Unbidden Love (Book Five of the Bidden Series) (6 page)

“You are already beautiful,” Audra whispered before leaning in to kiss Natalie sweetly on her lips again. “And charming.” She bit at Natalie’s bottom lip. “And sexy.”

“Do not forget ‘wanting’,” Natalie whispered back before enveloping Audra’s lips with her own, deepening the kiss when her lips parted. Her tongue was soft and warm, gentle in its exploration of Natalie’s own. How would that same sensation feel against her skin, in between her parted legs? Her hands roamed Audra’s body until they reached the hem of her blouse and tucked beneath the fabric in search of skin.

“I should add ‘bad influence’ to this list,” Audra murmured before backing away from Natalie’s hands. “I can’t. This is my office,” she explained, an apology in the tone of her words.

Natalie nodded and blew an unsteady breath through her lips. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Audra took Natalie’s hand in her own and led her to the corner of the office appropriated with sumptuous couches in a soft dove grey. “I probably should have warned you my schedule was going to get complicated now that James is on leave. That’s why I asked you in here.”

James set down his keys and sunglasses on the console table in the foyer and let out a sigh. He checked his watch for the time before heading in the direction of his bedroom, set on washing off the morning and previous night before picking Frankie up from school. His internal clock was thrown off on account of waking up late in Avery’s hotel room. Not having anywhere to be first thing in the morning was unfamiliar to him.

“There you are!” Celine called out as he stalked past the library. James turned and leaned against the doorway.

“Were you looking for me?”

“I did not hear you come home last night, and you were gone so early this morning. How was dinner with Avery?”

James sighed. “It was good.”

“There was a nice picture of you two on Page Six. Did you see it?”

Was there anyone who had not seen it? “No, but I heard about it. Avery says hi, by the way.”

“I am so sorry I could not join you both last night. I miss Avery. She’s such a good kid.”

‘Would you like to come in?’ Avery offered as she strutted through the vestibule of her hotel suite. James leaned against the door frame and tried to keep his eyes cast anywhere but at the plunging black cocktail dress she was poured into.

‘Don’t you have to be on set tomorrow?’

‘I have a late call time. We are doing night shoots for the next week and a half.’ She flashed him a bottle of Cristal she picked up from a silver bucket of ice. ‘Stay for a glass.’

He was just drunk enough to take her up on her offer.

‘I have a secret to tell you,’ Avery said after pouring champagne into their glasses.

‘What’s that?’

She slipped out of her black stilettos and sauntered up to him, champagne flute in hand. ‘I probably should not even say anything. I have known Celine most of my life. But I swear I will never have the courage to say this to you again for as long as I live.’

James sipped his wine. His eyes hooded as the alcohol coursed through his system, warming him from the inside out. It was getting harder not to look at the bourgeoning curves of her body, but he had no intention of being anything other than a perfect gentleman. She was only 22 years old, after all.

‘Say what?’

‘That I have had a crush on you for as long as I can remember,’ she confessed, her eyes never once betraying her as they locked in on him. ‘In fact, it is you I think about when I am touching myself-‘

‘Avery-‘ he tried interrupting.

‘-Or any time I am with a guy who just is not getting it done for me. I think of you. You are probably the only man who has ever made me come, and yet you have never touched me.’

James ran his hand through his hair. “Yeah, she is a good kid. So,” he said before clearing his throat. He needed to quickly change the subject. “I was planning on picking up Frankie from school.”

“Oh, there is no need for that!” Celine called out as she returned her attention to a box of books she was packing. “She has a play date with one of your mother’s friend’s kids. Caroline is taking care of her. Why don’t you and I go for some lunch? I have been craving red meat ever since I gave birth.”

“Sure,” James relented. “Could you give me about an hour? I want to call and check in with my dad at the office.”

Celine cocked her head to the side. “Don’t you trust him to do your job while you are on leave?”

“It isn’t about trust, Celine,” James said, trying not to let his irritation show. “An hour. Please?”

