Beyond Ruin (11 page)

"Stranger. One night stand. Lover," he added to the list.

"Ex-boyfriend."

"Future husband?"

She took a deliberate and composed breath, the moment stretching out between them as their words fell into silence. Finally, after a moment of merely staring at one another, she added, "There's an important one missing from the list:
Friend
."

"Is that what you want us to be, Natalie? Friends?"

"I think any relationship worth having should be built on the basis of friendship. What other reason is there to marry someone if not to spend the rest of your life with your best friend?"

"Touché." Perhaps if he and Celine had been friends first and foremost their marriage might have turned out differently. Or not have happened at all. He walked away from the conference table and headed to his desk, bending down to pick up the parcel that had been tucked away and out of sight by Alice before the meeting.

"Then as your friend I hope you'll accept a small gift from me to welcome you home to Fitson." He placed a series of Tiffany boxes stacked on one top of the other like a tiered cake onto the desk, the white silk ribbon strings of the topping bow draping down the side and laying flat against the glass desk.

Natalie looked taken aback at the sight of the boxes. "James, you really shouldn't have," she protested.

"Actually I did this a while ago. They're picture frames. Like the one I bought for you when you were working at Brighton, only these don't have any pictures inside of them yet." It was a curiosity to him what had happened to the very first frame, the one he'd given to her with a picture of them in happier times. She used to keep it just out of sight at her old desk so that no one could identify that he was half of the couple in the photo. There was nothing to hide anymore. He didn't dare ask, however.

She crossed to his side of the desk and stood next to him. He watched as she traced her fingers down the length of one of the ribbon ends. "Thank you," she said softly. When she looked up at him her eyes were searching his face for an unspoken answer. His breath caught in his throat when she leaned in, and to his tremendous surprise she pressed her lips to his cheek and left a tender kiss. Before she could pull back entirely he cupped her elbow in his palm and held her in place, searching her silvery blue eyes for something more than just a 'thank you'.

"You're welcome," he whispered in reply. He didn't want to let her go yet, not now that she was as close to being in his arms as she had been for months. He had to fight the urge to tell her he loved her, but wanted to say something else just to hold on to her for a moment longer. "Come to the penthouse tonight."

"I can't." The crease between her eyes was enough to give him hope that she actually regretted her words. "I have plans."

"Tomorrow night then?"

Her lips cracked into a smile. "I'm already seeing you tomorrow night."

"Right," he said as though he'd forgotten. "Back to where it all began."

"Hmmm. And once again you're buying me for my services. Ironic, isn't it?"

"Natalie-" he began, but she quickly cut him off when her hand went to his chest, settling just on the buttoned ends of his shirt beneath his suit jacket. A single finger circled around a pearly white button before slipping in between the folds of the shirt until it touched skin. A second and third finger followed. He watched, mesmerized and completely still as her fingers unexpectedly explored an inch of his naked skin beneath his clothes, sending chills across the covered expanse of his torso.

Her eyes crawled from the spot where her fingers were, up his chest and to his own eyes. Her lips were parted, her face drawn in an expression he couldn't read. "Don't worry," she said before quickly wetting her lips with her tongue. "I know exactly what I'm getting myself into this time."

Soft candlelight from chandeliers suspended above their heads cast a gentle glow of illumination across the chic and exclusive restaurant tucked away along one of the busiest streets in Beverly Hills. The golden hue washed Audra in a beautiful warmth that only contributed further to her natural beauty. Though Natalie was nervous she couldn’t keep her eyes off her date, even as butterflies swarmed around her insides threatening to escape. Her hand grazed at the thin strip of exposed skin at her midriff between the hem of her black crop top and the waist of her long skirt speckled with miles of metallic gold sequins.

They ordered and sipped from champagne before Audra was the first to break the ice.

“First time on a date with a woman?” she asked cheekily.

Natalie shrugged nonchalantly. “A date is a date irrespective of gender.”

“Fair point,” Audra conceded through the pursed lips of her smile.

“Actually it’s my first date in an embarrassingly long time. Since college I think.” Natalie took in the sight of Audra’s momentary confusion, then added, “James and I were together, but I don’t think we ever went on an actual date. At least not until this past weekend.”

“You mean the ‘very thoughtful and well planned’ date?”

“Well there was at least one part of it he wasn’t planning for.” She took a slow sip of her champagne, giving herself a moment to think of how she was going to phrase the next part. She hadn’t told anyone about the entirety of her date with James yet. “He took me to this breathtakingly gorgeous house up in the Montecito hills. Of course we couldn’t go any further than the driveway because the house belongs to someone else, but in less than a month that will no longer be the case.”

Audra’s eyes narrowed as she scrutinized what she just heard. “He bought a house in Montecito?”

“I’d say it’s more an estate than a house, but yes.”

“Good for him,” Audra announced as the waiter arrived with their first course of the meal. “I’m sure he gave a lot of thought and consideration into where Frankie and the baby will grow up. Better an estate in Montecito than a penthouse hotel room in Los Angeles.”

