Beyond Ruin (Book Four of the Bidden Series)

by Cierlak, Crystal

  "Mister Fitzgerald? There is a Misses Cloud on the line for you," rang Alice's crisp voice.

  He stabbed a button on the phone to answer her page. "Who?"

  "Miss Cloud," Alice reiterated. "Natalie Harlow's assistant?"

  Oh. James picked up the receiver and pressed another button. "This is James."

  "Good afternoon, Mister Fitzgerald. This is Amelia Cloud calling from Gallo Harlow and Associates on behalf of Natalie Harlow. I'm sorry to disturb your afternoon but there are a few matters of importance I've been asked to run past you for clarification."

  "Don't tell me," he stopped her. "You need me to sign off on an application permit to the county of Los Angeles for a domestic zoo?"

  Amelia made an odd sort of noise. "I can't tell if you're serious or not."

  "That makes two of us."

  "Right..."

  "The matters of importance?" he reiterated.

  "Ah, yes! Are you or Ms. Robertson allergic to any of the following flowers: tulips, ranunculus, dahlias, bearded iris, or anemone?"

  "A bearded what?"

  "Bearded iris."

  "No, neither of us are allergic to flowers."

  "Okay, great. Are either of you allergic to latex?"

  Was she joking? She didn't sound like she was joking. "Exactly what is happening at this presentation tonight?" he asked incredulously.

  "Didn't you open the black envelope I gave to you earlier, sir?"

  "No." James rifled through the top of his desk for the object and found it hidden under a stack of financials. "Is it going to explain to me why I might need to divulge a latex allergy?"

  "I don't know, sir. I didn't write the invitation."

  "Uh huh. No, Miss Cloud, I am not allergic to latex. Nor do I believe Miss Robertson is allergic to latex."

  "Excuse me!" Amelia called out to someone else in the room. The Gallo Harlow home office sounded like it was in the middle of a circus. "No, flowers aren't being delivered here! This is the payee address, not the delivery address. Who are they for? I'm sorry, Mister Fitzgerald. One moment, please."

  "Take your time," he answered facetiously.

  "Is that James?" he heard a familiar voice ask from Amelia's side of the conversation. "Here. Hi James, it's Quinn."

  "Quinn! Why is Natalie's new assistant asking me if I'm allergic to latex?"

  "Don't worry, it's not what you think," she laughed, and for a moment he felt relief lift from his shoulders. "A few of the performers were kind enough to let us know they would be wearing latex costumes tonight and asked us to find out if any of the participants have an allergy to it. Just a precaution."

  "Jesus," he groaned. "It's just a presentation!"

  "Oh we are way beyond that now, James. But don't worry. You're going to love every minute of it. Natalie and Joe have been working well into midnight every day this week in preparation for tonight."

  "But latex costumes?"

  "Don't worry!" she laughed. "And by the way, the bouquet is stunning. Excellent choice on the sterling roses. They're Natalie's favorite."

  More confusion. "I didn't send Natalie any flowers."

  "Oh!" There was a momentary pause on Quinn's end of the line. "Shit. Well then. I have to go! See you tonight."

  She hung up before James could speak another word. He set the phone receiver back in its place and scrubbed his face with his hands. What in God's name was going on at The Golden Palm?

  He crossed the distance from his office to Audra's and found her immersed in her laptop, deep lines of concentration etched into her skin.

  "You're not allergic to latex, are you?"

  "I literally don't even have time to answer such a stupid question," she growled. When he didn't leave she glanced up at him and frowned. "Why are you asking?"

  "Natalie's assistant called asking if either of us are allergic to latex. Apparently there are latex costumes involved in tonight's festivities."

  "Good. Things were getting a bit boring around here lately." Audra closed the lid of her laptop and leaned back in her seat, stretching her arms above her head. "Honestly what did you expect, James? We're asking her to present an idea for a members-only club where men buy women for the night. You should have your expectations set high." The vibration of her cell phone going off against her glass desk caught her attention. "It's Caroline." She swiped across the phone and set it back down on the desk. "Hey, Caro. You're on speaker. I've got James in my office."

