beat furiously, and her palms were actually sweating. On some level she’d known this was going to happen—there had just been something about their previous conversation that suggested it—but still, she couldn’t believe it was really happening. It was so…romantic. She and this man she’d never met had a genuine, spiritual bond, and it was the most romantic thing she’d ever experienced. He wasn’t like other men who were condescending about her spirituality or her tarot reading, or who approached sex as if it were a sport. EJB was sensitive, expressive and open.
EJB: What do the cards say?
She picked up her deck, and shuffled carefully, holding the deck close by her heart, feeling the cool breeze from the window against her overly warm skin as she cut the deck and took the card from the top, flipping it over slowly, hoping…The Lovers.
3
CHARLOTTE’S HEART leapt as she looked down at the nude figures intertwined in a passionate embrace even though she knew the cards were not literal—seeing the Death card didn’t mean you were going to die, and seeing The Lovers didn’t necessarily mean you were going to become romantically involved. But it didn’t mean you weren’t, either. It all depended on free will, and what she decided to do at this very critical moment. She could walk away, or she could take a chance.
She clicked the image so it appeared on the screen for EJB to see, too, not typing a word.
EJB: That’s amazing.
CHARLEY: It can be about difficult situations, and making good choices. It’s not always about romance.
EJB: Maybe we should choose to make it about romance.
CHARLEY: (smiling) I was kind of hoping you’d say that.
She let out a happy little squeak after she’d typed the words, bopping up and down and nearly knocking the laptop from its perch on her thighs. She was excited as all get out. Could this really be happening to her?
Thoughts raced through her mind. What did EJB look like? What was his voice like? What color were his eyes? He had to be handsome, with the active sex life he’d mentioned. She thought about that for a second, and shrugged. So what if he was a bit of a playboy? If she was going to try to have a romance, it might as well be with a man who knew what he was doing.
She wondered what his real name was. She had seen his credit card payment, but it just said his last name—Beaumont—and the first two initials. She wanted to know his first name, so she could see how it felt moving past her lips for the very first time.
EJB: Can we set the tarot cards aside for a few minutes and get to know each other a little bit?
CHARLEY: Okay. I was just thinking I wanted to know what your real first name was.
EJB: (smiling) I guess that’s a good place to start. Actually, I usually go by my initials, EJ, since my dad, and my grandad, had the same first and middle names. But my full name is Ethan Jared Beaumont.
Charlotte pressed a hand to her heart, inhaling and then whispering the name on the breath she released. He even had a romantic name, for goodness sake. She said it over a few times, and then answered.
CHARLEY: May I call you Ethan?
EJB: I kind of prefer EJ, only because my dad was Ethan, and I’d rather hear my name than his off your beautiful lips. And I assume your real name is not Charley?
CHARLEY: No, but it’s a shortened form of my real name, Charlotte.
EJB: That’s beautiful—it’s incredibly sexy. I’ve never known a woman with that name. Until you.
Charlotte felt herself blush, and rolled her eyes at herself. Oh, my.
CHARLEY: Thank you. What else would you like to talk about? I asked about names, so I guess it’s your turn.
EJB: Personally, I’m wondering what you like in bed. What your favorite spot to be touched is, what makes you cry out.
CHARLEY: I haven’t had all that much experience finding out, I’m afraid to say. Does that bother you?
EJ scowled at the screen. What game was she playing now? He was supposed to be playing the dupe, letting himself appear to be reeled in, so he played along.
EJB: Are you saying you’re a virgin?
CHARLEY: (laughing) No, not quite. But it’s been a while. A long while.
EJB: Care to share why?
CHARLEY: Nothing earthshaking, just life. I had other priorities and, well, I don’t make a habit out of having casual sex.
EJB: That’s good to know. I can’t say I’ve been serious with anyone in a while, either, though I’m open to the idea. With the right person. It’s just that between running the family business and dealing with life, there hasn’t been time to find her.
He sat back in his chair, smiling. That should bait the hook nicely. If she hadn’t recognized his name already as part of one of Norfolk’s leading families, she at least knew he was successful in some sense.
CHARLEY: Work can be rewarding, but it’s hard to not let it take over your life and crowd out everything else.
EJB: True. I love my work, but I’m finding you to be quite the distraction. I was thinking about you all day at work today.
CHARLEY: You were? Why?
EJB: I guess it’s the things you shared with me. The intimacy between us. We may not have had sex—yet—but we talked about it, and you’ve gotten under my skin.
CHARLEY: EJ…I don’t know what to say.
EJB: Say you’ll meet me.
CHARLEY: That may not actually be possible.
EJB: Where do you live?
CHARLEY: Virginia.
EJB: Where in Virginia?
CHARLEY: On the coast. Norfolk.
EJB: Charley, fate is on our side.
CHARLEY: Why do you say that?
EJB: I live in Norfolk, too.
Charlotte sat back, stunned. Was this possible? She’d heard a lot of stories about people meeting on the Internet, traveling incredible distances to be together, but ending up in the same city? She might not be so surprised in an enormous population like New York City, but for two people in Norfolk—the sheer magic of it floored her, and she had no idea what to say.
EJB: Charlotte. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to shock you. This is a huge coincidence, I know, but it’s not all that uncommon these days. Maybe we’re just lucky. Maybe it’s fate. Are you okay?
CHARLEY: Not scared. Amazed.
EJ sighed—of course. Amazed because she believed she’d found yet another dupe to rob blind. He was surprised she hadn’t backed off when he ended up living in the same town, and wanted to meet. Maybe Ian was right and she was just the information gathering point for a larger operation, because he’d expected it would be safer for her to stay anonymous—unless she was angling for a bigger take.
If she’d checked out his registration information, and the credit card information from his donation, she would know a lot about him already. She’d know he lived in a wealthy neighborhood, and that he was in her backyard. He supposed she had to play it cool, pretend like she had no idea. She might know a lot of other things, depending on how good she was with a computer network.
He wanted to get to the bottom of this. Whatever was going on, Charlotte Gerard was part of it, and he wanted to find out how. No doubt