Charlotte PoV - The Guggenheim (Patreon)

.... so. How long has this been anticipated?!

What a perfect time, too, given that she maintained her throne as the HCLU favorite this month!

---------CPOV----------

Charlotte needed to get her act together.

Tonight, the people in this room, meant something this year.

Her grandmother’s party held a lot of meaning, of course, every year. And Charlotte always felt pride in being here, always worked the room and put her best foot forward.

But this year was bigger.

This year, she was running for an elected office, and it was just her beginning.

So, this year, it wasn’t just about mingling. This year, it was networking for the future, for a future that was barreling toward her. The connections she could make now could mean everything when it came to future support.

So she really – deeply – needed to stop thinking about Sutton. Stop being distracted by Sutton.

Which had been happening all night long, and the night had barely begun.

But, she’d been feeling anticipatory butterflies before Sutton had arrived. Just the knowledge that Sutton was going to be coming tonight had kept Charlotte, vexingly, unable to get into her groove. She was excited to see Sutton, excited for Sutton to be in this room with her.

And she knew it was stupid. She knew it was illogical. She knew that it didn’t – couldn’t – mean anything. Yet, apparently, where Sutton was concerned, she couldn’t get herself to really care.

Well, she cared. She cared very, very much.

But not enough to stop. Not yet. Just… not yet.

Her grandmother’s dismissal so she could get her own time in with Sutton wasn’t helping matters.

No, Charlotte hadn’t planned to spend the entire night with Sutton at her side, not like New Year’s Eve. New Year’s Eve was a whole different ballgame; that was Spencer family territory, and having Sutton by her side was nothing but a positive reflection.

Here, Charlotte knew she’d need to hold her own. To be seen on her own. To be seen as available to talk to, shmooze with, possibly discuss things like money or political stances one-on-one.

She knew that.

She just hadn’t been quite so ready to not have Sutton by her side, yet. To not feel Sutton’s warmth against her, yet. To not feel herself pulled in by the gravity of the way Sutton looked in that fucking dress, yet.

But if she’d pushed back against her grandmother, if she’d argued to stay and insert herself into their conversation, then – no. No, this was better.

If she worked the room by herself now, she could spend more time with Sutton, later.

A very reasonable compromise.

Still, though, she glanced over to see Sutton walking away from her grandmother after barely having time to speak, and she frowned. She’d told her grandmother to be nice, but… that only went so far.

Rolling her shoulders back, she turned –

And nearly bumped into Peyton Lancaster.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she apologized, reaching out to touch her arm with both that apology and an attempt to offer stability, as Peyton stumbled back a step.

Peyton caught herself, though, and waved her off. “No worries. I was paying more attention to following that man with the tray full of champagne than I was to, you know. People.”

Charlotte grinned. “I see. So, actually, I was the innocent bystander.”

Peyton returned her smile. “Yes. Let’s go with that.”

This was fortuitous, really. Peyton had been on the mental list of people Charlotte had wanted to make a point of socializing with tonight. One of her priorities, actually. Given her age – young, similar to Charlotte – and her social influence and her financial status, she would be an incredible ally to any future endeavor.

She forced herself to focus on that, and not on Sutton. She refused to allow herself to scan the room for Sutton to see where she’d ended up, even though she very much wanted to.

“Let me remedy the champagne issue for you.” She held up a finger to indicate she needed just a second, spotting one of the waiters walking behind Peyton.

She quickly, smoothly, dodged around Peyton, their shoulders brushing with the tight corner she’d managed to snag the attention of the waiter before he turned to go in the other direction.

Snagging both herself and Peyton one and flashing the waiter an appreciative smile, she turned back and held out the flute with aplomb.

“Incredible work. Good eye,” Peyton jokingly effused, accepting the flute.

Charlotte knew all of the public information available about everyone on the list of people she wanted to spend time with tonight, and Peyton was no different. So, she did know that Peyton was a lesbian.

And that was all she needed to know to register the way Peyton’s fingertips lingered against hers was deliberate. It was seemingly casual, just a light touch, lingering for just an appropriate amount of time.

If Charlotte didn’t know any better, she wouldn’t have been suspicious in the least.

But Charlotte did know better, because she played that same game. In a room like this, there were those small touches that could signify a lot more.

Maybe, if Charlotte hadn’t met Sutton, she’d have been a lot more receptive to that touch. To someone who might have had a high-profile, but kept their private life intensely private.

Probably, because Peyton was – objectively – gorgeous, and, if she hadn’t been with Sutton at all, she’d have been celibate for over four months now.

However, that wasn’t Charlotte’s reality.

Charlotte’s reality was that the object of her affection was also here in this very room. She had someone she wanted to exchange lingering touches with, and it wasn’t the woman that had the same kind of game Charlotte, herself, had.

So, she didn’t respond. Didn’t give any inkling that she was aware of that touch or any possible meaning behind it.

She dropped that hand down to her side, keeping a warm and friendly, but polite, smile on her face. “I’d imagine both you and I have a good deal of experience at these kind of functions. Scoping out a glass of champagne? Easy task.”

Peyton chuckled, before she sipped. “So, how is your campaign going?”

“Cutting right to the fun stuff.”

Peyton shrugged, unbothered. “Better that than inane chit-chat, especially when there’s something I’ve taken a special interest in.”

Charlotte tilted her head. “And you’ve taken a special interest in my campaign?”

“Mhmm,” Peyton hummed in affirmation. “People – especially people in this room, people with money – love to play as though politics won’t impact them either way, other than a tax implication.”

