by Krista Bella
Julie smiled. "Almost."
The girl shook her head in awe as she began ringing up the clothes. Julie drummed her fingers on the counter, her mind racing, thinking about what the weekend might hold.
"That will be fifteen-hundred dollars," the girl announced when she was done.
Julie's heart skipped a beat. "Say what?" Did she really get that many clothes? She glanced at the folded clothing which sat in several stacks, frowning with disbelief.
The girl pointed at the register screen. Julie squinted. Sure enough, that was the cost.
"The average cost of each item you are purchasing is about eighty bucks," the girl informed her. "If you're not careful you can rack up a bill quite quickly."
"You're telling me," Julie muttered.
Good Lord.
Then it occurred to her. Why was she balking at paying? The money wasn't hers and Tristan had told Jim that declining his offer was not an option. Besides, Tristan was the head of a multi-million dollar company. A thousand g's was a drop in the bucket to him.
The girl glanced behind Julie, a line was beginning to form."Cash or credit?"
Screw it.
"Credit." Julie handed over the card.
The girl took the card from her hands and looked at it for a moment before running it through the card swiper.
Knowing my luck, it'll get declined, thought Julie. Or there will be a problem because I'm not the card bearer. And I'll have to walk out of here embarrassed.
Luckily though, it didn't.
The girl waited for the receipt to print out of the machine before pushing it across the counter along with a pen. "Sign right here."
Julie snatched up the pen and quickly scribbled out Tristan's name and then pushed the paper back over.
The girl was already handing over the bags of lingerie. "Thank you for shopping at Big Baby. You have a wonderful day."
Julie grabbed a hold of her purchases and smiled at the skinny thing. "You too."
Before Julie exited the mall she stopped at a perfume shop to get a nice scent. It would do no good to look that sexy and not smell good as well.
Outside, Jim was still waiting dutifully for her and quickly helped her get her things into the car. Then he came over and held the door open for her and asked, "Did you get everything you needed, Miss Love?"
Julie smiled and ducked her head. "I hope so."
Chapter Five
"This is so fricken gorgeous!" Julie exclaimed as she stepped out of the limo, her eyes taking in the two-story wood cabin that sat on the edge of Silver Lake, the snow-capped mountains in the distance.
The cabin was situated in a secluded area that was surrounded by dense trees and bushes. Given this fact, there was probably no one that lived within several miles, but that did not matter.
Julie's heart soared as she took in the beautiful backdrop. The sun was setting in the west, but even still, the lake waters reflected its light and shimmered with each wave.
The air was crisp, fresh. Julie took it all in a deep breath and savored the smell of the beautiful woodland. This place was just peaceful and it was amazing that Tristan, her boss, wanted to share it with her...all because he had been an asshole at work.
Her cousin's words, as expected came back to haunt her. No hot guy will ever want you.
It's funny how things turn out, she thought, smiling with bliss. Eat your heart out, Kev.
Tristan came out the front door of the cabin right at that moment and Julie's heart immediately skipped a beat. If she thought Tristan was hot in his work clothes, he was to die for in casual clothing. He had on tight-fitting jeans that showed off his powerful thighs and a short-sleeved shirt that showed off his powerful biceps and clung to his cut torso like saran-wrap.
"Let me get those for you, Jim," Tristan called out as the old man was opening the trunk. A surge of surprise went through Julie. She had never seen the powerful Tristan offer to do anything for anyone before. Maybe he was different when he was not at work.
"Hey Mr-Tristan," Julie said weakly as the man passed by, his cologne tickling her nose. She suddenly felt weak in the knees in the presence of her boss.
"Julie." Tristan nodded at her once before ducking his head inside the trunk. A second later he was standing in front of her, holding her bags, staring at her with those penetrating, gold-specked blue eyes. "I trust Jim was the ultimate chauffeur with you?" Tristan asked her, tossing a glance at his manservant who was leaned against the limo with his hands crossed.
