“Okay,” Charlotte said, after thinking over it for a while. “Two weeks.” “Thanks a lot,” he said with a plastered smile and reached out to shake her hand. “Welcome aboard.” A little wave of anger flashed over Charlotte. From how almost desperate he was to get her to work for him, she started to wonder if there was something he was trying to accomplish by using her. Maybe he needed people to see them together as often as possible now, so that positive news of them working together would replace the negative publicity that had formed during their honeymoon. As she took his hand grudgingly, she tried not to appear too disappointed. This was why she had been paid for anyway- to enhance his image. She had no right to be angry about that. “When do I start?” She asked. “It’s Thursday today so it’ll have to be next week,” he told her, looking up at the calendar hung in his room. “I’ll give you the contact of your trainer as soon as I can.” She nodded, pressing her lips together. “Can
“I can’t leave you even if I wanted to,” Xavier said with a chuckle as he pressed her hand against his cheek. Charlotte smiled and pressed it. “You’re so annoying. I’m supposed to be mad at you.” “I know,” he said with a grin. “I’m that charming.” Without warning, he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her against him, so close that she could perceive his sweet but musky scent. She didn’t try to release herself from his grip this time. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and smiled up at him. “If you ever make me doubt my sanity again, I’ll kill you,” she said and he laughed. “That sounds like a threat.” “Because it is.” With an affectionate smile, he stroked her hair with one hand while the other remained around her waist, pulling her closer even though there was no longer any space between them. She smiled back up at him, but her eyes were on his slightly parted lips. His smile reduced slightly when he looked at her plush lips that seemed to be beckoning him. “I love
“Now it’s your turn,” Xavier said, releasing himself from her and lifting her on the desk. He stepped away from her and admired her body, from her bare chest to her skirt bunched over her waist and her mound underneath it that still had his cum dripping out of it. “You have the hottest ‘just got fucked’ look,” he praised. She spread her legs wider and smiled when his gaze fell to her core and remained there. “Only you can make me look this way,” she said, running her hand softly over his cock that was still hard and pulsing, even though he had reached his orgasm just a few seconds ago. He got closer and positioned himself between her legs without moving. He placed his lips directly on her ear and whispered, “What do you want me to do to you?” Charlotte bit her lip as a dozen fantasies she had thought up filled her head all at once. “I want…” she began. Her request was interrupted by a knock on the door. As if whoever was behind the door could somehow develop x-ray vision and
“Will you like him to be in the room with us while I run your tests,” Dr Anna asked Charlotte, getting ready to proceed after Xavier brought her for her appointment. “Yes I will,” she said, holding his hand. This was not Charlotte’s first time meeting a gynecologist. In fact, most of her days had been spent at a hospital as the doctor Jonah had picked out for her kept poking and running tests to find out why she wouldn’t conceive. This woman seemed nice, but she wasn’t ready to hear what she already knew. Something was wrong with her and she just couldn’t get pregnant. It would be much better if he stayed with her. Besides, he already knew a little about her condition, so it wasn’t like anything the doctor said would surprise them. “Mr Roman here tells me you’ve been on birth control,” she asked. “Which one?” “Basva,” she said. “That’s a good one,” she nodded. “Less side effects. Your last reports say you have a condition that stops you from getting pregnant because your womb i
“I don’t want this to be a test anymore, Charlotte. Not even an extended one,” he said. “What do you mean?” She asked with her heart beating, because she had an idea of what he meant. “I’m saying I don’t want us to call this a test anymore. Let’s just…we’re married. Let’s just say I want to make it official. This relationship thing. But we’re already married so I’m not sure how much more official it can get. But you know what I mean. You’re right, you’re not my ex-wife and I…fuck. I don’t know what I’m saying,” he rambled and pinched the space between his brow in frustration. “I understand you,” she said immediately, hoping he wouldn’t take back his words just because he wasn’t used to expressing himself in this way. “Continue, please.” He exhaled. “Ok. I’m ready to move on, and I want to move on with you. I promise there won’t be any secrets or doubts between us again, if you’ll have me.” Even though he hadn’t said the exact words she wanted to hear, she was still moved to tears
“That’s all for today,” the trainer, whose name Charlotte later got to find out was Mary said, ticking something off her list and giving her a dirty look. “Any questions?” Charlotte smirked because even though the woman remained rude, Charlotte had managed to assert her dominance and now the woman was very mindful of the things she said to her. “No questions,” she said. “Great then,” Mary said, giving her a once over. “We’ll continue again tomorrow.” “Sure,” Charlotte said with a forced smile. “I really enjoyed our lessons today.” “Hmm,” Mary said with pursed lips before walking off. Charlotte took the elevator to Xavier’s office and knocked on the door. When he didn’t open the door, she turned the door knob and opened it herself. “You won’t believe how…” Charlotte began before she realized there were four other men with Xavier, sitting down for a meeting and looking at her like she had lost her mind. “Oh, I apologize. I’ll leave now…”She stepped back and was just about to shu
