by Krista Bella
You're too fat to get a good-looking guy.
Julie was going to make sure she remained busy for a long time.
"I'll call him back tomorrow probably."
More like never.
July collapsed on the couch and started watching the program with her mother, her mind on her mishap at work. She was still reeling from finding the BBW stuff on Tristan's computer. She would have never thought he was into that kind of stuff.
After a while of sitting in her depression, Julie got up from the couch and stretched her arms and yawned. "Well, ma', I think I'm going to go to bed now."
Her mom quickly sat up in her recliner and put out her cigarette, the last of the pack she had just smoked, in the ash tray that was sitting on the night stand next to her chair. "Wait up. I think I'll go too." The two women walked out of the living room and to the stairs in the hallway.
"Night mom. Love you." Julie started towards her room which was at the opposite end of the house downstairs.
Her mom stopped when she took the first few steps up the stairs and turned around to address her daughter. "Julie."
Julie looked up. "Yeah?"
Her mother smiled and nodded at her red dress. "You look very beautiful."
Then she turned around and walked up the stairs, the floor boards creaking with each step.
In her bathroom adjacent to her room, when she was changing out of her dress, images of what Tristan was looking at on his laptop flashed through her mind.
Why, she looked better than most of the girls he was looking at. Her skin was firm and not dented up with cellulite. Her love rolls were almost non-existent. Her boobs, while very large, did not sag to the ground like some of those women did.
If Tristan truly liked big women, he definitely should have liked her.
Didn't you see his eyes on you?
He had checked her out in that dress pretty hard. And besides that, it could have been possible that after seeing her in the dress, he could have gone to that sight.
Since it was certainly in the realm of possibility, it made Julie feel real good, a boost to her confidence.
She wrapped her arms around her large breasts and tried to imagine how it would feel to have Tristan's strong arms around her. Julie imagined him coming up from behind her and wrapping his arms around her and telling her in her ear that she was sexy.
The devil's words came to her then. You're too fat to get a good-looking guy.
"Fuck it," she said to her reflection in defeat. "Who do I think I am kidding anyway?"
I should just be happy that I wasn't fired.
Knowing her luck, she would not have been surprised if she got to work on Monday and found that all of her stuff at her desk had been thrown out complete with someone new occupying her space.
Sighing, she quickly took her dress off and got into her night gown. Then she went into her bedroom and crawled into bed. Turning the night light out, she rolled over and went to sleep.
Chapter Three
When Monday came, Julie did her best to avoid Tristan at work. Thankfully, all of her stuff was still there when she got to her desk and nobody treated her any different than normal, a good sign that she probably wasn't out of her job.
She was relieved, but also perplexed. Any normal boss would have fired one of their employees for such a breach of trust and poor judgment.
It might be coming yet, she told herself as she filled up her coffee at the coffee machine that sat on a refreshment table at the back of the cubicle room. He could have been too embarrassed and scramble-brained to tell me at that moment.
But for some reason, that theory did not jive with Julie.
It was almost lunch time when one of her co-workers, Cindy Coleman, a ditzy blonde with platinum highlights that was skinny as a toothpick, came up to her desk, a stack of papers in her hands.
She was dressed in a black skirt, a white blouse with flowers on it, complete with white heels.
"The boss wants to see you," Cindy informed her, her blue eye shadow screaming that she was cheap.
A tremor went through Julie's hands. "I was about to go to lunch."
Cindy gripped her papers tightly and bent over Julie's desk. "Tristan said he wants to see you right God Damn now." She made her eyes go large; looking like the insane psycho she probably was behind closed doors.
Julie groaned. There was no escaping this one.
See? I knew I was right, she thought with despair. Now, he's going to fire me so he can humiliate me in front of the whole damn office.
When Cindy had widened her eyes several more notches to get her point across, she nodded at Tristan's office and then walked off, switching her bony ass with each step.
Sighing, Julie put away the work she had been working on before crazy had come calling and made her way to Tristan's office filled with dread.
At his door, she smoothed her dress, a white polka dot number that was chaste in comparison to the red dress she had on Friday night, took a deep breath, and then placed her hand on the handle. Then she stuck her head in quickly before she lost the courage.
"You wanted to see me?"
Tristan looked up from his computer. Damn, Julie had to admit he looked extra hot. His blonde hair was slicked back as usual, and his tie was loosened at the neck, his coat draped over the back of his seat. His strong jaws, broad shoulders, serious look...all gave him the look of a powerful man, which is why, Julie supposed, she was so damn attracted to him.
"Yeah," Tristan replied. His eyes seemed to search her curvy figure before he nodded at the seat across from his desk. "Have a seat, Miss Love."
Slowly, she made her way over to the seat and sank down onto the cushion, her heart hammering in her ears. It took only a second before her nose twitched. It was the spicy cologne Tristan had on the other night. This time it reminded her of the wilderness.
Trying not to look frightened, she clasped her hands on her lap and braced herself for the scathing dismissal.
Instead, she was surprised when Tristan announced, "I have something for you." He produced an envelope from a drawer in his desk and slid it across the polished wood.
