The Big, Not-So-Small, Curvy Girls Dating Agency (Plush Daisies: BBW Romance)

by Catori, Ava

  Becky inhaled slowly, taking in the scent of Reed’s cologne, the smell of gods, masculine and strong, and as he inched in closer, his lips about to touch hers, she closed her eyes. Only he didn’t kiss her, instead he pulled away and jumped up – and everything inside of her collapsed. She desperately wanted him to kiss her, but knew it was wrong. He belonged to another woman.

  The silence was deafening.

  Becky cleared her throat, “I like this one,” she said, pulling one particular sketch aside.

  “Right, great,” Reed felt off balance. He wanted to sit with her, run the back of his hand across her perfect milky complexion, and then let his fingers rake through her soft, blonde hair. He wanted to touch her, feel her, and pull her into an embrace. Instead, he needed to get out of here, and fast.

  “You’re welcome to use it,” he said quickly. “I don’t think I should work on this project. I’m sorry to have put you in this position.”

  “Please don’t apologize,” she started. “I shouldn’t have intruded on your time. I appreciate your help, but you’ve done enough for me. Thank you so much,” she said, standing with her coffee. “I should be the one to go.”

  Turning to leave, Reed spoke softly. “Please don’t go yet.” He knew it was wrong, but he wanted to spend more time around the girl. She made him smile inside. He was afraid if she walked out the door, he’d never see her again.

  “I can’t do this,” she said, putting on her big girl panties. “Reed, you’re amazing, but I’m feeling things I shouldn’t feel. You belong to somebody else.” With that, she turned and left.

  Sitting in her car, she caught her breath. He almost kissed her. She would have let him, she wanted him to, and yet he wasn’t even available. Not like he’d leave Ms. Gorgeous for her, but for a single second, she felt like he was attracted to her and everything inside of Becky soared – until she looked in the mirror, and understood that fat girls like her don’t land guys like Reed. It was a moment, he was caught up in the adrenaline of laughing, and it was nothing more.

  The tap on the window startled her. Looking up, she saw Reed. Rolling down her window, she shyly greeted him. “Hey.”

  “I need to apologize. I was out of line. Anyway, I wanted to give you these sketches. Maybe you could use one of them. If you bring them to a printer or designer, they can work with them and make one into something you may want to use. You’re welcome to them. Again, I’m sorry. I crossed the line,” he said. “Drive safely,” he added before turning to go to his truck.

  Becky watched him walk to his truck and climb in. She didn’t want him to leave, but what she wanted didn’t matter. He was engaged to be married, and that meant he was off limits. Obviously they had a moment back there, but that’s all it was, a moment.

  Turning her key in the ignition, she carefully pulled out of her parking spot and headed home. What if he had kissed her? What would she have done? Would she have kissed him back, pulled away telling him it was wrong, or…she knew the answer, and pretending like she’d do anything but kiss him back was just a big, fat lie.

  She wanted to taste his lips, feel his warm mouth on hers, and run her fingers through his dark hair. She wanted to touch him, press against his solid body, and melt into his arms. It wasn’t even a kiss, it was a near miss, and that’s all it would ever be. But just like every other encounter with Reed, he left her breathless, absolutely breathless.

  It had been a long time since she’d fallen so hard. Jeremy was the last man to steal her heart, but then proceeded to stomp on it and shatter it into tiny pieces. She recognized the feelings she was having, and this was no ordinary crush. This was something more, only it didn’t really matter, because Reed Amwell was off the market.

  Jeremy Gramble was her college sweetheart, even though she’d initially fallen for his twin brother Josh. She’d mixed them up, and after having a crush on Josh, she accidently bumped into him, or what she thought was him, and they got to talking. When she literally tripped over his foot, and he helped her up, they immediately started a rambling, confusing conversation. Mistaken identity turned into true love, however crazy that may seem, and in a twist of fate, she found out that Jeremy was the Gramble for her, and not Josh.

