In front of the 'Stowaway'
"Jon, wait!" Charlotte ran after him until she reached him. Breathing heavily, she stopped in front of him. "I want to apologize for my boss," she said, panting. "It's not like her to scare off guests or applicants in such a rude way."
"If the job is taken, there is nothing I can do," he said shrugging and wanted to go on.
But Charlotte didn't give up that easily. "I... I don't know why she lied," she stuttered. "But the job isn't taken."
"Is that so?" He raised amused his eyebrows.
She nodded uneasily. His immediate proximity made her nervous. But letting him go wasn't an option for her. "I'll talk to her again if you want," she offered her help.
"That's really sweet of you, but I think she won't change her mind." He turned away from her again.
"Please...!" She grabbed his arm and looked at him pleadingly.
"You're quite persistent," he said, grinning. "All right," he admitted. "Give me a day to think about it. I will come back tomorrow and try my luck again."
"Are you here by car?"
He nodded hesitantly. "Yes, why?" He asked, warily.
"Can you give me a ride?" She involuntarily held her breath and waited for his answer. It wasn't her nature to climb into the car of a stranger or even ask him to take her home. She was too reasonable to do that. But in Jon's presence she forgot everything and followed her heart, not her mind. And as he looked at her now, she was aware that he had guessed her thoughts and intentions.
"Where to?" He asked in a hoarse voice as he reached out and caught a lock of her hair the wind had blown in her face.
"Where you want to go," she said quietly, leaning closer to him. When she raised her head and looked into his eyes, she saw contradictory feelings reflecting in them. "To your place?" She suggested, taking the decision from him.
"I live in a motel," he muttered, unable to take his eyes off her.
"Perfect." For a moment, Charlotte was shocked about her bold response. She wasn't a floozy, but she longed to be loved by a man again that it almost hurt.
"I don't think that's such a good idea," he said as he kept playing with her lock of hair.
"Just imagine, I'm the girl you were in love with once," she whispered softly. She didn't know why she said that, but her words took effect. When he reached for her hand and then headed for his car, she was willing to follow him. The drive to the motel didn't last very long, and when they got out and walked to his rented room, he looked at her questioningly.
"Are you sure you really want this?"
Charlotte nodded as she held his scrutiny. He would be her first one-night stand, she thought as she followed him. But she had been reasonable for a long time. She also wanted to do something shocking. Especially if her mother would find out about it. The great disillusionment came when she entered the room and looked around. A bed, a table and a chair. There was nothing more in this shabby room. But now it was too late. With trembling hands, she began to undress herself, aware of Jon's yearning gaze.
"Did anyone ever tell you that you are beautiful?" He asked, walking slowly towards her.
Charlotte nodded, her throat suddenly tight. Shame came over her, and she tried to cover her nakedness with her hands.
"Don't do that!" With one step he was with her, gently pulling her hands away and then putting his hand around her neck. "There's nothing to be ashamed of," he whispered to her, then lowered his lips to her mouth.
All doubts and concerns were wiped off as she snuggled her body against his and returned his kiss passionately. "Now it's your turn," she whispered a little later as she began to undress him as well and then let her hands glide over his muscular, naked body.
"You can hardly wait, am I right?" He moaned with pleasure as he grabbed her by her arms and shoved her over to the bed.
Charlotte heard the rustling of foil, and it flashed through her mind that it was good he had thought of a condom. But that was her last thought before he entered her and made her forget everything around her.
'Stowaway', Montauk
Ava stood rooted to the spot while she stared confused after the car where Jon and Charlotte had just driven off. She couldn't explain why Charlotte had just gotten into his car. What happened between the two? And why hadn't she noticed? Shaking her head, she turned to go back to the bar when she saw Jack standing in the doorway, looking at her questioningly.
"What happened?" He asked, frowning worriedly.
Ava shrugged. She had no idea what that all meant. But one thing was clear, she would confront Jon about it the next time when she meets him.
Jack gazed into the distance. "Was that Charlotte?"
"Looks like she's made friends with our bartender job applicant," Ava said in a deliberate casual tone.
He rolled his eyes. "Well, I'm sure Victoria won't be pleased when she finds out that Charlotte is involved with such a guy."
"You don't even know him," Ava said, suddenly feeling compelled to defend Jon. "Maybe he is not that bad."
"That's not what I meant," Jack said. "All I meant was that she wasn't so excited back then that her only daughter had a relationship with my brother. A bartender wasn't good enough for the Graysons," he added, rolling his eyes.
"From that point of view, celebrating our wedding in Grayson Manor may not be such a good idea," Ava said thoughtfully.
"The Manor is Emily's now. And I wouldn't describe her as a 'typical' Grayson," he said with a shrug. "Just because she married a Grayson doesn't automatically make her a Grayson."
"What you mentioned earlier," Ava picked up the subject again. "This about your brother and Charlotte. I don't think Jon has feelings for her."
"Jon?"
Ava noticed her pulse speeding up. She almost had revealed her secret. "Jon West," she hurried to say. "That's the applicant's name."
"You can ask her later." He grinned. "Apart from the fact that a bartender might not necessarily meet Victoria's taste, I would wish Charlotte a bit of luck. As far as I know, she hasn't had a serious relationship since Declan's death."
Ava looked at him in horror. Did he even know what he was saying? Jon West wasn't the right man to help Charlotte over her heartache. But she couldn't tell Jack without revealing her secret. "Let's go back in," she said softly, reaching for Jack's arm. "I want to call Emily and arrange a new appointment with her for the bridal dress shopping."
"Is everything okay between us again?" He asked, smiling at her.
Ava nodded and then quickly lowered her head, as if he could see that she was lying. She thought about how she could warn Charlotte, without revealing too much of her secret. With a heavy heart and an even worse conscience, she snuggled into Jack's arms and entered the bar with him.
