A Billionaire for Ms Snow

by Laura Ann

  “On my way, sugar blossom. You just hang on.”

  Two hours later, Snow and Goldie went to bed, exhausted and discouraged. Goldie’s treatments had helped, but Snow still looked like she’d gotten in a full body fight with a wall and lost.

  At least it’s duller than it was. Now, they look like fading bruises instead of freshly painted camo. Hopefully, it will be gone before Quentin sees me again. Snow’s thoughts trailed off as she gave in to the sleepiness that had been plaguing her throughout the ordeal.

  THE WEEKEND! FINALLY! Quentin’s mind was rejoicing while his face showed nothing but a stoic and calm demeanor. He waited as the last of the gentleman that had been meeting in his office left and closed the door behind him before slumping back in his seat and rolling his neck.

  He spotted his phone on the corner of his desk and immediately smiled. “Wonder what Snow is doing for dinner.” He grabbed the phone and punched her number. “Mrs. Peabody said the gift was delivered earlier this week. I hope she liked it,” he muttered as he waited for her to pick up.

  “Hello?” Her kind voice sent warmth through his chest.

  “Hello, Beautiful,” Quentin said with a smile.

  “Quentin! I’m so glad to hear from you.” The smile on her face was evident in the sound of her voice.

  “I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch more, it’s been a busy week.”

  “Oh, it’s fine.” Suddenly her voice took on an edgy tone. “I also had a crazy week.”

  Quentin's brows furrowed as he tried to interpret the new tone in her voice. “Well,” he cleared his throat. “How does your weekend look? In fact, how does tonight look? I’d love to take you to dinner.”

  “Umm...”

  Quentin’s heart sank. It finally happened. Just as I found someone who wasn’t affected by the curse, she’s turning away.

  “Would you mind terribly if we stayed in rather than go to a restaurant?” Her voice was worried.

  “Of course, I don’t mind. Is... is everything okay?” Quentin unconsciously held his breath.

  “Oh yeah, well... mostly. I suppose you’ll see when we meet up.”

  His stomach flipped. Is she just planning to tell me in person rather than over the phone? “Okay.” Without trying, his voice had dropped to the strong, unemotional tone that he used when dealing with other businessmen.

  “So, should I come to you? Or did you want to come here?”

  Quentin’s mind spun as he tried to think of where would be better. Should I keep the home-court advantage? Or keep the ability to leave whenever I want? “Why don’t you come here.”

  “Great. Seven okay?”

  “Yes.”

  “Alright, I’ll see you then.”

  “Yes.” Quentin mechanically hung up the phone. He did everything he could to separate himself emotionally from the upcoming confrontation, but try as he might, his heart was too involved. I’m falling for her. The first woman I’m falling in love with and she doesn’t feel the same.

  He groaned and rubbed his hands down his face then glanced at the clock. Two hours. Two hours and we’ll settle this.

  At seven on the dot, his doorbell rang. Normally, Quentin would have answered it himself, knowing that Snow waited on the other side of the door, but today he forced himself to wait. But when he heard a loud gasp from the doorway, his instincts took over.

  Stalking down the hallway, he rounded the corner until he could see the front entryway.

  Watson was just closing the door behind Snow and Quentin could hear him apologizing profusely. What in this world? His determined stride led him forward but as he got closer, his eyes widened and his temperature skyrocketed.

  “Who did it?” He growled.

  Snow and Watson both jumped and turned toward him at his loud comment.

  Snow’s cheeks turned dark red, and she bit her lip.

  Quentin could feel his fuse getting shorter and shorter. He stepped into Snow’s personal space, staring her down. Even her wide eyes and look of panic didn’t dissuade him. “I said, who did this?”

  Snow closed her eyes momentarily and let out a long breath. Her dark eyes were bottomless pools when she reopened them to look at his. Reaching up, she put a cool, comforting hand against his cheek. “It’s really kind of embarrassing. Give me a minute and I’ll explain.”

  Finishing taking off her coat, Quentin’s eyes got impossibly larger. Not only were there bruises across her entire neck, but markings were visible all down her arms and the small expanse of chest visible at the top of her shirt.