Julie glanced wearily at the envelope as if it held a demon inside. "What's this?"
Probably a dismissal letter, Julie thought in terror. It wouldn't surprise her one bit if it was.
"Just open it," Tristan growled.
"Okay," Julie said quickly, not wanting him to explode.
Tristan was so damn testy. It had to be a firing letter. He just wanted to see the look on her face when she read it. The sadistic bastard.
She slowly opened the envelope, dreading what she might see. Surprisingly, it was a beautiful pink and white card that looked like it was purchased from Hallmark. Her jaw dropped when she opened it and read the words.
I am very sorry, Julie. Will you please forgive me? I'll do anything to make it up to you.
-Tristan
Julie looked up from the card at her boss suspiciously. "Is this some sort of a joke?" Tristan Carver simply just did not apologize, especially, when his employee had done something wrong. Something definitely was not right here.
Tristan shook his head, his gold-specked eyes on her face. The way he was staring at her, like she was a piece of steak, made Julie feel unsettled. "Nope."
Julie glanced back to the envelope. "I, uh, don't know what to say, Mr. Carver-"
"Tristan, please."
Julie licked her lips nervously. "I don't know what to say, Tristan."
Tristan leaned forward. "Say that you forgive me."
Was he trying to be funny? Of course she was going to say that she forgave him. She had, after all, been found guilty of snooping through his private laptop.
"I forgive you."
Tristan leaned back in his chair and studied her. "I don't believe you."
Julie frowned. "But I'm telling you the truth-"
Tristan raised a hand to quiet her. "I acted like quite an asshole on Friday, Julie," he said, usi
ng her name for the first time. "And I'm really ashamed about it."
Well it's not like I did not go snooping or anything, thought Julie.
"And to make it up to you, I'm inviting you to spend a weekend with me at my cabin next weekend."
This time, Julie could not stop her jaw from dropping to the floor when his words registered. "Wait, what?"
"I won't take no for an answer." Tristan's tone was matter-of-fact. Final. "You will come and allow me to atone for assholery."
Julie could hardly believe her ears. Tristan wanted her to come spend a weekend with him? To do what, exactly? Bake s'mores?
It was very surreal.
Julie looked into his gold-speced eyes and slowly said, "I guess I have no choice but to accept."
Tristan smiled then, a wolf-like, predatory smile. "Good. My driver, Fred, will stop by your house Friday evening after work. Just leave me your email and I'll send you all the details later."
Staring into Tristan's handsome face, Julie was suddenly overcome with excitement and she could not get his pen fast enough. After she gave him her email, she left his office with a giant smile on her face, her body coursing with excitement.
Tristan wanted to spend time with her after snooping in his private laptop. She could hardly believe it. Even him being a jerk was not enough to deter her from wanting to go.
"What did you two talk about?"
Julie whirled around to the sight of Cindy. She had a latte in her hand, probably her entire calorie count for the day, and was staring at her with anticipation.
She really wants to know, thought Julie.
After a moment, she gave the woman a secretive smile that she knew would drive her crazy and said, "You would never believe it."
Chapter Four
The rest of the week passed with agonizing slowness for Julie. It was hard to concentrate and focus at work. She was brimming with excitement about the coming weekend, but it was not long before she began to have her doubts.
During the work day, when Tristan would pass by her cubicle whenever coming to and from his office, he would not give her any eye contact whatsoever or even mention their upcoming engagement.
But what did Julie expect? Surely he wasn't going to blab about something like an illicit getaway during work hours where his employees might witness. Still, a few whispered words about how sexy she was and wanted to do to her, would have made her more-than thrilled and removed all doubts of Tristan possibly playing a cruel joke on her as revenge for being a nosy employee.
On Thursday, the day before their engagement, Julie finally received a tidbit. It was near closing time. She was just about to shut down her computer and grab her purse and keys to leave work when Tristan walked by.
She looked up just as he passed and their eyes crossed. As usual, he was handsomer than the devil, his hair slicked back, his dress pants showing off that manly physique of power. His lips twisted in a slight grin that reminded Julie of a predator as he passed, his cologne filling her nostrils. At the same time, she felt something light hit her lap. She looked down. It was a white envelope.
Glancing furtively around the room to make sure none of her co-workers would see her, she quickly snatched open the container. Her breath caught in her throat at the beauty of the card inside. Unlike the last one, this one was red with a velvety texture on the outside. It was the type of card that must have cost more than a few bucks.
She flipped over the front cover, expecting passionate words of ecstasy, but instead it was only a few words scribbled on the inside.
Be ready.
-Tristan.
All that money for a card and that was all he chose to write in it? Julie frowned with disappointment. Still, it showed that Tristan was serious about having her over for the weekend, so there was that. Slowly, she closed the envelope, her heart pounding with anticipation, and then she gathered her things and went home.
The very next day passed rather quickly and when she got home she could hardly contain herself with stuffing the sexiest outfits she could find in her closet in her bags. She also tossed in a few body-hugging swimsuits for good measure since they would be staying out on a lake.
