Out With A Bang: A Curvy Girl/Sweet Alpha Holiday Romance

by Lila Cole

  Out With A Bang

  Lila Cole

  Copyright © 2020 by Lila Cole

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations for reviews or other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

  Contents

  1. January

  2. Josh

  3. January

  4. Josh

  5. January

  6. Josh

  7. Josh

  8. January

  9. Epilogue

  Other Books by Lila

  1

  January

  It’s New Year’s Eve, and my friend Joy and I are sitting at our usual spot in our favorite cafe, The Daily Grind. Our mugs of hot chocolate are starting to cool when our usually punctual friend, Merry, comes flying through the door ten minutes late.

  “Sorry,” she says, tossing her coat across the back of the empty chair between Joy and me. “I got held up at the store. Let me go order really quick.”

  The intense red beard burn along her neck indicates that she did indeed get held up somewhere.

  Joy gives me a knowing look, barely able to hide her grin. “Hopefully they at least made it to the back room before that happened.”

  “She should use that visible evidence to demonstrate the healing power of some of the lotions she sells at the Apothecary,” I say. “If anyone could turn beard burn into an uptick in sales, it’s her.”

  Joy laughs. “You haven’t even graduated yet and you’re already putting those MBA classes to good use.”

  “With the amount of money that degree is costing me, I’m gonna whip out that knowledge every chance I get.”

  I’ve been working my ass off since I started grad school to make sure that MBA came with as little crippling debt as possible, so damn right I’m gonna put it it good use when I can.

  That’s why I’ve been working catering jobs over winter break, commuting into Pine City for long hours night after night. The work pays well, but it’s exhausting. It’d be slightly easier if I still had a home in Pine City. Because the universe hates me, my lease ran out right after Thanksgiving, and my roommate decided to move in with her girlfriend, leaving me homeless. I have some friends who let me couch surf on the nights that I have work so I don’t have to make the long drive home, but in the meantime I’ve been staying here in Holly Hill with my parents.

  They mean well and I appreciate the free roof over my head, but I’ve been on my own since I went off to college and moving back home has been…frustrating.

  Last night was my last shift at the catering company, and come Monday, I’ll be working more normal hours at a bookstore near campus, so I can focus on my studies. The only problem is that I still haven’t been able to find a new place yet, which is adding yet another layer of anxiety to my already anxious life.

  Joy glances at her watch. “So how long do we have you this afternoon before you have to leave for work?”

  She’s all too familiar with the long hike to and from Pine City, because she, Merry and I went to college out there.

  “Last night was my last shift,” I tell her hesitantly. It’s counterintuitive to quit work the day before one of the biggest party nights of the season, I know, but I feel like I have a good reason. A good reason that I’m also hesitant to tell them about.

  “So you’re free tonight?” Merry asks, following up the question with a delighted sound. She puts down her mug and gets situated in her chair. “You can come hang out with us and we can start celebrating your birthday early!”

  It’s a sweet offer and I love Merry and Joy dearly, but being the fifth wheel on a double date with two freshly-in-love couples sounds like the absolute worst way for me to ring in the new year.

  I’ve been vocally swearing off relationships for the past couple of years, claiming that I want to focus solely on my education. And while that is true, it’s also true that it’s partly because the man that I’m in love with is so firmly out of reach that it’s easier to tell myself I don’t have time for relationships anyway.

  It makes me feel better to think I have some kind of say in the matter.

  “Actually,” I say, looking down at my mug. “I’m going to a party at Josh’s.”

  Josh being the firmly-out-of-reach man that I’m in love with.

  We’ve been friends for years; we met when I was a freshman in college and he was a senior. I was wearing a vintage A-Team t-shirt that I fished out of the back of my dad’s closet. That day, Josh and I bonded over a shared love for cheesy 80’s TV shows and we’ve been close ever since.

  He and his sister inherited the family company, Thompson Tech, after his parents died tragically a couple of years ago. Tonight he’s throwing a New Year’s Eve blowout, hoping to impress the CEO of FiTech enough for him to agree to collaborate on a new line of smart wearables that Josh thinks could completely revolutionize the market.

  “A party at Josh’s, huh?” Merry says with this sly, teasing lilt. “Maybe he’ll give you a new year’s kiss.”

  Joy joins in, wiggling her brows. “And then drag you into his bedroom to send this year out with a bang. Happy birthday to you.”

  I sigh. Both options would be seriously nice, but I’m positive the situation is strictly platonic. “He’s trying to close on a deal tonight, he needed a date, and who better to bring than good old dependable and definitely friend-zoned me?”

  Merry narrows her eyes. “Did he say that?”

  “No,” I reply. “That’s just an objective assessment of the situation.”

  “Objective?” Joy asks. “Have you seen the way he looks at you?”

  “Have you seen the way he looks at me?”

