Chapter Four
Michelle’s proposal weighed on Charlotte for the rest of the night. For the first time in her career at WQUZ, she had to remind herself to pay attention to the scanners. Usually, it came as second nature to have a portion of her brain listening to the activity over the radios, but tonight, she couldn’t seem to focus on anything. Her brain was too full of heavy decisions.
As a result, Trey ended up being the furthest thing from her mind as she dialed the numbers for her rounds calls. That is, until his smooth bass voice practically shook the receiver pressed to her ear. The vibrations traveled through her body, landing square on her now throbbing clit.
“Zone seven, how can I help you?”
Just like the first time, the instant she heard his voice, her heart pounded against her ribs and her panties immediately soaked through. Only this time, a healthy dose of shame followed her other emotions at the memory of pleasuring herself while thinking of him. The calendar photo popped into her mind’s eye once more, not helping the soaked panty issue at all.
“Um, yes, hello, this is Charlotte Orlov calli—”
“I know where you’re calling from Charlotte.” His velvet lined voice seemed to grow deeper, more sensual as he said her name. “I’ve been wondering if I’d hear from you tonight.”
Damn.
Trey’s words set her heart racing even more. He wondered about her. Charlotte. The shy introvert. No one wondered about her, other than to wonder what was wrong with her.
“Um, yes, well, I am the assignment editor on nights, and uh, so yes, you will be hearing from me. I mean you, um, are hearing from me, you know, right now. So yes. Hi.”
Oh god.
Charlotte wanted nothing more than to crawl under her desk, pull the sweater she always kept in the drawer over her head, and just stay there until she inevitably died of embarrassment. Why could she not talk to Trey like a normal human being? She had found ways to fake not being terrified of people in every other situation in her life. But it seemed his voice and the memory of what exactly he looked like had turned her into the bumbling idiot she truly was.
“I’m glad. I’ve been wondering if I made up that sweet voice in my head. But nope. Still the prettiest thing I’ve ever heard.” His low voice saying those words did fascinating things to her body.
She didn’t know what to say in response. Flirting simply didn’t exist in her world. But for the first time, she desperately wanted to be able to talk to a man without second guessing everything that made her up. Maybe just this once, she could let the woman she buried deep inside come out, just a little. That woman felt things, wanted to step outside her safe little world.
Closing her eyes, Charlotte shoved the uncertainty and awkwardness down as much as she could. “I thought the same thing about your voice. Not that it’s sweet. That I made it up. Because it’s so deep. I’ve never heard anything like it outside a Barry White song. Not that you sound like a dead soul singer. Better. I’m going to stop now.”
So much for channeling her inner seductress. Charlotte couldn’t figure out what it was about talking to Trey that made her go from barely speaking more than a few words at a time to a man unless she absolutely had to, to this nonsensical verbal diarrhea.
Her cheeks flamed with embarrassed heat as he chuckled on the other side of the line.
“Don’t stop. Hearing you talk is literally the highlight of my day. Maybe week.” His laughing slowly faded as the silence between them stretched.
Charlotte had no clue what to say. Conversation never came easy to her, she relied on others to carry her in that department, and simply responded to their cues. Avoided situations where she might be expected to talk. And then faked it when all else failed. That’s why she didn’t date.
“You still there, sugar? I didn’t frighten you off, did I?” A slight tone of worry crept into his voice, and that little sign of vulnerability somehow helped her to relax.
“I’m still here. Just don’t know what to say. No one has ever talked to me like this before.” The honesty fell from her lips before she could stop it. Tonight, the words coming from her mouth seemed to be unstoppable. She glanced around the newsroom, making sure she remained the last person there for the night. That no photographers had snuck up on her while her blood whooshed through her ears.
“Strange men don’t normally hit on you while you’re trying to do your job? I guess I should be ashamed of myself, but can’t seem to get there since you’re still on the phone.”
Charlotte couldn’t contain her quiet laughter. “No, men don’t usually hit on me at all. Ever. Is that what you’re doing? Hitting on me?”
“Absolutely. Is it working?”
Some little lilt in his voice gave away that somewhere on the other side of Pittsburgh, Trey grinned. Which made Charlotte grin like an idiot as well.
“I don’t know. I’ve never been hit on before. How do I know if it’s working?” Charlotte wrapped the phone cord around and around her finger until the tip started to turn purple, then unwrapped it until the color came back. Focusing on the repetition of the act took her mind off the fact that she might currently be flirting with a 911 dispatcher-slash-firefighter.
“Well, first of all, I find it hard to believe you’ve never been hit on before, though this is the second time you’ve mentioned that. Are you sure you just don’t realize men are hitting on you?”
“I think I’d know if they were.” Taking a deep breathe, Charlotte decided to be honest with this guy that she found herself inexplicably drawn. “To be honest, I don’t give them much of a chance. I don’t go out much.”
“Oh, I see, keeping all that cuteness to yourself.”
“How do you know I’m cute? I could be an eighty-year-old woman with cataracts and no hair. You’d have no idea.”
