Loving Her Curves Read online

  A proud, beautiful woman whose curves fit in my hands and feels very good around my cock.

  Not now.

  “What about Melanie’s criminal record?” I hate that I have to say that. “Does she have one?”

  “No, not even a speeding ticket. Her name only comes up because she’s paid her sister’s bond so many times. She graduated with a nursing degree after studying part-time.” Rebecca frowns. “There is a five-month gap between her graduation and coming to work here. And while she has done placements on her course, she hasn’t been able to get a job.”

  I am surprised at that.

  “With this current climate when we’re in desperate need of medical personnel, that is odd.”

  “I’m afraid money and connections factor into the medical world as well.” Rebecca says bitterly. “Money more than contacts. Melanie didn’t have either, just her brain, and often that doesn’t mean anything even after all the hard work.”

  I knew that all too well. I had seen it many times when someone who was clearly very qualified and up for the job had been passed over because the person next to them knew the chairman on a personal level. There have been occasions when I have been propositioned by some of the workers, thinking it will get them a pay rise or a promotion.

  I do not like it, and I feel awful that Melanie has been caught in an unfair situation. I open her file and see her grades from college. They’re very good, very solid grades. She is a hard working, intelligent woman, and she is ignored because she isn’t rich.

  “Is there anything else you need, Mr. Ford?” Rebecca asks.

  “No, it’s fine.” I manage a smile and nod at her. “I’ve got what I needed. I’ll let you know if I need anything else.”

  “Very good, sir.”

  Rebecca leaves and I stare at Melanie’s file. She is clean of this. The woman just wants to do her job, but it is being blocked by everyone. And she is trying to get her family out of the financial mess. Too little, too late, if they are due to be evicted.

  That has to be rectified, but not just yet. I still need to think of how to sort this mess out. And then I think of a plan—one that benefits both me and Melanie.

  I just need her to say yes.

  Melanie

  Claire storms into the apartment ahead of me, throwing her jacket on the ground as she bangs her way through the rooms to her bedroom. I hurry after her, but I can’t catch her before she goes into her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

  “Claire! Get out here now!”

  “Screw off, Mel! You try and come in and I’ll make sure you don’t leave unscathed.”

  She is really getting on my nerves. I’d walked out of that room in the police station to find the clerk who deals with the bail, only to find Claire waiting for me. Her bail had been paid a short while ago, but the clerk said she didn’t know who paid it. That doesn’t sit well with me, but I can’t argue now it’s done. I just wanted to get Claire home.

  Now my sister is in her room, turning the music up so loudly that the walls are vibrating. I know our neighbors are going to be banging on our door telling us to turn it down. Claire is more trouble than she is worth.

  “Mel?”

  I turn around. Mom is coming out of her bedroom, looking bleary-eyed. She has been sleeping a lot more lately. Depression is pulling her down, and I can’t get her out of it.

  “Mom.” I hurry to her, wincing as the terrible music bounces around inside my head. “How long have you been awake?”

  “Not long. I’ve been wondering if it’s worth getting up.” Mom looks towards Claire’s door and winces. “What’s going on? What was Claire trying to steal?”

  “Prescription medication.” I lead Mom into the kitchen, which is on the other side of the apartment. Our home wasn’t very big, but it is easier to talk in there if Claire has her music on. “From my work.”

  “What?” Mom stares at me. “She tried to take stuff from your workplace? How did she get in?”

  “I don’t know and I wasn’t about to ask,” I say bitterly. “My boss caught her early this morning. And Claire told him and the police that I’m involved, that I told her where to find the medication.”

  Mom’s eyes are as wide as saucers. She sways on her feet. I grab at her, thinking she is going to topple over.

  “I’m fine, Mel. I’m fine.” She sits on a stool at the counter. “She said you were involved?”

  “I think the police mostly believe me, thank God. I won’t know for sure yet.”

  There are no charges against me yet, but I know that can change. I am going to be walking on eggshells at work—if I go into work at all. I am sure word has gotten around the office about what happened. I will be seen as guilty if the gossip deems it appropriate. People like drama. I don’t. I get enough at home.

  “Do you think your boss is going to hold it against you?” Mom asks. She looks even more miserable than she had a moment ago. “You didn’t know it was going to happen.”

  “Oh, he can fire me. He can do whatever he wants.” I lean against the counter. I am suddenly so exhausted. “But I can’t expect a good reference from him. He’ll scupper my chances at getting another job in my profession.”

  I don’t think Jason Ford is that vindictive, but with his money and connections it’s very easy to do anything you want.

  “Oh, dear.” Mom’s voice is thick. She sounds close to tears. “What are we going to do? We’re due to be evicted next week. This can’t be happening now.” She begins to sob and she lowers her head to hide her tears. “How could Claire do this to us?”

  I have no answer to that. But I do have an answer to our problem. When Mom and I move, Claire is out. I won’t allow her to come and live with us—she’d jeopardize anywhere we went. She is eighteen now and thinks she doesn’t need her family. I plan to make Claire see that she is getting what she wants. Mom won’t like me doing it, but it has to be done. We have an apartment lined up, but I know that Claire is going to cause trouble again. And I know Mom will not be able to handle it. I have to think about Mom.

