The Billionaire's Marriage Proposal (Billionaire Bachelors Series - Book 4) (10 page)

“That will happen later,” he promised. Her eyes widened, but she quickly got herself under control. She knew he was a typical male and had to get the last word in so she let it go. She didn’t want there to be any chance of her touring getting ruined.

“Well, if you’re going to be my guide, then I want to do things right. I don’t want the rich guy’s experience. I want to really tour, like any ordinary person. I want to ride the subway and take the busses. I refuse to be chauffeured,” she said. He immediately stiffened as if she was asking him to commit some sort of crime.

“There’s no way we can do that. There are security issues, and it’s just plain stupid,” he snapped.

“Well, then have a nice day, I’m going on my own,” Jennifer said and turned toward the door. She’d much rather spend the day with him, but she refused to give in on her last point.

“Fine, we’ll give up the chauffer, but I insist on having two security men accompany us. You won’t even know they’re there. The guards come, whether you go with me or not,” he said as he blew out another breath of frustration and ran his hand through his hair. She noticed he rumpled his hair a lot around her. She found she liked getting under his skin. It made her feel powerful in a way she’d never felt before.

“Okay, we better get going, then,” she said, beaming a huge smile his way before opening the door and practically skipping outside. He quickly caught up to her and wrapped her arm through his. He was right, she quickly forgot about the security men as they stepped onto the very cold streets. She was so excited she threw her arms out and twirled, causing several people to turn and look at her as if she’d lost a couple marbles.

They quickly found the subway and rode it to the Vienna City Center. Jennifer was practically bouncing in her seat and refused to acknowledge Trenton’s grumpiness next to her. It seemed he didn’t like riding the subway. She found it exhilarating. She knew it was a great place to see the real locals.

“See how amazing this place is, they actually trust each other. They know you aren’t going to steal a ride and don’t have to lock you out,” she said, pointing out the honor system of the subway. There were no turnstiles to keep them out, you simply bought your ticket and got on the tram. If someone came through and asked to see your ticket and you didn’t have one, then there would be serious consequences, but they didn’t ask on every ride and a dishonest person could take the risk.

Trenton was finding Jennifer’s enthusiasm hard to resist. She was excited about the simplest things and though he was less than happy to be riding on the subway, he was glad to be with her, and finding her joy was contagious. She smiled at every person they passed and they were quickly smiling right back. He was glad he’d decided not to let her leave his sight, or she may have ended up getting whisked away by a very smart local man.

“Oh, this is our stop,” she said and jumped up to head out the door. He barely had time to grip her hand. He looked over his shoulder at his guards and gave them an exasperated look. One of them actually had the nerve to smile, before he was able to straighten his lips.

Trenton knew it was probably a joy for his guards to watch him literally be led from place to place by a wisp of a woman, who was like a tornado on feet. He glared at them one more time before chasing after Jennifer. He heard a chuckle behind him and thought there was no way it was one of his guards - they wouldn’t dare.

“This is the largest Christmas Market in Vienna, Madge told me about it, so hurry, I don’t want to miss out on anything,” Jennifer said, as they made their way out of the subway. There was a huge open air market sporting all kinds of booths.

“This is the Rathus Christmas Market and it opens about a week before the others. She told me to go to a Punsch stand and I can get a special souvenir mug to take home,” she said.

“Why would I need to take one of the mugs home?”

“Because it’s something to remember the trip by,” she answered. He bought them each a hot drink, which had the kick of alcohol he desperately needed to make it through the day. He obediently kept his mug instead of turning it back in for the miniscule deposit. He’d let her have the mug so she could have a set.

When he handed over the mug, she acted as if it were a true treasure. Hell, he’d given diamonds, with far less appreciation. He couldn’t understand how something so simple could excite her so much. He found he liked her enthusiasm.

She started dragging him from place to place and surprisingly, he was enjoying himself. She was so happy it was impossible not to catch it from her. The market had a variety of foods and craft booths and she seemed determined to stop at every one.

She purchased Christmas ornaments, candles, toys, foods, and gloves. She told him she had to get a lot of souvenirs for people at home. She wasn’t spending an enormous amount of money, but he was soon carrying several large sacks. He looked over to his security men and when they approached, he handed them over. She was going to protest but he told her the items would be stowed in the car, where they were safe and that seemed to appease her.

He was getting burned out from the market and started leading her toward the exit. Of course, she had to ooh and aah over the trees lining the streets with packages hanging from their branches, along with thousands of brightly lit lights. He’d have loved to have seen her as a child on Christmas morning. Hell, he thought she most likely still got just as excited.

“I have something to show you I think you’ll like,” Trenton told her.

“Sounds great to me,” she agreed, sure he’d know more than anyone the exciting places to visit.

“Do you know anything about the famous Hapsburgs, who were the royal family of Vienna?” he asked.

“I haven’t heard anything about them,” she told him, starting to get more excited. There was nothing like a royal family.

“Well then, let me show you their palace,” he said and quickly led her there. She joined a tour group and found herself enthralled as they went from room to room.

“Normally, you need to book reservations at least a couple months in advance, but I happen to have some connections,” he told her with his cocky smile. She was, for once, grateful of his wealth, because she wouldn’t have wanted to miss out on the palace.

“This is so great, thank you,” she said, looking around in awe.

They got to watch the Lipizzaner Horses from the Spanish Riding School perform, and she was fascinated by their precision and the ease with which they handled the horses. They then sat back and listened to the Vienna Boys choir, which had originally started as a troupe of court musicians who’d been personally selected to entertain the royal family.

