Rachel, the wife of one of his most prestigious clients and his business partner. She was a woman that could easily pull the ground from underneath you with just a few words. He felt star struck and what made things worse was the fact that he had a strong feeling that she was into him. This made him a little uncomfortable. The major reason behind this was the fact that they would be meeting often as she just took over the project from Mark, her husband, who was dealing with Charlie for the past few weeks.
Charlie did not want to screw this up, he had the hots for her, and so did she, but he never in his life would betray Lindsay. He felt his insides churning, the last time this happened was in college, the day he saw Lindsay. He had no clue what to do and as he battled with his thoughts, a sweet melodic yet confident voice fell on his ears. The moment he heard the voice, his heart started to beat faster. He took a deep breath and looked up; it was Rachel standing right in front of him. Her lush black hair tied back neatly in a bun behind her head, and her black dress accentuating her fair skin and beautiful eyes while her cleavage ran deeper than the Grand Canyon.
Charlie stood up and greeted her. “How are you?”
“I am fine. So all set to take on Singapore?” She looked at Charlie who looked a little lost.
“Um… what? Oh Singapore, ya I have all the documents and details and the presentation is also done. So we are all set to conquer Singapore.” Charlie smiled sheepishly and slowly looked away trying hard not to stare at her.
She knew Charlie had something for her and she was enjoying every bit of this awkward moment with him. She smirked, as Charlie looked around with no clue what to do or say to her. It was college all over again. He was just mesmerized by the beauty that Rachel was.
There was still almost an hour and a half left for the boarding process to start and both of them had to find a way to kill some time. Charlie looked at her and smiled awkwardly.
“Let us go to the waiting lounge and have some drinks.” Rachel got up and extended her hand towards Charlie.
He was reminded of the day Lindsay took him by the arm at the party. He could not decide what to do and before he realized it, Rachel leaned forward and took him by his hand. He got up and started to walk beside her.
“I am sorry for being the lost soul that I am being right now.” Charlie continued to look at the floor as he talked to Rachel.
“I know. I usually have this effect on men. They tend to lose confidence as soon as they realize that I am much more than just a good looking doll.” Rachel relied in a confident and teasing manner. “In your case though, I know you are not one of those men who are threatened by me. You are more or less smitten by me.”
Charlie exhaled loudly as he sat at the bar with her. “Ya, I am smitten by the very aura that you are. You are so much more than an average girl. You are much more than the complete package. I admire you and I adore you. I feel like a schoolboy around you, mesmerized by your presence.”
Rachel smiled softly and touched Charlie’s shoulder. “I adore you too. I seldom come across men who are as amazing as you are. Still in touch with their core, not flustered by the chauvinist masculinity that is demanded from them in every move they make and in every stage of their life.”
As they ordered drinks, Charlie and Rachel got to talking as if they had known each other for ages. They discovered the liking they had for each other, the attraction was obvious, they wanted to dive into each other and make the most of the moment. The alcohol made it easier for them to overcome their inhibitions. They got closer than ever and the instant connection they had between them became stronger in just this short duration of time.
They talked all through the flight and Rachel booked a room right next to Charlie’s. They both had to meet their clients the next day and had the entire afternoon and evening to themselves. Charlie decided to take a nap in the afternoon and asked Rachel out for dinner in the evening.
In the evening, Charlie got up with the sound of a knock on his room’s door. He took out his robe and went on to open the door. It was Rachel. She was early.
“I got bored in my room so thought would come and join you. I hope you don’t mind.” She smiled looking at Charlie.
Charlie looked at her and stopped rubbing his eyes. She was looking rather stunning. A beautiful pink evening dress made her look like a princess. He had seen her in formal apparel and knew that she had a perfect body, but looking at her in this amazing dress completely knocked him off his feet. He continued to stare at her and eventually realized that he was being rude.
“I’ll freshen up, just give me 20 minutes. In the meantime you can make yourself at home.” Charlie closed the door behind him and went in to take a shower. Rachel picked up the phone and ordered food and drinks. She had it all chalked out in her head. She wanted Charlie and she knew he wanted her too. The only problem here was that he was too shy. As the food arrived, Rachel took the bottle of wine and slowly removed the dress she was wearing. Keeping the dress and her heels on one side, she slowly slid open the door to the washroom and saw the hazy figure that Charlie was against the textured glass of the shower.
