I have not abandoned The Laws of Love. I have been working on it, I promise, I'm just not happy with how it is coming along, so I decided to take a short break from it and get my Chelsie out in another way. I wanted to spend time with these goofballs, but I need to reorganize my planning for TLOL and then dive back into that one. This is just me indulging my need for Chelsie. Let me know what you think and if it is worth continuing. Hope everyone is well!

She sat down with a huff and placed her bag on the chair next to her. It had been a long day. Too long, really. The extra sessions she had to attend as a result of her colleague's absence added almost three hours to her already-packed schedule, but it was necessary for the business that someone be in attendance, and since she was the only someone there from Grantham Marketing, Inc., she had to go. As a result, she was starving, having missed dinner, and in desperate need of a drink.

As she waited for the bartender to come over, she contemplated whether she should order a nice glass of wine, or go for something much stronger to take the edge of the day off. As she thought about it, her stomach growled a bit and her decision was made for her. Better not hit the hard stuff on an empty stomach. Safer to go with a glass of wine. She reached out and grabbed the menu to peruse the offerings for food as well.

When the bartender approached, she glanced up with a smile, not noticing the other patron who had sat just around the corner of the bar.

"Hello," the bartender began. "What can I get for you?"

"Hello," Elsie responded back. "Well, first, I am in desperate need of a glass of wine," she smiled as she said so. "How about a pinot noir? Whatever you have is fine," she said, "and also, I could murder a good, solid burger. Any recommendations?" she asked.

Again, she did not notice the other patron who was watching her and smirking at the way she expressed her hunger. There was something about her that caught his attention. Maybe more than one thing. He was first intrigued by her accent. Scottish, he thought. And then, the idea that she didn't have a particular fancy for any certain wine was shocking to him. Lastly, the fact that this petite, classy, and beautiful woman used the expression "murder a burger" was a bit startling, albeit humorous, to him. She captivated his attention in many ways, and he couldn't help smirking at her interaction with the bartender. Something drew him to her, and he was curious to explore exactly what it was.

He watched as she finished her order and when the bartender turned to walk away, Charles held up his hand and said, "Excuse me?"

The bartender acknowledged him by saying, "I'll be right with you, sir."

"Actually," Charles said, holding the bartender there, "I need you to amend that order that you have," he said, glancing over to the beautiful woman. His stomach did a bit of a flip as he did so, looking into her gorgeous, deep blue eyes. "I can't let her drink just any pinot noir you have," he explained. "Please, if you would, bring me a bottle of Reuling Vineyard's 2014?" The bartender glanced over to Elsie, who was observing the interaction with surprising interest. She looked over to Charles, obviously assessing him, and then back to the bartender and gave a slight nod.

"Anything else, sir?" the bartender asked.

Charles thought for a moment. He was quite hungry himself. "Yes," he said, smiling. "I could murder a burger, too. I'll have what she's having." The bartender laughed a bit and nodded his head as he walked over to the computer to put the order in.

Once the bartender was out of earshot, Charles glanced over to Elsie, who was clearly appraising him. When he was about to speak, she beat him to it. "And what makes you think that I need help ordering my drinks?" she asked, with a smirk. "I'm fully capable of doing so myself, you know."

Charles waited a moment, captivated by the spark in those deep, blue eyes. "Well, I'm sorry to say, but 'whatever you have is fine' doesn't seem as if it would be good enough for a beautiful, intelligent woman such as yourself," he explained.

Elsie scoffed at his comment before saying, "And do you do this often, Mr….?"

"Carson. Charles Carson," he said, reaching his hand out. Elsie hesitated a moment, but then put her much smaller hand in his, shaking it solidly. She felt a spark when she touched his warm skin, and it ignited a small fire in the pit of her stomach. She'd never felt something like that before.

"Mr. Carson," she said. "Do you make it a habit of sitting at hotel bars and ordering wine for women?" she asked.

Charles hesitated for a moment. He wanted to craft his answer in the best way possible. "Well," he began, "there are two answers to your question. The first is no, and the second is a bit more complicated, but the bottom line is yes, I order wine often."

"Hmmm...well, nice meeting you," Elsie said, dismissing him and turning back to face the bar.

"Aren't you going to let me explain?" Charles asked.

Elsie looked at him pointedly. She didn't do this. First of all, she didn't have time for things like this. She worked like crazy and any free time was spent with the few close friends she had and her sister. Men weren't on her radar at this point in her life. She was married to her job, so to speak. Secondly, this man basically just told her he made it a habit of ordering wine for women. It was a bit strange. However, what was even more strange, was the growing warmth in her stomach as she looked at and listened to him. His deep voice was so sexy, it almost made her shiver. And the feeling she got when her skin came in contact with his was nearly unexplainable. She hadn't felt anything like it whenever coming into contact with another human. She fought herself internally and it was her base instincts and not her brain that won.

