Round & Ravishing E-Book

Mary E. Thompson

• Herausgeber: BluEyed Press
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021

Beschreibung

I thought I had everything. I was living my dream life, but it all fell apart, and I had to crawl home with my tail between my legs. Working with my mom in her flower shop was not ideal, but with no job, no boyfriend, and no future in Hollywood, it was my best, ahem only, option.

Until a reporter shows up asking about the nude pictures of me online. Um, excuse me? Cue freak out.

I’d love to pretend they weren’t me, but those are definitely my curvy thighs. And all my other curvy parts. I remember the day they were taken. And who took them. Funny how his career took off and mine didn’t.

Before I can figure out what to do, another guy shows up. Noah’s sweet and funny and doesn’t seem to know anything about the pictures. Is it possible? He really seems too good to be true. As everything starts to feel like it’s crumbling, he’s there, supporting me. Loving me. Letting me forget.

But I can’t forget. And I can’t let go. I wasn’t the only one in those pictures. But I was the only one exposed online. Maybe it’s time someone else gets some extra exposure.

Leseprobe

ROUND & RAVISHING

A SMALL TOWN CURVY GIRL ROMANCE

BIG & BEAUTIFUL

BOOK TEN

MARY E THOMPSON

Round & Ravishing

Big & Beautiful, book ten

Copyright © 2017 Mary E Thompson

Cover Copyright © 2019 Mary E Thompson

Cover Photo (woman) from DepositPhotos, Copyright © agnadevi

Cover Photo (cupcake) from DepositPhotos, Copyright © RobiladDP

Published by BluEyed Press, All Rights Reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This is a work of fiction. All characters, businesses, locations, and events are either products of the author’s creative imagination or are used in a fictitious sense. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-944090-21-0

Print ISBN: 978-1-944090-26-5

Audiobook ISBN: 978-1-953879-90-5

Created with Vellum

BIG & BEAUTIFUL

In the world of Big & Beautiful, being curvy is a good thing. It means being sure of who you are, even if it takes a while sometimes. The men in this world love their curvy women and will do anything to show them how amazing they are. Enjoy life’s curves.

BIG & BEAUTIFUL

Chubby & Charming

Lush & Lovely

Shapely & Stunning

Bulky & Beauteous

Fat & Fine

Plump & Pretty

Husky & Hot

Fluffy & Fabulous

Puffy & Precious

Round & Ravishing

Curvaceous & Captivating

Stocky & Sumptuous

Amply & Alluring

Big & Beautiful Ever After (newsletter exclusive)

SUBSCRIBE NOW AT MARYETHOMPSON.COM

CONTENTS

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Epilogue

About the Author

For my daughter, who wants to be a superstar when she grows up. May you find your true path in life.

CHAPTER1

It always seemed strange to me to take a lunch break after only two hours of work. Why even bother? Then again, I was hungry. And any break from dealing with the incessant whining of brides who couldn’t make up their minds, or men thinking flowers would fix their mess, or, the worst, the guys buying flowers for a first date and asking me what the woman would like.

How would I know?

Just because I was a woman did not give me qualifications to understand all of them. Especially when we hadn’t met.

And no. A picture on Facebook of said woman was not going to help me figure it out. Not unless she was standing in front of a garden and pointing to a flower with the caption, ‘My favorite flower!’

Maybe a lunch break after two hours wasn’t such a bad idea.

I could hear my mom’s voice out front talking to a customer and struggled to drown it out. It’d been eight months since I’d moved home. Eight months since I gave up on my acting career and left California. Eight months since my mom called and said my dad wasn’t doing well and she needed the help. Eight months since I moved back in with my parents.

I wasn’t sure I could last eight more days.

It was like being back in high school again. Living by their rules. Working at Coming Up Daisies, my mom’s flower shop. Having no life.

I clicked online as I sat down with my lunch at the computer. There was one good thing about living with my parents. The food. Both my parents enjoyed cooking and always made enough food for me to have lunch the next day. It was one of the only things that kept me there. I enjoyed cooking, but it kind of sucked to cook for just myself.

Without really thinking about it, I clicked through to search for Patrick Williams. My ex. He’d finally made something of himself and instead of pulling me up the ladder with him, Patrick dumped me and moved on to another hot actress. Hotter. Skinnier. Younger.

