“How the hell are ya?” Brad, one of the former linebackers asked. From the conversation she’d had with him earlier she knew he’d gone on to play professionally.
“And what have you been up to?” Jenny, one of the popular girls, asked him, her eyelids batting heavily. Some things never change.
“I heard you’d gone off to Harvard and then built up some billion-dollar advertising company,” someone else said, plucking at his sleeve.
“Close your mouth, honey,” Annie said, playfully tapping a finger underneath Melissa’s chin. Chagrined, she did as asked. “I’m guessing that’s your guy?”
“That’s him.” Melissa sighed. “And he’s even better looking now than he was back then.”
Suddenly, his eyes swung in her direction, and they locked gazes across the room. Melissa forgot to breathe as those arresting green eyes held her as if they’d never let her go.
****
Scott was swarmed with greetings as soon as he entered the room. He grinned and laughed and returned handshakes and answered questions, but his eyes flitted around the room, looking for Melissa. She was the one he’d come to see. He wondered if she had even come at all. He remembered that she didn’t always like parties—certainly she’d missed quite a few school dances. He knew because he always looked for her.
His eyes alighted on a woman sitting at the bar. She was absolutely stunning, with curly brown hair, dressed in a flowing top and leggings that accentuated her curvy figure. When her grey eyes locked with his, a jolt rooted him to the ground. Melissa.
Ignoring the questions and chatter surrounding him, he made his way through the crowd, heading straight for her. Her eyes widened and a blush spread across her round cheeks—not the indifference he had feared. A grin overtook him helplessly.
“Hello, Melissa,” he smiled, plopping down on the bar stool next to her. “It’s sure been a long time.”
She gave him a warm smile. “Scott!” She turned to her friend. “Annie, this is Scott. We grew up together. Scott, this is Annie, my best friend.”
Annie extended a graceful hand toward him. From the gleam in her eye he had a feeling she’d already known who he was. Interesting. So Annie had talked about him to her. Did that mean she still thought about him as he thought about her?
“A pleasure to meet you, Scott.” They shook, then she returned her hand to her beer bottle and took a swig.
“Likewise.” He turned back to Melissa. “I was hoping you would be here.”
“You were?” She blinked.
“Yeah.” He stopped himself from charging in and telling her he couldn’t stop thinking about her—he didn’t want to be too forward and scare her off. “We grew up together. Why wouldn’t I want to see you?”
“Oh, yes.” Melissa smiled as her heart sank in disappointment. She’d been secretly harboring some foolish notion that he might sweep her off her feet and carry her off into the night. Just like the fairy tale. And she thought Annie was the foolish romantic.
“Well it’s really great to see you again. It looks like you’ve survived these last ten years quite well. You haven’t aged a bit.”
He laughed. “You’re too kind. You, however look fantastic. So, what have you been up to all of these years?”
“Annie and I both work in the marketing department of a publishing house.”
He sat back. “Really? Good for you! It sounds exciting.”
“It is,” Melissa grinned. “I’m heading up concept design, and Annie is one who works on promotions.”
They slipped into conversation, and Melissa was surprised at how easy it was to talk to him. It was as if they hadn’t lost touch for so many years. She couldn’t help but notice how age had only refined him, like a fine wine—his features were more rugged, his shiny blond hair a bit darker, his green eyes less wholesome with a sensual gleam that only heightened her awareness of him. He had a day’s growth of beard on his face that only added to his masculinity.
The band started up with Tusk to resounding cheers, and people started moving to the dance floor. Scott held his hand out to her.
“Care to dance?”
She stared up at him with wide eyes, her heart pounding. Scott had never asked her to dance before. Unable to help herself, she grinned. He had no idea how long she had waited for him to ask her, so many years ago. The number of times that she had carefully gotten ready for a school dance, hopeful that he’d ask her to dance, only to find him distracted by friends or other girls, well, it was the very reason she stopped attending in the first place.
