The Billionaire's Curvy Conquest - Complete (2 page)

The assignment was finally beginning to make sense to me.

“I get it. Since I’m the same size as Mr. Reed’s lady friend, you want me to go shopping for him and try things on to make sure they fit.”

Alice smiled. “Exactly.”

“I thought Mr. Reed only dated models and actresses. My body shape doesn’t really fit that profile.”

Alice leaned in close and lowered her voice. “Most people don’t know this, but he’s always had a thing for curvy girls with pretty faces. Much like you, Miss James.” 

“Really?” I was genuinely surprised. “You sure wouldn’t know it by tracking his activities in the entertainment section of the news.”

The paparazzi were constantly snapping pictures of Mr. Reed with his date du jour and never once had I see him with a short, fat woman with a pretty face.

“Perhaps his curvier dates prefer to stay out of the spotlight.”

I thought about that. If I were Mr. Reed’s date for the night, I’m pretty sure I would want the whole world to know we were together.

Then again, would I really want a picture taken from an unflattering angle splashed across the cover of the National Enquirer with a headline reading something like,
Billionaire David Reed Steps out with Plus-Size Porker
?

Maybe not.

Handing me a sealed envelope and a corporate credit card, Alice said, “Here is the list of items that Mr. Reed would like you to buy. I haven’t seen the list, but I can tell you that money is no object. Your focus should be on quality, not price.”

I nodded in understanding and she slipped a business card into my hand. “If you have any questions, call my direct line. The number’s on the card.”

“Thank you,” I said, and meant it. Nothing this interesting ever happened on the second floor!

