Fabric of Fate

Chapter Two

Audrey lolled in a tub of hot water enjoying the frothy bubbles. How long had it been since she’d indulged in a bath instead of a quick shower? Too long. The heat was relaxing her body and making her sleepy. It was a nice feeling.

Her mind replayed everything she could remember from the past thirty hours or so. It was only yesterday morning she’d been gung-ho about her job and her presentation. No, that wasn’t quite true. Her job had become a habit, her enthusiasm for each project simply a manifestation of what was expected of her. Nothing more.

When had she last enjoyed what she did for a living? For that matter, when had she last enjoyed anything? She lived in one of the greatest cities in the world and she never went to a show or to a play or a concert. Too busy working.

She also had no friends. She had business acquaintances and coworkers, but not friends. No one. Not one person had called while she was in hospital, not even her assistant or her boss. There were no get-well messages on her phone. In short, no one cared.

There was something very wrong with her life.

The water was cooling and her skin was beginning to prune, so Audrey pulled the plug and carefully climbed out of the tub. She was still weak and the last thing she wanted to do was slip and fall and maybe break a limb. That would really top off the week.

The Egyptian cotton towel was soft against her skin as she dried off. She put the lid of the toilet down and sat while she slathered lotion over her arms, legs and body. When she was done she stood and surveyed herself in the mirror.

She really was too thin. She knew she’d lost weight recently but she hadn’t realized just how much. Like most people, she hadn’t given her body a second thought until it gave out on her.

The steam from the bath had made her naturally curly hair even curlier. She grabbed one corkscrew and pulled it out before letting it spring back into shape. She’d hated her hair as a child but had come to accept it as an adult. If only it was blonde or red or even black, but it was plain brown instead. She usually kept it pulled back in a hammered silver clip when she was at work, but decided to leave it down. There was no one around to impress, no one around critiquing her appearance. Alone in her home she had only to please herself.

Clothing was the next order of business. She didn’t want to get dressed, so she pulled on her cashmere robe instead. It was an indulgence and had been a Christmas present to herself last year—the only one she’d received. It was a rich, chocolate brown and made her feel warm and cozy.

Audrey freely admitted she loved fine clothes, even if she didn’t own a lot. She indulged in classic pieces that were timeless. And she purchased most of them in consignment shops and online auctions. She’d grown up poor and old habits were hard to change even though she could well afford to buy new.

But really, who needed to pay several thousand dollars for a purse when you could buy last year’s model for a third of the cost? Audrey loved searching for just the right piece and finding it at a bargain price.

She shuffled out of the bathroom, through the bedroom and out to the kitchen. Food was next on her agenda. She hadn’t eaten since breakfast and her stomach was queasy. Her head was pounding too, but it was more of a dull throb now and not the roar it was earlier. The bath had helped.

“Probably lack of caffeine.” She rubbed her temple and stared woefully at the coffee pot, but reached for the kettle instead. “Tea is better.”

By the time the water was boiled, she’d assembled a dinner of crackers, cheese, a sliced apple and a handful of grapes. She poured water over a teabag she’d dropped into a china mug and loaded everything onto a tray. She’d eat in bed and watch television.

She padded down the hall and back into her bedroom. Her sanctuary. It was done in warm beiges and browns and was soothing to her soul. She loved this room and had spent a lot of time selecting just the right colors and fabrics. She’d trained as a graphic designer and had spent her childhood scouring thrift shops for interesting fabric. The plan had been for her to eventually design her own fabric and wallpaper, maybe even furniture.

Audrey carefully placed the tray onto the bed, sat down beside it and ran her hand over the quilt. She’d found it at an estate sale more than a dozen years ago and had fallen in love with it immediately. The design was intricate—a starburst in the center with the rest of the design radiating from it in tones of yellow, orange and brown. She couldn’t begin to imagine the number of hours that had gone into making it.

“Where did all your dreams go?” She slapped a piece of sharp cheddar on top of a cracker and popped it in her mouth, chewing thoughtfully.

She knew full well where her dreams had gone. Life had happened. Her mother had gotten ill and there were bills to be paid so she’d found an entry-level job at Claymore and Butler. Hard work and dedication had moved her up through the ranks until she’d reached the position she had today. When her mother had finally died and the bills were paid off she’d been so entrenched at her job it hadn’t even occurred to her she was free to pursue her passion.

