The Other Woman: A Steamy Contemporary Romance (The Bidden Series Book 6)

by Crystal Cierlak

  She could still picture Vic laying there, back arched and breasts so beautiful on display as she panted to catch her breath. A marked contrast from the last time they made love, shortly after calling it quits for good. They tried their best to love like they used to, to give in to desire and let go of the office and inboxes and meetings and deadlines. It just the same anymore and neither one of them was interested in pretending. Not if it was at the expense of something else that could be better.

  She’d been lonely ever since. Probably even before then.

  If she could get Celine to cooperate with the divorce that would take an enormous amount of pressure off of James. Celine likewise would stop bugging Audra. Whatever this thing was that had her so fascinated with Natalie Harlow would take its natural course and die off eventually and then things would go back to normal again. James and Audra ruling the world together. No relationship drama to stand in their way.

  Yes. That’s exactly what she would do.

  PIECE BY PIECE

  A udra waited until she was halfway through her first glass of wine before she asked, “I have to know. The orange and pink dress? Is it a sartorial choice for my benefit or were you really going to wear that to a business meeting?” She resisted the urge to put the word ‘business’ in quotations with her fingers, choosing instead to keep her hands tucked into her lap under the table at Kate Mantillini.

  “It’s not orange, Audra, it’s tang-“

  “Oh my god who cares about the name of the color?”

  Celine laughed and rolled her eyes like she couldn’t believe what nonsense she was hearing from her big sister. “I wanted to wear a pretty dress, Audra. Have I offended you by wearing it?”

  “What? No. Celine-“ She cut herself off, suddenly feeling like a bitch for bringing up the dress, to begin with. In fact, it was a pretty dress. Celine had even gone to the trouble of dusting her shoulders with a shimmering highlighter that glimmered beneath the restaurant lights. When the dress swayed just right Audra could make out the slight curve of a bump at Celine’s midsection. Pregnancy suited her younger sister. She never looked more radiant.

  “It wouldn’t hurt you to wear a color other than black or gray or navy, by the way,” Celine continued, turning Audra’s own comments against her. “Don’t act like you don’t care about fashion, Audra. I know for a fact you have a stylist and get invited to sit front row during fashion week on at least two continents.”

  “Yes, but unlike you, I have to travel around the world for work and a pink and tangerine dress doesn’t translate well in the boardroom. And speaking of which can we please get to the real reason I asked you to meet me tonight?”

  “You mean when you demanded I cancel my plans to meet you instead? Sure. Let’s talk about that.”

  Audra ignored her entirely, and from the very corner of her eye caught sight of Natalie Harlow being led by a hostess to a table, Joe Gallo trailing right behind her. Natalie’s curvier, salt-of-the-earth beauty paired well with Joe’s rugged good looks and towering frame. They looked like an ordinary beautiful couple on a date, rather than two people being used to set certain events in motion.

  “It concerns Frankie.” Celine’s already ice-blue eyes grew colder, but Audra pressed on. “As James’ daughter and my niece, Frankie is heir to the entirety of the Fitson Entertainment Groupe. It’s probably too early to start grooming any other child for a future like this, but Frankie isn’t like any other child. I think we should make learning our business a part of her education.”

  The cold thawed behind Celine’s eyes as she relaxed into her seat and considered Audra for an extended moment. Finally, by the time the silence turned uncomfortable for Audra, Celine said, “Is this your way of telling me you’re never going to have children?”

  “What?” Audra was taken aback.

  “If you thought you would have kids one day you probably wouldn’t be pushing this idea of grooming Frankie as the Fitson Heir. So that must mean you’ve decided not to have any children.”

  How in the hell did Celine manage to turn things around? There was no conscious decision not to have kids. But even if there were kids planned for the future Frankie would reach adulthood long before they did.

  “I haven’t decided one way or the other, Celine. But Frankie is already almost a pre-teen and she’s brilliant. Children like her need a nurturing as accelerated as their learning speed.”

  Celine looked up and smiled prettily at their waiter as he placed a basket of bread on the table between them. “I have no problem with my daughter learning about your business, Audra. But she will be the one to decide who she becomes, not you. Now tell me why you haven’t decided if you want kids or not,” she demanded as she grabbed for a roll and slathered a slice of butter inside it.

  There was way too big a mess here to unravel. She wasn’t in any way suggesting she would dictate the course of Frankie’s life. And never in a million years was she going to discuss something so personal with her sister. No matter how radiant pregnancy made her look.

  “Is that why you and Victoria Conrad broke up?”

  Audra tried and failed not to visibly wince. “We broke up because neither of us wanted to be in a long-distance relationship.”

  “So then you two must have never talked about having kids.”

  “Not really. But then we were both pretty busy with our separate careers.”

  “Did you ever think about it?”

  “Having kids with Vic?” Audra laughed uncomfortably and looked around the restaurant. She spotted Joe and Natalie sharing a laugh and a drink. But her thoughts went back to Victoria, and the few occasions Audra imagined what it would be like to have children with her. More often than that she considered what a life as a single mother would look like should she choose to go that route.

