One Night with my Boss (A Curvy Girl Instalove Romance): Coffee & Curves, #4

By L. Moone

This one night stand keeps on giving…

 

Curvy girl Alexis never dreamt of sleeping with her boss. Until it happens. 

 

No problem. They can just treat this as a one time deal and move on, right?

 

But life loves to throw you curveballs. Fate must always have the last word. 

 

And Bob still looks pretty damn hot in his low-slung Levis, no matter what Alexis tries to tell herself…

 

If you love steamy instalove romance stories featuring confident older men and curvy younger women, this fourth book in L. Moone's Coffee & Curves series is going to tick all your boxes. All books in the series can be read as stand-alones, but for extra enjoyment, start at the beginning with some Fireworks.

 

Coffee & Curves Reading Order:
Christmas with my Boss (#0)
Fireworks for the Billionaire (#1)
Falling for my Friend's Dad (#2)
Beauty and the Bouncer (#3)
One Night with my Boss (#4)
Sugar Baby's First Time (#5)

• Language: English
• Publisher: eXplicitTales
• Release date: May 17, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201985998

L. Moone

L. Moone is a Contemporary Romance author based in rainy England. Addicted to caffeine, chocolate and impure thoughts, she loves to write sweet yet spicy romances featuring husky men, curvy heroines and everything in between. In her world, the men are cinnamon roll sweet and the women are fierce and fabulous. Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. And the only path toward happiness is the one travelled together. *** Sweet Heroes, Sexy Books *** "I first started writing and publishing in 2012 because I craved to see more of "my kind of books" on the shelves. In any scenario, you'll find me rooting for the underdog. The (emotionally) scarred hero who hasn't really had much luck in love and finds himself yearning for that which has so far been out of reach. The shy office worker who is too terrified to approach the big & sexy man of her dreams, until one day she decides to throw caution in the wind.  Cinnamon roll heroes are a huge part of my brand, so are independent heroines. All my characters are beautifully flawed and messed up, in a way that makes them perfect for one another. And once they get an intimate taste of the sometimes forbidden fruit, there's no turning back... Expect some drama, a sprinkling of challenging themes, as well as plenty of smexy times along the way, but the rollercoaster always leads to a heartfelt happily ever after! Find all of the above mentioned themes in the following series I have out: Husky Men Do It Better, Coffee & Curves, and Chance Encounters. All my books can be read as stand-alones, but they'll be a lot more fun to read in series. If all this sounds like your cup of tea, visit me for a free story at lmoone.com/newsletter By the way, I also write Paranormal and Fantasy Romance as Lorelei Moone."

Book preview

Prologue

* Alexis *

I wake up on Saturday morning with a mild yet annoying headache and a strange sensation in the pit of my stomach. I hadn’t slept well. As a result, I’m up much later than I normally would have been. It’s almost eleven, and my entire day’s planning has already been derailed.

A general sense of unease had been following me around ever since I left work last night, in fact. I couldn’t put my finger on it exactly, so I put it down to the lingering awkwardness between Bob and I, which our little indiscretion had inspired. All my efforts to rationalize it and shake it off had turned out ineffective. And even though I won’t have to face the temptation of being around him all weekend, I still don’t feel any relief this morning.

The after effects of just one of many naughty dreams about our ill-advised night together are still clinging to me like cheap perfume.

When my phone chimes with a notification, it makes my skin crawl. As if I know it’s going to be bad news.

It’s just Alice, I tell myself. She’s probably reminding everyone of our regular meet-up in the evening.

And so I resist the urge to check until I pour myself a big cup of tea and grab a bowl of muesli and milk to try and soothe the odd twinge in my stomach. A few spoonfuls later, I finally cave and check the notification.

Your period should have started 5 days ago… Did you forget to input it?

I stare at the screen, trying to process what I’m seeing. It hasn’t started yet; I’m not even spotting.

This shouldn’t be much of a concern, except…

My period is never late.

Normally I would have shrugged it off. Immaculate conceptions only happen to saints, not regular girls like me. Except…The dry spell that had lasted for the better part of a year has been broken this past month. My heart sinks. I’ve actually had sex, therefore…

Nah, it couldn’t be! We used a condom!