It was the cliché I’d hoped to avoid becoming. And yet, I was it. The poster child for why you shouldn’t follow your dreams if they led you to fame and fortune.

But I’d kept my dignity. Sort of.

Articles filled the screen about Patrick. After the first big movie he directed, he was suddenly in demand. All the big studios wanted him. He was the next big thing, and in Hollywood, big was in.

Unless it was your dress size. Then small was in.

I skimmed through the first article and saw he booked a new film. On top of three he already had in the works. I hated that I was jealous of his success. At one point, we’d been partners. Living in a tiny apartment on the not-so-great side of town and eating Ramen noodles and mac and cheese. Instead of the limited diet boosting my career, he’d taken a chance on a movie that turned into a blockbuster. One that he never even mentioned to me until casting was done. One I would have been perfect for.

If the lead was not a tiny waif.

But it wasn’t meant to be. That’s what I told myself. I wasn’t ever really in love with him. I wasn’t meant to be famous and have a life in Hollywood. I couldn’t handle what that life demanded of me. I was destined to return home and read all about how wonderful my ex’s life was online while listening to my mom talk to a customer.

I clicked the next article and read a little more about the new movie. Then read one about the movie he’s going to be shooting next. They weren’t releasing details about where shooting would take place, only say it was a small town. It wouldn’t be long before the details were out there. If shooting was supposed to start in a month or so, the media would need to know where to send people. Plus, they would need to cast extras and secure police support for road closures and countless other tasks that needed to be in place before everyone descended.

I closed that one since it didn’t give me any new information and sighed. One more article.

I knew I shouldn’t care what he was doing with his personal life, but it still irritated me that he’d dropped me so easily. Like we weren’t anything. He’d told me he loved me, but I guess Hollywood had a different interpretation of what love really was.

A picture of Patrick with his arm around Cassie Clarke filled the screen. He was looking at her like she hung the moon. His eyes were bright and loving, an expression I knew well. His smile was the one he’d always reserved for me. Not his I-want-you-to-like-me smile or his I-want-to-impress-you smile or his are-you-buying-this smile. It was the one he’d flashed me when he spotted me across the room at a party. Or when we were watching movies and comparing notes of how we would have done it better. Or when we were making love.

I scrolled up, not wanting to see that look anymore. I knew it wasn’t a look born of love. It was just another in his long line of fake smiles, but it still hurt more than I wanted it to that he was giving another woman that look.

I was not Cassie Clarke. And until Patrick hooked up with her, I wasn’t jealous of her dark, angled bob or her too perky breasts or her endless legs that she had no qualms about showing off or her willingness to do nude scenes.

She was Hollywood defined. And exactly why I was never a success.

I scanned through the article and saw that they were still the Hollywood ‘it’ couple. She was starring in one of his new movies but said she always worried about him going off on shoots. That she wanted to make sure he was faithful. I snorted. She had good reason to be worried. There were many reports that Patrick didn’t know how to keep it in his pants ever since he hit it big. I’d suspected him of cheating quite a few times, but I never had any proof.

It didn’t matter anymore.

Then I saw my name.

Patrick Williams’ ex, Tara Fisher, fell off the radar of Hollywood when Patrick became a household name. Rumors surrounded the couple for months following their break-up but neither confirmed or denied any of them. Now, more rumors are circulating as-

“Tara! I need your help,” my mom hissed from the office doorway.

I turned to her, startled, then shook my head. “Just a second, Mom.”

“I can’t wait a second. I’m finishing up with a customer now and there’s another one in the shop that I said I’d be with soon. A third just walked in and I need to go in a minute to take your dad to the doctor’s office. I’m going to be late as it is.”

I huffed. “Fine,” I sighed, closing the browser. I’d read the rest of the article later. I definitely wasn’t news anymore so whatever they thought they’d dug up couldn’t possibly be urgent.

* * *

Ten minutes later my mom was out the door and I was finishing up with the guy I’d been helping. One of those who had no idea what he wanted for the woman he was taking out on a date. He’d gotten her daisies on their first date and said he thought she liked them, but it was date two so he was stepping things up.

He wanted roses.

Thankfully I talked him into irises.

“Are you sure she’s going to like these?”