Chapter Five
She closed the door behind her and removed all that was left of her apparel. She kept the bottle of wine on the counter next to the sink and slid the shower door open. Charlie turned as the door opened and was astonished to see Rachel naked right in front of him. He reached out to the shower’s knob and before he could say anything, Rachel leaned forward and kissed him. Her tender lips made a soft music as she kissed Charlie. Charlie started to kiss her back but as soon as he realized that, he stopped kissing her.
“I can’t do this to Lindsay. I just cannot. I am so sorry Rachel; I cannot put my wife through this. I love her and you are with Mark and this would just complicate everything.” Charlie looked at Rachel standing in the shower. She looked embarrassed and desperate.
Charlie realized how she must have been feeling. And grabbed a robe for her.
“I am sorry, I shouldn’t have. I should leave.” Rachel started to move towards the door.
“Wait Rachel. Just listen to me for once. I am sorry it isn’t your fault and I really want to do this. I love my wife and I do not want to cheat on her. I don’t want to spoil the bond we have so please let’s not take this too seriously.”
“I understand Charlie. I will see you tomorrow. Don’t worry about me. I am a big girl.” Rachel left the room with her dress and heels in her hand and the bottle of wine under her arm.
Charlie and Rachel took different flights back home and Rachel hugged Charlie before she boarded the flight. Things were normal between them; at least that is how it seemed. Throughout the flight, Charlie continued feeling guilty about what had happened. Yes, Rachel made the move, but he was equally involved in the act and that is what made him guilty.
As he reached home, he realized that Rachel’s perfume had left its mark on him. He smelled of Chanel and he had no idea how he would explain it to Lindsay. He went straight to his room and hurriedly changed after taking a shower. He knew Lindsay was at one of her friend’s places and he wanted to get rid of the suit before she came back. As he came out of the shower, Lindsay was sitting on the bed.
“Hey when did you get back? You didn’t call.” She got up to hug him tightly. Charlie returned the hug in an awkward fashion.
“I just got home and thought of taking a shower and then calling you.” Charlie was visibly stressed. He continued to look around the room as he talked to Lindsay. She looked at him and realized that there was definitely something wrong.
“What’s the matter? Why do you look so stressed? Everything all right?” She got up and moved close to him.
“Ya everything is fine, I am just flustered and tired.” Charlie replied with a fake, awkward smile on his face.
Lindsay knew something was bothering him but she decided to give him some space. She went downstairs and ordered food. Charlie joined her after getting dressed.
“So what’s for di
nner?” Charlie looked at Lindsay, trying to overcompensate for his guilt.
“Nothing I just ordered Chinese from this new place I went to with my kitty friends. Their dim sums are out of this world.” Lindsay replied with a smile.
The next morning Lindsay discovered something absurd. As she picked through the clothes, preparing laundry, she noticed the peculiar scent of women’s perfume all over Charlie’s shirt. She knew what was wrong. At least she thought she did.
She went to the living room and showed Charlie the shirt. The color of Charlie’s face vanished. How in the world did he leave the shirt behind? He had taken the suit to the drycleaners and for some godforsaken reason had left the shirt behind.
“I can explain.” Charlie got up and stood right in front of Lindsay. She was awfully quiet. She could never imagine that Charlie would be with another woman and most of all she could never imagine Charlie lying to her.
Charlie told Lindsay all about Rachel. How they met, how he felt attracted to her and how they became friends.
“She just walked into the shower with no clothes on and before I could realize what was happening, she kissed me. I feel guilty because I kissed her back and then stopped after a few seconds. The perfume is from the day we boarded our flights. She hugged me and left her scent behind. I wanted to confess the moment I saw you but was not able to muster up the courage to do so. I am really sorry babe.” Charlie stood in front of Lindsay with thee shirt in his hand.
Lindsay looked at him and then slowly walked away to the bedroom, closing the door behind her.
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The End of Book One
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Diana's Dalliance Page 5