“Isn’t that the truth,” Charlotte murmured in agreement, and found herself enjoying Peyton more than she’d anticipated.

“So, when people emerge on the scene who appear to hold similar… positions as me,” Peyton drawled, and the look in her eyes was very sharp, astute. “I like to take note. Offer my support. Especially if you’re going to follow through on what you say.”

“Well, if there is ever a time you’d like to arrange to talk more, I’d love to. And, as for the follow-through, I suppose all I can say is – watch me.” She said the words proudly, confidently, and slightly challengingly.

Charlotte was prepared to put her money where her mouth was, so to speak. And if integrity was something Peyton Lancaster was looking for, then she didn’t have to look any further.

“I will be,” Peyton murmured back, arching her a look. Not necessarily that same flirty one as before, but a serious one. Like she was sizing Charlotte up for her future potential.

Before they could say anything else, two people – a man and a woman – she recognized from the Foundation, working under her grandmother currently, approached, clearing their throats.

Charlotte turned to them, offering her politely gracious smile. “Nice to see you,” she searched through her mental rolodex, unable to keep herself from flashing back to New Year’s Eve, and how perfect it had felt – how easy, how natural – to have Sutton by her side, feeding her information.

But she couldn’t get reliant on that. Not ever.

“Jody, Lawrence,” she greeted individually, nodding at them.

“We were actually just discussing that debate with Naomi,” Jody started, and even though this was a deeply personal special interest topic for Charlotte – her election, Naomi – there were two issues involved.

First – yes, these people worked for her grandmother, so she believed she had their support. And yes, this was an event held by her grandmother. But that didn’t mean everyone here was trustworthy.

Everyone in politics had something to gain, and some angle they were playing.

Second – she didn’t even intentionally look for Sutton. Truly. But she looked up, lightly shaking her hair back, and like a beacon, she’d locked onto Sutton across the room.

Having any concerns that Sutton would find herself alone or feeling out of place were apparently unfounded.

Because she wasn’t alone, and she certainly didn’t look out of place.

Not as she laughed – a real laugh, Charlotte could tell. She was genuinely delighted by something, and it made Charlotte’s heart skip a beat – at something William said.

That realization landed inside of her, sinking like a stone.

William. Her brother was over there, spending time with Sutton. Making her laugh.

She kept up in conversation with Jody and Lawrence, for several minutes after Peyton excused herself with plans to have her assistant arrange a lunch for them.

But her attention wasn’t on them or this conversation about political debate and Naomi, not at all. Not one bit. If she’d had all of her proper faculties about her, like she normally did, she’d have been able to steer the conversation toward a topic she’d like to discuss. Policy? Wonderful. Campaigning? Great.

However, she couldn’t.

As a wonderful multitasker, she did a good job of staying present on the conversation right in front of her, while keeping the majority of her attention on Sutton.

Sutton and William.

And the way Sutton laughed again. Multiple times. The way Sutton seemed to be enjoying her conversation.

It wasn’t as though William was some creep, and she knew he could be quietly charming, when he chose to be. Even though he hated being in the public eye, even though he detested going to big events like this, he was still a Thompson. He could still turn it on when need be.

The thing that bothered her more than anything, though, was that apparently he felt the need to turn on his conversational charm with Sutton. He’d zeroed in on her in, what, minutes?

Did she and William truly share that much of a type?

… fine, physically, Charlotte’s “type” was attractive women, so that had a lot of overlap.

And now that she was in a position that she was being forced to think about it, it made total sense that William would focus on Sutton. Quietly beautiful. Not ostentatious in the least, not trying to network and rub elbows.

He loved Sutton’s mother’s work, and she knew he would be abso-fucking-lutely delighted to discuss that with Sutton.

God, it felt like she’d been punched right to the stomach, swift and painful, when she thought about the fact that if she wasn’t in the picture, Sutton would likely find William plenty attractive as a dating prospect. Their similarities in not only interests, but demeanor.

She and William weren’t close, which made sense given that he’d left their parents’ home – estate, really – for college, and hadn’t often returned, which had happened before she’d been a teenager. They caught up a couple of times a year.

So, of course he had no clue about Charlotte-and-Sutton. It’s not like she’d have called him up out of the blue to discuss it. Which meant, really, she couldn’t blame him.

Especially because she knew – she did, despite their lack of closeness – that he wouldn’t flirt with Sutton at all if he knew they were… involved.

She also knew – she did – that Sutton wasn’t interested in William in a romantic way. Because Sutton wasn’t the kind of person who would be exclusively sleeping with Charlotte while scoping out someone else to be with.

And yet, none of that made her feel any better.

All she felt inside was utterly insane and illogical fire inside of her. One that had claws, and the claws were directed at her brother of all fucking people. Her kind, thoughtful brother, who didn’t know any better right now.

She’d never felt this way. Not even with Alia.

Finally, something inside of her snapped. She turned her full attention to Jody and Lawrence for the first time in minutes, fixing on an appropriately apologetic smile. “I am so sorry to cut this short, but I really need to discuss something with my brother. I’ve been looking for him all evening and just spotted him. I’m sure we’ll run into each other at the Foundation sometime soon.”

She gave just enough time to allow them to bid her an appropriate farewell back, before she turned on her heel and marched right across the room.

William had served a purpose, she supposed, in giving her a very credible out. If Jody or Lawrence watched her, they’d seen she was heading exactly where she’d said she was.

Just, for a very, very different reason.

