Charlotte opened her eyes to a dim room with sunlight filtering in through the curtains. She was laying sideways, facing black modern closets that she recognized as those in Logan's apartment. Even before she saw who it was, she felt someone was there in the room with her.
She turned around brusquely and saw that a thin, beautiful woman with a blonde bob cut was looking at her. The woman was sitting on a chair near the window holding an open book in her hand.
"Oh, you're up! I didn't mean to scare you," she said, setting the book down on the floor and standing up. "I'm Nina, Logan's friend. Let me go get him." She left the bedroom and softly closed the door behind her.
Charlotte had a lot of questions, but she doubted that Nina, whoever she was, knew the answers to them.
It was already late in the day from what she could tell from the light filtering in through the curtains. How long had she slept?
The memories from last nigh
Detective Fontaine showed up at the apartment a little past five in the afternoon, waking her up from the hours-long nap she took during most of the day. He spoke to Charlotte about what had happened the night before. Alfredo Pintos ended up confessing to everything, while Julia Hamilton steadfastly denied having any involvement in the murder or shooting of Charlotte. It would be awhile before Charlotte would have to testify, and Detective Fontaine thanked her for all the tips she had given him throughout the investigation. He evaded talking about whether they had Alfredo on their radar before today, and Charlotte didn't insist, either. Her job regarding Logan's innocence was done, and now she'd have to focus on the divorce case and possible libel suits against the media that had slandered Logan and treated him like the guilty party even before he was charged with María's murder. The team Stuart had set up had left a few hours ago, and Charl
Charlotte let out a moan and shuddered with pleasure, reaching ecstasy at the same time that Logan pulled away from her. Her chest heaved and she now leaned back on the counter to keep herself steady, causing her injured shoulder to hurt a bit.Logan seemed to be analyzing her, but he was impossible to read. He looked like he wanted to resume what he was doing, but at the same time, was holding back because of some invisible conflict inside his head."I'll be in my room if you need anything," he said in a low voice, turning and heading down the hallway.Charlotte's mouth would have dropped if it wasn't already half-open because of how Logan had left her.What the hell had that been?! How could he start something like that and just leave her there?Charlotte stood and went after him, catching the last glimpse of his back as he was closing the door to his room behind him. She stopped it and Logan turned around."What was that suppo
Charlotte woke up almost at noon the next day, extremely confused as to where she was. She slowly took in the flowered wallpaper and the white boudoir that reminded her how she ended up in her childhood home last night. She couldn't hear anyone stirring around the house, but then again, her mother was probably already out, busy with her many social activities.She got up and headed to the bathroom, cringing at how bad she looked. Thankfully, the clothes her mother had stored in her closet were an assortment of old casual dresses and long, elegant gowns, so she picked a dress that she had never seen her mother wear and put it on. It hung loosely over her body except for the bosom area, and it would do for the day.She carefully opened the door to the hallway, hoping she wouldn't run into Natalya or Mary and scare them to death. Thankfully, it was empty, and she headed downstairs."Natalya, do you need help with anything?" Mary said. She was sitt
When Charlotte arrived at her apartment, she was surprised to find Natalya there, and Natalya was even more surprised at her sudden arrival. "My Goodness Miss Astor! You half-scared me to death!" she cried out, dropping her mop to the ground. "I'm sorry! I didn't know you were here," Charlotte said, dropping her things on the counter and helping Natalya pick up the mop. "I had forgotten you were scheduled to come." "Your mother sent me early today. A congratulation is in order?" Natalya opened her arms widely. "I heard on the radio. You won your case with that good man!" Charlotte was a bit confused, but she quickly remembered that Natalya had briefly met Logan during the incident at her house. She walked up to Natalya and hugged her. The woman's strong embrace threatened to make her cry. The person who cleaned her house cared more about her than her own mother. "Your father would be so proud," Natalya said when they broke apart.&n
Julia Hamilton was being held in a different building, a few blocks away from the main station. Charlotte walked there and asked to see her, hoping Detective Fontaine had done as he said he would and called to let her through.The receptionist eyed Charlotte warily as if she didn't really want to deal with her. She wordlessly let her through to the holding cell, where Julia Hamilton sat on a bench, looking utterly despondent."This is inhumane. I don't even have a bathroom!" Julia Hamilton cried out once the barred door to her cell sprung open. She had her eyes glued to the ground. "Be sure I will write to the city council. How can they allow such an appalling treatment to innocent people here?"When she finished speaking, she finally looked up and her eyes widened once she spotted Charlotte."Good luck," the receptionist said, looking a little amused. No wonder they were tired of Julia already, and this was just her first day here. The first
