by Simone Leigh
…. but now, so differently. The glow of orgasm smoulders through me, in lazy ripples that run through my core and belly and thighs, leaving me sighing and whimpering in pleasure. It is a sweet, ecstatic moment that, as the glow fades, is overtaken by Michael, gasping, to drop down behind, his arms tightly around me as he trembles and spills into me.
After long seconds, he raises himself from me, gently withdraws and sitting back on the bed, offers me my glass of wine.
“Think you can cope with that for a few months?” he says to my Master.
“Oh, I think so, yes.”
__________________________
Michael
“Do you think he’ll be alright?” she asks.
“I think so. His wound is healing. It’ll just take time, that’s all.”
“I didn’t mean that. I meant….”
“What?”
“I mean…. Do you think he’ll be…. alright?”
“For sex, you mean?”
What’s going through your head, Babe?
“Yes.”
“Yes, I think he’ll be alright…. Would it matter to you if he wasn’t? Make a difference to you, about how you feel about him?”
“No of course not, but, I wonder how important it is to him?”
“Charlotte, when James won that first contract with Haswell, it was worth millions to him. Most men at that point would have bought themselves a flashy car, a boat, even a house. He went out and bought himself a virgin. What does that tell you?
__________________________
Charlotte
“What’s the problem, Charlotte?” asks Richard. “You look upset.”
“Oh, the university isn’t very happy about the way my course is being moved around, or at least, the way I’m moving around it. It’s getting a bit uncomfortable trying to talk to my tutors.”
Richard peers at me over his glasses. “That’s supposed to be all sorted out. I dealt with it myself…. Francis….” he yells through the door. “Get me Chancellor Wilmore on the phone would you. Tell him I’d like to meet up for a chat about the donation they’re asking for towards that new library wing.”
He winks at me. “When you’ve got them by the wallet, their heart and minds will follow.”
Despite myself, I grin.
__________________________
Michael
“I don’t think I can add much to this.” I say. “I’ll go for a walk down by the river while you’re all in there. Give me a call when you’re done and I’ll meet up with you.”
When I re-join them, a couple of hours later, James and Richard are sitting at a table, each nursing a beer.
“Where’s Charlotte?”
“Gone shopping.” says James.
“Shopping? When did Charlotte ever go shopping? She hates shopping.”
“It’s a university town.” says James wryly. “She’s just discovered the street with all the second-hand book shops….”
“Ahhh.… Right…. Might as well get a beer then.”
“Several beers I should think.”
I order myself a drink. “How did it go? Got her course details sorted out?”
“Yes, and we’re both quite pleased with the result.” says Richard. “James said, and I suspect you agree, that, for her own safety, he’d be happier having Charlotte close at hand, rather than away for long periods….”
“Yes, I am happier with that….”
“Good. So, we’ve arranged with the university, that she can cover a lot of the material by distance learning and on-line training. So long as she can pass the exams, that covers all the academic material. And the practical experience presents no difficulties. I’ll make sure she works her way around everything that’s available in the industry within fifty miles. James here can handle that. He has a better grip on that side of things than I do.”
“Sounds ideal. And the university are okay with that?”
“I’m making sure they’re okay with it. They lean on the Haswell Corporation for a lot of favours. I’ve called some of them in this time.” He looks smug, sips at his beer.
“You like getting your own way, don’t you?” I comment.
“Privileges of wealth.” he smiles. “I can recommend it.”
“I imagine you can. And by the way, you’ve not pulled the wool over my eyes, about at least one of your reasons for wanting Charlotte close by….”
He eyes me. “Meaning?”
“Charlotte is not Beth’s bodyguard.”
“Mmmm…. She’s done a better job of it than Ross. On his watch, Beth has been kidnapped twice, and Charlotte herself escaped when he was supposed to be guarding her.”
“That still doesn’t make it Charlotte’s responsibility to look after your wife….”
James watches us, narrowed eyed and silent.
Richard nods, musing over his beer. “Are you going to explain that to her? Or would you like me to try it?”
He has a point.
Let it go….
“And Charlotte, is she satisfied with your arrangements with the university?”
“She seems to be, yes.” says Richard.
I glance across at James. “You’re unusually quiet. Do you think she’s happy with it?”
“She’s happy enough.” he says, dryly. “And for once in this, she’s going to do as she’s damn well told. She’ll get what she wants this way, so she has no good reason for arguing about it.”
I fall silent, sipping my drink as they discuss future plans, the re-timed plans for the City project, the move to the new headquarters….
He’s feeling better…. The arrogance is back….
…. though you’re a good man, my friend…. even if you have sharp edges.…
But what if you weren’t…...?
You had a failed marriage and it didn’t turn you…. You simply found an outlet….
Did Klempner go wrong because of what happened with Charlotte’s mother?
No…. He was already a trafficker…. He turned her stomach….
There were two of them, and she was made to choose….
My thoughts are interrupted.
