Bet With The Billionaire

The thick and sweet liquid drips on my lips. I couldn't stop myself from licking it and tasting it again with my tongue.

I pursed my lips and closed my eyes tightly.

"Hmm…" I slightly moaned.

"What the hell?"

I opened my eyes and saw Lindsey in front of me, her brows raised and her eyes full of confusion.

I don't know if she's grossed out by the moan or what.

"What?"

"Why the heck are you moaning like that?"

"It's good," I said.

"Yes, I know I made that, so for sure, it's good, but why do you need to moan like that?"

"Like what? It's normal."

"No, you sounded like you were penetrated by something!"

I laughed. "Penetrated by a pancake."

"Eww, gross, Tamantha!" She giggled.

I rolled my eyes and smiled. Lindsey doesn't like it when I say those things, but if she tells them, it's okay. I don't get her sometimes.

I stuffed my mouth with pancakes and chewed faster than I ever could. I feel like I forgot how good pancakes taste when they're hot. Because I ate it late at night, I usually ate it cold and paired it with whip cream, syrup, or whatever I could find in the fridge that was sweet and went well with the pancakes.

I don't know what went through Lindsey's head to make pancakes today; she usually eats oatmeal, which she learned to make online about healthy diets.

"Tamantha, slow down; you might choke on munching too much." "You're not even breathing," she said.

"Are you crazy?" "If I'm not breathing, then I'm dead."

"Oh, stop being sarcastic, Tamantha!"

"I'm hungry, Lindsey."

She looks at me. "It looks like it but slows down. I don't want you to die just for eating fast."

"No one dies because of that."

"Yes, someone did!"

"Who?" I asked.

"I don't know."

I sighed and stopped chewing for a second. My eyes caught the reflection of myself in the mirror near me. The apartment has a small kitchen, but there's a huge mirror.

I stared at myself, my gaze traveling down to my syrup-covered double chin, then back to my cheeks, and finally to my flabby arms.

I looked at Linsey washing the plates on the sink. She's thin, but not too thin. Her long blonde hair is tied up in the back so it doesn't get wet while washing the dishes.

My eyes squint when I noticed her skin gets tanned, but she was not tanned; she had fair skin.

Oh, I remember she went to the tanning salon with her boyfriend last week. So that's probably because of it.

I look again in the mirror and stare at myself. At the same time, everyone around me is glowing. I'd barely lit up.

What's happening to me?

They say that when you're twenty, you'll figure out everything and have a lot of fun. It's your best years, but I can't feel any happiness in my twenties. Am I aging wrong, or what?

Maybe because I don't take care of myself that much, but I do love myself, so I guess it's just my weight problem. I overate, and I feel like I'm always hungry, or maybe it's just because of the videos I watched online.

I'm not used to being this heavy; I used to weigh 55 kilograms, but now I'm somewhere between 70 and 80 kilograms. I don't want to measure it because I know I will be disappointed.

I don't know. I feel so crazy about it. I might have an eating disorder, but I'm too scared to visit a doctor. I don't want to find out the truth because, as they say, it hurts.

But I'm hoping that I don't have it. At least I'm aware of what's happening to me; the only thing lacking is the action to do the right thing to change my life.

But how can I even start with a small step if my feelings and old habits are stuck in the past? It's not just stuck in there; I think it's cemented now because of what happened. I don't even know if I will have a chance to move forward with my life. All of my problems seem to be weighing me down.

"I thought you were going to diet and lose weight? But here you are, stuffing your mouth with all this sweetness."

I sighed. "It's your food. You don't have healthy food, so I have no choice."

"You are aware that you have a choice."

Tams. I know you are going through a hard breakup, but—"

I cut her off.

"It's not a hard breakup," I said.

She raised her brows. "Really? Are you sure?"

"Of course, how could I be so uncertain?"

"Alright." She shrugged. I know she knows I don't want to talk about my breakup anymore. It's been a month. I don't care what is happening with Zach or if she's with the girl she cheated on. I don't care if they have their best life or if they're going to get married.

I don't care. I don't want to watch it because I hate Zach. I hate him for ruining our relationship, which I thought would last forever. I hate him for making me feel so unworthy. I hate him for making me feel so unwanted and unattractive.

I'm not unattractive! I'm just like this.

I stared at the mirror. If I hadn't gained weight, maybe he wouldn't have cheated. But I don't fuck with that bullshit. A true man will not cheat on you because he loves you for who you are; he will be there to support you, not to look around and fuck the first woman he sees.

It's absurd.

I hate him to the core. Fucking liar and cheater! They both deserve each other, whoever that girl is. I'm good without him now. I can enjoy my food better because he's not around to tell me how much he hates seeing me eat the foods I like.

Fuck him!