  “Uh…yes,” she replies. “And there’s more there, I’m telling you. There has been for a long time, but you’re a gorgeous idiot who keeps telling him that you don’t want to be in a relationship.”

  Not wanting to get into that particular argument, I change the subject. “Victoria’s gonna be there.”

  Both of their faces screw up in disgust, bless them. Victoria is an all-around bitch.

  We all have individual reasons for hating her: she once purposely spilled red wine all over a white cashmere sweater that Merry’s grandmother gave her for Christmas junior year. She smashed in Joy’s right tail light and refused to pay for the damage.

  And me? She’s been a petty jerk for as long as I’ve known her because I managed to do something she’s never been able to: get close to Josh.

  He’s been rich his whole life, so he has a talent for sniffing out fakes. And Victoria? She reeks.

  Still, she hates that I genuinely care about Josh and that the feeling is mutual. She saw her father’s business partnership with Thompson Tech as a way in, but Josh treats her with polite indifference, and it drives her insane.

  She takes it out on me when she can.

  “And you’re voluntarily going to this party that she’ll be attending?” Merry asks, confused.

  I shrug. “I couldn’t say no to him.”

  “Of course you couldn’t,” Joy replies. “You better have a killer dress.”

  “I do.” I pull out m
y phone and scroll through my photo album to find the pics that I took when I tried it on. It’s a flowy black halter-top maxi dress that hugs my curves in all the right places. Honestly, it looks like it was made just for me. Yes, it was stupid to spend money that I’ve worked so hard to save for the coming semester on a dress, but this was the dress. Not buying it would’ve been a sin.

  “This dress is divine,” Merry says. “He’s not gonna be able to keep his hands off of you.”

  “I think he’ll manage to keep his hands off me just fine,” I argue. “He just wants me there because he knows I’m low maintenance and won’t expect anything at the end of the night. I can just crash down the hall and won’t make it awkward.”

  “Sure, yeah…that’s why he wants you there,” Joy says.

  I ignore them and slip my phone back into my pocket. “I’ve already started on my resolution for next year, which is not getting my hopes up, so…”

  At least, that’s what I’m telling myself. I take a sip of my hot chocolate and try not to think of what could be if only things were different.

  2

  Josh

  It’s a gorgeous afternoon here in Pine City, perfectly mild for late December. I’m standing in the club room on the rooftop of my building, watching the preparation for the party of my life.

  I’ve hired the best caterers in Pine City to put together an amazing party menu, and my assistant made sure that the decorations are elegant and understated. The setting is perfect for the kind of New Year’s bash I’m hoping for: one where I ring in the new year with a lucrative contract, provided Bernard Shaw, the CEO of FiTech, approves.

  I have to impress him tonight.

  I put together an airtight proposal and presented it just before Christmas, then followed up with an invite to this party, hoping to schmooze him into closing the deal. He accepted, and now everything is on the line tonight.

  “You nervous?” my sister Rebecca asks as she slips her arm through mine. She’s the CFO of Thompson Tech, and has just as much riding on this thing working out as I do.

  I consider lying, but she’s always been able to see right through me. “Nervous as hell.”

  She nods. “Dad would’ve loved this direction you’re trying to take the company in,” she says, trying to reassure me.

  He would have. Dad had always dreamed of expanding our market share, and I know in my heart that he would’ve thought this was the right direction. Somewhere, he’s rooting for us tonight.

  “Hopefully we can make his dream come true tonight, Becks.”

  “We can. We will. Shaw’s a family guy, we’re family guys.”

  I raise my brow.

  “Okay, you’re a family guy, I’m a family lady.” She rubs her swollen belly to punctuate the fact. She and my brother-in-law Mike are expecting their first baby, a girl, in a couple of months. I’m so excited to meet her. “And I’m not wearing heels tonight.”

  “I don’t care what you wear so long as we close this deal tonight.”

  “Did you ask January to be your date?”

  I nod, hoping to head off any kind of pressure from my sister about my love life, nonexistent as it’s been the past year or so.

  “Yes. She agreed, because she’s a good friend like that.”

  Rebecca playfully nudges my shoulder with hers. “She could be more than that if you’d finally man up and tell her how you feel.”

  I shake my head at her. “It has nothing to do with manning up. She’s been pretty insistent that she doesn’t want any romantic distractions until she graduates. She’s working her ass off to pay for that degree, and what kind of dick would I be if I didn’t respect that?”

  It’s getting harder to ignore how much I want her, though. The other day she was in town for work, and she stopped by my place for a while to hang out. We wound up cuddled up on the sofa watching TV, her lush, full body pressed against mine. She fell asleep resting her head on my shoulder, and I’d wrapped my arm around her to keep her close and warm. I brushed my lips across her forehead and nearly woke her up then to tell her I was in love with her.

  But I nodded off soon after, and when I woke up, she was getting ready to leave.

