Takeover (Real Men Crave Curves Book 2) Read online

  Takeover

  An Older Billionaire, Younger BBW Romance

  Mandy Morgan

  Copyright © 2019 by Mandy Morgan. All Rights Reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons or events is purely coincidental.

  This publication contains sexually explicit material. All characters are 18 years or older and all sex is consensual.

  Table of Contents

  Summary

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Epilogue

  More Books

  About the Author

  Summary

  A sweet and steamy love story about a mechanic turned billionaire and his curvy obsession...

  Megan

  All I wanted to do was climb the corporate ladder and get my money's worth out of my business degree.

  But just as I'm making some progress, Eric Castle inherits the company, and I'm expected to be the former grease monkey's assistant!

  Rugged good looks and massive muscles are not what I was expecting from my new boss. And now, I have to worry about my career and my heart...

  Eric

  I'd been turning wrenches for two decades when I found out I was the heir to an automotive empire worth billions.

  I’d been a mechanic for so long, my first impulse was to refuse to take the helm and stay in the shop.

  But then I met Megan Barnes, my curvy new assistant, and my focus shifted from fixing engines to revving hers.

  And making her mine, no matter the cost...

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  Chapter One

  Megan

  “Did you hear? Dana on the fifth floor is pregnant again.”

  My fork stopped half-way to my mouth, even though I’d just loaded it up with the first bite of my pricey salad.

  “You have to be kidding me. Didn’t she just come back from maternity leave?”

  Justine gave me a smug smile. My friend and coworker loved to be able to surprise me with juicy office gossip.

  “I am one hundred percent serious here, Megan. I almost fell out of my chair when I heard.”

  I laughed and shook my head. “To each their own, as my mother always said.”

  There was more that I could have contributed, but I was starving, and it was bad enough I was forcing myself to eat rabbit food instead of the Rueben sandwich and fries that I’d wanted to order.

  I chomped down on the leafy greens and did my best to convince myself it was an excellent substitute for greasy comfort food. I had a lot on my mind right now and that meant I had to watch out for stress eating.

  I loved my curves, but the thought of going up a size or two from my normal sixteen due to overeating my way to feeling better would mean I’d need a whole new wardrobe.

  I didn’t want to have to worry about the money or effort that would take, so salad it was for my fancy downtown café lunch date with Justine.

  Besides, I was happy enough with being able to have a sit-down meal at all, since I normally ate at my desk. But Mr. Kettle hadn’t made it into work yet, which meant I was able to sneak off for a bit of afternoon indulgence.

  “Speaking of getting knocked up,” Justine said after a bite of her own salad. “When are you going to have a kid of your own?”

  I rolled my eyes. “If that’s your way of asking how my dating life is going, you can stop right there.”

  “What? I’m just concerned about my friend.” Justine batted her eyelashes and tried to look innocent. “Don’t you want to settle down like I did and have a family?”

  “First of all, I’m only twenty-six, so I have plenty of time. Second of all, you got damn lucky with Scott, and you know it. And third of all, you know how I feel about that kind of stuff, Justine.”

  “That kind of stuff, huh? Wow, that’s a hell of a way to put it, Megan.”

  I realized I’d hurt the older woman’s feelings. Justine was probably just trying to live vicariously through me. It made sense – she’d been married for over a decade, after all.

  “You’re right, I shouldn’t take love so lightly. But you know about my history…”

  Justine’s face softened and she reached across the table to give my hand a squeeze. “It’s okay, Megan. I didn’t mean to upset you. How about we stick to work talk?”

  I breathed a silent sigh of relief, even though my professional life wasn’t really looking much better than my personal one.

  “Where do you want to start? There’s the fact that I’m not using the business degree I’m still paying off. Or that I haven’t changed positions since I joined the Kettle Auto Group.”

  Justine shook her head sadly. “You’re just a mess right now, aren’t you, sweetie?”

  I could feel myself starting to tear up at my coworker’s compassion. But I reined my emotions in hard and fast. This was not the time or place to come unglued.

  “Don’t get me wrong, I truly enjoy my job, which most people can’t say. And Mr. Kettle has been wonderful to work with for these past few years.”

  “I feel a ‘but’ coming on…”

  “But I’m looking for more, you know? I just feel like I’m kind of lost. Like I’m not on the right path in any sense.”

  Yet again, I had to struggle to keep my emotions under control, and my thoughts turned longingly to cheese fries and other goodies that had always worked to soothe me in the past.

  “Oh, sweetie,” Justine said in the same patient voice I’d heard her use with her children. “You just need to give things a chance to come together. Stay calm and maybe talk to Mr. Kettle about moving up the ladder a bit more, right?”

  “You might be on to something there, to be honest. I’ve never mentioned a change of positions to him. I pretty much just relied on my hard work to speak for itself and end up in a promotion.”