Once I get all my sh*t together, I will show him how happy I am without his lying ass. I know my self-worth, and I may be sinking with doubt if I can change my habits and take action to make myself feel better about my weight, but I'm not dumb or naive enough to beg a guy like him to come back to me and try a relationship once again.

He cheated. It's his fault; even if he is tempted, he should have stayed faithful.

A relationship built on love, loyalty, trust, and understanding lasts. Not a toxic one that I had with Zach.

"Tamantha."

"Tamantha!"

"What?"

"You're spacing out again."

"Did I?"

"Yes! And stop doing that; I feel scared. I don't know where your head goes when you space out, but if you have something in mind, tell me, and I will listen."

"Really? Will you listen to me as you did in college when we were in the lab? You're not even listening to me at that time! You are just busy staring at our hot professor." I laughed.

"So? Mr. Mason is hot, and I don't regret staring at him the whole class rather than hearing what rumor you heard in the bathroom."

"The only rumor I heard is how you confessed your crush on Mr. Mason back then! But I didn't know what happened next; did you give him a blowjob?"

Her cheeks flushed.

My eyes widened. "No, did you?"

"Oh, shut up, Tamantha!" You are gross! I don't do those things! I just confessed, then that was it. He said thank you, and I was embarrassed, so I left.

I shrugged. "Alright, as you say."

Lindsey and I became friends in college. I don't even know how we became friends when she was a very proper and timid girl. I was overconfident, and I was the life of the party.

"Anyways, I will go now." "I don't want to be late for work again."

"That's a good idea; since you're always late, I'm surprised you're still employed," she remarked.

"Shut up, Lindsey."

I pick up my things and ride a cab to my company. It's a magazine company that writes articles about women, anything about women, fashion, lifestyle, and even sex.

I write for it, but primarily just for fashion. I have always loved fashion, ever since I was a teenager, but I can't get into good clothes lately because of my weight. Nothing fits how I want it to work, though it still looks good.

I guess I'm not that fat, though. The distribution of fats is even in my legs and arms but not in my stomach, which is good. My waistline remained the way they were back then.

"Good morning, Ms. Stolly!" The guard in front of the door greeted me.

I reached the company building right away. Even though I'm late, there's no traffic; perhaps it's because I'm late that there's no traffic. After all, everyone is now focused on their work.

"Good morning, Tommy!" I smiled.

"You always seem to be late, Ms. Stolly."

"Oh, come on, even you, Tommy."

He shrugged and smiled.

It looks like everyone notices how often I am late. I admit that I've been late for the past few days, but not that late. I still do my tasks in this company, contributing to everything I can.

When I walked onto the second floor, I was greeted by Hailee, my coworker, who doesn't like me that much for some reason that I don't even know.

"Tamantha, the boss has asked you to come into the office."

My brows knitted with what she said. Why is the boss asking me to come into the office?

I glanced at the office door and saw Rebecca go in. Is she also called to the office?

What's going on?

Even though I was confused, I put my bag on the desk and hurried to the office.

"You're late again, Ms. Stolly," my boss said.

I pursed my lips. "I'm sorry, boss, but it's traffic and..."

"No excuses, Ms. Stolly."

I nod and bow my head.

Rebecca was beside me; she raised her brow as she scanned me thoroughly.

What is wrong with her?

Just because she's thinner than me doesn't mean she could look at me in that weird way. Everyone in this office is skinnier than I could look at me in that odd way. Everyone in this office is thinner than me. I'm the only fat girl here.

"I called both of you because the company is cutting its budget, and we need to fire one employee."

My eyes widened.

Am I one of the choices?

What the…

I swallowed.

"Ms. Rebecca is here because she always fights with her co-workers, and you, Ms. Stolly... I don't even think I need to say why you are here. The two of you are the least competitive workers here."

Shit!

"I guess you already knew what would go down here."

"One of you will be fired."

I swallowed hard.

"But boss, you can't fire me."

"I'm such a big asset here in the company," she said as she squeezed his breast together with her arms, making it more noticeable.

What the heck is she doing? Is she using her sexy body not to get fired?

And what is she talking about being an asset here? She's far from being an asset! She always fights with everyone, even with me! She doesn't even contribute to the magazine's article!

The boss gulped.

What a jerk!

He scanned Rebecca beside me. She wore a fitted red dress that hugged her thin waist and big breasts.

Shit!

The boss looked at me; he didn't even scan my body, just straight at my face!

He looked once again at Rebecca's body.

"You're fired, Ms. Stolly."

"But I've only been late for the past weeks! I always do my best in this company! I even got the early bird award before!"

"Complete attendance as well! I'm good at my job; it's just that I'm going through something and..."

He cut me off.

"You are fired, Ms. Stolly, and that's final."

*

"You can't believe what happened, Lindsey," I said as I walked through the door.