"He treated me like crap," Julie joked, trying to release some of her nervous energy. At the look of rage that came over Tristan's face, she quickly put her hands up and backtracked, "I'm just kidding, I'm just kidding!"
"Oh," Tristan relaxed visibly. "That's good." He looked at Jim, who had a slightly frightened look on his face. "You can go now, Jim. I'll call for you when I need you."
The man nodded dutifully. "Master Carver." Then he got in the limo and drove, leaving the two standing
Geez, it looked like he was going to rip that poor man apart with his bare hands when I said that, thought Julie.
"What's with the master thing?" Julie dared to ask when the limo had disappeared. "It's totally archaic."
It's a total power trip more like it, thought Julie.
Tristan stared at the space the limo occupied and replied, "Jim is a loyal servant that has been with my family for many years. He is simply submitting to the alpha master."
Julie scrunched her face in confusion. "Say what?"
Tristan suddenly half-turned and surveyed the area. "Do you like it?"
Julie was a little put off at him changing the subject so quick, but there was no denying the beauty of the place that surrounded them.
She nodded. "It's absolutely breathtaking."
Tristan's defined cheekbones broke into a grin for the first time since he came out of the cabin. "Good. Let's get you situated inside."
While Tristan led her up the walkway, Julie admired his firm backside until they got inside of the cabin.
Inside, Tristan dumped her bags in the foyer and placed his hands on his hips. "This is your boss's humble abode. My place of escape. Not something you think an asshole like me enjoys, eh?"
Julie looked around with disappointment. Beside the freshly-polished wood, the inside of the cabin was not as nice as the outside was. In fact, it seemed almost bare if not for the many trophies of dead animals that adorned the wall. "Damn, you must love to hunt!" was all she could manage to say.
She cringed, hoping he did not take offense that she did not immediately profess her undying love for his cabin.
Tristan gave her a wide smile and winked, setting her at ease. To Julie, his teeth looked rather large....and sharp."I do actually."
Julie could totally see Tristan enjoying hunting as a pastime. In fact, it made sense and fit into his character. He probably came here to blow off steam when the business was not going well, taking out his frustration on helpless animals.
"Where's your guns?" asked Julie looking around for the fire-arms he had to hunt with.
"I don't have any."
Julie paused. "You don't have any? Well then how do you hunt?"
Tristan's smile became broader. "With my bare hands." Before Julie could press him about this oddity, he said, "Let me show you the rest of the cabin."
Julie followed him around to each room. Though the furniture was nice and mostly modern, every room was adorned with animal trophies hanging on the wall. Julie found herself growing less excited with each room she visited.
Julie began to fear that she would have nothing nice to say about the place until Tristan showed her his master bedroom. It had a king-size bed covered with a leopard skin blanket that looked awfully authentic, a flat-screen TV and a remote-controlled fire place. This room, at least, only had one bear head on the wall and had a warm, fuzzy and cozy feel to it.
"This room is wonderful," Julie murmured as they stood in the doorway. The close proximity of Trista
n's body sent tingles along her flesh. She could practically feel the heat emanating from it.
"I'm glad you like it," Tristan said, his deep voice filling the small space between them. "Now let's get you situated."
Much to Julie's disappointment, Tristan brought her to a small room down the hall from his after retrieving her bags from the foyer. It had a twin-size bed, a moose head hanging on the wall overhead, a TV and a small, adjoining bathroom.
"This is nice," Julie mumbled as Tristan set her bags on the bed.
Get over yourself, girl, she scolded herself. Did you really think you were going to sleep in the boss's bed on the first night?
Tristan nodded. "The closet is over there. You can hang most of your things in it." He glanced at his watch. "But I got to get going."
Julie, who had been making her way over to unload her clothing out of her bags, spun around. "Going? Going where."
Tristan smiled at her, that predatory smile. "I have to make us dinner silly."