Natalie struggled with whether or not to tell Audra about the rest of the trip to Montecito, about James’ proposal announcement in particular. Thankfully the subject changed to food and the decision was made for her. They ate and talked and sipped their way through several courses and a bottle of embarrassingly expensive champagne. By her third glass Natalie was feeling warm and tingly from the inside out, the butterflies effectively drunk and passed out somewhere inside her.

“By the way, Quinn knows about us.”

Audra’s eyes glittered beneath the chandelier candlelight. “Is that so?” she asked with an amused smile.

“She saw us kissing when you dropped me off the other night. You can imagine her confusion given that she didn’t know James and I had broken up.”

“And what was Quinn's response to the news of us kissing?”

Natalie’s eyes wandered to the ceiling as she recalled the conversation with her best friend only days prior. “She said if I wanted to experiment with being a lesbian I could have come to her, or something, because she went to college.”

“Ah,” Audra said before rolling her eyes. She still had the good humor of her smile, and the glint in her eyes never quite vanished when she looked at Natalie from across the table. “Is that what she thinks you’re doing? Experimenting?”

Natalie quickly swallowed back a sip of champagne and shook her head. “The experiment was in kissing
her
to prove a point.”

Audra did a double take. “What point was that?”

“That I don’t just kiss someone I feel nothing for.”

Audra silently reached her hand across the table until her fingers were just within reach of Natalie’s, grazing gently across her knuckles. Natalie turned her arm palm-side-up and let the pads of her fingers sweep across the underside of Audra’s hand.

“Tell me, Natalie. What is it you feel for me?”

Natalie opened her mouth to respond when her eyes zeroed in on a blonde head of hair coming up to their table from behind Audra’s chair. Instinctively Natalie’s hand dropped from the table to her side as the woman made her presence known, a friendly smile upon her face.

“Caroline! We really must stop meeting like this,” Natalie laughed, though it was more from her own frustrated embarrassment at the way the third Robertson woman kept showing up out of nowhere.

“I’m so sorry for interrupting your meal,” Caroline beamed with an animated look of apology on her face. “I never get to meet any of the women my lovely niece dates and when I saw her here with
you
…” Caroline’s head turned to look at Audra, her face etched with surprise. “Well. How about that?”

Natalie’s eyes fell from Caroline to Audra, who looked as pleased as someone who just stepped into a pile of dog poo. Feeling emboldened, Natalie reached out for Audra’s hand again and tangled her fingers within her grasp in open sight of Caroline. She could practically feel the shock of surprise in Audra’s hand, though she never let the expression show on her face.

“As a matter of fact we’re in the middle of a very
lovely
date. Are you here alone, or…?”

Caroline pursed her lips in the same way Audra had done moments ago. “Actually I’m picking up an order. Frankie and James love this restaurant. And I remember Audra telling me how much she loved coming here, too.”

“Well please be sure to give them both my best,” Natalie said through a saccharine sweet smile. When Caroline didn’t move, Natalie added with a more dismissive tone, “Good night.”

“Enjoy the rest of your
date
,” Caroline said before leaving their table. When she was gone Natalie shifted her gaze back to Audra, who was staring at her with a million questions on her face.

“What?”

“She’s going to tell James that she saw us here together,” Audra said matter-of-factly.

“Okay,” Natalie shrugged. But Audra was unmoved by her nonchalance. "It wasn't supposed to be a secret, was it? You told me James knew you were gay before your family did."

"I think it's
who
I am on a date with that he will take the most issue with, Natalie. We both know that it's not a secret that James Fitzgerald is still very much in love with you."

Natalie chewed thoughtfully on the inside of her lips as she considered the implications. It seemed obvious now that Audra never had any intention of making their affair public, though whether that was because she believed the relationship was nothing more than a brief affair or because she was afraid of James finding out, Natalie wasn't sure. Either way it was out of character for Audra Robertson to care what anyone had to say or think about it. Or was James Fitzgerald the exception and not the rule?

Natalie wiped the corners of her mouth with her cloth napkin before setting it down to rest in the middle of her empty plate. "Well in the interest of not keeping secrets you should know that James informed me he plans on asking me to marry him in thirty days." She ignored completely the dark look of surprise that fell on Audra's pretty face. "And that I've been sleeping with Joe since the night you and I flew home together."

Not content to wait and watch the aftermath of the two truths she just told, Natalie patiently stood, collected her clutch and leaned to kiss Audra on the cheek before weaving her way out of the restaurant and into the crisp evening air, phone in hand to order a car.

By the time close of business came on Tuesday Natalie was exhausted. The day had been filled with application reviews, intern interviews, schedule coordinating, account handling and phone calls from acquaintances both new and old asking if the rumors were true. News that Natalie and Joe had replaced Brighton New Media spread like wildfire, and more than a handful of current Brighton employees called to casually ask if they could submit resumes for consideration.

