* * *
Alex spotted her in the dim lighting of Fong's and headed back to her table. "Sorry I'm late. My last meeting went over."
"No problem," she said, giving him a small smile. Alex sat across from her, taking a moment to drink in her presence. Her long hair was drawn back in a braid that now came over her shoulder to hang past her breasts. Her perfect, luscious breasts.
He adjusted himself under the table, wishing he wasn't such a fool. He picked up his card and the tiny pencil beside it and began circling the dishes he wanted. A skinny waiter shuffled over and took his card, then Lila's, and shuffled off again.
"Thanks for meeting me," Alex said, his expression serious. Even though she'd agreed to cater his wedding, he still wasn't sure if she'd go through with it. Yet here she sat, those beautiful hazel eyes peering at him warily.
"Of course. I've been working on a menu--"
The reappearance of the waiter interrupted her speech. He placed several small plates in front of Alex, but only two before Lila.
"That's all you're having?" he asked, motioning to the plate holding two dumplings and the other a couple spring rolls.
Lila shrugged. "The card was a bit intimidating. They don't have dim sum in my hometown."
"Well that ain't enough," he said, cringing inwardly as he heard the twang in his words. Alex gestured to the nearby waiter who was pushing a cart around the dining room. The man brought his cart over and Alex began grabbing dishes off it.
"If you haven't had dim sum before, then you've got to try this. And some crab puffs, I think. Oh, and the sticky rice..." He didn't stop until several more small plates took over the table.
"I think that's enough," she said with a laugh, and Alex smiled and dismissed the waiter. He dug into his own collection of plates, sneaking a few glances at her as they ate.
Lila delicately picked at her food, sampling a bite here and a bite there, closing her eyes to take in the full flavor of a dish. Alex would have groaned if he could have, especially at the tightness in his pants. He imagined her eyes closed in ecstasy as she lay beneath him while he drove into her.
Alex took a drink of water and tried to force the images away. He watched as she devoured the barbeque pork, finishing off the five feeble scraps on her plate and licking her lips. Lips that he'd tasted, and that mouth...Dammit!
"Good, isn't it?" he asked, and when she nodded he pushed his own barbeque pork plate toward her. "Have some more."
"I shouldn't."
"Why not?" he asked around a bite of shrimp ball.
"All this is probably going to cost a fortune."
Alex chuckled. "I can afford it."
Lila's lips twisted up into a wry grin. "Then I should be watching my figure."
"Why?" he asked again. "It looks fine from here, cupcake."
Lila frowned. Shit, he'd fallen right into that one. But she picked up another piece of pork and popped it into her mouth, and he considered it a victory.
Alex sat back and patted his stomach, smacking his lips audibly. "The only thing they're missin' is squirrel dumplings."
Her expression was part horror, part interest. "Squirrel dumplings?"
"Sure. Only we called them boomer dumplings. Ma used to make them. We didn't have a lot to eat, growin' up poor like we did. So I'd hunt to bring in extra meat. Squirrels were always plentiful. Tough little buggers, though, so you had to boil them in a pot to soften them up. Then Ma would wrap it up in dumplings and simmer it in the broth. They were delicious."
Lila grinned. "My mom used to make meat pies with elk. I thought it was an exotic meat, until I heard about squirrel."
Alex laughed. It felt good to have someone interested in what he was saying, someone who wasn't paid to be there.
Then he sobered, remembering that he was paying her.
"All right," she said after a moment, pushing away the collection of empty plates in front of her to set down her pad and pen. "Let's talk catering."
Alex took another drink of water and nodded. "I've capped the guest list at 200, or Alana would have half the city there. I was thinking a three course dinner, with a full dessert table, of course. Think you can handle that?"
Lila rewarded him with a determined grin. "I think so. Have you talked about a date yet?"
"Alana's got her heart set on December 21st. Then she can spend the holidays on the beach in Bali."
"Sounds nice," Lila murmured, and he wondered how their conversation was affecting her. Hearing the gory wedding details of the man you'd been intimate with and the woman he'd chosen over you couldn't be easy. Still, her expression was blank as she continued. "It doesn't give her much time to plan."
Alex shrugged. "She knows what she wants, and with my money to finance it, she doesn't have to wait."
"Of course. Well, that means we should settle on a menu soon, to give me the most time to prepare. December 21st is only two months away, so that doesn't leave room for error."
"I have every confidence that you'll come through with flying colors." He did. Her food was fantastic. And so was she. Every bit of her. Fucking fantastic.
