Unbidden Love (Book Five of the Bidden Series) (11 page)

“It is only a problem to you, James. Natalie does not share your issues with Joe. And in any event, Joe is not your problem.”

“What
is
my problem, Quinn?”

“You committed the cardinal sin of relationships. You leveraged your own pain and suffering to cause harm to someone you claim to have once loved.”

“Not once. Still. And that is the reason I called you. I need to know that it is not too late.” She cast her eyes away from his questioning glare, obviously avoiding him. “Quinn?”

“I am not the person you should be asking that question to,” she said, finally glancing up at him, if only briefly.

“But I am asking you. Is it too late?”

“I think it was too late the night Audra showed up at our house and told Natalie she was not going to deny her feelings any longer. Even if you still had a chance then, it expired the moment you announced to the world via that stupid car that you no longer love her. The fact that you could not forgive her for something you did yourself…” She left the sentence unfinished as her eyes shifted from James’ to some point past him. He turned and saw Celine standing a few feet away, a sleeping Colin wrapped up in her arms.

“I am going to go,” Quinn said through a tight smile in Celine’s direction. “Please do not make the mistake of thinking that I will defend you to her. We may be friends, you and I, but you are still the asshole who sent my best friend a million dollar ‘fuck you’, and Audra’s the one she went to for comfort tonight.”

She could not have hurt him more even if she punched him, and part of him felt like she did - straight in the gut. As he watched her walk the path back to the house and out to her car, James was left with only one realization, one he had hoped to avoid at all costs: it was over.

And at that very moment Natalie was choosing to be with Audra - his most trusted friend in the entire world. She was quite possibly lost to him for good.

Natalie’s every nerve ending was alight with fire in the wake of Audra’s touch as it caressed down her neck, over her breasts, and across the soft expanse of her stomach. She arched her back and let her head rest on Audra’s shoulder as her breasts spilled into waiting hands. Audra gently squeezed, rolling the flesh between her fingers. Natalie opened her mouth to moan but the sound was lost against Audra’s lips. One arm crossed her chest to hug her close to Audra’s torso, while the other hand slipped down between her legs to find her wanting center. Audra’s first and middle fingers circled intimately around her clit, eliciting more soft moans as she moved against Audra.

The sensation of Audra moving behind her, gradually rocking her hips against her backside was new but welcome. On instinct she matched her rhythm, smiling when she heard the distinct sound of Audra’s breath hitch in her throat against her mouth.

“I want to taste you,” Audra whispered, her voice hoarse with need as her hand swept across Natalie’s sex.

Encircled in Audra’s embrace, Natalie turned to face her lover and continued her pursuit of the taste of Audra’s tongue. Using the force of her hands on her backside, Natalie pushed their bodies closer together until there was little more than air between them.

“Do you trust me?” Audra whispered.

“Yes,” Natalie said through her own breath as their hips moved in tandem. She was desperate to feel Audra inside her again, stroking her.

“Good.”

Natalie parted her lips and watched as Audra climbed onto the bed with her back against the headboard. She nodded ever so subtly, beckoning Natalie to join her. Natalie followed, straddling her hips at the encouragement of Audra’s hands pushing against her backside.

“Sit up on your knees,” Audra commanded, her voice low and molten with need. Natalie did as asked, gasping when Audra's firm hold of her backside tightened, squeezing the tender flesh of her cheeks.

“What are you-“ Her hips weakened as Audra’s mouth met her center, lips pursed against her sex. She arched her pelvis, shuddering when Audra’s tongue parted her and made one long lap inside her. “
Oh… my… God…
” Using Audra’s firm grip on her backside to keep her steady, Natalie arched her back and opened wider to Audra’s mouth, wanting to be filled completely with the velvet tongue that worshiped her. Natalie fisted her fingers in Audra’s blonde hair and held her close as she moved her hips against Audra’s tongue.

