The Fall of Troy Page 6

  Corrie leaned over her shoulder and studied the quarter page ad, entitled: Web Designs For You.

  Websites and graphics designed at reasonable prices. Please visit our online office to see links to sites we've designed. To discuss your business website design requirements contact AHarding@webnet.com or phone us between the hours of 8:30-5:00 p.m., Monday thru Friday.

  Angie grinned. "So. What do you think?"

  "It looks great!” Corrie grinned back. “Now all we have to do is sit back and wait for the orders to come rolling in."

  "I wish." She shook her head. "You know I really wish I hadn't blown so much money on that silly cruise—”

  "Silly cruise? Oh, come on, Ange. Admit it: you're glad you went and met tall, dark, and well-hung."

  Angie laughed, conceding the point. "Okay. I don't really regret meeting him. I just wish I hadn't fallen for him or that he'd fallen for me a little bit."

  "Well, if nothing else, you did finally realize what I've been telling you all along: there are still guys out there who like their women full-figured and voluptuous." Corrie smiled. “You’re beautiful, Ange.”

  "Full-figured and voluptuous?" She nodded. "You make me sound like Miss America."

  "Hey! Skinny gals ain't got nothing on you!"

  Too bad Troy hadn't shared that sentiment. "You're full of hot air," she said, smiling. She picked up a piece of paper. "On the bright side, I just got this email from a new firm who needs a rush job on a website."

  Corrie read the note and looked up at her. "Rush job? Great. Rush job means more money. Before long, we'll be up to our pencil-arched eyebrows in business." She smiled, then looked absently down at the paper in her hand. "Rick Markham. Nice name. I wonder what he looks like.” She grinned. “I don't suppose he's black, is he?"

  Angie shrugged. "I haven't met him, but I don't think so."

  "When are you meeting him?"

  "I'm meeting him and his partner for lunch on Monday at Danni's. Want to come?"

  Corrie shook her head. "No. I'll stay here and mind the office while you go out and earn the bacon. Who knows, maybe you and this Rick guy will hit it off. "

  Angie rolled her eyes. "Let's keep a grip on reality here, Corrie. I know there are some men out there who like large women, but not all of them. Besides, I intend to concentrate on business for the next few months. Then I'll think about men again."

  Corrie sighed, angry at Troy. "Oh, honey, he wasn't good enough for you."

  Angie shrugged, giving Corrie a weak grin. "And what do you know? He didn't get me."

  * * * * *

  "Troy? Talk to me. Tell me what're thinking.”

  Troy tightened his embrace around the woman in his arms. With his eyes closed and the weight of her body against his as they slowly circled the dance floor, he could pretend that she was the woman he wanted to be with.

  "Troy?"

  He reluctantly opened his eyes and stared down into the blue eyes of the woman smiling up at him. "Yes, Julie?"

  "You're so quiet. What's wrong?" She touched his face. "You obviously don't feel like painting the town tonight." She pressed her lower body tight against his. "You want to go back to my place and get comfortable?"

  Her meaning was clear. She wanted to make love. So did he—just not to her. After a month of lying sleepless thinking of Angie, he'd had a couple of one-night stands. Then he'd spotted Julie at a nightclub where he'd allowed Rick to drag him.

  Julie was one of the few full-figured women there. He’d hoped she could help him forget Angie, so he'd monopolized her for the rest of the evening. Although he'd taken her out several times since then, he'd made no attempt to get her into bed. When he closed his eyes and kissed her, it was Angie's sweet lips he tasted, her hands he imagined he felt holding him.

  But it was probably time he made a real effort to get Angie out of his system once and for all. He smiled at her. "Actually, I'm feeling rather tired. I think I'd better take you home."

  She accompanied him to his car in silence. Once inside, she waited until he was driving down the highway before she spoke again. "Are you sure you won't come in when we get to my place?"

  "I'm a little tired."

  Silence met his reply and he reached over and turned on the stereo. A sad country song filled the interior of the car.

  She sighed softly. "Troy, do you have to?"