Audrey reached for a piece of apple, enjoying the tart, fresh flavor as it exploded in her mouth. When was the last time she’d really tasted her food? Usually she ate takeout at her desk while guzzling coffee. That was no way to live.

She followed up with a grape. It was crisp and sweet. Exquisite.

Her mind wandered freely and she allowed it, not trying to rein it in as she usually did. Every time thoughts of Claymore and Butler entered, she let them go. It wasn’t easy and she was forced to admit she’d allowed her entire identity to become tied up in her job.

Where was the young girl with dreams and how had she become a tired thirty-three-year-old woman? Audrey slid off the bed and made her way to her walk-in closet. Originally, the apartment had contained two bedrooms, but she’d converted the tiny second room into a walk-in closet for her clothing and storage.

She went to the very end of the room and opened the folding door. The box was in here somewhere. She stared and caught sight of it up on the very top shelf near the back. She went up on her toes to reach it but could only touch the edge of the box.

“Damn.” She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment and then carefully stepped on the bottom shelf, praying it would hold her weight.

She stretched her arm out and her fingers found purchase on the side of the cardboard. She pulled. It was stuck. Not surprising. She hadn’t moved it in years. Not since she’d put it there. She hadn’t looked at the contents for even longer.

Her limbs were shaking and she was starting to sweat. It was probably smarter to go get a chair to stand on, but she was determined. She got a better grip and yanked. The box was stubborn at first and then suddenly gave way.

“Crap.” It slid toward her and off the shelf. Audrey clung to the rim of the shelf as the box tumbled down, hitting her shoulder before spilling to the floor. She carefully stepped down, rubbing her abused shoulder. Hopefully it wouldn’t leave a bruise.

The contents of the box were strewn at her feet. Yards of fabric, large and small, all found at yard sales, flea markets and thrift stores. She’d planned to make something out of this bounty years ago but never had. But she’d never been able to make herself part with it either. It was her connection to the past, the thread that bound her to the girl she’d once been.

Audrey sat down on the floor and began to paw through the vibrant fabric. There were exotic silks with golden and silver embroidery from the Middle East and Asia, homespun cotton in tribal designs from Africa, designer fabric from Europe and America. Some of it was modern and some was vintage. All of it was beautiful.

“What’s this?” Audrey pulled out a piece of tapestry work. The design was about two by three. Not very big but absolutely stunning. A stone building that resembled a small castle was perched below a towering mountain. Beyond it she could see the ocean. It was incredibly realistic. She could almost hear the waves washing the shoreline.

She held it up to the light. “Why don’t I remember this?” And she should have. The workmanship was amazingly intricate but she didn’t think it was machine manufactured. She examined it more closely. “This is hand done.” And whoever had made it was a true artist.

Two men stood in front of the building, both tall and strong. Their hair was long and flowing. Their chests were bare. A tingling started deep in her core.

“Wow. Talk about realistic.” She really needed to get out more if seeing two gorgeous men on a piece of fabric was turning her on.

Come to think of it, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d even been on a date. Her last serious boyfriend had been Tom and that had ended almost six years ago. It hadn’t been a traumatic breakup. He’d taken a job transfer and she hadn’t been willing to follow him, hadn’t loved him enough to leave her position.

Why hadn’t she dated since?

The answer was obvious. Work.

A chill broke out on her skin. “You shouldn’t be sitting on the floor when you have a perfectly good bed only a few feet away.” She shoved the cloth back into the box, all the while promising herself she’d take a better look at it tomorrow. She even had some old sketchbooks stuffed in her bookshelf. She’d dig them out too and look at some of her old designs.

She knew she probably wouldn’t leave her job at Claymore and Butler. Positions like hers weren’t easy to come by, especially in this economy, and she made damn good money. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t start having a more balanced life, one that included hobbies from her past.

Audrey picked up the tapestry to stuff it in the box with the other fabric, but at the last second decided to take that one with her. She really couldn’t remember purchasing it. She shuffled back to the bed and set the tapestry aside while she finished her dinner and watched an old black-and-white Audrey Hepburn movie that was playing on television. Her mother had loved the actress and had named her only daughter after her.

Audrey was nodding off by the time the movie ended. She made herself get up long enough to return her tray to the kitchen, take her vitamins and one of the sleeping pills the doctor had prescribed and stop at the bathroom. Then it was back to bed where she pulled the covers around her and slipped into sleep.

