The Charlton Affair

by MJ Doherty

  “This food is incredible, Roman!”

  “Yes, I agree,” Roman replied smugly.

  “And of course your home is stunning, as always.”

  “Thank you.” Roman said, not looking at all surprised by her complement.

  “Looks like your guests are having a good evening. I don’t know many of them.” Charlie remarked, choosing the next piece of succulent bird to gormandize.

  “You know the two lawyers, and you’ve met Phoebe that one time, but there are a couple of single ladies just in case you decide to stop feeling sorry for yourself!”

  Charlie eyed him suspiciously, “You said this wasn’t a matchmaking exercise.”

  “I lied,” he replied smugly.

  Charlie rolled her eyes and wiped her lips delicately with the napkin he provided.

  “Lead on, Macduff,” she said wryly.

  Roman complied, extremely satisfied with himself.

  *****

  Phoebe was halfway through her third glass of champagne when Charlie joined the other guests in the outdoor room. The wind gently rustled the palms by the pool. Highlighted by the up-lights, they formed the perfect backdrop to the gathering. Phoebe didn’t care about the scenery. Focusing on Charlie, being escorted by Roman directly over to an attractive thirty-something across the room, she could think of nothing else.

  Jessica stood near Phoebe and noticed the direction of her stare.

  She remarked, “Gorgeous little thing, isn’t she?”

  Jolted out of her observation of Charlie, Phoebe blushed and replied, “That dress suits her perfectly.”

  Phoebe gulped down more champagne, beginning to feel a little light-headed. They watched as Charlie eventually drifted away from the attractive woman and headed over to peruse the cheeses.

  Phoebe’s reaction to Charlie was not lost on Jessica. Leaning over, she said softly, “Go on. Go and speak to her.”

  Nodding mutely, Phoebe clutched her glass nervously. Her feet moved of their own volition as almost involuntarily, she headed over to where Charlie was standing. She hoped the alcohol would turn her into the vivacious creature she was not, someone with the courage to speak confidently and with charm.

  *****

  Charlie escaped from Roman’s idea of her perfect partner as soon as possible. Roman had introduced her to a lovely and engaging woman but Charlie stubbornly preferred to make her own choices.

  As she examined the cheeses with interest, she spotted Phoebe Rawlins heading toward her. Phoebe was about five feet five in heels. Her perfectly proportioned frame was dynamite in the pale green dress she wore. Even though, her dress was a flyaway style, it hugged her figure in all the right spots.

  Charlie moved to go, but then something stopped her. Phoebe’s grace and reserved beauty had gotten to her. However inappropriate, she would take the chance to get to know this lovely woman a little better. Just this once. Most of all, she wanted to solve the mystery of Phoebe’s extreme nervousness around her. Phoebe had already started to blush, and they hadn’t even spoken yet.

  “Nice to see you again,” Charlie said warmly when Phoebe approached.

  Phoebe looked as though she was about to faint, but somehow managed to stammer, “You too…. You look great! Amazing dress.”

  Charlie couldn’t believe how nervous Phoebe was. What can I do to make this easier for her? Smiling, she thought, I hope it’s not contagious!

  “Thanks. I was just thinking the same thing about yours. That color is perfect for you.” Nodding toward at the cheese display, she added, “Roman and Mark have outdone themselves. These cheeses are amazing.”

  Phoebe’s blush was not subsiding. If anything, it was spreading. A stray wisp of auburn hair fell across her pale cheek. Charlie fought off the urge to reach up and gently tuck it back behind Phoebe’s ear.

  Phoebe replied, smiling shyly, her voice a little more confident now, “Yes, Roman just lives for these parties. He’s been filling me in on all the planning over the last week.”

  Looking at Phoebe’s lovely face, she couldn’t help noticing what a captivating smile she had. All of a sudden, she found herself staring into Phoebe’s eyes. At that moment, Phoebe’s nervousness became contagious. The two women stood, lost in each other’s gaze.

  Finally collecting herself, Charlie broke the stare and looked away awkwardly. As she struggled to come up with something to say, Charlie was consumed by an urge to take Phoebe into her arms and kiss her passionately. She had to speak, if only to distract herself from her inappropriate thoughts. She reminded herself that it was definitely against the Bar Association ethics to seduce your clients’ wives.