It was as though her hand had a life of its own, reaching for Sutton even before she’d come to a stop. She felt like she was buzzing, all over, and it only quieted the littlest amount when she finally rested her hand on the small of Sutton’s back, establishing contact between them.

Something that had become so intuitive for her in the last couple of months. Alarmingly so. It seemed that she wanted to be touching Sutton any and every time they were near, and she couldn’t figure out how to stop it. Worse, she couldn’t even figure out how to stop the wanting.

Right now, though, she wasn’t alarmed by it.

Right now, she reveled in it.

Feeling Sutton’s body heat through the material of her dress. This fucking dress that was clinging to her torso like a second skin, this dress that was just long enough to get away with being worn to this event.

The second she’d laid eyes on Sutton earlier, she’d felt a sharp, sparking hit of desire. It hadn’t disappeared, even though they’d been apart. It had faded to the back of Charlotte’s mind, where she’d already known she and Sutton would be going home together.

She’d already known she’d be having sex with Sutton both in and out of this dress tonight, and that knowledge had mollified her before.

It wasn’t enough to mollify her, now.

Now, she – irrationally and impossibly – wanted everyone to know. Especially her brother. Sutton was – she was hers.

Even though she wasn’t.

But that didn’t matter. Nothing logical mattered right now, as she finally was here, back at Sutton’s side, her hand resting on her back. Feeling the way Sutton relaxed into her touch, even before looking at her.

Because Sutton knew. Even subconsciously, she knew Charlotte’s touch.

And that only made this burning feeling inside of her grow hotter, brighter.

“Sorry to interrupt,” she apologized, absolutely disingenuously. “I just need a bit of a break from talking about what to expect from the next debate with Naomi; as if I’ll be revealing anything to these people.”

The not-lies but not-truths either fell from her lips, as she focused resolutely on William, who’d looked at her, greeting her with a small but genuine smile.

She smiled back, but she could feel that it wasn’t normal. Normally, her smiles back at William were just as genuine. Pleased to see him, because she did love him even if they weren’t necessarily friends the way she was with Caleb.

With that in mind, though – this was her brother, and she really didn’t see him very often – she leaned in and pushed onto her tiptoes to plant a kiss on his cheek. “William, it’s always strange to see you north of the Mason-Dixon line. The one time a year that it happens,” she managed to tease in a tone that actually sounded light.

Still, she moved right back to her place next to Sutton, sliding her hand from the small of her back further around, to land on her opposite hip.

William didn’t seem bothered by her interruption, which was a fantastic sign. He scoffed back at her. “And, as always, I’m ready to go home.”

Typical. She rolled her eyes at him, as was a part of their on-going conversation around his aversion to doing anything different, anything out of his preferred routine.

Even though everything seemed normal right now, even though her presence hadn’t killed any sort of mood – which, admittedly, she’d feared – she didn’t feel calm.

Knowing that both Sutton and William welcomed her into the conversation should have alleviated this green-eyed monster that had taken residence inside of her, but it didn’t.

“What did I miss over here?” She asked, unable to help herself.

She just – she needed to know. She felt a little crazy, honestly, but unable to quell it.

William shrugged. “Nothing much. We were actually just talking about Casablanca, and how it’s a mutual favorite.”

That, of all things, felt like a slap in her face, and she inhaled sharply, deeply, the arm she had around Sutton tightening slightly. “Oh, really?” She asked, trying to control her heartrate, trying to stay rational, as she looked at Sutton. Needing to see her face. “I should have known the two of you and your commonalities would hit it off.”

She forced a smile, but it wasn’t quite right, and she could feel it.

Sutton and William did have so many things in common. Yes, their interests, but also their wants for the future. The things they desired in life aligned very well, and that thought made her feel sick to her stomach.

Was William a better person to be with Sutton? Had Sutton met the wrong Thompson sibling?

God, it made her feel dizzy. And still… so jealous.

She didn’t want someone to be better for Sutton than she was. She didn’t want anyone to think they could make Sutton happier, treat her as well as she deserved to be treated – not even romantically, just as a person in general – better than Charlotte could.

It made no sense. It made no sense at all, nothing she was feeling made any sense, and she hated it.

She hated it, but not enough to stop. And that was the reality, wasn’t it?

Sutton’s eyes narrowed so slightly at her as she gave Charlotte a gentle smile in return. Something soothing, something sweet. Charlotte nearly was able to relax with it. “It’s actually a bit funny that you say that, because we were just talking about our dogs. You never told me that William named a dog after Aurora?”

Any semblance of relaxation dashed away completely.

Did Sutton feel that way? Did Sutton feel like someone else – like William – could make her feel the way Charlotte could?

“I have to say,” William broke in, interrupting her insane thoughts, “I was eaten up with jealousy when I saw that Charlotte had an advanced copy of the newest book.”

Yes, Charlotte had shared a photo to their not-often-used family group chat when everyone had wished one another a Merry Christmas. And she’d shared the picture of the book, not even intending to make William jealous, but because Sutton had given it to her. And that meant something to her.

“Friends in high places,” she deadpanned back. “Speaking of which, you wouldn’t mind if I borrowed Sutton, would you?”

She phrased it that way deliberately, to make it very clear that she would be whisking Sutton away – if Sutton wanted to go with her, of course. And she knew that William understood that, especially when he lifted his eyebrows at her.

William didn’t know all of the details of her day to day life, but he knew her tones, her expressions. And she knew very well that she was telling him silently but clearly: she and Sutton were a thing.

Good.