"Well," she said, "I suppose it would be rude of me to not give you one minute to explain, so there you have it. You have a minute," she said seriously, checking her watch. She didn't like games, and she hoped he wasn't going to play them.

"Tough. I like that," he said, smiling. Elsie was not amused, lifting her eyebrows seriously, and Charles could see that. So, he began his explanation. "For your first question, no, I don't make it a habit of sitting at hotel bars and ordering drinks for women. To be honest, this is the first time I've been at a hotel bar in ages. I do travel for my job, but I don't usually have time for such luxuries. My flight came in tonight but my meetings don't begin until tomorrow, so here I am. I was a bit tired from the travel and didn't feel much like traversing the city, so I thought I'd stay close." At that, Elsie nodded her head a bit. "Secondly, when I said yes, that I order wine for women, the real answer is that I order wine for a multitude of people, not just women. I am the chief buyer and sommelier for the company I work for, so my job, in fact, is to choose and order the best wine. In my family and social circles, when I have time to socialize, I am always tasked now with making sure the wine is up to snuff," Charles explained, looking down at his watch. "A-ha! Fifty-eight seconds! How did I do?" he asked, looking deeply into Elsie's eyes.

"Well," Elsie began, but she was interrupted by the bartender coming over and presenting the bottle of wine to Charles. After Charles nodded his head and agreed, the bartender began opening the bottle.

"Now," he said, not letting Elsie answer his previous question, "if we are going to share this bottle of wine," he raised his very prominent eyebrows as he said this, "it would be a bit easier if we were sitting next to each other. Would you mind if I moved over next to you?" he asked tentatively.

Elsie considered him for a moment. She was alone in a foreign city. She was completely knackered by the day and the extra time she had to put in. She was desperate for some of that wine, and she couldn't help the warm feeling in the pit of her stomach. Propriety be damned, she thought, as she nodded her head and said, "By all means, Mr. Carson," as she put her hand out, signaling the seat next to her. Charles raised his eyebrows and smiled widely.

He walked the few steps to the seat next to her and sat down in time for the bartender to hand him a wine glass with a bit of wine in it. Elsie watched as he first sniffed the wine, then swirled it around in his glass, then took a sip, eyes closed as he did so. Elsie was enamored by the process and how dedicated he seemed to be to it. To her, wine was wine. A nice glass of pinot noir or merlot and she was a happy lady. Charles proceeded to open his eyes and give a slight nod to the bartender, handing his glass back. "The lady first," he said, and the bartender poured a glass of the wine and handed it to Elsie. Elsie tipped her head, along with the glass towards Charles, but she waited for him to receive his glass before she took a sip of hers.

"Cheers," he said, smiling.

"And what exactly are we drinking to?" she asked.

"To new friendships and the fact that you are going to allow me a bit more of your time," he said, hoping that she would agree.

Elsie had her own thoughts about the time she would allow. She didn't mean to, and she didn't know where it came from, but a flash of naked skin and his hands upon her went through her mind when he said that. What was going on in her head? It had been a long time since she even thought of such things. Her breakup with Joe years ago had ensured she didn't think much about those things these days at all. He was anything but adventurous, and their time in the bedroom was almost more like a duty than anything. But the feelings she got inside her stomach and in her most private areas were surprising her right now. What was happening to her?

"Hmmmm…" she finally said, trying to mask the heat she felt on her skin. "To possible new friendships and a bit more time together," she said, clinking her glass with his. They both took long sips of their wine, Elsie rolling the liquid around in her mouth as she saw Charles do just a minute ago. She had to admit, this wine was delicious. "Mmmmmmmm," she said, as she swallowed.

Charles nearly choked at the sound she made. He didn't even know this gorgeous woman's name, but if the things she was doing to his body with just the sound emanating from her was any indication, he needed to ensure that he found out more than just her name.

After clearing his throat, he finally asked, "So, have we gotten to the point where you will tell me your name, then?" he asked, turning a bit towards her.

"I think you have earned that at least, with this marvelous choice of wine, yes," she said, smiling. Charles couldn't help but stare at her luscious mouth as she spoke. "My name is Elspeth Hughes," she said, reaching her hand out again to him, secretly wanting to touch his skin to see if she felt that jolt of electricity again. When he took her hand, there was no mistaking the electric shock that went through her, down to the pit of her stomach. She was instantly filled with warmth.

"Lovely to meet you, Elspeth Hughes," he said, holding her hand for a few seconds longer than he probably should have. He couldn't help the feeling he got deep down when he touched her; it just felt right. After a moment, he reluctantly let go of her hand and took his wine glass up again.