“No, no. That’s not possible,” Charlotte whispered, shaking her head. “Who would care so much to do that? What would they have to gain?” Xavier’s grip tightened on her knee, trying to comfort her and keep her in place all at once. “She may have made a mistake,” Xavier said in a way that let her know he was only saying that to make her feel better. “You don’t believe that,” she caught him in his lie. He sighed. “Dr Anna is the best gynecologist in the whole state. There’s no reason why she would risk her job and reputation just to lie for no reason.” “So who do you think was purposely trying to keep me from getting pregnant?” She asked, still unable to come to terms with it. “Do you suspect Jonah?” “Of course,” Xavier agreed immediately. “I’ll start up an investigation…” “Jonah was broken when he found out I lost the baby,” she cut in. “Our relationship went downhill because I couldn’t get pregnant. How on earth could he be the one stopping me from giving him the one thing he ev
“Was that your uncle?” Mia asked her son after he ended the strange call he had just received while speaking with her. “Yes,” he said, still holding the phone in his hand in disbelief. “He said he wants to meet up and talk or something.” Mia’s eyes lit up. “What are you waiting for? Dress up and go!” She said. “What if it’s a trap?” Jonah asked, not sure about the whole thing. “Why would he want to meet me?” “Don’t be a fool,” his mother said, practically pushing him from the chair. Your uncle has finally come to his senses and wants to patch things up with us. The plan finally worked.” “But no one is talking about that anymore, mom,” Jonah protested, getting up even though he didn’t want to. “All anyone is saying about them is that picture they took together and how in love he is with his wife,” he said with deep rage. “I know, and that’s why he has to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” she said, rolling her eyes with impatience. “Ugh. Stop asking me stupid questions and go
“It’s time for bed, Caleb. Let’s go,” Charlotte told Caleb with her arms crossed over her chest, giving him no room to argue. “Just let me win this game…” he argued absently, more focused on the game he was playing on his iPad. “You’ve spent your extra fifteen minutes,” she said, taking the device out of his grasp. He frowned, but conceded in the end. “Fine.” As Charlotte tucked him into bed, she couldn’t imagine how the times had changed. It had been six months since Laura had been taken away, her parents had been released and since she had started running her own business. Caleb had started therapy again, and it had definitely worked. These days, he spoke so often and did whatever he wanted to do that it was hard to believe he had been the same mute boy from months ago. He had just turned four, but the topic of his birth mother never came up fortunately. He seemed to blend right in, just as sweet and annoying as any other four year old boy. “I love you mommy,” he wh
When Charlotte saw Jonah being led out by a prison ward officer, she froze and started to wonder what she had been so scared about. He looked nothing like he did before. He had slimmed down to an almost unrecognizable state and his face looked like he had permanently lost the ability to smile. He walked with the slouch of someone that had given up on life in general. Charlotte doubted that whatever he was going through had happened in that prison in such a short time. “You can wait for me,” Charlotte whispered to Carlos who reluctantly left her side when he understood. “Hi,” Jonah said when he was sitting opposite her. He tried to smile, but it ended up looking like a grimace. He couldn’t meet her eyes. “Hi,” she said simply. She couldn’t let him see she pitied him. “How have you been?” He managed to ask. “You look good.” She couldn’t say the same for him. “Why did you call me here, Jonah?” “Straight to the point like always, huh?” He said with something she suspec
Xavier could only relax comfortably when they were back on the jet and on their way back to California. He could finally let himself be convinced that his dream had been nothing more than that. It hadn’t been a sign of anything, because it had gone on perfectly with no dramatic appearances from anyone. Unfortunately, the thought of one day running into Laura again came often to him and disoriented him. However, he always pushed that possibility away to the back of his mind. He had run a background check on the psych ward Don had placed her and from his research, it was a very exclusive place, so her chances of leaving were lower than zero. It was like a madhouse for wealthy people to drop off their family members who had lost it through drug use of whatever means. Their security was so prioritized that it was practically impossible to get in or get out unless the very owner of the establishment permitted. There was also no possible way Laura could bribe anyone there. It was afte
“Xavier, wake up! Wake up!” The sound of the female voice calling out to him sounded so distant at first, but the hand violently shaking his shoulders brought him back to consciousness. He was breathing fast, as his eyes got accustomed to the light around him, his chest heaving rapidly. “Are you okay?” Charlotte asked him, peering into his eyes as she touched the sides of his face. He could see the fear in her eyes as she studied him. “Charlotte,” he whispered, holding her arms and wrapping her in a tight hug. She was alive, here in front of him. “You’re alive.” “Yeah,” she said uncertainly, hugging him back. “Did anyone kill me?” She asked with a chuckle. He finally pulled out of the hug and glanced around. They were still in the jet, on their way to Orlando. He had just had a bad dream. “Where’s Caleb?” He asked. “Right here,” she said, pointing at a part of the jet where a small makeshift bed had been made for Caleb to lie on. “Is everything okay?” “Yeah,
After bidding Kate and her family goodbye, Xavier and Kate had to take the journey back, while consoling Caleb, who couldn’t understand why the twins had to leave without him. It was a Saturday, and for the first time in such a long time, Xavier had a free day. They all decided to spend the day together, to make up for Caleb’s friends leaving. Charlotte was extremely happy. She chatted and laughed all the way to the four seasons Orlando, where they decided to spend the day with their son, since he had seen a video about it online and wouldn’t shut up about going there. She held Caleb’s shoulders during takeoff in Xavier’s private jet, more to distract herself than him. No matter how often she rode in the jet, she still got jittery when they had to go anywhere in it. She had made an appointment with Dr Anna that morning and she couldn’t wait to finally carry out the surgery the week after. “Are we really going to Orlando?” Caleb asked, peering out of the window of the jet.
