by Harper Ashe
“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!”
Chapter 10
Abby 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.
~~~
Stephen 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.
He pulled the ring box out of his pocket and opened it, looking at the colorless, five carat, pear-shaped solitaire. He had thought about buying her a larger diamond, but he wanted something she could wear every day. His jeweler had told him that anything bigger than this would get in the way. If Abby said yes, he vowed to shower her with diamonds, rubies, emeralds...anything her heart desired.
If she said yes...
~~~
Abby cringed as she walked toward the penthouse office elevator. Stephen hated the tie. In retrospect, it was a stupid gift. Only a BBW with a sweet tooth would give a billionaire a pink tie with a cupcake on it. So what if the cupcake happened to be the logo for a product line he created? It was still a cupcake on a pink tie.
For a minute, she thought he actually liked her gift and was maybe even touched by her thoughtfulness. But when he didn’t pick it up to look at it more closely and quickly put the lid back on the box, she realized she had misread his initial reaction. Thankfully, nobody knew about the tie but her, so she wouldn’t have to field questions from Martha, Jenna, or even Molly about why he wasn’t wearing it.
Maybe the tie idea was a miss, but she was determined to make sure the launch party was a home run. So much would be riding on that night: the future of Blake Foods, her career at the gourmet foods company, and her relationship with Stephen.
After several months of exquisite torture working so close to him, she was tired of waiting for him to make a move. Tomorrow night, when the party was over, she would let him know how she felt once and for all and cross her fingers that he felt the same way. If he didn’t, at least she would know that for once in her life, she wasn’t afraid to take a chance on love.
After the drunken kiss fiasco in her apartment and the whole “sexual harassment” conversation in his office, she had been convinced that Stephen wasn’t interested in her. Over time though, small clues started to tell a different story. He wasn’t the type to wear his heart on his sleeve. Rather, he was subtle in the way he showed his interest. Or at least, that was what she hoped.
Giving her carte blanche access to the penthouse floor. Going out of his way to ask for her advice when he clearly didn’t need it. Agreeing to drop formality in lieu of first names. To Abby, these things spoke of Stephen’s affection for her, even if his words didn’t.
Then there was the final tasting in the test kitchen.
Oh my! She had never been so hot and bothered in her life. And a few discreet glances at Stephen’s lap told her that the feeling was definitely mutual. To Abby, all of these things pointed to something more than a simple working relationship.
Her employment contract at Blake Foods would be up in a few months and she had money in the bank to tide her over if things didn’t turn out like she hoped. So other than her pride and dignity, what did she have to lose by telling Stephen that she was in love with him?
Chapter 11
Abby slipped out of her yoga pants and t-shirt and into her party dress, which was hand-picked by Lois Carlyle to highlight Abby’s physical attributes and downplay her curvy imperfections. In other words, the knee-length, dark burgundy dress with cap sleeves and a high waist showcased her cleavage and shapely calves and camouflaged her belly, butt, and thighs.
Nervous energy hummed through her body. She had spent the entire day overseeing the event planners, and even though she was confident that they knew what to do and when, she was still worried that something would go wrong. Eventually, Martha and Chef Laurent had shooed her out of the Blake Foods building lobby so she could freshen up and change while the event photographers got set up They were hired to capture the essence of the decorated lobby before the guests and media arrived.
It was her idea to hold the party in the Blake Foods building rather than some random hotel that nobody would remember once the night was over. While the main function would take place in the spacious lobby, which had been transformed into a magical dessert oasis, the chef would be hosting tours of his test kitchen to offer an intimate, behind-the-scenes look at the heart and soul of the Sweet for You desserts line.
After dressing with care and admiring how she looked in her dress, Abby put the finishing touches on her hair and makeup, took a deep breath, and strode toward the elevator.
It was show time!
~~~
Less than half an hour after the party started, the lobby was packed wall-to-wall with people. Although the catering staff was mingling with trays of champagne and bite-sized Sweet for You treats, everyone was talking about the colossal, cupcake-shaped dessert display. The impressive centerpiece screamed, “This tiny dessert line is going to be HUGE!”
Abby was surprised by the early arrival of so many of the guests as well as local and national media representatives. She did her best to work the crowd, greeting each guest personally, thanking them for coming and reminding them about the test kitchen tours.
