Natalie woke again to sunlight streaming through diaphanous curtains draped like wisps across the length of the bedroom windows. She picked up her head and read 7:56AM on the alarm clock sitting by the bedside. It was an all too familiar memory, waking up with only a handful of minutes to spare before it was time for goodbye.
She looked down to find James sleeping soundly at her side, his face completely relaxed and content as he softly snored. Natalie lay back down and just watched him, thinking about the kind of life he must live the other days of the year. There was something incredibly sad about a grown man - a successful, but sad grown man - living from a suitcase and going from city to city with no real home to speak of. A hotel room was not a home, no matter how finely or warmly appointed. She assumed the home he did once have, the one he spoke of in New York, was forfeited to the soon to be ex-Mrs. Fitzgerald and her daughter. But then again, who would want to stay in a home where the person you're meant to trust most in the world has betrayed you so deeply?
If he were to pick just one place as his home, one place that was his and his alone to come to at the end of the day, where would it be? She should have asked him, but a part of her feared his answer would be Los Angeles. If he were in LA that would mean the possibility for more, and she wasn't sure what 'more' was. Aside from sex they barely knew each other, and quite frankly she didn't think she had much in common with a billionaire hotelier whose most frequent mode of transportation was likely an airplane. And as great as the sex was it was nothing to build a relationship on, no matter how tempting the proposition seemed.
Still... everything she knew of James told her that he was inherently a decent man, one worthy of finer treatment than he had received. He deserved better than a nomadic lifestyle of going from one hotel to another.
"James." She shook his arm gently as she called his name. "James, wake up."
"What is it?" he asked before his eyes could even open. When they did they were heavy with sleep. "What's wrong?"
"You need to buy a house." Okay, just ignore how utterly crazy you sound right now, she thought to herself. "You're too old to do the rich person version of couch surfing."
"Stop calling me old," he yawned. He sat up and leaned back against the pillowed headboard. "Okay what are you saying?"
Natalie scooped up her legs and sat Indian-style at his side. "You need to pick a place to live and buy a house there. Every person deserves a home to go to at the end of the day and a hotel room is so impersonal. No offense."
"Okay?" He looked a bit bewildered but seemed to be listening as much as he could. "Where is this coming from, Natalie?"
"No place, really." From my crazy brain, actually. "I just woke up thinking about it."
"You woke up thinking about me living in a house?"
"Yes. And as your friend I felt it was my duty to inform you."
"Okay, friend." He tugged on her arm until she crashed into him, his arm wrapping around her and holding her tight. "On Monday I'll buy a house. Anything else?"
Just like that? 'On Monday I'll buy a house'? God, rich people... "Yes. Thank you."
"For what?" he croaked tiredly at her ear.
"For you."
At that James picked up his head and turned to look for something - presumably the clock, judging by the look on his face - sighing as his head came down next to hers again. "This isn't you saying goodbye to me, is it?"
Natalie turned in his arms until she was facing him and chewed thoughtfully on her bottom lip. "Is there another way?"
"Yes, there is. Don't."
"I have to leave and go home, James," she sighed. We've been through this already.
"But you don't have to say goodbye, Natalie." He opened his eyes again and stared at her with that same blue-green intensity she'd seen so many times before. "Do you really want another five months to go by before we randomly meet again? Because I don't."
There it was: the 'more'.
Of course she didn't want that but what conceivable alternative was there? Dating a billionaire? A semi-broke recent college grad dating a man who occasionally lives in the hotel he owns in Vegas? That was fantasy, not reality.
"I don't either, but..."
"Good, then it's settled." He leaned in and kissed her softly before returning to the comfort of his pillow, leaving Natalie utterly confused.
"What's settled?"
"Neither one of us will say goodbye. You'll leave at nine, have brunch, fly home and then go to work tomorrow."
"And then what?" Wait, didn't we already have this conversation?
"Exactly."
She opened her mouth to protest her confusion but was met with a hand on her mouth and a stern look from a sleepy twelfth man.