"What on earth is all this?" her mother asked Julie from the foyer entrance when Julie had made it to the front door with two very large duffel bags. Jean, whose hair was curled large, pink rollers, was dressed in mom jeans, and a blue and white t-shirt with cigarette predictably resting in her fingers as she studied her daughter.
Julie held back a cough from the secondhand smoke and smiled at her mom. "I'm going away for the weekend."
Her mother scowled with surprise. "Away for the weekend? Since when? And why aren't you inviting me?"
Because it's only going to be me and Tristan there, mom. And hopefully we will have hot, steamy sex.
Julie paused, debating on whether telling her mother the truth about her getaway. She quickly decided she better tell a white lie. Jean would probably look down on her going away with her boss and would probably warn her that a firing would not be too far in the future.
"Never mix business with pleasure, Julie," her mother used to warn her back when she was in grade school. She'd come home from work with Julie's father looking haggard and worn out. "I learned the hard way."
"It's a job perk," Julie supplied, hoping her mother did not sense her nervousness. "I'll be staying at a Cabin on Silver Lake with a bunch of my female co-workers." Guilt coursed up her spine at the white lie, but she quickly banished the feeling.
Jean took a drag on her cigarette and leaned against the house wall. "That's just wonderful, girl. I can't say that I'm not jealous. Wish you could bring your old lady with you." She stared at her. "But you work so hard, you definitely deserve it."
Julie could not agree more.
"Thanks mom."
Her mother helped her carry her bags out onto the porch and less than a minute later, a large black limo pulled up in the driveway and Julie could hardly contain her shock. While Tristan had told her in his email that he was sending someone to pick her up, he had neglected to tell her that it would be in a limo!
He must really, really be sorry, she marveled as an old man dressed in an expensive tux with grey hair climbed out of the car.
Jean's cigarette about fell out of her mouth. "Okay, Julie," she growled, giving her daughter a look of disbelief. "I'm going to need you to get me a job at this place you work out, because clearly, I need to come out of retirement."
Julie smiled. "I think you're just fine where you're at, Mom."
Jean shook her head, dropped her cigarette to the porch floor and stomped it out as the chauffeur walked up to them. "They are just rolling out the red carpet aren't they?"
"That they are." Julie grabbed her bags, her hands trembling with excitement.
"I'll take those." The limo driver, whose name was Jim, gently took Julie's bags out of her hands, cleared his throat, and motioned towards the luxury vehicle. "Right this way, Miss Love."
Excitement coursed through Julie and she turned to quickly peck her mother on the cheek. "Bye mom. Love you."
Jean's voice was slightly envious as she surveyed the pampering. "Love you too. Have fun!"
"I will!"
Jim led Julie to the limo and opened the door for her. Julie literally rolled inside like an overjoyed butterball while Jim went behind the vehicle and deposited her belongings in the trunk.
It was very nice and spacious inside-plush, black leather seats and bottles of wine resting on a small bar that had a large supply of ice. There was a small see-through window separating Julie from the front area.
Once Jim was inside, he lowered the window and stuck his hand out towards her.
Julie stared at the gleaming gold card between his fingers with curiosity. "What's this?"
"Master Carver asked that I give this to you," Jim replied.
Figures that Tristan would have a limo driver that refers to him as Master, thought Julie. The arrogance of this guy.
&n
bsp; Julie slowly took the card out of the old man's hands and looked at the words emblazoned on them. Tristan M. Carver. She looked back at Jim's wrinkled face, her face scrunched in confusion. "What for?"
Jim turned around and revved up the engine. "I'll be taking you to the mall where you'll buy an entire wardrobe from whichever department store you desire." The way he said it was so matter of fact that Julie was taken aback. "Master Carver wants you to look your best while on vacation. And don't even think about declining the offer. Master Carver won't allow it."
Julie was offended. She had packed extra nice clothing away in her bags and she thought she looked extra sexy in the red and white baby doll dress that now hugged her curvy frame. She opened her mouth to give a retort, then snapped her mouth shut.
Why argue with the old man? If Tristan wants to let me buy what I want for being a jerk to me, why not just go along with it? He's extra rich. It won't hurt him. Maybe I can find clothes similar to the ones the girls he were looking at on the website where wearing.
The drive to Silver Lake's mall was short. Jim stopped at the mall entrance, got out and opened the door for her. When Julie stepped out she saw several onlookers gawking at her.
They probably were expecting a celebrity, she thought. And not some big chick dressed in a baby doll dress.
She giggled cheerfully at the onlookers and waved her hand at them as she walked through the mall's doors.
I could learn to love this.
For the next half-hour she ransacked the plus-sized sections of the various clothing stores, trying on things she thought Tristan would like.
Even she was getting turned on when she tried on a sexy lingerie piece, a red, lacey see-through number that showed off her sensuous curves and large breasts.
There's no way he would not like this, she thought excitedly.
When she was done with her bounty at the current place she was at, a shop aptly called Big Baby, a plus-sized lingerie shop, she headed to the counter with a stack of clothing.
"Wow," the register, a skinny nerdy-looking thing with freckles on her nose and wide-rimmed glasses remarked when Julie dumped her load on the counter. "Looks like you bought the whole bedroom section out."