  Quentin felt a growl rumble up from deep in his throat and his fists clenched so hard he thought he might break a finger.

  Snow put her hand on his forearm. “Come on, let’s go sit down.”

  “Not until you tell me what’s going on.”

  Snow rolled her eyes. “It’s not what you think, caveman, so just calm down and we can talk. Really, I’m not hurt. But I am embarrassed and I’d rather not talk about it here.”

  “Fine.” Quentin stalked to the sitting room and threw open the door. He didn’t bother to wait for Snow before throwing himself on the couch and crossing his arms. After a moment, he stood up again and began to pace by the fireplace.

  Snow sat down gingerly on the couch and folded her hands in her lap.

  “Well?” He knew his voice was harsh, but he couldn’t seem to help the anger coursing through him. Someone hurt her. He’s going to pay. I’m going to make him pay.

  Snow sighed. “As I said, it’s not what you think. By the way, thank you for the lovely gift basket. It contained some things I’ve really enjoyed.”

  Quentin stopped pacing and raised a brow. “You’re welcome. Was there something you didn’t enjoy?”

  Snow scrunched up her face. “Well... see, that’s what brings me to this.” She gestured down her arm.

  Quentin’s brow furrowed. “What do you bruises have to do with the gift basket?”

  “They aren’t bruises.”

  “What?” Quentin sat down and picked up her arm. As he studied her skin, he noticed the patterns were wrong. Up close, it was obvious it was just a swirling of colors, rather than having a central focal point. “Just what was in that basket?” He ran his finger along her skin and almost smiled when he saw goosebumps follow his touch.

  “You don’t know?” Snow tilted her head to catch his eye.

  Quentin felt his cheeks get hot. “I, uh, I’m not very good with gift giving, so I asked Mrs. Peabody to find you some little luxury that women would enjoy.” He gave a half smile.

  Snow laughed. “Well, that explains a lot. Like the very perfunctory and unromantic note, for one,” she finished under her breath.

  Quentin wanted to ask her more about that but was more interested in what had caused her odd dye job. “So... the color?”

  “Oh yeah, well that basket was full of fun spa stuff, including a few bath bombs, which I have never used before. So, of course, I jumped right in the tub as soon as it arrived.” Snow scrunched her lips to one side of her face. “However, after a nice long soak, I discovered there must have been some kind of mistake in the bomb because it apparently contained the wrong types of dyes. Hence, the camo coloring to my skin.”

  Quentin’s eyebrows shot up. “You’re serious?”

  Snow gave him a deadpan look. “I think the result is rather obvious.”

  Quentin began to chuckle as he looked at her skin once more. He shook his head. “Your glorious, white skin must have been the perfect canvas for it.”

  Snow’s cheek’s flamed. “Anyway, I was actually really, really dark when I got out of the tub, but I called one of the art teachers at Middleton Prep and she came over and helped me remove a good portion of it.” She studied her arm. “It gets a little lighter with each washing.”

  Quentin shook his head. “Unbelievable. I thought you were acting funny on the phone because you were going to break up with me.”

  Snow’s head shot up to his. “What? Are you serious
?” Her face softened. “Oh, Quentin.” She put her hands around his neck and leaned into him, kissing him softly. “I like you way too much to break up with you Mr. Gruffman.”

  Quentin felt a weight lift from his shoulders at the same time warmth spread through his core. Leaning in, he took a much more satisfactory kiss than her little peck before standing up and taking her hand. “Come on, I promised you dinner. Mrs. Peabody should have it all ready by now.”

  As they walked into the dining room, Snow smiled at the candles and romantic setting. “It’s lovely,” she said with a wide smile.

  Quentin pulled her in. “I was going to try to win you back,” he whispered before kissing her forehead.

  Snow tsked and shook her head. “I’m so sorry about the misunderstanding.”

  He took a moment to settle Snow in her seat, then opened the door to the kitchen to let Mrs. Peabody know they were ready.

  When the housekeeper came in with their dishes, Quentin asked her about the package.