Natalie leaned back into the cushioned seat and crossed her legs. “Let me guess: it is not going to get better anytime soon?”

Audra raised her brows in a knowing look. “Unfortunately not. James may be on leave, but we still have businesses to run across the country, and while
James
had no problem traveling every week,
Jackson
has no interest in it whatsoever."

"What? Why?"

Audra's eyes rolled to the ceiling briefly before focusing on the ground at Natalie's feet in a contemplative gaze. "He has very different ideas about how a company should be run. James does not share many of these, but he trusts him. While we have traditionally had a more hands-on approach, Jackson is comfortable managing from a distance."

"I always had the impression that James did not like his father very much," Natalie said, crafting an image in her mind of the senior and junior Fitzgeralds standing side-by-side. Even in her imagination they intimidated her. "Why not just leave the company to you while he is gone? Why bring his father in at all?"

"Jackson is intelligent, intuitive, immensely successful..." Audra rattled off as though she were counting the points out on her fingers. It was the unspoken, however, that Natalie minded. If anything, Audra sounded diplomatic, as though her opinions really lived in the realm of personal though they were dressed in the tone of a professional.

"A lot of people are intelligent, intuitive and successful," Natalie replied dryly.

Some unspoken thought darkened Audra's face. "James trusts his father."

It was those particular words left unspoken that were now very loud and obvious to Natalie:
James doesn't trust Audra
. Rather than leave his half of the company in the hands of his partner of many years, he would bring in a man whom he did not particularly like, who had a different mindset for business, but whom James trusted in spite of all that.

And it was all because of
her
. Because of Natalie.

"... still working out the details and itinerary. Natalie?"

Natalie snapped out of her thoughts and focused on Audra's inquisitive glare. "Sorry, what were you saying?”

“Alice, hi. It’s James.”

“Mister Fitzgerald!” his assistant exclaimed through the phone. “What a wonderful surprise to hear from you today.”

James smiled at her uncharacteristically effusive tone as he leaned back into his chair in the home office. “How are things, Alice?”

“Things are just fine, Sir. Were you calling to speak with your fath-, I mean, with Mister Fitzgerald?”

“Please.”

“One moment, Sir,” she said before the line went momentarily silent. Soft piano music began trilling in his ear, like modern muzak in an elevator. He waited patiently as the dulcet tones played on.

“Mister Fitzgerald is currently on a call on your-, I mean on the private line. He said it would only be a moment.”

“Thanks, Alice.” He had a second thought. “Is Audra in by chance?”

“Yes, but she is occupied in her office with Miss Harlow.”

James’ breath caught in his throat. “Natalie’s there?”

“Yes, Sir.”

He did not know why he was surprised. Every Fitson office had dedicated space for Natalie and all of the Gallo Harlow employees working on the Fitson account. It was his own idea to dedicate the space to them.

“Would you like me to connect you, Mister Fitzgerald?” Alice asked.

Yes. No.
“No, thank you Alice. I’ll wait for my father.”

“He is off the line now. I’ll transfer you, sir.”

“Thanks Alice,” James said before the line clicked over.

“Well this is a pleasant surprise. Are you calling to check up on me, Son?”

Not even a phone call spanning a distance of over three thousand miles could make Jackson Fitzgerald sound any less intimidating. Even to his own son.

“I was just curious how things were going.”

“Everything is fine, Son. You needn’t worry. How is my grandson doing?”

James resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “He is great, Dad. Sleeps, eats, poops and cries. Perfectly normal.”

“Good. I am looking forward to seeing both of my grandchildren when you fly out this weekend.”

“Uh, actually we have not finalized our travel plans yet, Dad.”

“You may want to consult with Celine, Son. She emailed a copy of your moving itinerary this morning. I would not have guessed you were uninformed on the matter.”