Charlotte didn't have the heart to tell Floyd what she had come to say, so she sat with him while he made a few calls and talked about the financial decisions he had made that led him to trust the bank that had just gone bust. He calmed down after a while, but he was still clearly upset. She was concerned about the situation too since she also had money in that bank, but now it'd be pointless to try to get answers. Thankfully, most of her assets were insured. After what happened with her father's business when he passed away, Charlotte had vowed to make sure to have something to fall back on in case things like these happened. That also allowed her to understand exactly what Floyd was surely going through. "They will be calling clients tomorrow and said that the press is blowing this off proportion," Floyd said after his call had finally gone through to one of the bank agents. He let out a long sigh and really looked at Charlotte for the first time.&nb
This time, Charlotte didn't hold back. She bit down on his lower lip as their tongues caressed each other's as if the two were finally sating the hunger they felt for each other. Logan pulled her closer, almost sitting on Floyd's desk, and Charlotte clung to his strong shoulders, her hips pressing against him. For the first time in a long time, her mind was blank: the only thing in the world was the man that held her. He grabbed her legs and pulled her on him, making her skirt lift almost to her stomach. "Logan..." Charlotte pulled away a bit. "The door is open." "I don't care," he said, setting her back down on the floor and removing his suit. He then continued to kiss her, his hands navigating her figure, starting with her hips and landing on her back. He then began to kiss her neck, nibbling on it softly as his lips slowly edged closer to her heaving chest. "Do you remember what I told you yesterday?" he said, unbuttoning Charlo
Today was Charlotte’s last day of supposed convalescence, and for the first time in a long time, she didn’t get out of bed the second she opened her eyes. She had nowhere to be until Monday, and the week’s activities seemed to have taken a toll on her; her body was crying for more rest. So, she went back to sleep and woke up to a ringing phone almost at noon. This time she hurriedly stepped out of the bed, almost tripping on her shoes, and made it just in time to pick up. “Hello?” she said. Whoever had called had hung up at the same time. Feeling a little disoriented from waking up so late, she showered and began to prepare breakfast, pouring herself a cup of yogurt and adding an assortment of fruits to it. Then she spent several minutes trying to reach the towing company so it could finally pick up her car and take it to the shop to be fixed. She had put it off
Charlotte headed into the kitchen after splashing cold water on her face, looking for Logan. She didn't know how to explain it, but she felt an inexplicable... emptiness after waking up and not finding him there.Flashes of their encounter last night flooded her mind. She knew she was being ridiculous. What had happened between them -again- was just pure, undeniable sexual attraction. Adding to how much the two had drunk, what happened was just inevitable. That was all it was. It was all slightly blurry, but it still made her blush. Logan was sitting on the wide balcony, enjoying a buffet-style breakfast displayed on the table. It was a lavish feast, and Charlotte's stomach growled in response to the sight. She knew she should take a shower or at least change before letting Logan see her in the state she was in, but her empty stomach was stronger. "Good morning," Charlotte groaned as she slid the glass door open. "Good morning." Logan briefly smiled at her. "We're leaving for Sav
A few hours later, Charlotte couldn’t feel her feet. The upstairs area was apparently reserved only for a few people, so she danced with Logan as if it was only the two of them there. At some point, she sat down and gulped some water, resting her head on the lush velvet couch. The next thing she felt was someone softly lifting her up while the music pounded into her ears.“What?” she said groggily.“You fell asleep.” It was Logan carrying her. His deep voice sobered her instantly. “I can walk!” she quickly said, squirming to set her legs down. But his arms were stronger, and he held on to her. “Your shoe is broken,” Logan said, looking straight ahead. Thankfully, this seemed to be pretty normal around here. No one even glanced in their direction as he headed down a hallway that ended with an emergency exit. Charlotte lifted her leg and realized that it was true; one of the heels on her stilettos was snapped in half. She focused on his face. He didn’t seem angry or annoyed, just
Charlotte sipped on the cool, fruity drink. It was a soothing balm against the humid, night air. Logan’s penthouse had balconies all around it, giving whoever sat outside a view of not only the sunrise over the ocean, but the sunset towards the sprawling city of Miami to the west. “Do you have everything you need?” he asked her, squinting as the last rays of sunlight peered over the horizon, hitting his face and bathing it in a golden light. How had she never noticed how handsome he was? Well, she had, but she had ignored it. For so many reasons… “I have way more than I need,” she replied, setting the drink down and smiling at him. When Logan made her promise that he could buy her anything he wanted, she didn’t imagine just how much he felt enough was. They had spent a better part of the afternoon all over downtown, going from store to store. A valet followed them, burdened by the sheer amount of shopping bags filled with clothes, shoes, accessories, and jewelry. What was