  “I thought about it,” she answered, giving in to Celine’s incessant questions. “Truthfully I think I’m glad it will never happen now. Leaving her didn’t hurt like I thought it would. I could spend the rest of my life hoping to find out if there is someone out there specifically for me, but who knows when or even if that will ever happen. And, well, you know. Our bodies only grow older. So I have a backup plan waiting on ice. Just in case I ever decide.”

  She felt strangely liberated after having just announced in the middle of a posh restaurant in Beverly Hills that she had her eggs frozen.

  “Oh. My. God.”

  Yeah, tell me about it, she thought in response to Celine’s surprise. Audra glanced up to meet her sister’s clearly shocked expression but found her attention diverted entirely to a place across the restaurant.

  “Joe Gallo is here,” she whispered breathlessly.

  Audra’s chest deflated like a balloon. How could she have forgotten for even a moment that her sister was the most self-involved woman on the face of the planet? Of course she would notice her ex-boyfriend across a crowded restaurant. That was exactly what Audra had counted on when she forced Celine to dine with her at the very same restaurant Joe Gallo was taking Natalie Harlow to.

  “Joe Gallo your ex?” Audra pivoted, playing along with her own plan.

  “He’s with someone. I can’t see her face. I-“

  Audra looked up in response to the abrupt silence. Celine was tilting her head, signaling at… at Joe Gallo, she realized.

  “I’ll be right back.” She rose from the table and crossed the room, intercepting Joe along a wall. She looked back in the direction he’d come from and found Natalie alone at their table.

  If on that Friday night so many months ago Quinn Potter had not canceled and sent Natalie Harlow in her place, James never would have bid on her and neither one of them would have likely ever seen Natalie again outside of pure coincidence. Audra might never have moved their account from Brighton’s San Francisco office to their Los Angeles office. Even when Natalie eventually earned her promotion to Junior VP the most she would ever know them by was a client list for the company she worked for.

  The longer Aud
ra thought of it, the more she came to realize how many pieces had to fall in exactly the right order and in exactly the right place for James and Natalie to fall in love. And they had.

  Which meant it didn’t matter for her whether Quinn Potter canceled that night because either way she wasn’t meant to be with Natalie. She was either meant to be with James or someone else entirely. But not her.

  Once she was done fixing everyone else’s love life she would work on her own.

  Not going googly-eyed over a straight girl with a beautiful smile was a good start. And she needed to get laid. Walking down memory lane of her sex life with Vic was reminder enough she was overdue for an affair of her own.

  But first, back to business.

  Celine returned to the table with flushed cheeks and a barely contained smile. She sipped from her glass of ice water before whispering, “Oh, I forgot how sexy he is. I know it doesn’t matter to you, Audra, but the mean really does have the most beautiful-“

  “Do not finish that thought out loud Celine Robertson.”

  “You and James have gone on a lot of business trips together,” Celine changed tack, her voice growing even more suspicious and accusatory with every word. “You two never once-“

  “No,” Audra replied through gritted teeth. “And don’t you ever fucking ask me again, Celine. And if you value any shred of respect James has for you never ask him either.”

  That sobered Celine enough to retreat from the subject matter entirely, preferring instead to return the spotlight back to her and how handsome Joe Gallo was. Gone was any talk of Audra having children or what role Frankie would take as far as Fitson was concerned. All Celine cared to talk about was herself and her own life, and Audra was more than happy to suffer throughout the duration of dinner.

  Tonight was a turning point.

  Seeing Joe on a “date” was enough to compel her to get his attention and arrange a quick meet-up. Naturally, she revealed her pregnancy to Joe. After all his daughter was soon to be a big sister. And Celine didn’t dust highlighter on her shoulders just to catch the light. Everything she did was strategic, right down to that orange and pink dress that made her body look fantastic. Now that Joe was back in the picture it was only a matter of time for her to decide she wanted him more than she wanted James.

  Working with Joe, it wouldn’t take too long for Natalie to learn he was a father to Francine Robertson-Fitzgerald and involved with Celine. James would inevitably learn of Celine’s pregnancy. And everything would fall together piece by piece.

  Or fall to pieces.

  Audra was barely into her first cup of coffee when James slipped into her office the next morning, locking the doors shut behind him.

  “Celine is pregnant. Did you know?”

  It took her ten seconds to unfreeze and buzz her secretary with instructions to cancel her next few appointments.

  “She told you?”

  His knuckles turned white as he balled his fists. “No. Natalie did.”

  Audra fell back in her seat, the pen she held falling with a loud clack onto the acrylic surface of her desk. She expected fallout. But she didn’t anticipate it happening so soon. Certainly not overnight. And especially not because Natalie would reveal Celine’s secrets first.

  “Natalie?!”