  Claire needs to grow up and learn how to live on her own. She keeps saying she is on her own, so maybe it is time to throw her into the deep end. As Dad used to say, “Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind.”

  Jason

  Melanie has not come into work today. I spend most of the morning in my office, watching Melanie’s desk. I didn’t think she was the type to be tardy. Then again, considering what had happened and the whispers I have been hearing, she’s probably embarrassed, or maybe even afraid. Does she think I’m going to fire her? I might, if this plan does not go my way. But I need to know that she is okay. That she isn’t running from me.

  I make my way to her apartment. Melanie lives with her mother and sister on the fifteenth floor of a twenty-floor tower block on the edge of Brooklyn. Not the nicest of areas. At least the apartment building has an elevator. I go to the fifteenth floor and find Melanie’s apartment at the end of the hall. There is a notice on the door—an eviction notice with the date and time that the tenants need to be out on. My heart hurts knowing that Melanie is in this predicament. If I’d known...

  She won’t ask me for help. She would never ask me for anything.

  I knock on the door. There isn’t an immediate answer, but I can hear voices on the other side and the shuffling of feet. Then I hear Melanie’s voice.

  “Just coming. Wait a sec.”

  My pulse begins to pick up. Even the sound of her voice is arousing. I take a deep breath and try to focus. I cannot grab at Melanie as soon as she opens the door. This needs to be handled carefully.

  Then maybe I can get my hands on her—once she says yes.

  There is the sound of the lock and then the door opens. Melanie looks up, peering into the gloom of the hallway. Her eyes widen when she sees me, and she straightens up quickly.

  “Jason! I mean Mr Ford! What...” She brushes her hair out of her eyes. “What are you doing here? You shouldn’t be here.”


  “Well, you didn’t come into work,” I say as I fold my arms. I didn’t mean to be curt, but I am resisting the urge to reach out and touch her again. “Otherwise this would be happening in my office.”

  Melanie’s face goes red and she shuffles from foot to foot. Earlier, she had been dressed in baggy jeans and a simple black t-shirt that clung to every part of her body. It had been difficult to concentrate earlier. Now she is wearing the same jeans and a denim shirt over the t-shirt. The sleeves are rolled up to the elbows. Her hair is loose about her shoulders, curling about her face. She looks much younger than she had yesterday. So innocent.

  And mine.

  I push this away. Not now. Not yet.

  “I... I didn’t think it would be appropriate coming in after what happened. I know how gossip gets around an office. And everyone will know what happened by now. I have handled a lot of criticism in the past regarding family, but I’m fed up with it.” Her shoulders slump and she looks at the floor. “One day in this new job, and it’s already been thrown down the drain.”

  She looks so forlorn. I have a hard time trying not to reach for her. I swallow and I dig my fingers into my arm to stop me from unfolding them.

  “I don’t believe you told Claire about the medication and where to find it,” I say gently.

  Melanie looks up. Now she looks annoyed, a little flash of something in her eyes.

  “You didn’t make that clear to me earlier. How am I supposed to believe you now?”

  “Because I would never lie to you about something like that. Besides, you’re not that stupid, Melanie, to do it on your first day.”

  “Glad to know you have some brains.” Melanie’s eyes widen as she says it, and then she closes them with a wince. “Sorry, that was uncalled for.”

  I am not about to reprimand her for that. She is upset and believes that her job is over. If she does as she’s told, it won’t be. But I have to put the ball in her court first. And I cannot do that standing outside her apartment.

  “Can I come in?”

  “No!”

  I jump at Melanie’s sudden refusal. Then she gulps and shakes her head, her cheeks going redder.

  “No, you can’t. It’s... It’s full of boxes. We’re in the process of packing.”

  “You have an apartment lined up to move into?”

  “It’s more two rooms in shared accommodation and then everything else is split, including the rent.” Melanie frowns. “It’s not the best option, but it’s the only one that is open to us.”

  Even if she has a job and does well in a week, she is still getting evicted. And I don’t like the thought of her being in a shared house with total strangers.

  “You should’ve told me yesterday.”

  “You what?” Melanie stares at me. “When? Before or after we did the dirty in your car? What do you think that would’ve looked like if I was going to ask you for help?”

  I wince. She does have a point. That would have been taken in the wrong context.

  “But I look after my employees.”

  “We have everything under control, J...Mr. Ford.”

  “Considering your mother is not working, your sister is getting arrested every other week, and you’re about to be evicted, I’d say the opposite is true.”

  Melanie does not look happy. I am not making this any better. Gentle caressing words have never been in my vocabulary. But blunt ones are.

  “You make it sound like we can’t take care of ourselves,” Melanie snaps.

  “There are times when you need to accept help from others. I learned that a long time ago.” I unfold my arms. “Come with me.”

  “What?” Melanie stiffens. “Where?”

  “I saw a coffee shop across the street. You won’t let me in, so we’ll go somewhere else. We do need to talk, Melanie.”