I smiled and nodded, hoping he wouldn’t see the irritation I was trying to hide. “Of course. They’re beautiful flowers. I think roses would be too much for a second date. That’s what you send your wife on Valentine’s Day or carry in your wedding. Roses bring too much expectation to a second date.”

He looked a little disappointed but didn’t argue. I handed him back his card and thanked him, hoping Mom would be around to help him if he got a third date.

“How can I help you?” I asked the remaining customer.

He smiled, a warm, friendly smile, then glanced at the door. His dark eyes sparkled when he looked at me again. “That guy isn’t getting a third date.”

A bubble of laughter broke free before I could stop it. “Sorry.”

He shook his head and stepped closer. “Nothing to be sorry for. You know it’s the truth. If a man has to bring flowers to a date, he’d already trying too hard.”

“Oh, I don’t know. I think flowers are a kind gesture.”

“But a little old-fashioned. You seem like a modern, feminist sort. The kind of woman who would appreciate being impressed with something a whole lot flashier than a bouquet of flowers.”

I shrugged. His comments hit a little too close to home. After working in a floral shop most of my life, flowers had lost their appeal. But I knew I was in the minority. “I think we all have a duty to impress the person we’re dating. If we stop impressing them, the relationship falls apart. It doesn’t always have to be flashy though. Simple things can show how you feel.”

“Like a nice dinner.”

I shrugged. “Sure.”

“Maybe a night on the town.”

His dark brows lifted in suggestion, making me wonder if he really was hitting on me. He was cute. Dark hair cut short. Broad shoulders. A leather jacket that was worn but definitely not cheap. Jeans that hugged him very well. A night out with him might not be such a bad thing, but I snickered. “Not much of a town around here.”

He nodded. “True. Maybe a quiet night in. A favorite old movie?”

“I like movies,” I said with a grin. There was no way he could know watching old movies with my mom was part of what made me want to become an actress. Once I realized the women in movies got to play different roles, be different people, and they weren’t true stories of their lives, I fell in love with the screen. With the chance to be someone else. To do something else every day.

“I’m a big fan of movies. I especially enjoy the ones no one else watches. The ones only a select few ever see. It makes me feel like I’m getting a secret peek into another person. Like I know you better than the people who talk to you every day but don’t ever watch your movies.”

Tingles ran up my neck. Did he know who I was? That I used to act? Was there a chance he was a stalker and followed me out to Winterville? If he left California to find me in New York, I needed to get rid of him as quickly as possible. “Sure. Um, sorry. I wasn’t thinking. Is there something I can help you with?”

He stepped even closer, close enough that he could touch me if he wanted to. I was suddenly very aware of the fact that we were completely alone.

“I actually came here to talk to you, Tara.”

“How do you know my name?”

He shrugged. “A lot of people know your name. You were never very good about hiding who you were.”

“What do you want?” I asked, fear and anxiety swirling in my gut and making me feel sick. Maybe if I threw up on him he wouldn’t attack me.

I backed up to the counter and worked my way around it, putting something solid between us. If he lunged, I’d have a few seconds to figure something out.

Like where in the hell were our shears?

“I’m not here to hurt you, Tara.”

“Isn’t that what all murderers say?”

He laughed. Damn him for having a sexy laugh. Men as creepy as him shouldn’t be allowed to be hot. It would be a shame to have to ruin his face, or his leather jacket, if he tried to hurt me.

“Honestly, I’ve never met a murderer. At least,” he paused and tapped his chin with his index finger, “I don’t think I have. I just came here to talk to you.”

“About dating?” I asked, not buying his act for one more second. The only thing I couldn’t figure out was what he wanted from me. Or why.

He laughed again but didn’t move closer. “Well, dating is one topic I’d be interested in discussing with you. You could tell me a little about your dating history.”

“Why do you care?”

He shrugged, failing to appear indifferent. “I’m a curious person.”

“A lot of people are curious. I don’t know anything about you. Why would I tell you anything about me?”

He extended his hand and waited for me to shake it. When I did, he squeezed my palm gently, but let go. Thank God. “I’m Thomas Hinson. I’m a big fan of your movies. I really hated that that asshole ran you out of town. I was looking forward to seeing you on the big screen one day.”

