Penthouse Perfect: BBW Erotic Romance by Carolina Moon Page B

like I’ll be taking the bus for a couple of weeks until I can buy a new battery.”
    “Oh. Sorry to hear that.” His brow furrowed. “Can I offer you a lift instead? My car is pulling up right now.”
    He gestured toward the doors and she followed his gaze to see a long black limo slide up to the granite steps outside. The car was as intimidating as the man.
    “Oh, that’s nice. No, thank you, though. The bus is no problem, really, and I don’t want you to have to go out of your way.” What are you doing? Accept the offer, genius!
    “It’s really no trouble at all. Where do you work?”
    She really didn’t want to answer that question. Didn’t want to see the look of pity that she got from people whenever she answered it. She paused for so long that she heard him chuckle and then say, “What? Are you a secret agent? Lia Bond?”
    Her eyes widened. “No. Of course not…” Then she realized that he was teasing her. Way to go, Lia. “I work for Bailey & Blake.”
    The man winced. He. Literally. Winced. Then he said, “I’m so sorry.”
    At least his eyes didn’t shoot laser beams of revulsion in her direction.
    She gave him her standard explanation. “It’s a job, and I have to pay the bills.”
    “I understand. I do. That was rude.”
    Surprisingly, he looked embarrassed.
    She wanted to say that she didn’t blame him for feeling that way. She felt that way, too, but her ridiculous shyness and unfamiliarity with the city made it hard for her to find another job that paid as well. Instead, she blinked and offered a smile.
    “It’s OK. I get that all the time.”
    “Do you… Do you like your job?” he asked, surprising her. No one had ever asked her that before.
    Her shoulders fell and she shot him a wry grin. “Nope. But again, it pays the bills. I’ll change jobs when I get to know the city a little better.”
    He didn’t answer her question except to nod. “So you’re new here. How do you like it?”
    “It’s a beautiful city, but I haven’t really had time to explore.”
    “Well, if you ever need a ride, my offer stands.” He reached into an inner pocket and pulled out a business card, then flipped it over and wrote something on the back. “Here. My private number is on the back. Keep that to yourself, OK?”
    She nodded because she couldn’t speak, but managed to take the card from his strong-looking hand without gulping. “Thank you,” she croaked. “I’ll keep it safe.”
    ***
    Joel took one last long look at Lia, then gave her a small wave and pulled himself away. He didn’t want to; he wanted to spend the day getting to know the beautiful, skittish woman who had such an enticing personality, maybe showing her his city.
    He wanted to tell her that she had beautiful eyes. That the blue just sparkled under those silky bangs, and that he’d been thinking about her since the day they had first met, here in the lobby.  Way to be weird, Joel.
    Sliding into the open door of the limo, he settled himself into the soft leather seat and opened his planner. Then he closed it again and just sat there in the dim light, watching the city creep past his reflection in the glass.
    Even in that ugly dress, she had looked so enticing that he didn’t want to take his eyes off of her. He imagined that what was underneath was only part of her charm. Still, he couldn’t help but remember the feel of her silky skin under his fingers. She had smelled like peaches and felt like rose petals. He almost groaned at the memory, and wondered if she could be interested in him on a more personal level. A naked and loving level, even…
    It was suddenly nine hundred degrees in the limo, and he shook his head to clear the images.
    What was it about her – besides those eyes and that luscious body - that made him sit up and take notice? Was it the fact that she seemed so honest, so natural? Probably. The women he met were polished to perfection and completely useless when it came to real life. Their voices