Page 29 of Earl

“Ah.” A smile curved his lips. “I believe it’s all the rage these days.” He eyed her thoughtfully. “Forgive me for saying this, but you don’t seem the kind of woman who would need something like that.”

“Why not?”

“You are exquisite, and you have a kind of presence that is noticeable from a distance.” His eyes wandered over the flawless face and abundance of hair tumbling around her shoulders. Shewas wearing an orange sweater with a scoop neckline and a series of stones glittering on the left bodice.

He knew she was a designer and had been featured in some of their magazines. Meeting her in person was quite a treat. She was not the type of woman he usually went for, his Sofia had been as slender as a reed, but then again, no one could compare to his wife.

She still held a significant space in his heart that could never be replaced. Cathy would make a suitable mate for him, and he had decided last night that he wanted her for his mistress. He had a distinct feeling that she would be very eager and active in bed.

Marriage was out of the question of course. He had promised Sofia that he would never take another wife and even if he hadn’t, the thought of it turned his stomach.

“Why, thank you.” She smiled at him, and he felt his heart shifting.

She was truly a beautiful woman.

“Does that mean I don’t stand a chance? Who is this man you are dating and how advanced is the relationship?” He interpreted her quizzical look and smiled. “I want to know if I can be in the running.”

“You make it sound like a race,” she toyed with her veal. “We are still in the phone stage of the relationship. He wants to meet, but he is away on a business trip.”

“How long has this been going on if you don’t mind my asking.”

“Three weeks.”

His eyebrows arched. “And he has not insisted on meeting you face to face? Isn’t that a bit odd?”

“No.” She shook her head. “It’s me. I have been hesitating.”

“Why?”

She stared at him for a few seconds before answering. “I have been known to make some drastic mistakes in the men I get involved with. So, I have decided to practice caution.”

He reached for her hand again. “Are those idiots blind?”

She laughed, charmed by his flattery, which appeared to be sincere.

“Please hold your opinion until you get to know me better,” she warned.

A smile touched his mouth. “Does that mean I get to see you again?”

“I don’t know. Maybe.”

“I would like to, Cathy.” His hand pressed against hers. “I would like to remove those bad memories of your past and show you how it’s supposed to be between a man and a woman. I have no idea what those men did…”

“It was not all on them. In all fairness, I contributed to the failure as well. I am a workaholic, and my career often consumes me.”

“You are creative and very talented. I have seen your designs and am amazed by your sensitivity to what women – plus-sized women are looking for. You make them look sexy, proud to be the women they are. And that is not something that a lot of people could accomplish.”

She took umbrage at that. Pulling her hand away, she picked up her glass. “That’s just it, isn’t it?” She asked scathingly. “We have been indoctrinated by the system into thinking that women of a certain size are unattractive. If you are not a size zero to size four, you are overweight and unworthy of wearing designer labels.

We are labeled ‘fat and slovenly’ too many women, too much flesh.” Her brown eyes flashed with fire that had him staring at her. “I wanted to change that and by God, I intend to force menand women alike to realize that being of a certain size does not mean one is ugly or unacceptable. That’s why I do what I do.”

Byron found himself rethinking his former idea of simply taking her to his bed. She was truly a magnificent creature, and her passion was like an aphrodisiac. He felt something stirring in his loins and was surprised at how much he wanted to drive himself deep inside her.

“And you have done a remarkable job in showing the public that plus-sized women are to be lauded.” He said smoothly, doing his best to tamp down his rising lust.

He wanted to suggest they go back to his place and spend the afternoon getting to know each other in a more animalistic way but intuited that would not go over well with her. He wanted her but was going to have to play it safe for now.

This online nonsense she had going on would have to come to an end.