"Natalie, it's Sunday. Give your brain a rest and lay down with me. Please?"
She sighed and relented to his plea. Even she was surprised at how wound-up she was. Without muttering a word further she turned back into his arms and rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes to enjoy the last of their time together in the peaceful quiet of his penthouse hotel room.
She'd barely started to drift off before she felt his hips pressing into her backside. "What happened to just lying down?" she asked, breaking the silence.
"I was thinking about when I walked in and you were naked and standing in front of the window."
She could feel him smiling into the back of her head and she couldn’t help her own smile from spreading into her cheeks. His hand made its way down her stomach to between her legs, a finger slipping in to gently prod her clitoris. A small moan escaped her mouth as she adjusted her hips to give him more room.
James leaned up on his free elbow and stared admiringly down at her. "Have I mentioned how beautiful you are?"
TWELVE
"So you're dating?" Quinn asked over breakfast potatoes.
Natalie considered a forkful of eggs benedict before shrugging her shoulders. "Honestly I have no idea."
"How did you leave things with him?"
Natalie covered her mouth with her hand as if she'd taken too much to chew, but she was really hiding the stupid smile that came unbidden to her mouth as she intimately recalled their morning lovemaking. "I gave him my number and I left."
"You say it so casually, like it's nothing that you spent the night having sex with a gorgeous billionaire who didn't want to say goodbye to you." A woman sitting next to them made a sharp tsk! noise and looked pointedly from her small child back to Quinn and Natalie. "Lady this is Vegas. I'm not the one who brought your child here," Quinn snapped. She took a deep sip from her coffee and turned her attention back to Natalie. "So you'll definitely be seeing him again?"
"I guess? Maybe. I don't know." Natalie took a generous sip from her own caffeinated beverage. Her phone buzzed against her thigh from within her jeans pocket and she retrieved it quickly, a flutter in her chest.
'You forgot two things. Pick them up at Eden. Find Brandon in the lobby and ask for me.'
"That him?"
"Yep," Natalie sighed as she placed the phone facedown on the table. If she'd forgotten something she'd be stuck with a sneaking feeling. But as she mentally catalogued everything she packed in her carry-on she noted nothing of importance was missing.
Natalie entered Eden dressed as casually as when she'd first entered it, only this time she didn't feel so much like an outsider in her common jeans and James' white cotton tee. The lobby was bustling with guests following bellhops pulling luggage on golden colored carts towards valet or the taxi line. Before Natalie had a chance to really look for Brandon - whose face she barely remembered in their very short time together - she felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to find the man had found her first.
"Welcome back, Miss Harlow. Please enjoy a glass of champagne in our lounge upstairs while I call Mr. Fitzgerald for you."
Natalie couldn't help the flush of embarrassment that heated her cheeks at such attention. "Thank you."
"Of course. Miss Harlow. Miss Potter." Brand
on's smile exceeded the limits of charm when he addressed Quinn, and she was only too happy to appreciate the extra bit of attention.
Together Natalie and Quinn climbed the grand staircase to Bidden, where a server dressed in the silver-sparkle-flapper-girl uniform greeted them with a brilliant smile and two glasses of bubbly champagne. They took one each and settled into a sleek booth made of glossy wood and peacock blue quilted velvet.
"Well I could certainly get used to this," Quinn sighed contentedly into her glass of champagne. "I may just quit my second job and become your official hanger-on. If you don't mind," she bowed her head to Natalie.
"I don't think my life is about to turn into an episode of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, Quinn."
"You say that now..." Quinn arched her brows and looked away, taking in the glamorous view around them as if it were the most natural setting in the world to her.
Natalie's phone vibrated in her pocket and she knew immediately it would be from him.
'I can't decide what I like seeing you in more: that silver dress you wore last night or the shirt you wore when you left this morning.'
Natalie smiled and began to type a response when a second message came in.
'Maybe I like you better in nothing at all.'