  "Sorry. No." He quickly changed the station to soft jazz. Unlike Angie, Julie did not share his taste for country music.

  "Thanks."

  They drove in silence for several miles before she put her hand to rest on his knee. He breathed in quickly when she slowly trailed her fingers up the inside of one thigh. She cupped her soft palm between his legs, making his cock spring to life.

  He parted his legs slightly and made no protest when she slipped his zipper down. The feel of her fingers closing around his shaft, sent a jolt of lust through him. "Damn that feels nice," he told her.

  "Yes, it does." She hefted his cock into her hand. "Wow! Come up to my apartment, Troy, and I'll give you a night you won't soon forget."

  The thought of sliding his aching cock into a welcoming woman and fondling her behind was tempting. Too tempting to resist. "Thank you. I'd like that."

  She gave his cock a gentle squeeze. "So would I."

  Alone in her bedroom, he undressed quickly, his cock hard and throbbing. Unlike, Angie, Julie showed no hesitation in disrobing in front of him. In fact, while he stood naked and aroused, a condom on his cock, she did a slow, sensuous striptease for him.

  He watched, his cock getting harder with every bump and grind of her wide hips. She was slightly heavier than Angie, but her breasts were smaller, her stomach bigger, and her butt not as enticing. She was so much less inhibited than Angie. Still, given half a chance, he would take Angie every time.

  He dismissed the thought. He hadn't been given the chance. He was here with Julie. Not Angela.

  Finally, the last piece of her clothing, her silk panties, was tossed across the room and she stood before him naked. He stood gazing at her. Her mound was hidden by a mass of curls. God, he needed some pussy. He sank onto the edge of the bed and extended a hand towards her. "Julie?"

  Smiling, she hurried across the room and stood between his legs. He put his arms around her and began kissing his way up her body. When he reached her mouth, he tipped up her chin and brushed his mouth lightly against hers.

  She showed an inclination to want to kiss insistently and repeatedly. But he was more interested in having sex with her than in making love to her. Pulling his mouth away from her clinging lips, he drew her down to the bed.

  He touched her clit. It was warm and tight. He dipped a finger in her cunt. She was moist and hot. "Ready?" he asked softly.

  She moaned and pushed her hips up against his hand. "Oh. Oh, yes. Give me the real thing, Troy." She reached for his cock. "Give me some of that big dick."

  Kissing her breasts, he climbed on top of her. "Are you sure you're ready?" he asked. He was ready, but they hadn't had any real foreplay.

  "Yes! I've been ready for this moment since I first saw you. Give me some dick, Troy. Please."

  He pressed between her legs, rubbed his cock up and down the length of her slit and then quickly shoved against her. He closed his eyes and sank quickly into her. When she lifted her hips in an effort to speed up their coupling, he made no protest. He had no desire to linger in her. He wanted sex for sex's sake with her.

  Still, he made a conscious effort to make sure he satisfied her. It wasn't her fault that she wasn't Angie. She was sweet and deserved to be treated with respect. He forced himself to slow down and hold off on his own release until she began moaning and shuddering under him. Only then did he let himself go.

  He clutched her to him, running his hands down the sides of her thighs. "Oh, God, Angie! It's been so long." Unable to hold on any longer, he exploded and collapsed on her, still moaning.

  * * * * *

  "You want to tell me about
her?"

  Troy sighed and looked across the dim living room where Julie sat on her sofa, a sheer negligee wrapped around her otherwise naked body. Her dark blue eyes looked part angry, part hurt. And he couldn't blame her. He'd actually called out Angie's name when he’d come. He was lucky she hadn't screamed at him and slapped him.

  He resisted the urge to play dumb. "I suppose you mean…"

  "I mean Angie," she said coldly. "Whoever she is."

  "She’s…ah…there's really nothing to tell."

  "You can say that? After calling out her name as you came?"

  "I'm sorry. I—"

  "I don't want to hear you're sorry. I want to know about the woman standing between us. I always knew when you kissed me, that you weren't really kissing me. But tonight…to call out her name while making love…but then you weren't really making love to me.” Her nostrils flared. “Were you?"

