The Billionaire's Big Beautiful Bride (BWWM Romance Book 1)

by Fielding, J A

  She walked to the bathroom and started the shower before she took off her bathrobe. She was not sure how she felt about a vacation in a snowy environment. The only white holiday she liked was Christmas. With her family. Maybe enjoying some eggnog and watching reruns of old Christmas movies. Definitely not sliding down a steep snow covered mountain. That was not who she was or even what she believed was an ideal holiday. And the fact that she didn't even have a bikini body was not really helping the situation. It was enough that she had to wear shapewear to work but to do something that she was not necessarily used to meant getting out of her comfort zone. Out of her casual dress tops that covered up her ‘problem areas’ as she liked to refer to them. She would have to be in some tight clothing that didn’t exactly instill a lot of confidence in her appearance.

  When she got out of the shower, she stood in front of the mirror and untied the towel that she had secured on top of her breasts. She took a long deep breath and shook her head. It was not that she didn’t love her body or anything like that. It was just that she had never noticed herself being the kind of person to squeeze into a tight fitting ski suit. She was not an outdoors person and somehow, Victoria, a person she had only known for a few months was somehow turning her into a person she hardly knew or even recognized. There was no telling what was going to happen once they were out there. She turned to her side and looked at her profile before she shook her head.

  “This damn ski trip is not going to happen,” she thought as she walked towards the closet. She switched on her bedroom TV as she put on her bra and panties before she put on a gray wrap around, V-necked, elbow sleeved dress and a pair of black stiletto heeled knee length boots. She held her hair in a loose side bun and then grabbed a coat and her keys before she began walking towards the door. She had thought of having breakfast at home but the appeal of watching another Game of Thrones episode while eating was too tempting. And she knew that if she did do that, she was going to be late to her meeting. Her very important meeting yet.

  When she got into her car, she strapped herself in and started the engine. She had just began backing out of the parking lot when she heard her phone ring. She put on her Bluetooth headset and for a moment, was tempted to look at her phone to find out who was calling but she did not have any reason to hang up on anyone that morning. She was in too good a mood.

  “Trina Crews,” she said when she answered the phone.

  “Trina, Zachary Hamlin,” her boss said.

  “What can I do for you Mr. Hamlin?” she asked.

  “I just spoke to Victoria Simmons concerning an email she sent me last night,” he started. “Apparently Weber wants to settle.”

  A smile played on Trina’s lips. Her morning had already began perfectly.

  “Yeah, I meant to talk to you before we sat down.”

  “Honestly, I don’t care if you take the week off because we have just hit a home run with this one,” Zachary said.

  She could almost picture him smiling.

  “Why? What’s going on?” she asked. “I just left my place but I should be in the office in a few minutes.”

  “You should be here because we are going to have a big celebratory in-house breakfast,” he said. “Weber’s lawyers called and they are willing to settle.”

  “Settle? I thought we were going after the original energy drink,” Trina said, confused.

  “Actually, Full Web is still going to be in the market and Fullerton has seventy two per cent of the company’s nine billion in profits plus a three hundred million settlement,” Zachary explained and Trina’s eyes grew wide.

  A three hundred million dollar settlement translated to a very hefty bonus for her….okay and the firm too. But she was more concerned about her own bonus.

  “Three hundred million?” she asked, still not sure she’d heard the right words from her boss’ mouth.

  “I know, that’s a whole lot of zeroes, huh?” Zachary asked and she nodded.

  “It is…but I never thought a settlement would be this big. I just expected a win,” she said and he laughed.

  “Get yourself in here so we can make it official,” he said and she nodded, as if he could see her.

  “See you soon,” she said before she hung up. And suddenly, she did not feel like a breakfast burrito anymore. All she wanted was to get to the office and get the pat on the back that she so much deserved.

  She took her headset out and began driving downtown, her heart racing as she thought of how beautiful the day looked even though to anyone else, the day was as gloomy as ever with all the snow falling like there was no tomorrow. To her, it didn’t really matter. She was simply happy.

  Chapter 2

  After what was supposed to be a simple office breakfast celebration, Zachary announced that they would be taking their Christmas break three days earlier than they had planned as part of the celebration and that was how Trina found herself alone in the board room with an excited Victoria who was doing all she could to sell the idea of going to the Swiss Alps with her. And three hours later, she still was not convinced. She looked at Victoria who was busy telling her just how much she needed this vacation.

  “Sweetie, my idea of a vacation is a warm environment where I can feel the wind in my hair and dig my toes into the wet sand I am standing on,” Trina said. “So, tell me about going to Maui, Puerto Vallarta, Cabo, La Paz…heck even Mallorca is on the ticket right now and that is saying a whole lot because after that incident…” her voice trailed off as she looked at Victoria. She did not really feel like getting into all that. “I don’t even want to talk about that right now but I would pick that over the Swiss Alps. Switzerland? Really?” She shook her head and took a bite of the chicken sandwich she had in her hand.

  “Believe me, you are going to love it,” Victoria insisted.

  “But what about Ian?” Trina asked. It only made sense that she would be this excited about a vacation with her boyfriend.

