Title: "Snowflaked"

TV Show: "Ugly Betty"

Ship: "The Boss & the Butterfly"

Disclaimer: A one-of-a-kind cast... would love to have come up with this perfect mix ;) As always, not mine.

Summary: Snowflakes, spicy cider & the January Spread

A/N: Ahem…yes, well…ahem…oh my, where did the time go? ;) Sighhh, I'm sorry it has been so long since these two lit up the cold winter nights, but though my muse deserted me over the past year(s)…these two didn't lose any of their *sparkle*…in fact, I'm loving this new season! Betty still captures the essence of "Betty"… only now she's just a tad more refined and "all growed up!" In any case, I hope all of you who enjoyed this story, will continue to follow it again, now that winter has once more brought the falling snow and my *muse* swirling with it… Avanci!


Chapter Seven

(Baby, It's Cold Outside...but hot in here!)


...

Her frosty blue dress whipped gently around her ankles as three-inch heels sunk deep into the slushy sidewalks of her old world neighborhood. Blue sequins clashed mildly with the overly large Versace suit jacket draped over her bare shoulders and around her petite frame.

The evening had begun in a flourish of activity at the Mode office. The February Issue having to be in print by tomorrow evening, made everyone a little more on edge than usual. Being top of the fashion world was not an honor to take lightly. She and Becks had switched from lunch to dinner plans in order to stay for the hustle and bustle of activity that had greeted them by the time they had reached the elevator to go for lunch. Even though Daniel was no where to be seen, Betty orchestrated the front line with firm, and knowledgeable directives. It was crucial that they maintain and keep the badge at all costs, though the constant ringing of the phones and parading of models, photographers and writers were still a blur to her weary mind. In fact, Betty was certain she could still hear those incessant phones now.

Riiiing. Riiiiing. Riiiiiiiiing.

The trilling sounded loudly in the quiet street, jarring Betty from her drifting thoughts. Surprised, she nearly toppled over, losing her balance on a slippery patch of ice underfoot, before righting herself and finding a less hazardous place to root her now numb and badly ravaged feet to. Tomorrow I'll ask Hilda for a pedicure, a thought vaguely drifted through her consciousness, as she reached inside the warm jacket for her purse.

Snapping open her evening bag, a midnight blue confection of diamond tipped-roses Christina had explained was a must-have for a night out with "one of the city's most eligible bachelors", she followed the muffled sound until she located the jangling device.

"Hello?" her voice was husky, quiet from the cold night air, hardly a whisper above the falling snow. The voice on the other end exploded in panic, hardly allowing for a word edgewise, "BETTY! Where are you, mija?! We have been waiting for hours for you to come home! Why didn't you answer your cell phone? Do you need a ride? Are you alright?! Talk to me?! Why aren't you talking?! Mija-"

"Papi! Calm down! I'm fine. No, I don't need a ride. I am almost home, I walked from a few streets over, our taxi got stuck in a drift, so Beckett stayed behind to push him out…I was cold, so Becks…Beckett offered to walk me home, but I knew he felt he should help the driver, we weren't far away so I'm walking…" her voice trailed off as a litany of Spanish words flew from the mouthpiece, "Papi! I know it is 1 in the morning, I'm almost there…in fact I can see the lights of our house right now! Yes, papi, I'll be careful, okay…bye…"

Betty sighed, through pursed lips before wrapping the coat against the light breeze and continuing the treacherous journey home, a mountain goat she was not! A small smile played about her mouth as she thought of her only parent and sister staying up on her behalf. As if she ever did anything on the wild side, she smiled this time letting her teeth show for a few seconds before they too hid from the arctic chill in the air.

It was always the same old thing. Since she had been a little girl, Ignacio had always worried overly much about her state of being. Perhaps it was a dad thing, but she knew it was because he truly believed she was incapable of dealing with the harsh realities of life. Though, she acknowledged fleetingly, she may have tried a little too hard to project her rosy outlook on life to the world, but really, who wanted to be around someone cynical and down on life, day after day? It wasn't going to be her…that was for certain!

The night had seemed so promising. In fact, there hadn't been anything remise about the whole affair…date…she amended quickly to herself, it had been quite exciting, the blush reheated her rapidly cooling body for a few seconds as she thought back to the dreamy evening on the town…but yet… she sensed there had been something…not quite fitting…


(One hour previous)

"What are you thinking?" Betty looked up from her elegantly styled place setting, complete with three forks, four spoons and two knives, all that and they had already thoroughly downed two appetizers, desert plus main course. The chiseled face of her dinner companion was staring at her lips again. She fought the urge to wet them as she seemed to be rather dry. Whips of chocolate brown framed her face in star-studded radiance. Dark brown eyes filled with question and hesitation.

