TWENTY-TWO
Noah
Traffic wasn’t too bad as I drove into the city, although Charlotte had us listening to Taylor Swift the whole way.
“The navigator gets to pick the music,” she said.
I lifted an eyebrow. “I think Google Maps is doing the navigating.”
Her response was to simply grin and turn the volume up another click, letting Taylor’s voice drown out any other protests I might make.
I allowed it until the song was over and then turned the volume down so we could talk. “I got called into a last-minute meeting today.” She pivoted in her seat to look at me. “I was in such a rush, I grabbed the first suit in my closet, which happened to be the one that needs to go out for dry cleaning.”
“Uh oh.” She chuckled.
“It was the one I wore to Club Eros.”
Her amusement dried up. She didn’t understand the danger, but my serious tone sobered her.
“I was sitting there at lunch next to your dad when I needed a pen. So I reach into my pocket, pull it out, and your pair of panties fell on the floor.”
I hadn’t given them back to her that night, and she hadn’t asked, and perhaps we both liked how I’d hung on to them. But that had been more than a week ago, and I’d temporarily forgotten they were still tucked in that pocket.
Her pretty face filled with alarm. “Oh, shit. Did my dad see?”
I shook my head. “No, thank fuck.” I flashed back to that moment when my heart lodged itself in my throat. “It was dumb luck he was facing the other way. I picked them up as fast as I could and shoved them back in my pocket, but Christ. It was awkward as hell.”
The rest of the lunch, her underwear had been burning a hole in my pocket. The hit of panic it had given me made it hard not to question what the fuck I was doing with her. But it was too late, and I was in too deep, wasn’t I?
We were on our way to our date with Patrick and Shannon, and she was just as excited about it as I was.
I turned into the parking garage and grabbed a ticket from the machine while Charlotte checked her phone. Her gasp was so sudden, I tapped the brakes and looked at the parked cars, searching for whatever I’d missed. “What? What is it?”
“It’s an email from HomeHappy.”
I relaxed my tense grip on the steering wheel and continued up the ramp, searching for a parking spot. “Yeah? What’s it say?”
HomeHappy was a small business that sold cleaning towels for glass, because as Charlotte had explained to me, what you used to clean mirrors and windows made a big difference. I’d been in talks with them on her behalf for the last week.
“They want to do a giveaway post on Instagram, and they’re offering me five hundred dollars for it.”
“Nice,” I said. “I’m about to be fifty bucks richer.”
We’d settled on a ten percent broker fee for me, since I was handling her admin work. I’d tried to talk her out of it though. She needed the money a lot more than I did, but she’d insisted. The plan was to keep our business relationship separate from our personal one, and that went for her cleaning services and my business management.
This was the first deal I’d facilitated for her, but I had others in the works... and plans of what to do with my cut.
I found an available parking spot, parked, and shut off the engine. Charlotte didn’t move, though. She made no effort to get out of the car, and I shot her a questioning look.
“Thanks for all your help.” She said it like I’d had to move mountains to make the deal happen.
I laughed softly. “You’re welcome, but it was nothing. All I did was send a few emails. You’re the one doing the work.”
“You don’t know what a big deal this is for me.” Her gaze shifted away, and she stared through the windshield at the bland concrete wall of the parking garage. “Usually, when I get emails or messages like this, I’m terrible about answering them. Sometimes I flag the email to handle later, when I’ll have more time to come up with the perfect reply.” She spoke like she was revealing an awful secret. “I don’t think I’m subconsciously avoiding it, but I get nervous about what to say. And then time passes, and now I’m embarrassed about how long it’s been without a response. Which, of course, makes it even harder to write back. So a lot of times I... don’t.”
I tugged my eyebrows together. “You’re missing a lot of opportunities doing that.”
Had that sounded lecture-y? That wasn’t my intent. Her head tilted down so she could stare at her knees. “I know. I just get scared sometimes.”
On some level, I understood this. She had a paralyzing fear of failure, and it was safer to not even try. But without risk, there usually wasn’t a reward.
“You know, this is basically what your father does for a living. Kind of surprised it didn’t rub off on you.”
The second the statement was out, I cringed internally, but she didn’t seem bothered by it.
“He tried to teach me,” she shrugged, “but, honestly? It was easier to let him take care of it.”
I tried not to make a face at how entitled that sounded, but must not have been successful, because when she looked at me, a sad smile crept across her lips. She knew exactly what I was thinking.
“Spoiled brat, remember?” Her voice went low and serious. “I’m working on it, I swear.”
“I believe you.” And I meant that genuinely. “But you should know,” I shifted my tone to a playful one and reached for the door handle, “I kind of like it when you’re being a brat.”
She let out a laugh.