She was warm when she woke and pushed at the robe wrapped around her. She hadn’t turned the heat up. There was no reason for her to be this warm. Usually she was cold.

Some strange sound caught her attention and she sat up, shoving her unruly hair out of her eyes. She blinked, unable to believe what she was seeing. A fire crackled cheerily in a large, stone hearth not ten feet from the end of the bed. The sound she’d heard must have been the pop and crackle of the wood as it burned.

This wasn’t right. She didn’t have a fireplace. Of course she didn’t. She lived on the sixth floor of a brick building in Manhattan. She shoved at the covers and paused when her hands hit something soft and…furry. It wasn’t her heirloom quilt covering her but some kind of animal pelt.

She rubbed her eyes but the picture didn’t change.

A low rumble next to her made her jump. A long, muscular arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her back down onto the mattress. “You should sleep,” the unknown male told her.

Her heart skipped a beat before it started a galloping pace. Sweat popped out on her forehead. For a second she wondered if she was having another panic attack. She froze, unable to move, unwilling to do anything to provoke the large male beside her while her mind scrambled for a logical explanation.

There was enough light from the fire for her to partially see his features. They were masculine to the extreme with a heavy jaw, wide forehead, a long, straight nose and full lips. He blinked and she wished she could see exactly what color his eyes were.

Her first thought was that he could make a fortune as a male model. Women would buy anything from this guy. Her second thought was to wonder if he had an agent and how could she get him for the Baxter campaign she was currently working on. Her third thought, and the one that probably should have been her first, was who the heck was he and what was he doing in bed with her?

He propped himself up on his elbow and stared down at her. He had long hair that flowed over massive shoulders and sculpted biceps. Audrey’s mouth went dry. The man was built. And he was also at least half naked. She didn’t know about the bottom half of him, which was covered by the fur blankets.

She yanked her robe closer around her.

He smiled at her. Not a big one with pearly whites showing, but a tiny one that barely lifted the edges of his sculpted lips. “If you don’t want to sleep I can think of something better to do.” Fingers lightly trailed over her face and she caught her breath as they grazed her jaw and neck.

“Where am I? Who are you?” Intelligent questions and ones she should have asked from the moment she’d opened her eyes.

“I am Abrah Dannon and you are in my dream.” Strangely enough, his explanation calmed her racing heart. Of course this had to be a dream. She was home in her own bed all by herself.

Strange how the thought depressed her.

He tugged at the covers and she briefly resisted, but he kept up a steady pressure. In the end, she gave up the struggle and the covers drifted down to her waist. He gave a low grunt of pleasure as he tugged the sides of her robe open, exposing a huge swath of skin.

“Hey.” She smacked at his hands. “What are you doing?”

He captured her hand with his and brought it to his lips, dropping kisses on each knuckle. “I am enjoying my dream.” There was a tinge of amusement in his voice that made her frown.

She wasn’t here for anyone’s enjoyment. She was here… Well, she wasn’t sure why she was here. Her brain was fuddled, her reflexes slow. In the few seconds she’d been thinking, Abrah had the belt to her robe undone and had spread the edges wide, baring her breasts for him to see.

Audrey knew she really should protest and she planned to. Really she did. But he covered one breast with his large, work-roughened hand and she was lost. She gasped and then moaned as he brushed one soft areola with his thumb. The light motion caused it to pucker into a tight bud.

Her toes curled and her skin flushed. When was the last time she’d felt sexual desire? She couldn’t honestly remember. Which was why she was probably having this very sensual dream.

“Relax,” he soothed. His hand left one breast and went to the other. “Let us pleasure you.”

She moaned again and then his words sank in. Us. What did he mean by that? The mattress depressed on her other side and she swung her head around. Her mouth dropped open as another equally handsome man climbed into bed beside her.

He smiled at her and she could see the wicked mischief reflected in his eyes. She found herself smiling back even though she didn’t know why. “What do we have here, brother?” His voice was deep, like Abrah’s and it sank into every cell in her body.

Brother? That made sense. They had the same rugged good looks, but this man’s nose looked as though it had been broken at one time or another. There was a slight crook to it, but it didn’t detract in the least from his handsomeness. If anything it added to it.

“I don’t understand?” She was tired and hot and, quite frankly, horny. This had to be a dream, but it seemed incredibly real.