"Oh—" she trailed off abruptly, her thoughts fled as she stared into the most gorgeous pair of eyes she had ever seen…though for a moment she felt that honor didn't quite fit, though for the life of her she couldn't remember why. It was rather intoxicating, she thought fuzzily.

Realizing she was staring Betty blushed a full body flush and instinctively reached for her refreshing glass of peach champagne he had so thoughtfully ordered for her. In her attempt to grasp the flute, shaking fingers nearly tipped the entire drink into her dinner companion's lap! Luckily, Beckett Scott had the presence of mind and skill to read her clumsy actions and made quick work of righting the glass without spilling a drop and handing it to her with a flourish!

"Ah—Th-thanks! I thought it was a goner for sure!" Her gauche reply seemed out of place even to her, the earlier rapture of 5 star-quality dining experience in one of New York's finest restaurants wearing off as she felt his intense stare and her own need to be something she was clearly not.

"You still haven't told me your thoughts, Ms. Suarez, perhaps they are not for sale?" The teasing words melted a bit of her mounting defenses, though it was the twinkling of his eyes and twin dimples that did the rest of her heart in…almost all of it, she admitted silently.

He was a picture to behold, tonight. In a navy blue, pin-stripped Versace suit, complete with silver satin tie and crystal cufflinks. He had commanded every eye in the house, both male and female since their arrival. Men wanted to have what he had…including his current female companion, though this was clearly lost on Betty's whirling mind, and the women, just plain wanted him! And hated the pretty Latino princess at his side. In the office, at the best of times, he was a lady-killer. But tonight…Betty held her breath as her eyes alighted over the powerful male figure before her.

Sandy-blonde hair appealing ruffled as if he hadn't the time of day or presence of mind to see to it, though she was certain it was most likely a healthy amount of male ego that kept it that way. Then there was that jaw…5 o'clock shadow gave an edge to the pretty boy features, and the cynical tilt to those beautifully shaped lips lending a dangerous and sinfully pleasurable air to his package… Ack! Persona, she supplied hastily. And then came the chest. At 6'4, he made an impressive stature standing alongside any male in the vicinity, but it was that perfectly sculpted, Adonis-worthy, contoured region that placed him a step above mortal men.

In a word, Beckett Scott was…caliente! Whew, she thought mentally fanning herself in the process, this certainly wasn't helping her situation any! Ice cubes, anyone…por favor! What was he doing with her? She thought for the 700th time that night...he could have his pick of the place, she made a quick glance scan around the room, the females were chomping at the bit to get to him. Before dinner had arrived four female servers from other tables had come to take care of any order they might have...including one blatant massuese offer!

Teeth gleaming, like a hungry wolf, she thought suddenly aware of how Little Red Riding Hood may have felt in her childhood story books, Becks reached across the table and took her left hand into his. Turning the palm face up, he began to trace haphazard patterns, then turned his attention to the pathways already drawn by nature, following each line with painstaking determination…or rather pleasure seeking, she realized as she tried to wall herself off of the shivers tripping easily down her rigid spine.

Tingles almost immediately made their presence known throughout her extremities, making her toes curl in the high-heeled ribbon sandals. Slightly breathless, Betty tried to make sense of her thoughts enough to share them with her tormentor even as his ridged fingers pursued higher than their original exploration, up her arm and to the crook of her elbow. Roaming in slow, heady circles round and round.

Needing to get on even ground, she decided to fight back dirty. What was good for the goose, had to be good for the gander…right? In a daring moment, Betty gave up weighing the pros and cons of her every action, and decided she deserved to live a little…though, she thought giggling to herself, it could be just the intoxication from the bubbly too!

Slipping off one shoe, she quickly levered her toes to what she assumed were ankle region, gently feeling around for an opening she slowly pushed the fabric away from the muscular lower leg to gain access to all that gorgeous male skin.

The surprise on her companion's face was so palpable, it was all she could do to hold in the laughter that was want to escape, it must be all that champagne, she mused ignoring the niggling feeling that said, "STOP! CAUTION! ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK!"

Placing a mask fit for a siren to her features, she lowered her eye lashes and purred in perfect imitation of Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca, "You have to think for the both of us."

The line was perfectly delivered. So fluid in it's handling, Becks hardly time to regain his composure over the first un-Betty-like attack, her cute toes now dangerously close to his inner thigh…a smile broke over his features, rendering boyish charm to an otherwise, devastatingly handsome face.

