Fat Chances (7 page)

“Buck-O?” He chuckled. “Hmmm ... I think I like that,” Cory
said, chuckling again. A small grin formed across my face, but I quickly erased it and forced myself to glare at him.

“Will you please let me go?” I ordered through my teeth.

“Hmmm ... no. Not yet. I don’t think that’s all you came to say,” he contrived.

“GAH
! So ... what? You have ESP now? I came to apologize and that’s it! If you think I came to say something else, then why don’t you tell me what I was going to say, Mr. Know It All,” I spat with as much sarcasm as I could muster.

Cory laughed, then replied, “
My God. You are a pistol. First you don’t want anything to do with me and now here you are ... supposing to apologize.”

I could feel my face getting hotter by the minute. I was getting severely agitated. This whole conversation was not going as planned at all. I knew him kissing me on the lips again was
wishful thinking, but arguing ... I certainly didn’t expect this.

“
Oh My God!
Are you that conceited or what? For your information…..Buck-O! I
did
come here to apologize. Just because you’re good looking and have the most beautiful eyes ... doesn’t mean every girl that walks by you ... (gulp) ... wants you….” But before I could say another word, his lips were devouring mine.

This time I didn’t care that I was a fat, ugly witch and he was the handsome, young prince. This time I wasn’t going to let my insecurities get in the way.

I eagerly wrapped my arms around his neck and twirled my fingers in his hair. Even though this was our fourth kiss, it felt more like our first. There was no holding back, I was giving in to temptation and letting my body feel him, explore him. The way his tongue would explore mine, the way his hands felt hot against my butt as he pressed his hips against mine, the way my breasts felt against his hard chest ... I felt like I had died and gone to heaven.

I hadn’t realized how much I needed or ached for his touch. I knew now that I had been my own worst enemy.

“Come on! Let’s go back to my place,” he breathed into my ear. My heart skipped a beat when he said those words. He grabs his sweatshirt and swung it over his shoulders then grabbed my hand. We practically ran through the gymnasium and out the door, hurrying to get to our cars.

“Where are you going?” h
e stopped when I let go of his hand to go to my truck.

“
I’m following you to your house,” I replied, confused.

“Oh,
no you don’t, you’re riding with me. We can pick up your truck later,” he said, then leaned forward and grabbed my hand, pulling me along beside him.

The ride to his house only took ten minutes, but it felt like the longest ten minutes of my life. We couldn’t keep our hands off each other. My body was shaking from nervousness, but also with excitement. I was finally letting myself be loved by a man. If he didn’t care that I had a few spare tires,
then why should I?

Within minutes we were in the middle of his living room, kissing. His hands felt hot
as they tenderly caressed my breasts. My nipples ached for his touch as he continued to fondle them through my shirt. We both moaned as we continued to explore each other’s mouthes with our tongues.

“D
o you want to go upstairs?” he breathed into my ear as he slowly began to unbutton my pants.
Was this really happening? Did he really want to make love to me? Fat me?
I opened my eyes to see him staring at me, waiting for my answer.

“Yes,”
I whispered, as he took my hands into his.

As soon as I said it, I regretted it. The very thought of getting naked in front of Cory was mortifying. It still made me sick to my sto
mach knowing that he saw my fat, hairy legs and my fat rolls at the hospital that night. But undressing in front of him and having sex? Well, that scared the shit out of me. I wasn’t ready for this. It’s not that I haven’t dreamed about this moment or imagined what he looked like naked. I just wasn’t ready.

Cory grabbed
my hand tenderly, pulling me toward the stairs. “Cory, wait! Maybe we shouldn’t rush into this,” I said, panicked. My arms and legs began to shake, when Cory turned to look at me. The small smile on his face told me that he understood. Still holding my hand, he turned around and pulled me through the living room to the couch. My heart was beating in my ears as I we both sat down next to each other.

I could feel his eyes watching me as I nervously took the time to look around his living room. It was small, yet cozy. The walls were beige, coordinating with the brown carpet. There was a small fireplace at the right side of the living room, a tan recliner that matched the couch we were sitting on, and a small entertainment stand in the left corner of the room.

There were a few pictures hanging on the wall, but one I assumed was his family hanging above the fireplace.

“Is that your family?” I asked, letting go of his hand to walk over to the large portrait that was trim with a gold frame. My breathing became shallow when he stood behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist.

“Yes, that’s my family. That’s my mother, Gale, and my father, Chris, and my younger brother Tony,” he said, pointing them out. “And of course the dorky looking one is me.” He chuckled lightly. I knew right away which boy was him, recognizing his dark hair and dimples.

“You’re not dorky,” I replied, chuckling. “How old were you in this picture?” Besides the fact that he looked younger, in his teens and the cabana style clothing, I knew that the photo had to have been taken in the eighties.

Cory laughed then replied, “I was only fourteen.” It startled me when I felt him press his chin against my shoulder.