“I’d love to.”
He took her hand and led her out onto the dance floor. The beat was wild and demanded that people dance accordingly—they whirled and spun through the crowd, feet flying. She lost herself in the music, in the sheer fun as they moved, changing hands with other partners constantly, but always coming back to meet again. The band was amazing, including the vocalist, who captured the pitch of the song perfectly. It had been one of her favorites growing up—she still had the album, she thought.
All too soon it was over, giving way to a more mellow, slow song. Scott took her in his arms, one hand on her waist, the other clasping her hand. He smiled at her, not a polite smile that a friend or an acquaintance might give, but the kind of smile a man might give a woman he that has captured him. That deep long, the sudden pause in the way he held her, and the tightness of his warm hand cupped over hers was enough to steal her breath away and Melissa struggled to regain her composure.
“It’s been so long. I almost can’t believe we’re standing here together.” There was a note of wonder in his voice.
“What do you mean?” She didn’t expect any of this from him, and was caught off guard.
“Well… I…” he shook his head. “I guess I just never really expected to see you again. We haven’t really spent much time together since we were little kids, and after high school we all went our separate ways. I know this is a reunion and everything, I just… I really wasn’t sure you’d be here.”
“You wanted to see me?” she asked, part of her hoping he’d say yes, the other part of her cringing for even asking the question.
“Yes,” he said quietly. “I miss the carefree relationship we had. You were the only girl I ever felt I could just be myself around, without feeling like I had to meet expectations or demands. Letting us drift apart in high school was the worst mistake I’ve ever made.”
Melissa stared up in astonishment. “Really?”
“Yes, really.”
They came close to the stage, and the light shining reflecting from his eyes allowed her to see how vulnerable he felt. “I mean… I don’t expect you to feel the same… but…”
She silenced him with a finger to his lips. “I’ve had the same regret.”
They just stood there, grinning for a moment, until another couple nearly rammed into them and they were forced into motion again. As the song drew to a close he led her off to a quiet side of the room, away from the prying eyes.
“Would you like to go to dinner with me?” he asked, a slight hesitation in his eyes. Him. Scott Parker. Former high school football star and advertising tycoon. Nervous. The very notion was enough to make her grin again. “You know, to catch up?”
“I’d love to, Scott.”
“Do you like Le Cirque?”
Melissa laughed. “I wouldn’t know. Plebeians like me can’t afford to go to those kinds of places.”
“Well then it will be my pleasure to take you. How about tomorrow at six o’clock?”
Tomorrow was Saturday, and she was sure the place would be packed. “Are you sure we can get in?”
He grinned. “They know me. Do you know how to get to The Palace?”
She nodded—The Palace was a hotel on Madison Avenue. They exchanged numbers, and then hesitantly parted ways, forced to mingle with others who were anxious to reclaim their former friendship with the high school all-star.
A smile came over her face when she found
Annie sitting on one of the loveseats next to Jason, one of the former jocks. By the looks of things she already had him wrapped around her finger—Annie was a shameless flirt. Melissa wished she had half her friend’s confidence around men.
“There you are!” Annie jumped up, completely forgetting about Jason. Melissa thought the man looked slightly put out. “I was wondering if you were ever going to come back, or if you’d gotten lost in Scott’s arms.”
Melissa blushed, pulling her off to the side and out of earshot of the other people in the area. “He asked me out to dinner.”
“On a date?” Annie squealed, so loudly that a few heads swiveled in their direction. When they saw it was just two women gossiping, they turned around again. Melissa was thankful this wasn’t high school—if it had been all the girls who were now women would have converged, demanding to know what was happening. Teen girls had thrived on gossip in her school.
“Well, not exactly. He said that he wanted to catch up.”
“Oh, pshaw,” Annie said, waving a hand. “He just wants to get you alone. Soon you two will be all over each other.”
“Annie!”
