The Carol Wyatt Collection

by Carol Wyatt

  Erica crouched down to wipe it clean but as she stood up her eyes landed on the little navy jewelry box that was in the middle of her bag amongst her wallet and some makeup.

  Erica’s eyes narrowed, trying to decide if it was what she thought it was. She didn’t want to go rooting through her stuff, but Erica was pretty sure that it was a ring.

  Why would she still be carrying a ring around with her? She said that she was over it, that she could handle not being in charge of her father’s company, that she didn’t want to get married.

  Unless that’s what Charlie was saying so that Erica would give her another chance?

  It didn’t make sense.

  Erica left the cloth back in the kitchen and sat down again, reaching for her glass of wine and taking a long drink.

  Charlie came back into the room a few seconds later.

  “Good news?” Erica asked as Charlie sat back down beside her.

  “Yes. The first bidder is back in the picture. This could go on all weekend but at least we know we have a buyer. They’re all coming in well above the asking price.”

  “Congrats,” Erica said with a smile, hoping that she didn’t look as worried as she felt.

  “Thanks.”

  Erica watched Charlie take a sip of wine and tried not to let her discovery bother her. She couldn’t jump to any conclusions. That wouldn’t be fair. There was probably a reasonable explanation.

  Erica still wanted to spend time with her and by the way that Charlie was looking at her, they would probably be spending the night together. She couldn’t let that little velvet box ruin their evening.

  “So, where’s Jenny?” Charlie asked.

  “Out. I don’t think she ever stays in on a Friday night.”

  “And you didn’t want to join her?”

  “I was planning on having a lazy evening with a glass of wine and something on Netflix.”

  “Until I called and spoiled those plans,” Charlie said as she took a drink.

  “I wouldn’t say ‘spoiled.’ Maybe just ‘amended.’”

  “To what?” Charlie asked with a mischievous grin.

  “I don’t know… You tell me,” Erica said as she brought her glass to her lips.

  “I think you should give me a tour.”

  “Of the apartment?”

  “Yes.”

  “Sure… It’ll be a short one though. This is it… and my bedroom of course,” Erica said as she took another drink and then stood up.

  “Lead the way.”

  Erica couldn’t keep the smirk off her face as she led Charlie by the hand to her bedroom. This was not how she thought she would be spending her night.

  If only I could forget about seeing that ring…

  “So, this is it,” Erica said when they reached her door. She pushed it open and let Charlie step inside. “Like the rest of the apartment…It’s small…cozy.”

  “Nothing wrong with cozy… Is your bed comfortable?”

  “I think so… Why you don’t you check it out?”

  Erica smiled as Charlie sat down on the edge of the bed, thinking how ridiculous this was. She liked this playful side of Charlie.

  “Yeah. It seems pretty comfortable.”

  “You should lie down,” Erica said as she crossed the room to stand in front of Charlie. “You know, before you come to any conclusions.”

  “Alright,” Charlie said as she scooted back, kicking off her boots as she stretched out in the middle of the bed.

  Erica climbed onto the bed, her body covering Charlie’s as she cupped her cheek, leaning down to find her lips, their tongues easily finding one another in a slow and sensual dance.

  Erica could taste the wine on Charlie’s lips as her tongue skimmed across Charlie’s lower lip.

  Charlie’s hands were on her ass, her leg in between Erica’s as they continued to kiss. Erica moaned softly into her mouth.

  She couldn’t stop the effect that Charlie was having on her. Not that she wanted to really but there was still that little voice that was reminding her about the ring that was sitting in Charlie’s bag in the living room.

  This could all end so badly.

  Erica’s hips were grinding down on Charlie’s bare thigh, her dress having rode up her leg a few inches, without even realizing what she was doing.

  It was only when Charlie’s grip on her ass through her jeans tightened, pushing Erica’s sex harder against Charlie’s leg that Erica knew how close she was to coming.

  Charlie must have noticed the expression on her face, her mouth slightly open, her breath becoming ragged. She applied just a little more pressure, Erica’s hips still doing most of the work, as Charlie’s lips covered hers.

  When their tongues met, Erica’s hips pushed back against Charlie’s thigh one last time as her body shuddered against her and she collapsed on top of Charlie, completely out of breath.

  Charlie’s hand reached up to push a few locks of Erica’s jet-black hair away from her eyes, the gentle touch sending shivers down Erica’s spine.

  “You didn’t even touch me,” Erica breathed.

  “There’s plenty of time for that,” Charlie whispered as she cupped Erica’s cheek, bringing her lips down to hers and kissing her with an intensity that made Erica melt into her.

