11 The Fall

After dinner was finished cooking they ate on the sofa and then Charlotte placed their dishes in the sink. She then turned on the TV and dimmed the lights. Instead of sitting beside Gordon, she snuggled into his arms and wrapped her arms around his waist.

His breathing came roughly as his whole body tensed. Didn't she know she was torturing him? At that moment she rested her head on his shoulder and sighed contentedly.

That was it. His brain had officially exploded. Did this little girl have any idea how hard it was for his willpower right now? He looked down to see her hair cascading down her back and he wound his hand into her loose curls. It was so soft!

"Mmmmm!" She groaned. His heart slammed into his chest. His physiological need was killing him. If he stood any chance of self control then he had to get out of there.

"Um, Charlotte? I'm going to have to leave." He said.

She sat up and looked into his eyes.

"Do you have to go now?" She asked.

"I'm afraid so. I'll see you in the morning. Will you bring me coffee again?" He asked hopefully.

"You are indeed a fearless man." Charlotte chuckled. "If you're brave enough to believe I won't spill it on you then yes, I'll bring it to you."

Gordon smiled at her.

"You're so handsome when you smile." Charlotte admitted.

Gordon gave her a long, but gentle kiss. "See you tomorrow, Sweetheart." He said. He hurried home to take a long, cold shower.

———————

The next morning Charlotte brought his coffee straight to him.

"Thank you. Do you want to get those measurements while you're here?" Gordon remembered she hadn't been able to yesterday.

"Yes, let me do that quickly." She said as she set up the step ladder. She kicked off her high heels and climbed up, working with the tape measure to get the dimensions.

Gordon stared at her long, white legs that seemed to go on forever. Suddenly he felt mischievous. He stood up beside her. He slid his hand from her ankle to her knee, slowly.

"Gordon!" She shrieked in surprise. She lost her balance and began to fall backwards. She screamed as she fell. Gordon grabbed her and held her in his arms like a baby.

"It's okay, you're safe. I'm sorry! I only meant to tease you, not make you fall." Gordon apologized, whispering in her ear trying to calm her shaking.

It was in that moment that Gordon's long-standing friends, Andrew and Michael, walked in the office without knocking.

Silence reigned as the two men stared in shock at what they were sure they'd never see in this lifetime. They looked at each other and then back at Gordon and Charlotte.

"Are we interrupting something?" Andrew asked mischievously.

Gordon slowly lowered Charlotte to the ground. "I need to get to work." Charlotte said in a low voice. She was embarrassed, but before she could leave, the two men cowtowed to her.

"Miss Xia, we bow to your otherworldly power over our big brother. You have done in less than a week what no one else has managed in this lifetime." Michael praised.

"And I just want to know if you have a sister." Andrew asked.

Charlotte laughed. "I actually do. She turned eighteen recently and graduates high school this spring."

Andrew had been teasing her but when he heard this he immediately jerked in attention.

"I'm twenty-nine this year and own the Promise Financial Group. Do you think she would be interested in me? Would you introduce us?" Andrew asked.

"Andrew." Gordon's ice cold voice thundered in warning.

"What? I'm serious!" Andrew insisted.

Charlotte laughed. "Come by my office before you leave and I'll give you her WeChat and phone number. But I'm going to offer a word of caution. Her high school boyfriend cheated on her over the summer and she has sworn off men. You may need to exercise patience. But I'll put in a good word for you."

"Thank you Charlotte. Maybe I can show her the difference between a boy and a man." Andrew said.

"Andrew!" Gordon shouted.

"Easy there, brother!" Michael laughed.

"What is wrong with the two of you? I meant that little boys cheat. A man worthy of a good woman wouldn't." Andrew explained defensively.

"I'll be leaving first." Charlotte said as she hurried out.

———————————

"Gordon, brother, dear friend! You owe us an explanation!" Michael immediately dug in.

"Exactly. The other day Charlotte was a new employee. You insisted taking her to the charity ball wasn't a date. Now you're holding her in your arms first thing in the morning! We're going to need inside information, big brother." Andrew added.

Though they were teasing him, they noticed Gordon growing more serious than normal. He was quiet for awhile, as though gathering his thoughts. Finally he spoke.

"She is like an intoxicating drug that I can't get enough of. I have never met a woman like her before. I was attracted to her immediately and that's never happened for me before. I've always viewed women as troublesome but she is different. She's like a breath of fresh air. She's straightforward. She doesn't leave me guessing. But she's gentle and fun too. She doesn't want my money but she's the first woman I'd be willing to put the moon at her feet if she asked.

She isn't afraid of my coldness or temper. She seems to accept me. I've known her three days but I want to live this lifetime with her. I want her. I want her to be mine and no one else's. I don't know what to do with all these thoughts. And I can't think rationally because my physiological desires are going to kill me!" Gordon poured it all out to his closest friends.

Andrew and Michael stared at each other in tacit understanding. Gordon had never spoken this much at once before. And they long knew his aversion to women.

"Brother, you're stressing for no reason. You're in love. That's why you feel this way." Andrew said.

"Yes, you should just drag her down to Civil Affaires and get your marriage license, because this is one of those once in a lifetime moments. You, especially, won't come across this twice." Michael urged.

"I can't. She already said I was moving too fast when I hinted that I wanted to consummate things physically. She would run away if I asked her for a marriage." Gordon admitted dejectedly.

"Maybe not. Sex says you want to play. Marriage says you want to stay. Women want security." Andrew encouraged.

"But it's just a piece of paper." Gordon countered.

"Not to some women. To someone like Charlotte it's an act of good faith that you're committed. Think about it. You're a smart businessman. You won't enter into a cooperation with another company without a contract outlining the terms. I think you need to seriously consider this. You aren't getting younger." Andrew continued.

"Right! You've waited thirty-five years for this. No one would look down on you for moving fast." Michael said.

Gordon sighed. "I think you two are giving me a headache."