by Eunice Hart
A Woman Worth Fighting For
Will he stand up for this plus size beauty?
A sexy plus size romance by Eunice Hart of BWWM Club.
Plus-size African American Adele Kincaid is finally feeling like herself again after leaving her cheating ex-boyfriend…
Now she’s starting her new job at the elite Tanaka restaurant, brimming with ideas with how to make the restaurant succeed!
But there’s just one person in her way…
Ever since his parents died, Peter Tanaka has felt that everything has been dull, lifeless and without spark…
Determined to preserve his parent’s legacy, he bumps heads with the voluptuous new hire who wants to make changes to his restaurant…
And Adele thinks he’s a coward for not wanting to change!
But despite their problems they can’t deny their attraction to each other!
And as their relationship blossoms it only raises more problems along the way!
Will Adele and Peter be able to save their relationship against the forces that try to drive them apart?
Or will it be too much for them to handle?
Find out in this emotional yet sexy romance by Eunice Hart of BWWM Club.
Suitable for over 18s only due to sizzling hot sex scenes!
Tip: Search BWWM Club on Amazon to see more of our great books.
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Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
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Chapter 1
Hello, From the (Other) Side
The gown was black and clung loosely to her body, stopping just inches above her knees. Looking down, she could see the sequins tracing a path down the front of the gown in a regular pattern, gleaning in the light from the bulb overhead. The sleeves were almost non-existent, stopping just past her shoulders so her dark skin was exposed, and the neck was low-cut, though not enough that her cleavage would draw everyone’s eyes. It was a dress many would kill to have.
Adele hated it.
It wasn’t ugly at all, not to her, at least. She and her best friend Betty had hurried to the clothing store to get it, thrilled to find that it hadn’t been bought yet. According to Betty, the dress was nothing but gorgeous. But that was exactly the problem. It wasn’t helping matters for Adele at all.
When she thought about it, though, it didn’t matter much whether she wore it or not. People were still going to stare at her like they’d never seen a plus-size woman before, like being large was something strange. That wasn’t a very calming thought. It didn’t help matters that she had to go to work today.
Adele wasn’t feeling ungrateful. No, having been unemployed for months, she’d been thrilled when the offer came in from the restaurant. For months she had been running around desperately searching for someone who would hire her, and the offer was much bigger than what she’d been expecting. As far as she was concerned, it was a blessing.
Becoming manager of a Tanaka restaurant was sort of a big deal. When Adele got the job offer, she’d practically hit the roof. It was simply perfect. She had lots of ideas she would like to implement, and what better place to do so than the best restaurant in the whole of Massachusetts? For days afterwards, she’d envisioned running the place, giving orders, basically making the place a paradise for Bostonians. Just a couple of days ago, she’d gone through several old outfits with Betty before deciding to head to the Chanel store.
Still, she couldn’t seem to shake off that uneasy feeling. But why? It couldn’t simply be because she was black. She'd been accepted for who she was in her previous places of work, although every now and then she heard a slur from some random asshole. It wasn’t because she was incompetent, either. Adele knew she could do a much better job than whoever had forfeited theirs before her. Though her size wasn’t a problem, she sometimes doubted that. Like today. What if she walked into the restaurant and announced herself as the new manager, only for her workers to laugh at her? Surely, they’d never had a manager who wore size 17 in dresses.
This wasn’t the time to worry. It was Monday morning, and she needed to get to work. She could either go to her new job or spend the rest of the day – and probably the rest of her life – lying on the living room couch in her pajamas.
Adele spun on her heel and looked around, taking in a breath at the sight of their apartment. It was pretty large, that was for sure. The occupants had initially considered getting separate apartments, but eventually they’d decided to settle for a large one. The place was flamboyant, the walls in each area painted a different color, photos of Adele and Betty taking up an unusual amount of space, along with posters of their favorite artistes. They both shared a bedroom and a ginormous bed neither could move if they wanted to. Through the windows, Adele could see the clear skies and buildings that made up Boston.
She turned back to stare at her reflection in the mirror and let out a sigh. “I can’t do this.”
“Of course, you can.” Betty Benson emerged from the kitchen bearing coffee mugs and set one down on the dresser in front of Adele, handing the other one to her friend. “You’re Adele freaking Kincaid.”
Adele rolled her eyes. “You say it like the Kincaids’ have superpowers or something.”
Betty smirked. She was a tall, slender light-skinned woman with red hair, long fingers and a prominent jaw. “Well, your mom always makes it sound that way when she talks about seizing the day and all that.”
Both women burst into laughter. There was a low yowl and a black cat sauntered into the bedroom area, sailing gracefully over Betty’s mug and landing on the dresser. He fixated his dark eyes on Adele’s dress as if trying to figure out why she was dressed so formally.
