~ The End ~
About the Author: Marian Tee
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Marian Tee is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of steamy romantic comedies. She is Filipino-Chinese, has lived all her life in the Philippines, and is a frustrated mangaka. She is addicted to horror flicks, misses hip hop dancing, and loves all things Japanese.
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The Art of Catching a Greek Billionaire (Free!)
Once upon a time, there was a little girl who grew up listening to bedtime stories that had ordinary women falling in love with Greek billionaires. It made her dream that she'd one day have Her Own Greek Billionaire to live happily ever after with.
When this little girl grew up, she did what she could to make her dream come true, not knowing that Damen Leventis, the Greek billionaire she'd fall in love with, would want her only as a mistress...and never his wife.
This is my story.
I mean your story.
I mean, Mairi Tanner's story.
Sweet For Him by Harper Ashe
Chapter 1
It took Claire a few moments to realize that the pounding wasn’t coming from inside her head. Someone was banging on the front door. Pressing her palms against her temples in an effort to stop the pain, she got out of bed and made her way toward the window.
Champagne didn’t agree with her, but she couldn’t resist raising her glass to toast her sister Abby’s marriage to billionaire food mogul Steven Blake the night before. Unfortunately, by the fifth or sixth “Cheers!”, she was too tipsy to wave the server off when he offered to refill her glass again. And then again. Besides, she had never tasted expensive champagne before, and it was delicious!
When Claire parted the drapes, the bright sunlight made her flinch. What time was it? She glanced at the clock on the bedside table, which read 7:05 AM. The Blake mansion guest suite she was staying in faced the front of the house, and she could see the contractor’s white truck parked in the circular drive. Damn! She had forgotten that he was coming.
Why couldn’t Abby and Stephen have gotten married on a Saturday night like normal couples so she could have had a day to recuperate before starting her housesitting duties on Monday morning? Oh yeah, it had something to do with the anniversary of their first kiss.
“Give me a minute, I’ll be right there!” she called out through the open window, hoping the guy standing on the porch below could hear her. The angle of the house blocked the contractor’s upper body from her view, but she managed to get a good look at his backside.
His waist was trim, although not too narrow, and his work jeans hugged his hips without sagging. There was no plumber’s butt on this guy. At the end of his long, strong legs were a pair of practical work boots. Although her sister had always been attracted to more polished men like Stephen, Claire preferred this more rugged look. At least from behind, the contractor looked hot!
After pulling on her old, tattered bathrobe and finger-combing her long, light brown hair, she made her way down the spiral staircase and opened the front door. Seeing the face that was attached to the sexy butt and work boots made her already-queasy stomach churn more violently.
“Claire Branson? Is it really you?”
The voice was deeper than she remembered, but unmistakably familiar. It belonged to Robbie Halliday, the boy who broke Claire’s heart. She smiled weakly and pulled her robe tighter around her curvy body. “In the flesh,” she said, going for cheeky but sounding a little bitter.
“I can’t believe it,” Robbie said, leaning lazily against the door frame. Up close, he was more handsome than ever. He was definitely a bit taller and had filled out in all the right places. She couldn’t help but notice that his broad shoulders filled the entire doorway. “How long has it been?” he asked.
Eleven years, six days, nine hours, and twelve minutes. “Oh, I don’t know,” Claire responded casually. Her fingertips drifted up to her lips as the memory of her first kiss washed over her. It was a sweet seventh grade moment with Robbie that had soon turned sour. “I’m pretty sure the last time I saw you was the day we graduated from high school.”
“Wow, over ten years.” Robbie shook his head in disbelief. “I missed you at the reunion last summer.”
“I was out of town,” she replied, not bothering to mention that she specifically scheduled a trip to the city to avoid the reunion crowd.
“You look great, Claire.”
She looked...great? With her hair a tangled mess and yesterday’s makeup smeared on her face? Claire nodded slowly as realization washed over her like the waves of champagne-fueled nausea. Once a jerk, always a jerk.
“Thanks,” she answered automatically. “You do, too.” Only her response was the truth. Robbie did look great. Better than great. Gorgeous, fit, self-assured, happy. The polar opposite of Claire.
“Stephen told me that his new sister-in-law would be housesitting during the remodel work. That must mean that he married Abby, right?”
“Right,” Claire confirmed, suddenly feeling like more of a loser than she really was. Abby was just one year older than her, but she had always been the vivacious go-getter among the two curvy Branson sisters. Abby was never afraid to go after what she wanted. Not only did she manage to leave small-town life behind and get a four-year degree, she also landed a great job in the city and bagged a billionaire husband in the process.
“How about you? Are you married yet?” Robbie asked.
Claire winced. “No, not yet. Still waiting for Mr. Right.” She hadn’t had a date in over a year. It was hard to meet guys when you worked odd jobs in a small town and lived in your parents’ basement. “You?”
Robbie shook his head. “Naw, I’m pretty much married to my work.”
