The Carol Wyatt Collection Read online

  Erica’s eyes moved over the four glasses. “No… The last one is.”

  Charlie smiled. “You have expensive taste. That was a twenty-five-year-old whiskey. Highland Park.”

  Erica laughed. “Figures.” She held Charlie’s gaze, noticing the twinkle in her blue eyes.

  Charlie took a sip from the second glass and Erica couldn’t help glancing down at her lips.

  I would love to kiss her… I wish I was sitting over there instead of across from her.

  When Erica’s eyes focused on Charlie’s again, Erica met her sea blue eyes. She’d been caught staring.

  Erica darted her eyes away and reached for the first glass, taking a drink that just about finished off that glass.

  “So, is this where you bring all of your dates?” Erica asked, knowing that the whiskey was helping her confidence.

  “No… I don’t think I’ve ever met another woman who appears to enjoy whiskey almost as much as I do… But even if I had… I don’t think I would have brought them here. This is kind of my place. No one I work with comes here with me either.”

  “Well, thank you for trusting me enough to bring me here,” Erica said, finishing what was left in the third glass.

  “It seemed like the perfect place to spend the rest of the evening. I know my friend, Kevin, means well… But that club isn’t really my scene.”

  “It’s not mine either but how else are you going to meet somebody, right? That’s what Jenny keeps telling me anyway.”

  Erica held Charlie’s gaze, wondering how she could get this lucky. Charlie had always gotten her attention when she walked into The Mezz, but being able to sit across from her and get to know her… That was something that she’d never even dreamed of. She wasn’t even sure that she was gay before tonight.

  Erica finished off the fourth sample of whiskey, leaving the best for last, and Charlie did the same. Erica met her sea blue eyes and somehow kept her eyes from falling to Charlie’s lips again.

  “So, this has been a really great evening,” Erica said. “But unfortunately, I think I need to stop drinking or I might do something that I’ll end up regretting tomorrow.”

  Charlie smiled back at her. “That’s probably a good idea for me too… But it has been a nice evening,” she said as they both left the booth and reached for their bags. “Which way are you headed? Maybe we can split a taxi?”

  “My apartment’s in SoHo. I live on Broome Street.”

  “Really? I’m on Wooster Street.”

  “That’s right around the corner from me,” Erica said as they made their way over to the bar.

  “We’re practically neighbors,” Charlie said with a smile before turning to Damien. “Just add that to my tab… Ready to go?” she asked Erica.

  “What do I owe you?” Erica asked, reaching for her bag.

  “Don’t worry about it. I have a running tab here.”

  “Thanks… I’ll have to bring you to my usual the next time.”

  They waved down a cab and slid into the back seat. Charlie gave the driver her address.

  Erica took her phone out of her bag. “Can I ask you for your number?”

  “Sure,” Charlie said, reaching for her own so that they could swap and enter in their numbers.

  A few minutes later, they pulled up outside Charlie’s building. She paid the driver and hesitated for a second before saying goodbye and getting out.

  “Do you want to come up?” Charlie asked her.

  Erica was surprised and hesitated for just a second. “Sure.” She got out of the cab and followed her inside the building. They took the elevator up to the top floor.

  When Charlie unlocked her apartment door and held it open for Erica to follow her inside, Erica couldn’t believe how nice her apartment was.

  It was open planned and modern, with whites and grays dominating the color scheme with little pops of turquoise and burgundy in the décor. The views from the floor to ceiling windows in the living room area were breathtaking.

  “You have a really nice place,” Erica said, trying to take it all in. She didn’t know what to expect. She never asked what Charlie did but she never imagined her living in an apartment like this, a penthouse no less.

  “Thanks,” Charlie said as she left her bag down on the little table beside the door. “Make yourself at home. Take a seat.”

  Erica sat down on the gray sofa while Charlie went into the kitchen and filled two glasses of water. She brought them over and sat down beside Erica.

  “Thanks,” Erica said as she took the glass from her.

  “No problem. Now, I know we kind of agreed to put a halt to the whiskey, but I have this bottle that I just got the other day as a present. Do you want to try it with me?”

  “Sure…”

  Erica watched Charlie cross the room to the tiny bar area in the corner of the living room that was beside a bookcase and a record player. She took out a bottle from the cabinet and poured the whiskey out into two tumblers.

  Erica turned slightly on the sofa to face Charlie when she sat back down and gave her one of the tumblers.

  “Cheers,” Charlie said, lifting her glass to hers.

  “Cheers,” Erica echoed, clinking her glass off hers before bringing it to her lips. “Hmmm,” she said, licking her lips. “That is definitely the best one I’ve had tonight.”