  “Well, there you go,” Justine said. “You’re beating yourself up over nothing! You haven’t even tried yet, which means the sky is still the limit. Don’t you feel better now?”

  I had to admit to myself that Justine had a point. I also had to kick myself in the ass a bit for not thinking of just going straight to my boss and discussing my concerns with him.

  Mr. Kettle had always treated me kindly. He’d never given me a reason to fear him. Which meant there was nobody to blame for feeling so adrift at work but myself.

  Just like at home…

  I squashed that thought and returned my attention to Justine. She’d always loved being right and was sitting across from me wearing a satisfied smile. She was someone else who had always been good to me, so I gave her what she was looking for.

  “You’re right, Justine. I’m going to talk to Mr. Kettle as soon as he gets in today.”

  “Speaking of that,” my coworker said. “We should probably start focusing on finishing our food. I’m surprised we haven’t been called back into the office already, to be honest.”

  Just then, my phone started ringing. “Way to jinx us, Justine!”

  I
wasn’t surprised to see she’d been right about us being called back into work. But when I heard the reason, my heart sank like a stone.

  Chapter Two

  Eric

  I loved this time of day at the dealership. Lunchtime was quiet and peaceful. Everything slowed down and I could actually wash the grease of my hands and sit for a bit.

  The employee lounge in the repair shop of Kettle Cadillac wasn’t fancy but it was clean and comfortable. I’d spent two decades of my life here and it was home to me.

  I was leaning back and digesting my Italian sub when Rich came banging into the room. He was one of the smallest guys I knew but the dude was a hurricane.

  “What’s good, Eric? Finish up that transmission job?”

  “Yep, put her to bed this morning. Figured I’d reward myself with some peace and quiet.”

  “Ha! Good luck with that one, my friend. Besides, it seems to me like you might have too much of that in your life already.”

  As the oldest member of the crew and Kettle Cadillac’s head mechanic, I was used to getting my balls busted about still being single at forty-five. It was a favorite topic of Rich and the other guys, much to my irritation.

  “Yeah, yeah,” I mumbled. “You all are starting to sound like a broken record. And now old man Kettle is tossing in his two cents on the matter.”

  Rich sat down across from me and started pulling out his lunch from a brown bag. “It still blows my mind that you and the head honcho are friends. Must be nice.”

  “Well, I’ve got a lot more free time on my hands than you do, now don’t I? What with not having a wife and three kids to worry about.”

  The younger mechanic raised an eyebrow at me. “I guess you’re right on that, man. My bad.”

  I needed to get a tighter hold on my emotions and not let them peek through like that. Showing any kind of weakness was not the way to run a testosterone-fueled team like mine.

  “Besides, I’ve been checking out a couple of the dating apps I’ve heard some of the guys mention. When I’m not busy keeping an eye on you hooligans, of course.”

  Rich took a bite of sandwich, chewed, swallowed, and then grinned. “We finally wore you down, huh?”

  “I still think I’m too old for this shit, but yeah, you all finally wore me down.”

  Like some kind of visual aid, my cell phone dinged and a dating app alert flashed across my screen. Rich’s grin grew wider and he gave me a thumbs up.

  “Don’t let me stop you from taking care of business. I’ve got to finish eating and get back to my timing belt job.”

  I picked up my phone and saw that I had a message from somebody named Cindy. All of the sudden, the thought of having to read it and respond filled me with utter exhaustion.

  This online dating thing was alien as hell to me, and I felt like a fish out of water every time I used one of the apps I’d downloaded onto my phone.

  Just as I was thinking about deleting them all, I remembered a conversation I’d had with Don Kettle not too long ago. We’d been having a couple of drinks in his large, glass-walled office.

  “Life is about more than another notch on your bedpost, Eric. And love isn’t something to fear, no matter your past.”

  I’d looked at the owner of the Kettle Auto Group across his massive mahogany desk. Against all odds, we’d become friends during the twenty years I’d worked for him, and I’d grown to love him like a father.

  “It’s all about having a true connection with a woman. You can’t keep hiding behind the ‘love them and leave them’ mentality anymore,” Don said. “You’re too old for that crap now.”

  “Being too old is part of the problem,” I’d mumbled.

  “That’s bullshit and you know it, Eric! At least try, alright? Indulge me in my golden years, okay?”

  I’d sighed and gripped my crystal glass tighter, swirling around the bourbon inside of it, and doing my best to stay cool and collected.

  Boss or not, friend or not, Don Kettle was hitting a nerve. But I did respect and care for the man, so I’d promised him that I would give online dating a shot.

  He’d never married or had any kids himself, thanks to his relentless drive to build his business empire, so I think the boss man looked at me as a special project.

  Don Kettle had grown lonely as he grew older, and now he saw a chance to give me all the things he felt he’d missed out on during his life. I had to love him for that, so I’d caved and given dating a serious shot for the first time in a very long time.

