Beyond Ruin (9 page)

Natalie had a sneaking suspicion that James was not quite done with the surprises for the day. After an amiable lunch where they’d caught up on the pleasantries of each other’s lives for the past few months - his included work, divorce and Frankie while hers were essentially just work and adjusting to the lifestyle changes it produced. She had no idea how he could manage to top the drive up in the Buggatti Veyron and the private seaside lunch, but they were climbing up the hills of Montecito well enough above the freeway that she knew he was taking her
somewhere
.

The tony streets of the city only increased in price the further they drove, the homes crawling backwards from their private access roads to discourage anyone unwanted from trampling upon the emerald lawns of the multi-million dollar properties. She couldn’t even imagine how people lived with so much space. She had more than enough to contend with in the condo she called both work and home with her two best friends.

“Have you heard that there’s a house somewhere nearby that has all these beautiful gardens full of rare plants in it?”

“Oh yeah. LotusLand, right?”

“That’s it.” Natalie’s eyes swept over each house as they passed by, wondering if any one of them was the place she spoke of. “The owner was a Polish opera singer whose love life was famed and heavily discussed in society. She had half a dozen husbands and twice as many dalliances with ridiculous spiritual religions. Anyway, she and one of her husbands buy the house as a refuge for Tibetan llamas, or something, and start building gardens on the premises. She builds and builds for years, even selling her jewelry to pay for more plants for her gardens. Eventually she dies and a foundation in her name continues on her work.”

“She sounds like a very interesting woman,” James commented softly.

“Yeah. Imagine if she had put as much effort into her love life as she did her gardens.”

The car turned onto one of the access roads labelled with a sign indicating it was for private use only, and followed down a tree-lined path that curved gently around a massive lawn. In the distance of the seemingly vast property was what appeared to be a tennis court, its walls speckled with climbing vines, and beyond that a sparkling azure pool.

James slowed the car as they approached an old wrought iron gate that bisected the road. When they came to a complete stop he rolled down his window and punched a series of numbers into a security post. The doors began to open immediately, more trees and cubed hedges awaiting them on the other side.

The road took them to a circular driveway dotted in the center with an impressive fountain. But it was the structure to Natalie’s left that caught her attention: a two story Spanish-style villa that elbowed around them, luscious greenery planted thoughtfully throughout the sandstone- and terra cotta-colored mansion. James killed the engine to the Buggatti and the car was suddenly filled with quiet.

Both her heart and stomach fluttered at frightening speed within her. Her brain registered the familiarity of the situation almost immediately. He’d done this once before.

She and Quinn had taken a trip to Las Vegas to celebrate Natalie’s promotion at work, neither of them knowing that the luxury hotel they stayed at was owned by none other than her Gentleman Twelve, the man who had bid on her that night five months prior at
The Golden Palm
. By the time she realized who he was - and that he was
there
watching her - she had found out more about him than she could have imagined. The man who’d bid six figures for a night with her had a name, a wife, a child and so much more. Their reunion was as passionate as their first night together, and it was James who insisted they not say goodbye that time. Days later, at her rather silly and emotional insistence that he stop living out of suitcases and buy himself an actual home, he brought her to a home in the hills of Los Angeles with the intent to buy. That plan, like their relationship, also fell apart.

The estate that dominated the land around them was not anything like the house in the hills. It wasn’t merely a house, but a declaration of wealth and intent. It was not the home of a single man but of the first generation of a family yet to come.

James was the first to speak.

“I wasn’t going to show you this place yet,” he started, speaking quietly. “In fact I can’t show you most of it. At least, not today.”

Natalie swallowed deliberately with the hope of moistening the dryness that had overtaken her mouth and throat. “Why are we here, James?”

He looked up to his left, eyes cast upon the Eastern-facing front of the home. “Because I want to tell you about the second floor terrace off the master bedroom.”

The quickening beat of Natalie’s heart reverberated inside her chest in bursts of pressure that she could feel in every part of her. “Okay…”

“This house and the land its built on is called Villa Montecito, and as far as dream homes go it sets the bar quite high. You couldn’t want for anything here. Eight bedrooms. Ten bathrooms. Two bedroom guest house. Pool. Pool house. Tennis court. More than I can even list in one breath. All of it on three and a half acres of land with the most beautiful views money can buy, the best of which are on the second floor terrace off the master bedroom.”

Natalie looked at the short balcony hanging high above the gated front door and tried to imagine where on the property this other balcony was. Indeed, it all looked like something out of a fantasy.
Real
people didn’t live in places like Villa Montecito, surely.

“From up there you can see almost the entire property as it stretches out toward the horizon and ends just below the line where the Pacific ocean meets the sky. Of all the property I own and the places I’ve visited, there is nowhere that can even touch the beauty of that terrace or the land it overlooks.”

Natalie slipped her sunglasses off her face and turned her attention again to James, whose own attention was still on the dreamy edifice. “Why are you telling me all of this?” Her voice came out in a tremble, but she hoped it was too soft to notice.

