Chasing Guinevere

By S.N. Garza

Guinevere Marlow thought she had everything figured out. Go to college. Find her one true love. Build her career. Have a family. Happily ever after just like her parents, right? WRONG!
She finishes college, but every man she meets is a total dick. Her career? Never takes off. Family? Well, she needs a man for that. Chivalry truly is dead; especially when you find out the true love your parents had, turns out to be nothing but a pipe dream.
Until she meets billionaire banker, Zeus Sanders. He’s built like a daydream, long, tall, Texan and all alpha. But guys like him never get with a fat chick. Do they?
The way he acts, he’s ready to devour and conquer.
Sometimes, love comes in all shapes and sizes. You never know unless you take a leap of faith...and have a lot of really hot sex.

• Language: English
• Publisher: S.N. Garza
• Release date: Sep 24, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463915394

S.N. Garza

I am a 37 year old wife and mother of two who lives in a small country town in southeast Texas. I work during the day at Chilis Bar and Grill. I write dark, deeply emotional stories weaved with erotic romance that leaves you wanting more. My debut novel is Love Came Back & my best selling book & series, is The Billionaire’s Baby, book one in my Nauti Billionaires of Houston series. It is all sexy passion with an alpha hero who’ll sweep you off your feet.

Book preview

COPYRIGHT

Chasing Guinevere

Chubby Chasers novel

By: S. N. Garza

©2019 by Stephanie N. Garza

Cover Art by SNGarza

All Rights Reserved

Smashwords edition

This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, duplicated, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior written consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the work of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, business establishments or locales is entirely coincidental.

Blurb

Guinevere Marlow thinks she has everything figured out. Go to college. Find her one true love. Build her career. Have a family. Happily ever after just like her parents, right?

WRONG!

She finishes college, but every man she meets is a total dick. Her career? Never takes off. Family? Well, she needs a man for that. Chivalry truly is dead; especially when you find out the true love your parents had, turns out to be nothing but a pipe dream.

Until she meets billionaire banker, Zeus Sanders. He’s built like a daydream, long, tall, Texan and all alpha. But guys like him never get with a fat chick. Do they?

The way he acts, he’s ready to devour and conquer.

Sometimes, love comes in all shapes and sizes. You never know unless you take a leap of faith...and have a lot of really hot sex.

Table of Contents

Copyright

Blurb

Note

Prologue

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Ten

Eleven

Twelve

Thirteen

Fourteen

Fifteen

Sixteen

Seventeen

Eighteen

Nineteen

Twenty

Twenty-One

Back of Book Shit

About the Author

Chasing Miranda

One: Miranda

Two: Jack

For Sabrina; you know why.

Prologue

Am I forgetting anything?

I look around my room for the last time and see all my band posters, historical romance books that fill my shelves and know this chapter in my life is done.

I’ve graduated high school, worked my ass off at Chili’s saving up money and now I get to go to the one place I’ve been dreaming about since I was a freshman in high school.

Winston University. One of best Ivy League schools in the country. It’s where my parents met, fell in love and lived happily ever after.

And all my life I’ve been wanting to meet my one true love like all the Disney movies and musicals I’ve grown up with. Just like my parents did.

Insta-love.

It’s never happened to me and I don’t expect it to yet, but one day, somehow, I’ll meet the man of my dreams and boom! Fall madly in love, get married and have children and live happily ever after.

Nope. Not forgetting a thing. Time to start my life.

One: Guinevere

Six years later

I’m sorry but we’re downsizing and all the unpaid interns are being let go. Sorry Guin.

As if life couldn’t get any shittier. No problem.

I go to my pathetic little desk and pack up my shit. There are no more stars in my eyes. That wool had been ripped away years ago.

I make it out to my little car and know nothing could get any worse.

My phone buzzes with a call and I see it’s my mother. No need to tell her I couldn’t hold down another job. An unpaid one too.

"Hey, mom. How’s it—

Your father and I are getting a divorce.

Did not see that coming. Divorce? What do you mean?

My parents, who have been madly in love with each other ever since I can remember, are breaking up?

There’s a hitch in my mom’s voice when she answers, He...Guinevere, he cheated on me.

If I hadn’t been holding my phone tightly, I’m sure it would have fallen to the asphalt and broke.