"Wow," Quinn muttered. Natalie looked up and found her friend staring off in the distance. She followed her gaze and found James crossing the bar to them dressed in a fine suit, the top button of his tie-less shirt unbuttoned ever so casually. He could have been a billboard advertising a luxury men's brand or a model fresh off the Paris runway. To Natalie's delighted surprise, however, he felt like hers.
"Hi," she shyly greeted as she rose to her feet. Were they supposed to kiss on the cheek or the lips? Hug? Shake hands? James gently took her elbow and placed a kiss at the delicate space between her cheek and ear.
"Definitely nothing at all," he whispered before pulling back and introducing himself to Quinn. " How did you enjoy your stay at Eden?" he asked her.
"Not nearly as much as Natalie did." She wore a devilish smile and was clearly not at all intimidated by him.
They shared the same arrogance, James and Quinn, and Natalie found herself grateful they had never previously crossed paths. Not that she wanted to so much as imagine that scenario.
"I thought you might like this," James offered as he picked up a garment bag that had been carefully slung over his arm. "One brand new, stunning silver metallic silk dress, Miss Harlow."
Her cheeks flushed crimson at the memory of what happened to the first iteration of the dress. "Thank you. How'd you find it so quickly?"
"This is Vegas," he smiled, gesturing his hands out around him.
"Okay," she chuckled, accepting his explanation. "What was the other thing I forgot? I don't think I left anything behind?"
"Just this." He leaned in and kissed her, lingering with her lips on his to savor the moment. Her eyes closed she sighed into him, her insides flipping at the intimate contact. It was their first and only physical contact outside of the bedroom and held the promise of more.
When James pulled away one half of his mouth was cocked into a smile like he was the victor of a bet only he knew of. He turned and bowed his head slightly towards Quinn. "Miss Potter, it was lovely to have met you. Thank you for staying at Eden."
Quinn nodded back but said nothing, her eyes conveying more than words could. She approved, that much was clear. And Natalie knew she would be bombarded with requests for the real details on the plane.
"Miss Harlow," he began, turning again to face her. "Natalie." His smile faded but the humor in his face remained. "I'll see you soon."
She knew they weren't empty words. It was a promise. A guarantee. And for the first time since leaving his room that morning she felt relieved that they hadn't said an actual goodbye. There would be no five months of nothing but fantasy and borderline-obsessive thoughts about a night spent in a penthouse. This time there was something to look forward to.
THIRTEEN
Natalie entered her brand new office - third from the corner - at precisely 7:48AM. She set her bag down and sighed contentedly at the L-shaped desk that held exactly two items: her brand new computer and a vase full of peonies. A few people had begun trickling into the office and Natalie used the advantage of her early arrival to refresh the water in the vase, double check her makeup and outfit - she kept it simple in a bright blue button-down with contrasting white collar and cuffs and slim-cut trousers in a deep navy blue - and tried not to think about the nerves that had woken her up shortly before 4:00AM.
Thankfully she spotted Graham Martin heading to her office door before her mind could wander through her thoughts.
"Good morning, Natalie," he warmly greeted her with a handshake. "Making yourself at home, I hope?"
"Yes, sir. Did you have a pleasant weekend?"
"Eighteen holes on Saturday and a church barbeque on Sunday. A guy really can't complain, can he?"
She smiled effortlessly at his easy charm and shook her head. "It sounds very nice."
"And you? Do anything to celebrate this weekend?"
Natalie's memories rushed through images of Eden, Serpentine, Bidden, James, their lovemaking... Okay, that's enough! "I did a little, yes. Not too much!" Compared to his weekend she was the mayor of Sodom and Gomorrah.
"Good, good. Well I don't want to overwhelm you your first day on the job, so I've set up a few meetings for you which you'll find in your email. Your login has been upgraded with new access credentials so you should find everything you need. If you have any questions or need help just give me a call. Sometime later today get in touch with Hunter from HR and ask him for a few profiles of suitable candidates for your assistant. I believe they've pre-selected a handful for you from the available applications."