  We do need to talk about a lot—but not about whether we’ll have sex again. I know we will. No question about it. Just once is never going to be enough. I have been wanting more since I dropped Melanie home last night.

  Just a few hours and a woman is under my skin. That just does not happen. Not to me.

  “You say that like I don’t have a choice,” Melanie murmurs. “What if I don’t want to go?”

  “I’ve got a proposition for you, Melanie. Which is going to help you with your current predicament.” I hold out my hand. “You come with me, and you’ll find out what I have in mind.”

  Melanie stares at my hand. I can see her mulling it over in her head. She is not someone who throws herself into something without knowing the consequences of her actions. I admire that about her. She knows what she wants, but she isn’t reckless with it.

  “Just give me a moment to grab my bag.” Melanie whispers and she steps back through the door. “And be aware that I’m going to be doing this under duress.”

  I laugh.

  “Not everything under duress, I’m sure.”

  Melanie’s face goes even redder and she ducks into her apartment.

  Melanie

  I must be mad. I should be keeping my distance from my boss. But I am unable to resist the urge to be close to him. Jason has an effect on me that is building each time I am in his presence. And I am not sure that I like it.

  He takes my hand while we are in the elevator, and it takes a moment before I realize what he’s done. I stare at his hand and then glare at him, hoping he gets the message. But he simply smiles at me and tightens his hand in a firm squeeze around my fingers. Warmth travels up my arm and I am glad that I am wearing a shirt over my top; Jason would be able to see how hard my nipples are.

  We need to put it down as adrenaline, that we managed to have a successful discussion with a potential investor. I need to put it down to that, because if we don’t, I know this is going to go wrong.

  From the way Jason is around me when we step out into the street, I have a feeling that he doesn’t think the same way. He keeps his hand on mine as we cross the street, tucking me into his side. Several women give him interested looks as they walk past, but he ignores them. He seems to have his attention on me, almost as if he expects me to disappear if he lets go of my hand.

  I had been planning to run away. Distance between us is a good thing right now. But the moment he starts touching me, my resolve disappears. And I can’t fight him.

  We go into the coffee shop and Jason takes me to a table near the back. He pulls a chair out for me to sit down.

  “How do you take your coffee?”

  “No, thank you.” I put my bag on the floor. “I can’t afford anything here.”

  Which is a shame because the coffee here is delicious. I used to treat myself to a coffee after school every day. Now it is a luxury, if we can afford anything.

  “Don’t worry about that. I’m getting it.”

  I stare at him. He doesn’t blink. Immediately, I shake my head, even if every part of me is telling me to take his offer.

  “No, thank you.”

  Jason’s mouth thins and he steps away, heading towards the counter. I watch him as he puts in an order with the female barista. Damn, he looks good in those suit pants and shirt, especially when his pants stretch across his backside. He doesn’t have a tie on and his sleeves are unbuttoned and rolled halfway up his arms. And then I notice something. Something I didn’t see much in the dark last night.

  The tattoos. Black, dark green, and purple ink snakes up from his wrists and disappears under his shirt. I look a little closer, and I can see the tattoos showing through his white shirt. I didn’t realize how intricate they were, how bold.

  And it just looks incredibly sexy on him.

  I watch as he talks to the barista, who is smiling prettily and practically fluttering her eyelashes at him. She is flirting with him—it’s obvious. And I find myself getting annoyed. What? Why am I getting annoyed seeing another woman flirting with my boss? That doesn’t make sense.

  “Melanie?”

  I jump and look up. Jason is standing next to my
table with a tray in his hands. He is looking at me strangely. I didn’t see him come back from the counter. I clear my throat.

  “Sorry.” Then I see the two coffee cups on the tray. “I told you not to pay for anything for me.”

  “Then it’s a good thing I don’t listen very well.” He puts the tray on the table and sits down. “I guessed with the coffee. I wasn’t sure what you liked.”

  “I like practically any coffee.” I reach for the one closest to me. “It doesn’t matter what it is, I’ll drink it.”

  I take a sip, and I let out a sigh. It tastes as good as I remember.

  “You’re not good at accepting help, are you?”

  He’s watching me, sipping his own drink. I can see the tattoos more closely. They look like black and purple vines curling around his wrist, vanishing under his shirt. My fingers itch to explore them. I look away and stare at the table. It is better than looking at him. Then my pussy begins to throb, and I find it difficult to sit still without squirming.

  “I like to stand on my own two feet, Mr. Ford...I mean, Jason. Not be reliant on anyone.”

  He doesn’t look annoyed at that. If anything, he looks curious.

  “It’s Jason, Melanie. And why would that be? Sometimes even the toughest of us need to know when to accept help.”

  “I say that all the time to Mom. Tell her to accept help to get better. But I just can’t do it myself.”

  If I accept that I need to ask for help, I’m admitting that our situation is worse than I think. That I have no option. And I hate not having any options.

  “From what I’ve seen, you are in a bad way and you’re in desperate need of help.”

  “It isn’t any of your concern.”

  “I think it is.” Jason lowers his cup. “How did you end up like this? What debt did your family get into that you couldn’t get out of?”