  Phoebe beat her to it.

  She was clearly trying to sound casual, but it didn’t come out that way when she said “Roman talks about you sometimes. He’d love to set you up with some of the girls he knows.”

  “I don’t like being set up. I prefer to choose the women I spend time with.” Charlie replied, trying not to sound as annoyed as she felt about the issue.

  “Do you choose…many?” Phoebe asked, clearly embarrassed but with a determined look on her face.

  Charlie let out a small self-deprecating laugh before replying, “No. Too busy I guess. I don’t seem to have much luck with women anyway. They never stay around for very long.”

  Charlie couldn’t believe she was revealing the most personal details of her life to a woman she barely knew. Despite knowing she was in dangerous waters, she couldn’t stop herself.

  “What about you?” Charlie asked softly.

  Phoebe blushed deeply, admitting, “Um, actually…I’m…married.” Phoebe looked down.

  “Your husband isn’t here tonight?” Charlie probed, already knowing the answer.

  “He’s gone to Timor for work for a week.” Phoebe mumbled.

  “You must be lonely without him?” Charlie pressed, the question in her soft voice betraying her interest.

  Looking up, Phoebe stared into Charlie’s blue-grey eyes again, “No. Not really,” she said firmly, her hands clenched in nervous tension.

  Returning Phoebe’s stare, Charlie’s heart beat rapidly as she leaned a little closer and responded almost inaudibly, “I see.”

  And she did see. Phoebe’s passionate interest was very plain. Charlie had no idea how Phoebe had come to be so interested in her, a person she had only met twice. She was even more puzzled by the intensity of her reciprocity. In fact, nothing at all about the situation made any sense. The only thing she knew was that it was wrong and she needed to walk away as soon as possible. The problem was she didn’t feel she could.

  A partygoer attempting to access the cheeses jostled Phoebe and she spilled her half-full glass of champagne on Charlie’s little black dress.

  “Shit!” Charlie exclaimed, shocked at the sudden cold splash against her upper thigh. She quickly grabbed a serviette from the table and stopped the splash from running any further down her leg.

  Phoebe apologized profusely.

  “Don’t worry, it wasn’t your fault. Besides, I don’t think it’ll stain.” Charlie replied, trying to make Phoebe feel better.

  “It might not stain, but you’ll smell like stale champagne if you don’t rinse it out soon.” Phoebe said.

  Repulsed by the thought of smelling like someone else’s stale drink for the rest of the evening, Charlie replied, “You’re right. I can’t remember where Roman’s laundry is. Do you know?”

  Grabbing Charlie’s hand, Phoebe smiled and said, “It’s this way.”

  Phoebe led her through the group of guests toward the kitchen.

  Charlie’s hand felt perfectly natural within Phoebe’s grasp. Alive to the smoothness of Phoebe’s skin and the sensation of her gentle but firm grip, her feelings gave rise to all sorts of thoughts. Too soon, they arrived in the laundry and Charlie reluctantly let go.

  Charlie watched as Phoebe found clean washcloths in a cupboard. She was graceful even when performing mundane tasks. After soaking a cloth, Phoebe knelt wit
hout hesitation and tended to Charlie’s dress and stockings. Charlie desperately tried to keep her eyes on the top of Phoebe’s head to avoid staring down her dress at her now obvious cleavage. She was not very successful.

  Gently, Phoebe dampened the material and used a dry cloth to soak up the residue, her hand brushing against Charlie’s leg as she worked. The action was extremely personal and at the same time business-like in its efficiency. Charlie’s body was electrified by the touch. She struggled not to tremble. Phoebe didn’t look up. If she had, she would have seen the desire in Charlie’s expression, intensifying with each touch. Reeling from the depth of her attraction to this woman she barely knew, Charlie felt completely out of control in a way she’d never experienced.

  “There! All finished.” Phoebe said proudly, straightening up and smiling at Charlie.