Natalie looked down at Audra and found her chestnut eyes watching her intimately, an unmistakable mixture of admiration and lust evident in her gaze. If this was Audra’s lovemaking, her idea of making Natalie hers, Natalie would accept it in a heartbeat. She watched unashamed as Audra’s mouth made love to her, feeling with each passing moment a deepening connection with the woman.

Her release came suddenly, and wildly, a crescendo of pleasure that erupted into pure, unadulterated bliss. She hardly knew she was falling until the pillowy surface of the bed caught her, enveloping her in its cool comfort. She fondled her own breasts, kneading against the soft skin glistening with perspiration in an effort to encourage the contractions between her legs that radiated warmth throughout her body.

Natalie was still awash with sensation when Audra stretched out above her. She wrapped her arms around Audra’s neck and welcomed the feel of bare breasts against her own. Natalie parted her thighs willfully, and cried out when Audra’s mons rubbed against her folds. Her heart pounded in her chest at the new awareness while her hips freely reciprocated, pressing her sex against Audra’s. The friction of their groins grinding against one another reignited a deep pleasure within Natalie. Audra took a breast in her mouth and lavished her tongue across the soft mound of flesh. Natalie, lost in a landscape of her own lust and desire, could only think to squeeze Audra’s arms and backside as they thrust together.

Audra exhaled short pants of breath against Natalie’s warmed breasts, accompanied by the occasional melodious moan. Using what little strength she had left, Natalie encouraged Audra to pull her torso up so she could look in her eyes. The raw energy of keeping eye contact with her lover had always been just short of overwhelming for Natalie, but with Audra she insisted. She wanted to watch the powerful woman’s face as she came apart between Natalie’s legs.

“Fuck you look so beautiful right now,” Audra panted. “I want to come for you.”

Emboldened by those words, Natalie leveraged her position and flipped their bodies over on the bed. Natalie slid down the woman’s body and thrust her tongue into her entrance, tasting the arousal of another woman for the first time. Audra’s hips bucked at the intimate contact, thrusting her hips over Natalie’s tongue while crying out for release. Natalie kept her eyes on Audra as she altered between long laps and short bursts of pressure at her clit, and with one final lick Audra was unraveling around her, singing a chorus of yeses punctuated with heavy breaths. She was incomprehensibly beautiful in her heightened state of arousal, with her unkept blonde hair, pink cheeks and burning chestnut eyes. Her toned body glistened with a thin layer of perspiration that seemed to glow in the low lighting.

Natalie slinked into the space beside Audra and stretched out her body, relishing in the utter relaxation only great sex could provide. Audra turned on her side and smiled - a genuine, face-splitting smile that only added to her natural beauty.

“What are you thinking about?” Natalie asked, unable to resist her own smile.

“I am thinking about how much you surprise me,” Audra admitted.

“What do you mean?”

Audra tucked a loose strand of red hair behind Natalie’s ear, then let the back of her fingers caress along the lobe. “When I first met you I had you pegged as a good girl.”

Natalie feigned surprise. “You mean I am not?”

“I guess I meant ‘good girl’ in a prudish way. Clearly you are not,” Audra teased.

“I am glad I can surprise you. You certainly surprise me.”

“What do you mean?” Audra asked, borrowing Natalie’s own words.

“This,” Natalie gestured with her head at their naked bodies in bed as way of explanation. “I just made love to a woman for the first time. And not just to any woman.”

“And? How did you find your first experience making love to a woman?”

Natalie pressed her lips to Audra’s and breathed in deeply through her nose, enjoying the lingering kiss. Before pulling away she kissed each of Audra’s cheeks, the tip of her nose, and finally her forehead.

“I found it to be amazing and worth frequently repeating.” She laughed and kissed Audra again, deepening it until their tongues mingled with the scant trace of one another between them. “Very frequently,” she added between Audra’s lips.

They remained locked in the embrace of the other and kissing for what felt like hours before Natalie finally fell asleep, naked and more carefree than she had felt in months.

“Are you sure you don’t want to come to brunch?” Natalie pouted her lips and tried for her best puppy-dog eyes as she looked up from the drawer full of Lululemon inside Audra’s closet.

