT

  Copyright © 2019 Maria Hart

  Cover Illustration Copyright © Maria Hart

  All rights reserved.

  CHAPTER 1 - AMY

  BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! I groaned and buried my head in my pillow while I swatted at the alarm that was interrupting my beauty sleep.

  Ugh. I did not want to get up.

  The alarm successfully silenced, I rolled over to get my precious few minutes more of peace before I actually had to drag myself out of bed and face the day.

  All too soon the snooze was over and that incessant beeping was back.

  I wanted nothing more than to just roll over and hit snooze again, but I couldn’t, not today.

  Today I had to make a good impression.

  With a sigh I slid my feet into my pink fuzzy slippers, wrapped myself in my favorite robe, and made my way into the kitchen to start my morning routine.

  Ah coffee.

  The little bit of caffeine jolted my brain awake. I might need a few more cups throughout the day to keep me going, but that was definitely a start. The annoyance that had begun the second I heard the screeching of the alarm clock slowly faded away as it sunk in what was in store for me.

  Sure, I had to go to work, but today, work meant that it was my first day at my dream job. No more flipping burgers, no more waiting tables.

  Excitement slowly began to buzz in my belly, lifting me up and washing away the last of the grogginess.

  It was like my body was on autopilot as first I made breakfast, then I slipped on the dress that I had picked out the night before.

  The dress was a mint green and a soft silky martial that cling to my hips and ended with a classy pencil skirt.

  Just a year ago I wouldn’t have dared to wear something so fitted, but I had grown as a person and had lost just over two hundred pounds, that was, I had dumped Jason, my now-ex boyfriend, who had not only been holding me back financially but had constantly made me insecure about my weight.

  Thanks to my friend Samantha, I finally realized that the only weight I had to lose was that good-for-nothing leech who seemed to think that putting me down somehow made him a better man.

  Samantha was everything that I aspired to be. We had been best friends since childhood, but whereas I had turned in on myself and grown insecure at my changing body, Samantha had blossomed.

  She was gorgeous and fashionable and she never hesitated to flaunt every inch of her curvy body. She was the one that, when she began to notice my insecurities, worked to convince me of my own self worth and taught me how to love myself again.

  Learning to love my curves hadn’t been easy, but day by day, week by week, I had become more comfortable and confident in my own skin. That confidence wasn’t just limited to my body, my newfound self worth led me to taking a chance on applying to my dream job fresh out of college, and by some miracle I actually got it!

  From here on out, I was an employee of Uptown, one of the most critically acclaimed up and coming fashion magazines.

  Okay, I was just a going to be a personal assistant, but I was beyond thrilled to be so close to a company that I so greatly admired.

  I had always loved the fashion industry even if I didn’t particularly have the skill to be a fashion designer. I had convinced myself that I would be content with admiring it from afar, but one offhand application had changed my life and now, as the president of Uptown’s personal assistant, I would get to see the inner workings of the fashion industry up close and personal.

  —

  Luckily, the drive to my new work place wasn’t all that long. Ten minutes was far closer than any other commute that I’d had before.

  I walked in the front door and tried to act like I belonged, despite my heart threatening to pound through my chest.

  A tall, slim, woman that I recognized from the billboard next to my apartment walked past me with a haughty expression on her face and I couldn’t help but gulp.

  Oh boy, I felt so out of place. Here I was just normal old me, surrounded by literal super models.

  Yet a voice at the back of my head that sounded suspiciously like Samantha insisted that I was here for a reason. They had chosen me, not some leggy blonde, and that was because I was the best woman for the job.

  I belonged here and no one could tell me otherwise.

  I made my way to the elevator, trying to remember the directions that the kind lady on the phone had told me.

  Take the elevator to the twentieth floor, go straight down the hall, then take the last door on my left. Apparently I couldn’t miss it.

  Trying to suppress my nerves, I made my way into the elevator and pressed the button for the twentieth floor. No one else got in with me, for which I was thankful. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to make small talk.

  The ride was shorter than I expected and when the doors opened, I hurried out. The only thing on my mind was that I couldn’t be late.

  I looked down at my purse as I hurried down the hallway and around a sharp corner. Maybe I should apply more lipstick before I went in, I hadn’t…

  WHAM.

  I was jolted from my train of thought as I collided spectacularly with another body. I fell backwards, unable to catch myself, and I looked up to see a haughty blonde model looking down at me with disgust on her face.

  “Watch where you’re going.” She sneered, and continued to walk down the hallway.

  I could feel tears begin to well up in my eyes. Was this really how everyone at the company behaved?

  “I’m so sorry miss.” A deep voice said, and I was jolted out of my thoughts to see the most handsome man that I had ever seen holding out his hand to me. “What happened?”

  “Oh, I just tripped. It’s fine.” I blustered, barely able to look him in the eye. It was my first day and I had already made a big mistake, I wasn’t about to start complaining.