I shook my head. “I was never meant for the big screen.”

“Isn’t that what you wanted? I read an interview you did a few years ago that said you were hoping to grab a spot in a big movie. A spot that would make you a household name.”

I shrugged. “Maybe once upon a time. It’s not meant for me. I wasn’t willing to do what it took to make it in Hollywood.”

“Like the surgeries and the nudity?”

“Among other things,” I said, hoping he didn’t know all the things I did when I first started in Hollywood. The things that made me feel sick, but I did them because I thought that was how you had to be.

“Patrick was willing to do whatever it took though. That’s how he got his first hit, right?”

“It’s different for directors. He’s not on-screen.”

Thomas shrugged. “He has to give interviews.”

“Yeah, but not everyone is going to see an interview. Hopefully they’ll all see a movie.”

“I think everyone saw a copy of Patrick’s last interview. Even though it was only an online magazine. They said a picture is worth a thousand words, right?”

I shrugged, wondering why Thomas cared what I thought about Patrick’s interview. “I guess. I haven’t seen it.”

Eyebrows spiked high into his hair. “Really? You didn’t see it?”

I shook my head. “No. Why would I care what Patrick is up to? We’ve been over for a long time and I’m not in the industry anymore.”

“That may be the case, but you’re definitely still news. Especially when Patrick shared nude photos of you online.”

“Excuse me?” I whispered, shocked and horrified and hopeful the guy was lying.

He laughed. The sound I found sexy just minutes earlier became predatory and frightening. “You really didn’t know, did you? You were always so high and mighty with your nudity clauses. Never wanted anyone to see you naked. And instead, your picture is posted all over the internet compliments of your ex who rose to fame after he dumped you. This is rich! I can’t believe I’m the first one to find you.”

“Get out!” I yelled. “Get the fuck out of here!”

He laughed and shook his head. “I don’t think so. I have every right to be here. And I doubt your mom would be too happy if she found out you threw me out when I was just trying to order some flowers.”

I grabbed the shears and stepped out from behind the counter. “I said get out. Now. You will not stand here and threaten me.”

“Whoa!” He backed up. “Don’t stab me.”

“Don’t threaten me.”

He chuckled and moved toward the door. “I’ve always hoped I’d get the chance to meet you. Your movies really were great to watch. Especially Trapped. That was my favorite.”

I cringed. Bile rose in my throat. My palms were sweaty. My neck hurt from my attempt to keep my shit together. My knuckles were white. He needed to get out.

I moved forward again, keeping the shears pointed at him. “Get out.”

He threw up his hands and laughed again. “Okay, I’m gone. But I’ll be back Tara Fisher. You can’t hide from me.”

CHAPTER2

As soon as I locked the door behind him, I was ready to run. If he’d found me, there would be others. But that wasn’t my biggest problem. There were nude pictures of me online.

I went to the back and grabbed my stuff. I had to get out of there, find out what was going on, and figure out a way to fix it. If that was even possible.

Before I left the store, my phone rang. Ready to ignore the call, I fished my phone out and checked the screen. My mom. She just left and had no reason to call. Unless…

“Is Dad okay?”

“Dad?” Mom asked, clearly confused. “Of course. I’m calling to ask you why there was a man at home asking questions about your ex-boyfriend. That Patrick guy. The reporter said something about pictures of you online. What happened, Tara?”

I sighed. “I don’t know, Mom. One of the customers that was here when you left was a reporter also. Asked me a lot of questions and said Patrick leaked nude pictures of me online.”

“Why would he do something like that? Your relationship is long over and you aren’t anyone important now.”

Leave it to my mom to put things so succinctly.

“I don’t know. That’s what I’m going to find out.”

“Okay, well, be careful. When Dad and I left there were more cars pulling up. It seems they know where you live.”

Shit.

“Thanks, Mom. I’m sorry you guys are dealing with this.”

“We’ll figure it out, Tara.”

I hung up and felt like someone was watching me. I knew that was crazy since you couldn’t see the office from the outside, but my privacy was being invaded. When I lived in California, no one cared. I was in a few movies, but so was everyone else who lived out there. I was no big deal, and certainly not someone with reporters or paparazzi following them.

But reporters in Winterville? The sleepy little town near where I grew up? At my work? At my home? Harassing my parents?