  He groaned silently. God save him from women who wanted to analyze the hell out of him. "I said I was sorry and I am. What else can I say?" He spread his hands. "I know it's not something you can easily forgive, but she's not someone I'm involved with."

  "And I'm just supposed to accept and believe that?"

  "Why not? It happens to be true."

  "Then tell me about her. What's she like? How long did you two date? Where is she now?"

  He shook his head. "I have no idea where she is. I haven't seen her for several months." And they hadn't actually dated. But he wasn't going to admit that and have her think Angie was easy.

  "Then what's the problem? Is it because of my…size?” For the first time, her uninhibited self-confidence faltered a bit. “Did you have to close your eyes to shut out the sight of my body?" she whispered.

  "No!" He sat forward. "No, Julie! You have a beautiful body. It was your size that attracted me in the first place. I like my women to look like women." At least he did since he'd met Angie. Or maybe it wasn't really his taste in women that had changed. Maybe he just liked Angie because of who she was and not because of her size.

  She accepted that. "Then what's the problem? Are you in love with her?"

  "No!"

  "Then what? Talk to me, Troy. I'm trying to understand what's going on with you. I need answers to my questions so I can know if there can be anything worthwhile between us. Anything worth saving."

  He sighed, took a deep breath, and decided to be completely straight with her. "Okay. Although I'm not in love with her and I haven't seen her in ages, I do think about her a lot."

  "No shit, Sherlock. I figured that out when you screamed out her name instead of mine. So tell me something I don't already know. Like why you haven't told me about her before."

  "There was nothing to tell. I met her several months ago on a cruise. We spent a few nights together."

  "And?"

  "And nothing. We went our separate ways after the cruise and I haven't seen her since."

  She stared at him. "You mean you fell in love with her after only a few days?"

  "I am not in love with her," he ground out.

  "Then why haven't you forgotten her?"

  He shook his head and, defeated, sighed. "Hell, I don't know."

  "Then this is our last date."

  The thought didn't upset him nearly as much as it should have. "It doesn't have to be," he said softly.

  "Yes. It does. I don't want to be with a man who wants to be with someone else."

  "I'm not seeing her now. I haven't seen her for over three months. I'm trying to forget her."

  "Why? If you're having problems forgetting her, then maybe that means she's important in your life."

  "She wants to get serious and I'm not ready for that."

  "Is she a big woman?"

  "Yes."

  "Great. So I'm a double substitute. Just what I always wanted to be. Thanks a lot."

  "It' not like that, Julie."

  "Of course it is. You think because I'm a big woman I don't mind being used?"

  "Used? How have I used you? Coming here and making love was your idea. You insisted."

  "Oh, yeah. I forgot. I twisted your arm and forced myself on you."

  He blushed. "I didn’t mean that. If you're willing to try, we can get through this."

  "I don't think so. Every time we had sex from now on, I'd tense up, waiting for you to call out her name instead of mine. And that's more trouble than I want from a relationship."

  "You're overreacting, Julie," he growled.

  "Really? Maybe so, but I don't want to see you anymore, Troy."

  Were all full-figured woman so damned touchy? he thought grouchily. "What?"

  "It's over." Julie stood up, closing her negligee over her breasts. "I'm sure you can find your way out."

  He ran a hand through his hair, shrugged, and headed across the room. At the door, he paused and looked over his shoulder at her. "I am sorry, Julie. I never meant to hurt you."

  "Thankfully you haven't. And I have no intentions of letting you hang around long enough to hurt me."

  Chapter Eight

  The next afternoon, Troy looked up when Rick walked into the office they shared. He knew that look on Rick's face. During the last twelve months when they'd been trying to get their own software design business off the ground, not much had gone smoothly. That was part of the reason he'd allowed Rick to talk him into going on the cruise where he'd met Angie.

  He gave himself a mental shake. He was not going to start thinking about her again. Thoughts of her had already cost him a possible relationship with Julie. Enough was enough. He pushed away from his computer. "What now?"