Claire was having trouble wrapping her head around the idea of Robbie being a contractor, even though she was pretty sure he looked better in blue jeans than a business suit. “I always thought you would end up in finance like your dad,” she said.
“Me too. Turns out I hate wearing ties and love getting my hands dirty.” Robbie flashed a boyish grin that made her knees go weak. “After working as a laborer the summer after my freshman year, I knew that construction was my calling. Once I got my degree, my folks loaned me enough cash to start my own business. I eventually carved out a niche doing high-end remodel work, like the kitchen and master bath I’m doing for the Blakes.”
The small talk with Robbie about his wonderfully successful, perfectly happy life was making Claire’s hangover headache worse. At the moment, she wasn’t even employed. If it weren’t for the big pile of cash that Stephen and Abby were paying her to housesit while they were on their month-long honeymoon, she would be flat broke.
“Speaking of your work,” she said, “I should probably let you get to it. Stephen left you a set of keys on the kitchen counter and instructions for turning the security alarm off and on. Feel free to come and go as you need. I’ll try to stay out of your way.”
“Yeah,” Robbie responded, the grin slowly fading from his face. “I’m sure you have better things to do than listen to me ramble on about my business.”
Claire didn’t, at least not that moment. But she wasn’t about to tell him that. “Well, it was nice seeing you again, Robbie,” she lied.
“You too, Claire. Hey, we should have dinner sometime to catch up.”
“Dinner?” She hesitated. “Um, okay.”
“Are you free Thursday night?”
Robbie asked.
Claire pretended to mentally check her calendar, which happened to be pretty wide open. “I think that will work, but I’ll have to let you know,” she responded. She had no intention of putting herself through the torture of dinner with Robbie. Sitting across from his dimples and deep blue eyes for an entire meal would be too much for her heart to take.
“Great. We can firm things up later in the week. My guys will be here soon to start demolishing the bathroom and kitchen. If you need breakfast, you might want to grab it now.”
The thought of food made her stomach lurch. While a cup of coffee did sound good, getting away from Robbie sounded even better. “Thanks, but I think I’ll hit the shower instead. If you need anything, my room is at the top of the stairs, first door on the left.”
~~~
Rob watched Claire’s shapely backside as she disappeared up the stairs. Her robe hugged her curves in a way that made him long to race up the stairs after her. But she made it pretty clear that she wasn’t happy to see him again after all these years. All because of one stupid kiss.
Although his family had more money than hers, they grew up in the same neighborhood and had been best friends since kindergarten. In junior high, though, their social circles – and hormones – started to change. Still, Rob was more interested in sports than girls, and Claire didn’t bore him with endless talk about clothes and makeup. Being around her was easy and comfortable.
Claire knew as much about sports as he did and had a knack for making him laugh. Even though she was a little chunky, she could catch a football as well as his guy friends. He never told her this, but he would pretend she was faster than he was and would let her outrun him when he tried to tackle her.
Until that one time.
It was just the two of them goofing around at the park on a Saturday afternoon. Claire was helping him run football practice drills and was taunting him for being unable to catch her. At some point, her teasing stopped being funny to him. What kind of guy let an overweight tomboy beat him at touch football...even if it was on purpose?
Fueled by a rush of adrenaline, Rob raced toward Claire. When she realized how fast he was running, it was too late for her to get away. He knocked into her solid body and they crashed to the ground, the football flying out of her flailing arms as she tried to break their fall.
“Oomph!” The air was knocked out of them at the same time as he landed on top of her.
Rob’s adult mind replayed the moment in slow motion, the memory just as crisp and clear in the present day. Claire had always kept her body hidden under baggy t-shirts and sweatpants, which made him almost forget she was a girl. But feeling her young curves beneath his body left no doubt in his mind that she was female.
Right there, in the middle of the park, her soft flesh set his teenage body on fire. When he touched his lips to hers, his spontaneous first kiss was awkward and inexperienced, but she kissed him back. Her closed mouth was warm and sweet, and it sparked something raw inside of him.
In a flash, Claire was no longer just one of the guys, and it scared him. Pulling away, he rolled onto the grass beside her, wondering if they could pretend that the kiss never happened, even while knowing that things would never be the same between them.
Although it took a few weeks for the transformation to be complete, that full body tackle changed everything. It changed the way Claire dressed and acted around him. It changed Rob’s interest in girls. And it changed their comfortable friendship.
Too young to fully process what was happening between them, they drifted apart and became nothing more than casual schoolmates who shared a smile when passing each other in the hallway between classes.
By the time they reached high school, they ran in completely different social circles. With his outgoing personality, good looks, and athletic talent, Rob was part of the jocks and cheerleaders crowd. Shy, sweet, introverted Claire hung out with a small group of misfits who blended into the background, all but invisible to their popular peers. Once in a while, their paths would cross and seeing her would remind him of the friendship they once shared.