In this moment, with all of those thoughts whirling around in her mind – Sutton deserved so much, Sutton was so fucking beautiful, if anyone in this room took a beat to look around they would of course land on Sutton. Did Sutton want that? Was there even a possibility that Sutton would want someone that wasn’t Charlotte?

It seemed unfathomable to her, because she couldn’t entertain the idea of being with someone that wasn’t Sutton.

Charlotte used to be someone who had sex so casually. It had always been so easy for her.

And right now, it was slapping her in the face that it wasn’t the case for her, anymore.

She saw people like Peyton Lancaster and she knew they were attractive. She could maybe even feel some attraction. But it ended there. She had zero intrigue about the possibility of sleeping with anyone else.

It made her feel like she was on the edge of insanity.

It made her feel like she – fuck, she needed to know, right now, that Sutton felt the same way.

And, more than anything, she needed to feel Sutton. She had to. She’d never been more fervent and more intent on escaping a networking event in her life, but she couldn’t wait. That was the reality: she couldn’t wait until the end of the night to get her hands on Sutton. To kiss her, to feel her against Charlotte. To know, to have the physical evidence, that Sutton desired her this same way.

She led them, single-mindedly, through the halls, with her destination clear in her mind. She needed to get them there, and she needed to do it now.

“Are you okay?” Sutton asked, obviously confused as Charlotte led them through the dark, abandoned exhibit halls. “Don’t you have a lot of people to talk to?”

“The night is young,” she responded, trying, desperately, to keep it light. But that failed, because she didn’t feel light.

And then there was Sutton, who was so fucking sweet. Who genuinely did care about Charlotte’s list of people to network with.

That gave her the ability to take a deep, somewhat stabilizing breath, as she said quietly, “And I need… some space.”

“With me?” Sutton asked.

Charlotte didn’t slow her pace, though she whipped her head to look at Sutton, utterly baffled. “Of course with you, darling.” She slid her hand from Sutton’s hip to take her hand, interlacing their fingers. “Who else?”

The question fell from her lips softly, a little incredulously.

How could Sutton possibly think that wasn’t the case? How could Sutton not know that Charlotte was a mess inside, a tangle of complicated, heart-pounding, terrifying, thrilling emotions that she both wished she didn’t feel but also didn’t want to stop?

She didn’t know.

All she did know, was that she needed to have Sutton to herself. She needed to know, wildly, that Sutton felt those same emotions for her.

She turned to lead them even farther from the party, walking with purpose, because she’d memorized this on the building map earlier today. She’d planned to bring Sutton to the French Modernism exhibit that Sutton had talked about while they’d been lying in bed together the other day. The one Sutton said she was excited to see, and she’d already gotten an agreement from Regan that she’d join Sutton when it opened.

Sutton whispered – adorable, since no one else was around, “Are we allowed to be here?”

“Darling, it’s my grandmother’s party. We’re allowed to go wherever we want… as long as we’re quiet,” she tossed Sutton a teasing wink over her shoulder.

But, it was true.

It was especially true when Charlotte had contacted the museum security to discuss logistics for the exhibit, and to ensure that she’d be able to bring Sutton to see it before the end of the party tonight. Gary, quite a nice man who was a big fan of her grandmother’s, had informed her that he would be working tonight and would ensure Charlotte the privacy of the French Modernism exhibit during the party.

He’d assumed – because she’d let him assume – that she’d wanted to bring a selected group of people to discuss sensitive political matters. But, if that was what it took to have the opportunity to show Sutton this exhibit with some guaranteed privacy then who cares if there was a little lie by omission?

And it was more than worth it. Not only because of the feelings raging inside of her right now, but also because of the way Sutton’s eyes lit up in excitement when she saw where they were.

She watched Sutton take in the exhibit around them, the sheer delight on her face bringing Charlotte a kind of secondhand joy she’d never known before Sutton.

Still, though, it didn’t soothe her.

All she could do was think about seeing Sutton and William. The easy way they’d interacted, and how it had been so public. Something Charlotte couldn’t do in the same way with her, if it edged into flirting territory.

Did it have to matter? Did it matter?

No, it couldn’t be public. But her want – her need – for Sutton didn’t have to be public for her to feel it so strongly, it coursed through her very veins.

“So… my brother seemed quite taken with you,” the words fell from her lips, not accusatory, but… searching.

Trying so hard to suffocate any of these doubts, the doubts that she knew – deep down – only existed because she had insecurities in what she could give to Sutton. The doubts that existed because she couldn’t be the thing Sutton would ultimately want.

Maybe she couldn’t be that, but she could be the person with Sutton now. She could be the person that made Sutton feel sexy and desired and confident. The person that made Sutton come harder than she’d ever come before. The person whose touch Sutton craved.

“William?” Sutton asked, seeming a little confused, as she turned to look at Charlotte.

She was trying so hard. So hard to stay in control. “Well, Caleb is gay and you were only talking to the one,” she attempted a light tone, and knew she was missing by a mile.

Sutton scoffed. “Well, even though that is true, I’m pretty sure he wasn’t. We were just talking about our dogs.”

Sutton was adorably naïve in that way. Then again, it wasn’t as though William had been overt; he’d never been one to outwardly express a strong interest in someone unless he was sure.

But Charlotte knew, even if Sutton didn’t. “Darling, I know my brother. He sought you out to talk; do you know how often he does that at functions?”

Sutton’s eyebrows furrowed as she surmised, “I’m going to guess not too often?”

Charlotte found herself walking closer to Sutton, feeling acutely that the couple feet of space after they’d entered the exhibit were far too much. She didn’t want space between them.

