Trey: Knowing you worry about me makes me just about the happiest guy covered in soot and sweat possible.
Not knowing what to say in response, Charlotte simply sent him a winky face emoji. She somehow even managed to make emojis seem awkward. How was that possible? Staring at the phone screen, Charlotte contemplated what the best was to go about asking the guy you were talking to, had never met, but are wildly attracted to, to give her information that he most likely was not allowed to give. Nothing like this had ever happened to her before. She knew she had to ask if she wanted to do her own job, but she also didn’t want to upset Trey. She loved their conversations everyday and didn’t know to navigate this minefield.
Before she could type out another word, her phone lit up with Trey’s name and a selfie he had sent to her a few days before. Charlotte stood from her chair, holding up one finger to Annabelle, signaling she’d be back in just a minute.
“Hello?”
“Go ahead and ask me all the questions you want, babe. Can't promise I’ll answer all of them, but I could hear you wanting to ask even over all the sirens and hoses.” The humor in Trey’s voice instantly put Charlotte at ease. She didn’t know how he did it, but he somehow managed to find the one soft spot to crawl past the panic and anxiety that always hovered just under the surface of Charlotte’s skin.
“Are you sure? I don’t want you to get in trouble.” Charlotte paced back and forth in front of the photogs’ equipment room, praying no one would interrupt her conversation.
“I’m sure. I know how much you love your job. We’ve talked about this arsonist before. It is fine. I won’t tell you anything that could get me fired.” Trey fell silent on the other side of the line once again, and Charlotte could almost hear him tapping his foot, waiting for her to start.
“So, you do think this is the work of the arsonist then, right?” Her voice shook slightly with the nerves of questioning not only a person she knew, but a person she was beginning to care deeply about, even though they had yet to meet.
“Yes, that is the suspicion. It will take a while to confirm that officially.” Trey took in a deep breath, held it for a moment, then blew it out in an obvious sign of frustration. “The closest arson K-9 is about an hour away, and since this wasn’t a fatality, he probably won’t arrive to investigate until tomorrow at the earliest. Then samples must be sent to labs, so the official arson ruling will take at least a week or two, and it will have to come from the proper channels. But the pieces add up to our arsonist taking the next step in his growth.”
“This fire is significantly bigger than what we’ve seen to this point. Why such a big jump?” Charlotte jotted down some notes on the pad always in her pocket as she listened to Trey’s deep and authoritative voice. She really shouldn’t be turned on right now, but hearing him in his element, talking about something he knew so much about, yeah, her panties were getting soaked.
“There is no real way to tell. Something could have happened in the arsonists life that would spark this big of a jump. He could’ve seen the news coverage on the last fire and been excited by it, wanted to outdo himself. You’re guess is as good as mine on that one.”
“Can you tell me why the fire was able to spread so quickly through the neighborhood?” Charlotte had a feeling she knew the answer, but she had to ask anyway.
“A number of things. The suspect is probably using an accelerant to speed things up, but he would have stuck to the exterior of the house for that.” The timbre of his voice deepened, with an almost growly undertone as his explanation went on. His anger and frustration were palpable, even through the phone line. “But this is also a low-income neighborhood filled with old, poorly constructed row homes. They don’t have firewalls that extend up to the roof, so the fire spreads up to the shared crawl spaces and just consumes everything in its path.”
After a few more questions, Charlotte had all the information she needed. But she knew how Mira worked, and knew that she would want to find an interview no one else would have. If she could get Trey to agree to go on camera, it would be a major victory for the little station that could, but could also be potentially detrimental to his career.
“Is there anyway you might consider going on camera, just repeating the things you just told me?” Charlotte’s skin tightened around her body, making her feel claustrophobic despite being in the cavernous equipment room. She shouldn’t have asked. It was too much too soon. The one man to show interest in her despite her obvious problems and this is how she messes it up, by pushing too hard in the name of her career. “Never mind. I’m sorry I asked.”
“No, I want to. I do. Not only because I want to do anything that would help you or make you happy, but because I really think the public needs to be aware this guy is out there and that they need to be paying attention to things like people loitering around abandoned houses.” Trey truly did sound like he regretted having to say no to her, and that helped to loosen the rising panic inside her chest. “Listen, if your photographer can figure out a way to shoot me and alter my voice so there is no way I can be identified, I’ll do it. On one condition.”
Hope rushed through Charlotte in a burst, an emotion she would normally suppress. But for once, she let it fill her, reveling in the bright glow for once. This would be a huge get for her, especially with the prospect of this new promotion on the horizon. “Anything, I’ll do anything you want.”
“Fuck, I love hearing you say that.” Trey’s breaths turned ragged and strained. In response, Charlotte’s nipples contracted to sharp little points which poked through her thin blouse. “My condition is I want a date. In person. Wherever you decide makes you feel the most comfortable. And at the end of the date, I want a kiss. A real kiss. I want to taste you.”
Holy shit.
“That sounds like two demands.” Her own voice was high and betrayed her level of nervousness.
“Maybe it is. What do you say? I’m not above using every weapon in my arsenal to get you in my arms, sugar.”
Indecision clouded her mind. She wanted to say yes. God did she ever. She wanted to taste Trey too. Wanted to feel what a man that held nothing back felt like when he kissed. Her one sad attempt at getting physical with a man weighed on her though. Would it be the same with Trey? Would he see her in person, touch her in real life, and not be able to follow through? That might kill her a little bit.
But something about Trey and his sweetly domineering way of talking to her told her that wouldn’t be the case. No, she suspected if anything were to happen, it would be the opposite. He would get one taste and wouldn’t want to stop. An equally terrifying prospect.
But something in the past few days had made some secret reserve of bravery reveal itself.
“Okay. I’ll go on a date with you. Whether you do the interview or not. I just.” Charlotte bit her lip, leaning back on the carpet covered wall in the old studio from the seventies. Why the hell was this old carpet still up anyway? The thought distracted her for a brief moment, long enough to let her true feelings pop out without having to think too hard about them. “I want to taste you too.”
The words came out nothing more than a breathy whisper. But Trey’s responding groan let her know he’d heard her loud and clear.
“Get your photographer over here. I’ll text you where I’ll meet him. Then get ready, because when we meet, nothing will be the same again.”