  He told her about Frankie inviting Natalie over for ice cream to make up for the plans he had to cancel in order to babysit. How when Celine came to pick Frankie up Natalie recognized her from the restaurant and figured everything out. He never once mentioned Joe Gallo’s name. That could only mean he didn’t know Frankie’s biological father was in town and working with Natalie. The one factor Audra hadn’t taken into consideration was the seemingly unlikely possibility that Natalie and Celine would cross paths, and so soon.

  By the time he finished, James sounded as drained as he looked. He was splayed out on the couch she’d been sitting on when she came up with the plan to put everything in motion. It just happened to occur in a different order than she anticipated.

  Natalie was the wildcard. If she decided that dating a man whose ex-wife was carrying his baby was a little too much drama she could leave him, ending their relationship before it had the chance to truly go anywhere. James would be heartbroken but he’d get over it. What mattered most to Audra, in the long run, was that he finally freed himself from his marriage to her sister and that he found happiness again with someone who deserved him.

  “We live in modern times, James. People don’t have to be married to have kids together anymore. There’s always co-parenting.”

  He glanced up at her briefly enough to acknowledge that he knew she was right. Co-parenting was a topic they’d discussed before, in-depth and very privately.

  “If things are meant to work out with Natalie, they will. You both just need time to adjust.”

  “She was so distraught about it she threw up on me, Robertson,” he said after a long pause.

  Her fingers went to her throat and clapsed at the delicate necklace she wore as if on instinct. “My god. Is she okay?”

  “I assume so. She won’t return my calls and Shane said she called in sick this morning. I drove by her apartment but her car wasn’t there. I don’t know where she is.”

  “Well, she’s probably staying with a friend.” Quinn Potter, if she had to guess. “Just give her time, James. She’ll come around.”

  After a long exhale James straightened in his chair and laced his fingers together, elbows perched on his knees.

  “I love her, Audra. Not the way I loved your sister. It’s different with Natalie.”

  Audra put her fingers to her mouth and really looked at her business partner and friend. Talking like this… it was new territory for them. But she knew him well enough to know he would only confide in her like this if it was worth something important. And clearly, Natalie Harlow was very important to him.

  “Different how?”

  “She is so vibrant and creative and intelligent. I never told you this but the night of the auction I told Natalie she didn’t belong in a place like the Golden Palm and offered her the payment envelope with no strings attached.” He paused just long enough for Audra to lean forward in her own seat, hanging on his every word.

  “She left but didn’t take the money with her. I thought that was it so I took a shower and was getting ready to leave for the night when I saw her in the garden from one of the windows in the penthouse. If it hadn’t been for the fact that there were no concierges around to drive her home that might have been the end of our story. But it wasn’t.”

  She remembered the night well enough. What James didn’t know was that Audra had also seen Natalie in the garden that night, and was witness to the two of them patching up whatever had caused Natalie to leave in the first place.

  “She might be the real deal, Audra.”

  “Then you have nothing to worry about. Every relationship has its ups and downs. You guys can get through this together.”

  “Tell me what you really think of her.”

  Every warning bell and red alert went off inside her head when she heard his question. “What does it matter what I think of her?” she deflected, knowing full well James likely had zero knowledge of her true feelings toward Natalie, but paranoid nonetheless.

  “You warned me about Celine.”

  “Because I know Celine, James. She’s my sister. Everything I know about Natalie I got from a background check and business meetings.” She knew enough to know that there was something about Natalie Harlow unmistakably special. She could understand why James had fallen in love with her; could almost imagine how easy it would be to fall in love with her.

  “Humor me, Robertson. You know damn well I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t want your honest opinion.”

  The longer she thought about it, much to his dismay as he waited patiently for her answer, the more she realized her honest opinion was exactly what James needed. And perhaps she needed to say it out loud, once and for all.

  “I
think that Natalie is a very lovely young woman. If she returns your love and respect and your loyalty, and from everything I have seen she does, and more, then as far as I am concerned she is perfect for you.”

  James breathed in deeply and let it out slowly, a small smile following in its wake. “Thank you, Audra.”

  “You’re welcome.” She meant it, every word she spoke about Natalie came from her heart. And with those words, she set Natalie – mostly the idea of Natalie –free.

  She canceled the remainder of her appointments and headed home, claiming she had a migraine and would work from bed for the rest of the day. All she could think about was James and Natalie and whether their relationship could survive. Shockingly enough she found herself rooting for the couple, wanting them to become stronger in the face of adversity. And all the while she felt a certain sense of mourning for what maybe could have been had the winds of fate blown them all a little off course.

  She changed out the dark-colored uniform her sister accused her of wearing day in and day out, slipping instead into long silk pants and camisole, wrapping a cozy pashmina around her exposed shoulders for an extra layer of comfort. She opened a bottle of wine and poured a generous glass before making a Netflix selection on her smart TV.

  One glass turned to two. And then a second bottle, all the while devouring episodes of Scandal along with her merlot. By the time the season ended she was drunk enough to pick up her phone and dial Natalie Harlow’s number.