Legal Action - Box Set (33 page)

              “No,” she said, brushing his hands away, “take your clothes off first, then we’re going to see if you remember our honeymoon.”

              He looked perplexed but he backed away from the bed and started to undress, “you have a decidedly wicked look in your beautiful eyes, my love. What did we do on our honeymoon besides ravage each other constantly?”

              When he stepped out of his boxer briefs she reached under the pillow and held up his wedding suspenders, she tilted her head and smiled as she watched his face.

              “I’m not sure I remember but it seems you’re going to force me to,” he said and his cock began to ache in anticipation of whatever his love had in store for him.

              “Lie down next to me and hold onto the headboard,” she said, uncrossing her legs and hugging her knees to her chest. Her legs were parted just enough to give him a glorious view of her moist pink slit and the smooth shaved lips that waited for his touch.

              His body had filled out in the last weeks and his muscles rippled under his skin, the wounds had healed and as always, the pale scars and tattoos spoke to some erotic place deep inside her. She straddled him and he closed his eyes as her already wet pussy rested on his stomach. She ran her hands along the steely bands of his arm muscles as he held the iron headboard, then she tied his hands firmly.

              “Look at me,” she said, as she loosened the ties of the corset and let it fall open, then moved her hands over her breasts as he watched. “What do you remember?” she asked as her fingers pinched her pink nipples and a gasp escaped her mouth.

              “I’m not sure,” he said and his voice was shaky.

              “Too bad, I’ll just have to cum while you watch then,” she said and she reached under the pillow again and held up a small pink vibrator. “I’d rather have your hands or your mouth or your long, thick cock, but you hardly remember our love.”

              She leaned back then and braced herself with a hand on his thigh, her hair fell backward and brushed his straining cock. She closed her eyes and held the vibrator to her pussy and as it hummed against her clit, he struggled to free his hands.

              “Charlotte, my love, please!” he said through labored breaths.

              She came quickly, moaning and squirming against him and she finally fell forward letting his mouth find her breasts. She nearly screamed from the ferocity of his tongue as he teased first one nipple then the other and her hand went behind her back to stroke his cock.

              Before she knew what was happening he broke free of his ties and moved her under him swiftly and thrust into her hard and deep, over and over. She wrapped her legs around him and felt every delicious blow against the far end of her pussy, and the pain and pleasure built until she felt herself gripping him tighter and tighter until they both shouted as they climaxed and lay spent.

              “I remember your naked breasts in the sunlight and making you cum as we lay on the hot sand with people walking all around us on the beach. I remember you said you wanted a tattoo to seal your body to me forever and I remember that I never wanted to forget how much I love you,” he said and pulled her tightly to him, her head rested on his chest and he could feel her tears falling against his skin, “That’s what I remember, my love.”

*

              The next morning they woke to snow that usually fell closer to Christmas; it spread a light blanket of white over the garden and the woods and the fences and the lane. Georgina and Henrietta came to the cottage early with Atticus to make breakfast and dress the baby in his little white smocked christening gown. Charlotte dressed in a pale grey fitted silk jacket and flowy knee length chiffon skirt and Finn looked fantastic in his dark wedding suit. They stood in the kitchen and Charlotte was tying his tie when they heard a car out front and in a moment the front door flew open.

              “Finnegan, my man!” JP yelled and pulled Finn into a gripping bear hug.

              Charlotte and Amanda hugged quickly then stood watching the two old friends reunited.

              “John how are you? It is John right? From…” Finn studied his friend’s face, desperate to recall events that hovered just beyond his grasp.

              “That’s right buddy, but you know for some fucked up reason everyone calls me by my initials now! So JP is good if that works for you,” JP said, making light of the situation, “and you’ll never believe it but this is my fiancée, Amanda!”

              “Oh that’s wonderful,” Charlotte said, hugging Amanda then holding on to JP for the longest time. “Congratulations to both of you! I think I’m gonna cry now, JP!”

              “Total shocker, right?” JP said and his smile when he looked at Amanda let Charlotte know it was for real.