“But ... the clothes ...
” I laughed, pointing at the retro style print on his shirt. I could feel the heat from Cory’s hands as he held me tightly against him.

“
I know, please don’t remind me,” he replied as he continued to laugh. “My parents were stuck in the eighties. I’m surprised they didn’t make Tony and I wear our hair like the dudes from Flock of Seagulls.” I turned around and shot him a surprised look before busting out laughing.

“Are you serious? Were they that bad?” I covered my mouth to keep from laughing hysterically.

“Hmmm ... let’s see ... oh ... once, we were at my cousin’s wedding and my parents decided to break dance and the worst part was they tried to coax Tony and me to join them. I got out of it by pretending that I had to use the bathroom, but poor Tony ... ” My eyes grew wide as I watched him shake his head in defeat.

“Oh,
my God!
Your poor brother.” I laughed until the muscles in my stomach ached. “Please stop,” I pleaded as he pretended to break dance across the living room floor. His muscles twitched under his shirt as he pretended to do robot moves.

“Come on, Annie! Moon walk with me,” h
e coaxed, laughing, then grabbed my hands to join him as he slid across the floor backwards.

“Cory, you’re killing me here!
” I said, laughing, then sat down on the couch, holding my stomach. He came over and stood in front of me, doing the wave with his arms.

“Wo
uld you like a drink?” Cory asked when he finally quit dancing.

“Sure,
” I replied, then he pulled me from the couch as if I only weighed a few pounds and we walked into the kitchen, hand in hand. I snickered when I saw that his kitchen was decorated with roosters.

“I know, I know! My mother decorated the kitchen. She loves roosters and thought that if my kitchen looked the same as hers
, it would remind me of home.” He shook his head and laughed as he poured us glasses of iced tea.

“Hmmm ...
are you a Mamma’s boy?” I teased, grabbing my tea glass from the counter. He turned around to face me, his eyebrow arched high into his forehead.

“Hmmm, I would like to be your
boy,” he replied in a throaty voice. Then he took a step closer so that our faces were inches apart. I took a deep breath through my nose, getting a whiff of his manly soap smell.

I raised my e
yebrows, imitating him, “Hmmmm ... I’m not sure that would be possible,” I replied and watched as his eyes grew wide. I took another drink of tea. The expression on his face changed multiple times until he came to the conclusion that I was teasing him.

“Oka
y,” Cory laughed, then asked, “how about man, then? What if I’m your man?” He laughed. I set the glass on the counter and turned to walk back to the living room, when something caught my eye.

“Is that a dog bed?” I asked, eyeing a dark green dog bed sitting in the corner of the kitchen next to two small bowls. One was filled with water while the other was empty except for a few small crumbs.
Hmpf!
I didn’t hear any dog when we came in here nor had he mentioned anything about a dog.

“Yes. I ha
ve a Cocker Spaniel puppy,” Cory replied, eyeing the bed and bowls on the floor. She’s at the vet’s right now, getting spayed. That was where I was coming from when I saw you in the parking lot.” Then he pulled me into the living room and we both sat down on the couch. I grabbed one of the maroon pillows and held it against my stomach, hiding my fat. Cory watched what I was doing, but didn’t say a word.

“What’s your dog’s name?” I asked,
curious. I’ve always loved dogs, but we weren’t allowed to have any because Molly was highly allergic to cats and dogs. His face turned pink when I asked him this. I thought it was funny and strange at the same time. I’d never made a man blush before and I didn’t even say anything perverted, sexy or funny, for that matter.

“You prom
ise not to get mad?” he asked nervously, laughing, then leaned back and crossed his legs. I gave him a peculiar glance.

“Well, that depends. D
oes it have to do with a girl?” I asked, lifting an eyebrow.

“Hmmmm ... yes, it does,” h
e replied, smiling widely, showing his perfect white teeth.

“Hmfp!”
I snorted. Part of me was curious now, but the other part of me didn’t want to hear it. I didn’t want to hear about his other girlfriends or relationships that he had in the past. I was never the jealous type. Molly inherited that trait. But picturing Cory with any girl made my blood boil. Then I remembered the nurse from the ER.
Beth? Yes, that was her name
.

“What? Are you going to give me the cold shoulder now?” Cory asked, laughing, then gently took my chin into h
is hand, forcing me to look into his eyes.

“Her name is Annie, o
kay?” He stared at me with wide eyes.

“Wha ...
” I gasped. “Annie?” I asked, tilting my head, confused.

“Well ... it’s a long story,” h
e said, pushing a strand of my hair behind my ear. Cory’s touch sent tingles across my cheeks.

I could barely catch my breath when I spoke, “I want to know.” I needed to know why he would name a dog after me. I wasn’t sure if I should take it as a compliment or an insult.