  I took the hand offered and tried to ignore the shiver that ran through me as sparks ran up my spine while he helped me to my feet. Oh, he was strong too, not just so handsome it should be illegal. I’m not exactly a little girl, and he lifted me like it was nothing.

  He looked me up and down before a grin settled on his face. “Have fun.” He said, and walked around the corner that led to the elevators.

  “Thank you?” I said blankly to the empty hall. Have fun? What was that supposed to mean?

  Shaking my head, I straightened my dress and took a deep breath, trying to quell the shaking in my hands.

  Okay, that was just one little snag. I could do this.

  Just walk down the hall and take the door on the left, and hopefully never see either of the two people I had just embarrassed myself in front of ever again.

  I stoop up just a bit straighter as I strode through the massive glass doors and walked up to a smiling women sitting at a wide desk.

  I couldn’t help but admirer her impeccable taste in clothes. I had seen the dress she was wearing on the front page of a magazine last week, and it had been perfectly tailored to accentuate her curves.

  “Hello?” I said softly. “I’m Amy More, I’m here for the PA position?”

  A wide smile spread across the woman’s face. She stood up and held her hand out for me to shake. “I�
��m Veronica, we’ve talking on the phone but it’s great to finally meet you.” An exasperated expression crossed her face and she leaned in conspiratorially. “Ignore Kelly by the way. She’s a bit of a bitch to everyone, it’s not just you. Models.” She rolled her eyes.

  A shocked snicker fell out of my mouth despite the mortification of Veronica having seen the incident from less than a minute prior. “Thank you, I’ll have to remember that.”

  Something told me that Veronica and I were going to get along pretty well.

  She handed me a folder full of paperwork. “Here are a few basic form I’m going to need you to fill out. The office is that way.” She gestured to a large set of frosted glass double doors. “If you want to step inside and take a seat, Mr. Bowers will be with you in a moment.”

  I smiled at her and slipped into the office to begin to fill out some of the forms. At least not everyone that worked at this place was a complete asshole. If there were more people like Veronica and the men from the hallway, maybe I would actually enjoy my time here.

  There was a knock on the door and I looked up to see the man I had run into at the elevator slide in through the door.

  My stomach lurched.

  “Oh, hello. I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you earlier. You must be Amy.” He did look momentarily sheepish, but his features immediately schooled into the proud look I had seen before. I couldn’t believe that he actually knew my name. Once again, the man held out his hand to me, but this time it was held out for me to shake. “I’m Kieth Bowers, your new boss.”

  That sentence made my blood run cold.

  No. Oh no.

  I was so, so, screwed, and not in the fun way.

  CHAPTER 2 - KEITH

  I LOOKED UP at the clock. Shit. It was almost nine. Amy, my new personal assistant, was supposed to be here any minute now.

  Of course our most finicky designer decided to have a meltdown now of all times, but this was why they paid me the big bucks.

  I had worked my way up from being a model, to being a fashion consultant, to being the CEO of the magazine. I knew every nook and cranny of the industry, and more importantly, I knew how to handle the divas that came with it.

  “I’ll be right back.” I said to Veronica as I headed down the hall. “Just give Amy her paper work and send her to my office.”

  I was so caught up in trying to figure out how to handle the situation I was about to walk into that I didn’t even see the woman who came out of the elevator until Kelly ran straight into her.

  “Watch where you’re going.” Kelly sniffed, distain plain in her voice.

  I had to stop my lip from curling. If Kelly wasn’t the best head the marketing team had ever seen, I would have had her fired in a heartbeat. She was vain and shallow and treated the other employees like they were something that she had scraped off the bottom of her shoe.

  Models.

  As much as I loved the fashion industry, I did not enjoy many of the types it attracted. Some genuinely loved the work, others were only in it for the fame and a chance to brush elbows with the elite of society. Unfortunately Kelly was the latter. She couldn’t stand to step down from he limelight even after he career as a model had ended.

  I knelt down next to the woman that Kelly had run into.

  “I’m so sorry miss.” I said as I offered her my hand. “What happened?”

  “Oh, I just tripped. It’s fine.” A soft voice said, and I had to hold back a frown.

  She hadn’t tripped, she had been practically bowled over by one particularly angry former model. I understood not trying to make waves though. In this industry, the wrong admission to the wrong person could signal the end of your career.

  Absently, I wondered why this woman whom I had never met before was up here on my floor.

  When I met her eyes it was like time stopped. Standing sheepishly before me was the most beautiful woman that I had ever seen.

  Her brown hair fell in soft curls around her beautiful round face, and as I helped her to her feet I couldn’t help but admire her body. The mint green dress that she was wearing complimented her curves in all the best ways.

  “Have fun.” I grinned at her. We had just signed a contract with a new modeling agency to add a bit of diversity to our lineup. We needed more models that represented the bodies that actually wore our clothes, rather than the stick thin models that didn’t exist off the runway.