              Finn kissed Amanda’s cheek and said he should probably remember her but to forgive him if he didn’t and they all laughed.

              JP whispered to Charlotte, “He calls me John now, I was trying to make him remember when we were in Taiwan and he was pretty doped up, they worked him over bad one day then threw him back in the cell and I said, “it’s me JP,
John Paul,
” so from then on he called me John.”

              Georgina walked carefully down the stairs holding Atticus for all to see as if he were the most precious jewel in the world. Henrietta followed her carrying his blanket and diaper bag. The cottage was full and noisy as everyone talked and admired the baby and Charlotte rushed upstairs to get an evening bag to take to the church.

              She heard more voices downstairs and smiled to hear Jude introducing his girlfriend and again more oohs and aahs over the baby. Goose bumps ran up her arms suddenly and she stopped in the middle of switching the contents between the two purses to try and think where she’d heard a certain voice. She reached in her everyday purse and found what she was looking for and moved quickly but quietly down the stairs. The small rooms were so full no one noticed her at first, then they all got quiet at the look on her face as she moved toward the young Asian girl holding Atticus. The girl’s face changed when she saw Charlotte and she hugged the baby to her and her hand disappeared into her coat pocket.

              Her eyes were insane and her face was a mask of fury as she spoke to Charlotte, “so you remember me from Monte Carlo even if your husband doesn’t. You’ve taken everything I loved, you’ve ruined my life and finally you’ll pay!”

              Finn moved fast and grabbed Atticus away and pushed her backwards so that she lost her balance.

              The girl who’d loved Jamey Huang and his father struggled to stay standing and pulled a pistol out of her coat pocket, but before she knew what hit her Charlotte had plunged the switchblade into her neck. She hit the floor screaming and blood flowed all around her. 

              Finn still held Atticus and he pulled Charlotte away.

              Jude knelt with the girl as she screamed, “Fucking whore lawyer, cock sucking bitch!”

              “JP hand me a towel and someone call Accident and Emergency, dial 999
NOW
,” Jude shouted and removed the knife quickly and pressed the towel hard against the wound.

*

              While the girl was being loaded into the ambulance the paramedics spoke with Jude and they all agreed if the wound had been a few inches closer to her jugular she would have died. As it stood it was little more than a superficial wound that looked worse than it was.

              Charlotte and Finn sat together on the sofa talking with two policemen as Charlotte hugged her squirming son against her.

              “Let me take the baby, dear,” Georgina said, “I’m sure he needs his nappy changed, I’ll take him upstairs away from all these horrible goings on.” She scooped Atticus up and Charlotte let him go, then she began to sob.

              “Shhh, my love, it’s alright now, it’s all over,” Finn said, holding her as she wailed.

              Jude had gone with more policemen in the ambulance to make sure the girl was put under arrest and would have no chance of leaving the hospital.

              Amanda and Henrietta were badly shaken and not sure what to do, and JP handed Charlotte an especially potent martini.

              “May I come in? I waited at the church but no one showed up, I hope I’m not intruding,” Charles Tremont said, as he stood in the front door. “My God, what’s happened? Is the baby alright? Here,” he said to the policeman, handing them his card. “Leave us alone now, I’ll be responsible for whatever’s happened, my daughter’s upset, can’t you see?”

              Finn explained what happened and he moved aside so the ambassador could sit next to Charlotte. Charles Tremont was a tall man and broad shouldered and he held his daughter to him and rocked her as he spoke to her.

              “It’s going to be fine sweetheart, don’t worry. The baby is perfectly well and this ordeal is over. Here, take a sip of this and then I want you introduce me to my grandson,” Charles told her, speaking gently and comforting her.

              “I’ll bring the baby down,” Finn said and went to get him. He came back down with Atticus who was in a great mood and totally unaware that anything was amiss.