  “Really? I had no idea!” The woman’s hand fluttered to her chest. “I simply ordered it and had it sent directly to Ms. White’s residence. I never even saw it myself.” Her eyes were wide and Quentin hurried to sooth her.

  “Don’t worry Mrs. Peabody, we don’t blame you. I simply wanted to see what happened. Let’s not use that particular company again.”

  Mrs. Peabody’s eyes darted to Snow’s and then back to Quentin’s before she nodded. “Very good, sir.”

  Sir, again. What now?

  Quentin looked over and noticed Snow watching the housekeeper leave with a confused look on her face. “What is it?” He asked, putting a hand on her forearm to get her attention.

  “Hmm? Oh, nothing,” Snow quickly said. She smiled. “This smells delicious and I’m starving. How about you?”

  Quentin smiled but filed his question in the back of his mind for later. “Me as well. Shall we say grace?”

  Snow beamed and nodded.

  After a few words, they settled into a comfortable evening together.

  CHAPTER 10

  Snow studied herself in the mirror. The awkward dye job had finally washed off her skin, and she was feeling much better. She added a touch more lip gloss to her naturally red lips and reassessed. “That’s as good as it’s going to get,” she muttered to herself with a nod.

  Quentin had invited her to a Valentine’s dinner and had asked her to dress up for the occasion. Snow didn’t know for sure where they were going, but she loved spending time with the man she was quickly falling for. She snorted. Falling for? You’ve been sunk for ages, lady.

  Her doorbell rang and the butterflies in her stomach began to tap dance like they were on a caffeine buzz. She put her hand on her stomach to curb the crazy sensation. After a quick breath, she hurried to let Quentin in.

  Snow stood stunned as she stared at the perfect, male specimen in front of her. She had seen him in a suit before, but tonight seemed extra special.

  “Wow,” she breathed. Quentin’s hair was slicked back, his suit cut to perfection and his five o’clock shadow shaved smooth. She closed her eyes as she got a whiff of his cologne. Mmm... he smells good enough to eat. Her cheeks heated at her brazen thoughts and she glanced up when she heard Quentin’s rumbling chuckle.

  He reached out and ran a knuckle down her cheek. “Just what thought put that color in your cheeks?” His grin let Snow know he was teasing her, so she straightened her shoulders and decided to tease back.

  “Wouldn’t you like to know?” She said with a wink.

  Quentin’s eyebrow shot up. “Indeed, I would. Maybe I’ll have to find a way to get it out of you.” He leaned close and looked at her lips.

  Snow’s cheeks felt like they would go up in flames any minute. “We’ll see about that,” she said putting her nose in the air with feigned confidence.

  “I’ve always enjoyed a challenge,” Quentin stood straight with a smirk on his gorgeous lips.

  Good grief, I’m going to melt before we ever get out the door. Clearing her throat, she reached behind her and grabbed her coat. “Ready?” She asked as she stepped out and locked her apartment.

  “Absolutely.” Quentin held out his arm and Snow sighed as she snuggled into his side.

  “Don’t look now, but we have an audience,” Quentin whispered into her hair as he leaned down to kiss the top of her head.

  Snow looked around and realized that all seven of her little neighbors were peering through their front window watching the action. Snow giggled and waved. Princess, Doc, Messy, and Sleepy waved back. But Grumpy folded his arms and scowled while Pete and Repeat made kissy faces at Snow and Quentin.

  Snow closed her eyes and shook her head. “Looks like we better get out of here before they get any other bright ideas.”

  Quentin chuckled, waved and shuffled Snow to his car.

  Snow glanced at the sky. “It looks like it could snow. I hope it holds off until I’m home tonight.”

  Quentin followed her gaze before focusing back on her. “Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of you. By the way, I haven’t said it yet, because you stole the words right out of my mouth, but wow. You look stunning tonight.”

  Snow couldn’t contain the overly wide smile that crossed her face. “Thank you,” she said softly as she sat down and buckled up.

  An hour later, Snow set her napkin on the table in front of her and worked to keep from groaning. They probably would frown on that here. “That was sooo good,” Snow gushed. “I’d never been here before, thank you so much for bringing me.”