Jennifer felt as if she’d gone back in time, and was sitting in the royal palace, being entertained. It was remarkable and it took her back to her days as a child, wishing she were a beautiful princess about to be rescued by her prince charming. She looked at Trenton and thought he’d make a stunning prince, riding up on his steed. She couldn’t suppress the shiver running through her body. She was grateful he was fixated on the performers, because she knew her heart must’ve been in her eyes.

They walked into the National library, with its incredible architecture. She was amazed at the stunning detail as she walked around the room. The ages of the books in the room stunned her. There was so much history in such a significant place and she knew she’d be happy to camp in the library for weeks, or even months, on end.

There were floor to ceiling shelves of leather bound books, some of which dated back to the early sixteenth century. Among the priceless books were impeccable pieces of art, some huge, others understated, historical globes, statues, and priceless paintings.

The day was quickly slipping away and she felt as if she’d barely seen anything. He quickly took her to the Porcelain and Silver Museum that was filled with the royal cutlery and china. As she looked at the various pieces on display she realized the royal family had eaten from those very plates and used those forks and spoons. She couldn’t imagine how items so delicate had survived through the years.

“It’s all so remarkable,” she whispered to Trenton. He looked at everything through her eyes and had to smile. He was so used to wealth and the finer things, he had a hard time appreciating the treasures before him, but if he looked at it through her eyes, everything was different.

He found he didn’t want the day to end. Her happiness was doing something to his insides and he tried to distance himself. He was trying to convince himself he was only playing tourist guide so she’d be appreciative later that night, but he knew he was falling for her in ways that had nothing to do with sex.

She was stunning, full of life, loyal to family and had such passion. He shook his head, as he mentally listed her virtues. He was sure it was just the romantic city of Vienna and he’d be able to think clearly again once they got home.

“We need to hurry if you want to see the Royal Treasury,” he told her, when she was lingering over some intricate china.

“Oh, I definitely want to see that,” she said and didn’t even try to protest when he took her hand in his, once more. He smiled as he realized he was making progress.

They went through the Royal Treasury and she got to see the family’s jewels and even the coronation robes worn during the ceremony in which they were crowned King or Queen. Jennifer found the robes stunning and couldn’t believe the great shape they were still in.

She was surprised by the size of the crowns. They were nothing like what she saw in her favorite princess movies. They were large pieces of Gold, with huge gems she was sure cost an arm and a leg, but she’d much rather wear a delicate tiara with small, sparkling diamonds. She thought the weight from the crowns would have most certainly given the King and Queen Headaches.

She let out a giggle, making Trenton look at her with his brows raised. She just shook her head and turned back toward the displays. They came to one with a rusted nail and she read the plaque.

“Oh, look at this - it says it’s a nail from the crucifix of Christ. Do you think it’s true?” she asked him.

“I think it certainly could be true,” he offered and she rewarded him with a stunning smile, as she ran her hand reverently across the case. He looked at the rusted piece of steel and tried to find it as exciting as her, but he’d seen it many times before. He wished he’d done this tour with her for his first time. He knew it would’ve been a completely different experience for him.

As they walked out of the Treasury, her stomach gave a loud growl and Trenton laughed out loud. She looked at him a bit horrified. She hadn’t even realized she was hungry, but suddenly she was starving and wanted nothing more than a huge plate of food after all the walking they’d done.

Trenton made a phone call and a car showed up in minutes. Jennifer thought about arguing with him, but her feet were hurting and she was starving. He looked at her, as if he was waiting for the argument, so she deflated and slipped into the backseat. She missed the sigh Trenton let out. He was tired himself, and didn’t feel like a huge argument, at least not until after he’d eaten.

“I’m going to take you to one of Vienna’s favorite places,” he told her.

“That sounds great. I wouldn’t even know where to begin. I can’t believe I’ve only eaten at the hotel since we got here. Don’t get me wrong, the food is great, but it’s nice to experience the local culture and you simply can’t do that from a hotel room,” she told him.

“I understand, and I’m glad we have the time for you to play tourist,” he told her with a chuckle. The car dropped them at Plachutta. The place was crowded, but he had no problem securing them a table and there was a waiter at their table within seconds. She sighed, thinking again that money most certainly did equal power.

“Try the Tafelspitz, it’s one of the most renowned dishes of Austria and this place makes it better than any other,” he told her. She let him order her meal, not knowing what she’d like and not understanding the menu, anyway.

The dish was fantastic with a beef so tender it fell off the bone and was surrounded by a host of vegetables, in a delicious broth. The meal came with fried potatoes and delicious warm bread and different sauces.

By the time they finished their meal, she felt like her stomach was going to split open, it was so full, but she somehow managed to take a few bites of the decadent desert. By the time he paid the bill and ushered her back to the car, she was falling asleep on her feet.

The day had been exhilarating, but exhausting, and she didn’t know how she’d make it back to the room. She slowly followed Trenton to the elevator and swayed on her feet as he opened their hotel room door.

Trenton took one look at Jennifer’s face and knew he wouldn’t be able to take her to his bed that night. She couldn’t even keep her eyes open, let alone have the energy to make love. He’d have to make sure they didn’t put so much on their agenda the next day, because he couldn’t go another night with nothing more than a cold shower.

He watched her stumble into her suite and decided he’d check on her in a few minutes to make sure she’d at least made it to her bed. He was exhausted, too, but he realized it had been the best date he’d ever been on. She was so genuine and full of life, and things seen through her eyes were much better than the jaded people he was so used to being around.

He drank a double shot of bourbon, checked on Jennifer, and then took a long, cold shower, before crawling into his own bed. He was surprised when his eyes shut - he was just about as tired as she’d been. He fell asleep with a small smile on his lips.