by Gina Hummer
Charlotte giggled and planted a quick kiss on his lips. “Flattery will get you everywhere,” she quipped before she went around in the dark in search of her clothes. David hoisted himself up and joined her.
Finally dressed, they crept out of the boathouse and headed to the cabin. The air smelled fresh and clean, and now only a light mist fell across their rejuvenated bodies.
“I will now have a whole new appreciation for rain,” David said.
“Better than an umbrella,” Charlotte said as she opened the door of the cabin, the warmth rushing to greet them.
“Indeed.”
They locked their arms around each other and kissed once more as David kicked the front door closed with his foot. Never letting go of each other, they made their way back toward the bedrooms.
“Your place or mine?” David asked.
Charlotte grabbed David by the collar of his tee-shirt and pulled him into her room as passion overtook them yet again. David pushed Charlotte onto the bed and pulled down her pants. He slowly removed her gray Jockey panties and hooked the elastic waistband around his finger.
“Thought you said you didn’t like sexy knickers,” he said; the mischievous twinkle that drove her mad all over his face.
Charlotte frowned, confused. “I thought you called them kegs?”
“Knickers are women’s undies; kegs are for men,” he said matter-of-factly.
She grabbed them from him and threw them across the room.
“Well, whatever they are, I couldn’t care less. Now shut up and kiss me.”
#
The toasty slices of sun that filtered through the bedroom window the next morning held no evidence of the downpour from the night before. David blinked several times and held up his wrist to check his watch. He let out a soft grunt and smiled as he rolled over to look at Charlotte, who was hunched in the fetal position. He watched her for a few moments, drinking in the wonder of her. The way those unruly auburn curls swathed themselves across her porcelain skin, the soft curve of her hip jutting up from beneath the rumpled bed sheet, the smooth arch of her bare shoulder inviting him to take a bite. He spooned around her, nuzzling into her neck.
“Charlotte.”
She didn’t stir, so he blew gently into her ear before he dotted the back of her neck with light kisses. Finally she moaned and brushed her hair out of her face. She turned to look at him, one eye propped open.
“A girl could get used to waking up like this.”
“I hope you’ll let me spoil you.”
Charlotte grinned, and David moved in to kiss her on the lips. Charlotte clamped her hand against her mouth and shook her head.
“Oh come on,” David laughed. “I’ve seen you naked. I can kiss you with morning breath.”
Charlotte jumped out of bed and ran toward the bathroom. “I refuse to kiss you until I’ve brushed my teeth,” she yelled out.
David sat up and hooked his elbows around his knees. “Well hurry up, because I need to kiss you!”
“Hey, what time is it?” she called out.
David looked at his watch again. “A little after ten.”
Charlotte spit out her toothpaste and squeaked. “Damn it!”
“What’s wrong?”
Charlotte bolted out of the bathroom. “We missed breakfast.”
“Uh oh,” David said. “How about this. We’ll say the storm knocked the power out.”
“In one cabin?” Charlotte asked sarcastically.
“Okay, bad excuse.”
Charlotte flopped back onto bed. “Ten. I haven’t slept in until ten in----” she stopped to think. “I’ve never slept in until ten.”
“Never? Ever in your life?”
“What can I say? I’m a morning person.”
“Oh dear.” David slapped his hands together and hopped out of bed. “Alright; since we’ve missed breakfast, how about I brew up some coffee, and we’ll nosh on some of those cupcake things you’re so fond of.”
Charlotte giggled. “Sounds great. While you’re doing that, I’ll be in the shower.”
David moaned and pulled Charlotte into that near-forgotten kiss. “Want some company?”
“Believe it or not, I’m going to shave my legs, but I will take a rain check.”
“Don’t say rain around me, woman. Drives me bonkers.” They both laughed, and David gave Charlotte a teasing slap on her bum as she scooted off to the shower. David raked on his jeans and tee-shirt from the night before and headed into the kitchen to make the coffee. As he waited for the coffee to brew, he noticed a small, neatly folded white piece of paper shoved under the door.