Rob had kissed a lot of girls since seventh grade. But he never forgot about Claire, the one girl who got away. Seeing her all grown up and curvy as ever made him feel like an awkward thirteen-year-old all over again, and it reminded him why he had never settled down. No woman could measure up to the memory of Claire.
But he wasn’t a gangly, inexperienced teenager anymore. He was a successful business owner. A guy who could take a pile of raw materials and build something amazing, something lasting. A man who set his sights on what he wanted and refused to give up until he got it. After seeing her again, Rob knew he wanted Claire back in his life – and he wanted more than just her friendship.
Convincing her that they belonged together wouldn’t be easy, but he had one month to make it happen. A plan was formulating in his construction-oriented mind. He was going to lay a new foundation for their future together.
By the time the Blakes’ remodel project was done, Claire Branson would be his and he would no longer be married to his work.
But first, he needed to get the project demolition underway.
~~~
Once Claire was safely hidden away in her room, the tears she had been holding back trickled down her cheeks. Her buried pain from the past bubbled to the surface of her skin, making her muscles ache and squeezing her heart painfully tight. She grabbed her phone off the nightstand and sent her sister a text message.
Why didn’t you tell me?
Abby responded in seconds. Tell you what?
That Robbie Halliday was your contractor.
A long, tortuous minute passed before Abby replied. I didn’t know, Claire. I swear. If I had, I would have given you a heads up.
When Claire didn’t respond, Abby sent another message. Maybe this is your chance to make peace with the past so you can finally move forward with your life.
I don’t know if I can do this.
Don’t be silly, Abby texted. You’re stronger than you think.
I don’t feel very strong right now, Claire responded.
My BBW group meets tonight. Maybe you should go. I always feel more confident afterwards.
Abby had told Claire all about her support group for Big Beautiful Women, which was about empowerment rather than weight loss. Claire didn’t think she would have the courage to go without her big sister. Maybe, she texted back.
Do you want us to skip our honeymoon? Say the word and I’ll have Stephen tell his pilot to bring us back home.
Claire’s internal guilt meter soared off the charts. If she said yes, Abby would come back in a heartbeat. But she couldn’t take advantage of her sister like that. Besides, she was being silly.
That’s okay, Abby, I’ve got this. You’re right. What happened with Robbie is ancient history. I’m over it already.
Are you sure?
Completely, positively, totally...unsure.
Very sure. Now, get back to that rich and handsome husband of yours and forget I said anything. I’ll see you in a month.
Okay. Since you’re sure. Thanks, sis. Love you.
I love you too, Abby.
Claire put the phone down and squared her shoulders. After taking a deep breath, she headed to the en-suite bathroom to take a shower. She had had enough of living in the past and her pity party was officially over! She wasn’t a teenage wallflower who walked in her big sister’s shadow. She was a young woman with a slightly damaged, yet very determined, spirit.
For the next month, Claire would be living a life of luxury and getting paid to do it. She wasn’t about to let this unexpected surprise spoil her fun. In fact, she would show her handsome, high school heartthrob that her life was every bit as wonderful and perfect as his, even if she had to fake it before making it.
A plan was forming in her hung-over mind. She was tired of being meek and timid, the kind of girl that sat on the sidelines watching life pass by. Not only woul
d she go to dinner with Robbie Halliday, but she would dazzle him in the process.
By the time Abby and Stephen’s remodel project was done, Claire would be a new woman and Robbie would regret turning his back on her and their friendship.
But first, she needed a long, hot shower.
Chapter 2
After her shower, Claire felt almost as good as new and ready to tackle her duties as official house sitter. She sat down at the small corner desk in the guest suite and opened the envelope of instructions that Abby had left for her. In addition to finding a list of household chores and emergency phone numbers, she found a note and business cards for her sister’s personal shopper and hairstylist.
She also found a smaller envelope that was filled with $100 bills. With shaking hands, she pulled out the pile of bills and thumbed through them. There was over $5000 in the envelope! She shoved the bills back into the envelope and picked up the handwritten note.
~
Dear Claire,
Thank you for being the best maid of honor imaginable. I don’t think I could have survived my wedding without you. To thank you for being there for me, I wanted to do something special for you. I know you’ve been feeling like you’re stuck in a rut, so why not reinvent yourself with a full image makeover?
First, I want you to call my personal plus-size shopper, Lois Carlyle. She’ll teach you how to dress for success and make your curves your biggest asset! Then, go see Henri for a haircut and color. His salon is full service, so you could also schedule appointments for a manicure, pedicure, facial, make-up lessons – the works. Pamper yourself, sis, because you deserve it!
I know that new clothes and a fresh hairstyle won’t fix what’s been bringing you down, Claire. But they just might give you the confidence you need to break out of your funk and follow your bliss.
If the cash I left doesn’t cover what you need, just have Lois and Henri put whatever’s left on my account. When I get home a month from now, I expect a new and improved Claire Branson to greet me with a hopeful smile and dressed-to-kill attitude!
Curves for Him - 10 Delicious Tales Page 68