  "Oh my God, James, your mother sent Celine the most gorgeous sterling silver feeding spoon for the baby."

  "Fantastic," he groaned. "My son will literally grow up with a silver spoon in his mouth."

  "No, no, it's a gift. You don't actually use it," she clarified.

  James rolled his eyes and slumped down into the chair opposite Audra's desk. "Is Celine there? I wanted to tell her that I put in an offer on that house she liked."

  "No, she's laying down for a while. She wasn't feeling well."

  He sat up a bit straighter in his seat. "Is everything okay with the baby?"

  "Mom and baby are both fine. She's just finding it difficult to get comfortable lately. I'll be sure to pass along the news."

  He listened in and out of Caroline's conversation with Audra, his mind on Celine. There was a very real part of him that had a growing cancer of guilt over the fact that he hadn't seen her in weeks. He should be there for her in her final weeks of pregnancy, regardless of how tempestuous their relationship had been of late. His own mother sending gifts to Celine in New York was a sure sign that he'd be getting a phone call from her soon enough, and he wasn't quite prepared to deal with the added guilt she would undoubtedly lay on top of him.

  Sterling silver baby spoon, he thought with disgust. His son wasn't even born yet and he was already beyond spoiled.

  "We should probably plan on heading out to New York next week in between Salt Lake and Miami," she said after disconnecting the call. "If we don't go to her she'll just make us feel guilty about it."

  Sterling. Why was that word bothering him?

  "James?"

  Something wasn't right. "Before Caroline left for New York she said that she saw you out at dinner with Natalie."

  Audra pursed her lips together. "She did."

  "Was that Monday or Tuesday night?"

  "Monday night was the tour with Natalie and Joe."

  He sat up in his seat and leaned forward, arms resting on his knees. "But Caroline left Wednesday morning. Which means she saw you and Natalie at dinner on Tuesday."

  Audra inhaled deeply through her nose and sat up straighter in her seat. "Mmm-hmmm," she nodded.

  "But Tuesday night ... was your date," he said slowly. "A date to whom you sent one hundred roses."

  "James..."

  "Sterling roses?"

  "James-"

  "No," he cut her off. "I've known you for more than a third of my life, Audra, and in that considerable time I have never once lied to you. So please do me the courtesy of being honest with me now."

  "I've never lied to you either, James."

  "Were you on a date with Natalie? My Natalie?!" He tried not to shout, but he couldn't help the rise of his voice as realization, confusion and anger filled his insides.

  "She's not your Natalie, she's her own person! And yes, I was on a date with her."

  "Oh my god." He smashed his face into his hands and tried to calm his breathing, but he couldn't manage it. "How long?"

  "What?"

  "How long has this been going on? How did it start? Why did it start?"

  "What does it matter?"

  "What does it matter?!" he yelled, on the verge of screaming right there in the middle of the afternoon inside her office.

  "Oh is it semantics you want?" she yelled back. "All right, here's what fucking matters: You two haven't been together for months. You got Celine pregnant, and it's worth reiterating at this point - because it seems to have escaped you - that you did this after finding out that she cheated on you
and lied about Frankie being your daughter. Then you got Natalie pregnant, and while she was off trying to make something meaningful of her life and build a future for herself, she miscarried. She was devastated. She was in love with you, she had miscarried her baby and she was devastated."

  "So you swooped in and you what, seduced her?"

  "Hey fuck you, Fitzgerald! I found her in the bar of our hotel trying to drown her sorrows in alcohol because she didn't have the courage to go up to your fucking penthouse suite after you sent her some text message professing your undying love for her. I took her home. That was it. It happened weeks, months ago. I have always liked Natalie but I never once acted on it. But believe me, when I did it was mutual."

  James bit down on the insides of his mouth in an effort to prevent his teeth from grinding. Red was starting to fill his vision, and it took every bit of strength not to let it overtake him completely.

  "Are you fucking her?"