  No more wham, bam, thank you, ma’am, I thought as I opened Cindy’s message. It’s time to give truly connecting with someone a try. Even if it is just for the boss man.

  I was doing my best to keep an open mind as I read what Cindy had to say. But the typos and emojis littering the message wasn’t making things any easier.

  Just as I was wracking my brain for a response, my phone started ringing. I didn’t recognize the number, but I was grateful for the distraction, so I answered the call with my typical brusque hello.

  “Is this Eric Castle?”

  “Maybe. Who wants to know?”

  “Mr. Castle, my name is Leland Brown. I represent Don Kettle and his various holdings. I’m calling to let you know that you’re the beneficiary of all of Mr. Kettle’s assets.”

  My body grow numb. “Wait, what? What did you just say?”

  “I’m sorry to be the one to inform you, but Mr. Kettle was found dead in his home this morning. He left strict instructions in his will that everything go to you.”

  “There must be some mistake. I just spoke with Don a few nights ago and he was perfectly healthy.”

  “His doctor seems to think it was a massive stroke. It doesn’t appear as if he suffered. And he was very clear on what he wanted.”

  My ears were ringing and my vision was going blurry. I tried to respond to the attorney, but I couldn’t seem to get my mouth to work.

  “Congratulations, Mr. Castle and welcome to the billionaire’s club.”

  Chapter Three

  Megan

  Hearing the news about Mr. Kettle had left us shaken, and as Justine and I made our way back to the office, we had no idea what to expect or what the future might hold.

  Justine waited until we pulled into the parking garage before turning to me with worried eyes. “Do you think we’ll lose our jobs?”

  “Not a chance. Mr. Kettle was a shrewd business man and he ran a tight ship. We’ll be just fine, I promise.”

  But my hands were shaking as we made our way to the elevator and rode it up to the top floor. Justine worked in the accounting department, which was just down the hall from Mr. Kettle’s office.

  When the elevator doors opened, we were greeted by total chaos. Employees were running from door to door, spreading the sad news and cooking up all kinds of rumors.

  By the time I’d dropped Justine off at her desk and started making my way to my own, I’d already heard that the company was being bought out by the Japanese.

  There was also talk that Mr. Kettle had a secret mistress who had murdered him for his money, and that a mechanic from our Cadillac dealership was taking over the helm of the Kettle Auto Group.

  I didn’t even stop to consider those ridiculous stories. I just kept moving until I reached my desk chair and sank down into it with silent tears spilling down my cheeks.

  Not only had I lost my chance to speak with Mr. Kettle about a promotion, we’d all lost a good man and a wonderful boss.

  I spent the rest of the day in a numb fog, pondering how quickly things could change, and wondering what the hell I was going to do now.

  I was barely able to acknowledge Justine when she popped in at five o’clock and told me she was going home. I just nodded my head and kept staring off into the distance.

  She knew how much the boss had meant to me and where I was with my career concerns, so she didn’t push the matter. She just gave me a sad smile and told me to call her if I wanted to talk.

  I sa
t there mourning and thinking for so long, it was dark before I was finally able to get myself in gear and start packing up to head home.

  There was nothing else I could do, and just sitting numbly at my desk sure as hell wasn’t helping anything. I decided a glass of wine and a hot bath was the next right step.

  Just as I’d grabbed my things and was heading for the door, I heard voices coming from the hallway and froze in place. I thought I’d been alone in the building and I felt panic trying to creep in on me.

  I moved back and pressed my body to the wall, so I could see but not be seen. Two men were standing in front of the main office door talking. One of them was Mr. Kettle’s attorney, Leland Brown, looking as prim and professional as always.

  I’d never seen the other man before but I recognized the Kettle Cadillac uniform he was wearing. He towered over Leland and the muscles in his arms bulged in a way that was difficult to ignore.

  I found myself looking this stranger up and down, taking in his dark hair and bright blue eyes, his handsome and rugged features, and the earnest and pained look on his face.

  I wracked my brain for reasons why one of our dealership mechanics was at the corporate office after hours with Mr. Kettle’s attorney.

  But before I could make sense of the situation, the sexy stranger turned and pinned me with those piercing eyes, and I felt my breath being taken away in an instant.

  Eric

  After I agreed to meet Leland Brown at the Kettle Auto Group corporate headquarters that evening, I got off the phone and went back to work in a daze.

  I know I spoke with people and did my job the same way I always did, but it seemed as if I was outside of myself. It was like watching a movie of my day.

  I didn’t say a word to anyone about Mr. Kettle’s death or the amazing secret his will contained. I doubted if anyone would believe that I’d inherited everything. Besides, I was too damn shocked and saddened to speak about it, even if they had.

  At least going to the corporate office at night wasn’t strange to me. I’d regularly met Don there after work to share a drink and talk about our lives.