  Unable to mitigate the intensity in her eyes, Charlie’s ardor blazed. Phoebe met her gaze and held it. She dropped the washcloth. Confused and helpless, Charlie was unable to prevent herself from reaching out and caressing Phoebe’s jawline softly. Joy flared across Phoebe’s exquisite features and Phoebe’s breath caught as the touch electrified them both. Their lips and bodies pressed together, igniting.

  *****

  As he glanced across the busy outdoor room, Roman was astounded to see Phoebe leading Charlie away by the hand, toward the kitchen. After excusing himself gracefully from his guests, he followed the two women, carefully eyeing their body language. It couldn’t be, he thought to himself, deeply shocked. His anger flared at Charlie. He fumed, I smother her with delectable choice and she goes for the most vulnerable woman in the room. How dare she? He saw the two women disappear into the laundry.

  Stopping outside the door, he listened carefully, considering what to do. After thinking it through carefully, he realized Phoebe was old enough to make her own choices, even if she was on shaky ground at the moment. After all, it was Phoebe he saw leading Charlie away, not the other way around, and to the laundry of all places. Perhaps it was a simple mishap? He heard the tap running. Yes, some sort of spill.

  Relieved, he thought of walking back to the party, but his curiosity got the better of him and he continued listening, hearing Phoebe say something. There was no response from Charlie. He waited. Then, unable to stop himself, he tapped and opened the door.

  The two women rapidly sprang apart, startled and embarrassed. Roman eyed them both, noting the unmistakable glow of mutual passion. He was not pleased with Charlie, but kept his voice civil. Apologizing for the interruption, he quietly closed the door and stalked off to find Mark.

  “You won’t believe it,” he told Mark, who listened patiently.

  “I just interrupted Phoebe and Charlie Moss, snogging in our laundry!”

  Mark nodded at him and said evenly, “That’s an improvement on the last party. At least they weren’t having a punch-up in the pool.”

  Roman rolled his eyes, remembering the debacle Mark was referring to, “Yes, well, how was I to know? I mean, you invite people to a dinner party and you don’t expect them to be having secret affairs with each other’s partners.”

  Mark said nothing.

  Roman continued defensively, “I agree it would have been better if the cuckold had found out somewhere else, if only to save our furniture.”

  Mark sighed and touched Roman’s arm softly, saying, “I didn’t mean it as a criticism, sweetheart. I’m just saying we’ve had a lot worse than a couple of consenting adults kissing in the laundry. Anyway, didn’t you say Phoebe was over her husband? Maybe this is why?”

  “Oh my God! You’re right. She fainted in the food court after meeting Charlie. And she did have something to tell me. I just never got to it.” Roman looked at Mark as a whole new set of possibilities bloomed in his mind.

  Roman’s anger at Charlie evaporated as he anticipated cornering Phoebe later and dragging the juicy details out of her. Maybe Phoebe is the femme fatale? Poor Charlie! How could she resist, hopeless romantic that she is?

  Mark kissed him lightly on the cheek, teasing him, “You should be happy! We’ve had the requisite scandal for the evening. Besides, I have no doubt you’ll enjoy torturing poor Phoebe about it.”

  Roman smiled and replied, “You know me too well.”

  He watched as Charlie re-entered the outdoor room, looking utterly miserable. “First, though, I’ll get to work on Charlie.”

  Roman left, moving directly over to Charlie.

  Before he could speak, she said, “Don’t bother. I’m leaving.”

  “That bad?” Roman raised an eyebrow in surprise.

  “Worse.” Charlie replied morosely.

  “I’ll walk you out.”

  *****

  Phoebe sat up in bed, too agitated for sleep. Pleading a headache, she had staved off Roman’s attempt to pump her for details. Sadly, she was alone in the luxurious bed in Roman’s beautifully appointed spare room. She ached to be with Charlie, despite what she’d said. She couldn’t help reliving the moment they kissed, as she had done so many times already. The feel of Charlie’s lithe body pressed against hers and the passion of her caresses had left Phoebe dizzy with desire and joy, only to be crushed shortly afterwards by Charlie’s cruel rejection.