James shut his eyes and ran the backside of his thumb against his forehead. “That makes two of us.” When he opened his eyes again it was to glance in the direction of the bar setup on the far side. He should have started drinking
before
calling his dad.

“Why don’t we set up a meeting for next week once you have had a chance to settle in? I have some thoughts I would like to share with you.”

The bar was looking more temping with each passing moment. “Thoughts about what, Dad?” He could only imagine.

“For starters, the fact that Fitson employees have participated in that establishment you and Audra call a
club
. Namely you, Son.”

James burned with the sudden invasion of blood rushing to his face. He took a concentrated breath and focused on his voice so as not to sound obviously agitated. “Where did you hear that?”

“We will talk about it later.”

“Dad-“

“James, you are on leave. Focus on your family. We will talk next week. I have a meeting to attend. Goodbye, Son.”

The line disconnected before James could say another word. He grimaced and set his cell phone down on a nearby end table before the urge to hurl it across the room became too strong. Apparently one was never too old to be made to feel like a petulant child by Jackson Fitzgerald. Why was he seeking out information about The Golden Palm? And perhaps more importantly, who was giving it? Only a handful of trusted employees knew James had participated in the auction nearly a year ago. The Concierges, at least one accountant, maybe half a dozen other senior personnel, Audra and… And Natalie.

"Jack is going to run our West Coast operations from here, which means I am going to have to alternate handling operations in Vegas, Salt Lake, New York and Miami."

Natalie's heart drooped into her stomach as warning bells fired off in her nerves. “You are leaving?"

Audra's left hand reached out for Natalie's right as it balanced atop the couch cushion between them. “I am not
leaving
, per se. L.A. is my home, but I will be out of town three to five days a week for at least-"

"The foreseeable future," Natalie finished for her. They were the same words used by Jackson Fitzgerald when he informed her that James was on leave. She chewed on the insides of her cheeks in an effort to maintain the impassive look she was trying so hard to convey. But on the inside she was gutted. They barely had any time yet to explore the relationship they were trying to build, and now there would be even less of it.

Audra pulled her hand back and clasped it with the other in her lap, her eyes cast but unmet in Natalie's direction.

"It's fine!" Natalie said through a loud exhale of breath before Audra could say another word. It wasn't like she was unfamiliar with dating a Chief-
something
-Officer of a prominent business. Although when she and James started dating he made it a point to abbreviate three to five days into overnight trips. Not that it was fair to compare the one to the other.

"It would make me very happy if you could join me." Audra's words made Natalie break away from her thoughts. Join her? As in travel three to five days per week with her? "Not all the time, obviously. You have your own company to run. Since you have clients in Vegas and New York, maybe there is an opportunity to overlap the two. I don't know."

Natalie's work was portable. She and Joe designed it that way. Whether they were in the comfort of their own shared home or three thousand miles away on the other side of the country, so long as they had WiFi and a device to connect to it with, they could work.

Audra talked on and on about jet lag, living out of suitcases, the cost of jet fuel when you own a private plane - Natalie decided it was best not to try to wrap her head around that one - and after a few minutes it all started to sound as though it could work. They would still have the weekends, text messaging, and FaceTime. They were not lacking in options for digital communication.

As though she were reading Natalie's mind at that very moment, Audra handed over the phone and swiped her finger up the screen. "I was looking at a few options for dinner tonight. What do you think of this place?"

Natalie quickly glanced over the app. "Contemporary French cuisine in Santa Monica," she read.

"Two Michelin stars!" Audra beamed, as though that one fact would be the deciding factor.

"What is contemporary French cuisine?" Natalie asked, biting her lip to hide the dumb smile that spread across her lips. Before Audra could answer there was a brisk knock at the office door, and a moment later Alice poked her head through the small opening she created.

"Miss Robertson? Dana is setting up in the conference room and is ready when you are."

Audra's head fell back in defeat. “Shit! I forgot. Okay I will be right there."

"Who is Dana?" Natalie asked as she tapped the restaurant's name into Google for more information.