Page 3 of Bearly Breathing

CHAPTER 1

Leya Tremayne sipped from her glass of chilled Chardonnay and listened to her impeccably dressed boss over their shared appetizers.

She sighed and nodded her head in all the appropriate places, but her mind was a million miles away. I can’t believe this is happening.

When her big, handsome boss asked her to accompany him to dinner, she’d had a minor heart attack. All her daydreams over the past few months were finally about to come to fruition! Or not.

She’d been certain her luck had changed, but after nibbling on a stuffed mushroom, not her favorite appetizer[TP1] by the way, and watching him order a fruity cocktail that made her shudder, he started confessing his real reason for asking her out. This cannot be happening to me again!

“You don’t have any plans tonight, right?” he’d asked while perching on her desk earlier that evening.

Like the desperate jerk she was, she nodded her head and agreed with him. Even though it was Friday night and damned presumptuous of him to ask her to go with him on such short notice.

Oh well, she thought, that’s what you get for being obvious.Still, at least I’ll get a nice dinner. Those had been her thoughts when he first brought up the subject of his super sexy, super skinny, and somewhat bitchy girlfriend.

Several blue cocktails later, he was still rambling on about his relationship with the tall, model-thin, Tris Beverly, and they hadn’t even ordered their food yet.

Leya sighed miserably as she tried to appear sympathetic. Hmm. More like just pathetic, she rolled her eyes. Was she doomed to be a shoulder for guys to cry on forever?

“She said I was insensitive!” he said and took another swig from his Blue Hawaiian.

What kind of a man drank a Blue Hawaiian at an Italian restaurant for Pete’s sake?

“I’m sure she didn’t mean it, Gary. You’re the least insensitive man I know,” Leya said with an appropriate amount of concern in her voice.

She really wanted to end this nightmare of a dinner, but she didn’t want to offend him. The man was her boss.

Unfortunately, he seemed to think she was also his therapist. She sighed and looked longingly at the next table. Ooh, shrimp scampi over linguini! Totally drool-worthy.

Gary asked another question, and she nodded hoping it was the correct response. Her stomach grumbled.

He continued on and on, so, yes must have been the right answer. Good guess, she thought and sipped some wine.

Her stomach continued to grumble. Reminding her the half a mushroom appetizer was all she’d eaten since lunch.

Typically, it did absolutely nothing to quell her appetite. To put it bluntly, Leya liked food. She looked down at her ample figure. Well, duh.

“It’s just that Tris is so hot! A guy would be crazy not to want her, right? But-”

“Uh huh, but Gary-”

“See, I knew you’d get it, but she…”

While he droned on, Leya gazed longingly at the happy couples enjoying dinner. Why am I here? She’d worked for Gary for two years, and though they’d been friendly, he never asked her out.

Clearly, he was head over heels for Tris, and she was a fill-in. She paused as his perfectly manicured fingers captured hers.

Startled, Leya stopped at the sudden feel of his absurdly soft hand. No fireworks, but maybe…

“If only I could have fallen for a shy and vulnerable girl like you, huh?” He winked and took another swig of his bright blue drink, oblivious to the way his words sliced through her heart.

Leya knew her limitations. She was nothing like the thin, beautiful Tris. Nope.

Leya had an ongoing love affair with sweet rolls and mocha lattes that showed. Okay, she was over-weight, and she knew it.

She exercised regularly and tried to eat sensibly, but sometimes it was difficult. She worked long hours and often ate on-the-go.

Working as an administrative assistant in the big city was non-stop. The job had quickly lost its luster, but she stayed because, well, she’d been afraid to leave.

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