David wrinkled his brow; he went to pick it up and read it.
Open the door it read.
Not sure whether to laugh or be afraid, David eased the door open and looked down to see a basket covered with a red cloth napkin. He grabbed the basket and shut the door; he gently lifted the napkin and took a peek underneath. It was filled with bananas, some muffins, and a few cartons of yogurt along with a note in looped and swirling letters.
“To keep up your strength,” he read aloud and chuckled. David set the basket on the kitchen table and tore into a blueberry muffin, suddenly starving. He had to hand it to the ladies. They were quite a perceptive bunch.
A few moments later Charlotte emerged from the bedroom in a worn pair of jeans and tight white tee-shirt, her hair pulled back in its habitual ponytail. David’s heart stopped at how gorgeous she was; a sexy, curvy body, sparkling eyes, and skin so flawless that it was hard to tell if she was even wearing make-up. However, knowing Charlotte as he did, it was all her. And he loved it.
David pulled a muffin out for Charlotte. “Here you go.”
Charlotte frowned at the muffin. “What the hell is all this?” she asked, pointing to the basket.
David handed her the note, which she glanced at.
“Oh God,” she groaned. “We will definitely be the topic at dinner tonight,”
#
David and Charlotte lingered over coffee for a few hours before they decided to venture out for lunch. They walked hand-in-hand toward the dining cabin, their nerves palpable.
“How bad do you think it’ll be?” David asked.
“They’re going to razz us pretty bad,” Charlotte snorted. “At least lunch is a short meal,” she muttered under her breath.
As they reached the dining cabin, David gave her hand a quick squeeze. “Now or never,” he said.
“Right.”
David opened the door for Charlotte and they both walked in, trepidation all over their faces. Charlotte scanned the room; it seemed like business as usual. Some of the ladies were preparing lunch; a few said hello, and the rest were reading the paper or chit-chatting.
Charlotte took a deep breath. “Afternoon,” she said to Angela, who was filling in a crossword puzzle. David also gave her a brief nod.
“Hello,” she responded cheerfully.
As David and Charlotte made their way to the food table where grilled cheese and tomato soup awaited, a few more people called out hello. They shot each other a quick look, unprepared for the un-reaction of the group. David and Charlotte grabbed their food and sat by themselves at the far end of the table.
“Hey David,” Shirley yelled from the opposite end of the table. He looked up, startled, his soup spoon clattering to the table.
“Yes?”
Shirley looked back down at her newspaper. “Are you a baseball guy or a football guy?”
A slow smile full of surprise and relief spread across David’s face. “I like both. Why?”
Shirley kept her gaze glued to her paper and shook her head. “Just wondering,” she replied.
David and Charlotte looked at each other again as the room filled once more with the sounds of easy conversation and eating.
“David dear,” Emma said as she casually flipped the pages of the magazine splayed in front of her on the table. Charlotte rolled her eyes, and David took another bite of his sandwich.
�
�Yes, Emma?”
“I hope you wrapped your rascal last night,” she drawled, cool as ice. The entire room burst into laughter, David nearly choked on his grilled cheese, and Charlotte turned as red as her tomato soup before she dropped her forehead into the palm of one hand.
David took a sip of iced tea and cleared his throat. “Come now, ladies. A gentleman never kisses and tells.”
Angela let out a wolf whistle. “Well girls, I think we have our answer.”
#
“I wondered when you’d emerge from the love shack,” Karen chirped as she joined Charlotte on the bench by the lake.
Charlotte looked up from her notepad, where she was scribbling notes for an outline she owed to her publisher. She chuckled. “Publisher’s been calling me, hounding me for my next title, so I’m working on some stuff to placate them.”
“Huh. I guess that’s why they keep calling me, too. Of course I just pretend like I can’t get cell reception up here.”
“Remind me again why they keep you around?”
“’Cause I sell books honey, and lots of them.”