Cheated? You two are madly in love with each other? How could this happen?

Her voice cracks with emotion and even from here, hours away from her I can feel her heart breaking.

It’s been going on for years.

YEARS!

I can’t help the scream from releases. He did what? I look to see that my outburst got people’s attention. With an awkward chuckle I unlock my door and scramble inside. Mom, what do you mean years? Did you...know?

No. Of course not. I just. I was looking for your grans number in his phone—remember I had to replace mine?—and he had a number of unread texts messages and I let my curiosity get the best of me.

Mom, oh my God. What did he have to say?

That’s uh—well. He doesn’t know.

I shake my head, confused. He doesn’t know? You said you’re getting a divorce. How does he not know?

I haven’t told him I know.

"Mom. You can’t just—

My mother, always the romantic, hoping for the best. If she hasn’t told him, she’s waiting for something.

Mom, what’s keeping you quiet?

Nothing.

Mom!

Well, he’s up for a promotion and his new boss, the old boss’s son who’s taking over the family business, well, your father asked him over for dinner and I don’t want to ruin his chances.

Is she actually serious?

Mom, you can’t be serious. He cheated on you!

Well, is sure after this, we’ll talk it over.

That’s my mom. Willing to wait. Well, screw that.

I’m coming.

"Oh, no. It’s alright, Guinevere. After he—

After he nothing. I’m coming home. Make my favorite.

Then I hang up because I know she’ll try and talk me out of doing something crazy. Which I really want to do. I can’t believe that skeezeball. After almost thirty years together—

Asshole!

Yeah, I went to college with starry eyes but that all changed when I met Richard Lake. I thought he was my one until after our first time together. It was all him, him, him and then bam. Done. At first I was like okay. I’m happy that he’s happy but then that’s started being the only thing he cared about. Himself. Then had the nerve to dump me because I was such a cold fish.

What the hell was I supposed to do? I was a virgin. Now? Well that experience didn’t ruin me. No. My next one, Randall Reed, was everything I thought I wanted in a man but after a year of going out with him, the sex was just...blah. Nothing awe inspiring. He also dumped me before I could dump him. Said I was too judgmental.

So I vowed to stay away from men—especially ones that start with an R—and kick start my career. I was trying to get experience in small business management since that’s what I ultimately wanted to do when I grew up, so to speak. I wanted to run my own design and screen printing shop. I loved using my Cricut. I’ve made money off it for the past few years making designs for the college activities around my campus. But now? I couldn’t even keep an internship. So all this boiling anger is going to be thrusted down someone’s throat.

And I knew exactly who my target’s going to be.

Yup. You guessed it. Dear old dad. Boss or no boss. He didn’t deserve to be promoted. Unless the pay raise was going to make mom richer. She’d been a housewife and a damn good one. I mean...she was practically a regular June Cleaver. And now? I cannot believe him.

With my mind made up, I make the drive to Houston. Then the River Oaks neighborhood. To say my father kept us living in luxury was understated. But still—that didn’t matter for shit.

He cheated. Rat bastard. And to make matters worse, it went on for years. My mother wasn’t a hysterical woman, so when she said it’s been years, I’m sure it was. A simmering anger courses beneath my veins.

I cannot believe—woot. Breathe. After the day I had, the last thing I need to do is get stuck on the crazy train. But I make it to Houston in record time and about to turn into the neighborhood when this total douchebag runs his red light.

Hey asshole! Watch it!

Then douche in his billion dollar Range Rover breaks hard and I can’t see anything, but I feel eyes on me. As if he heard me. I had my window down and screamed it, but I figure he’d have his rolled up because well—hello—you don’t drive a Range Rover and breathe in the fresh air unless you’re driving down some country back roads or whatever.

I roll my eyes and he turns a corner when I go straight.

I’m at my parent’s door when Helga, their housekeeper, opens the door.

Guinevere, it’s so good to have you home!

Her Norwegian accent has always sounded magical to me and after all this time, still does.

Helga, thank you. How have you been?

She rushes me in and takes my belongings, setting them in the foyer closet along with my coat. March is such a messed up month here. It’s cold out now but who knows about tomorrow?

Oh, good, good. That didn’t sound right. She never says that. Does she—

Do you know what’s going on?