An assistant! Three minutes into the job and she was already hiring someone to work for her.
"My assistant, Jenifer, will be dropping by shortly with a few items for you and then shortly before nine I'll come back around to collect you for your first staff meeting. You already know everyone from marketing but we'll have a formal introduction nonetheless. Any questions?"
She was too overwhelmed to have questions. Assistants, staff, meetings. It was all a bit too exciting.
"Oh and be sure to go over the budget for furnishing your office. Furniture, supplies, et cetera." Office supplies! No more traversing to the supply closet for highlighters and stick-em notes (which always seemed to be out of stock). "All right then. Good luck and I'll see you soon." Graham patted the doorframe as he exited and left Natalie in her office, her thoughts running a mile a minute.
By 10:15 she was formally in the throes of being Junior Vice President of Marketing. She'd churned up the courage to speak confidently in front of the marketing department - it didn't hurt that Quinn was among the gathering of familiar faces - and felt nothing but positive encouragement from their smiling faces and congratulations. I can do this, she chanted to herself. She was more than capable and finally she had the chance to prove herself worthwhile.
After a brief meeting with the other heads of marketing Natalie made her way back to her office and nearly collided with a woman of Amazonian-height in an emerald green shift dress.
"Oh! I'm so sorry!" Natalie cried as she regained her balance.
"No problem. Natalie Harlow?"
"Yes?" Natalie quickly took in the woman's face and racked her mind for any sort of recognition. The woman was in her late twenties, maybe early thirties; blonde haired and golden-skinned; friendly, chestnut brown eyes. Natalie had no idea who she was.
"Audra Robertson." The woman held out a perfectly manicured hand and Natalie shook it, impressed that the woman's grip was firm, not dainty. Audra Robertson. Audra Robertson. The name was familiar. "Fitson Entertainment Groupe."
"Ah, yes. So lovely to meet you Ms. Robertson." Natalie somewhat recognized the name from the detailed client list in her email, a list she'd only been able to quickly peruse. Fi
tson Entertainment Groupe. Founded in 2000. Based in Los Angeles. Properties in a handful of cities including San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas and Miami. "Please have a seat." She gestured to the two seats placed at the opposite end of her desk before taking a seat herself.
"I'm sorry to drop in on you unannounced. Graham Martin sent me your contact information this morning and since I'm in town I figured I'd come by to introduce myself in person, since we'll be working together."
"I'm pleased you did! I'm sorry, can I offer you anything to drink?"
"Thank you, no. So Natalie, please tell me a little about yourself."
Natalie's ears burned at being put on the spot, her stomach tangling in knots of nervous energy. She started by going over her educational background, highlighting specific areas of study in both undergrad and grad school before going over her contributions to Brighton in her former position, her views on how new media marketing easily surpassed traditional marketing, and how she was excited to be in a new position where she could contribute even more. All the while Audra Robertson watched her with keen interest, occasionally nodding in acknowledgement or making an mm-hmmm sound. Natalie felt like she was interviewing for a job she already had. Just when she thought she as heading into blabbing territory Quinn was at her door, knocking loudly.
"Hi," Natalie greeted. Her eyes fell to the enormous vase filled with at least three dozen long-stem roses in the softest shade of pink she'd ever seen that Quinn carried. "Oh my god, Quinn! You didn't have to!"
Quinn chuckled as she set the large arrangement down on Natalie's desk. "Sorry, Natalie, but I can't take credit for these. I'm just the delivery girl." Quinn turned and smiled brightly at Audra before exiting the office.
"Secret admirer?" Audra asked.
Natalie stood and breathed in the rosy fragrance. She plucked a white envelope from within the arrangement and quickly pulled out the card it contained within.
'Natalie. Congratulations, Miss Junior Vice President. James.'
"Not-so-secret admirer," Natalie replied to Audra, trying to hide the enormous smile that bloomed in her cheeks. "Uh, sorry, where was I?"
Sinful Reunion (Book Two of the Bidden Series) Page 7