The ride home was mostly silent, with Xavier at the backseat, pondering on all that had happened that day while Carlos drove them home, shooting glances at his boss from time to time. “How was your break?” Xavier asked all of a sudden and Carlos cleared his throat. “Great. Thanks again for it. I really needed it,” he said with a smile. “How did it feel to have an actual conversation with her after so long?” Carlos sighed. “Not as bad as I thought. I actually feel better. Thanks for advising me to do it. We cleared some things out. She was mature about it and that’s that.” Xavier nodded and looked out the window at the trees that were zooming past. He remembered when Carlos had come to him for help when having to see Kate after the history they had was threatening to drive him insane. He had advised him to take a break, and then discuss with her when he was ready. It seemed to have worked. Carlos looked like himself again. It had been weird to find out that there had been a
“When will you come back, daddy?” Caleb’s little voice came over the phone and Xavier smiled. He could picture his son standing next to Charlotte and holding the phone to his ear with both his hands. “I’ll be there this night, I promise,” he replied. From the corner of his eye, he saw Private trying to get his attention. “Take care of mom for me, okay? I’ll see you soon.” “Bye daddy,” Caleb said and Xavier nodded before he ended the call. “What’s up?” He asked Private. “She’s causing a scene, boss. She’s yelling at everyone and she even pushed her brother and broke a glass on the doctor’s head when he tried to sedate her,” Private told him. There was an urgency in his private investigator’s voice as he reported to him, but there was also a hint of amusement in his tone. Xavier rolled his eyes and walked past him toward the ward he had left to answer his wife’s call. “Why was there glass next to her in the first place?” He asked no one in particular when he enterrés t
“My daddy used to beat my mommy before that woman took me and told she’s my real mommy,” Caleb explained the best way he could. “He told me he’s not my real daddy and that my mommy sold me to him.” “Wait, wait,” Charlotte told him. She had no idea what he was talking about and the more he spoke, the more confused she became. None of what he was saying made any sense. At this point, he was just throwing the words ‘mommy’ and ‘daddy’ around. “Laura, the woman that brought you to us, she’s your mommy, isn’t she?” She asked him slowly, hoping his answers would make sense to her this time. He shook his head. “That’s what she told me and then she brought me here after,” he said. “So you had other parents before she came?” She asked and he nodded. When Charlotte realized he wouldn’t give her an understandable answer, she decided to stop asking him so that he wouldn’t confuse her more. Since Xavier had gone out to find answers, this one might be one of them. She would ask him wh
“Mommy!” Caleb squealed when he saw Charlotte and ran up to her. She carried him up and enveloped him in a tight hug. She was still not used to him calling her ‘mommy’, but hearing it was so natural and calming. Whenever she was with him, she secretly hoped something would happen to Laura or that she would say she didn’t want him again. She didn’t think she would be able to move on if he had to leave to go back to his real mother. “Did you miss me?” She asked, tickling his tummy. “Uh huh,” he replied, laughing and trying to get her hand away from him. Charlotte kissed him on the forehead and carefully set him back on his feet. She held his small hand and allowed him to lead her into the house. She had been in a sour mood after the meeting with her parents, but just a few minutes with Caleb had softened her up. Kate looked at her and smiled. With a playful frown, she nudged Caleb and asked him why he didn’t notice her. He started to laugh. “What did you do today while we were g