She pales and tears spring to her eyes. She shakes her head but keeps her eyes away.

How long have you known?

She leans in and whispers, I heard the conversation your mother had vith you. I’m so sorry.

Oh, thank God. I let out a sigh of relief and put my hands on her shoulders. Don’t worry. He’ll regret it.

But your mother doesn’t vant to say anything.

O’well. He’s not going to get away with it any longer. Mom’s crazy if she thinks I’m not going to say something. Not after the day I had.

Helga wraps an arm around me and walks me up the stairs to my old room. Vell, vhat’s going on vith you?

"I lost my internship and now have no prospects of getting on as a paid employee. I’m a complete idiot since I haven’t made any other contacts or back up plans. So I’m taking spring break to figure out my next move. I have to find either an internship with another business or I’m going to lose my campus apartment. But with mom about to go through some shit—

Helga gasps at my vulgar language and I roll my eyes. Helga, I’ve cursed before.

But never so crude. I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say that before.

Sorry.

She pats my back and walks to the door or my room. I guess she figured I was going to stay here. Didn’t know for sure but we’ll see how dinner goes.

It’s alright. You’ll alvays be a young lady in my eyes. Vatching you grow up into such a beauty and a smart one at that brings my heart peace. Now, your mother said to have you dressed in your Sunday best so I aired out the last dress you left here. I think it’ll still fit you even though you grew to have some curves you did not have before.

Snort. Helga. You can say it. I’m fat. I’m overweight. A size fourteen and I’m short. So I’m sure the dress will fit like a glove or I’ll rip it. We’ll see.

I hear the doorbell and Helga smiles, pats my shoulder and leaves me to my own devices.

Well, it’s still early so a shower couldn’t hurt at least. And how the heck did I ever like this bubblegum fragrance? Lord Jesus. I smell like cotton candy. I blow dry my hair and braid it down the back. With a roll of my eyes I push my teenage style band into my hair and because I know I should put on some makeup I walk down the hall to my parents room and dig through my mom’s makeup bag. A few swipes here, mascara and eyeliner, shiny lip gloss and that’s as good as it’s gonna get. I’m almost out their door when I see my dad’s phone on the dresser.

No.

Don’t do it.

Girl. Don’t.

Oh hell. Forewarned is forearmed. If it’s locked, no harm done.

I lift his phone and nope. It swipes right open.

What. An. Idiot.

I’m not too technologically inclined, but I know enough that I search through his emails and find a secret Mrs. folder. My mother never emails him.

I forward all those emails and then like the little she-devil I am, I look at his messaging app.

Work.

He has IBA—which is his actual work, International Bank of America—and then just ‘work’.

Coincidence? I think not.

I get the phone number from the text and then I accidentally—not too accidentally—peek at his texts.

The hell? A set of boobs that I know are not my mother’s come into view.

He really is cheating on her. That low down, no good, son of a—

Guin?

I shut down everything and set it back where I had it when I open the door to see my mom walking down the hallway.

Guin? Everything okay?

Yes, mom. Just had to borrow some of your makeup if that’s okay?

Of course. Your father’s boss is here. Dinner will be served in ten minutes.

Won’t take me long to put on my dress. Mom?

Her eyes might not be tearing up but they’ve always been so expressive. I can tell she’s dying inside and that only fuels my need to get back at my father. Somehow.

Yes, Guinie?

I don’t want to hurt her any more than she is. She’s a strong woman, but I can tell she’s on a very thin leash. I love you, mom.

Her shoulders fall a few inches with relief. And I love you too, Guinie. Now come on, dear.

She walks away and I’m left standing in the hallway feeling sad for her and deep ragged anger for the man who’s ruining her. I told Helga the truth. If this dinner ends up blowing up in my face, we’ll I’ve at least said my piece. No matter who our guest is.

I dress and slip on some one inch pumps before smoothing my hands down the soft, silky material of the purple dress laid out. It’s a little snug in the chest and hips area but all in all not too bad. Because of the tummy I had, it’s risen the dress a few inches, making it almost inappropriate.

Still look damn good.

I get down the steps and walk towards the dining room when I hear two masculine voices approach from behind. One I know instantly as my father. But the deep baritone of the