  “It’s my favorite. It’s an Irish whiskey. Teeling 24-Year-Old Single Malt,” Charlie said before taking a generous sip.

  Erica felt her pulse quicken after hearing Charlie practically moan into her tumbler as she took a drink. Charlie wasn’t hiding the fact that she was thoroughly enjoying hers and it was driving Erica crazy.

  Erica glanced down at her lips, wishing she could lean in and kiss them.

  “This is the first bottle I’ve opened in a few weeks,” Charlie said, meeting Erica’s eyes.

  Erica cleared her throat and took another sip, feeling her cheeks flush after getting caught.

  “I can see why it’s your favorite,” Erica managed to say.

  “It’s good to know what you want,” Charlie said, placing her tumbler down on the coffee table.

  Erica felt a smile tugging at her lips, wondering if Charlie was still referring to the whiskey. There was a glint in her eyes that made her think otherwise.

  Erica watched Charlie’s eyes flicker down to her lips and knew that she was definitely not talking about whiskey.

  Charlie leaned in, her eyes searching Erica’s to make sure that she wanted this too, and when there were no objections, Charlie’s eyes fluttered shut, her lips hovering just above Erica’s, until she brushed her lips across Erica’s in a slow, sensual kiss.

  Erica felt a shiver run through her body as Charlie’s hand cupped her neck, pulling her in as their lips met in an intense kiss that left Erica breathless.

  Erica blindly put her tumbler down on the table. She wanted to run her hand through Charlie’s blond hair or rest her hand on her hip.

  Charlie’s lips parted against hers while Erica’s fingertips lightly ran through Charlie’s hair.

  Erica couldn’t remember the last time she was kissed like this and it definitely wasn’t a first kiss.

  Chapter 12

  Charlie wasn’t sure what came over her but when she saw Erica’s eyes falling to her lips, she knew she had to kiss her.

  She intended for it to be a slow kiss. It was their first kiss after all and Charlie didn’t want to be too aggressive but neither of them pulled away.

  Charlie stifled a moan as Erica’s hand moved through her hair, her fingernails lightly raking across her scalp before her hand rested on the back of her neck, keeping her close as they continued to kiss.

  Charlie’s heart pounded in her chest. This is not at all how she’d imagined her night going.

  She never thought that she’d find someone that would hold her interest, never mind having someone as beautiful and easy to talk to as Erica sitting beside her in her apartment, kissing her like…

&nb
sp; Charlie couldn’t even think of how to describe the way that Erica was kissing her.

  There was an intensity that she couldn’t recall ever experiencing before mixed with a hint of desperation.

  She didn’t think Erica was desperate. It was just a mutual, overwhelming desire that both of them seemed to have for each other.

  Finally, Charlie pulled away, out of breath, cheeks flushed.

  “Wow… That was intense,” Erica said, running a hand through her hair, pushing away a few stray locks of coal black hair away from her eyes.

  “Sorry… I didn’t mean for that to-”

  “Don’t apologize,” Erica said with a warm smile. “There’s two of us…”

  Charlie nodded and reached for her glass, taking another sip of whiskey.

  “I have to ask you,” Charlie said as she held her glass in her hands. “It’s been driving me crazy all night… Have we met before? You look so familiar.”

  Charlie was still trying to figure out if they’d worked together. Surely, she would have remembered her.

  “We haven’t met but I work at The Mezz,” Erica said as she picked up her tumbler and took another drink. “I’m one of the waitresses there. I’ve uh… noticed you there before…”

  “That makes sense,” Charlie said with a smile. “I practically live there.”

  “We’ve never really spoken before though… I mean, I’ve waited on your table a few times…”

  Charlie nodded. No wonder she looked so familiar. I meet with most of our clients there to discuss pricing or contracts. It’s just around the corner from our offices.

  “It’s getting late,” Erica said as she finished her drink. “I should probably get going… I’m not really a one-night stand kind of girl… I’m sorry if you thought…”

  “No. Don’t be silly… I’m not either. I just didn’t want the night to end,” Charlie said honestly as they stood up and walked towards the door.

  “Thanks for tonight,” Erica said as she leaned in, cupping Charlie’s cheek.

  Charlie’s eyes fell to Erica’s soft lips as she inched closer, finally capturing Charlie’s lips in another slow and sensual kiss that left her breathless when Erica pulled away.

  “Goodnight,” Charlie said, leaning on the door for support as Erica’s hand dropped and she took a step back.

  “Night,” Erica said as she left.

  Charlie closed the door and leaned back against it, her heart still pounding.

  What a night…

  Chapter 13

  Erica took a quick look around to make sure all of the tables that she was looking after were okay for drinks. Finally, she could relax for a minute. It was always busy on a Sunday but today was worse than usual.

