"I've enjoyed our time together, as well," Audrey agreed. "It was great working with you again. I'll be anxious to see the offices, once you're moved in. And you'll have to let me know how the new assistant is working out. She seems perfect."
"You're right; Bella does seem to be very competent. But she's not you."
"Aw, how sweet," Audrey replied. "Anytime I can be of help, just let me know. I'm never too busy for you."
"What's on the agenda when you get back to New York?"
"I'm sure I'll have my plate full at the office for a while. And there's the big family mystery. Give me a few weeks to get my head above water, and I'll fill you in on all of it."
The waitress brought their food, and as she drizzled ranch dressing on her Cobb salad, Cora said, "It'll be interesting to see if your perspective changes any after this visit."
"How so?" Audrey asked as she poured a generous amount of French dressing on her own salad.
"You were so disillusioned before you got here. A lot's happened in the past two weeks. Will you go back with a renewed attitude and be satisfied again, or—"
"I may be on the next plane back, who knows?" Audrey finished for her with a nervous laugh.
The conversation drifted to Camille, Kayla and other people they both knew in New York. Cora knew she should call Camille, and she would, after Audrey left. Something was definitely going on there, and her old friend might like someone to talk to.
When lunch was over, Audrey still hadn't heard from Beau. They were on their way back to the house when he finally called.
"Hello, I was beginning to wonder what happened to you," Audrey said. "Is everything all right?"
"Yes, I just got tied up with some work, but it's all good. Are we still on for tonight with Cora and Dale?"
"Yes, Dale's mom is coming over to watch the munchkins. Where are we going?" she asked.
"Ask Cora if the Club is okay with them," he replied.
She turned to Cora and repeated what he'd said.
"It's a great place; you'll like it. Tell him yes," Cora said with a smile.
"I'll swing by their place around seven. Ask them if it's okay for us to drive separately, in case they need to get home to the kids, and we want to spend some time alone."
"I'm sure that won't be a problem. We'll see you at seven."
Cora was pulling into the driveway. "What won't be a problem?" she asked.
"He suggested we drive separately, in case you guys need to get home."
"It's your last night in town, so I'm sure he wants you to himself for part of the evening. You're right; it's not a problem."
When they went inside, they found both kids and Dale napping in the living room. Quietly, they went to Cora's bedroom to choose her outfit for the evening. When they'd found the perfect dress for her, they moved to the guest room to go through Audrey's things. She had only brought a few casual dresses, but her little black one would work quite nicely with a jacket of Cora's for the cool evening.
They went into the kitchen and brewed a pot of coffee. Sitting at the bar, they chatted a little about the job offer again.
"I could sweeten the pot and ask you to come on board as my partner if that makes it any more appealing," Cora told her.
"You're thinking about taking on a partner?" Audrey asked.
"If the business keeps growing the way it has in the last six months, and I have no reason to believe it won't, I would be open to the idea. That offer is only open to you, however."
"I'm honored. I promise, when things calm down a bit, I'll give it some serious thought."
"Talk to your dad. He can advise you, and he and Dale could draw up the paperwork together."
"So much to consider," she replied. "My head is spinning, what with your offer, Beau, and now, the family meeting coming up. As if work isn't keeping me occupied enough," she added.
"Never a dull moment," Cora said with a laugh. The rest of her family was stirring, so she began to look through the cupboards to find something to feed her babies for dinner.
Dale walked in. "Don't cook, baby. I'll take them to get Happy Meals. That should make their day. You girls go pretty yourselves up for tonight. I'll get cleaned up after I bring them home."
"Oh, thanks, babe." She turned to Audrey. "We don't feed them fast food often, so it's a special treat for them."
"You're such a good mom. I remember when you were a lot like me and didn't think that day would ever come."
"I remember those days too, but look at me now. Audrey, I think it'll come for you, too, in time."
"Dale's still the romantic, isn't he? After all these years, he's still perfect."
"No one is perfect, Audrey. But Dale is a wonderful life partner. He's thoughtful and kind, good with the kids, and whatever we saw in each other way back when is still there, stronger than ever."
"I've never found anyone like that, until—"
"Until now, until Beau, that's what you're thinking, isn't it?" Cora asked.
"It's an impossible situation. We all know that."
"Do we? I'll say it again. Where there's a will, there is always a way."
"We need to start getting ready," Audrey said abruptly. It served no purpose to keep rehashing the issue. It wasn't going to change anything.
A short time later, both of them were bathed, with make-up on, dressed, and their hair done.
When Dale emerged from the bedroom looking handsome as ever in his khaki slacks and navy shirt, he whistled. "You girls look great."
"Thank you," Cora said as the doorbell rang and Audrey went to let Beau in.
When she opened the front door, he stood on the porch. She smiled as she took in the sight of her cowboy. Tonight, he looked like anything but a ranch foreman. Dressed in dress slacks and a sport shirt, his sandy-colored hair perfectly styled, he was every bit as hot as he was in a pair of tight jeans. He was wearing cowboy boots, but obviously a different pair, shined and not nearly as worn as the ones he usually sported.
"Hi, gorgeous," he said as he leaned over to give her a quick peck on the cheek.