  Rick sank into the chair next to his desk. "Our website isn't going to be ready on time after all."

  "What? Rick, we need the site up and running to attract new business."

  Rick held up his hands. "Hey, bud. You're preaching to the choir."

  "So what's the problem?"

  "The problem is Mark had an accident. He's in the hospital. He's going to be all right, but he's going to be there awhile."

  Troy ran a hand through his hair. "Any chance his partner can keep us on track?"

  "No. He just handles the business end. He doesn't actually know much about designing websites."

  He felt like punching something. "Great. Where does that leave us then?" He slammed a clenched fist down onto his desk. "Damn! Nothing is going right anymore."

  Rick looked at him. "Things with Julie aren't going well, I assume."

  He shook his head. "You assume correctly."

  "So?"

  "She doesn't want to see me again."

  Rick shrugged. "Personally, I don't see the loss."

  "What?"

  "Oh, come on, Troy! What is it with you lately? Every woman you've taken out lately has been a little on the…hefty side, shall we say. Admittedly, Julie is a knockout looks wise, but like I said, she's a little…well, large. What happened to your long-legged, slender blondes?"

  It seemed ages ago that he'd fantasized about such women. "Rick, I don't want to talk about my love life. I want to talk about Hunter and Markham Associates. Remember the business we're trying to get off the ground? I gave up a very well paying job to go solo. I need this to work."

  "Relax, Troy. This is going to work. And let's not forget that I too gave up a lot to try this with you."

  "So what are we going to do about our site?"

  Rick grinned. "Oh, ye of little faith. I got it covered. We have a lunch meeting with a firm called ‘Web Designs For You’ tomorrow."

  "Web Designs For You? I've never heard of them. Who owns the firm?"

  "An Angela Harding and a Corria Allen. I spoke to Ms. Harding and she assured me they can get the job done quickly." He reached into his inside jacket pocket and handed Troy a business card with a web address URL written on the back. "Take a look at their site. I checked their references and it seems they do good work."

  He nodded. "Okay. Fine."

  * * * * *

  Troy arrived at the waterfro
nt restaurant early for the lunch date with Angela Harding. He was given a table near the window. Once he was seated, he ordered a tonic water and sat studying the menu. He decided on a porterhouse steak and put the menu aside. Sipping his drink, he glanced idly around. He spotted a full-figured woman with long dark hair entering with a man and felt his heartbeat increase rapidly.

  The woman turned and he saw her face. It wasn't Angie. His heartbeat returned to normal. Troy Boy, you'd better get a handle on this Angie business. When she wanted to get serious, you practically ran away from her. So get over her. She's history.

  He glanced at his watch. 12:59. About time Angela Harding arrived. Not to mention Rick. He slipped his drink and looked around again. A woman with long dark hair wearing a dark conservative business suit with a briefcase over one shoulder strolled into the room and paused to talk to the maitre d'. She was full-figured and he immediately thought of Angie.

  All right, Troy, don't start again.

  He kept his gaze on her. When the maitre d' suddenly looked toward his table, the woman turned to look in his direction. He found himself looking into a pair of dark, beautiful eyes. Angie! His heart thumped, the muscles in his stomach clenched, and his throat felt dry. His Angie was Angela Harding?

  After the first startled glance at him, she followed the maitre d' across the room, her expression impersonal. He rose as she and the maitre d' stopped at his table.

  "Mr. Hunter, Ms. Harding."

  The maitre d' seated her and withdrew.

  For several moments they stared at each other in silence. There was a lump in his throat that felt as if it would choke him. He swallowed several times and wet his dry lips. "Angie."

  "You're the Hunter behind Hunter and Markham?"

  "Angie. Damn, it's good to see you."

  She surprised him by reaching across the table to extend her hand. "Angela Harding, Mr. Hunter."

  He took her hand. When he would have enclosed it in both of his, she quickly withdrew it.

  She looked away. "I expected to meet Mr. Markham. Will he be arriving soon?"