“Ah, right,” Charlotte said as she set her notepad down and picked up the bottle of water at her feet.
“So what’s Mr. Wonderful up to?”
“Taking a jog around the lake. I don’t think he’s missed a day since we’ve been here.”
“He is dedicated; I’ll give him that.” Karen whipped out her newspaper. “Speaking of, did he tell you about our little chat?”
Charlotte lowered the water bottle. “Dare I ask?”
“I just wanted to see what his intentions were.”
“What are you, my father?”
“He seems pretty devoted to you.”
Charlotte cocked an eyebrow. “Seems?”
“Just want to make sure he’s not harboring some Mrs. Robinson fantasy or something.”
Charlotte let out an exasperated sigh. “Karen, where is this coming from? First you tell me to go for it, and now you’re telling me to be careful. I’m dizzy from trying to keep up.”
“All I’m saying is know what you’re getting yourself into.” Karen flicked the paper open again. “That’s basically what I told him, and now I’ve told you.”
Charlotte opened her mouth to say something else but then thought better of it. She took another sip of water.
“Thanks for the advice.”
#
“Do you keep a calendar?”
“Hmmm?”
“A calendar -----you know, for appointments?”
It was nighttime, and David and Charlotte were laid out on the couch, her feet perched in his lap while she continued to add notes to her outline. He had been thumbing through a script when he stopped to query her about calendars.
Charlotte set her notepad down. “I’m sorry; what are you asking me about calendars for?”
“Where do you keep yours? On your phone?”
“No way. I’m old school. I tote a big old bulky agenda around with me everywhere I go. Why?”
David tossed the script onto the table and pulled his Blackberry out of his pocket. He frowned for a moment before he opened his calendar. “Do me a favor and grab your agenda.”
Charlotte heaved an annoyed sigh and went to retrieve her agenda from her purse. She flopped back down on the couch and looked at him.
“Okay, now what?”
David’s face was screwed up in concentration as he tapped buttons on his BlackBerry.
“We are coordinating schedules so we can plan out when we can see each other,” he said casually.
“Ah, I see. Does that mean you’re not sick of me yet?”
“Never, sweetheart. Now; I have to be in Vancouver at the end of the month. What are you doing?”
Charlotte perused the pages. “My publisher is due to send me back my current manuscript for a little bit of editing.” She looked back at him. “Why?”
“Well, I have to be in Vancouver for a week or so doing some reshoots for a film. After that I’ve got to jet off to New York for a premiere.” David gave her a sidelong glance. “And I want you to come with me.”
Charlotte gulped. “You want me to do what?”
“Allow me to whisk you away for some bona fide movie-star business.” David streamed his fingers up her arm. “Seriously, all jokes aside, I want you with me. Besides, your job allows you to go wherever, be wherever.”
Charlotte swallowed again, trying to comprehend everything he was throwing at her. “Wow. Premiere. With all those photographers and everything?” Charlotte shook her head. “That’s not really me. I’m not so sure I want to do that.”
“Listen…. I understand if the thought of walking the red carpet makes you nervous.” He started to play with her fingers. “I made the commitment, so I have to be there. But if you’re really not keen on it, you don’t have to actually walk the red carpet with me. So long as I can stash you somewhere nearby.”
Charlotte smiled and cocked her head to the side. “And what do you plan to do with me once you’ve stashed me?”
“Well, for starters, let me show you New York. We can see a show, see the sights. See it all.” He threw the BlackBerry down and began to crawl toward her with that glint in his eye that Charlotte had come to know and love in very short order. “Of course, I already have the sight I want to see every day right here in front of me,” he said as he ran his hands over one of her nipples, which hardened beneath her tee-shirt.
A moan slipped from Charlotte’s lips as David began to stroke her neck with his tongue. “Do I at
least get some time to think it over, or do I have to book the flight right now?”
David pulled Charlotte’s shirt up and began to nip at her breasts through her bra. “You can think it over all you want, but you know you can’t stand the thought of being without me.” He paused. “So, you know you’ll be going with me.”