  Chapter 34

  Erica woke up the next morning with Charlie’s arm draped across her stomach. She thought she heard banging, but she must have dreamt it.

  She reached for her phone that was on the nightstand beside her bed. It was a little after seven. They’d only fallen asleep a few hours ago but she still felt refreshed.

  Erica felt her cheeks darken when she thought about last night. Charlie couldn’t get enough of her and she couldn’t keep her hands off Charlie.

  Erica jumped when she heard a fist pounding against her bedroom door.

  “Erica, why is there a phone that won’t stop ringing at seven in the morning on a Saturday?” Jenny called through the door. “I don’t want to come in, but this is ridiculous.”

  Erica stumbled out of bed, throwing the sheets aside. She was wearing a tank top and shorts. Her hair was probably a little wild, but she didn’t have time to look in the mirror.

  “Sorry,” Erica whispered as she opened the door to find Jenny standing there in her pajamas, holding Charlie’s bag.

  “Can I just turn it off?” Jenny asked with a sigh. “It’s been driving me crazy.”

  “No, you can’t,” Erica said in a loud whisper. “Charlie’s waiting on a call.”

  “Well, I have a hangover to nurse and I can’t deal with it anymore.”

  Jenny reached into Charlie’s bag and rooted through it to find the source of the noise.

  Erica could hear Charlie yawning behind her and getting out of bed.

  “Sorry,” Charlie said in a sleepy voice as she reached for her bag.

  There was a miscommunication. Charlie thought Jenny was handing her the bag, but Jenny had just found the phone and was ready to pull it out of her bag to give it to her.

  Instead, the bag crashed to the floor along with the ringing phone, some makeup, and the small velvet box spilled out onto the floor.

  Charlie’s eyes darted to Erica’s and then to Jenny whose mouth was hanging open. “I have to take this,” Charlie said, looking down at her phone. “Give me a minute.”

  Jenny grabbed Erica’s hand and pulled her into the hallway. “I thought you said that she wasn’t thinking about marriage anymore.”

  “She’s not,” Erica said, shutting the door behind her.

  “Then why is there a ring in her bag?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “You don’t seem surprised.”

  “I saw it last night,” Erica said, folding her arms across her chest.

  “And you didn’t say anything?”

  “No…”

  “The sex must be amazing to be putting up with this shit,” Jenny said with a smirk.

  “It is but that has nothing to do with it. She
said she’s over it and I believe her.”

  “She could be crazy.”

  “She’s not crazy,” Erica said, leaning back against the hallway wall.

  “I’m not crazy,” Charlie said as she opened the door, fully dressed in yesterday’s clothes with her bag slung over her shoulder.

  “Shit,” Jenny said as she looked away. “I’m just gonna…” Jenny turned and went back into her room.

  “I need to bring it back,” Charlie said as they went into the living room and sat down on the couch. “With my schedule, I never know when I’m going to have the time. So, it’s in my bag in case I’m near the jeweler’s someday. I meant what I said… Marriage is the last thing on my mind right now.”

  “Okay.”

  “So, we’re okay?”

  “Yes,” Erica said softly. “Did you get some good news?”

  “Yes. I have a buyer. I’m going to head into the office now and get the paperwork sorted.”

  “That’s great… Sorry about Jenny.”

  “It’s okay. She’s right to look after you.”

  “Let me know if you’re free later or tomorrow,” Erica said as they both stood up. “We should celebrate.”

  “I will,” Charlie said as she wrapped her arms around Erica and kissed her softly on the lips as she pulled away.

  “Bye,” Erica said as she walked Charlie out.

  Erica padded into the kitchen to make herself a coffee. At least she had this weekend off to relax.

  Is there any truth to what Jenny said? Is this all about sex and lust and not anything to build an actual relationship on?

  Erica didn’t know what they were doing but she knew that it felt right. She’d never been so attracted to someone and the fact that she never forgot about Charlie in the six months that they’d spent apart had to say something.

  Erica knew that she didn’t fall for anyone easily but when she did it was hard and fast. She just hoped that she wasn’t setting herself up for a major disappointment with Charlie.

  There was still their age gap and difference in lifestyles to deal with, but it hadn’t been that weird having Charlie stay the night in her apartment if you left out Jenny banging on her door this morning.

  Erica brought her mug to her lips and decided that she’d go play in Central Park later. She hadn’t been for a few weeks and she felt inspired.

  Chapter 35

  The snow flurries that had started to fall this morning were piling up as Charlie left the apartment that she’d just sold.