“What, you don’t want that?” she turned her head to look back at where Scott was standing, near the bar, talking to another old classmate. “Because if you’re not interested, I wouldn’t mind sinking my teeth into a piece of that fine, prime—”
“Don’t you dare,” Melissa growled. “He’s mine.”
Annie laughed and patted her on the shoulder. “That’s my girl.”
They spent the rest of the night mingling, and Melissa found she was actually enjoying catching up with her old classmates. There were camera’s placed on tables throughout the café so people could take candid shots of each other, and Melissa found herself not only being the victim, but also snatching one up several times to take photos of various people she knew, but also of Annie. She even surreptitiously managed a few of Scott, when he thought she wasn’t looking.
Actually, she stole surreptitious glances at him when she thought she could get away with it, and from the few times she caught his eye she had the feeling he was doing the same thing. It gave her a warm feeling inside that he could possibly be feeling the same way she did. Maybe Annie was right, after all. Maybe he did have feelings for her beyond just childhood friendship.
After it was all over, and they were driving home, Annie asked, “So where is he taking you?”
“Le Cirque, at The Palace.”
Annie sat up straight. “Seriously? I don’t care what he says about ‘just catching up’. This is definitely a date.”
Melissa frowned. “I don’t know. I think he’s just used to the luxury lifestyle. He is a billionaire, you know.”
Annie shook her head. “Maybe, but from what I saw of him tonight he’s not really afraid of slumming, either. If he just wanted to catch up he might’ve asked you out for drinks or something. The fact that he’s asking you out to dinner, at a very exclusive restaurant, tells me he’s in the mood for something special.”
Melissa smiled at Annie’s suggestive eyebrow waggling. “I hope you’re right, and at the same time the idea makes me incredibly nervous.”
“You wouldn’t be human if you weren’t nervous,” Annie said. “It’s only natural. We’re going shopping again tomorrow.”
Melissa was taken aback at the abrupt change of topic. “But we just went shopping the other day.”
Annie arched an eyebrow. “You have something suitable to wear in an exclusive restaurant at The Palace Hotel on a date with a billionaire who is probably going to show up in a ten-thousand dollar suit?”
Melissa thought back to her collection of sundresses hanging in her closet. “Well… no.”
“Then we’re going shopping.”
***
A limo pulled up outside Melissa’s apartment at exactly five o’clock. Scott had texted her and told her he would be arranging transportation for her so that she wouldn’t have to worry about fighting Manhattan traffic. Shaking her head with a smile, she grabbed her purse and headed down the steps. She had thought he might send a simple town car or something, not a full-sized stretch limo.
The reason for the limo was immediately revealed the moment that she stepped inside and saw Scott reclining on one of the seats, a glass of wine in hand. He smiled, his eyes roaming appreciatively over her curvy body.
Annie had helped her pick out her evening attire—she wore a dark red dress with sparkling rhinestones studded in swirling patterns around the bodice and skirt. The A-line cut flattered and slimmed her plus-sized frame, making her feel like a princess. They’d matched the dress with a pair of faux ruby earrings and ring. A real ruby pendant rested against her cleavage—it had been a gift from her grandmother a long time ago. She’d rarely worn it, finding little use for extravagant jewelry since she always dressed down, but was profoundly thankful for the gift tonight—it went perfectly with what she was wearing.
Annie had insisted on helping her with her hair as well, curling it and then sweeping it into an up-do, which she had secured with a variety of pins. Each one had a rhinestone or a faux ruby on the end so that her hair seemed to glitter with jewels. Her makeup was flawless. It almost disguised the fact that without the glitz and glamour, she was just a Plain Jane.
Almost.
“Wow. You look stunning,” Scott whispered, as she sat down in the seat opposite him.
“Thank you.” She smiled, feeling suddenly awkward. “You look very handsome in that suit.”
He wore a grey two-piece with a matching tie—probably Armani or Calvin Klein. His blond hair was swept neatly off to the side so as not to detract from his startling green eyes or his chiseled, masculine features.
