Falling For Charlie

Part 6- Caught In The Thorns

Thirty minutes after Charlie had left  her office Mary Anne was still seated in her chair just looking at the door Charlie had left wide open, almost as if she was under some spell. Lost in deep thoughts she never heard her cell phone ring or the landline that was on the desk next to her. 

That is how Joyce the receptionist for the publishing firm found Mary Anne with her mouth ajar fixated on that spot glassy eyed and slightly trembling sporadically.

Joyce's eyes grew big and she said "Mary?" with a tedious voice, just a little bit thick with her french accent. After a few moments when Joyce got no answer from Mary Anne she moved swiftly to her side and touched Mary Anne's shoulder briefly repeating "Mary, are you alright?"

Mary Anne jerked her head forward and focused her eyes on Joyce. "Can you get me a juice box please, Joyce."

Understanding dawning on Joyce she removed her soft hands from Mary Anne's rigid shoulder and hurried as fast as her legs would carry her to the portable icebox that was kept in the lunch lounge, then raced back with the grape juice already putting the straw in it as she walked her way back to Mary Anne's office.

Mary Anne took the juice gratefully and sipping it gingerly noticed her legs felt like rubber "Thank you very much Joyce. I really needed that." Mary Anne after a few moments started feeling the splinters in her legs starting to bring her body back to normal and she sighed taking her glasses off, throwing them on the table recklessly. 

Joyce made a awkward face with a wince of frustration. "You may need something stronger than that when I tell you who called just now."  

Mary Anne looked questioningly  at Joyce "who?"  Mary Anne said trying to brush away the image of Charlie's face and hands from her thoughts. 

Making an ugly face and saying something in french Mary could not understand Joyce finally said "Gerald, he seemed highly offended about the The Corsey account, said that he wanted a call back within the end of the day."

Fire heating up Mary Anne's eyes at the mention of Gerald the "genius" assistant with the big ideas over at her competition's company "Spineless Stories" run by a hard but albeit very successful team with owners she had known for a long time called Howard and Layne. Not buddies that she enjoyed getting to know, more Rivals she would love to put on a deserted Island.

"oh did he now?" well I will give him a call back no worries about that." Mary Anne smiled up at Joyce and finishing the last sip of her grape juice, feeling much better now that her sugar had went up to normal she threw it in the waste basket across the room hitting the small target with ease. 

Joyce smiled back and said "perfect shot, Mary. You win." and winked leaving out the door but once she got down the hall Joyce muttered ce qu'est une journée folle (what a crazy day) .

.......................................

Briana said that Charlie could take the night off since she started work at KeKe & MiMi publishing tomorrow but Charlie was afraid of wandering thoughts and nerves about Mary Anne's high expectations and decided the work would keep her mind busy and off that red haired little Ice box until she could pass out in a heap on the couch with Butterscotch. However as she stirred the mixers in she was still a bundle of nerves work or not, wondering if she made a mistake by being too impulsive. Charlie had a good job here, a friend in Briana and a wonderful boss that was both kind and understanding, here she could be herself and not be judged for it, so why did she desire more? what was it about that place that made her go back? giving the drink a final stir she wondered was it the place or the person? At first she thought her feelings toward Mary Anne was so intense because she was angry, but when she went back and seen Mary Anne again, Charlie felt something else, a burning she had never felt before but it confused her and she hated being confused. Charlie was in a mess, not even taking into account that she was going to have to pretend she was a boy until she proved herself worthy of the position regardless of her real gender. Although Charlie was often mistaken for a boy she had never pretended to be one before and she was hoping it would not be too difficult cause she had enough stress already. She cringed thinking about the day she was going to have to tell Mary Anne the truth, she decided after her trial of a month was over and Mary Anne decided whether to keep her on or not that is when she would tell Mary Anne the truth, that she was Ms. Compton not Mr. Compton. Charlie was going to have a long, hard month, sigh and she knew it. 

"Hey, Charlie which ones you got?" Brad the other bartender for the night cut through Charlie's thoughts as he went around the bar and raised up his sleeves with his young smile, he was only 22 and working to make his way through college where he hoped to earn a degree in mass marketing. His muscles were big and bulky, his smile charming and he was very popular with the older ladies especially the married ones that came in looking for a little flirting from a younger man but it was all clean fun, nothing dirty. 

Charlie smiled back warmly and patted him on the shoulder with a friendly wink "your fans are on the left side tonight." and Charlie nodded over to a group of five women who were waving excitedly at Brad. 

Laughing Brad got the drinks ready already knowing what the ladies was going to order and winked back "never a good idea to keep your fans waiting." 

Charlie took the mixed drink over to his customer. The lady was a newbie, not a regular. She had mid length light brown hair, piercing eyes, a red tinted lip with a touch of pinkishness too it as well. She seemed charming but not friendly. "I am sorry for the delay Ma'am. We had a shift change just now."

"Oh, I am in no hurry honey." then the lady took a sip of the drink adding " This is really good. one of the best I have had." 

Two hours later things had slowed down a bit but Charlie was taking a third drink over to the newbie noticing that she was giving her a long stare. "Here you go Ma'am" Charlie said and turned to walk away. 

"Hey, bartender what's your name?" the newbie asked and smiled showing bright white teeth that had an air of fakeness to them, not just the teeth but the smile as well. 

Charlie turned back around and replied "I am Charlie." blushing slightly at the newbie's now sincere warm smile. 

Sticking out her hand the newbie introduced herself "My name is Layne, glad to meet you." 

Charlie shook the dainty, unmanicured hand firmly. "my pleasure." 

After Layne finished her drink she was walking to the limo that had just arrived for her up the street and dialing her partner Howard's number getting his voicemail. "ugh he is probably sleeping."

"Home, Cindy." Layne told the driver getting in the limo and loudly slamming the door as per the usual for her. Layne thought about Charlie, knowing it would be so easy to just wreck it all, for not only Charlie but for those witches Mary Anne and Kendra as well. This was going to be the big one she thought. Finally, she was gonna get rid of those two broads that were a pain in her side, had been for the past couple of years. Laughing manically and looking out the window things had not even really began and she was enjoying it already. Holding her head back Layne started scheming knowing she would be up all night preparing for her meeting with KeKe & MiMi publishing. Who needs sleep she thinks to herself, sleep is for the weak. 

Coming soon Part 7- Losing Control