Wet Ink (Plus Size Loving) BBW Erotic Romance (3 page)

“Well you’d better get going then,” Cheri remarked as Alex hastily locked up and grabbed his briefcase. “You might actually make it if you don’t change!”

~ * ~ * ~

Alex hastily parallel parked on the street, and then grabbed the bucket of wings he’d picked up from Dominoes and trotted up the steps of his Uncle Zeke’s townhouse. He could hear the game blaring loudly from the living room, and rang the doorbell three times to make sure his Uncle heard him.

The door swung open a minute later to reveal a trim middle-aged man with salt and pepper hair and a mustache. He should have looked odd wearing jeans and a football jersey, but Uncle Zeke had a way of fitting seamlessly into whatever role he was playing, whether it was wealthy stockbroker or sports enthusiast.

“Hey sport,” he said, reaching out and ruffling Alex’s hair as he’d been doing since Alex was three years old. “Glad you brought the wings, but maybe I should keep them to myself. You don’t want to get barbecue sauce on that suit of yours.”

“Sorry,” Alex said, stepping inside. “I got caught up at work and didn’t have time to run home and change.

“You can go ahead and borrow one of my shirts,” his uncle told him, taking the wings off to the living room. “But you’d better hurry it up! The game’s about to start!”

Alex stripped off his blazer and button down shirt, then rummaged through his uncle’s drawers until he found an old Giant’s t-shirt. When he returned to the living room, his uncle was seated on the enormous black leather couch, waving a wing in the air as he shouted at the TV screen.

“C’mon, Rivers!” he roared as the linebacker was bowled over. Alex winced as the Patriots running backer plowed through their team and scored a goal. “That was disgraceful!”

Alex sat down next to his uncle and grabbed a wing from the bucket, but he had a hard time focusing on the game. His thoughts kept going back to Valerie Grant. He’d finished the edits of another book and then started on hers tonight, but every time he read one of the passages from the heroine’s point of view he pictured not a tall, statuesque brunette but a curvy woman with bright green eyes and auburn curls. For some reason she’d lodged herself into his mind, and he couldn’t get her out no matter how hard he tried.

HELL YES!” Uncle Zeke jumped straight off the couch. “Eli Manning’s still got it! Show those cheating Patriot bastards!”

He turned to see Alex still sitting on the couch, blinking up at him, and scowled. “What the hell is wrong with you, sport? Didn’t you see that touchdown?”

Alex blinked. “Sorry, Uncle. My mind’s… elsewhere.”

“Ohh. I know that look.” Zeke’s eyes narrowed, and he surprised Alex by pressing the mute button on the remote control. “You’ve got a woman on your brain. Who is she?”

“What?” He shook his head. “Uncle Zeke, it’s okay. You don’t have to tune out the game—”

“It’s already done, sport. Now tell me what’s on your mind, and it had better be good or I’m going to have to hurt you for ruining football night.”

Alex arched an eyebrow, but he decided not to argue. “A few days ago I took on a brand-new author, and since she lives on Long Island I decided I wanted to have a face-to-face meeting with her and her agent, so I set up a lunch meet.” He told his Uncle about Valerie—how funny and down to earth she’d been, and how he couldn’t take his eyes off her the entire time. “And now I can’t get her out of my head, and it’s driving me nuts because we have a business relationship. I shouldn’t even be thinking about getting involved with her.”

His uncle whistled. “Whooo boy, have you got it bad. And you only just met her. I’m pretty sure I see a wedding band on your finger a year down the road from now.”

“Uncle Zeke!” Alex’s head snapped up. “Didn’t you hear a word I just said?”

He grinned. “I’m not deaf, boy. And what else do you expect me to say? Your Aunt Maddie and I met because she was one of my clients too. Fifteen years later and we’re still married, though judging by the amount of spa vacations she takes every year—including the one she’s on right now—I’d say she might’ve gotten the better end of that bargain.” He winked.

Alex rolled his eyes. “Everyone knows Aunt Maddie was already rolling in it by the time you two got hitched. Sometimes I think part of the reason she fell in love with you is because cash pops out of everything you touch.”

Zeke laughed. “I did make her a killing, didn’t I?” His expression sobered. “In any case, I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume that you didn’t ask to see her again. You’ll have to fix that.”

Alex crossed her arms. “How is that going to get her out of my head?”