“You know, you didn’t have to go through all this trouble for me.”
He arched a brow. “Taking you out to dinner is nothing but a pleasure. I’ve been anxious to see you all day.”
She didn’t know what to say—the idea of him taking an interest in her romantically was somehow too much to comprehend, even if it had been a fantasy for many years.
They rode mostly in silence, a tension growing between them. Melissa realized from the glances he sent her way that it was sexual tension—neither of them could help but notice the affect they had on one another.
The limo arrived at their destination, and Melissa stepped out onto the sidewalk. From the outside, The Palace didn’t look so much like its namesake as it resembled some old-world mansion, perhaps like the one in The Secret Garden. The entrance was guarded by an iron-wrought and stone gate, and directly beyond towered two tall pines dressed up with white Christmas lights that stayed there year-round.
To stand beyond the gates was like standing in a square—you were surrounded on all three sides by the Palace’s walls, with the eyes of its arched windows staring down at you. The lamps lighting up the square threw warm light on the stonewalls so that they appeared welcome, rather than threatening.
Inside was a different matter. They were greeted warmly by lemon-yellow walls, red and gold carpeting, honey-oak furniture and palm fronds. Scott led her past the check-in desk and into the restaurant, where they were seated at a small round table next to soaring windows providing a spectacular view of the city.
They started off with lobster risotto and foie gras accompanied with a white wine. Scott smiled at the flush of pleasure in Melissa’s cheeks as she sampled the food.
“Mmm. This is divine.” She licked her red lips, and suddenly his jacket was too hot. He didn’t take it off though—to do so would be unseemly for more than one reason; it would show that he was uncomfortable, and also Le Cirque demanded that men dressed appropriately with dinner jackets.
“I know. And those are just the appetizers. Wait until we get to the main course.” He winked and brought a bite of risotto to his mouth. “I remember you telling me you were the head of concept design. What exactly does that mean?”
As she launched into an explanation, he soaked her in,
her beauty, the sheer pleasure of just being with her again. Many of the women he’d taken out to dinner either were incredibly picky about what they ate or hardly ate at all, wanting to maintain their figures.
Melissa ate with relish, truly enjoying the food and not at all worrying about what it would do to her body. Certainly she might not have the svelte figures of the other women he dated, but as a result her disposition was far more pleasant than theirs could ever be.
He couldn’t believe how much she’d matured. Back when they’d graduated she’d still seemed like she was trying to find her footing. But now she was a woman grown, with a life of her own, clearly comfortable living it without the assistance of anyone else. He imagined that after ten years such a thing was to be expected… but still. To him, at that moment, that span of time seemed to pass in the blink of an eye, as if it were only yesterday they were still walking the halls of Rochester High.
Melissa blinked those bewitching grey eyes of hers. “Is something wrong?”
He shook his head, a smile coming to his lips. “Absolutely not. In fact, nothing could be more right than right…now. It’s great to be here with you, Melissa. Normally women are always after something when they go out with me—whether it’s sex, money, or power. You… you don’t come across as anything other than yourself. For a while I’d forgotten women like you existed.”
“Women like me?” she replied, wrinkling her nose the way she always had when she was confused. He remembered how he used to think it cute, and realized that he still did.
“Yes. Women who don’t compromise the core of who they are just to impress someone else —” he waved a hand to indicate himself and their surroundings — “You’re not trying to act all poised and sophisticated and high-brow. You’re just being who you always have been—sweet, wholesome, lovely Melissa.”
A blush spread across Melissa’s cheeks as a warm feeling engulfed her. The compliment didn’t exactly embarrass her—it took her a moment to realize that what she felt was pride. Unconsciously she found herself sitting up straighter, holding her head higher.
Scott sighed. “I, on the other hand, did exactly the opposite when I chose to mesh in with the popular clique.”
Reunion (Plus Size Loving): BBW Erotic Romance Page 2