  But that was beside the point, Jeremy was her past, and Reed couldn’t be her future, because he belonged to somebody else. What Becky needed more than anything was to focus on her business, because she didn’t want a relationship, even if she did think Reed was about the most handsome man she’d ever laid eyes on. She wanted to be self-employed, be her own boss, and make other women’s lives better, so for now, men and dating were off her mind, and it was all business all the time, because there’s no way she was going to waste another second thinking about a man she couldn’t even have.

  Chapter 9

  Becky couldn’t call Sam fast enough. She was torn between telling her everything and telling her scraps of details. It’s not that she didn’t trust Sam, it’s just that her best friend had a way of blurting out information at the wrong time, and Jessica and Reed were her clients.

  “So, he almost kissed me,” she started before Sam could say hello.

  “Who almost kissed you?” Sam seemed distracted, out of breath.

  “Reed!”

  “Shit, really? Did you kiss him back?”

  “I said almost,” Becky paused. “What are you doing?”

  “Who am I doing,” she corrected. “Can I call you back in a few minutes?”

  “Fine,” she sighed. Becky was disappointed; she wanted to dissect her evening with Samantha. Figures she’d have bad timing.

  The phone rang twenty minutes later. Sheepishly, “Sorry, I was busy.”

  “Who was it?”

  “Yeah, that’s not important,” she said changing the topic. “Reed? Tell me all the details.”

  “Not much to tell. He drew some logos for me, I went to meet him, and he almost kissed me.”

  “Back up, it’s like there’s a giant gap in there somewhere.”

  “Fine,” Becky took a deep breath. “I went to meet him, and I totally screwed up. My stupid skirt was shoved up in my panties, and…”

  Sam interrupted, “What?”

  “Yeah, that’s not important, just one of my usual mess ups, so anyway, it’s totally awkward and I start laughing. You know how I get nervous giggles; well this blew up into ugly laughing, with goose honking and tears…”

  “Oh, tell me you didn’t honk,” she shot out. “Not the honk.”

  “Yes, the honk,” Becky confirmed, “so anyway, I’m dying, and he starts laughing, and the next thing you know he farts,” she paused to let that sink in.

  “He farted? Oh, gross! Go on,” she said, now hanging onto every word.

  “Right, but we’re laughing so hard, and he can’t help it, well this sends us into fits of giggles again, and next thing you know we’re sitting near each other and…”

  “Did it smell?”

  “Oh my gosh, really?”

  “What? It’s a legitimate question. Dude farts, you’re standing there, you’re talking about kissing, so I’m wondering are you really grossed out, like does it stink, or is it just loud, you know the kind that sound dangerous, but really doesn’t do nasal damage.”

  “You’re impossible, Sammy! Just let me tell you the story.”

  “Fine, go on, leave out important information. I’m just saying it won’t be as complete of a story is all, if you don’t fill in the details.”

  Becky huffed, “Fine, it didn’t stink, it was just loud.”

  “That’s embarrassing,” she answered.

  “Right, so anyway, we finally settle down, he goes and gets me coffee then sits down next to me, like really close. I look over and he’s looking over, and he leans in. I closed my eyes, thinking he was about to kiss me, and then nothing.”

  “Nothing?”

  “Right, he panics, jumps up, and I rush out. Anyway, he almost kissed me, I totally wanted him to, but now it’s all weird and he’s no
t going to work on my web page.”

  There was silence, and then a quick gasp.

  “Sam, are you there?”

  “Yeah,” she was quiet again. “I need a moment.” Sam talks to somebody in the background. “Give me just a second,” she whispers.

  “Becky, I absolutely want to discuss this with you, but Brady is between my legs and I can’t focus. If you could just hang in there, I’ll call you back, but he’s getting impatient.”

  “Oh my gosh, are you having sex? And you called me back? I thought he left!”

  “No, not sex this time. We already did that. He’s giving me oral,” and then she started laughing. “Yeah, okay, I’m totally busted. I need to go; I’ll call you when Brady leaves. I wanted to hear about it, but it’s totally not a good time.”