Checking her watch to make sure the hour was appropriate, Natalie slipped up into the loft and poured herself a fresh glass of wine before settling down on the couch in the living room. She'd just managed to prop her tired feet up on the coffee table when Shane set her phone down on the cushion next to her.

"That was Alice from James Fitzgerald's office calling to confirm a car would be around to pick you and Joe up at seven."

Natalie sighed and closed her eyes. "God, I'd nearly forgotten." What she
hadn't
forgotten was that spending any amount of time with James and Audra that night was bound to be awkward. "Thanks, Shane. See you tomorrow."

"Bright and early!" he sang on his way out the front door.

Natalie consulted her phone, swiping through the messages app to see if either James or Audra had tried to get in touch with her that day. By nine that morning her phone had been ringing non-stop. She eventually just gave it to Shane to handle, who did so expertly, taking messages and handling what he could. There were dozens if not hundreds of new messages, but none were from either of the two of them.

Quinn settled down on the couch next to Natalie, a full wine glass of her own in hand. "I'm ready to schedule a spa day."

Natalie's eyes rolled heavenward as a full-bellied laugh escaped her, shaking her entire body. "It's only Tuesday!"

"Exactly."

"At least you have the night off," Natalie teased her ruefully. "I'm having a catered dinner date-"

"With your three lovers?" Quinn finished for her.

"Hmmm," Natalie nodded in agreement. She turned to look at Quinn, a question in her eyes. "Have a killer dress I can borrow?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. Come with me, Red."

Natalie belted the black collarless coat tighter around her waist as she and Joe climbed out of the sleek black Town Car that had picked them up from their condo. It was all too familiar to the night she came to the home as a Candidate, right down to the tuxedo-clad Concierge driving them.
The Golden Palm
was as imposing as she remembered it, towering over its cliffside view of the glittering city beneath them in the darkened distance. The Concierge escorted them through the double-door entrance into the familiar marble lobby, grand chandeliers sparkling overhead. The tinkling of her golden colored ankle-strap heels echoed around them in the austere room, filling it with something other than silence and anticipation.

"Welcome," James greeted as he and Audra appeared from a room just off from the foyer. He was in his usual uniform of a tailored navy suit with a white shirt and tie, and next to him Audra was stunning in a black leather dress that hugged her body as though her life depended on it. Together they looked like the ultimate power couple, and in some ways they were.

"We have dinner setup in the garden," James continued. "We have heat lamps running as well, Natalie, if you'd like to leave your coat-"

Anticipating his words, the Concierge held his hands out to Natalie, ready to receive the garment. The fabric fell gracefully from her shoulders into the Concierge's waiting hands, and she could practically feel the collective gasp from her three companions as her dress made its debut. The beaded cocktail number was sinfully short with a plunging neckline and cap sleeves that showed more of her body than it covered.

"Thank you," she whispered to the Concierge, adding a wink as he stepped away with her coat, a bit of pink flushing his cheeks. She proudly relished the stolen glances and lascivious stares cast her way by her 'three lovers' (as Quinn had coined the trio). They were quite the contrast to one another. Joe a more muscled, hulking version of a man than James' lean and cut physique. Then there was Audra with her sinuous body and the perfect curve of her breasts. A girl could do worse than the three of the most beautiful people Natalie had ever seen before in her life.

"So," Joe began as the four of them sat down at a beautifully-decorated dinner table out in the garden mere feet away from the famed gazebo Natalie watched a Gentleman and his Candidate have sex in during her one and only venture to
The Golden Palm
. "I don't know why I'm surprised to find out this is the same house you used all those years ago for that party you two threw."

That party,
Natalie knew, was the very one where James, Joe, Audra and Celine all crossed paths for the first time. She'd heard only bits about what had actually happened - raging party, lots of drinking and hooking up, Joe walking in on his then-girlfriend Celine hooking up with James. No one had ever told her the full story.

"One and the same," James replied with a tone of finality. Natalie got the impression from the look on his face that he didn't want to talk about it, and perhaps with good reason.

"How are the men selected? The bidders?" Joe questioned.

"They ask," Audra offered in explanation. "We spent the first few auctions looking for wealthy men to participate, but once word started to get around in select social circles they started coming to us. Each of them is vetted as though he were running for President. Extensive searches into their background including relationships, business dealings and finances. Even their medical history. Once they pass and pay a fee they're considered members and can rotate in and out of the auctions as they please."

"And the girls?" Joe asked. Natalie felt more than one pair of eyes flash in her direction. She wished like hell in that moment that Quinn was there to share some of the burden of being the only Candidate in the room.

"Similar process," James replied. "Extensive background checks. Though there is the occasional exception, such as when a girl is unable to come in and she sends a friend in her place. We keep someone on staff to run quick checks on the last minute additions before the viewing session is over. Fortunately we've never had a problem."

"And do you likewise fill in for the Gentlemen when one isn't able to attend?" Natalie asked, looking at him square in the eye from across the dinner table.