“It’s Sunday, remember?” Audra stood on the opposite side of the lavish room, pushing aside hanger after hanger of beautiful blouses in every neutral color imaginable. “
Family day
in Montecito,” she added with feigned enthusiasm.

“Oh, right.” Natalie stood and purposely dropped the robe she wore, letting it fall to the carpeted floor in a tumble of silk, exposing her naked body underneath. It did not surprise her to realize she was comfortable being completely undressed in front of Audra, and not just because they had spent the majority of the weekend in bed together. “You are leaving again tomorrow?”

“Through Thursday,” Audra answered as she draped her chosen ensemble out on the back of a tufted chaise lounger. “Salt Lake City and then Las Vegas. You should join me.”

Natalie’s lips perked into a smile at the sudden invitation. “In Vegas?”

“Come out Thursday night. We can spend the weekend at Eden.”

Natalie quickly changed into a tank and leggings, then turned to watch as Audra dressed, her movements that of a practiced dancer - graceful and purposeful. She did not just throw things on like Natalie often did, but treated each garment as though it were a piece of wearable art. Judging by the designer labels Natalie spied on nearly every article of clothing, they might as well have been art. Her wealthy, sophisticated style could not entirely mask the youthful beauty of her face. Natalie could not help but wonder, as she stared at her new lover, whether Audra was ever truly young.

“I would love to. Why don’t you let me take care of everything? I have the distinct feeling you have never had a
proper
weekend in Vegas.”

“Proper as in getting wasted and staying out until five in the morning?” Audra’s eyes were furrowed in a dubious look, but she smiled nonetheless, which only encouraged Natalie further.

Natalie gave a noncommittal shrug. “I guess you will just have to find out.”

“Okay,” Audra agreed as she slipped her manicured foot into a polished nude Louboutin pump. “As long as I am not featured in some gossip blog the next day, I am down for whatever.”

Natalie bit her bottom lip down to keep from smiling too broadly. “Just remember you said that.” She padded across the room and stood on the balls of her feet to reach up and kiss Audra’s lips. The intimate contact was soft at first, but the moment she felt Audra’s hands brush against her hips she deepened the kiss, wanting to savor their last few moments, knowing it would be days before they saw each other again.

“Are you sure… I cannot convince you… To come to brunch?” Natalie asked again between kisses.

“As much as I would like to, I am looking forward to seeing Frankie and the baby. And I am curious to see this house I have heard so much about.”

Natalie was equally curious knowing Audra and James would be reunited for the first time since their epic fight weeks ago. Between that fight, James leaving Fitson, the Bugatti, the slap… what she would not give to be a fly on the wall in that house that afternoon.

The drive through the tony streets of Beverly Hills in the super expensive supercar was an odd experience. Even in one of the wealthiest cities in the world she still felt like she stood out, and not in a good way. Even the valet attendant did a double-take when she pulled up outside the restaurant Quinn picked to meet at for brunch. She swore she could hear the hushing of conversation as heads turned to appreciate the fancy car and judge the woman driving it. Quinn stepped out through the entrance just as Natalie handed the key fob to the attendant.

“Don’t you look like a million bucks?” Quinn greeted her with a wicked smile.

“
Ha-ha.
It is going back tomorrow,” Natalie promised.

“You can tell me all about it and your weekend with Audra over coffee and french toast,” Quinn beamed. Natalie sighed when Quinn wrapped an arm around her shoulder and guided them through the entrance of the restaurant, relieved to be back in her own somewhat normal world with her best friend.

James ran his hands up and down the legs of his jeans to wick away the excess sweat from his palms. Next to him his father was going on and on about a potential acquisition, but James’ mind was preoccupied with Audra’s impending arrival. It had been weeks since the night of their fight, when Audra left New York to come back to Los Angeles. It was the longest he had ever gone without seeing the woman who had been his constant day in and day out for the past decade. Despite everything that had happened between them - the anger he felt towards her, and her feelings for Natalie in particular - he missed her. He missed their friendship and their partnership. And he was more than a little curious about how her life had changed since coming back to L.A.