“Because on Thursday I made an offer on Villa Montecito, and yesterday the owners accepted it. In less than thirty days this house will be mine, and when I have the key in my hand I’m going to bring you here. I’m going to take you up to that second-floor terrace-” James turned to look at Natalie, his blue-green eyes burning with an intensity that could render her speechless. He never looked more determined, more sure of anything in his life. “And I’m going to ask you to marry me.”

“Hey, you’re back,” Joe greeted Natalie from his makeshift desk at the dining room table as she stepped through the front door of their shared home/office. The windows were wide open to the fading late autumn sky outside, darkness imminent. She felt like she was returning from another life completely. “How was lunch?”

"It was nice,” she responded quietly as she joined him at the table. The car ride home from Montecito was long and quiet. What was she supposed to say to the man who told that her in thirty days he would be asking her to marry him? What
could
she say? She was stunned, and the purring of the Bugatti’s engine was their only companion on the return trip. Their goodbye was awkward but brief, and Natalie was happy to be away from him to give her mind time to process everything.

Joe eyed her curiously. Even in the few short months they’d partnered together in both business and home life Joe had come to know her pretty well, and she him. There was an easiness to being around him, and Natalie appreciated that quality on more than one occasion. But she couldn’t talk to him about James and his startling revelation that afternoon.

“Where’s Quinn?”

“San Diego. She said she’ll be back tomorrow afternoon.”

“Ugh. We have so much work to do,” Natalie groaned.

“Says the girl who left for half the day to go have lunch with her ex-boyfriend,” Joe ribbed her. He was right. And it was the weekend after all.

“What are you working on?” She peaked around the open lid of his laptop to attempt a glance at the screen.

“Staff restructuring ideas. Boring stuff,” he dismissed with a shake of his head. “We can talk about it when Quinn returns.”

Natalie made a soft humming noise and looked around the condo, searching for some form of inspiration. She had no desire to work but was too tired to leave home and go anywhere. All she wanted was distraction. Her problems would still be her problems tomorrow.

“I don’t suppose you want to order takeout and watch movies all night?” Joe's raised eyebrows were accompanied by his surprised smile. She tried for a nonchalant shrug. "Unless you've got plans tonight?"

"Uh, no. No plans," he said. "What do you feel like?"

Natalie expelled a loud breath as she leaned back into her chair, eyes casting up at the ceiling for inspiration. "Something unhealthy. You decide. I'm going to take a quick rinse off."

"Pizza it is," he called after her as she ran upstairs to her bathroom suite. She quickly typed out a text to Quinn wishing she was there and needing to talk before jumping into the shower and getting momentarily lost in the hot spray of water, imagining the events of the day rinsing away from her body and down the drain. If only it were that simple. When she was clean she donned a pair of cream colored silk shorts with lace trim and an oversized tee shirt that was as soft as thousand-thread count sheets. Her phone pinged with a reply message from Quinn just as she headed down the stairs.

'Quinn: Celebrating w/a friend from college who just got engaged. Will be back tomorrow for details and drinks!'

It was just as well. Natalie tossed her phone onto the couch and went to the kitchen in search of wine. She pulled a bottle of chilled moscato out from the fridge in time with the doorbell ringing.

"Pizza's here!" she called out into the living space towards wherever Joe was.
That was fast
. She must have taken a longer shower than she thought.

"I ordered carryout," Joe yelled from the direction of the loft bar.

Natalie opened the door and came face-to-face with Audra.

"Hey!" She greeted, trying not to show her surprise. "I thought we were going to get together on Monday?"

"We are," Audra said through her usual cool smile. Her eyes swept down the length of Natalie's body, lingering at her mostly bare legs before coming back up to her gaze again. "I'm here in an official capacity."

Natalie flushed at the visual assessment and the glint in Audra's eyes that followed. "Come in. I thought maybe you were the pizza delivery."

"Sorry to disappoint you," Audra joked as she crossed the threshold and followed Natalie into the kitchen. Joe descended the stairs from the loft two at a time and threw a skeptical smile Audra's way when he saw her.

"Audra. To what do we owe the pleasure?" He, too, gave Natalie a quick once-over. She might have second guessed her choice of clothing if it weren't for the fact that she was in her own home about to enjoy a rare evening off.

Audra set her expensive purse down onto the marble island and helped herself to a barstool. "It's about
The Golden Palm
. Natalie I assume you've filled Joe in on some of the finer aspects of the place?"

"I did." Natalie poured herself a glass of wine before grabbing for two more glasses. "Though as you know my sole experience is from the perspective of a Candidate."

Audra nodded. "Of course. But you have to agree it does give you a rather interesting advantage. You and Quinn both. I want you to use that."

"Use that how?"

"I'd like for you to present your ideas for the anniversary celebration to us at
The Golden Palm
. It will provide a much more appropriate setting than our offices at Fitson. Since Joe has never seen the place before I thought a private tour first would be helpful."

"We'd be happy to," Joe interjected, looking quite like an excited child finding out he's been invited to play at his favorite toy store. "When did you have in mind?"

"I'd like you to present something Friday night and, if your schedule permits, come for a tour on Tuesday."

"Was this James' idea, or yours?" Natalie asked. Both Audra and Joe turned to look at her, but she only kept her eyes on Audra.