After what happened in the office, I quickly packed my belongings and brought them with me.

No one cared at all. My office mates continued with their lives. What do I expect them to do?

It's a corporate world, so they wouldn't care about me. It's not like I'm friends with them, but I'm always alone at my desk. I don't even know all their names.

Life goes on with or without Tamantha Stolly.

Her eyebrows raised. "What?"

"They cut off an employee because of a budget problem, and I was one of the choices."

"And? You are fired?"

"Shut up, let me finish."

I still can't believe they fired me!

"Alright. So you are fired?"

"Yes, but the reason is outrageous!"

"Why?"

"If you let me finish without asking, you will know Linsey."

"Okay?"

She nodded while biting a carrot.

"So I was one of the choices to be fired. And you see, I'm like this. I'm fat, and the other choice is a sexy girl! She's thin! Unlike me!"

"So they chose her instead of you?"

"Yes," I said.

"Well, you can't blame them."

"Why? They actually want to fire me because they hate seeing a fat girl in the office!"

"No, Tamantha, you are not sure about that. You should also think about your work performance and attendance."

I listened to her.

"For the last month, you have always been late because of your breakup and your struggle to lose weight, so instead of sleeping and focusing on your goal, you end up overthinking about it at night and overeating in the morning when you starve yourself that night."Besides, you are not sure you are doing an excellent job at work."

Yes, I may be late for these past few weeks, but I'm a good editor! I do my job neatly, almost perfectly! How can they fire me like that? Without even notice? I know that they don't care about my personal life or what I'm going through because it's not connected to my job, but all I need is a heads-up or even an explanation!

Not this fast! What makes it even worse is when they choose Rebecca, the sexy girl.

Well, there's no other chubby girl in the office to compete with my fat, so they will probably choose her. I already know about the reality of life, but I just can't get a grip on it.

Maybe I'm not ready, considering that many things are happening in my life now.

I don't have a boyfriend; I'm unhealthy, and I'm unemployed.

What a life, Tamantha!

"Well, you may have a point, but I'm fucked up, Lindsey."

"We all do Tams; you just need to swallow it all or suckling on something!" She grinned.

My brows are knitted. "What?"

"I don't understand how calm you are, Lindsey. You can even joke around! Don't you understand? I'm fired! I don't have a job! How can I pay for our apartment? How can I help you here if I'm not going to pay? If I lose my job because I'm too fat! "That girl is just normally looking. I'm above average, but still, she's the chosen one!"

I try to hold back my tears. I'm not usually this emotional, but I don't know why all this shit is coming down on me all at once. I know that problems are part of life, but shit, I don't want this.

"Oh, Tams, why are you acting so dramatic? It's alright. We can sort it out. You're my freaking best friend, so don't sweat it. It doesn't matter; I can handle it, and maybe it's good for you to stop working in the meantime." She smiled.

What does she mean?

"You know, focus on yourself and take care of yourself, and once you're ready and fine, you can go back to work."

I took a deep breath. Why did Lindsey suddenly blurt out truth and wisdom? She's not usually like this. She's way worse than me but look at her getting her sh*t together.

"Well, you do have a point, Lindsey."

She stood up. "Of course I do! I'm Lindsey Cara! I always prove a point! And you are?"

"Tamantha," I said.

"Louder!" she screamed.

"Tamantha!"

"Tamantha, what?" she asked fiercely.

"Tamantha Stolly."

"Who?!"

"Tamantha Stolly!" Tamantha fucking Stolly!

She hugged me. "See, that wasn't so bad! Today is the day that you are going to fix your life!

"I will. Thanks, Lindsey! But are you drunk?"

"No."

"I don't know why I feel like you are drunk and why you are drunk in the morning."

"Have you also broken up with Andrew?"

"What, no?" she laughed.

"I just want to feel chilled."

"It's been so long since I've been like this."

"Well, if you really like to chill, we can go to the bar."

"That's a freaking good idea, Tamantha!" "I'm freaking in! Go to the shower, dress up, and I'll call Andrew to have a party! And you will forget all of your problems!"

"Drink it all away!"

As Lindsey and I agreed, we went to the bar late at night. It's already full of drunk people because it's already late. I also want to get hammered by the drinks. In the meantime, I want to forget all my problems and let the liquor take them away.

The lights are dancing and blinking to the beat. Everyone was jumping and throwing their heads back as I watched some of them grind with each other. Some are dancing on the table. Others are twerking everywhere while filming it.

I wonder if I could even do a twerk. I'm not sure. I never tried.

I stood up from my chair and looked around. No one is watching me, so I can probably try, but when I try to do it, someone stares at me, and now I'm anxious to do it, so I go back to my chair and sip on my drink.

After two hours of drinking, I'm still sober. I'm not sure why; I guess even the alcohol isn't interested in my problem.