The idea of Audra and Natalie being together in any romantic sense was difficult for him to comprehend. But
something
had happened between them. Celine said Audra was in love with Natalie. Was Natalie in love with Audra? Could an entire relationship have been blossoming between the two women right before his very eyes? And if so, had his actions helped cement the fate of his future without Natalie?

James cast a rueful glance at the drink his father was holding, wishing he could pour himself a glass and lessen the stress that was infiltrating every corner of his body. Alcohol was not the solution. He needed clarity, and all drinking did was numb his feelings.

“They are a talented team, son. Imagine what could be accomplished if we acquired them. Not to mention how much money we would save in billable hours alone.”

James had no idea what his father was talking about, and was about to say as much when Celine sauntered into the living room with baby Colin in her arms.

“Jackson it’s Sunday, and a family Sunday at that,” she softly chided the elder Fitzgerald. “You two can discuss business later. Looks like my sister is here.” She nodded her head in the direction of the driveway-facing windows. “Frankie!” she called out in the direction of the kitchen. “Come out and say hi to your aunt! James would you mind going outside and checking on the caterers, please?”

James grunted his response before stalking out through the patio doors. He heard Frankie making a run for the foyer just as the doorbell rang, and had half a mind to turn around and tell her to slow down. The outdoor kitchen was buzzing with caterers setting up food and drinks as a team of women dressed in head-to-toe black fussed about decorating the dining table with floral centerpieces and place settings. Leave it to Celine to turn a simple family barbecue into a full blown social event.

Just as he heard Audra’s voice coming from inside the house, his phone vibrated in his pocket. As he reached into his pants to retrieve it, James had the sudden hope that it was Natalie, despite all odds. It was Avery’s name, however, that greeted him in a new text message, and with it a thumbnail image he could barely make out under the bright sunlight. He opened the messages app and tapped the photo, only to be met with a crystal clear picture of the beautiful actress, naked from head to toe and posing very provocatively in a full length mirror. The accompanying message read,
‘Headed your way this week. Reunion?’

James closed the app without replying just as his father, Frankie, Celine, and Audra, who was holding Colin to her chest, stepped out into the sunshine. Audra glanced in his direction and offered a brief but polite smile. He almost felt disappointed by the fact that she did not look out of the ordinary at all, as if he were expecting her to have changed somehow in the past few weeks. It was stupid, really; Audra Robertson was not the type of woman who wore her heart on her sleeve.

At the insistence of one of the women in black, they sat at the decorated dining table and continued whatever conversation they were having inside. James watched from his place at the head of the table as Celine played hostess with his father, her sister, and their kids.

To anyone on the outside, their gathering might have looked picture perfect: A loving family gathered in a beautiful home on a Sunday afternoon for a meal and some shared laughter. The nuanced complexities of their individual relationships was completely lost in the idyllic scene.

“Aunt Audra, do you want to have kids of your own?” Frankie asked. Everyone went silent for a moment, the question breaking the unspoken agreement they had all seemingly made with one another.

“Frankie, honey, that is a very personal question to ask your aunt.” Celine glanced at James as though he might know how to handle the question.

“No, it’s okay,” Audra replied. A bright smile lit up her face as she looked down at the sleeping baby cradled in her arms. “You know, Frankie, I have not really given it too much thought in the past, but, yes, I think I would like to have kids of my own. Or maybe just one, and hopefully he or she is as great as you.”

Frankie’s smile was enough to soften any heart, and James found himself smiling because of her, in spite of his own temperament. That is, until his father cleared his throat, a sign that he was about to put in his own two cents into the discussion.

“How would that work, Audra?” Jackson asked, feigning curiosity.

Audra’s chestnut eyes flashed with irritation for the briefest of moments, only to disappear into nonchalance. “The same way it works with anyone else, Jackson.”

“Well, not the
same
way,” he said, the unnecessary emphasis on the word grating James’ nerves, and he imagined Audra’s as well. Both Audra and Celine shifted uncomfortably, and James fought the urge to kick his father’s leg under the table.

