Page 7 of Cherishing Little Charlee

Leading her to a golf cart, I helped her into the passenger seat. Charlee might believe all I wanted was to get into her pants.That wasn’t really my style. Sure, we were both attracted to each other. Fooling around would be fun. But I’d gone through way too much heartache. If we had sex given our current friendship, I’d fall for her even faster. Charlee watched me round the front of the golf cart and the silence stretched.

“You’re wanting something more with me, Pierce? Like making sure I’m taking care of myself and not stressing my wrist? Being rewarded with orgasms?”

“I think you’d benefit from some accountability, self-care and rewards. Orgasms don’t need to be earned unless you want them to be.”

Her tongue darted out of her mouth, wetting her lips. “Discipline too?”

Glancing at her, though it was harder to see her beautiful features in the dark, I nodded. “Sure, Charlee. I can dish it out. Have you ever had a Dom?”

“Pfft. Have I ever had a Dom? Can’t order one of them online,” she said in a mocking way.

What had gotten into her? It was a very simple question especially if we were dancing around the possibility of a dynamic, maybe a relationship. If I could find a way to trust in love again. It wasn’t that I thought Charlee would break my heart. Sure, she could. But it had been so long since someone had given me their submission. While lost in my thoughts, I navigated the path quickly. It didn’t take us long to reach the apartments. I parked the golf cart in one of the designated spots.

“Are you poking at me because you don’t want to discuss your previous relationships, Charlee?”

“No, Pierce. You’re asking for valuable insight into me, and I’m…” Charlee fretted, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. “I’m overwhelmed. It’s not you. I didn’t expect to hear anything about us tonight. Or ever.”

“We can talk about it more tomorrow. What’s your schedule like this week?”

“Every ounce of energy has been focused on getting ready for our production. Thank goddess we are only two weeks out. If I can’t use both hands… crap.”

“What is it, sweetheart?”

“Dr. Nelson said three weeks with this splint. That won’t work! I won’t be able to do all the things I need to do! No, this is a disaster!”

“Hang on, sweetheart. I’ll substitute my hands for your bum wrist. Look at me because you’re spiraling a bit. We will figure it out. Please don’t panic right now. You need to rest.”

I waited for her to step out of the passenger side before offering my hand. Charlee blinked at me like I was crazy. Laughing I moved to the other side of her hoping the silliness would improve her mood. I’d forgotten which hand had the splint for a minute, because I was seemingly as thrown off as she was.

Experiencing an anxiety attack in the doctor’s office made me realize that I cared deeply for the curvy, dramatic, theater professor. Sassy, flirty, and quirky summed her up nicely. And that was just her personality. Attraction-wise? I wanted to peel her clothes off and kiss every inch of her skin. Her dirty-blonde hair fell to her waist when it wasn’t up in a messy bun. More than once I thought about lifting it off her neck and licking a line to her earlobe.Fuck. I was getting hard from the mental image. Though she’d probably benefit from an incredible release, it wouldn’t get us on the same page faster. Or would it?

“I want to panic, Pierce. It’s like when there is a fire in a video game and all the characters run around pointing at it. They holler and scream without actually extinguishing the dangerous flames.”

“Let me help you, Charlene.”

“Ugh. Stop calling me by my full name. You know that doing so makes me cave to whatever you’re attempting to convince me to do. Or say. Or whatever.”

“Huh? Maybe I’m smarter than I look,” I teased.

She scrunched her nose up, then sashayed her ass into the building. We kept the conversation light as we rode the elevator.

“Thanks again for taking care of me,” Charlee whispered.

“You don’t have to thank me for that. Do you need a hand getting ready for bed? I’ve got two.” I held them up, wiggling my fingers. The gesture made her giggle. If I made her giggle like that even one more time, I’d be the happiest man alive.

“If I let you into my apartment, I’m going to probably toss my brat at you…”

“We are having a friendly conversation. Even if you keep poking at me nothing will happen without your consent. I’d much rather set parameters before responding anyhow.”

“I’ll be good. Oh, actually. Shoot.” She blushed, her cheeks turning a light pink.

“Youaregood. What’s wrong?” Leaning against the wall outside her apartment door, I made a hurry up motion. Even if I didn’t assist her further, stalling meant she’d be in pain longer than necessary.

“I have a bra on. Um, I can’t… it’s… there’s hooks. Never mind. I’ll call one of my friends.”

“You won’t. You’ll think about it but it’s late. And you don’t have someone close enough to do that for you here anyway. Do you?”

Charlee shook her head sadly as she unlocked the door. “Several people would help me if I asked. Nanny J, Sadie, Haven, a few others. But they aren’t my friends. Not really. I haven’t connected much with anyone. I’m closer to Haven now that she lives here, but not at this hour.”

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