  “I could go with Ian but we have not had some well-deserved girls’ time in a long time.” Victoria said. “This is our chance and honey, I am not taking no for an answer.”

  Trina shook her head.

  “So, you want to blow me off and spend the holidays alone?” Victoria asked. “Because I know for a fact that you are not going home for the holidays and that no one is going to come up here. So, what’s your plan?”

  “Plan for what?” Trina asked.

  “Your holiday plans,” Victoria pointed out. “I am offering you an ‘out’ here. Some great fun in a foreign country.”

  “I am not a jury, you know. You don’t have to try and sell me on the idea because I don’t really see why I should leave one snowed in area for another one.”

  “Well, for starters we are going to be in a five star resort. Örnen. You can Google it. I promise, you are going to love it.”

  Trina took a long deep breath and her lips parted but before she could say anything, Victoria pointed at her laptop.

  “Go on. Do it,” she urged.

  Trina took another deep breath before she typed in the resort name into the search engine and she was prepared to continue arguing her case before the saw the hotel web page.

  “This is not a resort,” she said in a soft voice. “This is a fucking paradise.”

  “Well,” Victoria said a little more proudly than she intended to sound. “I hate to say I told you so but I told you so.”

  “This looks amazing,” Trina said as she scrolled through the pages. It was like she was looking right into some five star heaven and she was most definitely not ready to start another argument with Victoria about not going. She still had so many reservations about going on vacation with Victoria but the resort had so much more to offer.

  Hot stone massages.

  A twenty four hour spa.

  Complementary room service and so much more.

  “You are coming around to the idea, aren’t you?” Victoria asked, a wide grin on her face. “I can see it in those beautiful brown
eyes of yours, Trina Crews. And by the way, just keep in mind that I am not going to take no for an answer.”

  Trina looked up from her laptop screen and sighed loudly.

  “But we have to do so much before we leave though,” she said. “It is the festive season after all so booking flights and everything is going to be no walk in the park.”

  “On the contrary,” she started as she handed her phone to Trina. “Two return business class tickets for you and yours truly.”

  A smile played on Trina’s lips.

  “You really did think all about this whole thing, didn’t you?” she asked and Victoria nodded.

  “Oh yeah…yeah I did.”

  “But according to this, we leave tomorrow night,” Trina said, shrugging.

  “I had a feeling we would be having an early Christmas break so immediately after the Christmas party yesterday, I made some calls and got us on the eleven o’clock flight leaving tomorrow night to Zurich.”

  “Don’t you think we are jumping the gun a little here, Vickie?”

  “No. Not at all.”

  “Plus how did you even pay for this?” Trina asked. “These tickets are expensive.”

  “Well, I had a feeling my Christmas bonus check was going to be a little hefty this year so, yeah. Consider this my treat,” Victoria explained, smiling.

  “Really? You planned for a bonus that you were not even sure you were getting?” Trina asked and Victoria shrugged.

  “I knew there was a reason I was this immersed in the case,” she said.

  “But sweetie, tomorrow night…” her voice trailed off when she saw Victoria shaking her head as she pushed her chair back and got up.

  “If I were you, I would be heading out. You have a lot to pack for,” Victoria said as she walked towards the door. “And don’t forget to rest up. Apart from the twelve hour journey there is a six hour time difference that will make daylight saving time look like child’s play and I know how much DST gets to you.”

  “Because it makes no freaking sense!” Trina shook her head. “So what if the days are shorter? It does not make it my fault so there is no reason why I should be the one waking up an hour earlier. I mean, I already work forty damn hours a week.”

  Victoria smiled.

  “See? You need to rest up. Like I said the time difference is no child’s play,” she said as she walked out leaving a stunned Trina in the board room holding a half-eaten chicken sandwich.

  She took another bite and leaned back in her chair wondering what was going on in her friend’s mind. At the back of her mind, she knew that there was something up with Victoria. Something that she was trying so hard to hide behind the real reason why she wanted Trina to accompany her to Switzerland. Usually, she would take any and every chance, small as it is to spend time with Ian. Those two had always had the perfect relationship. And even though everything usually seemed a little spotty at times, all the pieces always fell perfectly into the puzzle. She took another bite of her sandwich and got up. But even as she walked towards her office, she could feel herself questioning everything about Victoria’s sudden random act of kindness.

  “Everything always works out with these two,” she thought. “Even meeting the parents worked out for them perfectly.”

  Something just didn’t add up. Why would someone who always spent the holidays with Ian’s family or the other way around want to suddenly spend the holidays with a new friend? Emphasis on ‘new’.

  She walked into her office and grabbed her coat, handbag and keys before she made her way out of the office. But even though she had so many questions about Victoria’s proposition, she was still excited. She had traveled a whole lot on HHM’s dime but she was always caught up when it came to trips out of the country. This was bound to be exciting and she could not wait to experience the Swiss Alps…at least the spa and five star room service part of the holiday. It was about time her passport got a stamp after all.

  “So, what exactly does someone pack for a holiday out in the Alps?” she wondered as she waited for the elevator.