  "That is completely and unequivocally none of your business!"

  "ARE YOU FUCKING HER?" he screamed, red in his veins, his heart and his eyes. He hadn't even realized he'd stood up.

  "NO!" She screamed back, standing so quickly from her chair it nearly toppled over backwards. "But you are, aren't you? Last night? That's why you came in here looking like the sun rose that morning just for you, with your judgements about me and my love life. Well how did it feel, James? Was it everything you dreamed of it being when you drove her up to Montecito and showed her the house you bought and told her of your plans to propose? Was it everything your heart desired to once again make love to the woman who ran away to New York for two weeks, cut off all her hair and changed almost everything about her personality, just to figure out who the fuck she is because she no longer knows? Has it never entered the realm of your imagination that she might be searching for something that doesn't have your name on it? Or are you too goddamn scared that if you let her go for just a second too long that she might go and fall in love with someone else? No, you can't see that. When it comes to that woman you will never be selfless enough to truly let her go. You're so blinded by your own pompous self worth that you've yet to realize that she might not want you like you want her!"

  "Shut up!"

  "Admit it! You know it's the fucking truth or you wouldn't be worried that something was going on with her!"

  Oh, god. The truth was a knife in the heart, wielded by the one person other than Natalie Harlow whom he trusted implicitly, whom he loved unconditionally. "I don't want to let her go."

  "Fine. But be prepared to one day realize she might have let you go first."

  "She said..." He took in a deep breath to keep his emotions from getting the best of him again. "She said she had done something I couldn't forgive. But she's wrong. I can... I..." He sniffled and then coughed, holding onto the deluge. "She said she was on a path that she couldn't turn back from, that she didn't want to turn back from. She could have just told me! She could have told me it was you..."

  "Oh, honey. It's not just me."

  "What?"

  "You and I are not the only two people Natalie Harlow has been seeking affection with. And it certainly isn't with Quinn!"

  He shook his head. "No. No, she wouldn't..."

  "Get close to him? They're business partners."

  "You and I are business partners and we never-"

  "Joe Gallo isn't a lesbian. And neither is Natalie."

  "She wouldn't!"

  "She has! They share a home, a business, a life. I can't make you believe me. I didn't want to believe it myself but she told me. I don't know the details. I don't know if they're in love or if it's just sex. All I know is that it has happened. And there's nothing either one of us can do about that."

  "I have to go." He had to do something, go somewhere, just to keep from coming out of his skin. He didn't want to believe her and in spite of everything he knew instinctively she wasn't lying. Their shared feelings for the same woman aside, James knew Audra would never lie so viciously, would never let him believe something she knew would be the end of his heart.

  "It was never my intention to hurt you, James!" She called after him. "You're my family! But you'd be a lousy hypocrite if you judged me for loving her, too."

  He turned and threw daggers at her with his eyes. "Be that as it may, it doesn't entitle you to my forgiveness. Or my friendship."

  "James, where are you going?"

  "I'm leaving."

  "The presentation-"

  "Fuck the goddamn presentation!" he bellowed. "You run that place. You hired her. You deal with it. I'm done. I’m taking my daughter and I’m leaving.”

  He left before she could say anything more. There was nothing left to say. It was the end.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Everything was in place. The grand foyer of The Golden Palm had been transformed into a romantic gothic fantasy. Crystal globes of light floated with magical ease like glittering stars in the night sky. Golden candelabras six feet tall and lit with tapered white candles that towered above their heads made the entire space glow with an ethereal presence. Blossoming blooms of dahlia, ranunculus, iris, and night tulips so deep in purple hue they looked black in the candlelight added a soft and tangible texture that sharply juxtaposed against the six fierce woman who stood in costumed glory three per side along the interior entrance of the building. A woman in head to toe skintight black leather with metallic spikes; one in red latex the color of blood whose neckline cut so deep and wide her breasts spilled forth, full and wanting; one in a black latex corset with blue ribbons that crisscrossed the length of her spine; a woman of celestial beauty in a dress the color of blush on cream cheeks, a glittering silver contraption bracing her head from nose to shoulders; a fierce woman in a rubber catsuit with matching gloves, cat ears and whip; and a stunning blonde in virginal white lingerie, a silver crucifix dangling between her copious breasts. No surface was left untouched, no detail went unconsidered. It was a lush, decadent party where the promise that anything could happen was whispered on the collective baited breath of every single person in the building.