She wanted no space. She wanted Sutton on her, she wanted to be on Sutton. She wanted no possibility of questions or uncertainties, here.

They both knew what they had, didn’t they? They’d established this, hadn’t they? They wanted one another, exclusively.

And that was still what Sutton wanted… right?

But it was that question that dug at her, sharply. It was that question that burned through Charlotte with the desire to make Sutton forget anyone else. To make Sutton think about Charlotte and only Charlotte, in the way Charlotte thought about her.

Sutton’s mouth fell open then, a dawning lighting up her face. “You were jealous.”

Charlotte was so close to reaching Sutton, only inches away from her and so close to reaching out. But she stopped dead in her tracks, that assertion shooting through her like ice.

Jealous.

Jealous.

Charlotte had been jealous a handful of times throughout her life, but it was always an envy of an achievement. She’d never once in her life felt jealous when it came to personal matters, because it was impossible to feel jealousy over people that didn’t matter to her.

What could she possibly care about, regarding the women she’d been with in the past? They could go on and do anything with anyone else in their lives; it was none of Charlotte’s business.

Hell, if a woman she’d been with in the past wanted to then be with William – so be it.

She. Didn’t. Care.

Which drove her to deny, “What? No.”

Because jealousy just, logically, did not apply to her. When she was forced to think about it, as a concept, it did not make sense.

But Sutton… Sutton, damningly, knew her better by now.

“You saw me talking to William, you knew we’d get along. And you found this information out about the exhibit because… you were jealous,” Sutton walked through her thoughts.

And nearly every single one of those thoughts was dead-accurate. Reading Charlotte in a way that she couldn’t help but love, even as it – no.

She folded her arms over her chest, willing it all away. Trying to, anyway. Trying to push everything away, everything that wasn’t easy. “No,” she denied again, shortly.

But, as she stared into Sutton’s eyes, she found her defenses battered.

She couldn’t lie to Sutton. Not even about this. Especially because she couldn’t even lie about it to herself.

She released a sigh, as she corrected, “I found out the information to show you the exhibit before seeing how good of a time you were having with William.”

At the very least, she needed that to be known. She needed Sutton to know that Charlotte hadn’t arranged this as a jealous response; she’d arranged it before. She’d arranged it because she cared about Sutton.

Sutton bit at her bottom lip, before she muttered, “I’m surprised you noticed anything with me when you were talking to Peyton Lancaster.”

Oh.

There was the same kind of possessive darkness in Sutton’s voice there, the same kind that resonated through Charlotte right now.

Sutton had been jealous. Sutton had taken notice of Charlotte talking to Peyton, and she’d cared. She’d hated it the same way Charlotte had hated the William situation.

It should have made her want to run away. Should have made her put the brakes on this. Because the only thing even close to being as dangerous as herself feeling jealous, was the woman she was sleeping with feeling jealous over Charlotte.

If it was anyone else in the world, any of the numerous women she’d ever fucked in the past, she’d have run. Not before a swift reminder of the NDA. The one that she hadn’t had Sutton sign. Because she’d known from day one she wouldn’t need to.

And Sutton wasn’t any other woman.

She was Sutton, and her jealousy reignited those sparks inside of Charlotte. Sutton feeling jealous made her entire body feel as though she’d been ignited.

Good.

It wasn’t that she wanted Sutton to feel this way, necessarily. But she wanted to know she wasn’t alone in it.

She walked closer, suddenly, acutely, feeling as though she was a predator approaching her prey. Slipping out of this unfamiliar out of control feeling and into something so much more natural to her.

“So, I’m not the only one of us who was… jealous,” she murmured, and it was a slightly difficult hiccup to push that word from her lips. To breathe it into existence. To admit her own jealousy.

But it was more than worth it to see the way Sutton swallowed, tightly. “Well, she is very pretty. And, um, dedicated. Wealthy. Influential.”

Sutton’s voice was trembling slightly as she spoke, and it stroked the burning embers inside of Charlotte. Driving her forward until she reached out and made contact with Sutton again, lightly dragging them over her hip.

“True…” Charlotte had long mastered the art of subtlety when it came to checking out a woman.

She couldn’t give a damn about subtlety right now. Right now, as she dragged her gaze down the length of Sutton’s body and then back up, she wanted Sutton to see. She wanted Sutton to read Charlotte, loud and clear.

She wanted Sutton to see that Charlotte had never desired someone like this.

“In all honesty, there’s no one who could quite distract all of my attention from you,” she admitted, and she wanted Sutton to hear it.

She wanted Sutton to know that Charlotte had every intention of taking her right here, in this room, swearing in her words as an oath. She wanted Sutton to know that Charlotte had every intention of not going back out into that gala until she’d made Sutton come so hard she felt her thigh tremble, until she knew that no matter who spoke to Sutton all night, she would only think of Charlotte.

It was all she could think about. She hadn’t even consciously registered it when she’d brought Sutton here to this exhibit.

All she’d been able to think about when she’d led Sutton here was that she’d needed to have Sutton alone. Just the two of them.

But, she realized now, underneath it all? Had been this.

“Yeah?” Sutton breathed out.

And, fuck, the way her breath hitched in her throat as Charlotte stepped closer, close enough that their bodies pressed together, made Charlotte clench, aching already.

She bit her lip, holding back the groan that almost escaped her when Sutton reached out and stroked her hand over Charlotte’s waist. Even though her dress, she shivered at the touch. Something only Sutton could evoke in her.