The second man leaned down and kissed her forehead, her nose and finally her lips. By the time he got to them she was arching upward to reach his mouth. She wanted his kiss, wanted to taste him, to know him.

Crazy. That was the only explanation. She had to be in some wild, drug-induced dream. Maybe her new vitamins had jump-started her libido. There was no other logical reason for her to be dreaming about being in bed with two men.

“Relax.” Abrah rested his hand on her belly and leaned down to touch her straining nipple with the tip of his tongue. Her entire body jerked as if a bolt of lightning had hit it. Relax? He had to be kidding.

Audrey made the decision to go with the flow and enjoy the dream. Why shouldn’t she? She wasn’t in a relationship. She wasn’t cheating on anyone. And, the deciding factor, it wasn’t real. It was a fantasy brought on by deep sleep and exhaustion.

Decision made, she embraced the situation. The second man cupped her jaw and kissed her again. Really kissed her this time. Not just a light brush of lips but a full-on, hot, tongue-twining kiss.

Audrey lost her breath as he leisurely explored her mouth. She’d been kissed many times in her life, but she’d never been kissed like this. He used his lips and teeth to nip and tease until she was breathless to do anything but respond. He tasted warm and welcoming, with an underlying spiciness that she wanted more of.

Abrah was anything but idle. He closed his lips over one hard nipple and sucked it into his mouth. He gently tugged on the sensitive bud and she pulled away from the kiss and let out a cry.

Her legs shifted restlessly against the mattress. Her cashmere robe was open but she was still wearing it. It was soft against her back, a warm and cozy place for her to rest while her two dream men pleasured her.

Four hands glided up and down her arms and legs, over her torso and belly. Abrah’s brother left her mouth and eased down to capture her other nipple. The two men licked and sucked and generally made her crazy.

Audrey clutched at their hair, her fingers tangling in the long locks while she moaned and writhed on the bed. She needed more than they were giving her. Abrah raised his head and watched her as he let his hand slide over her belly and down between her thighs.

He didn’t hesitate. He spread her pussy lips wide and plunged one finger into her hot depths. Audrey arched up, her lips parting on a long, high wail. Oh God, she was so close to coming.

Every cell in her body was clamoring for release. Her skin was hot, her nipples hard, distended buds. Her lips were moist and her legs quivered with pent-up desire. It had been way too long for her.

Her other lover ran his hand over her hip, squeezing gently before letting it slip even lower. Impossible. He wouldn’t? Would he?

He did.

He worked one long, thick finger into her tight sheath, crowding next to Abrah’s. They stretched her slick channel, the inner muscles contacting and expanding to accept their sexual claim.

She was panting hard now, unable to talk. Every part of her was focused solely on her impending orgasm. She had to have it. She pumped her hips up and down, trying to get them to move, to push deeper.

Abrah moved his thumb, flicking it over her distended clitoris. It was like setting a match to dry kindling. Audrey went up in flames. She cried out and her hips jerked. Fire rushed through her, going up to the roots of her hair and down to the tips of her toes. Heart racing, blood pumping, she embraced her orgasm, letting it flow over and around her.

It was better than anything she ever remembered. Both men moved their fingers then, working them in and out several times. Another wave of pleasure hit her with the force of a sledgehammer. She cried out. It was too much but there was nothing she could do but ride it out.

If she died now, at least she’d die happy. That was the last coherent thought that went through her mind for a long time.

When she finally came back to her senses, she shivered. Her body was covered in a light sheen of sweat and her heart was slowly returning to normal. Abrah and his brother still had their fingers resting inside her, but they were both still.

She opened her eyes and stared at them. As if that was the sign they’d been waiting for, they slowly removed their fingers, leaving her feeling empty. She blinked back tears, uncertain why she was so close to crying. It wasn’t like her to feel so emotional.

Maybe it was natural. One of the information sheets the nurse had given her said that her emotions might be all over the place for a while and that it was to be expected, was even normal considering she was physically run-down and mentally exhausted.

Her unnamed lover caught a tear as it rolled down her temple. He frowned even as he brought it to his lips and licked it away. Her heart clenched at the intimacy of the moment.

But it wasn’t real. None of this was. It was only a very realistic dream.