“If she’s just an infatuation, it’ll pass with repeated exposure and you’ll be able to move on eventually. If she’s not, then you’ll be stuck with her, but at least you’ll be happy. And before you give me that crap about business relationships, the last time I checked you were the lead editor. You can always pass her book on to someone else if you feel like it’s going to be a problem. I’m assuming you have her contact information?”

“Well… yeah. But for business—”

“Oh be quiet with the business already. Tomorrow, you’ll give her a call and set something up. Tonight, you’ll shut up and watch the rest of the game.”

Alex watched, bemused, as his Uncle unmuted the TV. His hand went back into the bucket of wings, and his eyes followed the play intently, as though they hadn’t just had a conversation about Alex’s love life. Smiling slightly, he shook his head and reached for a wing himself. Uncle Zeke was quite a character.

“GO GIANTS!”

~ * ~ * ~

Valerie was just sitting down at her desk to write when the phone rang. Looking over, she frowned at the unfamiliar number on the caller I.D.—but it was a New York area code so she didn’t want to ignore it. Shuffling a stack of bills aside, she picked it up.

“Hello?”

“Hey.” Her heart actually stuttered at the sound of Alex’s smooth, deep voice on the other end of the line. “I’m looking for Valerie Grant. Is she available?”

“Umm.” Valerie swallowed, wishing for a glass of water—her throat had suddenly gone dry. “That’s me. What can I do for you, Alex?” Had he started editing her manuscript only to decide it was total trash? Had someone from Marketing changed their mind about the viability of her book’s success? All sorts of horrifying possibilities ran through her mind, and she was glad she was sitting down because otherwise her knees would have given out.

“Oh! Hey Val.” He cleared his throat. “I uh… I was actually wondering if you wouldn’t mind meeting again.”

“Sure. Did you want to talk more about the book?” A sinking feeling started in the pit of her stomach—maybe he really did change his mind. But if that were the case, why would he want to meet with her? “I didn’t think you’d be done with the editing yet, but…”

“No.” He cleared his throat again, and Valerie frowned—was he nervous? “Actually it doesn’t have anything to do with your book. I… I want to see you again.”

Valerie’s mouth opened, but no words came out. Was Alex Stone actually calling her up and asking her on a date? No way. This was
so
not real.

“Valerie, it’s okay if you don’t want to. I… I just really enjoyed spending time with you the other day.”

“I’d love to,” she whispered, her eyes shut tight as if to shield her anxiety from the man on the other end of the line.

“
Oh, great! So… what do you think about tomorrow night, at the Mill Pond House in Centerport? I’ll pick you up.”

“Sure!” A thought suddenly occurred to Valerie, and she frowned. “Do you even know where I live?”

“No… but Random House has your address on file and I know the town you live in is only twenty minutes from Centerport. It’s been awhile since I’ve last been to Mill Pond, and they’ve got killer seafood. Don’t worry, my trusty GPS will take care of it. And if I get lost, I’ll call you.”

“Alright. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Looking forward to it.”

~ * ~ * ~

Valerie took a deep breath as she gave herself one final look in the mirror. She’d chosen a summery blue halter dress that skimmed just past her knees, and a pair of strappy heels that made her calves look longer and slimmer—like drumsticks instead of hams. She’d accessorized with a matching topaz teardrop necklace and earrings set, and had pulled her mass of curly hair on top of her head, letting only a few tendrils hang down to frame her face. The overall effect was flirty, but not too classy—after all, they weren’t going to The Mark again.

Still, she fretted for a moment, wondering if she should pull her hair back down to help cover her cheeks, or choose a dress that wasn’t quite so short because really, those heels didn’t change her calves
that
much. The doorbell ringing decided it for her; and with one last quick pat of the hair she grabbed her purse from her bed and rushed to answer it.

“Hey!” Alex greeted her with a wide smile and a bouquet of pink roses. His eyes traveled up and down her body in a once-over that left her flushed, breathless, and not a little nervous. “You look beautiful.”

“Thank you.” She took the roses and inhaled—they smelled heavenly. “You don’t look so bad yourself.” He was dressed in beige slacks and a short-sleeved, green button up shirt that showed off lean, well-defined biceps. His sandy hair was styled in that careless, windswept fashion, and it made her want to run her fingers through it. “Let me go put these inside.”

