Free Beauty in His Bed by L. K. Below

 
    Chapter 2
     
    Three hours earlier.
    Amy Somers felt as if a meteor the size of Manhattan had been lifted off her shoulders. As soon as the door to Sheer Passions swung shut behind her, she felt like an entirely different person. Hannah was right. Getting away had been the right thing to do. And by the time she crawled back home in three days, every sordid reminder of Tim would be gone.
    As she checked her watch, Amy thought she’d almost lasted five minutes this time without thinking of him. That was what this getaway was about, after all. Getting away.
    Even so, it was hard to blank out her thoughts. Three days wasn’t nearly long enough. Three decades, maybe. How was she supposed to erase the past eighteen months, and the most serious relationship she’d ever had?
    I thought Tim was The One…
    And there she went again, spiraling right back into a well of self-pity. Valiantly, she drew in a breath to stave off the urge to curl into a ball. Not that she would be curling or bending any time soon. How had she let Hannah coax her into these skintight jeans? Skinny jeans just weren’t meant to be worn by girls with her…bone structure, let alone the skimpy blue baby doll t-shirt she’d squeezed into. She’d been able to hide beneath her parka during the plane ride but, well…
    December in New Orleans couldn’t really be called winter . Not when compared to the frigid temperature she had just left.
    “Amy, girl!”
    Instead of wincing, Amy grinned at the high-pitched shriek heralding the approach of her good friend. After setting down her suitcase, she opened her arms and bent to give Monique Soule a hug.
    “It’s been too long!” Monique exclaimed in her southern drawl.
    She was right. How long had it been since Amy had last seen her? They’d been inseparable in college, each working hard to obtain their business certificate. But while Amy had given up her dreams of opening her own store when Monique had returned to her hometown of New Orleans, it seemed her former roommate had not. She was now the proud owner of Sheer Passions, after all. And she hadn’t changed a bit.
    In fact, in a stiff black corset, flowing red skirt and high-heeled boots, Monique didn’t resemble a stuffy business owner in any way. As Amy smiled, she tried hard not to slump in a vain attempt to match Monique’s five-foot height. At five-seven, she felt like a giant next to her friend. She wasn’t used to the feeling. After all, her cousin Colleen was three inches taller than her, even if she was stick-thin.
    No, don’t think about Colleen…
    But it was too late. Her mind was already on her cousin’s fantastic news. Colleen’s success in romance only punctuated Amy’s loss.
    Tim…
    No. She was in New Orleans, miles away from her ex. This was supposed to be a healing trip, if a short one. For three days, she would think of something completely different from her breakup. Taking a deep breath, she forced a smile.
    “Thanks for letting me stay at your place, Monique. I appreciate it.”
    Was it her imagination, or did a sly smile cross her friend’s face for a minute? But Amy was being silly. With her sharp chin and twinkling brown eyes, Monique often reminded her of a mischievous imp.
    “Sugar, I wouldn’t hear of anything different.”
    After batting a strand of her short, black bob away from her dark skin, Monique raked her gaze over Amy’s form. Amy fought the urge to cover herself. In her tight jeans, she must stick out like a sore thumb. A swollen sore thumb.
    “Look at you! You look hot.”
    Amy highly doubted that. When she was around someone like Monique–who was as big around her waist as one of Amy’s thighs–she found it hard to feel attractive. Even when she’d had someone.
    Don’t think about him.
    She tried to banish the thought as Monique picked up the suitcase. Linking her thin arm through Amy’s, Monique tugged her farther into the store.
    “So what’s your verdict, sugar?”
    Narrowing her eyes as