  The buyer wanted to meet her there to sign the contract. She was happy for him. He’d used her father’s company before to sell his apartment in the Upper East Side more than ten years ago and now he’d found his dream apartment just a few blocks over after spending the last few years in Europe.

  The seller was also thrilled with the price she got and of course, Charlie was happy that her commission check would be on the way.

  She loved deals like this that made everyone happy. No one was selling their apartment because of a tragedy or a divorce. It was a perfect fit for her buyer who’d been holding out for months in search of the perfect apartment with views of Central Park and the seller was ready to move into a bigger place.

  As she left the building she nodded to the doorman, silently thanking him, and crossed the road to walk along 5th Avenue where two or three inches of snow had already fallen.

  She wrapped her scarf around her neck, tucking it into her black winter coat. She had no plans for the rest of the day. She’d call Erica shortly and see if she was still free to do something this evening.

  Charlie’s mind wandered back to the night before, to the hours they’d spent in bed together. She couldn’t remember ever wanting someone so much. Sleep had been the last thing on her mind until they had completely exhausted themselves and there was no other choice but to close their eyes, her arm wrapped around Erica.

  She should probably be looking out for a cab, but Charlie was enjoying strolling through the snow-covered streets. She rarely had down time like this.

  Charlie had no other meetings scheduled for today. She imagined the seller of the apartment she’d just closed the deal on would want to take her out for a drink tonight or tomorrow but other than that she didn’t have any plans.

  She headed into Central Park, the paths and hills already lightly covered in snow creating a beautiful sense of peacefulness in the middle of this busy city.

  Charlie took out her phone and called Erica, hoping that she would be free to meet her, but she didn’t answer.

  Charlie dropped her phone back in her bag and decided to walk for a few more minutes. Then she’d head over to the jeweler’s and get rid of the ring that had almost ruined her life.

  Charlie couldn’t imagine being with Lara now. How had she thought that being with her was the right thing? Why had she wasted six months trying to make it work with her when she could have been with Erica?

  She didn’t know but she was happy with the way her life was going now. Jules was doing a great job with managing the company. He always came to Charlie to talk over any major decisions, so she still felt like she was in control of her father’s company.

  Last night hadn’t even been that strange. She’d wondered what it would be like, spending time at Erica’s apartment that she shared with two other people, but it had gone okay all things considered.

  If her phone hadn’t woken Jenny up, they probably would have had a relaxing morning together and she might have even got the chance to get to know Erica’s best friend a little better.

  It had somehow all seemed normal even though she would have preferred to have had Erica spend the night at her own place, but she didn’t want Erica to feel like her place was off limits because she had roommates.

  Charlie couldn’t believe how easy it was to think ahead, to be considering these things.

  Really, if she was being honest with herself, they’d didn’t know each other that well and the start of this relationship had been driven by their obvious attraction to one another and that scared her.

  How could they overcome their age gap and their differences of jobs and salaries when any time they spent together, they couldn’t keep their hands off each other?

  Not that Charlie was complaining. She was just trying to be practical because this is not something that had happened to her before.

  She’d never wanted to work less so that she could spend more time with someone.

  She’d never wanted to think too far into the future because she knew that nine times out of ten, work would win, and she wouldn’t be able to maintain the relationship.

  With Erica, Charlie knew that things were different, and she wasn’t sure whether to jump up and down or run for the hills.

  She’d never had her heart broken because she’d carefully guarded it over the years, using her work as her shield, keeping any relationships casual and short.

  Charlie had been walking on autopilot, passing a few people as she continued to stride through the snow-covered park. She could hear classical music being played in the distance up ahead and she found herself wanting to hear more of it.

  Charlie’s jaw dropped slightly when she discovered the source of the beautiful music that was being played and had stopped several people in their tracks.

  Erica was sitting on a bench, wrapped up in a cream winter jacket and black scarf with her chin resting on her violin, her right arm flowing back and forth as her bow crossed the strings with a delicate yet commanding ease.

  Charlie stood off to the side while she took in the scene around her, the music captivating the small audience despite the cold and the snow that was falling around them.

  She almost forgot to clap when Erica played the last note. She was so transfixed by the haunting melody that Erica had been playing.

  She paused for a second to see if Erica would start playing again but when she didn’t, Charlie walked over to where she was sitting.

  “That was amazing,” Charli
e said with a smile when Erica’s eyes met hers.

  “Hi,” she said, surprised to see Charlie. “Thanks… I hadn’t been out here in a while and I was feeling inspired today… So here I am. Although I feel like my fingers might fall off,” Erica said with a soft laugh. “What are you doing here? I thought you didn’t have free time.”