“No! Oh, definitely not! I didn’t know!”
“Did you have an affair with the man?”
This was not something she wanted to discuss with her boss. “It doesn’t matter.”
“I see. Well, it matters to me. The reputation of this firm, my reputation as a good, moral man, does not allow for loose behavior in my employees.”
Oh, no. “I’m sorry, sir. I promise it won’t happen again. I’m not seeing Owen…I mean, Mr. White. We haven’t seen each other since the vacation, and have no plans to do so again.”
“I thought I could trust you, Audrey.”
“You can! I’m telling the truth!”
“Are you going to marry this man?”
Owen hadn’t offered marriage by any means. He made no commitment, and Audrey had been too upset to ask for one. “No, sir.”
“You’re fired. I can’t trust you and I won’t have that.”
“But—”
“Out. You have ten minutes to gather your things and then I want you gone. I’m putting in my order for a Daedalus Six. I should have done it long ago.”
“Please, sir! I’ll never do it again. I’ll keep my relationships out of the public eye. I promise.” She felt hysterical and knew he could hear it in her voice.
“I can’t have this kind of gossip going around, Audrey. It’s distracting, and I’ll have to explain it everywhere I go. No, I’d rather say I fired you and be done with it.”
Audrey wiped a tear off her cheek. She needed that job! It had been so hard to find and the unemployment rate was sky high. Now she would be kicked out of her apartment as soon as her meager savings was used up. That would be about a month. Where would she go? “I’m begging you, Mr. Finster. Please!”
“Best of luck to you, Miss Beacon.”
Sobbing, Audrey packed up her few possessions and left. On the long train ride back to her apartment, she wondered if she could sue Romantek or the reporter for sharing parts of her dream. But she knew she couldn’t. When she had returned home from the RAVE, she had looked over the legal papers she’d signed prior to the experience and it was clear that Romantek had the right to insert others in the dream, and also that they were to be held harmless for any repercussions. Besides, lawyers were expensive. There was no way she could prove that Romantek’s motivations were venal. The reporter was a different matter.
As the train hurtled along, Audrey studied her tablet, searching on her name linked with Owen White and found the article. It was in the Paramus Times, a tiny little paper in New Jersey. The reporter’s name was Rosemary Ambergris.
Rosemary.
It couldn’t be a coincidence. Audrey wondered if Owen was going to sue the paper and Rosemary for defamation of character or something. But, what she had reported was true. All three of them had been in the same dream, and though they had all signed some sort of confidentiality agreement, maybe it wasn’t what Audrey had thought it should be—an agreement not to give away Romantek proprietary processes. What a mess.
Audrey tried very hard not to cry on the train, but as she approached her front door, the tears started falling rapidly and she barely made it inside the apartment before she broke down into sobs and wails.
She dropped her box of office whatnots and ran into her bedroom, throwing herself on the bed and crying her eyes out. Her comm chimed, but she ignored it and buried her face in her pillow. Her life was in tatters and it felt like nothing would make it right ever again.
* * *
Audrey forced herself to drink a cup of tomato soup. Her comm had chimed numerous times while she cried, waking her every half-hour as she fell into an exhausted sleep. It chimed again as she sat in her single chair, mug in hand. She put the mug down and grabbed the comm off her bookcase. It was an unfamiliar number. She wasn’t wearing her in-ear speaker, so Audrey held the device to her ear.
“Hello?”
“Audrey! I thought I’d never reach you! Are you okay?” It was Owen’s voice, a little scratchier, owing to the age of her comm unit.
“I don’t want to talk to you.” She took the comm away from her ear and was about to swipe the screen, but Owen spoke loud enough for her to hear him.
“Please! Audrey, you have to listen to me.”
After several moments of hesitation, Audrey raised the device back to her ear. “I don’t think we have anything to say to each other. Please let me get back to my life.”
“Audrey, I know about the newspaper report. I’ve started a lawsuit against Rosemary Ambergris and her newspaper. It won’t get anywhere, but it will shut her up for a while. I’m trying to make this right.”
