Come Back...Be Here - Charles Leclerc

Chapter 19: Winner winner, Scottish dinner

🎶 Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) — Kate Bush 🎶

After taking a hot shower I had gathered back my thoughts. I liked Charles and I could not deny it anymore, so I made a deal with myself to tell him that I want to be more than friends before the week is over. I took my phone from my nightstand and called Val, hoping that Charles really would not walk in during the call.

Val was proud of me and said that a year ago, I would have never tried to confess my feelings to a boy and that I made so much progress bla bla bla. She said I should be as blatantly honest as possible to not leave any space for different interpretations. I thanked her for the help and promised to keep her updated.
"What are you doing tomorrow?" she asked before hanging up.
"We're going stalking." I answered with a mischievous grin.
"Ha, he is going to love that wild side of you, have fun!" and with that she hung up.

It was almost dinner time and I was choosing a dress to wear when Charles came in.
"Am I late? I got caught up chatting to Henry about shooting techniques." he asked while entering our room.
"No, you're not late, dinner should be ready at 7. We are taking turns here with the cooking, today it's Oli's and Liza's turn. You still have enough time to shower." I smiled at him. "Oh, and wear a blazer and a tie. I know it may seem old-fashioned but my grandparents insist on it and Oli and I want to respect that also when they are away."
"Sure, I will, thanks for telling me! Where are your grandparents by the way? They are still alive, right?" Charles asked curiously.
"Yes, yes, they are. In summer they usually stay in the South of France to catch some Mediterranean sun, something they are definitely missing here!" I laughed.
"Would you want to visit them?" he asked in a serious tone.
"What do you mean?" I replied.
"Well, I am going back to Monaco after this week, so if you want to spend some time with them, I could give you a lift." he said while smiling softly.
"Oh, that is very generous of you, I will think of it." I said happily. "But no private jet, please" I pleaded jokingly.
"Says the one living in a castle" ha laughed.
"This here is about preservation of my family's traditions. Using a private jet for going on a private holiday, where there are tons of airlines offering that exact same route is unnecessary. I understand that when you are working it may be necessary and useful to help you have a clear head and arrive without delays, but this is not the case on a holiday. Plus, it's money you could spend in a much better way." I stated in a serious tone. Most girls would have probably swooned at the possibility of taking a private jet to the French Riviera with a glamorous F1 driver, but not me. My parents raised me to treat all people the same, regardless of their status or financial possibilities. "I wanted to make my position clear because I do not want you to think any differently of me than before. I already have the impression that you think I'm a snob since you saw this house." I added with a stern tone.
"Thanks for making your position clear, and you are right, no jet during the holidays." he said with a smile and then added "I was just overwhelmed about the house and the whole country attire. You Brits are just so different from us mainland Europeans. And I must admit, I would not have thought you were the type for dragging yourself through the mud or not minding the outdoors. Girls from Monaco are very different." he admitted shyly.
It was a win for me, though. I showed him that I am different than other girls and I like when a man realizes that.
"Great, now that we cleared that all up, off you go under the shower and I'll see you clean and perfumed downstairs." I said while leaving the room.
"Oh Mary, there will be one time when I will take a jet on a private holiday though." he said with a cocky grin on his face.
I looked at him with a puzzled expression while he took a few steps towards me, leaning into my ear and whispering: "When I will go on my honeymoon with my wife, because I want to do things with her that would not be possible on a commercial plane." He grinned at me, turned around and went into the bathroom.
I just stood there in the room, not able to move. Why did he have to add this thought right now?!

I found an appropriate dress to wear and went downstairs to help setting the table in the hope that it will clear my head. Once everyone had arrived from their showers to the drawing room, we opened a bottle of Prosecco to have a glass each. We talked about our thoughts on the afternoon shoot and talked about the various feelings we got off the guns. Once we had finished our glasses we went to the dining room. Oli and Liza had decided the seating chart and I found myself seated between Charles and Alex.

Both of them did not approve of me being seated also next to the other man. I just hoped that dinner would pass quickly. I tried to open up a general conversation so that the two men would not have to fight for my attention.
"Oli and I thought we could go stalking tomorrow? Are you all ok with it? Oh, and it's a surprise for Charles, so all please keep your mouths shut about what we are going to do." I added and everyone nodded, except for Charles who was confused and a bit angry that he was the odd one out.
"Ah, if you like my sister, you're going to go nuts when you see her stalking Charles. Maybe we should all buy earplugs for tomorrow." he joked.
"OLI! That was an inappropriate joke for the dining table. But it's nice for you to assume Charles' abilities. I never need earplugs and I sleep in the room next to you and Liza." I replied dryly.
Everyone burst out in laughter but I remained serious, even though the laughing was contagious. Oli went pale white and did not talk for the rest of the dinner, even though Liza tried to cheer him up. Maybe we would need earplugs tonight.

After dinner, the men debated on whether to smoke a cigar or go straight to bed, but we all decided to go to bed since we had to wake up at 4.30 in the morning. We all said goodnight to each other and flocked out to our rooms.

Charles started to discard his clothing but I cleared my throat and pointed to the bathroom door. He looked my way and said "Sorry, I did not know you did not trust yourself enough to behave." and winked at me while going in the bathroom. I was sick of his stupid phrases so I decided to beat him with his own weapons. I discarded my simple pajamas and put on a short white nightgown with lace trims. When I heard the sink running I joined Charles in the bathroom to also brush my teeth. I made sure to get as close to him as possible and brushed my bottom inconspicuously over his sensitive area making him escape a small groan. I brushed my teeth and made sure to stick out my bum while I was rinsing my teeth under the tap. When I was done and walked back to the bed, I could see Charles shaking his head from the corner of my eyes. I grinned to myself, this was going to be a fun.

I opened the book I had on my nightstand and read a few pages when Charles joined me in bed.
"Everyone seems to be ecstatic about this stalking, should I be worried?" he joked once again.
I put away my book and answered: "As they should be, it's usually the highlight of a journey to Scotland and not many have the possibility, so try to be open to it." I smiled softly at him.
"Good night, Mary, thank you for inviting me." he said while giving me a kiss on my temple. He turned around in bed and fell asleep immediately and I did the same.