"What kind of deal?" Charlotte pulled back a little. Because of where Logan sat, he towered over her, and this positioning was never good for negotiating. She had learned a lot from body language throughout the years, and it was never good to make deals when one of the negotiators was sitting in a position that implied power."Come with me to Savannah." Logan leaned back against the desk. "This trip I'm taking is not business-related. I'm going to go visit family and attend a high school friend's wedding. Let's pretend that nothing has happened between us yet. We're just good friends attending a wedding. If, after this trip, you want to keep working for me, I will back off and do whatever you want to make you feel comfortable. I will strictly be your boss. If you want to keep doing... this, whatever this is, I will open up an independent law firm that you will own and manage and you can have nothing to do with me. I think it's time you stopped working for other people w
Once the elevator doors opened on Logan's floor, Charlotte let out a long sigh. Things had happened so fast, and she had just realized what she had done. On the one hand, she couldn't be anything but grateful to Janet for telling her the truth about Floyd, and she was only sad she hadn't known this sooner. But because of the actions she took once she learned the truth, not only was Janet out of a job but technically, so was she. Logan had hired her via the company, and even if she was sure he would be happy to hire her personally, it felt a little demeaning for her. Janet was another story. She was her responsibility now. "Is this Logan Hamilton's office?" Janet said, poking her head out of the elevator and looking around as if she had walked into a cave and not an office floor. "Go, go!" Charlotte nudged Janet to step out and then gestured for her to follow. Stuart greeted her at the front desk, and this time, she saw
Floyd walked inside his office and slowly sat behind the desk, interlacing cupping his together, placing them on the desk.Outside, Lisa stood in awe of the scene before her. "Do you-"Charlotte slammed the door in Lisa's face. She'd apologize to her later."I'm not even going to ask what you were doing rummaging through my private files," Floyd said, staring Charlotte down. "I assume you read what's in there?""I did..." Charlotte said, slowly sitting down on the seat in front of Floyd's desk."Charlotte, that was a misunderstanding. A confabulation that my sister made up. She's always envied me, and this was her way of getting back at me for-""I don't care," Charlotte interrupted him. "I couldn't care less what you say happened, Floyd."Then she began to laugh wholeheartedly, out of anger and relief, but mostly relief, because she had been right about Floyd all along, albeit unknowingly. He had been sitting in tha
"I think it's better you read it," Janet said. "I have to go back to the front desk." With that, Janet stood and handed the scribbled paper to Charlotte, and wordlessly left her office.Charlotte quickly picked up after Janet had stopped.Mr. Hamilton: Oh, about Miss Astor. I would like to move her office to mine if that is alright. Now that the divorce is finalized, there are other things I would like her to handle.Floyd: I don't think she'll be working that much in the near future. (He chuckled here.)Mr. Hamilton: Why is that? She seems to be a workaholic.Floyd: Can you keep a secret?Mr. Hamilton: Yes... (He was looking very confused.)Floyd: Janet, you forgot the sugar.I left but stayed outside by the door.Floyd: You can't trust women to keep secrets, can you? (He laughed.) Well, I'm going to ask Charlotte to marry me.
Today was Charlotte’s last day of supposed convalescence, and for the first time in a long time, she didn’t get out of bed the second she opened her eyes. She had nowhere to be until Monday, and the week’s activities seemed to have taken a toll on her; her body was crying for more rest. So, she went back to sleep and woke up to a ringing phone almost at noon. This time she hurriedly stepped out of the bed, almost tripping on her shoes, and made it just in time to pick up. “Hello?” she said. Whoever had called had hung up at the same time. Feeling a little disoriented from waking up so late, she showered and began to prepare breakfast, pouring herself a cup of yogurt and adding an assortment of fruits to it. Then she spent several minutes trying to reach the towing company so it could finally pick up her car and take it to the shop to be fixed. She had put it off
This time, Charlotte didn't hold back. She bit down on his lower lip as their tongues caressed each other's as if the two were finally sating the hunger they felt for each other. Logan pulled her closer, almost sitting on Floyd's desk, and Charlotte clung to his strong shoulders, her hips pressing against him. For the first time in a long time, her mind was blank: the only thing in the world was the man that held her. He grabbed her legs and pulled her on him, making her skirt lift almost to her stomach. "Logan..." Charlotte pulled away a bit. "The door is open." "I don't care," he said, setting her back down on the floor and removing his suit. He then continued to kiss her, his hands navigating her figure, starting with her hips and landing on her back. He then began to kiss her neck, nibbling on it softly as his lips slowly edged closer to her heaving chest. "Do you remember what I told you yesterday?" he said, unbuttoning Charlo