Chapter 6

"You don't even recognize me anymore after a few days," Mr. Benjamin said, turning around.

"Mr. Benjamin!" she exclaimed with glee, running to him and holding his hand. "You are healthy, that's great," she said, smiling but pulling away when she noticed Chase's glare.

"What are you doing here, Dad?" Chase asked.

"I came to see how my children are coping with their new jobs. Mia, dear," he said, turning to Charlotte. "How does it feel being assistant CEO?" he asked. Charlotte simply smiled and nodded.

The pain in Charlotte's body persisted as she massaged her back with her hand, and Chase noticed. "We have to leave now, Dad. My wife is exhausted," he said, grabbing Charlotte's hand. Charlotte looked at him, wondering if he knew she was exhausted or if he was just using her as an excuse to leave.

"Goodbye, Father," Charlotte said as Chase led her away.

"Yes, of course," Mr. Benjamin responded. "Go home and rest. You need to be healthy to give me healthy grandbabies."

Charlotte halted, not expecting to hear that. "Soon, Father," Chase replied, pulling her away as she nervously let go of his hand and laughed nervously.

****

They drove home in silence, with Chase staring at Charlotte the entire time. She noticed and stared out of the window, avoiding eye contact. He seemed to enjoy her nervousness. Suddenly, he leaned closer to her.

"What? You don't want to have my babies?" he asked, surprising her.

"Don't say that," she replied nervously.

"Don't say what?" he asked teasingly, moving closer to her.

"We're here," Charlotte said as she quickly got out of the car. They had arrived home, and she couldn't be happier about it. As she dashed into the house, she turned around and saw Chase walking towards her, his eyes fixed on her.

She quickly dashed into her room and closed the door behind her as Chase watched her and smirked.

Hate burned in Elizabeth’s eyes as she watched them from the garden. With each passing day, her desire to end Charlotte grew stronger.

"Here's the water you asked for, ma'am," a maid said, handing her the water. Elizabeth grabbed it angrily and threw it at the maid before storming off.

*****

"Do you need anything, ma'am?" Penelope asked, walking into Charlotte's room as she undressed.

"Oh, hey Penelope. No, I don't need anything, you can go," Charlotte said, twisting her shoulders.

"Did I perhaps do something to offend you, ma'am?" Penelope inquired.

"What? How could you ask that?" Charlotte defended. "Of course not."

"Well, you don't seem to need my help anymore these days. You don't call for me either. I can't even remember the last time you rang that bell," Penelope said, pointing at the bell on the wall.

"Oh, no Penelope, I just... I'm not mad at you, okay?"

"Well, I'm glad to hear that... Does your shoulder hurt, ma'am?" Penelope asked, noticing Charlotte kept rubbing her back.

"My whole back, actually," Charlotte said, taking off her earrings.

"Do you want ice on it, ma'am? It might help," Penelope asked with concern on her face.

"Oh, no, it's okay," Charlotte replied. "I will be fine. You can go."

"Yes, ma'am," Penelope said as she bowed and left.

Charlotte took off her clothes and examined the scars on her back in the mirror. Suddenly, her door opened and closed.

"Ugh, Penelope, thank God. I changed my mind. Can you help me massage my back? It still hurts. I fell hard on the refrigerator last night and hit my back against it. It isn't supposed to hurt this much, is it? And I could use that ice you spoke of earlier."

"What?" she heard Chase's voice say. Realizing it wasn't Penelope but Chase, she froze in surprise.

"You hit your back? Why didn't you tell me?" he asked with concern.

Charlotte was startled; she didn't expect him to come into her room. Just then she realized she was naked. She looked around for her towel or a blanket but couldn't find any.

"It's not important. I am naked, can you maybe go?" she said uncomfortably.

He suddenly felt bad for scolding her all day as he finally realized why. He slowly walked over to her and turned her around gently. "Where does it hurt?" he asked, placing his hand on her back and brushing down.

"I'm fine," she said, pulling her blanket back up. "You should leave. I'm not properly dressed."

"Stop moving," he scolded. "Nothing I haven't seen when you ran out butt naked and jumped onto me with your breasts against my face." Charlotte bowed her head in shame. "Where does it hurt?" he asked again, his hand moving sensitively on her back. She felt a a wave of comfort.

"Everywhere," she muttered in a low tone.

His hand stroked her back, feeling every inch, wondering about the stories behind each scar. Gently, he moved her hair away and leaned closer, planting a kiss on her shoulder. Her heart raced, and so did his. He kissed the other shoulder, then her neck, longing to kiss every inch of her. He needed her. He turned her around and softly kissed her lips, the kiss deepening as they both breathed heavily, sending shivers down her spine. His kiss was tender yet demanding, as if he couldn't bear to be without her. Charlotte kissed him back, her hands finding his chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. She moved her hand around his chest and slowly down. His kiss deepened as he slid his tongue into her mouth, sucking gently. He breathed heavily, wanting more of her. He slid his hand to her back and hugged her tightly, her breasts pressing against his chest as he kissed her, causing her to wince in pain. He pulled away and looked at her.

"What? Do you want me to stop?" he asked, his wavy black hair falling over his concerned brown eyes as he gently pulled her hair away from her face.

"No," she said, leaning in to kiss him again.

"No, you are hurt," he said, pulling away. "You should rest, Charlotte." He stroked her shoulders, planted a soft kiss on her forehead, and left.