  “Brady, like the dog grooming guy?”

  “Yeah, him, got to go,” and with that she hung up.

  Becky sat staring at her phone. Unbelievable.

  Sinking into her sofa, Beck replayed the events of the evening through her mind. What would have happened if he didn’t stop, if he followed through and kissed her, then what? Closing her eyes, she tried to imagine how his kiss would have felt, and what he tasted like. She could almost sense it, lifting her fingers to her lips, Becky sighed. She really wanted him to.

  When the phone finally rang, she braced herself, “Is he still there?”

  “No, I sent him home.”

  “So soon?”

  “Eh, he’s cute, but I don’t want a relationship with the guy.”

  “So you’ll sleep with him, you just won’t date him? Nice standards,” she mocked.

  “I’m not sure if I’ll sleep with him again, he’s just sort of okay. I may have screwed up. I mean, he’s nice and all, but he wasn’t that great in bed. It wasn’t bad or anything, but I didn’t feel a spark.”

  “Are you going to see him again?”

  “We’ll see. I’ll think about it, but I don’t think he’s my type. He’s a little vanilla for my taste.”

  Becky shook her head, “Does he know you’re kicking him to the curb?”

  “He’s not still here is he? I told him I don’t do clingy, and I needed my space.”

  “How did he take it?”

  “I think he was relieved, actually. We had fun, but we didn’t really click.”

  “But you still slept with him?”

  “What’s your point?” Sam argued.

  “Okay, we’ll discuss your less than stellar choices later. Let’s talk about Reed!”

  “Yeah, that kind of surprises me. Not that he could be interested in you, but that he’d almost cheat on Jessica like that.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He doesn’t strike me as the cheating type.”

  “It’s not like it was planned,” Becky got defensive.

  “I don’t mean it like that, I mean, if he’s drawn to kiss you, maybe he likes you.”

  “You think? I’m wondering if it was just the high of the moment.”

  “Maybe, but he does keep coming up with reasons to see you. I think he likes you.”

  Becky couldn’t help but smile, “Really?”

  “I don’t know, but what else could it be?”

  “I don’t know,” Becky sighed, “but whatever it is, that guy floats my boat. He’s so damn hot, my hair singes every time I see him.”

  “Just be careful, Becks, I know how you get.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Really?”

  “Okay, fine,” Becky admitted defeat. Maybe she did get a little obsessive when she liked a guy, but not in a scary way, just in the way that she talked about him non-stop, and that wore down everyone around her.

  “So what are you going to do?”

  “I’m not doing anything. It was one time, and now we go our separate ways. Besides, I have a business to focus on,” Becky stated.

  “How’s that going?”

  “I need a favor,” she started.

  “A favor?”

  “Yeah,” Becky paused, thinking about how to phrase the next part. “I have this guy who put an application in, but I have some concerns. I was wondering if you’d go out with him one time and give me a read on the guy. Is he date worthy, or is he creepy.”

  “Sure, throw me into the fire,” she laughed.

  “Come on, please do this for me. You’re courageous,” she grinned.

  “You owe me,” she sighed.

  “Hey, I pulled Brady’s flyers down, the same Brady you just slept with by the way.”

  “So what’s wrong with the guy, the one you want me to date?”

  “He’s a little forward,” she said, trying to buffer the blow.

  “Forward?”

  Becky gave in. “Okay, the part of the application that asks why you’d be interested in dating a plus sized girl, he said and I quote, chubby girls with big asses turn me on,” she groaned. “Right on the application, he didn’t pull any punches.”

  “Wow, cut to the chase.”

  “Exactly,” Becky sighed. “The only thing is I don’t have a lot of men to pull from, and I’m kind of desperate. So I need to know is he creepy, or is he just not tactful in how he writes things down. Like maybe he thought I wanted to know what his exact thoughts were, I don’t know. I don’t want to make excuses for him, but I have next to nobody to set my girls up with.”