With how close they were, she could feel Sutton’s warm breath against her lips, and she dropped her eyes to stare.

Sutton’s mouth was so fucking perfect. Soft, quick to smile, and so wonderfully talented.

She leaned in, magnetized to that mouth – the one she hadn’t yet been able to kiss tonight because of how public everything had been.

And then she paused.

So, so close.

Aching to connect their mouths, aching to taste Sutton.

But she needed more. She needed – wildly, illogically – to know, without a single whisper of a doubt, that Sutton felt this same way.

That the only person Sutton wanted to devour her the way Charlotte was about to, was Charlotte.

So when Sutton leaned in to connect their lips in that kiss, Charlotte ducked back just in time.

She needed Sutton to need this, the way she did.

Stroking her hand up Sutton’s bare arm, reveling in the shivers that followed her touch, she leaned in again. So close this time, their lips brushed. Just the hint of a touch, not even a real kiss.

And before either of them gave into it, she pulled her head back again, even as she pressed her body closer. Made it so they were completely pressed against one another.

God, she – she felt intoxicated herself with the proximity, and she dropped her forehead against Sutton’s with a heated exhale. Tilting her head just enough to graze her bottom lip against Sutton’s top one.

Both loving and hating this little game she’d created, this back and forth that was making her so fucking close to snapping.

“Do you want me, darling?” She asked, the words hardly above a whisper.

She’d meant to sound lighter, more teasing, but she couldn’t. Not with the intensity aflame inside of her.

“Charlotte,” Sutton’s lips brushed against hers when she spoke, and Charlotte’s eyes fluttered closed for just a moment. “Kiss me.”

Jesus.

Sutton’s words left her on a whimper, something that clawed itself at home inside of Charlotte, demanding a response. Demanding action. Demanding her to take Sutton, because Sutton was hers for the taking.

But that was just it, wasn’t it?

She needed to know that Sutton was hers.

Tracing her fingertip up from Sutton’s shoulder, she slid it up Sutton’s neck. Her fingers tingled from the warmth, from the soft sensation of her skin, before she cupped Sutton’s jaw.

They fit together so well. Even in ways like this, the way Sutton’s jaw felt against her palm.

Transfixed by that, she watched every millimeter of Sutton’s skin her thumb traced over, before landing on that perfectly soft bottom lip. She rubbed her thumb gently back and forth, and she could see how the touch made Sutton shudder.

God.

Charlotte gently scratched her short thumbnail against Sutton’s lip, feeling the give of that plush mouth under her touch. “Do you want me?”

That was what she needed.

It might not be fair, it might not make any logical sense. They couldn’t be together for real, they couldn’t do more than what they were already doing.

But right now, Charlotte didn’t fucking care.

She shivered, a whole-body shiver, when Sutton slid her hand around Charlotte completely, encasing her in her arms, as she answered, “You know I do.”

Her voice was so soft and so earnest, and fuck.

Yes. Yes, Charlotte did know. And it was both heaven and hell for her all at once.

Groaning in the back of her throat, she couldn’t hold back anymore. That thin tether of control she’d managed to grip was gone, snapped.

She used the touch she had on Sutton’s jaw, the thumb she had on her bottom lip, to guide Sutton’s mouth to hers.

There was no holding back. She couldn’t.

Everything she felt, everything she was, poured into this kiss. She wanted everything from Sutton in return.

She walked Sutton back, mindlessly, until Sutton’s back hit the wall. Giving them somewhere solid to do this.

Unable to contain herself, unable to wait, she slid her hand between Sutton’s thighs. Slipping under the hem of her dress, stroking up higher… higher… until she was so close to touching Sutton, but not quite there.

But, fuck. Sutton was feeling exactly how she was right now, Charlotte knew it. She could feel it even without truly touching her yet.

“H-here?” Sutton gasped out, her head falling back against the wall.

Charlotte had been kissing her neck, and she paused, looking up at Sutton. “Here. Now,” she growled against her.

And she just barely had the presence of mind to pause before she really touched Sutton. She had to give Sutton the opportunity to say no, to walk away from this. From them fucking in a closed down exhibit hall.

This hadn’t been what Charlotte had planned when she’d ensured they’d be able to have a private moment. She’d thought they could come in here and that they’d maybe kiss, be able to have a little bit of closeness.

She’d never been so thankful to her past self.

She vibrated with the control it took for her not to move further, not to slide her fingers up and press them against Sutton’s pussy.

But then Sutton breathed out, “Yes.”

And Charlotte was ready.

The hand she still had cupping Sutton’s jaw tightened slightly, keeping her head tilted up. Charlotte needed complete and total access to her neck. She couldn’t mark Sutton – she couldn’t – and she knew that.

It didn’t mean she didn’t want to. Right here, right now, she wanted it. Hers.

Moaning against Sutton, she bit her. Not hard enough to leave a mark… probably.

But harder than she usually did.

She felt truly wild, her heart pounding, entirely consumed by her desire for Sutton. And every time Sutton shuddered, every sound that came from the back of her throat drove Charlotte higher.

Her own hand was trembling slightly as she pressed her fingers against Sutton through her underwear. She gasped against her neck, because she was so, so wet. Even though her underwear, she felt it.

Then Sutton moaned – loudly – and Charlotte grinned sharply against her neck, dragging her fingers back down.

“Shhh,” she whispered against Sutton’s neck, her lips tingling with the contact. “We have to be quiet.”

She felt the way Sutton tried to roll her hips down against her, trying to get Charlotte to touch her again.

“Please. I’ll be quiet,” Sutton panted out, her voice reedy and begging.

