A Woman's Empire

LII

CHAPTER FIFTY TWO

Christmas had come and gone and Spring had arrived. While Audrielle picked seasonal flowers from her gardens, Orlando ran around outside with the dog chasing him. The child's laughter and the birds chirping brought warmth and a happy smile to Audrielle.

Life had settled back down after their eventful Christmas. Although Audrielle and Orlando spent Christmas at the Amour Estate, not once did they see Leo. Audrielle was glad she never ran into him but she felt sorry for Orlando. She hoped that maybe Orlando could finally meet his father and spend Christmas with him.

Once all the fresh flowers had been cut, Audrielle walked back to the house with her basket. Her little workshop was tucked behind the house and was just big enough to keep her happy. Flowers were scattered around the room in several arrangements from completed bouquets to vases and there was a wall covered in wrapping paper and ribbons in any colour imaginable.

Audrielle's little florist business was her escape from her old life across the border and she loved it. The aroma of the lilies, bluebells and tulips was as bold as their colours of pinks, yellows and reds. Just as she began to prepare the flowers into the bouquet, she heard a knock at the front door.

Wiping her hands on her gardening apron, Audrielle made herself presentable as she approached the visitor. Looking through the little stained glass window, Audrielle was hesitant at first but when she saw the familiar face, she opened the door with a warm smile.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Audrielle asked as she ushered her guest inside.

"I just thought that you'd like to go out for dinner tonight, my shout." Ben, who Audrielle had been seeing occasionally, offered with a beam.

"I would but I have nowhere to send Orlando." Audrielle sighed, running her fingers through her messy hair.

"My sister's in town, she can watch over him for a while if you want her to." Audrielle thought heavily on the idea. With her past still lurking, Audrielle didn't like it when Orlando would leave her sight. She wanted Orlando to live a normal life but the risks of enemies watching them was sometimes just too much.

"Will your sister be okay if Orlando stays here? I can pay her." Audrielle offered.

Ben kissed Audrielle's forehead. "That's fine. And you don't have to pay her, she's more than happy to look after her future nephew." Ben joked but Audrielle didn't find it really funny. Sure, if Audrielle and Ben were to ever get married, Ben would be an exceptional father figure to Orlando. But Orlando had a father who was still very much alive, he was just not there for his son and instead was on the coast of Italy on a yacht with a brunette hanging from his arm.

—————

The restaurant was bustling with people. It was a romantic place with the dim lighting and the small candle flickering away on the table. Ben held Audrielle's hand and his thumb gently drew circles on her palm. Staring at the menu in front of her, Audrielle picked up her water and took a sip.

Ben was nice. He was a couple years older than her and he was previously engaged until the fiancé cheated on him. He was the complete opposite to Leo with his golden hair and light brown eyes. He smiled regularly and was patient. He had manners and wasn't selfish. Ben did normal things and worked a normal job as a real estate agent.

"The steak sounds good." Ben commented, smiling at Audrielle.

When the waitress came around to collect their menus and order, Ben kindly asked for the steak and Audrielle couldn't help but order the pasta dish.

The pair chattered and drank wine while they waited for their meals. More couples flocked into the restaurant as the night went on and when Audrielle's stomach started to rumble, the food was brought out.

She stared down at the bowl of pasta in front of her. It looked and smelt amazing but when she took her first bite, her shoulders dropped in disappointment. It tasted good, however she missed having real pasta, the type of pasta that Camilla and Leo would make.

Once they had finished their meals, Ben paid the bill, although Audrielle did offer to pay, and they decided to take a stroll through the town. The town lights created a warm and a passionate feel while they walked hand in hand. People bustled onto the street, laughing away as they dined or enjoyed a live band that was performing at a bar. Everything was as if they had nothing to worry about, but deep down in the back of Audrielle's mind, she would stare down each dark alley way they would walk past or occasionally look over her shoulders to see if anyone was following.

They finally made it back to the car and Audrielle checked the time on her phone. It was currently thirty minutes past nine and hopefully Orlando was at home sound asleep. When Audrielle arrived home, she invited Ben in for a glass of wine and even offered his sister one but she had to leave as she had work the next morning.

Walking to the kitchen, Audrielle kicked her shoes off and then grabbed two wine glasses. She picked out a $300 bottle of wine Antonio had gifted to her in a pamper pack from a couple of Christmases ago. With the wine glasses in one hand and the bottle of red wine in the other, Audrielle made her way to the living room where Ben sat.

She poured a glass for him and set the bottle of wine down. Audrielle was still paranoid about anything and everything so she decided to not pour her glass until she had checked on her son.

"I'm just going to see if Orlando's asleep. I'll be right back." Audrielle smiled and Ben nodded, sipping on the wine. Quietly opening Orlando's bedroom door, Audrielle peeped her head through to see him tucked into bed sound asleep with his golden toy figurine huddled in his arms. Skip, the dog, lied in his dog bed that was in the corner of the room and Audrielle smiled. Skip was like a protector of Audrielle and Orlando and she was grateful for that.

Closing the door gently, Audrielle walked back to Ben and poured herself a glass of wine. The clink of the wine glasses echoed around the room and Ben leaned in a kissed Audrielle.

The more wine they seemed to drink, the more passionate they became. It wasn't until Audrielle was on top of Ben and started to unbutton his shirt when she pulled away from the kiss.

"What's wrong? Do you want to stop? It's okay if you-" Audrielle cut Ben off and chuckled lightly.

"No silly. I was just seeing if you wanted to take this to the bedroom." She suggested and Ben's eyes widened in surprise. It was the first time that Audrielle was being this romantic with Ben. Sure, they tried once or twice but Audrielle didn't feel ready, still hanging onto the thought of Leo coming back to her.

They walked away to the bedroom and as soon as the door closed, they were tearing off each other's clothes. Audrielle's $2000 Givenchy dress, that was a gift from Leo, fell to the floor in a delicate pool of red. With Ben only wearing his underwear and an unbuttoned blouse and Audrielle only in her lace panties, he gently pushed her onto the bed and crawled on top of her.

Entangled with one another, Ben kissed up and down Audrielle's hot skin as she clawed at his back, wanting more than just kisses. When she began to run her hands down his abs and her fingers teased the waistband, he groaned and rolled off of her, reaching into his wallet to grab a shiny gold wrapper. She looked away for a second, her cheeks turning bright red and she prayed that he couldn't see them in the moonlight. He embraced her body and began to place sloppy kisses from her neck all the way down to her stomach. His finger hooked around the side of her underwear and she reacted by lifting her hips up so they were easier to take off. Just as he began to kiss her lower stomach, above her panties, he stopped and Audrielle whimpered in the loss of contact.

"Are you sure you want to do this? We don't have to do it tonight." He asked sincerely, looking up into her eyes.

"Yes, I want to." She mumbled, embracing him with a hot and heavy kiss. She wanted this. Needed this. She was sick and tired of being under Leo's curse and besides, he had already moved on. It was clearly printed in magazine articles. It was time for Audrielle to let go of Leo and the empty promises he made.