The Beast Loves Curves Read online

  Copyright 2012 by J.S. Scott

  THE BEAST LOVES CURVES (Big Girls And Bad Boys: A BBW Erotic Romance)

  "Ian Campbell has requested your services."

  Abbie Wright stared fixedly at her bald-headed, kindly boss with an astonished expression. She needed to have her hearing checked. "Excuse me, Roger? Can you repeat that?" She was certain she had misunderstood. She could have sworn he had said Ian Campbell.

  Her elderly boss cracked a smile as he looked up at her from behind his desk. "Oh...you heard me correctly, Abbie. He needs your services as a website developer. He needs a website." The old man shrugged. "He wouldn't say what the project was and I didn't push. He would be an important client to have. "

  Abbie sat down in the chair in front of her boss' desk, completely dumbfounded. Ian Campbell? Why? "He must have hundreds of people that can do this project at his disposal. He owns one of the biggest corporations in the country. Why would he use someone from our small firm? Why would he request me? I'm a programmer." She shot her questions out, still bewildered and confused.

  "Apparently he saw the site you did for that children's charity organization and was very impressed. He specifically requested you." Roger leaned forward on his desk, his white eyebrow raised and a speculative look on his face that really worried Abbie. Her boss had a Santa Claus type personality. He was jovial, round and bald on top. He even had the eyeglasses that reminded her a little of Old Saint Nick. "I don't have to tell you what it would mean to my company to have him as a satisfied client, Abbie."

  Oh...she knew. Ian Campbell was a god among men. At the age of thirty- four he had accomplished more than most men ever did in their lifetime. The problem was...he was also a nightmare for anyone that worked for him.

  "You know what they say about him?" Abbie questioned her boss with a tinge of fear in her expression.

  "That he's been nicknamed "the beast" because he's hell to work for? I know, Abbie." He was giving her that sad, contrite look that made her cave in every time. Damn it. Ian Campbell's business would definitely boost her boss' small company.

  "It has to be me?" Abbie hated the hint of a whine in her voice. She was fairly resigned, but she had to give it one more shot of somehow wiggling out of the assignment.

  "Yes." Roger sighed as he broke the rest of the bad news. "And he needs you to work on site with him at his house. He runs things from home since his accident."

  She wasn't particularly surprised. Ian Campbell had been injured in a near fatal racing accident eight months ago. He liked fast cars, gorgeous woman and the best that money could buy. Unfortunately, he could afford it.

  Abbie knew was a real dupe. She couldn't stand that pleading look Roger was giving her. She would never say no to him. He had been the only one kind enough to take a chance on her fresh out of school. She owed him. "What about my projects here at the office?" She knew she was taking this new project whether she liked it or not. It was only a matter of details now.

  "Sandy will take over. Mr. Campbell's project is top priority until it's completed." He eagerly ripped a page off of his notepad and handed it to Abbie. "He asked for you to report to him at nine tomorrow morning. Here's the address."

  Abbie reached out and took the address from her boss feeling like she was receiving a death sentence instead of a new project.

  She left the office with a huge thank you from her boss and a heart full of lead.

  This had been such a tough few weeks. After her boyfriend had gotten himself employed, he had left her for one of his co-workers. Tim had told her that he was embarrassed to be seen with her because she was overweight and it didn't project the image of the young executive that he hoped to be. He was working for a large weight loss company and had gotten himself a thin, pretty girlfriend that Abbie supposed must fit his so- called new image.

  As Abbie sat her size eighteen butt in her office chair and collected her client folders her eyes misted over. It still hurt so badly. She had known Tim was slightly shallow, but she had never realized he was playing her until he found a job. She had just been a place to sleep and eat. An occasional really bad lay, according to him. The bastard had even had the audacity to lecture her about being overweight before he left, saying her sex life would always be as horrible and unexciting as it was with him unless she dropped weight. He had been brutal and unapologetic.

  Abbie sighed as she continued to collect her files. He was right about the sex. It had been bad. Always in the dark and she was never comfortable or particularly excited. Tim had touched her as little as possible and it was over with quickly.

  "Please tell me you are not going to cry over the world's most selfish and shallow asshole...again" The kind but chastising female voice that sounded over her shoulder made Abbie jump. Her best friend Sandy's quick grab at her files was the only thing that kept them from hitting the floor.

  Abbie's heart was racing as she turned in her chair. "You scared me."

  Sandy pulled up a chair and sat beside her. "The only reason I scared you is because you are mooning over "the pig" again." Sandy put a hand on Abbie's shoulder. "He doesn't deserve one single tear, honey. You're better off without him. Now maybe you can find a man that appreciates you."