“You can’t. And, it’s not your fault anyway. It just happened, that’s all.”
“Let me do something for you. Anything.”
“You don’t happen to know of a job in Omaha, do you? My boss fired me when he read the article.”
“Oh, no.” He sounded sincerely unhappy for her. “That’s awful. I’m so sorry. I can help you find a job, my love, but I’d much rather have you come to Switzerland and stay with me for a while.”
A while. How long was that exactly? Shouldn’t she get on with her life, such as it was? She hadn’t fallen in love with him for his money. She thought he was a dream, a cowpoke that lived a patchwork life. But he wasn’t a dream. He was solid, real, and all too convincing. “I can’t. I have my apartment, my friends…everything I know is here.”
“You said you loved me. Was that a lie?”
“No. But I fell in love with White Star. I don’t even know you.”
Owen snorted. “And you won’t give me a chance to reveal myself to you. Take a chance, honey. Get to know me.”
Audrey didn’t owe him anything, but maybe she owed herself the opportunity to know him better. Maybe this was a new instance when she ought to take a chance in her life. Maybe it was fate, starting with winning the Big Nutz contest. “It’s scary, Owen.”
“I love to hear my name on your lips. I love everything about you.”
He loved her? No, he loved the open, uninhibited Audrey Beacon from their shared dream. This Audrey, the real one, was a lot more conservative, even shy. A man like Owen White, a man used to living in the limelight and dating supermodels, could never love a woman like Audrey Beacon. It was unrealistic and foolish of her to even entertain the idea. Still…it was tempting. Not because of the things he could provide—life made easy was not something Audrey could viscerally relate to—but because he had been her dream guy.
Audrey told herself that she had to deal with the reality that he wasn’t a dream, but self-lectures were no help at all. It was very confusing. If he was even a tenth as appealing, warm, disciplined as he was in her dream, then maybe, just maybe, they had something to build upon.
As she was thinking it over, she was silent, so he prompted. “Come on, honey. Go with your heart.”
“All right. I’ll come to Switzerland.”
“Yes! That’s my girl. Pack up. You won’t need much. I have everything here in the chalet.”
Audrey bit her lip. A chalet. What was she doing? “I don’t know…”
“Don’t renege, Audrey. This is the right decision.”
“I want my stuff in storage. I can afford it for a couple of months. And, Owen, there’s no guarantee that we’ll get along. I need to know I have something to come back to.”
“No problem. Anything you like. But please let me pay.”
“No. Absolutely not.”
“Honey, I know what you make…made. Let me pay.”
“No, and that’s final.”
He sighed. “Okay. I’ll send a heli-jet and an auto for you. Can you be ready in, say, three hours?”
“Yes.”
“Good. I can’t wait to see you. I promise you won’t regret this.”
A little smile curled up Audrey’s lips. The decision was settling on her like a warm blanket on a very cold day.
Chapter 11
The chalet was a beautiful, spacious A-frame, s
et in the lower knolls of the Swiss Alps. It had space for Audrey, her two suitcases, and even enough room to hold her entire apartment, had she wanted it that way. But she wasn’t ready for that. The place was clean, smelled of pine, had rich, beautiful carpets on the wood floor. And the windows looked onto a small town in the valley below. It was like a fairy tale place. More dreams for Audrey to cherish. More reality to be intimidated by.
Owen, on the other hand, seemed to want her to settle in as quickly as possible. He took her into the small town and introduced her to special friends. The restaurateurs were friendly, jovial, and brilliantly creative, the shopkeepers generous and solicitous.
Their first night together was special in many ways, but Audrey knew she had been too tentative with him.
They had shared snifters of cognac in front of his big fireplace, and snuggled together on the couch. Audrey tried to relax in his arms, tried to feel the satisfaction and security there as she’d done in her dream. But it was difficult trying to relate the dream feelings and the real-life feelings, and there was a lingering disconnect.
Owen asked her what was wrong. He said he could feel her tension.
“I know. I’m trying.”
