Free Hounded by Lust by D. A. Chambers

Chapter One
    Shit, I’m late!  I thought to myself in a panic as I realized just what time it was. I shot out of bed in a hurry, brushed my teeth, threw on my classiest suit and dark black business skirt, accessorized with my favorite turquoise beaded necklace and rushed out the door. I heard the lock click before I forgot one vital thing. I unlocked the door, rushed in and grabbed my purse. Just before I left for the second and last time, I noticed Eric still in my bed. He was just now rubbing the sleepy blur out of his eyes. His hair was a tousled mess and the blanket was now falling off the side of the bed, giving me a peak at his perfectly sculpted torso and thick, hunky leg. He may have been incredibly handsome, but he was way too much trouble. The past few months were riddled with dramatic fights, plates breaking and infidelity accusations. Our relationship was getting rockier and rockier by the day. It was affecting me in a lot of different ways, and I found myself resorting to food as a comfort more often than usual. I was never a stick-figured type of girl, but not with all the problems Eric was causing me, I found my curves to start getting more voluptuous.
    It bothered me at first. Just like every other woman in America, I idolized those beautiful women in the magazine ads. But lately I realized I could be just a beautiful, even with my thicker look. So I gave myself an approving nod in the mirror and walked out the door, leaving Eric to bring himself out of his sleepy haze.
    I couldn’t let the drama at home effect me. Today I was interviewing for the dream job I’ve always wanted; receptionist at a very well known film production company. Ok maybe it wasn’t my dream job, but it was the first step towards my dream of working as a producer, making blockbuster films and winning dozens upon dozens of awards. I already had a shelf picked out for my Oscar, it was made out of dark mahogany and about two feet in length, perfect size and color to highlight my most prized possession. Right now it held up my other most prized possession, a framed picture of Oliver the cat who was my best friend since I was a teenager. He was an obese tabby that loved to sleep on my face at the most inopportune times, but I loved him regardless.
    I ran down the street, tripping over the abandoned shoes of someone who stayed out way to late partying, hopped in my little Prius and sped out of my coveted street parking spot, only to be met by typical LA traffic. Fuck , I thought. I was running late already and the office was at least another thirty minutes away. For a moment I considered how fast it would take me to get there on horseback, but that plan was ruined by the fact that I didn’t know how to ride a horse nor did I have easy access to said horse. So I just sat there, boiling in my own anxiety. I tried doing breathing exercises to calm my nerves. I even popped in a CD I had that just consisted of river noises, which was a bad mistake since all it did was made me realize I needed to go to the bathroom. So I quickly turned that off and listened to the newest Ke$ha song, hoping that my brain would at least rot itself numb.
    Unfortunately, thirty minutes and a countless number of other mindless pop songs later, my mind was still intact. I was lucky enough to find some street parking and raced over to the imposingly large office building as fast as my heels would let me. I almost fell onto a sleeping homeless man but I finally made it, opening the door and walking into a beautifully modern building. Everything was white, highlighted by green bamboo stalks and bright blue paintings. It was perfect and made me realize just how big of a fool I was for screwing this up. It was already twenty minutes past my scheduled interview time, there was no way I would be hired for this. But I was there and I wasn’t a quitter so I straightened my skirt a bit, ironed out my white blouse with my hands and walked up to the reception desk.
    “Hi,