“Hey, Muffin,” she said, reaching down to scratch him between the ears. The curled up appreciatively and closed his eyes. “I have to go to work today. I’ve got a job now.”
But for how long was she going to be able to keep it? What were the odds the Tanakas’ wouldn’t turn her away after just a few hours of working for them? From what she knew, they were an insanely rich family. More often than not, people like them tended to be snobs. She hadn’t even been interviewed by them because whoever was really in charge would rather delegate someone else to do it. Adele wasn’t as confident about herself as she’d like to be. What would the Tanakas make of her?
“You’re doing it again.”
Adele blinked and looked to find Betty shaking her head. “What?”
“You’re overthinking,” her friend explained. “You really need to stop doing that. It’s pretty unhealthy.”
“There’s nothing wrong with thinking about the possibilities,” Adele said defensively, sipping her coffee.
“Yeah…not unless it’s making you act like you’r
e about to head out onto a battlefield. Babe, you need to relax. Everything will be fine. And if it isn’t, that’s still fine. You literally have nothing to worry about.”
Easy for her to say. She seemed to have everything set in her life. Well, except her clothes, Adele thought, glancing through the mirror at the clothes strewn all over the bedroom area. Betty wasn’t exactly the neatest person.
Their relationship was one of the most unlikely one could ever think of. They’d been friends for less than two years, but somehow Adele couldn’t help feeling like they’d been together for all their lives. The two women had met at a concert and had to move around with each other all day, having been ripped off by some guy selling accessories. By the time they realized it was pointless trying to find him, they’d already become acquainted with each other.
Over the next few weeks, they kept in touch, getting to know each other better. Betty was a nurse who worked night shifts and Adele’s business degree was wasting away at home while she served at a McDonalds. Both were in bad places at the time, and it wasn’t long before Adele brought up the idea of living together. And so, they’d agreed for Betty to move in with her until they found better apartments for themselves.
Adele had to admit, living with Betty hadn’t been easy at all. For one thing, Betty was fond of leaving things lying around in the apartment. She didn’t seem to like Adele’s cooking, and it was a while before the two women figured things out. And then there was the fact that although they had similar taste in music, it didn’t go all the way. Adele didn’t take very kindly to hip-hop blaring through the apartment while she was trying to relax to some classics. But with time, the two had gotten even closer than they’d imagined they would, and when it was time to get new apartments, both women agreed to rent one for themselves.
Overall, Betty was an amazing friend. Even Adele’s mother could tell her that much, and she’d always been critical of many of her daughter’s friends. Adele and Betty had their occasional arguments, but in the end they were inseparable. Even when Betty seemed rude or annoying, Adele could sometimes tell it was out of love. Most importantly, Betty was one of the few people who could make her feel really comfortable.
She gave another sigh. If only Betty could follow her to work today. Adele couldn’t help feeling she’d need a cheerleader at her side every second of the day.
“You just need to stop worrying so much,” Betty told her, startling Muffin as she reached for her own mug; the cat gave a jerk, nearly knocking it over, but she grabbed it just in time, for the coffee to merely slosh over the edges. “Remember what your mom said?”
Adele couldn’t help rolling her eyes again. Just last night, she’d phoned her mother because she was feeling insecure again. As expected, Mrs. Kincaid hadn’t even seemed to take it too seriously or tried to calm her down. She’d merely told her to recognize her worth and hung up.
In her defense, it had been nearly midnight.
That was Amara Kinkaid. She wasn’t inconsiderate or abusive, just the kind of person who liked to tell the truth as bluntly as she could. And as much as Adele hated to admit it, her mother was correct a lot of the time.
“Sure,” she muttered, taking another sip before setting down the mug. “I’ll be sure to look for my inner superhero and try to channel her. I get off work in the evening. That should give us time to hang out before you head out to work.”
She reached for her purse, which was lying on the bed, but Muffin beat her to it. The cat pounced on the purse and wouldn’t budge, meowing and staring at her as if to say, You can’t leave.
“I’m sorry, Muffin,” she said, snatching the purse from under him and stroking his dark fur. “You know I’d love to take you along, but I doubt they allow pets at work.”
The landlord doesn’t allow pets in the apartment building either, said a voice in her head, but she ignored it. Scooping the cat off the bed with one arm, she handed him to Betty, who took him reluctantly.
She ran her fingers lightly through her long, relaxed black hair, giving her reflection one last gaze. “How do I look?”
“Gorgeous as ever.” Her friend winked. “Go get them, girl.”
The last thing Adele heard before she left the apartment was Muffin’s distraught yowl.
*****
The ride through the streets of Boston was rather short. Or maybe it was because she was too distracted by her thoughts to notice the traffic. The cab came to a halt in front of a large building with the name TANAKA flashing from a large sign overhead. Feeling a shiver of trepidation, Adele fished a twenty from her purse and paid the cabbie, climbing out before she could stop herself. She stood and stared at the restaurant, thinking how magnificent it looked.