Cory stared at me long and hard, debating on whether to tell me. Then he took in a deep breath, and slowly blew it out. “That night, the night we had a fight ... ” I shook my head, swallowing the hard lump in my throat as I thought about that night, the night that I had been a complete ass.

“I felt
really bad about ...”

“Wait a minute!” I interrupted. “I was the one th
at acted like a total bitch ...” But before I could finish, he pressed his finger to my lips, shushing me.

“Let me finish,” h
e replied. I sighed heavily. Now I really felt like shit. He was blaming himself for how I was acting. I bent my head down to stare at my hands. I felt too guilty now to look at him.

“Annie, please look at me,
” Cory begged, and when I looked up to see him smiling at me. My heart sank deeper into my chest as I was about to cry.
God, he is so beautiful and perfect ... unlike me.

“I spent days trying to figure out a way to make
it up to you. I bought flowers ... but I threw them away. I bought a box of chocolates ... but I threw them away, too. I bought a pair of earrings, but I was afraid that you would think I was being too pushy or needy so I ended up sending them to my mother.”

Cory
took another deep breath then sighed heavily. I could feel tears welling up inside me as he continued to tell his story.

“Anyway
, I was coming home from work one night and I saw a sign: ‘Puppy: Free to a Good Home’ and I immediately thought of you.” I raised an eyebrow at him. He chuckled and continued, “I pulled into the driveway of the house and knocked on the door. When the guy opened the door a little black dog ran out to greet me. I knew then that puppy would be the perfect gift to give you.”

I took in a jagged breath when I realized where this story was going.

“I was on my way over to give her to you, but then I asked myself. What if she doesn’t like dogs? What if she just slams the door in my face and tells me to get lost? So I took the puppy home with me that night and she’s been here ever since. I named her Annie because with one look she stole my heart just like you did that day at the gym.”

By the time he finished, tears were streaming down my cheeks.
I was speechless. No man had ever done anything so sweet like that for me before, except maybe my father, but that didn’t count. Without saying a word, I leaned over to kiss him and eagerly wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer to me. My heart did flips when I felt his arms wrap around my waist. Tears streamed down my cheeks, wetting both of our cheeks as we continued to kiss.

My mind raced, trying not to think about my weight and how fat I
must feel in his arms. Instead, I concentrated on kissing him and ran my fingers threw his thick dark hair. I let out a sharp breath when I felt his hands cupping my butt, bringing my hips closer to his and I felt his male hardness pressing against my leg as he gripped me tighter.

“Do I still have it?” I breathed as Cory moved to kiss my neck.

“What?” he asked, his breath hot against my skin.

“Your heart?” I asked, as a huge smile formed across his face and he squeezed me tighter.

“You’ll always have my heart. No other woman has affected me the way you have,” he replied, then leaned down and kissed my neck again. “God, you smell so good,” he groaned as I removed my fingers from his hair, then slowly moved my fingers along the lines of his muscles in his back.
Oh, God, he was hot!
I couldn’t believe that I was in the arms of this gorgeous man, let alone make out with him.

His hands slowly moved across
my body as I continued to trace the contours of his back. My body shuddered when he cupped my breast and rubbed the tips through my shirt. Oh, how they ached for his touch. I never had a man touch me like this and now I couldn’t get enough. I needed him to touch me ... I wanted him to touch me ...

The shrill ring of the phone broke my train of thoughts.

“Damn it,” Cory breathed into my ear and I chuckled, breathlessly. I waited on the couch while he rushed to the kitchen to get the phone.

“Th
at was the veterinarian. Annie’s ready for me to pick up,” he announced, smiling. “Would you like to come with me?” I was thrilled at the idea of seeing the puppy present named after me.

“Yes!” I stood up then noticed the clock on an end table.

“Oh, my God!
It’s five o’clock. I’ve got to go. I was supposed to pick Molly up at school.” I stammered, looking for my purse.

“What
are you looking for?” he asked, grabbing my hands and pulled me around to face him.

“My purse!”

“You didn’t bring your purse,” he replied.

Oh shit!
I left it in the truck. “I have to go. Can you take me back to my truck?” I asked as I grabbed my coat and struggled to push my arms through the sleeves until Cory pulled the sleeve out for me. He hurried and threw on his leather jacket then grabbed his car keys and patted his back pocket to make sure that he had his wallet handy. I smiled, knowing that I had felt his wallet, too.

“Molly is going to kill me
,” I replied, panicked, as Cory turned into the parking lot of the Civic Center. There were now only a few cars in the parking lot, including my red truck.

“Oh, she i
s not going to kill you,” he chuckled.

“Oh,
yes she will,” I countered. She and I haven’t been of the best of friends lately, not since ...” I hesitated to say ‘since the night she found us kissing’.

“Can I call you tonight? Or better yet, do you want to go t
o the movies?” he asked, then grabbed my hand and pressed it to his lips. The heat of his lips burned my hand as he pulled away.