She passed him a few sheets of paper, each detailing possible dishes for the reception. "I've given you several options, and you should be sure to consider any vegetarians, vegans, or special diets among your guests."
"Of course," he replied, scanning the pages and then glancing at his watch. Shit, it was two o'clock already.
She saw him look at his watch and gave a small frown. "We don't have to decide anything today. In fact, why don't you take those with you and get your fiancée's opinion?"
"Sure," he said, appreciating her politeness. Damn his tight schedule. Alex gestured toward the waiter who hurried over and gave a short bow. Holding out his credit card, Alex watched as the waiter took it and scurried off.
"I apologize for rushing out," he said, his heart beating harder when her hazel eyes met his. "I have another appointment this afternoon."
"I understand," she said in that soft voice. A voice he'd kill to hear in his ear while he plunged into her tight heat over and over again. He was glad when the waiter returned with his card to distract him from his painful erection.
After adjusting himself once more under the table, Alex stood. "Please, finish your lunch," he said, picking up the papers. "I'll take these home, and then set up another appointment with you."
Lila nodded, her eyes wide. He wished he could puzzle out what her expression held. Regret? Anxiety? Nothing but professional interest?
With a small wave he departed, back onto the busy streets. As he walked he made sure to keep his pants loose so that his cock wasn't noticeably pushing against his zipper. What was it about this woman that made his dick harder than diamonds?
During the short walk back to work he considered the question. Her body was perfect for him. Round curves, huge tits, and a supple ass. Nothing like Alana, who'd been happy when a well-known designer had referred to her as a clothes hanger on legs.
Very few people knew this about him, but Alex Drake liked big girls.
It had started in high school when he'd dated his first love. Cherry Chatworth had been a cheerleader, one of the most popular girls in school. And she'd been about Lila's size, but with an extroverted personality that had drawn in almost everyone around her. Cherry had had no qualms about embracing her body, and the world hadn't fought with her about it. At least not the world of Trouble Hollow, Tennessee.
Cherry had seduced him on a church picnic. They'd snuck away to go skinny dippin' in Trouble Crick and afterward she'd laid him down and climbed on top, riding him like a pogo stick until he'd come with a shout of glory.
Cherry had been his first, but she wasn't his only. She'd dumped him senior year to date the quarterback, but Alex hadn't mourned the loss for long. He'd made his way through Sheila McMannis (wide hips, great ass), Crystal Gardner, (big, bouncy breasts), and even sisters, Jill and Jane Jacobs, the pair of which the boys had affectionately called "Double Trouble."
Things had changed in college, though. He'd gone in with the notion of joining the most exclusive fraternity on campus. Alex knew the benefits of networking, and that the members of Alpha Epsilon Pi would be his most advantageous contacts. The most affluent fraternity on campus, Alex had had to work nights to make enough to afford their dues. But it was sure to be worth it.
Still, adjusting to the fraternity hadn't been easy. And members like Brice Masterson and his cronies had delighted in making it even harder for him. Crandell Hendsworth and James Forth the Third had at times seemed worse than Masterson.
Dell and Jimmy, as they required new pledges to call them, had hounded him for years after he'd shown up at a kegger with Janice Engleton on his arm. Janice was a nice girl with a lovely smile and big thighs that he'd enjoyed having wrapped around him. But she'd been out of place among the underweight sorority girls who'd been the others' dates. Dell and Jimmy had circled around the two of them when they'd been on the dance floor, pushing their noses up with their index fingers and snorting, then calling out in sing-song voices, "Piggie Piggie!"
Janice had been humiliated and Alex had swung on Dell, knocking him to the ground before the other pledges could hold him back. He'd narrowly avoided being kicked out of the fraternity, and it still gnawed at him that Brice Masterson had been the deciding vote. Masterson had heard about his friends' behavior and chastised them for hurting the girl's feelings.
Still, it had been a wake-up call for Drake. If he wanted to fit into the world of the rich and successful, he'd have to have more than money. His entire lifestyle would need to change. That meant girls like Janice Engleton were replaced by women like Alana Morgan. Beautiful. Cultured.
Meaningless.
He'd taken almost savage pride in his revenge as he set out to steal away every girlfriend his frat cronies ever had. He still felt a warm rush of righteousness when he remembered that Brice Masterson had been his first and most successful victim.
Alex noticed that he'd passed his building and turned around, dragging his mind out of his past. He stood outside the shining edifice, looking up at what he'd built. His corporation owned the building, that and a half dozen others scattered throughout the globe. And he'd done it by playing their game. It would be best to remember to follow their rules.
Even if that left women like Lila on the bench.