“Ah, Charlotte, there you are.” James eyes the bags she carries, weighing her down. “I see you have enjoyed yourself.”
Her eyes are sparkling, jade-bright against her pale skin. “Oh, yes. What a great place….”
“Mind if I look at what you’ve bought?”
She pushes her bags towards him, James working his way through her book stack, raising eyebrows at some of her choices, muttering to himself as he does so. “’Modern Cosmology and Philosophy’, ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’, ‘The Mythology of the Ancient Greeks’, Asimov’s ‘The Gods Themselves’, ‘Fundamentals of Physics: Mechanics, Relativity, and Thermodynamics’, ‘The Complete Sherlock Holmes’, Lovelock’s ‘Gaia’, ‘Pride and Prejudice’…. An eclectic mix. Have you considered specialising?” He is laughing quietly, despite the implied criticism.
“Specialisation is for insects….” she sniffs.
James’ brow furrows. “That’s a quote, isn’t it?”
Her eyes slide up to his. “Yes Master, it is.”
He looks out of the window, scratching the bridge of his nose. “I know the reference, but for the life of me, I can’t think where from.”
She stares at him. “It’s from ‘The Notebooks of Lazarus Long.’ taken from Heinlein’s ‘Time Enough for Love’.”
He still looks puzzled. “That’s an old nineteen-seventies science fiction novel, isn’t it? I don’t think I’ve ever read it. Why would I know the quote?”
“You might not have read it Master, but you’ve had it read to you, in the hospital…. while you were unconscious….”
“While I was unconscious?”
Charlotte’s eyes are brimming. “You were just lying there, dead to the world, and I was talking to you, hoping you could hear me. And when I couldn’t think of any more to say, I read to you…. and you did hear me.”
/> __________________________
Charlotte
It’s getting a bit embarrassing, my Master emotional, and I’m on the edge of tears. Richard, I think deliberately, shifts the conversation to something more routine.
“How’s it going with the spa-hotel development, Michael?” he asks. “‘Life and Beauty’ was it? That’s what you’re calling it? Plans on track?”
Michael looks relieved at the change in subject.
“For the most part, yes.” he says. “Just the usual snags and hitches you expect with any sizable project…”
“Such as?”
“Um… such as trying to get a swimming pool installed. I’ve got all the permissions in place to convert one of the out-buildings, but the bank isn’t willing to extend the finance any further until I’ve got three years’ trading accounts.”
“But you’ve been running ‘Life and Fitness’ in the City for years.… and turning a healthy profit, surely?”
“Yes, but you know how it is since 2007. All the banks have tightened up the rules.”
“Umm.…” Richard rubs the back of his neck. “Take this the right way, but I’d be happy to help.”
Michael stiffens, his voice cool. “Thanks, Richard, but I’m not a charity.”
James chuckles. “Now, who’s suffering from stiff-necked pride?”
Michael glares at him, but my Master is unabashed.
Richard is equally cool. “It wasn’t a charitable offer, Michael. I’m a businessman. It was a proposal.”
“Ah. My apologies.” His voice contrite, “What did you have in mind?”
“I’ve been watching the reaction of Elizabeth’s friends to this ever since you told us about your ideas, and I know they’re queuing up to visit, especially since most of them already use your City Centre….”
“So?”
Richard scratches his chin, rubs the back of his neck. “Okay, my cards on the table. Michael, I’ve been itching to find a way of getting in on your project. And it seems to me that this might work for both of us. I’d like to fund whatever’s needed to get the spa-hotel project up and running, as it should be, from Day One, in exchange for a shareholding…. How would you feel about that?”
“What size of share are you thinking of?”
“Got your figures to hand?”
“No, but I’ve got them in my head.… Anyone got a pen and paper?”
The barman produces a pen. A paper bag from my book purchases is commandeered. Michael jots down figures on it, ‘Hmmm’s for a minute, stares into space, writes some more, then passes it over to Richard.
Richard works his way through, staring at the notes and numbers thoughtfully. Then he gazes into space for a minute, fingers twitching.
Counting on his fingers? Working a calculator in his head?
Then he scribbles more notes and annotations.
Finally, he writes a one line sentence under the lot, glances at Michael for a second, then, against Michael’s raised eyebrow, and my Master’s barely suppressed amusement, slides the bag across the table to me.
“Let’s see how your accountancy’s coming on, Charlotte. What does that lot mean?”
I scan the hieroglyphs in front of me….
I set out to study physics and learn the secrets of the universe. Then I changed to engineering, so I could learn how to build a city. Now, I’m being asked to…. cost it?
“Um…. Michael’s put down the value of the site from a surveyor’s assessment, along with what he paid, plus the mortgage from the bank. There’s the value of the work done so far, and what’s still needed. There’s an estimate of numbers of clients, income and expenses over the next three years…. Michael… you hold all this in your head?”
He sucks in a smile. “You run a business, that’s what you do, at least if you expect to stay in business.”
“Keep going, Charlotte.” says Richard.