  Quentin smiled, stealing Snow’s breath. “Anything for my lady,” he said.

  My lady? Who teaches these guys how to be charming? Is there a secret course in high school or something? Snow bit her tongue to keep a laugh from coming out at her wandering thoughts.

  “Can I interest the two of you in a dessert?” Their waiter stopped at their table, looking expectantly at Quentin.

  “No, thank you,” Quentin said without looking at the waiter, his eyes glued to Snow.

  Snow bit back the small flicker of disappointment at not experiencing dessert at one of the best restaurants she had ever been to, but Quentin had been in charge of their Valentine’s date and she would follow his lead.

  Quentin chuckled after paying the bill and leaned across the table. “Don’t worry. I haven’t forgotten your sweet tooth.” He stood and came around to help her out of her chair, guiding her through the restaurant with his hand on her lower back. “I thought we could eat dessert somewhere a little more... intimate.” His voice was deep and sent shivers down Snow’s spine as he settled her into the car. Best Valentine’s Day ever!

  QUENTIN HELD SNOW’S hand as he drove them back to his house. He tried not to smirk, but he couldn’t help the smug sensation rushing through him. Quentin’s curse had followed him through his entire courtship with Snow and yet she hadn’t faltered. She’d nearly been mugged, she’d fainted from an overly tight corset and she’d even been dyed from a random bath bomb! The fact that she was still with him gave him the confidence to confess his feelings to her, which is why he had set up such an intimate date.

  He had carefully planned dessert tonight, asking Mrs. Peabody to make Snow’s favorite dessert and have waiting for the two of them in a dim room filled with candlelight and roses.

  As they filled themselves full of crème brûlée, he planned to tell her those three simple words that had always terrified him. The words that would hopefully cement their relationship for good. He could see himself spending the rest of his life with this wonderful woman at his side. He cleared his throat, trying not to let his thoughts run away with him. He was taking a big step tonight, and it both terrified and excited him.

  As he pulled up to the house, he left the engine running and walked around to get the beautiful woman waiting for him. As they walked into the house, he couldn’t help but put his hand on her lower back. In fact, he couldn’t seem to stop touching her period. Without conscious thought he
always found himself reaching out to touch her in some way, the draw to her soft skin had become an addiction to him.

  After handing off their coats to Watson, Quentin took Snow’s hand and led her toward the dining hall.

  “What are we doing now?” Snow asked with a smile.

  Quentin couldn’t help the goofy grin that mimicked her own. “I told you I hadn’t forgotten your sweet tooth.”

  “Oh!” Snow’s eyes widened when she saw the room. Quentin had to hand it to Mrs. Peabody. She had sure set the scene. There were hundreds of roses around the room and the long table was filled with softly glowing candles.

  Snow took a deep breath. “Oh my, this room smells divine. Like a bakery and a floral shop had a baby.”

  Quentin huffed a laugh and pulled her further into the room. Before they got to the table, he pulled her into his arms and gave her a soft kiss. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

  “Thank you,” Snow whispered against his lips. “It’s by far the best Valentine’s date I’ve ever had.”

  After another couple of kisses, Quentin tugged Snow over and settled her at the table. A cloche was sitting in the middle and Quentin scooted it over and pulled off the top.

  “Crème brûlée! My favorite!” Snow beamed. She nudged Quentin with her hand. “No wonder you were asking me all those questions the other day, you sneak.”

  Quentin chuckled and set one of the ramekins in front of her and one in front of himself. As Snow began to eat the rich dessert, Quentin’s sat untouched. A sudden bout of nerves had hit him. He worked to keep his breathing normal so Snow wouldn’t suspect something was wrong, but his chest felt tight and he felt like he wasn’t getting enough oxygen.

  Quentin Gruffman, you have faced down CEO’s of major corporations, telling a woman you love her should be like a walk in the park.

  His pep talk did little good. But Quentin forged ahead. Forcing a deep breath into his lungs he looked up at Snow, determined to say what he had planned.