“You had better get going, Miss James,” Alice said, ushering me out the door. “You’re getting a late start and you need to be back by two o’clock sharp. Mr. Reed isn’t the kind of man who likes to be kept waiting.”

~~~

O
utside, I grabbed a latte and a scone at a nearby coffee cart and sat down on a bench to plan my shopping strategy. The Reed Building was only a few blocks from the downtown shopping district, but I planned to take a cab to save time.

I was excited by the idea of shopping for plus-size lingerie at high-end stores and getting paid to try on expensive silk negligees and flirty chemises. Although Mr. Reed would be admiring the lingerie on another woman, the shopping idea provided fuel for my fantasies.

But when I opened the envelope and looked at Mr. Reed’s shopping list, my jaw dropped.

That’s
the kind of lingerie he wanted me to buy?

And he wanted me to return to his office wearing the ensemble underneath a long coat . . .  so I could
model
the lingerie for him?

I gulped. Alice wasn’t kidding when she called the assignment unconventional.

I wouldn’t be finding
any
of the items on Mr. Reed’s list - lingerie or otherwise - at a store like Bergdorf or Neiman. Using my cell phone, I quickly dialed the number on Alice’s card.

“Alice speaking,” she answered promptly.

“Hi Alice, it’s Cassie. I have a question.”

“Already?” She sounded concerned and was probably thinking that she should have done the shopping herself.

“It’s about the list,” I said. “The items are a bit more...intimate... than I expected.”

“Are you up to completing the assignment Miss James?” Alice asked with alarm.

“Definitely,” I said. Although I wasn’t completely sure, I wasn’t about to throw in the towel so soon. “I’m just not sure where to shop for the kinds of lingerie and, um...other items... that Mr. Reed is requesting.”

“I see,” Alice responded, the pleasant tone back in her voice. “No need to worry. There’s a high-end specialty shop on the corner of 3rd and Wells. It has a very discrete entrance that’s easy to miss, so look for the black door with 307 Wells in gold lettering. Push the buzzer and ask for Mrs. Tate. Tell her I sent you, she’ll know how to help.”

I thanked her and hung up the phone. Shoving the list into my purse, I hailed a cab and instructed the driver to drop me off at 3rd and Wells.

A
t two-twenty, my phone rang. It was Alice.

“Where are you?” she hissed.

“I just walked in the building and am heading for the elevator.”

“You’re very late!”

“Less than half an hour.” In my world, that was pretty much on time.

“I told you that Mr. Reed does not like to be kept waiting,” Alice warned, the pleasant tone in her voice nearly gone.

“But I got everything on Mr. Reed’s list and followed his directions exactly,” I lamely defended myself.

“Hopefully that will be enough to appease him,” Alice said before hanging up.

As I rode Mr. Reed’s silent, private elevator, I started to get nervous. Had I blown my future at Reed Technologies by being late for my first special project?

My anxiety increased as the floors ticked by. By the time the elevator stopped at the penthouse, I was shaking.

Alice looked at me without saying a word, her stern gaze taking in my change of dress. My white blouse and black pants had been replaced by a long, black coat, buttoned neck-to-calf.

If she was curious about what I had on underneath, she didn’t let on.

She motioned for me to follow her down the hallway. In my hands were three shopping bags. Two were for Mr. Reed and held the specialty items from his list. The third held my clothes.

Stopping at a set of closed double doors, Alice knocked twice, paused briefly and then opened the door.

“Miss James has returned,” she said, presumably to Mr. Reed, although I couldn’t see him from my position behind her.

“Send her in and close the door,” a deep male voice barked.

Alice opened the door wider, indicating that I should enter Mr. Reed’s office. Gathering my courage, I strode through the entrance.

“Make sure you address him as sir,” Alice whispered as I passed. “Good luck, Miss James.”

Standing there, shopping bags in hand, I awaited further direction, jumping slightly when the door closed behind me with a thud.

Mr. Reed’s palatial office resembled a small, upscale apartment. At one end was a massive desk. It faced a wall of windows that framed the breathtaking view of the city.

At the other end was a comfortable seating area arranged in front of a stone fireplace. In between were various pieces of fine furnishings and a side door that led to what looked like a private bath.

Although Mr. Reed was sitting at his desk with his head down, reading a document on his computer screen, his commanding presence still filled the room.

“Don’t just stand there, Miss James, bring me the items I asked for,” he barked without looking up.

I walked gingerly toward his desk, my breath quickening when I got close enough to see his profile in detail. I had never seen him like this, with his suit jacket off, tie loosened and the sleeves of his white shirt rolled up. The casual look made him seem slightly less daunting, but even more attractive than usual.

Leaning down to place two of the bags at his feet, I lingered for an instant, inhaling his male essence so I could commit his heady scent to memory.

After turning off his computer monitor, Mr. Reed turned toward me for the first time. “You’re late,” he said, looking me over top to bottom, while somehow avoiding eye contact.

“I’m sorry, sir,” I said with a small voice, knowing I should look down, contritely, but unable to divert my eyes from the sexy shadow that had already begun forming on his face.

“Did you get everything on my list?”

“Yes, sir. Everything you asked for is in those two bags... except for the things I’m wearing, just as you instructed.”

“I’m well aware of my instructions, Miss James.”

“Yes sir, of course you are.”

“Well?”

“Well what, sir?” I didn’t know what he wanted from me.

