Liza slammed the door to the loft, throwing her coat and purse on the nearest flat surface and kicking off her boots. If she'd known how the night was going to end, she would have spend a little less time with the hair and makeup this morning.
"Oh my god," she groaned, "that man!"
Maggie looked up from her spot on the couch, glass of wine in hand and eyebrows arched speculatively.
"You know, usually when I hear those words coming out of your mouth, it's behind a closed door and there's someone with you," Maggie smirked. "Usually."
Liza rolled her eyes and snatched the glass out of Maggie's hand and downing the wine. She leaned over and filled the glass before handing it back to Maggie.
"Mags, I swear to god, this whole competition thing between the two companies is going to be the death of me. I'm so stressed out I can't even think straight anymore."
"Did you talk to Charles about my merger idea? I feel like that would solve all your problems."
Liza nodded, leaning back against a pillow and signing. "He likes the idea, but says the board would never go with it. Until money starts to roll in for him, Mercury is essentially worthless. And then he had the audacity to try and poach me away from Millenial. He offered me a job, Maggie, and when I said no, tried to make me feel guilty."
Maggie tilted her head and looked at Liza, but didn't say anything.
"What?"
"Well, Liza, I mean, you can't blame a guy for trying. Doesn't it mean something that he values your talent as an editor and wants to work with you, side by side?"
"Yeah, I guess, but…"
"I'm not saying he's perfect, Liza, but I can totally get where he is coming from on this. He was handed this life, this job, and he's got the opportunity now to try and build something from the ground up, just the way he wants. If you weren't competitors…"
"But we are."
"Yes, but if you weren't, your problems would be solved. It's just a thought." Maggie raised her hands and shrugged.
"It's something to think about." Liza said grumpily, too tired to argue with Maggie. "I've got to go pack," she said, getting up and heading in the direction of her bedroom.
"Where are you going?"
"Microdosing retreat. For work. With Charles. Don't ask." Liza sighed and closed her eyes, closing the door on Maggie's chuckles. At least someone was getting some enjoyment out of her disaster of a life.
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"We have you in Room 3, Ms. Miller. Let me just grab your keys, and I'll show you to your room." Liza watched the young woman disappear around a corner and sensed Charles behind her even before he spoke. The scent of his favored dark roast coffee, cologne and soap lingered in the air.'
"You beat me." He said quietly, leaning over to kiss her on the cheek as he set down a duffel on the floor.
"For once, huh?" Liza said grumpily, tapping her fingers impatiently on the desk.
Charles ignored her snarky comment, rocking back and forth on his heels. "How was the train? I would have been happy to drive you."
"It's fine," Liza said, fiddling with a pen on the reception desk. "I got the quiet car."
Charles scrutinized her for a moment, pained by the tired, weary look in her eyes. He felt totally stuck and didn't know how to fix this predicament. The only thing he knew for certain was that if he didn't fix it soon, his ambition would cost him his relationship with Liza.
"Can we please just call a truce?" He asked, as the clerk came back with a set of room keys in her hand. "Maybe we can start by sharing a room?"
"Are we still competing for this book?" Liza asked tersely, tucking her room key into her coat pocket.
"Yes."
"Then no." She leaned forward, kissed him quickly on the cheek, and stalked towards the staircase.
Charles finished checking in and hurried across the lobby, catching up to Liza at the base of the stairs as she followed a staff member up the steps. In an attempt to garner some goodwill with his girlfriend, he shuffled his duffle to one side and reached down to pick up her suitcase. She smiled weakly at him, her eyes rolling slightly as they listened to the guide leading them up the stairs.
"Wow," Liza said, as they stood outside their rooms, which were, naturally, next to each other. She fiddled with the metal tin carrying her "not LSD" microdose. "This should be interesting."
Charles slipped his tin into his jacket pocket. He had never ingested a drug stronger than some marijuana in college, and he didn't intend to change that anytime soon. "Listen, Liza, can we talk for a minute?" Liza looked up at him and, seeing the pained expression on his face, nodded.
"Of course. I'm sorry if I was rude down there. I'm just tired."
"So am I, Liza. I want to fix this. And I'm trying to figure it out. I want nothing more than to work with you rather than against you. I'm not going to lie and say that I'm not enjoying trying something on my own, building my own business, but I feel like I'm missing a part of my self. I stepped away from my family's business and from you and now I don't feel whole. I want to feel whole again. I'm sick of feeling like I'm betraying people that I love. I just want you to know that I am listening to what you are saying. I'm sorry if I upset you last night. You and Kelsey built Millenial together. Of course you want to stay with her. I just want us all to work together again.
"Thank you for saying that, Charles. I'm sorry for making you feel bad about doing something you've clearly wanted to do for a long time. I just want us all to not be competing with one another." She slid her room key into the door, swinging the wooden door open. "Just think about the merger. I know Kelsey would be on board. She hates fighting with you. Zane, not so much, but you, you're her mentor. You taught her how to do this job. Just think about it." She stepped into her room and looked out at him. "I love you."
"I love you too."
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Liza sipped on the herbal tea that had just been delivered to her room as she stared out at the darkening woods behind the lodge. It was chilly in her room, despite the fire crackling in the fireplace, and she had wrapped a plaid blanket around her shoulders. She could hear movement on the other side of the wall – whoever was staying in the room next to hers had just arrived. She'd hear Charles come in and out of his room on the other side of hers a few times. She'd opted to skip out on the communal buffet dinner and had soup and a sandwich delivered to her room. She'd spend a blissfully quiet afternoon reading through a few manuscripts that she had tucked into her suitcase. Truthfully, her mind had been elsewhere, but she appreciated the quiet nonetheless. Part of her had wished Charles had come knocking, but she knew he was trying to give her space. She'd heard him on his cellphone on and off all afternoon, but the walls were just thick enough that she couldn't hear what he was saying.