              Charles stood up and took the baby and held him out in front of him, then laughed as he proclaimed him ‘a keeper’. “He’s definitely the image of you Finn, but he has the Tremont eyes for sure. Hey there, Atticus, I’m your Granddaddy, I’ll teach you to fish and eat mudbugs and oysters and all things Cajun and Southern!”

              The baby gurgled and reached his little hands to pull at his grandfather’s face and Charlotte laughed, then smiled, and said, “Don’t we have a baptism to go to?”

CHAPTER NINE

              “Okay, you have to hand it to Alex; he’s trying so hard to get over you that he’s engaged to your clone!” Amanda said, taking a sip of tea then signaling the waiter for something a little stronger to drink.

              “What is that supposed to mean?” Charlotte asked. They were having tea at Claridge’s after a full day of shopping for Christmas and Amanda was getting ideas for wedding dresses.

              “Honestly Charlotte she sounds like you and she looks like you… kind of. I mean, like a bad copy of you actually, she was married to a plastic surgeon and she must have been his best customer. Her hair is just as black but it’s obviously straight out of a Miss Clairol box! Oh, my mother is having a nervous breakdown; she can’t stand her, she calls her a phony bitch and of course Mother says it in French so the stupid fake fiancé thinks it’s a compliment!”

              “I’m happy for Bly and you should be, too. He needs someone and he wants a family, let’s give her the benefit of the doubt.”

              “Well you’ll get to meet her soon enough; he’s invited us all for Christmas at the Grandhotel Pupp, his treat. Have you ever been there? It’s the most unbelievable place I’ve ever stayed, it’s in Carlsbad, or Karlovy Vary as they call it, in the Czech Republic. The absolute best hotel in the world and the village is nestled in these lost-in-time mountains and forests, oh you’ll be in heaven, trust me. Come on it’ll be great, we can ski and spa and shop and eat world class food and screw our men on bear skin rugs in front of blazing fires! Don’t be mad, Mother’s going on a world cruise with some ancient gigolo she met and Alex really wants you to meet this wonder girl. He probably wants you to give him your blessing or divorce Finn and run off with him. I think she’s ugly, but who knows, maybe she can suck a golf ball through a water hose! Men! Who knows how their minds work, or if they do at all?”

              “How does your mother feel about you and JP?” Charlotte spread a crumpet with jam and took a bite, she was still surprised at all the English traditions that she’d read about but never imagined really existed actually occurred on a daily basis.

              “She’s crazy about him, but who wouldn’t be? He’s got the perfect blend of good/boy versus bad/boy vibe going on, tell me the truth Charlotte, how did you live with both him and Finn and choose between the two?”

              “Well, they annoyed me at first then they saved me a few times from perverts interested in the American Jock girl. Then we were friends and I fell in love with Finn. I don’t think being in love is a conscious choice, either you are or you’re not.” Charlotte stirred her tea and looked down as she spoke the next words, “I loved your brother and I thought I was
in
love with him, and I really wanted to be. It would have been so much easier than loving Finn when he… worked as an Operative, but I think things work out the way they’re meant to, for better or worse.”

              “I get it,” Amanda said, “and I better get going, my true love awaits and we have decisions to make.”

              “Where to get married?” Charlotte asked.

              “That and where to live, I think JP wants to go back to California. I’ve only ever lived in New York and Paris, but we’re working it out. You probably don’t know this but Alex’s father is not my father. I know, shocking, right? Mother was married to him but he had girls, you know, women he kept on the side. He loved my beautiful mother; she was a prize he’d won with his power and his money. So when she had an affair and got pregnant with me he tolerated it and gave me his name but not any of his money. Alex takes care of me, he set up a trust fund, you know how generous he is. I know his father loved our mother and even worshipped her, but maybe that’s how it would have turned out if you’d married Alex, he might have been like his father and eventually felt that one woman wasn’t enough for a man in his position.” Amanda reached across the table and squeezed Charlotte’s hand, “I know you were right to follow your heart.”

              Charlotte drove to the American Embassy after she left Amanda, Charles was handling everything with the court case concerning the Asian girl and he wanted to give her an update.