When we got to the crowded restaurant, Patrick and Shannon were already at the table, and he lifted a hand to wave us over.
I strolled at a snail’s pace to give Charlotte plenty of time to evaluate his looks. “Thoughts?” I whispered.
She matched my hushed voice. “I can work with that.”
I chuckled. When she’d asked about Patrick’s looks, I’d tried to evaluate him through her eyes. He was in his early forties and twenty years older than her, but the age gap didn’t seem to bother her. He had an attractive enough face and kept himself in good shape, which meant he was pleasant looking.
Thankfully, I looked better.
At least, I was confident I did in Charlotte’s eyes.
Dates like this were always awkward in the beginning, but conversation began to flow between the four of us after we’d ordered dinner and been served our drinks. It helped that I had a lot in common with them besides the lifestyle, and Charlotte was so outgoing. Plus, we didn’t talk about anything sexy right off the bat.
This was a double date, and everyone treated it that way.
I shouldn’t have been surprised at how quickly Charlotte seemed at ease. If anything, she was more relaxed than I was. It left me a little envious of her adaptability.
But right after we’d ordered dessert, she abruptly straightened in her seat. Something was wrong.
I leaned in close. “What is it?”
“It’s nothing,” she said automatically and set her dinner napkin on the tabletop. “I’m going to the restroom. I’ll be right back.”
She pushed back from the table, stood, and glanced hesitantly at the front of the restaurant. I followed her gaze, but I couldn’t figure out what she’d seen that had her worried. The place was busy with guests finishing their meals or being seated at their tables, and servers darted around to deliver drinks and food.
Everything seemed . . . ordinary.
But she hurried away like she couldn’t be gone fast enough.
“She’s young.” Patrick said it like an offhanded comment, but there was an accusatory tone buried beneath that I didn’t care for.
“She is,” I said. “Is that a problem?”
“No, not necessarily.” He exchanged a look with his wife, perhaps seeking validation. “But young people don’t always know what they want. She could be confusing your desires with her own.”
He was worried I was pressuring Charlotte into this.
“Patrick and I just want to make sure she’s interested.” Shannon gave a pragmatic smile. “We don’t want to take advantage.”
“You wouldn’t be.” My expression had to be one of amusement. “Trust me, she’s interested. She’s the one who asked for it, after all.” They were skeptical, and I shrugged, keeping my tone light. “You don’t have to take my word for it. You can ask her when she gets back.”
I wasn’t upset about their skepticism either. I got that it came from a good place. I was her client and thirteen years older, and I was fully aware of that large power imbalance. A lesser person might take advantage of that.
I hoped my expression was as sincere as I felt. “I appreciate that you’re looking out for her.”
“Of course.” Shannon relaxed into her seat and sipped her gin and tonic because my response had gone a long way to ease their concern. Now, her eyes lit with mischief. “She’s so stinking beautiful, I’m a little jealous.”
Her back had been to the hallway, so she didn’t know Charlotte had made her return and overheard the compliment.
“ You’re jealous?” She grabbed her seat and dropped down into it, and she looked like herself again. “Because I feel like I’m the one who should be jealous.” She put her napkin back in her lap and then gestured to Patrick. “He knows I saw you and Noah together, right?”
Patrick nodded. “Yes.”
“Well, I wasn’t just watching Noah.” She tossed a lock of her blonde hair over her shoulder and picked up her martini. “I was looking at both of you, because how could I not? You’re hot.”
Shannon let out a pleased, surprised laugh. “Why, thank you.”
The women held each other’s gaze as the chemistry sparked between them. It distracted everyone at the table, so none of us noticed the man approaching until he was abruptly tableside.
“Charlotte?”
All the color drained from her face as she peered up at him, but the man didn’t notice her discomfort. He was older—perhaps the same age as her father—and his curious gaze bounced from person to person around the table, before returning to her.
“Mr. Carson?” she asked with dread.
“I thought that was you. Small world, huh?”
She clearly had no idea what to say. “Yup.”
“I just finished having dinner with Angela and had to come back because, like an idiot, I left my credit card.” He smiled and put a hand on his hip, like he was settling in for a chat. “How’s your dad? It’s been a while since I’ve seen him.”
She looked like the cat who’d swallowed the canary. “He’s good.”
Oh.
Earlier, she’d clocked him and had darted to the restroom so he wouldn’t spot her. What if he told her father he saw her out on what looked like a double date... and she’d been much younger than everyone else?
There was no avoiding him now, and once more, he glanced at the table, perhaps waiting for her to introduce him.
But she didn’t.
“Right,” he said, trying to disguise his awkwardness, and raised his hands in faux surrender. “Anyway, I didn’t mean to interrupt y’all. It was nice seeing you, Charlotte. Say hi to your folks for me.”
