was fat. No amount of lipstick could fix that, and even if she had neon pink lips with an outline of silver glitter, it wouldn't be enough to distract attention from her plus size curves.
'What's the matter?' Jane asked, catching her eyes in the mirror.
'I don't know.' Kirsty shrugged. 'Look at the state of me. It's not like I don't go to the gym. I'm there at least twice a week. I just like food too much.'
'Hey, you look fine. In fact, I was going to suggest you take that coat off when we go up to see Blake. You're curvy. Some men like that.'
'So you think I have to flaunt my curves in this meeting? Is it that bad?'
Jane laughed. 'I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. All his secretary said on the phone was that he wanted to meet us and discuss a new line they're launching. See, that can't be bad.'
'I guess not.' Kirsty returned the lipstick and Jane squirreled it away in her handbag.
The elevator took them to the seventh floor and on the way up, Kirsty told herself to relax. If Tyler Blake wanted to talk about a new publishing line, at least he thought she had a future with the company. She had been afraid of her manuscript being rejected and Inception ejecting her from their list of authors. She didn't want to have her manuscripts shopped around again like they were before Inception gave her a contract; she had collected enough rejections and couldn't take any more. She would feel better once this meeting was over and she was on the train back to Nottingham.
The lighted floor numbers reached '7' and the doors slid open with a dinging sound that was probably supposed to sound friendly but sounded to Kirsty like dinner bell had just been rung and she was on the menu.
'Hello, ladies,' Ruth Masterson said, getting up from her desk and coming to greet them with hugs and air kisses, Ruth had been the PA to Inception Publishing's owner for more years than anyone knew. Her tweed suits, white hair and gold-rimmed glasses had been a familiar sight to the many authors who had crossed this threshold over the years.
'Go right in, ladies,' Ruth said, bustling about them like a mother hen. 'Mr Blake is waiting for you.'
'What's he like?' Jane whispered.
Ruth grinned and Kirsty was sure she saw a blush creep up the old woman's cheeks. 'He's just lovely, Dear. Now in you go. I'll bring tea in shortly.' She opened the door to Blake's office and announced their arrival before bustling off to make drinks.
Jane and Kirsty entered the office and the first thing Kirsty thought as she looked around at the book-lined walls was that nothing much had changed here since Susie Garroway had been in charge. But then she saw the modern dark glass and steel desk occupying the place where Susie's old oak one had once been and the big Apple Mac screen displaying the Home page of Inception's website fixed to the wall where Susie had once had a promotional poster of Kirsty's book At The Officer's Pleasure, and she could almost feel the broom sweeping changes through the company prodding at her back.
'Good morning, ladies. I'm Tyler Blake.' The voice came from near the large window and as Kirsty turned to see the man it belonged to, her over-active imagination imagined him saying 'good morning' to her in a totally different situation; rolling over in bed to look down at her with those steel grey eyes and wrapping a well-muscled arm around her naked body. Get a hold of yourself, she chastised herself mentally.
Tyler Blake wore a dark blue suit but it would be more accurate to say he filled it with muscle. The well-tailored jacket sleeves hugged the strong shape of his shoulders and upper arms. The trousers hung expertly-creased from his black leather belt but the way they hung hinted at powerful quads and calves developed either in a gym or doing some manual labour. The crisp white shirt seemed to mould itself to his broad chest and flat stomach, the whiteness broken by the hypnotic swing of a dark blue silk tie. Rising solidly from the collar,
Lisa Mantchev, A.L. Purol