Alchemy and Algebra

Chapter 11

Both anticipating and dreading his answer, Kennedy spoke. "Do you push on people's beliefs in order to sell them stuff? Are you using the fears and desires of vulnerable people to make money?" She cringed, putting her worst fears so bluntly, and half wished she could swallow her words back again.

Anger flashed in Charlie's dark eyes for the first time that Kennedy could remember seeing. His already intense eyes became downright frightening, though he didn't move or speak for a long moment. Finally, the storm abated, and he instead looked sad.

"Is that what you think of me?" he asked quietly.

"No!" Kennedy insisted, instinctively trying to soothe his hurt feelings. "Well, maybe. I don't know. That's why I asked. You're just so compelling, it's easy to see someone with your face and your charm being able to get people to do whatever you asked of them."

One corner of Charlie's mouth quirked upwards and he rested his index finger on his lip, then put his hand thoughtfully under his chin. "So does this mean you think that the day we met, I literally charmed the pants off you?"

Kennedy flushed. "It wasn't exactly something I do all the time." A grand total of never, actually. "The thought occurred to me that you might have learned how to talk people into doing things as a business skill."

Charlie crept closer to Kennedy on the couch. His knee was against hers, now, and he lay his arm across the back of the couch, dangling his hand behind it just level with Kennedy's shoulder."And were you unsatisfied with the transaction? Buyer's remorse?"

He was definitely laughing at her now. "No," she said primly. "The transaction was entirely satisfactory. Twice, in fact." She shivered a little. The memory alone was enough to make her tremble.

"Only twice? It was four by my count."

He'd counted? "There were several transactions that night. I was only thinking of the first one."

Charlie brought his hand to the front of the couch and ran his thumb across the top of Kennedy's slim shoulder. Her eyes closed with pleasure and she began to melt at this barest of touches.

Before long, her fears broke through her fog of contentment and bubbled to the surface of her consciousness. Her eyes snapped open again. "I'm sorry, but you never quite answered my question. How aggressive are you with your sales? And more importantly, how moral?"

Charlie sighed and stilled his hand, which had started to roam. "I've, ah, been told that I'm not without my charms where women are concerned, and it helps that the majority of my customers are female. But honestly? I'm a crappy salesman. Maybe I'd drive a nicer car if I wasn't, but there it is. I tell people what I've got to offer and I leave it at that. And I would never, ever, take advantage of someone in order to make a sale. I would feel awful doing something like that. Besides, I plan to stay here for a long time, and I want to build a reputation for helping people, or at a minimum, providing a bit of entertainment, but definitely not cheating them."

Kennedy let out a breath and leaned forward, resting her head on Charlie's shoulder. "Thank you. I'm sorry to make you bare your soul like this, but that stuff is important to me. I couldn't move past not knowing."

Charlie wrapped an arm around Kennedy, pulling her close to his side. "And now? What are you thinking about us now?" He kissed her temple. "Or are you hoping to 'do business' with Mr. Cafeteria?"

"Who?" Kennedy asked. She hadn't realized how much tension she'd been carrying about Charlie's shop. The feeling of the tension leaving her body was nearly as good as the feeling of being in Charlie's arms. "Oh, right. Lunch today. He was nice enough. But I cut it short and I won't be seeing him again He just..." She trailed off, trying to articulate the difference between Charlie and Todd.

"Are you saying I'm a hard act to follow?" Charlie offered.

"Yes, that's part of it," she agreed.

"He just didn't have the same raw sexuality that I do?"

"That's not quite how I'd phrase it--"

"I've ruined you for all other men?"

Kennedy snorted with laughter. When she'd composed herself, she turned and gazed into Charlie's eyes. "He just wasn't you."

Charlie's expression slid from playful to yearning, pulling her forward with those damned dreamy eyes. He gave her a kiss. A soft, gentle thing, it was more question than sensation.

"And now that you've got the real thing, what will you do with me?" he asked.

"I'd like to give you and me a real try."

"No more lunch dates?"

"Only if they're with you." Statistically, she still wasn't sure that she and Charlie had a chance of turning this -- whatever it was -- into a serious relationship, but with his reassurances that he wasn't a con artist, the possibility was improving greatly. In fact, now that she'd heard it from Charlie, Kennedy realized that she'd trusted him from the beginning. So if his morals weren't the problem, why was she still less than optimistic about them making things work in the long run?

Pushing those thoughts aside, Kennedy ran a finger down Charlie's ear and gave his earring a gentle tug. "What about you? No after-hours transactions with anyone else?"

Charlie's mouth popped open with surprise. "No, of course not. SOME of us don't treat jumping into bed with people as casually as you do."

"Ha, ha," Kennedy said dryly. She slid her hand down Charlie's arm and laced her fingers with his. "Now, I know you said you're not psychic, but can you guess where I want our new relationship to go next?"

Charlie furrowed his brow. "Hang on. Let me check my crystal ball." He palmed one of Kennedy's breasts. "Ah! It's becoming clearer. You want it to go...to the bedroom."

"And you said you couldn't read minds."

She stood up and pulled Charlie down the hall to her room. She pushed open the door and flicked on the light. Though it was still light out, Kennedy's little room didn't have a window. Kennedy turned to see Charlie's mouth hanging open.