  “Okay,” she agreed. “I’ll do it, but you still owe me.”

  “You’re the best,” Becky squealed. “His name is Jonathon. I’ll tell you more next time I see you. Hey, what are you doing this weekend?”

  “Obviously not Brady after assessing his oral skills, and probably not Jonathon; I vote we get a bottle of wine and a movie, and stay in.”

  “Sounds good, want to come over for dinner?”

  “Sure, let’s say five. You can fill me in on all the details, and I’ll tell you about my non-date with Brady.”

  “Deal.”

  Tossing her phone on the table, Becky got up to change into something more comfortable. Pulling her hair up, she slid on her pajama pants, and went to wash her face. Seeing her reflection in the mirror, she touched her lips thinking of Reed. He almost kissed her, almost.

  This is silly; he’d never go for a girl like me. Becky pouted noticing how round her cheeks were. Turning to see her profile, she frowned seeing her fullness. This is depressing. Walking out of the bathroom, she plopped back down onto the sofa. The clarity she had earlier was fading, and all that was left was her disgust with her shape and size. She was more than a number on some scale; she was a smart girl, ready to launch her own business, so why did she feel absolutely glum and undesirable, when just moments before she was soaring on the thought that Reed almost kissed her?

  There weren’t any answers that satisfied her in this current mood.

  The rest of the week was uneventful and paled in comparison to her time with Reed, but with the weekend finally here, she’d get to relax and have some fun. Samantha was on her way over with a movie and a bottle of wine, and Becky had put together full of crockpot of meatballs for sandwiches later.

  Stirring in the sauce, she drifted off thinking about Reed once again, and like some bad penny that followed her around, her low self-esteem followed right behind it. He doesn’t date girls like you, besides he’s engaged, and it’s never going to happen. It was a vicious cycle of maybe he could like me, that’s silly, he can date anybody he wants and he chose some model-type, not a fat, fleshy girl.

  When Sam showed up, Becky was relieved. The distraction was exactly what she needed. Reed was the only thing on her mind lately, and it was getting old.

  “So,” she dropped onto the sofa, “tell me about this guy you want me to check out.”

  “His name is Jonathon. He’s in his late twenties, seems like he has a solid business background, has been with the same company for a couple of years, but he’s kind of rough around the edges, a little crude in his answers. I don’t know,
it gave me a creepy vibe, but I’m not sure if it’s just that he was tacky, or if it’s more than that.”

  “Throw me under the bus,” she laughed, “sure, I’ll go out with him one time. I’m like some kind of test porpoise, throw me in the water and see if I float?”

  “You’re so good at stuff like this.”

  “Stuff like what? I’ve never done this for you before.”

  “You know what I mean. You’re really outgoing, and good at reading people. I’m desperate; I need more guys to sign up. I’ve got a nice portfolio of women, but I don’t want to send them out with icky guys, you know?”

  “But you’ll send me out with one?”

  “You talked to me while Brady was between your legs performing oral sex on you,” Becky said flatly.

  “Point taken, I’m flexible,” she winked. “So when do you want me to do this?”

  “The sooner the better,” Becky smiled sweetly. “If he’s a go, I’ll have two guys and can start setting a couple of girls up to see if I can find a match.”

  Sam exhaled dramatically, “The things I do for you.”

  “You’re the best,” Becky grinned. “Here’s his application,” she said, shoving it across the table to her friend.

  Sam scanned it over, “You owe me big.”

  “Yeah, he’s a little rough around the edges.”

  “Chubby girls with big asses turn me on?”

  Becky shrugged, “So he’s not Prince Charming.”

  “He’s not even the frog.”

  “Will you still do it?”

  “Yeah sure, why not,” she sighed.

  “You’re the best.”

  “I know.”

  Chapter 10

  Samantha was smitten, “I think I’m in love.”

  “What?”

  “Jonathon,” she sighed, “he’s really good in bed.”