All Chapters of Mastering Charlotte: Chapter 131 - Chapter 140

RichardCharlotte flashes me a surprised look, then her eyes drop to where I am plugging the flash drive into my laptop.Turning the screen to face her, I tap through to the flash directory: a single file, an MP4.The screen flicks alive and momentarily she frowns, then inhales, horror on her face....I can hardly blame her. The video is taken live at the auction. Charlotte, demurely dressed, but with a black leather collar circling her throat, stands on a podium. The view of her isn't the best; the shot taken through the heads of an assembled audience."Oh, God," she says…The view might not be perfect, but the audio is clear."Raise your head. At these prices, I want to see what I'm getting."Half an eye on the screen, with the other half I watch her, seated by me, her expression devastated.She doesn't look much better on the screen, close to tears.The auctioneer turns to her."Charlotte, it is entirely your choice, but are you willing to undress at this stage

JamesOnly a couple of minutes later, there is another knock on the door, a subdued tap."Come in, Miss Conners."Charlotte enters, looks apprehensively at Haswell, then at me, I think for reassurance. But I keep my expression as flat as Haswell's. Whatever game he's playing, it's his rules.Then her eyes flash to Jansen, her face suddenly furious....Must teach you to hide your emotions better than that, Jade....Jansen looks smug. "And here's our gutter rat.""Better gutter rat than sewer rat," she spits.That's my girl....But I keep my face straight.Haswell's voice is calm as he points to the seat next to mine. "Charlotte, sit down." She glares at Jansen but moves to take the seat. Then, as she passes Jansen, in mid-step, she spins, hand raised....Did he just try to feel her up…?I'm shocked by the sheer gall of the man, but this isn't the time. I snatch at her hand, grabbing her by the wrist, restraining her. "Charlotte, sit."She's not happy, fighti

MichaelBlessingmoors?That place?Charlotte is white. "That's the one," she says through a mouthful of food. Clutching her wineglass, she knocks back the contents. Ross appears behind her, bottle poised and clearly listening to the exchange, cocking his eye at Haswell. Richard, almost surreptitiously, nods and Ross refills her glass.She sits, gripping the glass in one hand. I slip my hand over the other. She's cold.... More than that, clammy....Scared Babe?Don't be. You're safe….... We're here for you....It comes crashing in over me....The affair at Blessingmoors, having drifted from rumour to rumour over years, largely ignored or somehow, shushed, finally burst out a couple of years ago. Tales of trafficking, child prostitution, paedophilia, it all came out. Sick stories, tales of the worst possible side of humanity........ and Charlotte was in there....Oh, my God....Leaning back so she doesn't see, James meets my gaze, his eyes wide, then stares upwa

JamesThe following morning, I see no point in disciplining Charlotte. She and Beth got drunk together. With the best will in the world, she needed the release after the evening's revelations....And when all's said and done, nature extracts its own revenge in these situations.Beth descends the stairs first, pallid, and walking as though each footstep might crack the ground under her. She enters the kitchen, seating herself slowly and with exaggerated care."Ah, good morning, my Love," says Richard, his voice loud. "What can I get you? Coffee to start, I think." He pours a mugful.I wonder how she will react to it. I like it strong and black myself, but the brew he's produced is the kind that cracks cups and eats spoons. I tried one mouthful, then abandoned the drink while I had a few teeth left.Beth sips, then sits bolt upright, a small sound escaping her throat. Apparently robbed of the power of speech, she grimaces and then gulps down half the mug.Charlotte follows

James"I killed a man."Charlotte's voice is barely above a whisper, but her words ricochet inside my head. Reflexively, my chair grating backwards over the expensive flooring, I stand, staring down at her, thunderstruck.Richard's eyes follow me, solemn and giving no clue to his thoughts. His voice impassive, "Go on."She doesn't look at me, or at him. Her eyes are wide and staring, seeing other times, other places perhaps. And her skin has a pallor beyond her usual paleness."I was fourteen. It was at the home. There was a man…" Her words stumble, and she swallows hard, licking her lips. Richard reaches for a jug and pours water. "As the girls got older, and sometimes the boys.... they would take them away...."Richard slides a glass of water across his desktop to her, and she gulps it down, spluttering between swallows."He took me out, tried to get me into his car. He was telling me that I was being taken to a party where.... He was enjoying telling me what they we