  “So, what are you going to do the next time she walks in?” Jenny asked her as she opened a bottle of red wine and poured out a glass.

  “Act normal… What do you mean?”

  “Well… You had an amazing night by the sounds of it,” Jenny said as she got the rest of her table’s order ready. “You kissed… It might be hard to be professional around her. That’s all I’m saying.”

  “I’ll manage,” Erica said confidently even though she hadn’t actually thought about that.

  She’d been looking out for Charlie, but she hadn’t thought about how they would interact when she was working, and Charlie would more than likely be here doing business.

  “Whatever you say,” Jenny said as she brought the tray of drinks out to her table.

  Erica had sent Charlie a text yesterday afternoon, thanking her for Friday night but she never replied.

  Erica put it down to her just being busy. She still hadn’t asked her what she did but when she thought of all the time Charlie spent here at The Mezz. The late nights, weekends…

  Charlie must be a lawyer or a CEO of some company. No one else would work that hard or look so professional all the time.

  She’d probably just text her back during the week and hopefully they would arrange a second date.

  On Saturday morning, before Jenny started her shift, she’d quizzed Erica about her night. Erica tried to play it down, but Jenny knew her too well. She could see the light in Erica’s hazel eyes when she talked about Charlie and how their night went.

  Now, Erica just had to be patient and wait for Charlie to get back to her.

  Chapter 14

  “So, when are you seeing her again?” Kevin asked her.

  “I’m not,” Charlie said matter-of-factly.

  “What?!” Kevin practically shouted. “But I thought you had a great time on Friday.”

  Charlie waited until their plates were cleared before she answered him. She was really struggling to get through the week. It was Thursday afternoon and she never replied to Erica’s text on Saturday.

  “She’s a waitress at The Mezz,” Charlie said.

  “The place where you have all your meetings?”

  “Yeah.”

  “So… What’s the problem?” Kevin asked, not hiding his confusion. “Please tell me this has nothing to do with the fact that she’s a waitress and you’re a hot shot realtor… I didn’t think you were such a snob, Charlie.”

  “I’m not… We’re just from different worlds. She’s a lot younger than me too.”

  “How much younger?” Kevin asked.

  “I don’t know exactly. Maybe eight or ten years?”

  “That’s nothing.”

  “Kevin, I’m not after some romantic love story. I need a wife, so I can get control of my father’s company. And that’s just not going to be Erica.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “I just am,” Charlie said with a sigh.

  Chapter 15

  When Charlie got back to work that afternoon, her receptionist told her that a Lara Woods was waiting for her in her office.

  That was the developer for Diamond Plaza. Jules had said that they got the contract, so she had to wonder what Lara Woods was doing in her office and not his. He was the one who’d handled the pitch when Charlie was still in shock over her father’s death.

  Charlie would find out soon enough as she pushed open the door to her office and saw a woman sitting down across from her desk with her back to Charlie. She stood up when she heard Charlie come in and turned to greet her.

  “Hi,” Charlie said as she left her bag down beside her desk. “Sorry to keep you waiting.

  “Lara Woods,” she said as she extended her hand. “And don’t worry about it. I’m the one who showed up without an appointment.”

  “Charlie Murray.”

  “So, Jules said that you’re the person to speak to about the marketing plan and pricing. I thought I’d be dealing with your father when I contacted this company three months ago… I’m so sorry…”

  “Thank you. I’m just trying to keep going, stay busy,” Charlie said as they both sat down.

  Lara nodded. “I hope you don’t mind me dropping in like this. I’m just anxious to get the building sold out as soon as possible.”

  “Not at all. Can I see the floor plans again?” Charlie asked, leaning forward as Lara took out a large roll of paper that must have been at her feet.

  Lara spread out the sheet, standing up to hold the edges down as Charlie stood up to come around to her side of the desk. They stood side by side, their inside arms lightly touching as Lara pointed out the two bedrooms first, working her way up to the penthouse.

  Their meeting lasted almost two hours. Lara was easy to talk to and they clearly had a shared ambition to get this building sold as fast as possible.

  They worked out the listing price for each apartment, taking square footage, bedrooms and views into consideration along with recent prices in the area.

  “Thank you so much for your time,” Lara said as she gathered her things. “Are you free tomorrow night?”

  Charlie met her mocha colored eyes, surprised that she’d want to meet again so soon but then she realized that this wasn’t about business.

 
“Sure…”

  “I’ll make a reservation and text you the details… If that’s okay?”

  “Yes,” Charlie said with a smile as she handed her a business card with her number on it. “That would be great.”