"You are some girl…some…woman," the husky voice hinting a note of pride and something she couldn't place…switching tactics, he released her arm to imprison the limb playing "footsie" far too near nether regions for his peace of mind…not that he was complaining, mind you, but it wouldn't do to lose his cool at this stage of the game…not cool at all!

Her infectious giggle had him smiling wide as the waiter returned to offer them a last wine of the evening, as desert had already been long since demolished. Each partial to rich chocolate the triple-chocolate fudge cake, smothered in whip cream and…wild strawberries! (Where the chef had found them, they would never know, but who was complaining?) …was absolutely decadent!

"Non, merci, monsieur," Becks rattled off flawless French as Betty watched his lips in fascination, trying feebly to take her foot from his grasp. The way his hands were stroking it, was making it damn difficult to concentrate on anything but the pleasure it was invoking, and she knew right well it was his intent.

Smiling rakishly, one eyebrow lifted in silent question, he turned from the Maitre d' to his flushed and discreetly struggling companion.

"Is something the matter, Miss?" the Maitre d', instead of leaving his post had noticed the female seemed slightly fidgety, and thought perhaps she had need of something he could provide.

Biting her lip in desperation, she widened her eyes at her captor's assault that was heading far too close to her upper leg than proper, especially in a such a public place…thank goodness for flowing tablecloths she thought, grasping at the side of the table, then deliberately relaxing her face and fingers into a relaxed facade before turning to face her gracious host.

"It was…merveilleux, monsier, thank you…I mean, merci," the head waiter tipped his head to the side, and bowed out, though his facial expression didn't completely hide the fact that he thought she was acting somewhat strangely.

"Beckett!" she hissed, grasping the edges of the table once more as strong male hands found a particularly sensitive spot on the underside of her knee, "So help me, Beckett Scott, I will—"

"You will—" he asked, an amused expression blanketing his harsh features for a moment before chuckling in a rather rakish manner, "Can't finish what you started, dollface?"

His blatant sex appeal hit her before he reluctantly let her go, oh he was good, he was very good. Like dark chocolate and black satin sheets, but he knew he was good. And that could be a problem.

"Alright, Mr. Hot-Shot, just because every girl in this place is drooling, d-doesn't mean you have the right to manhandle my body!" the intensity of her words were meant to be quietly teasing and for his ears only, but the sexual buzz that was dripping through her veins had made certain her composure was well and truly shredded.

Her outburst didn't rattle doors, but by the looks of the restaurant dwellers in the nearby vicinity, she hadn't kept it mum. Indulgent stares from male counterparts and competitive glares from the female ones met her from every side. Realizing she had once again "put her foot in it"—literally! Betty grabbed her filmy shawl, lent from Hilda's closet, she went to stand up nearly toppling over in the process…she still only had one shoe on.

Feeling like a red-alarm siren, Betty wanted to slide through the floor, and from Becks expression, he wanted to spank her…and not in a good way…at least she didn't think so, by the dark scowl marring his generally good natured features. He had obviously missed the teasing note she had meant to inject in her voice. Strike One.

Ugh. What to do now? She thought, in the last five seconds she had rendered their date from an 11 on her scale, to a dismal 3. If she was keeping count in any case.

"S-sorry…" the shamefaced whisper and pleading eyes woke up the angry faced bear, and a grim smile appeared in its place.

"Nah, it's my fault, I knew I was rushing you a bit…but damn, girl…you sure know how to cross a line," his smile wasn't misleading, she knew he was still irked at her response, but it acknowledged his part in it, and the fact that she was somewhat of an innocent.

"I d-didn't actually mean it that way…I meant to tease…but—" her words drifted off as she felt her foot being placed back in his palms, though this time, she felt the smooth sliding sensation of her sandal being gently applied to her foot, then with careful movements, he crisscrossed the ribbons over her ankles, reforming the bow to size and length of a professional eye. His eye. Before releasing it to the ground, he sensitized her skin once more, as his roughened palms squeezed her leg in acknowledging caress.

"It's alright, sweetheart. Don't you worry, let's get you home…it's after midnight…daddy is bound to be worrying by now!" The real smile, the shiny glint of perfect white teeth made, put her at ease. He knew she hadn't meant it unkindly. Releasing a sigh of relief, she waited till her date had stood up to try again, this way he blocked her from prying eyes. She wasn't about to cause a scene a second time!


...Just a bt to warm your toes, and get yourselves ready for the next part of the mis-adventure ;) Our Butterfly is growing bolder? What about Daniel? Has he been left behind...au contraire! More to come, as another chapter has also been completed, once I hear how this part is recieved... it is a two part chapter sequence, so if any questions have been left unanswered...the next will make sense of them! Cheers, let me know if the style is too different...I'll try to revamp it!