"Oh." Julie said with relief. She thought he was about to leave her in the cabin all alone, and this whole thing, coming to spend the weekend with him, had been some sort of cruel joke. "I am kind of hungry." Julie had all-but forgotten about food in her excitement, which was funny, because Julie loved food, as her large thighs could attest.
Tristan rubbed his flat stomach and his eyes roved over her curves. "I'm absolutely ravenous."
Julie could see his abs etched against the fabric of his t-shirt. They looked so delicious. And the way Tristan looked at her, made moistness gather between her thighs.
"You want some help?" Julie offered, tearing her eyes away from the delicious sight and trying to stall her internal heating system. She really had nothing to do after putting her clothes away, and on top of that, she had no idea if Tristan had any idea how to cook.
"Nah," Tristan declined, still looking at her like she was a piece of meat. "You'll just get in my way."
Offended, Julie snorted and placed her hands on her wide hips. "Are you sure? I bet your cooking tastes like absolute ass!"
Crap Julie, what are you doing? she thought. You are insulting your boss, and lord knows he has a temper and an ego. Just look at him making his limo driver refer to him as master. He can fire me at any moment.
Instead of flipping into a rage, Tristan chuckled and headed towards the door. "Trust me, babe," he said, the word 'babe" sending a shiver of delight down Julie's back, "You'll love my cooking."
Chapter Six
"Wow," Julie breathed as she took in the view out on the Cabin deck. As soon as Tristan had got done cooking, he had set them up a small table that was covered with a white cloth and adorned with several candles. Several bottles of red wine, two wine glasses, and gold silver wear and china was set and arraigned in perfect fashion. Two chairs sat facing each other on either end of the table.
With a cool airy breeze cresting through, the full moon shimmering against the waves of the lake, it was the perfect, intimate setting. Truly magical.
"This is gorgeous."
Tristan eyed her dress that she had changed into, a red number that resembled the dress the night he had caught her looking on his laptop, appreciatively. "I'm glad you think so...but it's not as gorgeous as you."
He called me gorgeous!
Tristan sucked in a mouthful of air through his nose. "And you smell absolutely ravishing too."
Julie's cheeks turned red and her confidence soared. That perfume she had got was paying off. Good thing too, because she was tired of Tristan being the only one with an addicting scent. She lowered her eyelashes demurely and murmured, "Thank you."
Tristan grinned at her embarrassment and then turned and pulled out one of the chairs, scrapping it against the wood floor. "Have a seat, Miss Love."
Still blushing, Julie sat down in the seat. The chair had the nerve to creak when she sat her large butt on it.
Oh fuck off! Julie snapped inwardly.
Tristan didn't seem to notice. He brushed past her as he moved away. Julie tried not to get turned on by his hard body as he took his seat opposite of her and nodded at the plate of food in front of them.
"I hope that's too your liking."
Julie tore her eyes away from Tristan's face and eyed the food. It was sautéed chicken breast, steak and pork chop. While Julie loved meat, she could have done with some mac n' cheese and some mashed potatoes on the side.
"I take it you don't like carbs?" she asked. Though she was disappointed in the meat-only plate, she could not deny the delicious aroma she was smelling.
Tristan smiled. "What can I say, I'm a meat lover and I only keep meat stocked here. I could have ordered pizza instead, but I have found that most places don't tend to serve this area given the seclusion." He nodded at the steaming meat again. "But try it. I swear you'll love it and you'll forget all about not having carbs as your sides."
Julie picked up one of the gold forks and stabbed into the chicken breast. When she took the first beat, the meat practically melted in her mouth. "Uhmmm!" she exclaimed with delight. "This is really flavorful!"
Tristan grinned. "Not bad for a shitty cook, eh?"
Julie picked up a napkin and wiped at her mouth, savoring the taste of the seasoned meat. "I didn't say you were a shitty cook!" she protested.
Tristan snorted and popped open one of the wine bottles. "Yeah you did." He poured them both a small amount in each glass. To Julie, the wine looked like blood. "But it's okay because your skepticism was understandable. Most men in my position would be shitty cooks, as they would have women doing all the cooking for them."