Charlotte ran the sole of her foot against David’s leg. “You are awfully demanding, Mr. King,” Charlotte purred. “Must be the movie star ego.”
Before David could answer, his phone vibrated on the table. “Just ignore it,” he murmured as he started to kiss her. Within the space of three minutes the phone vibrated five more times. Charlotte stopped and held his face in her hands.
“Sounds like an emergency,” she said. “Maybe you should answer it.”
David let out a frustrated sigh and picked up the phone. He looked at the caller ID and got the same disturbed look on his face he’d had when he had pulled the phone out of his pocket to look at his calendar. He hit the ignore button before he turned the phone off altogether.
“Is everything okay?” Charlotte asked.
David nodded. “Oh yeah. Everything’s fine.” He gave her a devilish grin. “Now, where was I?”
Charlotte snaked her hands around his neck and pulled him to her. “I think right about here.” They kissed again, and before Charlotte knew what was happening, David swooped her up and over his shoulder and carried her to his bedroom. She squealed, and David laughed.
“You Tarzan, me Jane?” she asked.
“I’ll have to remember to pick up a loincloth.”
“You won’t need it,” Charlotte whispered as she jerked his jeans down.
David stepped out of his jeans, and then he bent down to his knees, cupping Charlotte’s face in the palm of one hand. She ran her fingertips along the edges of his face, getting lost in the luscious green fields of his eyes.
“Charlotte,” he whispered.
Charlotte leaned back against the bed and spread her legs, inviting him to come in.
He didn’t waste any time.
#
Charlotte’s hand dropped into the empty space beside her. She ran her hands up and down the cool sheets in search of David’s body. She opened her eyes and propped herself up on her elbows. She took a big sniff, expecting the customary scent of coffee to fill her nostrils.
Nothing.
“Hmm,” Charlotte frowned. “That’
s not like him,” she muttered to herself as she swung her legs over the side of the bed. She stood and felt like she might topple over. She and David had made love no less than six times over the past few days, and it was starting to catch up with her. Her body wanted to know what was up. In spite of the sore muscles, she’d never felt more alive; even through the pain her body tingled with desire for David. Charlotte wandered out to the kitchen to make coffee. While she waited for it to start, she looked out the window and saw David by the lake. His back was to her, and he was on the phone. Charlotte crossed her arms and watched him. Whoever he was on the phone with had him highly agitated. He paced back and forth a bit before she saw him punch his index finger in the air in an angry, stabbing motion. Charlotte ran her tongue across her teeth, curious. She watched him for a few moments more before she poured a fresh cup of coffee. She busied herself with leafing through her outline, but after a while, it was clear David wasn’t getting off the phone anytime soon. Charlotte drained her coffee and headed to the shower.
The hot water was a salve for the knots in her muscles as she melted underneath the steam. Charlotte scrubbed herself clean before dumping a glob of shampoo into her hand and lathering it through her tangle of curls. As she rinsed the shampoo from her hair, she saw David’s form through the frosted shower door. She slid the door open and poked her head out.
He stood before her wearing nothing but a naughty grin. Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes traveled up and down his finely sculpted work of art. She shivered inside.
“Hi,” she said softly. “You okay?”
He nodded. “Oh, yeah. I’m fantastic.”
“That seemed like a pretty intense phone call. Want to talk about it?”
“Psshh. Oh, that. That was nothing.” He narrowed his eyes. “Mind if I join you?”
“Are you sure?”
“About getting in the shower with you?”
“No, no. About the phone call. Everything’s okay?”
David nodded. “Yes. Absolutely. Now, we were negotiating showering together?”
Charlotte bit her lip, hoping he wouldn’t pick up on her hesitation. It was one thing to be flirty and fun under the covers. It was quite another to be standing in the stark light of day where there was no hiding the stretch marks or cellulite. She took a deep breath and admonished herself for acting so silly after everything they’d been through.