“You remember that old space movie where the little green guy says, ‘There is no try. Only do’? Well, that’s what I’m saying to you. I won’t hurt you, Audrey. You’re safe in my arms.”
She snuggled up against him, forcing herself to let go. “I’m sorry. Maybe I just need time.”
His scratchy voice tightened up, but he said, “Take the time you need, honey.”
Audrey felt his disappointment in her, though it was obvious that he was going to give her what she needed, even if it pained him to do it.
So she took her time. He gave her a room to herself, though that clearly had not been his intent. Her personal baggage had been left in the master bedroom. A servant moved it, quietly and efficiently. When it was time for Audrey to go to bed that first night, her things were secure in the lovely bedroom she had been allotted. It was a big space with an attached bathroom. It reminded her of the cabin on the Romantek ship, but even bigger and plusher. As she had on the ship, she kicked off her shoes first and squeezed the plush carpet with her toes. She didn’t fall against the bed this time, however. Her nerves were firing too fast. She was overwhelmed.
Owen kissed her goodnight at the door, and Audrey let herself be swept up in it for a minute, then she reminded herself that this was an experiment. There were no commitments. It could blow up in her face at any moment. Her tension returned doubly.
They repeated this exchange nightly, and after a week, Audrey found herself eager for his good night kiss, receptive when he gently touched her breasts. Still, she was afraid.
“I’m sorry, Owen. I’m not ready yet.”
He pressed a brief kiss on her nose and released her body. “All right. Is there anything I can do to reassure you, Audrey? You’re not reacting like you did in the RAVE. Have I disappointed you in some way?”
“No!” She tried to reassure him, but she still stepped back away from him. “I’m just…I’m just not as forward as the RAVE made me, Owen. I’m afraid to let you down.”
“Be yourself, honey. I’m sure I’ll love that Audrey Beacon, too. There was a lot more of the real you in that dream than you are giving yourself credit for.”
Maybe, but letting go was awfully scary to contemplate. Audrey knew she was putting a severe strain on their burgeoning relationship, but her fears of rejection, of losing her grip on reality and confusing the dream White Star with the real man, were too strong. However, she was getting more comfortable. Time was helping. Audrey only hoped that Owen wouldn’t become impatient with her. His support through her acclimation to him was so key.
She needed to be wooed, she realized. It was so old-fashioned, that Audrey wanted to shake herself. It wasn’t because her ego needed to be stoked, but it was because she had a hard time accepting that he really wanted her—not in the abstract, but in reality. But awake or asleep, the feeling of needing to go slowly continued to press upon her.
Each night, they parted at her door, and each morning, they met in the dining room. A habit was forming, and Audrey wasn’t sure if that was good or bad.
Work didn’t seem to take up much of Owen’s time, during those first weeks, and Audrey asked him directly if that was unusual. She wanted to know if all the time he lavished on her was normal.
“I love being around you, Audrey,” he told her, which wasn’t much of an answer.
She insisted. “But don’t you have work to do? How do you manage all your…whatever you have?”
“I have managers who manage, and managers who manage the managers. I do need to travel from time to time to see particular horses or attend big races, but I have trainers and other advisors to narrow down the searches and bots who make arrangements. And, there’s no reason we can’t go together on those trips.” He leaned back in his dining room chair and tossed his napkin near his empty plate. The china gleamed on the table, winking at Audrey in the candlelight.
“Oh. Don’t you think we’ll get on each other’s nerves, being together all the time?”
“It’s been three weeks. Am I getting on your nerves?”
“No. Am I getting on yours?”
He grinned. “Driving me crazy. Mostly with lust.”
Audrey giggled. “Oh, you.”
Owen waggled his dark eyebrows. “Speaking of which, I’m thinking a trip to the spa is in order.”
The spa was a suite of rooms in the chalet—it seemed to Audrey that there were rooms for everything. Inside there was a huge hot tub, a smaller cold tub, massage tables, chairs for barbering and facials, manicures and pedicures. When Owen declared it a spa day for Audrey, that meant he had arranged for her to be pampered for hours while he worked in his home office. Being treated like a princess was an amazing experience.