“Actually the science of reproduction has come a long way, Jackson. Unlike more
traditional
attempts at procreation, I would have the benefit of a reproductive endocrinologist helping me out. All I need is the right donor and possibly a surrogate.”

Celine raised a hand in the air to call for the catering staff. “Maybe we should-“

“Sounds like you have given it
some
thought,” James’ father interrupted.

James caught Audra’s eye, wondering if she was sharing the same unspoken thought he was. He knew she had done her fair share of research into the matter. More than a year ago she sought the counsel of a fertility doctor to explore her options, and he had the distinct impression she was deciding whether or not she could ask James to be her sperm donor. Unbeknownst to Audra, he had long ago determined that if she ever did ask him to be the biological father of her children, he would agree in a heartbeat. He had even sought counsel himself - a lawyer specializing in reproductive and family law - and had a co-parenting agreement drafted in the event Audra did ask him. She had yet to pursue the matter any further.

“Enough to know my options, Jackson.”

“Dad, she is a lesbian, not another species. Maybe you could Google your questions instead?”

“What is a reproductive endocrinologist?” Frankie asked before Jackson could respond to James.

“A fertility doctor,” Audra answered, turning her attention back to the curious little girl. “A doctor who helps make babies for mommies and daddies.”

“Oh. What is a surrogate?” Frankie asked. Next to her Celine’s face was blooming a bright shade of pink. On the other side of Frankie, Audra was composed and unfazed by the girl’s inquisition.

“A surrogate is a mommy who carries a baby for another mommy or daddy.”

“You mean you would not carry the baby in your own tummy?”

“Frankie, honey, why don’t we save the questions until after lunch?” James interrupted.

“No, it’s fine,” Audra dismissed him. “I do not know if I would want to carry the baby myself, Frankie. Fortunately I have many options available to me when the time comes.”

Jackson leaned forward with his elbows on the table, and asked, “So who would be the mom, you or your girlfriend?”

A stunned silence descended upon them so quickly James could hear the sound of the palm trees swaying with the Pacific breeze. The tinkling melody of wind chimes rang from an unknown distance. As if sensing the silence was their cue, the catering staff surrounded the dining table wielding platters of freshly barbecued hamburger patties, hot dogs, baked buns, bowls of beans, potato salad and fruit, chips in all varieties with several smaller bowls of dip and salsa. Their empty glasses were filled with sparkling lemonade and crisp flat water. James watched the scene before him feeling completely detached from it, like he was watching someone else’s family pretend to be completely normal. He looked to Audra in an effort to gauge what she was thinking, but she seemed to be avoiding his eye contact.

“Thank you so much!” Celine said to the serving staff, an insincere smile marring her face.

“You know what, Jackson?” Audra said finally. All eyes turned to her, food momentarily forgotten. “I have yet to broach the subject of family with my girlfriend. But when I do I will be sure to give you a call so you have all the details. Since you are so interested,” she added, sarcasm dripping from each word through her smile.

‘My girlfriend
’. The words felt as real as the sting of Natalie’s hand slapping his cheek.

“So it’s official then?” Celine’s honeyed words matched her saccharine smile. “That Natalie sure knows how to pick the right people. First James and now Audra? Careful, Jackson, or she may come for you next.”

James stood - the movement so abrupt his chair knocked over backwards - and wordlessly stalked to the double-French door entrance back into the enormous home. He banked right at the family room for the library-slash-office and shut away inside the mostly empty space. The room’s floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and rich wood paneling heavily favored the style of the same room back in his former family home in New York, only with views of a courtyard with the Santa Ynez mountains in the distance, rather than the English garden that had been immaculately constructed in Celine’s former home. A few crystal decanters were filled with clear and amber liquids on a gold bar cart towards the center of the room. Abandoning his plan to remain sober, James poured himself a glass and took a deep drink of thought-numbing liquid. He stared out through the window into the courtyard where water was bubbling out from the top of a tiled fountain.