Free Life in the Fast Lane: A BBW Erotic Novella (Western Romance, Billionaire Cowboy, Curvy Girls) by Cassie Laurent

top and a pair of athletic shorts, but I figured Lane wouldn’t mind.
    Excited, I unlocked the door and swung it open—only to find Don on the front steps.
    “Um, hey?” I said surprised, with a little hint of disappointment probably evident in my tone.
    “Can I come in?” he asked.
    “Uh, sure, I guess. What’s going on?”
    “I was just walking around the property, making my nightly rounds, ya know? Just checkin’ in on things. I figured I’d see how you were doin’ tonight.”
    “Nightly rounds? It’s like three in the morning.”
    “Yeah, well, I’m up,” said Don, leaning in towards me.
    I could smell the liquor on him and it made me tense up. He made a move to touch me, but I backed up, trying to remain polite as I did so, not wanting to start some kind of confrontation.
    “Well, I’m pretty tired, so if there’s nothing pressing I think I’ll be heading back to bed.”
    “Is that an invitation?” asked Don, leaning in again, backing me up toward a wall.
    “No,” I said firmly. “Don, are you drunk?”
    “Maybe a little. What does that matter?”
    I noticed he was slurring his words slightly at this point.
    “I don’t think you should be here then,” I said.
    I felt myself shaking, but I tried to stand my ground. Why was he doing this? Up until now I’d always trusted Don; I’d assumed he was a good man. All of this seemed so out of character for him.
    “Why not? I figured I’d get in on the action maybe while Lane is away. We’ve all heard what a good lay you are. How about you give me a little taste?”
    “ Dammit , Don. Don’t do this. Get the hell out of here right now or I’m going to go get Jim. You’ll be damn sorry if you move one more inch towards me.”
    Don hesitated, staring threateningly at me. Then he thought better of it and backed down.
    “Alright, fine. I’m leaving,” he said.
    I watched as he stumbled away, muttering something about me under his breath. Once he was outside I ran to the door and locked it. Falling against the back of it, I let myself slide down towards the floor.
    Dammit, dammit, dammit. Why the hell had he done that? Should I tell Lane? I’d been so scared back there, but now I was crying, grateful that something worse hadn’t happened, but so damn angry that Don had put me through this.
    Eventually, I picked myself up from off the floor and hiked up the stairs and back to my bed. It’d be absolute hell trying to fall asleep now with the mixture of fear and anger running through me. I hated Don for putting me in this position. Things had been going so well. Why did something like this threaten to derail all the good things that had come into my life?
    I lay there as these thoughts ran relentlessly through my head. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep, but sleep was surely a long time coming.

CHAPTER 5

~ Lane ~
    Lane never slept that night, and as soon as the sun started to rise he called his pilot to confirm that the plane was in working order. Upon confirmation, he called down to the front desk of the hotel and ordered a car service. Within about an hour he was out on the tarmac, the wind blowing through his hair as he walked up the steps into his private jet.
    After lift-off, he settled into a comfortable sleep and in a few hours he arrived back in Houston, feeling a little bit more rested and certainly glad to be close to home.
    As his driver took him from the airport out to the rolling pastures of the ranch, Lane wondered when he’d have a chance to see Adelaide alone again. He thought of knocking on her cottage door in broad daylight, but realized by this hour she’d already be out training, working with his horses.
    Without many other options, he figured he’d head up to his office and relax a bit; maybe read a good book or something to pass the time until nightfall. He liked to do that sometimes, especially after a big deal like the one he’d just completed. It was something to take his mind off business, to expand his horizons.