She closed her eyes as her own clit pulsed, and she dragged her fingers back up Sutton’s thigh, rubbing her through her underwear. This time more intently, with purpose.

Stroking from her entrance, where she was fucking dripping through the fabric, and tightly sliding her fingers up, rubbing hard over Sutton’s hard clit.

“God, Sutton, you’re so wet for me. I can feel you already. You’re fucking soaked.”

She didn’t know who she was driving crazier, herself or Sutton.

She watched as Sutton dug her teeth into her bottom lip in an obvious effort to stay quiet, before she brought her lips back to Sutton’s neck, finding that same place that made her shudder so hard it felt like her knees would buckle.

She stroked Sutton’s clit firmly through her underwear, feeling the hem of the dress press against her wrist.

There was no way Sutton had planned this at all, but she’d dressed for the occasion, and Charlotte loved her for it.

“Fuck, I love this dress,” she grit out, trailing kisses back up Sutton’s neck. “I couldn’t tell you the proper way when I saw you outside, but… fuck, Sutton.”

She’d had to hold her reaction to Sutton in this dress in, to act appropriate with all of the attention that had been on them. But Sutton had walked into this evening in a dress that made Charlotte itch to peel it off from the second she’d laid eyes on her.

Right now, right here, she couldn’t quite peel the dress off.

But she didn’t need to, to do what she needed.

“Open your legs as much as you can for me,” she ordered.

Sutton complied immediately, shifting to open her legs a few inches wider before it was clear the unforgiving material of her dress wouldn’t allow her to open any wider. A keening, disappointed sound left Sutton’s throat, and resonated through her entire body.

She chuckled softly with it, rubbing intently against Sutton’s clit. “Don’t worry, baby. I can make you come just like this.”

Sutton was so wet, so ready, Charlotte had no doubts about that. She had no doubt that Sutton was already close to falling right into her orgasm.

But Charlotte had to be inside of her, first. She needed to be deep inside of Sutton when that happened, needed to feel every response from Sutton.

Swiftly, she tugged Sutton’s underwear aside and slid her fingers exactly where she needed them to be.

Deep inside of Sutton, feeling the heat of her pussy engulfing her, she couldn’t have possibly gone slower if she wanted. Couldn’t.

She moved faster, harder, thrusting quick and hard, pressing Sutton against the wall when Sutton’s back arched harder.

She needed this. Needed to make Sutton come. She’d never needed anything so intensely in her life, as she did right now.

She needed it enough to lift her head so she could watch it happen, watch Sutton fall over the edge as she felt her start to clench around her fingers.

Charlotte had to take in every single second of this.

The way Sutton’s blue eyes opened and barely focused on hers, hazy and dark, as she panted out Charlotte’s name.

Yes. God, yes.

She fucked Sutton faster, faster, knowing she was about to –

When Sutton’s head snapped back and her mouth fell open, Charlotte reached up and pressed her hand over her lips, muffling the cries that escaped her.

She soaked in every second, watching the way Sutton arched, the way she shuddered. Continuing to coax Sutton through her orgasm as she felt her contract around her fingers, moving a little slower to drag this out as long as possible.

When Sutton eventually relaxed against the wall, her body going from so tightly drawn to lax, Charlotte felt her own heart pounding like she’d just run a marathon. Like she’d just had her own orgasm.

Though she hadn’t, she’d never been so close in her life as she was in this moment. So fucking close, and she’d not even been touched.

Sliding her fingers out of Sutton, she brought them to her own lips, tasting Sutton’s orgasm. The orgasm that was all for her.

And she breathed out a sharp, surprised exhale when Sutton seemed to find her strength, yanking Charlotte against her, stealing Charlotte’s lips in a demanding kiss.

One she met beat-for-beat, straining against Sutton, already trembling with desire.

Yes, yes, this. She’d needed more than anything to make Sutton come… and now, she needed more. Now, she needed Sutton to do the same for her. Like they were making an oath to one another.

She hadn’t even realized Sutton had wrapped her so securely in her arms until Sutton spun them, and Charlotte’s back hit the wall with a force she hadn’t anticipated. With enough force that her breath was knocked from her lungs, and she gasped into Sutton’s kiss.

Because – holy fuck.

She’d already been so turned on, she could feel herself dripping down her thigh, but that – that had given a new, sharper edge to it. A thrill rushed through Charlotte’s veins at the quiet strength she could feel in Sutton’s body holding her against the wall.

And she blinked up at Sutton, surprised at her own response.

Sutton’s eyes were wide and imploring as she asked, “You liked that?”

Charlotte knew Sutton was being genuine, but fuck if those words didn’t pulse through Charlotte with a renewed arousal. You liked that.

She had. She really, really had.

“Dirty talk, Sutton Spencer? Tonight is full of new things,” was all she could manage out, before she reached up and wrapped her hand around Sutton’s neck, bringing their mouths back together.

She was rolling her hips against Sutton’s, kissing her with a fierce intensity, and was so caught up in it all, that she hardly registered Sutton’s hands grasping tightly at her wrists.

Charlotte’s mouth dropped open in a soundless moan when Sutton lifted her hands above her head, and leaned into her so hard, caging her in. Charlotte – she – she didn’t have any control, she realized.

Sutton’s grip was tight and strong and firm, and even as Charlotte was rolling her hips into Sutton’s, she couldn’t make Sutton move.

Sutton was in control here, in a way Charlotte had never experienced.

Not with anyone. Ever.