  That was so easy for Sandy to say. She was blonde, petite and pretty. She was also married to a very successful and handsome attorney. What did she know about being alone and hopeless? "He's right. I need to lose weight."

  Abbie heard Sandy's snort of disgust before she answered, "Abbie, he needs to get a clue. You're beautiful, successful, smart and sweet. It's his loss."

  Didn't all best friends say things like that? Abbie's eyes filled with moisture as tears dripped down her cheeks at her friend's words. Maybe she couldn't get a guy...but she had great friends. "You have to say that because you're my friend." Abbie smiled through her tears as she looked up at Sandy.

  Sandy rolled her eyes. "I'm saying it because it's true. I would kill for your bust. You're full figured, Abbie. Lots of guys like that." Sandy also wouldn't mind having Abbie's porcelain doll face or the long black curls that cascaded down her back. She'd love to murder the guy that did a number on someone like Abbie.

  Abbie reached for her tissues and pulled a few from the box. At the rate she went through tissues lately she wished she had bought stock in the company before her break up. "Guys are not looking for a size eighteen. Sandy, I appreciate that you are trying to cheer me up, but I'm okay."

  She was okay. Mostly. Rationally, Abbie knew that Tim was a creep, but his comments had hurt and dug at a wound that had always been there. She had always been a big girl. Even in grade school and high school, she had been plus size. Her mother called it "full figured" like Sandy did. Her dad called her vivacious and robust. Abbie called a spade a spade...she was fat.

  She had tried to lose weight but she swore that she had the fat gene. She hiked, she walked, she dieted. The extra curves never left her body.

  "There's a guy out there for you, Abbie. Please don't cry anymore over a bastard like Tim." Sandy patted Abbie's shoulder and handed her the box of tissues.

  Abbie pulled a few more from the box and dropped it on the desk. No more crying. She'd always been a tough woman. It was time to stop the waterworks routine. She was laying off men for a while. Tim might have wounded her, but he hadn't broken her. She would live.

  Her resolve strengthened, she told Sandy, "I have to give you my projects. I've been recruited for a special project." She gave a last swipe to her face and tossed the used tissues in the trash.

  "Really, what is it?" Sandy brightened, her blonde ponytail bobbing in excitement.

  "I'm going to be doing a website for Ian Campbell," she informed Sandy with a shudder.

  "Really? I wonde
r why Bill never mentioned it to me. He's a friend of Ian's." Sandy's eyes danced with mischief. Abbie hadn't known that Sandy's husband knew Ian Campbell. "Ian is incredibly handsome. I guess you'll be working pretty close together."

  "Oh please, Sandy." Abbie gave her friend an exasperated look. "Someone of Ian Campbell's caliber wouldn't even look at me. And I've heard he is not fun to work with." Abbie thought that was putting it mildly but she didn't want to say anything unflattering about someone who was apparently a friend to Sandy and her husband.

  "Let me fill you in on the details of those files." She waved her hand at the files that Sandy was holding on her lap, wanting to change the subject. The idea that she and Ian Campbell would have anything in common was pretty comical.

  As Abbie gave her the details of her ongoing projects, Sandy listened with half an ear. Ian Campbell? Obviously, Abbie listened to all of the rumors. She could tell Abbie about Ian, but she thought it was better to just let Abbie find out for herself. Her best friend might be in for a pleasant surprise.

  Sandy turned her full attention to the projects with a satisfied smile.

  *****

  Ian Campbell knew he had to quit looking at the website. Damned if he wasn't tempted to donate more money to the charity every time he went there. He'd be broke if he didn't stop bringing up the site.

  He cracked a self-deprecating smile. At least his money would go to good use. He doubted he would ever miss it. He had more money than he could spend in several lifetimes.

  He wasn't even aware that he was massaging his sore thigh as he scrolled through the site on his desktop computer. He had just gotten his cast removed yesterday and his leg ached. It was so full of metal screws and pins that he knew he would never again be able to go through airport security without setting off the bells and whistles. It was an ugly mess, but at least he could walk again. He knew one man that would not.

  As he thought about Leo he was even more determined to get this new foundation going. He was starting his own organization to raise funds for people who were working but had no insurance. He wanted to help people like Leo who worked hard to support their families but couldn't afford medical insurance.

  From the moment he had decided to establish the new organization, he had known who needed to make the website. He wanted the friend of Sandy's that had designed such an incredible site for Bill's children's charity. Abbie Wright was gifted and Bill had told him that Abbie had done all of the work in her spare time for free. Bill thought highly of her and she had to be an incredible person to donate so much time for a friend.

