The Chubby Bride's Glow Up

With a soft beep, the lock clicked open.

Darkness filled the room, and the smell of fir washed over Ashley Spencer.

A shiver ran through her, and an inexplicable sense of dread settled in her stomach.

"Mr. Mitchell? I've brought the documents you asked for."

Ashley desperately needed the remaining payment to pay for her mother's surgery. At her stepmother Vera Spencer's insistence, she had ventured out into the rain late at night and come to the hotel to deliver the documents to one of their business partners.

No response came from the darkness.

She had barely had time to register the silence when a scorching hand suddenly seized her wrist.

In the next instant, she was dragged forward and crashed against a chest that felt as solid as steel.

The man was tall, broad, and immensely strong. Heat poured from his muscular body, sending an uncontrollable tremor through Ashley.

"Who gave you permission to come in?" The man's voice was deep and captivating, but it held a chilling edge.

Ashley's mind went blank.

Wasn't David Mitchell supposed to be sixty years old?

But the body standing before her, along with the voice coming from it, clearly belonged to a man in the prime of his life.

"I... I'm here to collect the final payment of five hundred thousand dollars," Ashley managed to say, her voice so faint it was barely audible.

She had barely finished speaking when he seized both her hands and forced them above her head, trapping her against the cold wall.

"Five hundred thousand dollars?" He let out a cold laugh as his hot breath brushed against her neck. "That's the going price for a corporate spy now?"

"I'm not a corporate spy..." Ashley tried to explain, but he suddenly forced his body against her, and the rest of her words caught in her throat.

Connor Wallace had been drugged by his business partners. After resisting the effects for so long, his ability to think rationally was hanging by a thread.

The moment Ashley ended up in his arms, the last trace of his self-control gave way.

And this woman... her cool, rain-soaked skin seemed to be the only thing that could offer him relief.

He could no longer restrain himself. He released Ashley's hands, abruptly turned her around, and began ripping at her clothes. He pressed his face into the curve of her neck, breathing heavily as he sought relief against her skin.

"What are you doing?" Ashley cried, panic surging through her.

The truth became clear to her in an instant. The late-night errand had been part of a trap arranged by Vera.

"Let me go!" Ashley pushed against the man with every bit of strength she had, but a sudden wave of weakness swept over her, leaving her dizzy and light-headed.

She had been drugged. Terror gripped her as the realization sank in.

"Too late." Connor raised his head and forced his mouth onto hers in a punishing, possessive kiss.

Ashley no longer had the strength to resist. As his lips remained against hers, an unwelcome spark of heat stirred deep inside her.

Maybe the drug was affecting her, but Ashley began to crave his touch despite herself. Her arms even slid around his waist, drawing him closer.

He moved over her skin with desperate urgency. His hot breath brushed against her face before his lips found hers once again.

The kiss grew more intense, leaving her struggling for breath as a tremor ran through her body.

Somehow, they made their way unsteadily toward the bed. Their clothes fell off one after another until they were stark naked.

Connor pushed her down onto the mattress. In the darkness, every sensation seemed heightened, while the room filled only with the sound of their uneven breathing.

He held her close, taking her again and again until she was driven to a blinding peak of pleasure.

It was not until the first light of dawn that they finally surrendered to exhaustion and fell into sleep.

...

It was finally morning.

A shrill phone ringtone pierced the quiet, dragging Ashley out of her restless sleep.

"Ms. Spencer, your mother's condition has turned critical. Please get to the hospital immediately!"

Ashley went pale. Despite the deep soreness weighing on her entire body, she quickly climbed out of bed and stumbled out of the room, not sparing the man beside her a single look.

The door slammed shut behind her.

The noise pulled Connor out of his deep sleep.

His eyes opened instantly. The spot beside him was empty. All that remained of the woman was a faint, sweet fragrance lingering in the room and some strands of silky hair scattered across the pillow.

Memories of the previous night rushed back into his mind.

That woman... Although he had never seen her face in the darkness, being with her had felt strangely right.

Connor pushed himself upright and ran his long fingers over the rumpled sheets. His eyes turned dark and a dangerous light appeared in them.

In all of Aresding, no one had ever dared take advantage of him and then leave without a word.

He reached for his phone and called his executive assistant, Devin Foster. His voice was cold and cutting.

"Find the woman who was in my room last night. Search every corner of the city if necessary. I want her found. Bring her to me."