And then Sutton grinded her hips down into Charlotte’s, rocking against her harder, and Charlotte’s breath shuddered out of her.

She… she was at Sutton’s mercy.

And that thought made her clit throb, and she groaned, “Yes.”

“You do like this, huh?” Sutton asked, and that was far closer to dirty talk than before, and Charlotte – she couldn’t think straight. She couldn’t do anything but exist here, a pulsing, needing being, just waiting for Sutton to give her what she wanted.

She rolled her wrists, testing the strength in Sutton’s grip. Testing how much she really did like it.

And then Sutton tightened her hold, squeezing, keeping Charlotte right where she was, and she felt a full-body shudder work through her.

What was this? What – what… how… she’d never known this kind of desire, before.

Feeling vulnerable was a major turn-off to Charlotte.

She supposed that was true with everyone but Sutton, because she was the farthest thing from turned off right now.

“You like that I’m stronger than you,” Sutton murmured, her tone a little hoarse, and even the sound of her voice made Charlotte tremble with the need to come.

She did. She really, shockingly, did.

“Fuck. Sutton. I want you to take me,” she breathed out, and she’d never have known those words were inside of her. She’d never have known that desire was inside of her.

But it was.

It was exactly what she needed right now, on the heels of this sharp, gnawing jealousy. She needed Sutton to take her over.

She’d have never been able to predict that Sutton would follow through so spectacularly.

Before she realized it, Sutton had her standing in front of the railing along the wall.

She felt her hands pressed down against the cold metal, Sutton ordering, “Here.”

Reflexively, she held onto the railing, tightly. Feeling herself so easily give in to that demand, in a way that she wanted to rail against, but… she didn’t. She wanted to do precisely what Sutton wanted her to do.

Sutton kissed her, a little roughly, a little demandingly, and she gave right in to every wordless demand.

And then she felt Sutton reach down, grasping under her thighs, and… she wasn’t going to –

Sutton lifted her off of her feet, and she gasped in surprise, quickly followed by a flood of desire, as she brought her thighs up to bracket Sutton’s hips.

But Sutton – jesus christ – she was holding Charlotte up like this, and just like that, she really was entirely under Sutton’s control.

She could hardly breathe through it, hardly keep up with all of the sensations working through her body right now. Sutton sat her against the railing, jerking her dress up – thankfully, Charlotte’s skirt was a lot looser than Sutton’s, giving her access.

And then Sutton’s hands were on her thighs, scratching up her legs roughly. She shuddered, moaning long and low at Sutton’s treatment of her.

Charlotte was technically wearing her thong, but it was nothing, anymore. In fact, the only thing it did was rub against her clit, providing her a much-needed friction. But other than that, Sutton had pushed the skirt of her dress up so much that she was completely exposed.

Sutton then reached down to cup her ass, jerking her from the railing, and rolling her hips down firmly against Charlotte.

Her grip tightened on the rail, trying desperately to ground herself.

But how could she? How could she when Sutton was moving against her like this, like she was fucking Charlotte? No, not “like” she was – she was. She might not be wearing a strap, she might not even be using her hands.

With this angle, with the way Charlotte’s thong rubbed roughly over her clit every time Sutton rolled her hips into her… Sutton was fucking her. She was doing exactly what Charlotte had demanded, and was taking her.

She dropped her head on Sutton’s shoulder, pressing messy, wet kisses everywhere she could touch. Wanting to feel Sutton everyone, even on her lips. “Yes. Fuck. Yes. Sutton.”

She’d never – she’d never.

But she was. She was going to come, soon. Like this. She could feel it, and the strength of her orgasm was barreling toward her with a magnitude that was overwhelming.

She brought her hands up, scrambling for purchase on Sutton. To anchor herself, to do anything to prepare for how strongly the waves of her orgasm were about to take her over.

Sutton leveraged the wall behind them, pinning Charlotte against it tighter, as she brought one of her own hands up to unclasp Charlotte’s grip from her, forcing her hands back down against the rail.

“I said to keep them here. You’re going to come like this.”

There was a strength, a dominance, in Sutton’s voice, and it – it –

Charlotte fell, head-first, into her orgasm, unable to do anything but give herself over to it. Give herself over to Sutton.

She’d never come so hard in her life. Never in her life had she felt so overtaken by pleasure, and she couldn’t do anything other than… exist in it.

She’d never felt so weak in her life. Like the strength of her orgasm sapped everything out of her body by the time it faded.

And with it, she released a long, deep breath finally melting back against the wall. She was still working on catching her breath, as she tilted her head back to look at Sutton.

A part of Charlotte thought she, maybe, should feel embarrassed. By… everything. By her reaction to William. By her dragging Sutton off with this primal need to claim her. By her shocking response to Sutton taking control.

But… she didn’t have it in her to be embarrassed. About anything.

Right now, she could only feel this warmth as she met Sutton’s gaze with her own. This overwhelming, affection that worked through her on the heels of her orgasm.

“That was… something else,” she breathed out, and still wasn’t sure what to classify that orgasm as.

She’d never fully given control to anyone, before. She’d never have believed she would like the sensation of it. And she knew – she did – that she wouldn’t like that with anyone else.

It was all Sutton.

“You are something else, Sutton Spencer,” the words left her before she could even realize it, laced with this lightness, this reverence inside of her. It was the only word that made sense, that came even close to how she felt about Sutton.

Charlotte knew they were barreling toward a reckoning. Things couldn’t exist like this, in this vacuum, forever.

But… tonight, at the very least, it could. Just a little bit longer.

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