“Remove the coat, Miss James. I don’t have all day and would like to see what you purchased with my money,” Mr. Reed commanded, finally meeting my gaze.

His tight jaw and grim lips indicated his anger at my late arrival. But when I looked into his eyes, I saw something resembling heat.

Standing there, my confidence began to crumble. Could I really do this, strip down to almost nothing in front of my handsome billionaire boss?

“I’m waiting, Miss James,” Mr. Reed said, tapping his fingers impatiently on his desk.

Taking a deep breath and sucking in my gut, I undid the buttons, one-after-another, until the coat parted, exposing a hint of skin and black lace.

I paused, partly for effect, and partly to gather my courage for what I had to do next.

Slipping the coat off my shoulders, I let it drop to my feet, fully revealing my curvaceous body scantily clad in the black lingerie.

Mr. Reed’s eyes assessed my curves with a hot, hungry look, beginning with the corset that cinched in my wide waist while pushing my large breasts up and over the top. A hint of nipple was showing just above the lacy fabric.

His eyes traveled downward to the small scrap of matching lace that barely covered my mound. Although he couldn’t see the opening, based on his list, we both knew that, further down, the lace parted.

If I moved my legs apart even a few inches...well, let’s just say that nothing below my waist would be left to the imagination.

Reaching in to one the shopping bags, Mr. Reed pulled out the leather paddle, holding it in one hand while slapping it against the other.

“I can see that you are excellent at following directions, Miss James,” he said, the bark in his voice replaced with a slightly softer tone. “It’s a shame that you must still be punished for your tardiness. Perhaps a stern paddling will teach you to be on time.”

I swallowed hard, my body trembling with fear and something else: unbridled lust. This assignment had turned extremely personal and I was suddenly wet with desire for Mr. Reed.

“Take your hair down,” he instructed, still slapping the paddle against his hand.

I tugged at the elastic band that held my makeshift bun in place and my long blonde hair was released in a cascade of waves across my shoulders and down my back.

I watched as his lips curled up faintly, an almost-smile that made me tingle all over.

Putting the paddle on his desk, Mr. Reed reached down and retrieved a black scarf from one of the shopping bags. He stood and closed the short distance between us.

“Turn around,” he said, a quiet command.

I obeyed, not knowing or caring what he had planned.

For six months I had worshipped Mr. Reed from afar. In this moment, with my heart racing from his nearness, I would have gladly done anything he asked.

He leaned forward and I felt his warm breath on my neck.

“You’re a very beautiful young woman, Miss James,” he whispered. “From the moment I first saw you, I knew I had to have you. Here, like this. Under my control.”

His words made me tingle and my skin erupted in gooseflesh. “The moment you first saw me?”

He reached over and tied the scarf snugly across my eyes.

“You were flirting with the courier as you signed for a package. Your laughter filled the quiet lobby, catching my attention as I left the building. At first, I didn’t see your face, only your profile, which highlighted your womanly curves. You had your hair down that day.”

He put his lips against my ear and lowered his voice even further. “You should always wear your hair down, Miss James.”

I remembered that day clearly because the courier had asked for my phone number. I had only been working at Reed Technologies for a few weeks and it was my third day pulling the late receptionist shift in the lobby.

That day, I was so wrapped up in the courier’s attention that I didn’t see Mr. Reed exit the building...or admire my curves.

“I read your essay, Miss James.”

“What?” The comment caught me completely off guard.

“The one about being a plus-size woman in a corporate world obsessed with thinness.”

I wrote that essay a year or so ago after a promotion I had earned was given to a less qualified, model-thin coworker. It was published in a very obscure literary journal that specialized in emotional, first person stories about the pain and pleasures of life.

I was beginning to sense that there was a lot more to this man than money and sex appeal. I was also beginning to think that it was Mr. Reed who selected me for this assignment rather than Alice.

“You read
Personal Pain, Personal Pleasure
?” I asked.

“I read a lot of things, Miss James.”

Blindfolded and dumbstuck, I sensed Mr. Reed moving away from me and heard him clearing things from his desk.

“Turn around, Miss James,” he instructed, taking my arm and guiding me forward. “It’s time for your punishment. Lean forward, across my desk.”

“I’m sorry, sir?” I heard his words, but wasn’t quite sure if I understood them correctly.

Was he going to spank me with the paddle?

“Lay your upper body across my desk,” he repeated sternly, as if he were talking to a disobedient child.

Doing as instructed, I felt the cold wood on my bare belly, which sent an icy fear flowing through my veins.

With the front edge of the desk braced against my padded abdomen, I grasped the far edge with my hands.

“I will not tolerate tardiness, do you understand, Miss James?”

Mr. Reed was slapping the paddle against his hand again and I clenched my fingers around the edge of the desk to secure my grip in preparation of what was coming.

“Yes, sir,” I replied, my voice shaking.

I hadn’t been spanked since I was a small child and had no idea what to expect when Mr. Reed slapped the paddle against my ass, which was only partially covered by lace.

“Oh!” When the paddle connected with my backside, I squealed in surprise, the mild sting of leather against flesh generating a shocking sensation of warmth that traveled throughout my body.

The second blow was harder, and my face burned in embarrassment when my ample butt cheeks jiggled in response.