chapter 1

The velvet material of her dress was taut against her paunch. Sophie straightened her back to take in a lungful of air, and tugged at the cloth.
"If you love me," said Jasper, as he dragged a chair beside her, "you're gonna have to eat." He sat and crossed his legs. A smile threatened to lift the edges of his lips.
She swallowed, staring in dismay at the table before her. She'd eaten nearly half of what he'd ordered and couldn't bring herself to take another bite. A whole fried chicken, a Hawaiian 12 inch and a third of a cheese cake. She briefly wondered how many calories were swimming in her stomach, and chewed the sides of her mouth.
Jasper ran a hand through his dark hair, causing several strands to fall across his forehead. He was so handsome that Sophie's heart ached. Those deep-set pair of eyes above that strong, straight nose. And not forgetting his jawline that was to die for. She wanted him so terribly bad.
Gritting her teeth, she reached for the bowl mashed potatoes.

*

The second she stepped into the club, she was already regretting her decision. Every girl that strutted by had beach bodies and perfect proportions. Sophie looked down at her frumpy self and her shoulders sagged. She rested a hand on her thick waist and pinched at her fat. She'd even willed herself not to touch food after breakfast. But, clearly that still didn't do her any good.
"Sophie!" a tall, tanned girl yelled over the thumping music. Olivia snaked through the crowds, holding a tequila in each hand.
"Should I just go home?" Sophie yelled back. "I don't think clubbing is my thing." She eyed Olivia's toned arms, sculpted from years of tennis.
The tall girl pushed the tequila into Sophie's hands. "No way!" she said. "Drink up. You'll feel it once you get some alcohol into your system." She winked and chugged her glass down before biting on the lemon slice.
With a sigh, Sophie followed suit.
Olivia grabbed her wrist and pulled her after a throng of people that were making their way to the center. Laser lights streaked across the sea of bodies, painting faces in different colors. Sophie sucked in her stomach, trying to make herself as small as possible as they passed through walls of people.
"Here we are!" Olivia said, letting go of Sophie's wrist. The music pulsing from the speakers was even louder than where they'd first stood. Olivia's sequinned dress glittered under the flashing lights. She raised her arms and swayed to the beat, her slender body bending and twisting with a dancer's lithe. Something that Sophie's soft body would never be able to do.
She closed her eyes and tried to let the music run through her bones, guiding the actions of her limbs and hip. She imagined herself with a body like her best friend's. She tried to feel beautiful. She tried to be free. And so, Sophie didn't dare open her eyes for the longest time, wishing to stay in the fantasy that she'd crafted for herself.
Then she felt an arm. It slowly coiled itself around her soft waist. It felt nothing like Olivia's. Sophie's eyes flew open.
"Who...?" she yelped, flinching away from the touch. Olivia was dancing with some guy with bleached hair whose hands were dangerously close to her butt. Sophie twisted around to see a grinning face. Her heart leapt -- a really gorgeous, grinning face.
"You're pretty," the stranger said, his hands finding her waist again. "I've been looking at you for a while --" he bit his lip "-- in a totally not-creepy way." He pulled her closer to him, his grin spreading further across his lips.
Her stomach brushed against his firm abdomen. Immediately, she blushed. She was already sucking in as much as she could. Still, the stranger didn't seem to be in the least bit bothered.
"Are you here with friends?" she asked meekly. His hands slid down to her hip and gently squeezed her softness.
"Yeah," he said. "They opened a table somewhere at the side." He made a face. "But I think they're all wasted by now. I'm Jasper, by the way."
"I'm Sophie," she replied, finally gathering the courage to wrap her own arms around his narrow waist. She smiled back at him. Maybe she wasn't that ugly after all.
Jasper leaned in to her. "Want to go somewhere else, Sophie?" he asked at her ear.
Olivia seemed pretty taken by bleached boy, so Sophie nodded, heart raising. "Sure."

*

They made out the second they turned into the narrow, empty lane adjacent to the club. Jasper pushed her up against a wall gently, and inclined himself to her. Sophie found her hands resting against his well-formed chest. Oh how she loved guys with broad chests. Their lips touched.
Jasper's hands cupped her breasts and she released an involuntary gasp. Never ever had she felt something like this. Let alone touched by a guy. His fingers circled her hardened nipples. Her breathing grew heavy with desire.
"Please," she said, between kisses. "Touch me more."
He chuckled, pushing the straps of her dress off her shoulders. Then he pulled the neckline down, freeing her breasts from any confinement. Her skin prickled as cold, night air caressed her. He rolled her nipples between his index finger and thumb. A groan escaped her lips.
At this juncture, she'd already given up sucking in her stomach. Her gut pressed against the material of her dress. With one hand, Jasper grabbed a chunk of her fat.
"You're so beautiful," he said, stroking her middle as if it were the most precious thing in the world.
Sophie slid her hands up his shirt, feeling the contours of his muscles. "But I'm fat," she muttered, against his lips. "Why would someone like you like me?"
Instead of replying, Jasper rolled her dress up and massaged her inner thighs. Her knees threatened to buckle. Then he pressed two fingers against her underwear.
"You're terribly wet," he mused. "That's fast."
Sophie took in a sharp breath and fell against him. Her nipples brushed the fabric of his shirt. "Please just do it already."
He plunged his fingers into her and with his free hand, he squeezed her paunch and kneaded it like dough. Sophie panted, gasped and moaned. Never in her life did she think that a guy would take interest in her. Never in her life had she expected herself to feel such sensations. She craved for more.
Her back arched and she came.