  *****

  By the time their plane landed in Zurich, Trina was singing a different tune. She was excited at the new scenery and the perfectly fresh air even though it was a little colder than she was expecting it to be. The drive from the airport to the Alps was only an hour long but it seemed longer to her. Probably because she was a little too excited to get to the suite.

  Suite.

  That was the word Victoria had used. Not room. Suite. So, there was no doubt in her mind that she had plenty to look forward to. But she was a little too surprised when the bell boy showed them to their suite. The setting was a little more romantic than she expected it to be. There was a huge living area and a fully stocked bar but the chocolate and cream covered strawberries coupled with the bottle of champagne on ice and two glasses gave it all away. Plus, instead of separate bedrooms, there was a huge queen size bed with two swan shaped towels artistically rolled up facing each other. Apart from that, the bed and bedroom floor was covered in rose petals that led all the way to the bathroom. Presumably to the Jacuzzi. This was more of a honeymoon suite than a general one. Heck, this was a love nest.

  “Vickie,” Trina started when the bell boy left. “Is there something you want to tell me?”

  Victoria shrugged as she took off her coat.

  “Like what?”

  “Like why we are in a goddamn lovers’ suite?” Trina asked. “What the hell is going on? Or are we in someone else’s room? Was there some kind of mix-up because that would explain a whole lot.”

  Victoria sat down and took a long deep breath before she reached for a strawberry.

  “There is no mistake. This is the room.”

  “What do you mean the room?” Trina asked. “Is there something special about this place that I don’t know about?”

  Victoria bit into the strawberry and forced out a laugh.

  “This is where I was supposed to bring Ian for Christmas. The first Christmas we were going to skip on spending time with family…to celebrate our fourth anniversary until I found out that I was not the only glove he was using.”

  She looked up at Trina and gently pushed a lock of hair behind her ear.

  “Wait,” Trina said putting her hands up in surprise. “What?”

  “Ian is cheating on me,” Victoria said again. “Or should I say was cheating on me because we are done with each other.”

  Trina walked up to where she was and sat down next to her. She wanted to ask a whole lot of questions but she was totally and completely speechless. It was like every word she came up with seemed wrong in one way or another.

  “It’s okay,” Victoria said. “I am not looking for any pity or anything. I mean, we are here on his dime.”

  “What do you mean on his dime?” Trina asked.

  “Well, I had been dropping hints on doing something different for the holidays this year. And since skiing is the one thing I have always wanted to do, we spoke of going to Aspen but we found out that his uncle was going to be there so we settled for this place. And to show how committed he was, he went ahead and booked everything because we had been canceling a whole lot because of our contradicting schedules….” Her voice trailed off and she sighed loudly as she shook her head. “When did I become this person? The woman who gets cheated on?” Victoria asked as she looked at Trina.

  “Oh sweetie,” Trina said as she sat down next to Victoria. “You don’t have to beat yourself up you know.”

  “I know that. I just don’t understand why someone would throw away four years, for what? A piece of ass at the office?” she asked as she shook her head. “I mean seriously.”

  “Hey,” Trina said as she snapped her fingers, trying to make sure Victoria got out of that sea of self-pity she was wallowing in. “It’s his loss. Not yours.”

  Victoria forced out a laugh.

  “You have to say that. You don’t have a choice but to be on my side.”

  “Well, yes
and no but I have known you long enough to know the kind of woman you are. And you are a great person…partner to have. Hell, I would be lucky to have you if I ever craved that side of the buffet table.” She reached for the champagne. “If anything we should be celebrating the fact that you no longer have that dead weight holding you back.”

  Victoria smiled.

  “Dead weight?” she asked and Trina nodded.

  “Well, that is exactly what Ian was. I mean, he had been keeping you from hooking up with that guy from accounting,” Trina pointed out and Victoria raised an eyebrow.

  “Which guy?” she asked.

  “The cute geeky one. Arnold…Alex…” Trina shook her head. “I am not sure about his name but I do know that it begins with an A.”

  “Arthur,” Victoria said and Trina nodded as she popped the champagne bottle.

  “Arthur. That’s it,” she said. “I see how he looks at you when he comes to the floor. Hell, everyone sees it and maybe you need someone who looks at you like that.”

  Victoria shook her head.

  “Arthur’s sweet but he is maybe a bit too sweet…I mean I am a freaking mess. A train wreck even.”

  Trina shook her head as she poured two glasses of champagne. Her friend didn’t know that she knew Arthur had taken her for lunch and coffee more than once. And in the short time she had known Victoria, she knew that she would not have entertained that unless she was really interested in knowing him more. And it was probably because Ian was not giving her as much attention as he was supposed to, that she was having such feelings for someone else.

  “Everyone is a mess,” Trina said as she handed Victoria a glass. “No one walks around without having some kind of story.”

  “Yeah…I know but the truth is that I have a little more baggage than I would like,” Victoria started. “I bought a house with Ian, Trina. We are co-owners and that is going to be messy.”

  “Please, leave the asset division to me. I will make sure everything works out as it should. I don’t even know why you are so concerned…I mean, you did help us settle one of the hardest cases I have ever handled in my career. We are the dynamic duo babe.” Trina held her glass up. “Forget about the past and let’s go grab the world by its balls.”