Free Beyond Ruin by Crystal Cierlak

her curtly.
    Natalie's heartbeat was frantic in her chest as Audra's gaze moved from James to her. Whatever reaction Audra was having she kept it internal, never once allowing her face to react without her controlled permission.
    "Sure," Audra replied, though it was directed to Natalie. Natalie opened her mouth to speak but closed it just as Audra turned, left, and closed the door behind her.
    James swept a strand of hair from Natalie's forehead and let his thumb linger for a moment at her temple.
    "Lunch tomorrow?" he asked again. "I'd love to catch up."
    Her heart autonomously skipped a beat at the word 'love'.
    "Let me just check..." She fished out her phone from within her bra - ignoring the raised eyebrow and cheeky grin from James - and accessed her calendar. "Sure, I can meet you for lunch."
    "Are you seriously scheduling me in right now?" he asked between laughs.
    "I am very busy!" she responded light-heartedly. "Where and what time?" Before she could input anything James took the phone from her and held it far away from her grasp. "What!"
    "I'll pick you up at ten-thirty," he said, still amused. She should have been annoyed at the fact that he didn't seem to take her very seriously - she really was very busy - but decided to go with good humor instead.
    "That sounds like a very early lunch."
    "Just trust me," he said with a smile. "You still trust me, don’t you?"
    Something about the question made everything serious in that moment, and judging by the look on his face Natalie imagined he had the same sense. Gone was the humor; in its place a sense of gravity about the broken nature of their relationship. Could it ever be fixed?
    James mumbled something about heading downstairs and gave Natalie back her phone, then they both silently descended to the living room where Audra, Quinn, Joe and Frankie were all sitting. Natalie felt her cheeks flush as they all turned to look at her with James. She couldn’t stand to be the subject of scrutinized interest from no less than her best friend, the man she'd had sex with in a bathtub the previous night, and the woman she'd nearly had sex with on an airplane mere hours before that.
    "Thank you for coming by," she said after clearing her throat. “We will go over the contract this weekend and meet again on Monday. Just email us a time."
    Thank god for Frankie, who made the business of departing much less awkward than it might have otherwise been. When they were gone and the front door was locked behind them, Natalie turned to Quinn and Joe and managed a smile.
    "So, we've got a multi-million dollar retainer. Who's up for sushi and getting very drunk?"
     

CHAPTER NINE
    What the hell is that sound? Natalie's eyes fought against the weight of fatigue as they opened to morning light. An incessant chirping noise had woken her from a deep sleep, demanding her immediate attention. She clumsily grabbed for her phone on the nightstand and checked the display.
    "Natalie! Your phone is waking me up!" Quinn trotted into the bedroom looking like she was fighting sleep herself.
    "Sorry," Natalie croaked as she silenced the phone. "I forgot I set it." She tried to offer an apologetic smile to Quinn but it quickly faded when she saw the look on her friend’s face.
    "Looks like that's not the only thing you forgot."
    Confused, Natalie followed Quinn's line of sight to the space next to her in bed where Joe was sleeping, naked with just a sheet covering him from the hips down. Instinctively Natalie pulled the sheet up around her chest to cover her modesty. But it was too late.
    "I'm going to go make some coffee," Quinn said, her voice slightly too upbeat given she'd stormed into the room. She turned and left before Natalie could even say another word to her.
    "Fuck!" she whispered to herself. The previous night was blurry. The three of them went out for an expensive sushi dinner, then drank and danced until the early morning hours at a club called Palms that Quinn had recommended. The night