"Ours for the proposal. Mine for the tour. I think, given the nature of the club itself, after hours would be the most ideal. The four of us can sit down for dinner as well so we can answer any questions you may have."

"Sounds great!" Joe beamed. His eyes scrunched together when he looked to Natalie. "Red?"

Natalie forced a smile and a deep inhale of breath. "I think it sounds great," she concurred.

"
Great
," Audra emphasized the word with a smile. "We can lock in a time when you come into the office on Monday. Your offices are being furnished even as we speak. James insisted on having everything ready for you to use as soon as possible."

So this was how it was going to be from now on: Natalie back in James' orbit whether she was ready for it or not. Maybe taking on the entire Fitson account was a bad idea?
The Golden Palm
anniversary party was a singular event, but the whole of Fitson was a massive undertaking, one requiring a near-constant presence at Fitson. She couldn't help but wonder if the offer was made in the first place because of James' desire to be close to her and not because of her talent. It wouldn't be the first time she had such a doubt. And of course Audra had her reasons...

Natalie did her own assessment of Audra Robertson as she chatted politely with Joe. She was dressed immaculately as usual, black knee-high boots over black leather leggings and a swishy black chiffon blouse. Natalie wondered if she ever just wore a tee shirt and shorts. If she did they were likely designer as well. Audra didn't do cheap and cheerful.

Joe made some kind of announcement that Natalie only heard bits and pieces of. It wasn't until Audra crossed one leg over the other that Natalie was brought out of her daze.

"Hmm, what?" Someone had asked her a question, right? Audra was observing her with an amused smile on her face. Joe was gone, presumably out to pick up the pizza.

"Do you mind if I help myself to a glass of wine?

"Of course not!" Natalie snapped out of her thought cloud. "Sorry, I would have offered you some but I wasn't sure if you were driving..." she trailed off.

"I am. But Joe did invite me to stay for dinner." Audra reached for the bottle of moscato and a fresh glass. "Don't worry," she said as she began to pour. "I won't if you don't want me to."

"No, stay." Natalie took a seat onto the barstool next to Audra and sipped from her own wine glass. "Quinn was smart enough to escape to San Diego for the night so instead of work we're doing pizza and movies." Suddenly the thought of Audra kicking back for a relaxing night in was amusing to her.

"What's that look for?"

Natalie couldn't help but smile. "Nothing. So, you couldn't have told us over the phone that you wanted us to make a presentation?"

Audra's eyes narrowed but the humor in them remained. "Does that question imply that you aren't happy to see me?"

"Not at all," Natalie replied softly. "I just figured I wouldn't hear from you since you knew I was with James this afternoon." She flushed just at the mention of his name, and the implication it brought with it. God only knew how long it would be until she could think of him without her cheeks turning any shade of pink.

"Ah." Audra leaned back casually into her barstool. "Well now that you brought it up, tell me. How was your date with James?"

Natalie inhaled deeply as she thought of a way to answer the question. "It was very thoughtful and well planned." She waited for Audra to say something in response, but the silence stretched between them for a good minute without so much as a clearing of the throat. Suddenly Natalie felt the necessity to elaborate. "We drove up the coast in a Bugatti Veyron and had a catered lunch on a private beach in Montecito."
Was that really today? It feels like another lifetime
.

"That sounds very romantic," Audra nodded, the movement brief. "So why are you having a quiet night in with Joe?"

Natalie shrugged her shoulders emphatically. "Because James took me to lunch, not back in time."

Audra took a thoughtful sip from her wine glass before setting it back down on the island counter and coming to a stand. She was close enough for her perfume to tempt Natalie's nostrils.

"Thank you for the wine, Natalie."

"You're not staying?" She didn't even try to mask the disappointment so evident in her voice. Audra must have heard it; the corners of her mouth upturned slightly.

"I think what you need is an evening to yourself. Starting Monday your life is going to be very different."

Audra saying it seemed to confirm Natalie's own thoughts. Still, she wasn't without a bit of levity. "Is that because I'll officially be working for you on Monday, or our date?"

Audra's smile spread so beautifully across her face Natalie had to part her lips just to breathe. She didn't want Audra to leave. In fact with every passing second all she wanted to do was bury her lips in the woman's skin for the rest of the weekend. In such close proximity Natalie noticed for the first time that the top few buttons of Audra's blouse were undone, and peaking out from the delicate chiffon fabric was the nearly diaphanous black lace of her bra.

"So it
is
a date?" Audra asked, her voice low enough to be a whisper.

Natalie reached out and slid her hands across Audra's backside, pulling her in until they were close enough to share body heat. "You're taking me out to dinner, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"And then back to your place afterwards?"

Audra's blazing chestnut eyes lingered on Natalie's lips as she licked her own, then met her gaze again. "Yes."

"Then it's a date."

Natalie brushed her lips against Audra's with the intent to merely tease her, but as soon as they touched Natalie claimed her, deepening the kiss just as the sound of a key unlocking the tumblers in the front door echoed throughout the quiet space.

"See you Monday," Audra whispered against Natalie's lips before leaving.