Note to self: Just because the day begins with mind expanding sex, followed by another helping, and then you have a real chat with your most ill-suited for customer service employee does not mean that the rest of the day stays high and happy.

This was proven as soon as I went to my office after I was sure that Keli had the crowd under control so I could work on the books and deal with paperwork that seemed to multiply when my back was turned. I was up to my elbows in accounting work when the knock sounded on the door. Too loud to be Clay, I figured that Keli might need more change and called out for her to enter. I started to tell her that the safe was open and she could get what she needed, but the voice that spoke wasn't Keli's, or Clay's.

"Hello, Charlotte." I stared at a man I hadn't been face to face with since I was five years old. My father, Walter Ramble stood in front of me wearing a well made suit and looking very proud of himself. Fucker.

I just studied him. If he was looking for happiness or welcome, he'd come to the wrong fucking place. I didn't offer him a chair. I didn't ask if he wanted something to drink. I said nothing.

"Is this how it has to be?" I raised an eyebrow, but continued my silence. "Fine. I came because the police came to see me." Relaxing into my desk chair, I tried to look like I cared. Sadly it was hard work and I wasn't sure it worked. "They think you know who might have committed arson on the building across the street."

I shook my head. "I haven't seen you since I was five, well not this close, I mean." To be fair, I'd seen him almost every day before my mom- He lived on the same fucking street as we had. "And THIS is what brings you to the shop? Because the inept police in our quiet little hub can't fucking take the truth when I give it to them?" I sighed. "Get out." He stared down at me, and I could almost feel his anger rolling off him in waves. Whether I'd pissed him off with my lack of welcome, or because I wasn't fixing his discomfort at having the police pay him a visit didn't matter. I'd pissed him off. Good.

"Charlotte," he hissed my name out in exasperation and I stared at him with all the contempt I'd ever felt for him, which was a fucking stockpiles worth.

"Walter," I snapped back. "I know you aren't as educated as Mom was. I know you're not as educated as Davey or George, or fucking me, but I imagine that even the gutter where you crawled out from isn't completely unknowing of the phrase 'get out'." I picked up the next stack of papers to get started, clearly dismissing him. When I didn't hear the door open and close, I glared up at him. "Get the fuck out of my office, Walter, now."

"You blame me, Charlotte and that isn't fair." I snorted, oh my god.

I stood up, leaning on my hands so I could get closer to his smug face, but still keeping the desk between us for his safety and my freedom. "Of course I blame you, Walt. You left us. You left us and moved barely half a block down the fucking street from our fucking house. Do you know how she felt seeing you drive up and down the fucking street, with that fucking whore beside you?" I could see my mom, trying hard to stay away from the front windows, praying she wouldn't see the flash of his car. "Every day, Walter, every single fucking day from the moment you walked out until the day she fucking ate a bullet, she was tortured by you. By how well you played her, the con of pretending that you fucking cared or loved her. You used her to get to the top, or close enough to the top to make a guttersnipe like you feel fucking special. And she's dead, you're here, and I fucking hate you. Leave. Get out. And if you want to stay in your comfy little world, never darken the fucking door again."

He was chewing words, but said nothing. Turning away, he opened the door and nearly walked face first into Clay. Shit. Clay sized him up and dismissed him, harder and faster than I'd ever seen anyone else do the same. I had to bite my lip to stop from laughing. I watched as Clay took the tiniest of side steps, forcing my father to bump into him and I was happy to see that Clay's body held strong, but daddy dearest stumbled.

I shook my head and sat back down, thinking the day couldn't get worse, but when Clay walked in his face didn't lose the tension that showed when he came face to face with Walter. Well, fuck.

Asha was back. He looked so stressed that I had a moment of fear that I'd become the other woman, that I was literally what I'd called Walt's second wife. Shit. But then, Clay must have seen the look on my face because he was kneeling beside my chair, cupping my face and assuring me that wasn't a concern I should have.

"I'm more upset because I have to go off to fucking who knows where again." His thumb brushed my lips and I couldn't have broken our gaze if I tried. "I will be back, Char, I fucking swear it." And then his lips replaced his thumb and I forgot about my father, Asha, and anything that wasn't right in front of me.

"You're leaving?" I breathed, when he gave me a second to catch my breath. He nodded and started to dip back in, but I stopped him. "Shouldn't I give you a farewell present?"

I tugged him to his feet, and patted a bare spot on my desk, watching him smile wide and those dimples I fucking liked to see deepened. He sat, hands reaching for me, but I shook my head. My fingers went to his pants and I unbuttoned him, unzipped him, and then reached in and pulled him free. Again his hands tried to grab me, but I stopped him as I leaned forward and licked against the soft skin of his most sensitive spot. I smiled as his hands finally found something to touch, his fingers sliding under the hair tie holding up my topknot, and I heard him gasp as I gave him something to remember me by.

He was breathing heavy by the time I got my own reward, and I took the time to clean him thoroughly before tucking him away and refastening his pants. When I finished, he surprised me by pulling me to him and kissing me. "Now I really don't want to fucking leave." I pulled away with a huge grin. "You're something else, Char."

I walked him to the office door and kissed him goodbye. "Thanks for lunch, Clay," his smile made my heart beat faster, but the laugh when I thanked him I could almost feel to my toes. "See you soon?"

"As fucking soon as I can get back, Char." I watched until he was out of sight, hoping against hope that I wasn't as naïve as my mom had been.