Chapter 1
Please check trigger warnings before reading!
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The * on the chapter names indicate the spice levels of the chapters.
It was a pleasant Friday evening in April as Mel stood at the entrance of the Grand Ballroom at The Plaza, it was a magnificent venue that screamed elegance, success and money.
The space consisted of a carefully curated combination of polished marble, sparkling chandeliers and it felt like the walls were dripping in gold and jewels.
The same could be said about the guests that filled the space. Mel felt like a rock song that accidentally ended up in a carefully selected playlist of classical music.
She wasn’t born into this world that the other guests so naturally inhabited, she fought and clawed and work her ass off to get there.
If only her actual ass could’ve been worked off in the process it would’ve really helped her fit in a bit more right now she thought.
All the women in the room looked like they were copy pasted out of the same model catalogue, all long legs and toned tummies, designer dresses and professionally styled hair and make-up.
She was the complete opposite; she wasn’t tall or thin or meticulously put together. She had thick thighs that rubbed together when she walked, round hips and a soft tummy with a bit more junk in her trunk than she, or her mother, would have liked.
She had big hazelnut eyes, plump cheeks and full lips which she intentionally coloured with a dark shade that reminded her of ripe mulberries.
Her mousy brown hair that ended just below her shoulder blades was as stubborn as she was, never falling the way she wanted it to.
Everything about her was soft and rounded, she had always envied the women with the prominent collarbones and sharp angular lines.
Mel was so nervous it felt like her heart wanted to claw its way out of her chest. She took a deep breath and smoothed the navy-blue silk gown that framed and accentuated every single one of her curves, questioning why she thought it was a good idea to wear it in the first place.
When she found out last week that she had landed the position as Creative Director for Thorne Industries she felt victorious, the HR manager Sarah invited her to the launch of the company’s latest campaign, and she had been looking forward to the extravagant event all week.
But now, now all she wanted to do was get out of there before anyone noticed that she didn’t belong.
The only thing that kept her from running for the hills was her unswerving stubbornness, a quality that made her a force in her industry, the main reason she got to where she was but also the thing that had gotten her into more trouble over the years than she cared to admit.
In her mind she gave herself a little pep talk, I am Melinda Carson god dammit, I earned my place here! I am smart, I am fierce, I am accomplished!
As she saw Sarah approaching, she straightened her shoulders and conjured the most confident smile she could.
“You look stunning Mel,” said Sarah with a genuine smile. “Are you ready to meet some of the team?”
Mel nodded, “I’ve been looking forward to it.”
Sarah gave her a warm smile and directed her toward the other side of the room.
“Don’t worry, the team here is wonderful to work with, although I should mention, our CEO, who is of course brilliant, can be a bit.. intense.”
“Aren’t they all?” Mel chirped with a slight roll of her eyes.
Sarah chuckled at her comment but there was an obvious nervousness behind it.
As if called upon, a man approached them and Mel immediately understood the reason for Sarah’s response to her comment.
He didn’t just walk towards them, he stalked. His steps deliberate, powerful, confident, and as he came closer Mel could literally feel the air dissipating around them, he wasn’t just a man, he was a force.
His presence commanded attention from the room. He was tall with broad shoulders dressed in a tailored suit that called attention to the coiled muscles underneath.
His eyes were dark and his jaw looked like it was carved out of marble. It was the face of a predator framed by perfectly styled black hair that was rakishly swept across his forehead.
Xander Thorne was a man that was used to getting his way, he was a legend in the boardroom known for being ruthless and unwavering. He craved control and enforced it in every aspect of his life. The darkness in him needed it, no, demanded it. It was an insatiable monster.
“Mr. Thorne,” Sarah greeted in her most professional tone, her posture straightening as if someone has taken her by the shoulders and pulled.
“I would like to formally introduce you to Melinda Carson, your new Creative Director.”
Xander then turned his full attention to Mel, his expression unreadable as his eyes slowly swept over every inch of her. His eyes so piercing and intense Mel felt as if she was standing naked in the middle of the ballroom, her pulse beating frantically in her neck made obvious by the soft fluttering in her neck.
He was cataloguing her, summing her up, a move intended to intimidate her, she was sure of it. When his eyes grazed over her generous hips she could’ve sworn she saw a flicker in his eyes, a twitch in his eyebrow and a slight clench of his jaw.
She cursed at herself when she felt a pull of arousal, convincing herself it is simply a primal response to the Alpha male standing in front of her and not a reflection on her taste in men.
Xander's eyes snapped back to her face when she cleared her throat, an involuntary response to the nerves turning her throat into the desert.
He tilted his head slightly to the left and without breaking Mel’s eye contact he responded to Sarah “Creative Director? I wasn’t aware that the employment was finalized.”
“Mel was officially onboarded last week,” Sarah explained with a slight confusion in her tone.
“You did authorize me to continue with the selection process within the pool of candidates you approved. Mel was the obvious choice and comes highly recommended from her previous position at Bell Incorporated.”
Xander’s eyes narrowed but remained locked in on Mel. “Bell Incorporated went bankrupt last quarter.” his words laced with insinuation.
That was the stab Mel needed to snap out of the trans he had her in, the fire in her roared back.
The annoyance was painted on her face as she bit back “Bell Inc. went bankrupt due to mismanagement at executive level, it had nothing to do with my creative department. We received recognitions for our campaigns right up until the end.”
“Is that so?” Xander’s lips curled into a sinister grin. The fire in her provoking the darkness in him.
He took a step closer to her “You think you can handle the, heat, here? At Thorne Industries?” He emphasized the word heat in a way that had her clenching her thighs together.
“I am confident in my abilities Mr. Thorne,” Mel challenged back lifting her chin to meet his intimidating posture. “my portfolio speaks for itself.”
She saw the muscles of his jaw flex, proud of herself for holding her own. He leaned back a bit, sliding his hands into the pockets of his suit pants, “Confidence doesn’t make up for... lack of discipline Ms. Carson.”
He spit out the word discipline like it was vinegar in his mouth, his eyes directed to her soft belly as he said it.
What the fuck? Did he really just comment on my weight? She thought as she let out a huff of disbelief.
Before she could respond he turned his focus to Sarah who was staring at him with disbelief.
"Perhaps, Sarah, for future recruitment, try keep in mind that we have a certain image to maintain, our employees represent our brand.”
He glanced over at Mel one last time with a wicked triumphant grin knowing he struck a nerve, then he simply turned and walked away. A gesture that held an insult of it’s own.
Mel was furious, she stood there with her hands shaking and the anger boiling inside her, how dare he? He had found her weakness, her one insecurity, her weight. And he exploited it in front of everyone. She felt humiliated.
“I am so sorry about that Mel, I don’t know him to be that cruel, I have no idea why he would treat you like that.” Sarah said placing an apologetic hand on Mel’s arm.
“I don’t even know what to say, but if this is how he treats his employees, I might need to reconsider this position.” She said that but knew she wouldn’t, this position was an opportunity of a lifetime. She was determined to see this through.
“Please don’t,” Sarah asked with a hint of desperation in her voice.
“Just give it a chance, and anyway, the creative department is on a whole different floor so your interaction with him will be limited.”
Mel nodded in acceptance, she wouldn’t back down so easily, not after how hard she worked to get here in the first place.
Bring it on. You have no idea who you’re dealing with, Mr. Thorne.