The building was three stories tall, though the third floor didn’t look like it was in use at all. It had large glass windows and transparent doors with red Japanese symbols painted over them. Sucking in a breath and reminding herself how badly she needed this job, she made for the doors, but a man in a red suit pulled them open before she could touch the handles. She stepped inside and gasped in awe. She’d come here before, when she got her job offer, but she’d never really taken the time to admire it.
The restaurant’s exterior might have been pleasing to look at, but inside was another wonder entirely. Adele wanted to take a seat and never get up. The walls were red and cushioned, giving the restaurant a surreal look. The tables were round and covered in red, embroidered cloths, the chairs sleek and sturdy-looking. Adele might be kidding, but the place was a lot larger than it seemed from outside. Aside from the regular tables, there were booths at different sides of the room – executive tables, Adele figured, nodding her approval.
At the other end of the room, right in front of a swinging door with a large peephole, a bald Japanese man in a dark suit and glasses stood waiting. When she locked eyes with him, he nodded and made his way towards her.
“Are you Miss Adele Kincaid?” he asked.
Adele nodded, confused. She’d seen this man before, on the day she’d been given the job, but she’d never really put much thought to his identity. Was he some sort of supervisor? “And you are…?”
She was expecting a name, something like Lee or whatever common Japanese name there was, but he merely said, “Your tour guide. We have been expecting you.”
“We?”
The man nodded. “Of course. The entire staff have been waiting for your arrival. Now, I must show you around. If you will follow me, please.”
With that, he turned and disappeared through the doorway.
*****
The man’s name was not Lee, which was somewhat disappointing.
He said his name was Brian, and he gave her a tour of the restaurant, which turned out to be a lot larger than she’d imagined when she walked in. The second floor was for staff only, and it was where her office was. The chefs in the kitchen said they were happy to meet their new manager, although their movements were a little…robotic. Almost like they were worried or nervous about something or someone. Did her presence make them uncomfortable? Adele decided not to dwell on that thought.
Something kept nagging at her, though. Brian was her tour guide? Did he give tour guides to every customer who walked in, or was this a rare thing? In that case, what was his job? She decided to ask him later.
She was shown to her office, which looked like the previous manager hadn’t even touched it. It was rather spacious, with regular-size windows and cabinets. In the center of the room was a large mahogany desk, along with a chair that looked a little less like a throne. Looking around, Adele couldn’t help blushing with excitement. This was all for her? She couldn’t wait to tell Betty.
“The chefs have prepared you a welcome meal,” Brian told her from the doorway.
She whirled about. “A what?”
“It is tradition,” he explained. “I hope you are hungry?”
“Famished,” she told him, realizing suddenly that all she’d had that morning was half a cup of coffee.<
br />
They returned to the main area of the restaurant, where one of the tables had already been so laden with dishes, Betty would have a hard time trying to stop her jaw from unhinging. She sat down and Brian uncovered the dishes, and it was her jaw that dropped.
“Is that…?”
“Beef,” Brian finished for her, smiling proudly. “It’s smoked, but in the most extraordinary way anyone could ever imagine. At Tanaka, we serve only the best.” His grin widened as he gestured at the rest of the dishes. “Of course, we have both fried and boiled chicken, depending on which you prefer. Also, we have vegetables – is something wrong?” he asked.
For Adele’s eyebrows had knit together. She gazed at the table, the frown on her face prominent. Something wasn’t quite right about this meal…something was missing.
“There isn’t a side dish,” she observed.
Brian peered at her over his glasses. “I beg your pardon?”
“There’s supposed to be a side dish,” she told him. “You know, like mashed potatoes or something. Who prepared this meal? Who served it?”
“Served?” For some reason, Brian looked just as nervous as the chefs had earlier. “That would be…Peter.”
Why did he say the name like this Peter person was someone to be worried about?
“Get him here, please.” She couldn’t believe her own eyes. What kind of restaurant served a meal without a side dish? Many customers might not really care because they thought being in the restaurant alone was an honor, but Adele wasn’t about to leave any ends loose. It didn’t matter how little this problem was; with time, it could grow until it wasn’t so little anymore. Adele resisted the urge to suddenly massage her temples, wondering why such a thing was happening on her first day at work and what could have happened if she hadn’t noticed the silly error.
Brian nodded and left, returning later with a man dressed in the red clothes of a waiter. This man looked in his thirties, just a little older than she was. Like Brian, he was also Japanese. He had short dark hair, and a shaved jaw, his eyes dark and serious. Adele could tell he worked out sometimes. He was hot, but that wasn’t the reason she’d had him brought here, was it?