It was not cool.

I turned off all the lights and ducked out the back door. No one was in the parking lot so I rushed to my car and left, keeping an eye on my mirrors to make sure I wasn’t being followed. Not that it mattered. They already knew where I lived and worked and had apparently seen me naked.

I needed sugar.

I parked in front of SkinnyCakes and walked across the parking lot, hoping my friend, Abby Bentley, wasn’t too busy.

“Welcome to SkinnyCakes!” she said as I entered, definitely out of habit. “Oh, hey!” she added when she looked my way and realized it was me.

“Hey Abby. Do you have coffee? And something delicious? I need sugar.”

Abby laughed. “Of course. Come sit and you can tell us what’s going on.”

“Us?” I asked, finally picking up on the fact that she was talking to someone when I walked in. Someone with wavy brown hair, as many curves as I had, and a penchant for lying.

Olivia Brooks. No, Humphrey.

“Hi Tara,” Olivia said, turning on her stool to face me. She gave me a sad smile, but I didn’t feel the need to return it. We’d been playing nice ever since Abby re-introduced us, but I’d had more than I could handle, and being nice to Olivia was not in the cards at that moment.

“Olivia,” I grumbled.

Abby put my desserts on a plate and set it in front of the stool next to Olivia. I really didn’t want to sit down. There was no way in hell I was going to spill my guts with her sitting there. She’d just take the information and use it against me.

How, I had no idea. It couldn’t get much worse. But if anyone could make my life worse, it was definitely Olivia.

“I think I’ll just take this to go instead,” I told Abby when she set a cup of coffee next to the plate. “I need a few minutes to myself.”

“Are you sure?” Abby asked, clearly not picking up on the animosity between Olivia and I. But Olivia knew exactly why I wasn’t staying. I could see it in her brown eyes and the slump of her shoulders. Why she thought we would be friends again, or wanted to, was beyond me. I wasn’t worried about her though. I needed to get my own shit straight, not obsess over Olivia’s precious feelings.

I looked into Abby’s kind green eyes and forced a smile. “I’m sure. Do you mind if I hang out at your place for a bit though? I don’t really want to go home.”

Abby shook her head. “Of course not. When I close I’ll bring dinner.” She bagged my snacks and poured my coffee into a to-go cup and handed both over with a smile.

“Thanks, Abs. I’ll see you later.”

Abby smiled, but I knew she was worried. Her eyebrows dipped in the center when she was trying not to frown. She knew something was up. I was just glad she was willing to let it go for the time being.

I let myself into Abby’s apartment and kicked the door closed behind me. She’d become a lifeline for me since I moved. Since she and Graham, her amazing boyfriend, got together, she’d given me a key and told me to stay whenever I wanted. It was nice to have a place to go when I needed a break from my parents.

I went straight to the bedroom where Abby kept her computer. I grabbed it and headed back to the living room. I opened a bottle of wine and turned the laptop on. With a very full glass, and no intention of going home before dawn, I typed my own name into the search engine and waited.

It didn’t take long for millions of posts to be found. I clicked on the first one. It was an article about the leak, not the actual leak. I still didn’t know what pictures had been posted. Then I remembered the article from the morning with my name in it.

I searched for Patrick’s name again and found the article I’d been reading at lunch. I scrolled through until I found my name.

Patrick Williams’ ex, Tara Fisher, fell off the radar of Hollywood when Patrick became a household name. Rumors surrounded the couple for months following their break-up but neither confirmed or denied any of them. Now, more rumors are circulating as pictures of the actress were leaked online. Some rumors think it was the actress herself sharing the pictures and trying to get her career started up again with her ties to the now-famous director. Others believe it was Williams, but the motivation behind him sharing the pictures is unclear. What is clear is that Ms. Fisher no longer is afraid to show some skin.

I gasped. They thought I would do that! That I would share my own naked pictures. Why?

“I gotta see these pictures,” I muttered aloud, searching for my name again.

The third link was the actual leak. I waited for the pictures to load and knew immediately one bottle of wine was not going to be enough.

* * *

Abby walked in a few hours later. I nearly kissed her when I saw bags of food from Thai This and more wine.

“Are you going to tell me what’s going on now?”