Nearly two hours later and on their last dregs of the bottle of wine, the conversation was flowing.

"Honestly, and I mean this in the most respectable way possible, I have never seen such a petite woman take on a burger that size and win. I am most impressed," Charles said genuinely.

Elsie laughed heartily. She was so hungry she had eaten the whole thing. "I was starving. I had to skip dinner for a meeting my colleague was supposed to attend, and lunch was a quick on-the-go affair. And besides, one thing my friends know about me is to never come between me and a good burger," she explained, smiling. "I have to say, this wine is definitely a new favorite. It's delicious."

Charles smiled at her. As he watched her talk, he became more and more entranced. She was glorious. How was he going to work it so he could see her again?

"Well, as it is my job, I must say thank you. I must be doing something right," he said, laughing. "I do get paid well to find good wine."

Elsie nodded her head, an inquisitive look on her face. "How does one become a sommelier?" she inquired.

"Well, I'm sure my story is a long and boring one, honestly," he began. "Perhaps one day, over another bottle of wine I'll indulge you with the mundane details. But for now, the bottom line is that I have a degree in business administration, and I still work in that arena, however, over the years, as I became more well-versed in wine, I landed in a job that combines both my degree and my love of wine," he explained.

Elsie nodded her head again, a smile on her lips. "It doesn't sound boring or mundane at all, actually," she said. As she was about to comment further, the bartender came over to ask them if they wanted anything else. Once Elsie saw the time, she shook her head, realizing she needed to get some rest before another busy day of meetings tomorrow.

When the bartender came back over with their check, Charles quickly took it, with Elsie protesting.

"I can pay for myself," she said, adamantly.

"Absolutely not," Charles said. "I pushed myself into your company tonight, and I would like to thank you for indulging me. I've truly enjoyed myself."

Elsie knew she wasn't going to win, so she simply nodded her head quickly, before saying, "Thank you, Mr. Carson."

"Charles, please," he said.

"Charles," Elsie repeated. As she said his name, the way the sound of the r almost reverberated in her mouth sent chills down his spine. How was he going to get her to agree to spend more time with him, he wondered?

When the bartender handed his card back to him, Charles placed it back in his wallet and stood up.

"Well, Ms. Hughes," he began.

"Ah, ah, ah," Elsie interrupted. "If you insist on me calling you Charles, then I must insist on you calling me Elsie," she said.

Charles smiled widely. "Elsie," he said. "I like that. Well, Elsie, may I be a gentleman and walk you to your room?" he asked. He was trying to bide more time to figure out how he could work in more time with her tomorrow.

Elsie hesitated for a moment. When they were around other people, it seemed fine, her being with a stranger. But if they were to be alone, on the elevator or in the hotel hallway, would it be okay? She assessed the situation carefully, yet quickly, deciding that for some reason, her gut was telling her that this man was not only trustworthy, but there was something about him that she just couldn't get out of her head.

"Sure, Charles," she answered. "That would be lovely," she responded.

They continued to chat easily as they made their way up to the eighth floor, stepping out of the elevator, and walking towards Elsie's room. Once in front of the door, Elsie turned to Charles.

"Well, thank you for a lovely time, for the wine and the food. Traveling can get very lonely at times, and I very much enjoyed your company tonight," she said sincerely, placing her keycard into the slot.

"And I enjoyed yours," Charles said as Elsie turned back towards him, now holding her door slightly ajar. Charles hesitated for a moment, and then decided to be brave and ask. "Is there any way I can see you again tomorrow?"

Elsie thought about it, considering her tight schedule. She actually did want to see him again. The tightness in her stomach and the pull between her legs was telling her that not only did her mind enjoy this man, her body was reacting to him as well. Unfortunately, her schedule was booked solid. "I'm not sure, unfortunately," she said. "I'm booked with meetings tomorrow," she said, reluctantly.

"Pity," Charles said, trying to figure out what his next move could be. "I know this is forward," he began, "but there is something about you, Elsie Hughes. I'm not sure I can let you slip through my fingers," he said, looking straight into her eyes.

What Elsie saw looking back into his eyes was startling. He was genuine, and endearing, and the way he was looking at her was making her knees go weak. It had been so long since she even considered being with a man again. However, she couldn't deny the feelings she was having. Why not live a little? She thought to herself. Whether she was fueled by the wine or her raging hormones, she wasn't sure, but whatever it was, it was propelling her to act completely out of character.

"Then don't," she said, grabbing him by the tie and pulling him into her hotel room.

Charles didn't know what he was expecting, but this surely wasn't it. He was completely speechless, but that didn't last for long.