"Come on in. We're ready to go, I think. Dale's mom got here a few minutes ago.
"Hi, Beau, how goes it?" Dale asked as he shook the other man's hand.
"It's going, how about you?"
Cora had come from telling the children goodnight and smiled when she saw Beau. "Hi, did you have problems with covers today?" she asked.
"I had one that was giving me fits, but I think I've got it now. It was for the BDSM book. I emailed them to you just before I left."
"Okay, I'll take a look tomorrow. Are we ready to go? Dale and I haven't been to The Club for a while. I'm looking forward to it." She glanced over at Audrey to see her reaction to the mention of a BDSM book cover. Her friend seemed deep in thought.
"We'll meet you over there," Dale said as he headed for the garage.
On the way to the restaurant, Beau said to Audrey, "I'm determined to make this a special evening for you. I'm gonna miss you like crazy when you leave, you know."
"Any time I'm with you is a special time. I'll miss you too, but we can call and text until the next time we get together."
"I wonder when that'll be," he replied sadly.
"Only time will tell," she said softly as she reached over and took his free hand. "You know, if you need help with the BDSM cover, I'd be glad to look at it. I have some experience with those books, too," she added.
"We can look at it later," he said. "Thanks."
In the parking lot, he kissed her before they joined Cora and Dale, who were already waiting for them.
"I made reservations, so we shouldn't have to wait long," he said to the others as they walked in.
The evening was everything Audrey could have hoped for. The food, the atmosphere and the company were excellent.
When they said goodnight to Dale and Cora with a promise to get Audrey home before dawn, everyone laughed.
"How much you want to wager she gets home in time to
get her bags and head to Austin?" Dale said with a laugh.
"She'll be home before that," Beau assured him.
He helped her into the truck and drove to his cabin. As he kicked his front door shut, he pulled her into an embrace. He held her close for several minutes. No words were necessary. They both felt the need to be close. And when he leaned down to kiss her, Audrey was lost. As much as she could try to fight it, there was no use. It had taken her thirty-two years to find a man she could see herself spending the rest of her life with, and when she did, he had to be a man she couldn't have. But she had tonight.
They moved to the living room, and as he kissed her again, she sat down on the couch, pulling him down with her. His arms around her, he reached around to the zipper on her little black dress. She didn't object when he tugged it down and placed his right hand on her left breast. She sighed as his lips moved to her neck. He nuzzled and whispered in her ear, "It's all right, baby, I won't take this further than we should."
She didn't know whether to be grateful he was such a gentleman or disappointed he wasn't. She knew he was right, though. They might never see each other again, why make things more difficult?
He continued to kiss her and fondle her breasts. He whispered in her ear soft, sweet words. She was in Heaven. She wanted more. Her senses were reeling from his kisses and his touch. Her body was on fire. But when he sat her up and zipped her dress, she knew it would go no further that night.
"You're much too special for a quickie on my couch the night before you go home. When we come together, it will be in the right place and at the right time. I promise you that."
"Oh, Beau," she said softly as she leaned over and kissed his cheek. "I will miss you so."
"Not half as much as I'm going to miss you," he said. "I'll miss sparring with you and teasing you, kissing you, riding with you, working with you, and all the other things we've managed to do together in the past two weeks."
"It has been a whirlwind, hasn't it?" she asked.
"Oh, yes, it certainly has. And speaking of work, do you still want to look at that cover before I take you back to Cora's?"
"Sure," she agreed as she stood up and straightened her dress.
They walked to his computer, and he pulled up the cover in question. After looking at it for a few minutes, she suggested, "Why not just have a guy on there, rather than the couple? A Dom."
"Hmm, yes, I think that might work. There was just something about this couple that didn't quite pull off the feel I was looking for, you know?"
"Let's look for some images."
He pulled up the website he used for purchasing images, and they both began to look. "No, not him, he doesn't look like a Dom. How about this one? He symbolizes a dominant figure."
Beau looked at her and said, "You seem to know quite a bit about Doms."
She hesitated. "Well, yes, I've been in the publishing business for several years now."
He didn't reply; he'd been hoping she might know more than just what she'd read in books she'd edited, but apparently, she didn't. He purchased the image she had chosen and worked his magic, creating the perfect cover. He got Audrey's approval and emailed it off to Cora. Then, he pulled her down on his lap.
"That's more like it. I like that one much better," Audrey said.
He leaned over to kiss her again, murmuring, "We make a good team, you know."
"Mmm, yes, we do," she replied as he claimed her lips again and pulled her close.
"We'd better get going before I change my mind and carry you off to bed," he said as he stood her up and got out of his chair. He kissed her once more, slowly and deliberately.
Then he drove her back to Cora's with a promise to pick her up the next morning for the drive to the airport. It was a drive they both were dreading.
Chapter 8
On the road to Austin, both Audrey and Beau were unusually quiet. Neither of them knew quite what to say. The past two weeks had made an impact. Two people, both searching for something in their lives, had been brought together for a brief glimpse into a world neither of them had expected. Now, it was coming to an end after only two short weeks. But in those fourteen days, both had found exactly what they'd been looking for, even though neither of them had yet come clean about their lifestyle preferences.
