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They wanted each other-bad.
And now, as Bo
But Charlotte didn't seem particularly relaxed or dreamy eyed. She wasn't sighing without provocation. She wasn't looking off into space. In fact, Charlotte seemed a tad snippy.
"How's your day been, honey?"
"Same ole shit, Bon." Charlotte blew a strand of hair away from her face. "Shit to do for my clients. Shit to buy at the grocery. Shit to do around the house. You know- shit that's supposed to be upstairs is downstairs. Shit that's supposed to be downstairs is upstairs. Shit that's supposed to be cooked is frozen. Shit that's supposed to be clean is dirty. Same old shit."
Bo
Interesting.
The family room door flew open; "I'm hungry, Mama," Hank said.
"You've already had your snack. Go back outside and play."
"But I'm starving!"
"No, you are clearly not starving, Hank. You can wait for di
"But Justin and Matt are out riding their bikes and I don't have anybody to play with."
Charlotte tossed the carrot peeler into the stainless-steel sink with a loud sigh. "Then go ride with them."
"But they rode into town and we're not allowed to ride into town."
"They did what?"
"Uh-oh."
"How many times have I told that kid not to ride into town without telling me first?" Charlotte massaged her forehead. "Just come on inside and read."
"I don't have anything to read."
"You have an entire bookshelf full of books, Hank."
"But-"
"That's it!" Charlotte jogged around the kitchen counter and whipped open the doors. "Out! Now! Get some fresh air! I'll call you when di
She ushered a miserable Hank outside, then slammed the door.
Nope. Charlotte hadn't been laid yet.
Ned had been right, of course. Bo
"So what happened Saturday after we left? Did Joe stay?"
Charlotte stood at the stove, her back to Bo
"That's it? Just talked?"
Charlotte spun around, and that's when Bo
"Honey, are you okay?"
"No!"
Charlotte flung her elbows down on the butcher block and hid her head in her arms. Bo
"What is it?"
"Can we go into the other room for a minute?"
Charlotte stalked off into the living room without waiting for an answer, and Bo
What would it be this time?
They got comfortable on the sofa and Bo
"I can't hold back any longer." Charlotte looked at Bo
"Passion?" Bo
"Yeah. That."
"A love affair?"
Charlotte nodded.
"Wild sex?"
A moan escaped Charlotte's lips.
"You know, honey, it's possible to have both a life and a sex life."
Charlotte shook her head sadly and whispered, "I wouldn't know, Bon."
That was a bit of a surprise, and Bo
Charlotte nodded, cast her eyes downward, and cleared her throat. "I've never told anyone this, so bear with me, but the thing is that with Kurt, I always felt like I was abnormal, too interested in sex, too, uh-"
"Horny?"
Charlotte's eyes went huge. "I guess."
Kurt had always struck Bo
"So you weren't happy sexually?"
"Not at all."
"And you thought it was your fault?"
Charlotte nodded, and Bo
Charlotte turned away from Bo
Charlotte's shoulders stopped shaking. She looked up at Bo
She'd asked for the details, Bo
"And when I told him what I really wanted-things I'd had that one time with Joe-he was appalled. Embarrassed. A little worried about me."
"Good Lord, Charlotte."
"So I went through my whole marriage thinking I was a pervert because I wanted him to smack my butt and talk dirty to me. Am I a pervert?"
Bo
"He was just so shy about sex-wouldn't talk to me about it-and one day he caught me… he caught me…" Charlotte flew off the couch and started pacing. "I've always kept this journal of erotic poetry-things that pop into my head at the oddest times that I just can't keep locked inside. Some of it is very hot."
She looked to Bo
"Well, one day he caught me with my journal and… well, I was touching myself. He freaked. He picked up my journal, read a few lines of what I'd written, told me he was afraid for me, and walked out of the bedroom. He wouldn't talk to me about it."
"Oh, Charlotte-"
"After about three days, I left him a note in his briefcase. The note said that I really needed to talk to him about my sexual frustration and how lonely I was for him. I told him I wanted to talk to him about my poetry. I told him I loved him and I wanted desperately to share the sexual part of myself with him.".
Bo
"He never acknowledged the note. He never said a word to me about it."
Bo
"I'm sure. He always got the notes I left him in his briefcase."
"And when was this?"
Charlotte shrugged. "About three years ago. Hank was five. I didn't know what to do, Bon. I was scared that I wouldn't be able to love him anymore."
"Oh, sweetie." Bo
"Me, too," Charlotte said into Bo