Read Beyond Ruin for Free Online Page A

breasts.
    The bathroom door opened with a loud jolt and Natalie jumped when she saw it was only Joe, his hand ready to unzip the fly of his jeans.
    "Jesus!" he screeched when he noticed Natalie in the tub. "Why are you in my bath?"
    "It's bigger than mine," Natalie shrugged.
    "Fine," he growled. "But I have to piss and since this is my bathroom you forfeit the right to complain about it."
    "Deal." She closed her eyes again and zoned out at the sound of his pants zipper sliding down and the subsequent relief that followed.
    "You have a good flight?"
    "Could have been better," she sighed. Much better . "I flew out with Audra and Frankie. Why didn't you tell me you'd reached a custody arrangement?"
    "I figured it could wait until you got back," Joe responded over the sound of the toilet flushing. "Welcome back, by the way."
    "I have some good news for you," she teased as Joe turned away from washing his hands at the sink.
    "Oh?" He grabbed for a towel to dry his hands. She didn't mind that his eyes took in the full sight of her in the tub. "What's that?"
    "A new client. A big new client."
    "Who?"
    "The one Fitson property not currently handled by Brighton New Media."
    Joe crouched down at the side of the tub, his eyes glinting with humorous surprise. "You're joking. The Golden Palm?"
    "You've heard of it?" Natalie asked, taken aback at hearing the name spoken by someone who wasn't Audra or Quinn.
    "Are you kidding? It's legendary. Remember when I told you about walking in on Fitzgerald and Celine making out? Back when we were college kids?"
    She rolled her eyes. How could she forget the story of how James and Celine met? "Yeah."
    "That party was the unofficial first auction. But I hear the club is super exclusive today. You can't even get in unless you're a millionaire several times over. And the women..." He inhaled deeply, his eyes touring the length of the bathtub from end to end before meeting her eyes again as he exhaled. "I hear they are equally legendary."
    She noticed then the scent of alcohol mixed with cologne emanating from his body, and the patch of tan skin that peeked out from his shirt, the top two buttons of which were left undone.
    "How do you know about The Golden Palm , Red?"
    She bit her bottom lip to keep from smiling. "Like you said. It's legendary."
    "And you got us the account?"
    "Actually, Audra gave it to us."
    A brief but deep chuckle escaped his throat. "Goddamn. I feel like a kid who was just invited to take a tour of the North Pole at Christmas."
    Natalie could no longer hold back her smile, and emboldened by her state of relative inebriation, said, "Little did you know you've been living with two elves this whole time."
    Joe's laughter receded, but his eyes - searing pools of whiskey-colored intensity - remained on her. "No way."
    Her head cocked slightly to the right. "You don't believe me?"
    "I believe you about Quinn. But I can't for a second picture you putting yourself up for auction to the highest bidder, Natalie Harlow. You're too..." His tongue ran across his bottom lip, eyes never once leaving her as he settled on the right superlative. "Sweet."
    A few months ago that comment might have incited her frustrated wrath, but instead a kernel of pride swelled into a pleasurable arrogance inside her. "It just so happens I hold the record of receiving the highest bid. Ever ."
    Joe set his elbows on the edge of the tub, his chin atop his left hand. "You're just full of surprises, aren't you, Red?" His breathing was hypnotizing to watch. Controlled. Purposeful.
    Had she never before appreciated the rugged charm that radiated off him like waves of heat on a scorching summer day? There had been flirtation, innocent at first when they initially met and even after he found out she was seeing James - whom Joe did not like - but it was always within the realm of friendly and acceptable. Like Quinn, she hadn't told Joe any details about her breakup with James, and she doubted he even noticed the breakup to