‘That would be lovely. Thank you.’
We rode in silence for a little while, or at least as much silence as a train carriage allowed. Charlie’s arm was against mine and I could feel hard muscle through the expensive cotton of his shirt. Subtle hints of his aftershave teased my senses. I looked across to see that his eyes had closed and his head was now tilted back on the seat. Returning my gaze to the passing landscape outside the slightly grubby window of the train, I focused on my meeting, feeling the nerves rush immediately back in.
7
The train shunted on one of the sharper bends and Charlie’s bulk squished into mine. Asleep and relaxed, he didn’t have a chance to brace himself.
I let out an ‘oof’ of surprise and he blinked a couple of times as he woke suddenly from the jolt and got his bearings.
‘God, sorry, Libby! Are you all right?’
‘I’m fine,’ I said, waving off his concern.
‘Nodded off.’
‘That’s all right. You obviously needed it.’
He pulled a face in return, before glancing out of the window. The sky-reaching towers of Canary Wharf were coming into view to the side as we got closer to the terminus.
‘How are you feeling now?’ Charlie asked.
‘OK. I think.’
‘You’ll be great, don’t worry.’ His gaze flicked over me. ‘I forgot to say, I like this look on you. I nearly didn’t recognise you when I got on.’
‘Thanks. It’s a bit of a departure for me, but I thought I needed to try a bit more of a business look for this meeting.’
‘Looks good.’
I returned his smile. From what his brother had said about Charlie’s type, it was obvious that Charlie’s tastes in women ran to the more polished end of the style range, rather than my more casual aesthetic.
As the train pulled in, eager passengers gathered their belongings and made their way to stand at the door, waiting for that magical moment when the beeping sound began and they could press the button and release the doors. Personally I always preferred to wait until the train had actually stopped, which reduced the opportunity for me to bump or fall, a situation always best avoided. I’d discovered this from past – and painful – experience. Charlie was clearly of the same mind as he had remained in his seat and was frowning at a message on his phone.
The woman opposite was now standing and making a point of smoothing her very gorgeous, clearly designer, dress, which clung to every perfect curve as if it had been moulded on her. She bent slightly, ostensibly checking the heel of her shoe, but in fact giving Charlie, and several other males who were by now paying full attention, a tantalising view of yet more perfection, this time in the form of curvaceous cleavage. Charlie glanced up from his phone just in time to get a full eyeful. I saw the blush hit his neck and travel full speed to his cheeks as he quickly pulled his gaze up, only for it to lock onto hers. An arc of a smile formed on her perfectly shaped, burgundy-red lips. Charlie responded with a brief, awkward smile of his own before the sound of the beeping doors seemed to release him and he shot up out of his seat and grabbed his briefcase, pulling it down from the rack.
Unfortunately, between his embarrassment and my nerves, neither of us judged the timing of this manoeuvre very well and as he yanked the case down, it swung and caught me on the temple. I staggered briefly and sat back down in my seat. From the corner of my eye, I saw the vixen opposite smile again, this time in amusement. Two teenagers passing behind Charlie giggled and moved towards the door. Charlie just stared. I stood up again, and it jolted him back into action.
‘Libby, I’m so sorry. Are you all right? I wasn’t looking what I was doing. I didn’t…’
‘It’s all right, Charlie. It was just a tap. I was surprised more than hurt. Honestly,’ I reassured him.
He shook his head. ‘I can’t believe I just did that.’ He appeared to be speaking more to himself than to me. I thought I’d answer anyway.
‘Really. I’m OK. Look.’ I pointed to my head. ‘No blood. No lump. Besides, I don’t blame you.’ I couldn’t resist the tease, and lowered my voice. ‘A flash of cleavage that impressive is bound to throw your attention a little.’
Charlie looked straight at me, those startling blue eyes wide, contrasting with the cute pink blush that now tinted his skin. He opened his mouth to say something but closed it again.
Laughing, I touched his arm briefly. ‘I’m only pulling your leg. It was pretty hard not to see it to be honest, and, to be fair, she’s been mentally undressing you for the whole journey so don’t feel too bad.’
He frowned. ‘I don’t think—’
‘Yep. She was. No question.’ I gave him a wink and smiled at how even more adorable Charlie looked as he took in this information. ‘You’re definitely in there.’
‘OK, you can stop now.’ He pulled a face at me, laughter dancing in his eyes. ‘You’re enjoying watching me squirm far too much. I thought you were a nice person.’
‘I am a nice person,’ I said, accepting his unspoken indication to go before him off the train. ‘I am so nice, in fact, that I point out potential dates for you!’
Charlie gave me a look. ‘I don’t think so. She’d eat me alive.’