  All that was missing was Audra and James.

  Natalie, Quinn and Joe sat dejectedly on the landing of the staircase.

  Quinn consulted the time display on her phone. “They’re late.”

  “Give it time.”

  “They’re probably stuck in traffic,” Joe offered.

  “This is Los Angeles. Who doesn’t account for traffic in planning when they leave and arrive?”

  “Quinn…”

  “They’re late!” she said again.

  “So what do we do?” Natalie asked.

  “Call James,” Joe suggested.

  “I did. He’s not answering.”

  “Call Audra,” Joe suggested again.

  “She’s not answering either.”

  Quinn sighed and consulted her phone again. “This isn’t like them.”

  “I agree.”

  “You were with James last night and this morning. Was there any indication-“

  “Quinn!”

  “You were with James?” Joe cut in.

  “You mean you didn’t hear the epic lovemaking? I had to change my underwear.”

  Natalie shook her head and rolled her eyes. “He’s a heavy sleeper.”

  “You slept with James?” Joe asked incredulously.

  “Yes!” Natalie snapped. “I slept with James. I slept with you. I made out with Audra on a private airplane. I’m a confused slut, what can I say?!”

  “Hey!” Quinn snapped. “Don’t disrespect yourself like that! Sleeping with two men does not make you a slut.”

  “Are you still in love with him?” Joe asked. If Natalie didn’t know any better she might think she heard something akin to hurt in his voice.

  “Oh my god of course she’s still in love with him! They’re the OTP.”

  “The what?” Joe and Natalie asked at the same time.

  “The One True Pair? Honestly you’
re both young and spend all day on your phones, how do you not know internet lingo?”

  “I’m on my phone all day because I’m working, not trolling the Sherlock tag on Tumblr,” Joe retorted.

  “That was one time!” Quinn shrilled in her own defense.

  “James asked me to marry him.”

  “What?” Joe and Quinn asked at the same time.

  “Last night.”

  “Was it in the middle of orgasm? Because anything said in orgasm other than ‘oh baby I’m coming’ doesn’t count.”

  “That’s pretty much true,” Joe agreed.

  “It wasn’t in the middle of orgasm and it wasn’t the first time he asked.”

  “What did you say?” Joe asked.

  “Do I look like I have an engagement ring on my finger? I told him he wouldn’t want to marry me.”

  “Why the hell did you do that?” Quinn asked.

  “Because I’m not the same person he met and fell in love with. And the slut thing.”

  “Jesus, Mary and Joseph, you are not a slut!” Quinn screeched. “And people change! Is he the same James you met and fell in love with?”

  “I don’t know?” Natalie replied thoughtfully.

  “You think just because you’ve gone through some life experience you no longer deserve to be loved?”

  “No, of course not.”

  “So what’s the problem?” Quinn asked.

  “I’m pretty sure the biggest problem he’s going to have is that I slept with Joe.”

  “Sitting right here, you guys,” Joe said.

  “Because of the Celine thing?” Quinn asked.

  “It’s a pretty big thing!” Natalie defended.

  “Still sitting right here!” Joe interrupted. “And let’s not forget that I was dating Celine long before Fitzgerald ever came into the picture. If you want to get technical about it she cheated on me with him. You have any idea what it’s like to walk in on the person you love getting in on with someone else?”

  “No,” Natalie answered.

  “Yes,” Quinn answered simultaneously.

  “I didn’t seduce you, Natalie,” Joe continued. “I didn’t maliciously set out to bed you with the intent of hurting anybody. We’re business partners. We’re friends. We live together. You’re sexy and I like you. End of story.”