That's how messed up my life is at this moment.

I looked around the bar and couldn't find Lindsey and Andrew. No one is even asking me for a dance; the only people interested in me are some old creeps from the dark corner of the bar. I don't even know if they are there!

I was lurking in the dark, staring at some people. But who am I to judge? Maybe that's their thing. They want to stare at people in the bar; I don't care. As long as they're not doing anything illegal or something that affects me, I'm good with it.

Minutes passed, and I was torn about whether to dance alone or leave the bar, stay home, and sleep.

I think about my mistakes and dwell on them for hours. I have no direction in life; I'm such a fucking waste.

I buried my face in my palm and sighed.

I drink the last vodka on my table and head out of the bar.

I'm still walking fine; the alcohol doesn't affect me. Unlike inside the bar, the outside is peaceful because no one is on the road.

I rest my back on the lamp post near the bar. I waited for a cab to drive me home to our apartment, but there was no cab, so I waited until I realized my purse was on my chair inside the bar.

"Shit!" I blurted it out.

I went back again to get it. Luckily, it's still there. Well, who will fucking get a pink sequence purse? No one. Compared to fancy bags nowadays, it's an old hat for them.

I went out again for the second time and waited for a cab, but no taxi was passing by. I want to book an Uber, but I don't even have enough money.

My forehead creased when I saw a rugged man staring at me across the street.

I blinked to confirm if he was real, and he was! Now he's crossing the street.

Shit! I'm fucked!

Why is he staring at me like that?

He has a smirk on his face.

What does he want?

The guys seemed suspicious. He's about 5'8" tall, and he has a weird-looking beard.

I took a step back when he walked forward.

I'm starting to fear for myself. I'm not even sexy or beautiful! Why would he take an interest in me?

I mean, I'm pretty or cute but not stunning enough to get him in trouble. If I were him, I wouldn't be in this situation. I'll go and mind my own business!

I swallowed hard when he stopped in front of me.

I stiffened where I was. I don't even know what's going on. Is he going to take advantage of me? Because, luckily, I'm big, he would lose if he tried to. I would knock the shite out of him with my flabby arms!

"Don't worry, girl, I'm not going to kidnap you; you're too fat."

My eyes widened at what he said.

I was too stunned even to speak. I'm not even sure how I am supposed to feel about what he said. Well, of course, I'm relieved that he doesn't have any plans to do anything terrible to me, but why does he need to say it that way?

Why shame me?

I sighed.

I watched the guy walk away. My forehead creased when someone giggled behind me.

I raised my eyebrow and turned around.

A guy near the bar door is standing, holding his stomach while laughing. His laugh echoed in the dark street.

I couldn't get a good glimpse of him, but I'm confident he is tall.

What the hell is he laughing at?

"Excuse me, but did something amuse you?" I asked.

He continued laughing like he didn't hear me. Is my voice not loud enough? Or maybe he can't listen to me because he is still laughing?

"Hey!"

Our eyes met when he raised his head.

"Are you laughing at me?"

"What?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes. This guy is frustrating. Is he so drunk that he can't hear anything?

"I asked if you were laughing at me," I said.

"No." He shook his head.

"Really? I heard you laugh behind me; what do you think is funny?" I asked. This time I'm even more furious. I don't know if this guy is messing with me or if he's drunk and laughing at everything.

But it's not a coincidence that he laughed after what the rugged man said.

"OK," He said, placing his hand in his pants pocket. He walked forward, giving me a good glimpse of his face. His chiseled shadow is much more visible because of the shadow from the light.

Even though I'm fascinated with his chiseled jaw, I didn't let it affect how I felt because it is not a laughing matter.

"What?"

"You are funny."

"Why do you find it funny?"

"I don't know." He shrugged.

"You don't know? You laughed at me, sir! Of course, you understand why it's amusing."

"Fine, it's funny how you thought he would do something to you, but it turns out you're not even his type, which is a big twist!" he laughed.

My eyes squinted.

See? I'm freaking right about it!

"He's not even turned on or anything."

"He's far from getting a boner."

"Really?"

He nodded.

"Alright."

I pursed my lips.

"I bet I could turn you on."

His brow furrowed. He seemed perplexed and unsure if I had said that.

"Come on, let's bet!" I said.

"Bet? that you could turn me on?"

I nodded.

"What would I get in this bet?"

"A boner."

He laughed. "Only if you could turn me on, Miss. I don't believe you can."

"Why because I'm chubby?"

"No, let's not go there, alright? It's not because of that, but I don't get easily turned on."

My eyebrows were raised. I couldn't figure out if that's just an excuse or accurate, but I heard that some guys are hard to turn on, even if you get naked and do some acrobatics in bed.

Or those guys have kinks; that's why they don't easily get turned on.

"So you'd be lucky because I'm about to turn you on."