“Okay, um, Richard’s over-written some of the estimates on income and expenses, some upwards and some down. Err…. you’ve scrubbed out interest payments entirely, but added in some legal fees….”
“If I put cash into the project to replace bank funding, there won’t be any interest payments.” comments Richard.
Of course, yes….
I work my way through the rest. “You’re offering to cover all the building and development costs, plus some marketing, in exchange for a thirty per cent share?”
“I think thirty per-cent is a bit steep, don’t you?” says Michael calmly.
Richard sniffs. “Well, that’s open to negotiation isn’t it.… but you’ve not stopped talking to me….”
The two lean across the table towards each other, Alternately taking the pen from the other, scribbling amendments on the paper bag, crossing-out previous notes and over-writing them. Richard is clearly enjoying himself. Michael, for all his restraint, is also, I think, enjoying himself.
I glance at my Master, who, sucking in his cheeks, is suppressing a smile. In a low voice he says, “They’ve already decided they’re going to do it. It’s just the thrill of the chase now….”
Men….
The pen is tossed to the table-top. Richard and Michael stand, shaking hands. “Done!” says Michael. “Charlotte, meet your new shareholder.”
?
“My new shareholder?”
He rolls his eyes. “Didn’t you read any of those papers I showed you? About the purchase of the hotel and house?”
“Er… well, I scanned them quickly, but it all seemed a bit….”
He looks at me, face blank. “Boring? Is that the word you’re looking for?”
I hang my head. “Yes.”
Richard laughs. “You’d better start taking an interest in these things now, Charlotte. It’s a bit odd that I should know already that you’re a shareholder in ‘Life and Beauty’, but you don’t.”
Blushing. “Sorry. I didn’t realise.”
Michael grabs me under the chin. “We’re getting married. Of course you’re a share-holder.”
“On that subject.…” continues Richard, “Have you set a date?”
Michael goes very still.
Waiting?
“Er, we’d not really discussed it.” I say. “With everything that’s happened….” I glance at my fiancée.
He still doesn’t speak.
What’s he waiting for?
My Master breaks in. “I was rather hoping that I’d be asked to be Best Man.” He swings to Michael, who is suddenly wreathed in smiles. “You can take that as a heavy hint.”
“Who else would I ask?”
All eyes fix on me. “So, when were you thinking of, Charlotte?” My Master gaze is level.
That’s what Michael’s waiting for….
He still remembers that I only ever said ‘Yes’ to marrying him, under pressure….
….and he wonders if I will commit to a date?
I throw my arms around Michael’s neck, pulling myself up to kiss him. “How about the Spring? You should have the house and the hotel ready by then. We could have the reception on the mountain.”
His face lights up. “That would be wonderful.”
“There’s one other thing though….”
His face falls. Voice tense, “And what would that be?”
“Who’s going to give me away? I don’t have a father. But since it looks as though Beth and I are related…. somehow…., the nearest thing I’ve got is, a sort-of brother-in-law.” I look at Richard.
He beams. “Charlotte. I would be honoured. And Beth could be your bridesmaid?”
“I’d like that very much.”
My Master smiles as he watches me, and Michael is a man walking on sunshine.
__________________________
Three months later….
Spring is here on our mountain. I sit on grassy slopes, cradling a mug of coffee. Beside me, sitting on a blanket, one leg outstretched, stiff from where it is still healing, is my Master.
The sun is shining
, and there is the mood of a whole new start. From behind us comes the bang and clatter of the last of the workmen in the house, with occasional yelled instructions from Michael. His spa hotel is ready for guests, and has a planned opening date for Easter Weekend, and thanks to Beth, lots of pre-bookings from well-heeled ladies.
Eyes slanted sideways to me, my Master asks, “You’re not too upset about not going back to college this year?”
“No, I’m fine. Doing it this way works just as well as actually attending. So long as we have a decent internet connection, I’m good.”
He still looks concerned. “You are sure of that? I don’t want any more sudden disappearances.”
I kiss him on the cheek. “I’m sure. Truly.”
Michael strolls down the lush hillside to join us, his blond hair, a bright halo, and his blue eyes, brilliant in the sunshine. “Room for another one?”
“Oh, I think we can spare a bit of turf.” says my Master. “Everything going well up there?”
“Really well, yes. Even the house is beginning to look more like a home and less like a building site. We could move back here from the beach house anytime we wanted now.”
“I’d like that.” I say. “You promised me my home, months ago. And now it’s here.”
Michael, restrained as ever, says nothing, simply taking my hand, kissing my knuckles. Then, “I wanted to ask you something, Charlotte….” He hesitates.
Choosing your words?
“Yes?”
“…. All through your life, you’ve had everything thrust upon you. Even meeting James and I, you chose to enter the auction, but you did that out of necessity. I’d like to know what you want. Now that you are free to choose for yourself, what is it that you want?”
He sits, watching me, chin on his knees, arms wrapped around his legs, quietly waiting for my reply.