“Sure,” she lied.
As he shuffled off toward the exit, she turned to me, and although she didn’t say anything with words, the look she gave spoke volumes. Well, that wasn’t great.
No, it wasn’t, but there was nothing we could do about it now.
“He used to work with my dad,” she offered to the group.
Shannon and Patrick nodded politely but didn’t ask any questions. Most people who lived this lifestyle liked their anonymity and assumed the same of everyone else. You didn’t ask personal questions and understood people shared only what they were comfortable with.
Most of the time, this was a protective measure. Even if you were careful, there was still risk involved, and no one wanted a disgruntled partner, looking for revenge, to ‘out’ them and blow up their lives.
I cleared my throat and strove to change the topic. “Do you want to talk about boundaries? You already know ours.”
Because I’d already told them Charlotte and I weren’t having sex, so that was off the table for her. They’d probably found it odd but had no comments about it. Maybe they’d assumed it was a safety thing, and I wasn’t allowed to be with her while active with other sexual partners.
“Sure,” Patrick’s focus slid from me to Charlotte. “We don’t have many. As long as it’s approved, we can be with other people, and it’s fine to do that behind closed doors.” He got a wicked glimmer in his eye. “Sometimes that’s hotter.”
Shannon chuckled softly. “Really the only rule we have is no kissing other people on the mouth. Typically, that’s just for us. But—”
“We’ve talked about it, and we’d be willing to waive that rule for you, Charlotte, if you wanted to kiss Shannon.” He leaned forward, setting his elbows on the table. “She’s never played with another woman before.”
My brain buzzed, but it wasn’t steam at the idea of Charlotte being with another woman that caused my disorientation. It was a loud disapproval echoing in my head. “No.”
Everyone turned to look at me in surprise.
Well, I was just as surprised myself. “No to Charlotte kissing other people,” I clarified, “not the other thing.” Fuck, I was all out of sorts. “That’s my boundary, for uh, the same reason y’all have it.”
Charlotte’s stunned voice was breathy. “Kissing is only for us?”
“Yeah.” I tried to play it casually, but it was so fucking weird to me I was willing to share her in any other way—
But not this.
Her expression softened, her eyes melting, and beneath the table her hand came to rest on my leg. It was like she wanted a connection to me, and I was happy to oblige, encasing her hand in mine.
Shit, the idea of us remaining simply friends—even with benefits—became hazier every time we were together. How much longer could I keep lying to myself that I didn’t want more?
The couple across the table from us must have sensed the moment between us because they fell silent. They sipped their drinks and patiently waited for it to pass. And when our attention finally returned to them, Shannon wore a faint smile.
It was like she knew something I didn’t.
“I’ve never been with another woman either,” Charlotte said. “But I don’t know if I want to. I mean, maybe?” She frowned and peered at Shannon like she was worried she’d offended her. “You’re really hot, so don’t think it’s you. I just don’t know if I’m ready for that.”
Shannon grinned and shook her head. “No, no. You’re new to this, and I’m sure it’s a bit overwhelming, and we got ahead of ourselves because it’s one of our fantasies. Forget we mentioned it.”
“And since we’re talking about fantasies, we have something we’d like to ask,” Patrick chimed in. “We fully expect you to say no, but I’m bringing it up just in case you’re interested.” He glanced around, checking to see if anyone nearby was listening. “We have a date with a friend next week. He’s a guy we’ve played with several times before, although he’s been too busy the past few months. We finally got our schedules to align.”
Shannon bit down on her bottom lip before speaking. “As long as he’s okay with it, would you want to join us?”
I heard Charlotte’s breath catch and my heart skipped a beat. “As in, all of us together?”
“You could just watch. You don’t have to participate. But,” she glanced at her husband, “we were hoping you might want to, because a group thing... that’s another one of my fantasies.”
My mouth went dry, and my hand tensed around Charlotte’s.
“We’re pretty sure our friend’s going to be up for it,” Patrick said. “Eli has a ‘the more, the merrier’ attitude. If y’all want to join, we could get together on Zoom. We’ll introduce you and then we can share our thoughts about how we see the evening going.”
Shannon drew in a breath and pressed out a persuasive smile. “What do you think? Would you be... interested?”
The answer burst from Charlotte with no hesitation. “Yes.”
Her statement hung in the air, and she turned to me abruptly, her face red. She hadn’t checked with me first, and now she was horribly embarrassed. Goddamn, it was the sexiest thing ever.
Shannon grinned and glanced at her husband. “Noah was right. I think she’s into it.”
I laughed and, beneath the table, I squeezed Charlotte’s hand. “I think it’s safe to say we’re both interested.”