She placed the roses in a crystal vase on the kitchen counter, allowing her fingertips to gently graze the rose petals for a moment, and then came back outside. His Lexus was waiting at the curb, and like a gentleman he opened the door for her and helped her inside before moving around to the driver’s side.

He started on the road, and then turned on CD player. Valerie blinked, and then smiled as the lyrics to
Chop Suey
came blaring out of the speakers.

“I wouldn’t have pegged you for a System of a Down fan.”

His brows rose, but he smiled at her. “Really? What would you have pegged me for?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. Michael Buble, or maybe Frank Sinatra.”

“I have a wide variety of taste when it comes to music. If you don’t like it I could put something else on.”

Valerie shook her head. “No, it’s fine. Unusual music for a first date, maybe, but fine.”

He laughed. “I’ll make sure to think of something more appropriate next time. Did you know he used Frank Sinatra for inspiration?”

Valerie’s jaw dropped. “Serj Tankian?”

Alex laughed again. “No, silly. Michael Buble.”

“Oh.” She shook her head. “You had me going there for a minute. No, I had no idea, but it makes a lot of sense. Some of Buble’s songs have a similar style.”

They continued talking about music for the rest of the twenty-minute drive, until they reached the restaurant. Because it was still warm out, they opted to eat at the tiki bar rather than inside the restaurant proper. They snagged one of the little wooden tables closest to the railing so they were right next to the water. The open sea air teased her nostrils and played with the tendrils of her hair, tickling her neck.

The waiter came by, offered them menus, and asked if they would like to start with drinks and an appetizer. “Our Lobster Mac and Cheese is very good,” he recommended. “It is made with spicy tasso ham, smoked gouda béchamel cheese, and caramelized bread crumbs. Excellent stuff.”

“Sounds delicious,” Alex said. “I’ll take one of those… and a glass of Napa, too.”

“Excellent choice.” The waiter turned expectantly to Valerie. “And for you, Miss?”

Valerie’s stomach actually growled, but she knew if she ordered something like that she would look like a total pig in front of Alex. “I think I’ll go with the Chopped Salad, and a glass of Pinot Grigio.”

“Very good. I’ll be right back.”

Despite the tiki bar being packed to bursting with patrons, the waiter returned swiftly with their drinks and appetizers. Valerie dug into her salad, and she had to admit it was almost like a dessert, tossed with apples, strawberries, candied pecans and other fruit, and topped with port wine dressing. Even so, she couldn’t help but sneak glimpses at Alex’s Lobster Mac and Cheese—it looked and smelled heavenly.

Don’t even think about it,
she snapped at herself.
The last thing you want him to do is catch you drooling after his food. If you’d wanted that stuff so much you should’ve ordered it when you had the chance. Too late now.

Her stomach betrayed her then with a loud growl, and Alex looked up, catching Valerie’s eyes before she could drop them back to her plate. He grinned at her. “Sounds like someone’s hungry. Here, have some of mine. That stuff can’t be doing anything to take the edge off.”

He scooped up a forkful of gooey mac and cheese, and Valerie’s hands fisted underneath the table. “No, it’s alright,” she said hastily.

He frowned. “Val, I didn’t bring you out on a date so you could starve yourself. If you’re hungry, eat.”

“I don’t—”

He shoved the fork into her mouth before she could finish the sentence, and her eyes closed at the heavenly taste of the ham, cheese and macaroni melting on her tongue. “Mmm.”

“There, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” He pulled the fork from her lips and scooped up another bite. “Have another.”

Valerie frowned. “You don’t need to feed me, Alex. I’m not a child.”

He smiled. “Believe me, the last thing I think of when I look at you is a child. You’re a woman, through and through. You just looked hungry, and I can’t stand the thought of me sitting over here enjoying my food while you’re starving. Please, have some more.”

Alex held up the fork to her lips again, and this time she took it willingly. Her lips, pink and glistening, wrapped around the fork and slowly slid the food off it. Her eyelids fluttered as she let out a low moan of satisfaction, and Alex’s pulse sped up.

Valerie swallowed, and then opened her eyes. Her breath caught at the gleam in his slightly narrowed eyes—he looked like he wanted to devour her. No man had
ever
looked at her like that before—not even the few sexual partners she’d had in the past. They stared at each other for a long moment, Valerie not sure what to say, or if she should even say anything at all.