Julie could not agree more as she took another bite of the delicious meat and then washed it down with a sip of the delicious red wine. Men in Tristan's position of power had people do most things for them. "How did you learn how to cook anyway?"
Tristan grabbed a fork and stabbed into the steak. Picking the entire thing up rather than just cut off a small piece, he bit a huge chunk out of it and began chewing. Julie could only marvel at his powerful jaws at work as he tore into the meat with a strange vigor.
My god, the things he could do with those jaws, she wondered.
She shuddered inwardly at the thought and a tremor went through her thighs as a breeze crafted through and made Goosebumps rise on her flesh.
Tristan put down the piece of steak and quickly gulped down the meat. "I learned it at a very young age."
Julie took another bite of her meat, her eyes on his jaws. "That's pretty odd."
Tristan shook his head and took a sip of his wine, his eyes twinkling with mystery. "Not at all."
But it was too Julie.
"So what do you think?" Tristan asked again. He seemed to genuinely want her approval, though she had said many times how nice she thought the place was.
It was such a change in him. He acted like such a total jerk at work, but here, in this secluded part of nature, he seemed much at home.
Julie set her fork down and took in her surroundings again. "It is truly beautiful...but..."
Tristan quirked an eyebrow. "But?"
"You did not have to do all this," Julie blurted. "And I still don't understand why you're doing it."
Or believe that this isn't some sort of joke.
Tristan stared at her, his meat forgotten. "Because I wanted to prove to you how sorry I am...and to show you the real me."
Julie felt a pang in her chest. "What about what I saw on your laptop?" she dared ask.
For the first time she could ever remember, Tristan blushed and cleared his throat. "I have a thing for big chicks."
"So is that why you invited me here?" asked Julie.
Tristan surprised her with his honesty. "Possibly."
It was doubly shocking to Julie because if Tristan had a thing for big girls and he had invited her to his secluded cabin, it meant...that he really was attracted to her.
Tristan leaned back in his chair, propped his arms on the armrest, placed two fingers on his chin, and fixed
that piercing gaze of his on her. "But enough about my attraction to big women for now, I want to know about you. How'd you wind up working at my firm?"
Julie set her fork down. "Well, after I got out of college, I could not find a job in the field my degree was in and I was up to my eyebrows in student loan debt. So I sent in an application in to Carver Insurance and got a job interview right away. Someone named Martha, I think, gave me the interview and I think she was also the one who hired me."
Tristan thought for a moment before his memory was jogged. "Ah, Martha, she usually chooses the good ones."
Julie stared. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Tristan smiled mysteriously. "Nothing." His eyes dropped down to Julie's chest and she felt warmth spread through her stomach.
"I can't believe you're not married," Julie blurted, feeling a tremble go through her thighs.
Tristan brought his eyes back level with her face. "I've never found the right one."
Julie's jaw dropped. "Are you kidding? I can't imagine you never having been with a woman. With your power and position, there would be no shortage of hoes lining up to get at it."
Tristan threw his head back and laughed. Julie had never heard him really laugh before. It was kind of cute. "I did not say that I have never been with women before. I've been with more than I can count actually."
Jealousy gripped Julie's breasts. "More than you can count?"
Tristan grabbed his glass and took a sip of his wine. "Let's just put it this way, I've had my share."
"And were all of them big girls?"
Tristan stared at her. "None of them were."
Julie sat back in her seat with shock. If he liked big girls so much, why hadn't he been with a single one? "Not one?"
Tristan shook his head and his eyes pierced her soul. "Not until now."
Julie froze and it seemed like time stopped. Tristan was looking at her with such ravenous hunger that she could feel it penetrating her insides.
Suddenly, Julie was drawn to him like a moth to a flame. Tristan's chair scraped back across the wood and Julie found herself on her knees in front of him. It did not matter that they had only been with each other for a few hours and that she did not really knew. She was consumed with purpose and lust.