"When do you think you'll get out this way again?" he finally asked.
"I don't know. I try to get out a few times a year to visit Cora and her family. She'll be in New York in a few months for a huge author event. Maybe you should try and come with her. After all, you do work for Texas Flame; it wouldn't be unthinkable for her to bring you along."
"I've never thought about it, but that would be a good experience for me, a good way for me to make some contacts. I'll talk to her about it."
"Beau?" she asked timidly.
"Yes, baby?"
"I don't know how this is going to turn out for us. With you in Texas and thousands of miles between us, you know it can't last forever. But could we try to keep our promise to stay in touch?"
He glanced over at her before answering. Finally, he spoke in a low tone. "I have found in you something I've never known before. I don't know how that happened, but it has, in just a few weeks. Where will it go? I think that depends on where we let it go. A long-distance thing won't last forever; that's true. At some point in time, we'll need to look at it again and decide what we want, and make it happen."
"Or call it quits," she added.
He took a deep breath. "Right now, I don't even want to consider that option."
"Austin, twenty miles," she said as she read the road sign.
He sighed. "We have time for lunch before you have to board. Let's get you to the airport, and we'll find a place," he said as he got into the right lane for the exit to the airport.
After she checked her luggage, the two of them walked to a café and sat down. Over lunch, they talked about what she'd be doing when she returned to New York.
"I'll be busy," she explained. "Work will be piled up, and there's a family issue I need to deal with."
"I hope it's nothing serious," he said as he took a sip of iced tea.
"I don't know. My sister contacted me and said there's going to be a family meeting when I return. I have no idea what it's about and, apparently, neither does she."
"Whatever it is, I'm sure you'll be able to handle it just fine. You're a very capable woman, Audrey Carter. I've learned that about you."
"So, let's talk about you. Will you be able to handle the workload for Cora's authors on top of your full-time foreman job?"
"The cowboy gig has just about run its course. More and more, I see that publishing is where I really want to be. Once Texas Flame gets to a certain level of success, I'd like to talk to Cora about working for her on a full-time basis."
"Really?" she asked as she dipped a forkful of salad into her dressing on the side.
"Really," he replied with a grin. "It's what I've always wanted to do. Of course, I'll still be able to ride in my spare time. The outdoors is in my blood. I'll always find time to fish, ride, and hike."
"And take girls on picnics so you can rescue them from rattlesnakes?" she teased.
"Only one purty gal I want to take on a picnic, and that's my uptown girl, Ms. Carter," he teased in return.
"Oh, how sweet you are with words, cowboy. Uptown girl?"
"I'd say you're about as uptown as they come, wouldn't you? Single career gal from New York City, complete with the Carter name."
She looked down at her plate. When she lifted her face, she said, "I guess you're right. I am an uptown girl. I always have been. But being with you on the ranch, sitting on your porch swing with the wind rustling the leaves on the trees and listening to the sounds of the country, it gave me a sense of peace and calm. That's something you don't get in the city, and it's something I've dreamed about."
"Maybe that's because it's what you really want. Deep down in your beautiful heart, you want that peace and that calm. An
d you want someone to share it with."
"Maybe," she said as she caught sight of the time on the clock hanging on the wall behind his head. "I've got to go. Look at the time."
He pulled out his wallet and threw down some bills on the table. He helped her up from her chair and kissed her lightly on the forehead. "Let's do this."
Taking a deep breath, Audrey allowed him to hold her hand as they walked to her gate. When they arrived, she watched the other passengers boarding and turned to him. "I'm going to miss you, cowboy. I'm going to miss your know-it-all attitude and your country ways. But most of all, I'm going to miss this." She pulled his face down to hers and grazed his lips with a kiss. He took the lead from there and plundered her mouth with his tongue. He gave her what she needed, a kiss so full of passion and promise, it made her head spin. It made her want to walk away from the gate, throw caution to the wind, and stay with him forever on the ranch. But she was Audrey Carter, and she couldn't do that. So, she ended the kiss, touching his lips with her finger before she turned to board.
"Until we meet again, sweet Audrey," he whispered as he reluctantly let her go.
Audrey gave him one last smile, and she was gone.
She found her seat next to the window and sat down. Once she was settled, she looked out and searched the terminal windows. There he was, standing at the window waiting to watch the plane take off. She blew a kiss to him, knowing he wouldn't be able to see her. A tear rolled down her cheek, which she briskly wiped away with her hand. This is crazy. It was a vacation romance, nothing more. We can be friends, but that's all. But as she said the words silently in her mind, her heart told her something different. Every beat told her she'd found exactly what she'd been missing on a Texas ranch.
When they were safely in the air, Audrey forced herself to relax as she leaned her head back and closed her eyes. She tried to put the time with Beau out of her mind. As she concentrated instead on what was waiting for her back home, she thought about the message from her sister. They rarely had family meetings, so something must be up. She couldn't imagine what it was, though. She thought about work and the extent of it that would be in her inbox. She thought back to the conversations with Cora about working with her. Could she do it? Give up everything and relocate to Texas, of all places?
Her Texas Dom (Dominant Men Book 4) Page 9