Page 4 of His Curvy Obsession

“Mom!” Alyssa gasps.

I’m already standing up, pushing my chair in and pulling my jacket over my shoulders.

“Well, this has been great,” I say brightly, smiling at my mom from across the table. “So glad I came out to brunch with you and caught up! Great use of my Sunday morning!”

“What are you doing? You’re not leaving yet,” Mom says, raising a thin brow. “Sit down.”

“Nope,” I say. “Despite what you seem to think, I’m a grown woman and I’m allowed to do whatever I want to do, whenever I want. Including leaving when you bring up my ‘eggs,’ something I’ve asked younotto do again and again.”

“Rebecca, don’t be so dramatic. Sit down. People are looking at us.”

I shake my head, opening my purse to find some cash. There’s no way I’m going to let my mother buy my meal. I’ll never hear the end of it: About how I ditched her at a brunch that she so generously paid for.

“Rebecca, stop this. You’re being ridiculous.”

I throw a couple of twenties on the table and walk away. I need to get away from my mother as soon as possible, before the tears begin to fall.

3

Eric

Holiday parties aremy least favorite activity at Stone Enterprises. An excuse for everyone to get drunk and say things they should never say in a professional environment.

I blame Elijah. He’s the one who insists on the damn things, saying they bring the company “closer” or some bullshit like that.

I don’tneedto be close to my employees. I need to get my work done, and that’s it.

Being an owner of the company, it’s my duty to show up to these social gatherings. I always make a brief appearance, then duck out early to go upstairs to my office.

With the rest of the company occupied with the party downstairs, it’s all but guaranteed that I’ll be left alone.Unbothered. The way that I like it.

My office floor is unlike the others at Stone Enterprises. We do research on this floor, after all. So instead of looking like a typical office floor with cubicles, desks, and computers everywhere, it looks more like a lab.

Except for my private office. Password protected and located in the quietest corner, it’s my fortress. The only people allowed in here are myself, my brothers, and my executive assistant.

I ascend to my floor in the elevator, looking forward to getting away from the loud and boisterous party below. But when I arrive and begin walking to my office, I can already tell that my plans of being alone and getting work done aren’t going to pan out.

I hear voices.Drunkvoices, from the sound of it.

“Fuck off. I don’t like you that way.”

“Why’d you invite me here if you weren’t into me?”

“I didn’t invite you! You followedme!”

My blood turns to ice. That female voice is none other than my assistant, Rebecca.

“Don’t act like you don’t want me. I know you. You sleep around. Hell, you’re even sleeping with your boss.”

“I’m not sleeping with my boss. What the fuck?”

“You’re a lying slut. I’ve seen the way he looks at you. What’s he have that I don’t have? Money? I have money. Tell me how much, I’ll write you a check right now.”

“Get away from me, asshole!”

I’ve heard enough. I charge into my office. My vision is a blur, only focused on one thing, oneperson. When I see Rebecca sandwiched between my bookshelf and the asshole who followed her up here, turning her face away in disgust as he tries to kiss her, instinct kicks in. I’ve got him on the floor within seconds, my foot on his chest.

“No!”

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