  Ian clicked out of the site and laid his head back in the chair with a sigh. Bill had been a good friend. He and Sandy had been his main support system along with his family during the six months he had spent in and out of the hospital. It was strange how a man found out who his real friends and loved ones were when something like this happened.

  How had he ever become so superficial before his accident? He had been raised with good values, but somehow they had slipped away from him. Having money had been a heady feeling. Having power even more so.

  Ian had been raised in a poor but good family. His parents had provided for him and his brother, but they had never had the extras. He and his brother had always been "those poor Campbell boys" with their clean but well worn clothing and tattered shoes.

  It had been like he was trying to attain and experience everything that he had never had. The parties, fast cars, expensive clothes. It was funny how it had meant nothing when he was fighting for his life in a hospital. He had been just another person who would either live or die. He wasn't invincible. None of his superficial friends had been there and not one woman that he had dated had shown her face. They didn't want a broken, scarred man whose future had been questionable.

  The life he had been living was a facade. He wasn't sure how he had tolerated the lonely, shallow life, but he couldn't pretend it didn't matter anymore. He wanted a woman he could talk to and that cared about him for something other than how he looked or the money he had. He wasn't exactly the playboy that he was rumored to be, but he had used plenty of those women for sex, just as they had used him because of his money and power.

  The sound of the chiming doorbell pulled Ian out of his contemplative mood. He sat up in the chair, ready to meet the woman that would get the ball rolling on his site. He took a deep breath and exhaled hard. Finally, he could do something useful.

  *****

  Abbie fidgeted as she waited for someone to open the door. It was nine o'clock on the dot, so the ogre couldn't complain about her being late.

  She smoothed down her black skirt and her fluffy red angora sweater thinking it had probably been a bad choice. She loved the sweater but it shed and the little, red fur balls were really noticeable on the black skirt. Oh well. How the hell would she know how to dress for an on site job? She had never worked outside of the office except on projects at home. Somehow she didn't think her pajamas and bunny slippers that she wore at home were really appropriate for this job.

  The door was opened by a older woman with gray hair and a smile. "Ms. Wright?"

  "Yes. I'm Abbie Wright. Please call me Abbie. I'm here to see Mr. Campbell. I think he's expecting me." She smiled at the woman. At least there was one friendly face here.

  "He is. Please come in. I'm Nancy. I do the cooking and housekeeping."

  The smiling, matronly woman held the door wide. As Abbie entered she had no doubt as to why he needed a housekeeper. She swore if she yelled...the huge, cavernous house would echo back at her. The foyer had marbled floors and screamed "money." It was a beautiful house. She surveyed the expensive furnishings in the living room as she followed Nancy through the ground floor. Everything was immaculate, but somehow not very...warm.

  Abbie was so caught up into looking at the monstrous house that she nearly slammed into the back of Nancy when she stopped. She squeaked as she halted in the nick of time.

  "This is the study." Nancy rapped twice on the door.

  An immediate response came in a low baritone. "Come in."

  Nancy opened the ornate door to let Abbie through. She sighed with relief as she entered the study. It was large, but it was a room that was lived in. The mahogany and leather furnishings were tasteful, but the room was warm with life. Papers scattered a huge desk in the corner and she felt the vibrations of energy here. There was a leather jacket carelessly discarded on a chair and a large pair of used running shoes beside the desk. Several books were scattered on the couch.

  "Abbie? May I call you Abbie?" The baritone voice that had bid them to enter inquired.

  Abbie's eyes focused on Ian Campbell as he stood to greet her. His gait was slow but steady. He was favoring his right leg but it was a barely noticeable limp.

  He was a beast. A damn handsome beast. Abbie tried not to stare as she surveyed him...but it was difficult not to. He had to be well over six feet. He towered above her five foot six height and his body was massive. Dressed in jeans and a form fitting t-shirt, Abbie could see the well defined muscles ripple in his chest and abdomen. What a body for a man who had been seriously ill for several months! Abbie's eyes traveled to his face. His smiling face. He was looking at her expectantly.

  "Yes. Yes, of course. I prefer to be called Abbie by all of my clients." She could barely speak.

  He wasn't at all what she had pictured. His face was handsome. There were scars that kept it from perfection, probably from his accident, but rather than detract from his looks it actually made him rather attractive. Rugged and masculine. His deep blue eyes were smiling and his well trimmed blonde hair looked mussed, like he had been running his hand through it.

  "Please call me Ian." He was still grinning as he held out his hand.

  His hand was warm and firm. It was large like the rest of him and Abbie's hand was engulfed by his as she reached out to him. She shivered from the heat that raced through her body from the casual gesture.

  "I'll bring you a breakfast tray."
Abbie heard Nancy say quietly as she retreated and the door clicked shut.