A knock on the door startled Liza out of her chair, the herbal tea splashing out of her cup as she sat up. Wrapping her sweater tightly around her, she crossed the room and unlocked the door. Charles leaned against the doorframe, his eyes tired, a 5:00 shadow darkening his face.
"This thing that's keeping us apart….it's killing me," He said huskily, stepping into the room, forcing Liza to take a few steps back.
"Charles," she said breathlessly, the back of her legs hitting the end of the bed. Charles reached out behind him, swinging the door shut and swiftly securing the deadbolt without a backwards glance.
"Shhh," He leaned down, pressing his lips against hers. Liza could feel the familiar warmth spread through her body, the fire that Charles ignited in her with his presence, spreading through her limbs like fire through a building. "I'm so sick of talking." He nudged her gently back and Liza landed on the bed, her head bouncing off of the pillow. Charles smirked and moved swiftly over her, his weight pressing her into the soft mattress. "I came to apologize." Charles moved down, pushing her shirt up and lowering his lips to her abdomen. The warmth in her stomach morphed into a fireball, igniting every nerve in her body.
Closing her eyes, she sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Oh, trust me, you're forgiven."
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Liza stirred, rolling slowly onto her back and blinking her eyes sleepily as the room came into focus. Charles sat at the end of the bed, pulling on his black t-shirt. Liza shifted, leaning forward to press a kiss to the warm skin between his shoulderblades.
"Good morning," she fell back against the pillows, pulling the sheets back up with her. Every muscle in her body ached. In a good way. "That was a fun night."
"Night. Morning. Every minute inbetween." Charles smirked and what could only be described as a shit-eating grin covered his face. They hadn't had a night like that in awhile. He leaned back, kissing her teasingly. "We were a little loud." He smiled as he stood, picking up his shoes.
"Don't leave," Liza whined, snuggling back into the covers. "Come back to bed and keep me warm."
"If I get back in that bed we're not going to be leaving this room anytime soon, and we need to get to the work portion of this weekend. Also, I'm famished. I need sustenance."
"Fine." Liza fake pouted, jutting out her lower lip. "Meet me downstairs for breakfast?"
Charles paused at the door, looking back at Liza. He was struck, always, by how beautiful she was. Not a stitch of makeup, hair mussed, laying in a patch of sunlight on the bed. It was in the simplest moments that he was struck most by her beauty. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."
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A half hour later, stomach rumbling, Liza stepped out of her room, locking the door behind her. Her bag was packed and ready to go this afternoon. Her heart wasn't really into this whole "microdosing" concept. In all honesty, she thought it was ridiculous, but there was no denying the book would be a hit and so she would jump through whatever hoops were necessary, according to Kelsey. But the promise of pancakes and coffee with Charles was enough to get her up and out the door. She started down the hall, but a familiar voice behind her stopped her in her tracks.
"Sounds like someone had some fun last night." Liza turned slowly, looking into a face that looked as stunned as she felt. She instantly felt her cheeks flush.
"Liza?"
She turned slowly. "Josh? What are you doing here?"
He crossed the distance between them, meeting her at the top of the stairs. "Travis is an old friend of mine. He wanted me to meet some investors. I'm thinking of franchising Inkburg."
"Wow, okay."
"What are you doing here?"
"Uh, I'm uh, here for the book. Travis's book."
Josh followed her down the steps. "I assume you're not here alone." It wasn't a question, more of a loaded statement.
Liza cocked her head, feeling a mild irritation stir inside her at his comment. He obviously heard her and Charles last night. They were all adults, and it was times they all started acting like it. If he was going to act like a brat, she was going to make him say it.
"What makes you say that?"
Josh scoffed, brushing past her on the stairs and turning on his heel as she made it down the final few steps. "You know exactly what I'm talking about."
"Yeah," Liza sighed. "I do. And if you aren't mature enough to say it out loud, then you have a serious problem, Josh. Charles and I are together. Fully together. Yes, that was him in my room last night. It's time you get over and act like an adult. Act like the father that Gemma deserves."
She stalked past him, taking a few deep breathes as she approached Charles, who was standing outside the dining area, holding two cups of coffee.
"Is that…" He nodded at Josh before turning to follow Liza into the room.
"Yup. Listen, I don't want to be here, do you?"
"Not really, but…"
"But nothing. Neither of us really wants this book. So why don't we just leave? I don't want to spend the afternoon doing drugs with my boyfriend and my ex-boyfriend. I'm 41 years old, for god's sake. I shouldn't have to be doing this."
Charles smiled understandingly, pulling her to him with one arm and kissing the top of her head. "What would you like to do instead?," he asked quietly, stroking her hair.
"Let's just go home. We can stop somewhere and get some breakfast, pick up the girls from Pauline. It's a little chilly, but why don't we pack a late lunch and all have a picnic in the park."
"Sounds like a perfect day. I'll go get our bags. You go to my car, drink your coffee, look up a greasy diner for us to get some breakfast from. I've got something that I want to talk to you about once we both have some caffeine and food."
"Okay," Liza said intrigued. She glanced over his shoulder and saw Josh watching them from his table. She pressed herself against Charles and tilted her head up to kiss him with a bit more vigor than she usually did in public. She needed to make it clear to Josh that he was in her past.
"What was that for?"
"Just because. I love you"
"I love you too. Now let's get the hell out of here."