  “I see the way you look at her,” Rebecca says. “It’s the same way I look at Mike. And I wonder how much happier you would be if you stopped holding yourself back and tell her what you want.”

  “When she’s done with school,” I tell her, even though I know I won’t be able to wait another year and a half for her. I want to kiss her, to bend her back in my arms and take every bit that she’ll give me. I want to taste her, to claim her, to make her mine. I want to go to sleep every night with her gorgeous curves pressed against me, and wake up with her in my arms.

  There was always something special about Jan, from the moment I met her. I’ve been drawn in by her sleek blonde hair and sparkling brown eyes. She has this infectious personality and a laugh that I want to bottle so I can listen to it on the days when I’m pissed off with the world.

  “How are you gonna introduce her to Shaw?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Are you gonna introduce her as a friend, or tell him she’s your girlfriend?”

  “Like a fake date?”

  She shrugs. “Yeah, just for the night, until we get the contract signed. You do have a terminal bachelor reputation. It might be nice for him to see that you can make some kind of commitment.”

  I give her a dirty look. “And we start doing business with FiTech, and then what?”

  “Oh no, you might have to spend more time with her,” she teases.

  “But it would all be a lie.”

  She starts walking toward the catering manager before turning and giving me a knowing look. “Would it?”

  3

  January

  I arrive at Josh’s apartment with my dress slung across my forearm, my hair and makeup stuff in a tote bag hanging on my shoulder, and a whole lot of butterflies in my stomach.

  His doorman buzzed me up, so when I get to the penthouse level, I’m not surprised to see that Josh is waiting by the door. He’s wearing jeans paired with this long-sleeved knit shirt that fits just right. His sandy blonde hair is casually styled, like he’s been running his fingers through it all day. And if I know him, he has been.

  He’s leaning against the door frame like a model, smiling at me in a way that makes my stomach do somersaults. His green eyes are friendly and bright, and he hasn’t shaved in a couple of days, so there’s a very attractive smattering of hair on his jaw that I want to glide my fingertips along, just to feel it prickle my skin.

  He’s dreamy, and I dream about him frequently.

  “Hey you,” he says, grinning as he pulls me in to a tight hug. It’s nice being pressed against his body like this, his chin resting on the top of my head, his arms wrapped around me. I feel protected. Safe. Like nothing in the world can go wrong as long as he’s holding me like this.

  “Hey,” I say, breathing deep. He smells like soap and rich people’s laundry detergent.

  “C’mon in.” He pushes the door open and steps aside, ushering me into the penthouse that his father bought him on his 24th birthday, when he graduated from Thompson Tech’s executive training program. It’s rugged and homey, but definitely a bachelor pad. One full wall of his living room is nothing but windows leading to a giant terrace, and the view of downtown Pine City never fails to take my breath away.

  “Did you have a good drive?” he asks, as he takes my dress and my bag from me.

  “I did, thank you.”

  He takes my hand in both of his, and it amazes me that such a simple touch can send my heart racing like it’s competing in a marathon. He’s so warm, I never want to let go.

  “I can’t thank you enough for what you’re doing,” he tells me for about the hundredth time since I agreed to be his date to this party. But I won’t complain as long as those thanks are accompanied by some hand holding.

  “I’m happy to help. You�
�re one of my best friends in the world, Josh.”

  His eyes brighten, even though this isn’t the first time I’ve told him that.

  “I wish you’d let me repay you.”

  “Hmmm,” I tease, tapping my chin. “You’re letting me use your giant bathtub to get ready, you’re letting me crash in the guest room, which is much nicer than my room at my parents’ house since the bed isn’t fifteen years old. I know you bought the good champagne for the party, and I’m gonna have my fair share of that. And this gave me the opportunity to buy and wear the most perfect dress I’ve ever tried on, so…consider your debt paid.”

  He perks up at the mention of the dress, which is a boost to my ego. He’s such a guy.

  “A good one?” he asks, voice slightly strangled.

  “A great one,” I reply, because it’s the truth. “It’s like it was made just for me.”

  Maybe it’s because of the chat with the girls earlier, but for the first time I kind of get what Joy meant when she asked if I’ve ever seen him look at me.

  I thought I had, but never like that. With hunger.

  He licks his lips as he looks at me, then his eyes wander over to where the dress is draped over the back of the club chair in his living room.

  “I can’t wait to see it.”

  And now I’m even more excited to wear it. But first, a bath. A nice long one.

  “Can I head in, or…” I nod toward his bedroom, because it’s starting to get dark and I’m gonna need some quality time in that tub, and then some additional quality time to make myself look good enough to do justice to my dress.

  He leads me back into his ensuite. Even though I’ve been in this particular room countless times, I can never keep myself from imagining him bringing me back here under sexier circumstances. Preferably with one or both of us naked, or at the very least on our way there. Kissing like teenagers, unable to keep our hands off each other.