When Stephen arrived fashionably late, the party was in full swing and the sprawling lobby was packed with the guests, reporters, and photographers. By the time Abby was able to spot him in the crowd and catch his eye, he had already given a very brief welcome speech and the party was more than half over.
She waved at him from across the room and he strode toward her, looking especially dashing in a navy blue suit and the signature pink Sweet for You tie she had given him the night before. Since he wasn’t exactly overjoyed when he opened her gift, Abby thought he was probably wearing it out of obligation. Even so, she thought it looked great on him.
“Nice tie,” she said when he was close enough to hear her through the ambient noise of the crowd.
“It was a gift from someone special,” Stephen responded.
Abby grinned, her stomach fluttering at his words. “Great turnout, don’t you think?”
“Excellent turnout,” he agreed. “You’ve done a fabulous job on this launch party, Abby.”
“I’m glad you think so.”
“Speaking of fabulous, I must say you look as delicious as the desserts display.”
“Thank you.” Abby blushed, but she wasn’t sure if it was due to his compliment or the way his heated gaze caressed her curves. “Stephen. I, uh...”
He took a step closer so he could hear her better, but before Abby could ask him to meet her in his office after the party so they could talk in private, a leggy brunette in four-inch heels interrupted their exchange by draping herself around his shoulders.
Abby recognized the brunette as one of the Victoria’s Secret models...Lola something-or-other. If she was remembering correctly, Lola had been featured in a Blake Foods advertising campaign a few years ago, right before she struck it big in the modeling world.
“I’m sorry I’m late, darling. Did you think I was going to keep you waiting all night?” Lola cooed in Stephen’s ear before nibbling on his lobe with an air of familiarity.
Darling?
The color drained from Abby’s face when she realized that the brunette must be his date for the launch party. Lola was everything Abby wasn’t: young, tall, thin, and glamorous. How could short, fat, and frumpy Abby hope to compete with six feet of lingerie model sexiness?
Forcing a smile, she said, “If you’ll excuse me, I need to powder my nose and get back to the guests. Enjoy the party.” Turning away from the beautiful couple, she rushed toward the ladies room. Locking herself in the last stall, she blinked her thick, mascara-coated lashes rapidly while dabbing at the corners of her eyes with a square of toilet paper.
Please don’t cry. Please don’t cry. Please don’t cry.
The blinking and internal begging didn’t work. Tears trickled silently down Abby’s face as her heart – and hopes – shattered into a thousand pieces.
She was foolish to think that the chemistry she felt with Stephen was something more than a silly flirtation borne from spending so much time together at the office. Or that one drunken kis
s and a sexy dessert tasting meant as much to him as it did to her. Or that a handsome billionaire who could have any woman in the world would choose the curvy girl. Grateful that she discovered Stephen’s girlfriend before blurting out her feelings for him, Abby knew she couldn’t bear to watch them together. She had to get out of the Blake Foods building. Fast.
When her tears were temporarily spent, she blotted her red, puffy eyes and sent a text message to Jenna.
I need to leave. Family emergency. The event planners will clean up after the party, but if you could stay to make sure they take care of everything, I promise I’ll make it up to you.
Next, she sent a text message to Martha.
Something’s come up and I need to go to my parents’ house for a few days. Jenna will stay and supervise the cleanup after the party. Please make sure that Mr. Blake thanks everyone for coming and smiles for the media.
She waited until the ladies room was empty before sneaking out, slinking through the crowd, and slipping into the stairwell that led to the parking garage. Once she was safely out of the lobby, tears fell anew as she descended the flight of stairs and pushed open the heavy door to the garage. She was so lost in despair that she didn’t see the cloaked figure standing in the shadows until the menacing figure darted in front of her, blocking the way to her car.
“Tom!” she cried out in recognition. “What are you doing here?”
“Hello, Abby. You didn’t think I would miss the launch party, did you? Even though I’m not welcome inside, I wasn’t about to let the night pass by without making an appearance.”
“Don’t try anything funny, Tom, or I swear I’ll scream loud enough to bring the entire crowd rushing into the garage.”
“Try anything? With you? Ha!” He laughed humorlessly. “Your fat rolls are repulsive. I wouldn’t try anything with you if you were the last woman on earth.”
“Go to hell, Tom,” Abby said as she started to walk away.