Audrey liked the quiet moments spent together the best. She felt at one with Owen, during those times—peaceful as they read the amazing books Owen had downloaded for his extensive library. They would sit silently, words unnecessary, satisfied with each other’s company. It was those hours that made Audrey want to stay, to give in to her feelings, even more than when he lavished attention upon her, took her places, or kissed her so gently, more and more often.
Audrey thought that maybe it was time to come out of the chrysalis and open her wings. She had buried her desire too long, hiding behind too many excuses. She loved Owen—the real Owen. Although she was not fully severed from her old life—she still had family and friends—she was starting a new journey. It was a journey that took courage just like accepting the Romantek vacation prize took courage. She had done it once, surely she could do it again. “I think the spa sounds like a nice idea, Owen.”
He nodded. “Good. I have a surprise for you there.” Owen held out his hand and Audrey took it, wondering what the surprise could be.
Once in the softly lit, tiled room with the colorful mosaic walls, Owen helped her remove her little pink dress and white sandals. He smiled wolfishly at her matching pink panties and bra. “You’re so beautiful,” he said gently as he unfastened her bra and slid it down her arms.
Audrey’s nipples puckered as Owen pulled her to his chest. His shirt was smooth and warm against her, but her nipples wanted skin against skin. She blushed, but let herself be swept up in the moment. He had seen her unclothed before, in the RAVE, and although that had been a dream Audrey, this Audrey wasn’t so much different. She shivered, even in the warm air. It was time to give a little.
Their lips touched, the kiss a taste at first, but soon Owen took charge and his mouth slanted on hers, his tongue teasing her then claiming her for his own. Audrey felt Owen’s hands on her bottom, squeezing, kneading the firm muscle there. He separated her cheeks and pulled her panties up tight in the crevice. His tug made everything so snug against her pussy, spreading her labia and rubbing lightly against her clit. Audrey moaned with the
sensation.
Owen’s kisses traveled over Audrey’s face, and she plucked at the fastenings of his shirt, running her fingertips over the embroidery there. Her eyes were for Owen alone, and not the red and black of his shirt plackets.
After he glided his hands over the smooth skin of her back, she finally had his shirt open, but he stayed her hands when they went to the buttons of his pants. Uncertainty leapt in her breast. Maybe she was doing something wrong. Maybe that wasn’t where this was going after all. Her decision to let go might have been premature.
“Now, now, honey,” he soothed, almost as though he was reading her thoughts. He slid a hand down into the tight front of her panties. “I want to give you something first.” Owen’s forefinger moved into her slippery wetness and back up to her pulsing clit. All Audrey could do was moan and close her eyes with pleasure. She relaxed with his touch, reassured that things didn’t need to be confusing. She didn’t need to confuse things anymore.
“First thing I want to give you is this little orgasm. A little one, now, Audrey. We’ll save the big ones for later.”
Audrey would have agreed to anything at that moment. “Yes,” she whispered.
Owen’s fingers moved more vigorously between her legs, never too firm, nor too gentle. He remembered what the dream Audrey liked, and the real Audrey soaked it up. “Good girl,” he said into her ear, his lovely, scratchy voice heightening her pleasure.
The sensation built as he touched her and she was dreamily climbing the sensual Alps toward their highest peak. Right up into the clouds until, suddenly, she was soaring like an eagle, crying out a mating call, begging for Owen to join her. This was her moment, alone with her lover, but apart from him while he pleasured her.
As she slowly melted down, like the wax on a taper, he held her against his bared chest. Audrey could feel his stiff erection against her belly, but she didn’t have the strength to insist that he let her touch him. She was spent for the time being, and content with that.
She had done it. She let go.
They stood, cuddling for a time, and Audrey’s energy came back in a gentle wave, prompting her to run her hands over Owen’s smooth chest until she found a nipple to tease.
The Winner (Romantek) Page 13