  Phoebe replayed every moment of time she’d spent with Charlie, analyzing each look and phrase. She knew with absolute certainty that she wanted to become the woman who stayed around for Charlie. The one to change her luck. She felt in her heart that Charlie wanted that too. So why? Why had she said it was impossible? That she had a momentary lapse in judgment and that they should forget it ever happened. It didn’t make sense to her. How could she look at me like that, hold and kiss me like that, and then say it was a lapse in judgment?

  Lost and confused, Phoebe sank down and sobbed into her pillow. Her life was a complete shambles. She had been attacked in her own home, and didn’t want to go back there. She was completely bewildered about herself and her feelings. Her husband was nice but she was utterly besotted with Charlie. Charlie was either not besotted with her, or lying about it. The only stable thing was her work. Except that she had been having a lot of trouble concentrating at work. If that continued, she knew work wouldn’t stay stable for long.

  Chapter Six

  Amanda was concerned about the change in Charlie. She had been downright pathetic for three days now, a mood she had never before witnessed in her boss. Charlie could be fiery at times, especially if she was hungry, and sometimes saddened, but never before had she been defeated. She was just going through the motions. She was getting the work done, but without her usual gusto. Luckily, Charlie was not in court until Friday. Hopefully she would recover by then. The only time she had been animated all week was when they met up with Darren Franks on Monday afternoon.

  Charlie had called her into the meeting to discuss the information about Michael Rawlins. Darren was simultaneously horrified and gleeful at such a juicy scandal concerning one of his clients. Amanda realized Charlie had been very wise to let Darren in on the secret before confronting Michael. Now Darren had time to compose himself. Amanda knew he would never act unprofessionally, but if even a grain of his love of salacious information leaked out, it would make things unnecessarily harder for Michael.

  Interestingly, Charlie had seemed quite keen to get rid of the brief and end her connection with Michael Rawlins. She had told Darren she would be rendering her account shortly. Darren had replied that Michael might need further advice. Charlie had expressed her confidence in his capacity to handle things from now on. It was puzzling behavior.

  Amanda was certain something pivotal had happened on the weekend. She knew Charlie had been at Roman’s party on Friday night. Amanda was aware that Charlie usually spent her weekends catching up on work and doing household chores, so it must have been the party.

  She was still pondering what could have caused the complete change in Charlie’s demeanor when she heard Charlie’s office door opening. Charlie rushed out, her expression animate
d.

  “I’ll be back in an hour or so,” Charlie said as she hurriedly breezed by the reception desk. “I’ve got my iPhone if you need me.”

  “Sure,” Amanda replied, but Charlie was already in the foyer impatiently stabbing the lift button with her forefinger.

  Amanda resumed her work, wondering what had brightened Charlie so much. A law clerk arrived with another brief. After logging it in, Amanda unpacked it and took it into Charlie’s office and placing it on the section of her desk reserved for new briefs. In the process, Amanda accidentally bumped Charlie’s mouse. She leaned over to straighten it and Charlie’s screen came to life, displaying an image of Phoebe Rawlins. It was the one from her Nilson Banks bio. Amanda’s clever mind surmised that Phoebe had been at Roman’s party. She wondered what had happened between the two women. Whatever it was, it hadn’t worked out well.

  *****

  Charlie perused the menu at the ridiculous chocolateria Roman favored. Too nervy to load herself up with chocolate and coffee, she wisely ordered peppermint tea as she waited for Roman. Luckily, this time he arrived without delay.

  “Oh dear,” he said, tutting as he kissed her cheek, “We do look tired.”

  Charlie nodded, rubbing her forehead. Not bothering with small talk, she demanded, “Well?”

  He perused the menu, signaling the waiter to come over.

  “She’s a mess,” he said, before ordering his usual chocolate croissant and coffee.

  Charlie sank in her chair, despondent. She had hoped Phoebe wouldn’t take it too hard. Part of her was gratified that Phoebe cared, but she cringed at being the cause of her suffering.

  Looking at her, Roman said, “Charlie, I don’t understand your ridiculous behavior. Clearly you’re into her. She’s definitely into you. She’s mooning around like a love-struck teen. You’d think she’s never had a crush before. What’s the problem? Is it her marriage?”