Something hard pressed against her hip, startling her. Her eyes flew to Abrah, who was watching her with concern in his dark eyes. He was aroused. Of course he was. She was all but naked beside him. The normal male reaction would be to have a hard-on. She’d been so caught up in her own reactions she hadn’t even considered him or his brother. If this weren’t a dream she’d probably feel very selfish right about now.

Why was she still dreaming? She’d had one heck of an orgasm. Shouldn’t she have woken after that? And why did both men seem so darn familiar?

It came to her in a flash. The tapestry. The one she’d found in the box. Both men bore a startling resemblance to the ones on the tapestry. She relaxed and began to laugh as relief struck her.

She wasn’t crazy at all. This was nothing more than a stress-releasing dream brought on by a combination of exhaustion, medication and a beautiful piece of cloth.

Abrah brought his hand up to one of her breasts, toying with the puckered nub. Audrey’s gasp quickly turned to a moan of pleasure. Maybe she wasn’t quite as finished as she thought she was. Maybe she could have another orgasm. That was just what the doctor ordered—stress release. And she couldn’t think of a more pleasurable way to accomplish it.

Her other lover tangled his fingers in her pubic hair, the tip of his finger occasionally grazing her distended clit. Audrey gave a murmur of encouragement. She raised her hands and touched both their faces.

“I’m so glad I conjured you from the tapestry. You’re both gorgeous.”

Both men froze as though they’d been hit by lightning. Abrah’s voice was rough and almost angry. “What did you say?”

Audrey swallowed as nervousness crept over her. This was her dream. She was in control here. “It’s obvious. This is a dream brought on by stress.”

“That’s not what you said,” he countered. His previously warm eyes went hard and Audrey shoved away from both men, pulling her robe around her. She suddenly felt very exposed and extremely vulnerable.

“Abrah.” The other man put his hand on his brother’s arm. He stared at her and there was some kind of yearning, some plea in his eyes. She didn’t know what he wanted but she was very afraid she couldn’t give it to him.

She pinched the skin on her arm. “Wake up. Wake up.” She’d had enough of this dream.

Her lover caught her hand. “Stop. Please. Tell me about the tapestry.”

“Leave her be, Heroc. This isn’t real.”

Heroc. Now she had names to go with both men. They were so unusual but somehow it suited them.

“Maybe it is,” Heroc insisted. He turned beseeching eyes on her and she found herself unable to deny him.

“It’s a small piece of fabric with a castle with two men in front of it.” She looked from one to the other. “With you standing in front of it.”

“Yes,” Heroc breathed.

“No,” Abrah countered. “That’s a lie. It’s not true. It can’t be true.” He captured her upper arms and shook her lightly.

Audrey struggled to pull away from him, truly fearful now. The ferocious gleam in Abrah’s eyes was scary enough but the bruising pressure of his fingers digging into her skin truly frightened her. She was a woman at the mercy of these two men.

“No,” she yelled. She threw herself to the side, scrambling away from both men. She heard them both cry as she rolled to the edge of the bed and fell into nothing.

Audrey sat straight up in bed, her arms extended out in front of her to break her fall, a scream on her lips. The beep of her alarm clock echoed in her ears. She glanced around the familiar room and gasped for breath as it came into focus.

She was home. It was all nothing but a dream. She was still wearing her robe. The belt had slipped open but the fabric was wrapped around her. She wasn’t naked in bed with two strange men. She was in her own bed. Safe.

The alarm clock continued to beep. With everything else that had happened, she’d forgotten to reset the darn thing. A fact she was very grateful for. The dream had taken a dark turn and she wasn’t sure she wanted to know what would have come next if she hadn’t woken.

Something trickled down her cheek and she wiped it away before she realized she was crying. “Stupid,” she admonished herself. “It was only a dream. Nothing more.” But it had felt incredibly real.

She managed to reach out and slam her hand down on top of her clock radio, silencing the annoying sound. The room went quiet except for the sound of her heavy breathing and the click of the radiator as it cut in.

It was just past five in the morning. She’d slept the night away but it hadn’t been a restful sleep. Her body was still humming with a strange combination of sexual release and fear. “No more sleeping pills for you.” She’d rather stay awake or take her chances with warm milk than risk another such realistic dream.

She rolled onto her side and her gaze fell onto the tapestry lying on top of the covers. “You’ve caused more than enough trouble.” She picked it up to toss it onto the floor but was unable to do so. Her fingers tightened around the fabric and she held it close to her heart.

Audrey closed her eyes and cried herself to sleep.