  The agency had said that they were sending the first model in today, and Veronica was supposed to interview her for a short puff piece for the agency newsletter to highlight the new business opportunity.

  This had to be her, in this industry, anyone that breathtaking had to be a model.

  As reluctant as I was to leave her side, I had to do my job. Regretfully, I slipped into the elevator. This should only take a moment, she should still be there when I got back, or at least that’s what I told myself to take the sting out of having to leave.

  I wasn’t sure what it was about her, but I felt instantly drawn to this woman. Her bright blue eyes just drew me in from the moment they met mine and I needed to learn more about her, and I’d prefer to do that in person rather than from some impersonal agency email.

  The elevator dinged and I took a deep breath. Even from all the way down the hall, I could hear yelling. Why had the Jamison team decided to book Yolanda and Mirable for the shoot? Everyone knew that the two models hated each other’s guts.

  Okay, now it was time to smooth some rumbled feathers.

  —

  After calming down the angry models and harried designer, I finally made my way up to my office. I hated to be late, but unfortunately on boarding my new assistant had to take a back seat in this instance.

  When I walked back through the lobby, Veronica nodded at me. “Amy just arrived. She’s waiting in your office for you.”

  “Thank you.” I said, and walked confidently towards my office. It was going to be nice to have a personal assistant again. After the birth of her second son Jessie had decided to transition to being a stay at home mom, and ever since then the position had remained unfilled.

  It just wasn’t easy to find help that met my standards nowadays. Hopefully the new girl would be up to the challenge.

  I could see the outline of a woman through the frosted glass of the door and I put on my most charming smile as I swung open the door.

  The moment I stepped into the office, my heart stopped. There, sitting in my chair was the girl Kelly had run into.

  I schooled my features into something a little more professional than the surprise that was undoubtedly on my face.

  “Oh, hello. I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you earlier. You must be Amy.” I held my hand out for her to shake. “I’m Kieth Bowers, your new boss.”

  She took my hand delicately, her hand soft and small within my own. The feeling made something possessive rise deep within me.

  I needed to protect Amy, to make her mine.

  “It’s nice to meet you sir.” Amy said shyly. “I’m excited to get to work.”

  My heart felt like it skipped a beat. There was just something about her, from her soft eyes to her gentle voice what just made me want in a way I couldn’t describe, in a way that I had never felt before.

  I wanted to know everything about her, from her favorite color to the way she gasped in bed.

  “Call me Keith.” I said, smiling at her. “No need for the formalities.”

  Her eyes were wide and the flush on her cheeks darkened, and I grinned.

  Amy was going to be mine, I could feel it. All I had to do was convince her that we were meant to be together.

  CHAPTER 3 - AMY

  EVERY DAY WAS a whirlwind of clothes and models, scheduling fancy lunches to meet new clients and making sure our writers and photographers were always at the latest fashion show.

  I had never been so exhausted in my life, yet never had so much fun.

  I had been afraid that I wouldn’t fit in since I didn’t exactly fit th
e ‘stick thin former runway model’ type that seemed to be the majority of the women that worked at Uptown, but for the most part everyone welcomed me with open arms, well, other than the head of marketing, Kelly.

  I still felt awful about having run into her on my first day, and I took a moment to apologize one day when I went to deliver a series of photographs from a new prospective photographer.

  “See that it doesn’t happen again.” She sniffed. “Now get out of my office and go eat your burger, or whatever it is that you do in your free time.”

  What. The. Fuck.

  My mouth dropped open. “Excuse me?” I blurted out. How in the world did this lady think that she had any right to talk to me like that?

  “You heard me girl. Now get out of my sight, I have real work to do, not that you would know anything about that.”

  I squared my shoulders and glared at her. I was the new girl, sure, but no one talked to me like that. “Seriously, what’s your problem?” I huffed out. “What did I ever do to you?”

  Kelly just looked down at me. “A fat, ugly, klutz like you has no business working at the top ranked fashion magazine in the country. You have to be a fool to think that Keith will keep you for more than a month before he realizes that you’re more trouble than you’re worth.”

  I straightened up and opened my mouth to respond. How dare Kelly treat me like this? I may not have grown up in the fashion industry, but I had just as much right to be here as she did.

  Before I had a chance to say anything, there was a knock in the door and Keith slid inside. He caught my eye, and his mouth spread into a grin. Unbidden, I felt butterflies rise in my stomach.

  Oh yeah, that was the other problem with working here.

  I had fallen immediately, hopelessly, head over heels for my boss.

  “Amy, could you grab my notes and bring them to the ten o’clock meeting? I don’t think I’ll be able to make it back to my desk before then.” Keith smiled at me, not even acknowledging that Kelly was in the room. Out of the corner of my eye I could see her glowering at me, and I had to hold back a sigh.