I put the phone down again and try to ignore the nagging thought that maybe something has indeed gone wrong, and… Pushing my breakfast away, I take a deep breath, and pinch the bridge of my nose in an attempt to soothe not only my worsening headache but also a sudden bout of anxiety.

It’s going to be fine. I have to go to the shops anyway to pick up some groceries, so I’ll also buy a pregnancy test, just to be sure. And once the result comes back negative—like it obviously will—I’ll be able to breathe easy again. My period must be late because I’ve been stressed out.

Or, maybe I’m coming down with something. A little cold or the beginnings of flu, which could have gotten in the way of my monthly cycle. That’ll be it. We used a condom, after all. We were careful, so there’s no reason why…

So typical, I huff under my breath. Two people fall into bed even though they shouldn’t have, and in the end, the man is living his life as if nothing has happened, and the woman has to deal with bullshit like this. It’s enough to piss you off, especially first thing on a much-needed day off.

As frustrated as I am, I’m not going to tell a soul about any of this. No way. It’s bad enough I slept with my boss. And after swearing that it was only ever meant to be a one-time thing, I’ve had an impossible time leaving that night behind. Obsessing and fantasizing almost daily ever since, when what I really needed to do was put it—him—out of my mind. No, this pregnancy scare is mine to bear, and mine alone. No one will ever know how close I came to—

And it’s probably nothing! Once I do the test and reassure myself that it’s a false alarm, I’ll be fine. No one needs to know, least of all Bob, whom I’ve been trying to keep my distance from these past couple of weeks. I try to eat a few more bites of muesli, before keeping the rest of it in the fridge for whenever. After that, I drag myself back into the bedroom to get dressed before heading out.

The weather is cloudy and unpleasant, a cold snap so typical for early April in West London. It perfectly fits my mood. Once I leave the building, wrapped up warm in layer upon layer of fleece and wool, the wind still manages to find its way through the seams of my clothes and into my bones. That’s when it starts to drizzle.

What a day.

There’s only one way it could possibly get any worse…

Chapter One

*Three Weeks Ago*

* Bob *

It’s a quiet evening at the White Hart, one of Teddington, South West London’s oldest and most historic pubs. And it’s even more quiet in the cramped office I set up for myself at the back of the old building, somewhere between the rear exit and a utility cupboard.

Sadly, there have been too many quiet evenings lately. I grumble a few choice words to myself while pulling up the monthly spreadsheet on the old laptop, checking the bottom line. Despite my best efforts to breathe some new life into this place with speed dating for Valentine’s and Friday quiz night and lord knows what else, revenues have plateaued. I’m not quite in the green yet. Still, at least I earned more this February than last year. Unfortunately, a rather hefty plumbing repair bill ate up a large chunk of the profit. I impatiently tap my fingers against the small table supporting the laptop and stare at the numbers on the screen.

As if that’ll change anything.

But that’s where I stay, until a knock on the door interrupts me.

Yeah?

Alexis sticks her head through the gap. It’s almost closing time. Is there anything you need me to do before I go?

I shake my head and focus on the spreadsheet again. No, that’s quite alright.

Her eyes pause on my undoubtedly solemn expression.

How’d we do last month? she asks. As if it’s her responsibility. The serious frown on her face is really rather adorable.

I shake my head. Don’t worry, I’m not cutting your hours.

That’s not what I’m concerned about, she counters.

Last month wasn’t as good as I’d hoped, mainly due to that burst pipe incident. I follow up my admission with a dejected sigh and shrug. No matter. Once spring rolls around, we’ll be able to open up the outdoor seating overlooking the park and things will surely pick up.

The burst pipe didn’t help, but are you sure it wasn’t the speed dating event which scared the customers away? Alexis’ remark is so dry and matter-of-fact, it makes me smile despite myself.

Speed dating was great and you know it, I lie. It could have been great, if you ignore the type of male clientele that the event attracted, directly causing the fight which erupted, which nearly resulted in an injury claim from one of Alexis’ friends. We got damn lucky that Dean intervened when he did and the girl wasn’t seriously hurt.

Oh puh-lease! Alexis counters. And I warned you beforehand, didn’t I?

"We’ve got one happy couple to show for it. That’s not