Charlie All Night Read online

  “So, how long have you known each other?”

  “Four years,” Joe said. “Ever since she came to the station.”

  Allie relaxed and smiled at Joe. “I was new in town and didn’t have a place to live, and he was at the station picking up the books, and his roommate had just moved out, so he said I could borrow the spare bedroom until I found a place.”

  Joe grinned. “And then she came home with me, and we talked and laughed until two in the morning, and I said, Don’t find another place,’ and we’ve been together ever since.”

  Charlie looked from Joe to Allie, and he didn’t look happy. Allie stopped smiling, wondering what she’d said that was wrong, not really caring as long as it wasn’t another major trauma to deal with. Then Charlie said, “I don’t get this. If Joe is the perfect man, why did you ever get mixed up with that clown, Mark?’

  Joe blinked at him. “I’m the perfect man?”

  “That’s what Allie says.”

  Joe raised his eyebrows at her. “I’m flattered.”

  Allied tensed. “Well, almost.” She shot a look at Charlie, prepared to jettison him permanently if he said the wrong thing.

  Joe looked at Charlie. “I’m gay.”

  Charlie relaxed and beamed at him in what looked like relief. He picked up a bread stick. “Good for you, but that doesn’t justify Mark. There must be other men in this town almost as perfect as you who like girls.”

  Allie blinked at him. She had obviously missed something there, but since it wasn’t homophobia, she didn’t care what was going on in Charlie’s brain. It was a male brain. It was probably incomprehensible, anyway. Look at Mark.

  Joe sat back. “I’ve got to admit, I wasn’t happy about Mark, either.” He turned to Allie. “Why did you pick him?”

  “I didn’t.” Allie tried to look unconcerned. “He picked me. I don’t know why.”

  “I don’t, either,” Joe said. “You’re not his type.”

  “What is his type?” Charlie asked.

  “Lisa.” Allie stuck out her chin in defiant unconcern, but unfortunately, she stuck her lower lip out farther.

  “Don’t pout.” Joe bit into a bread stick.

  “You owe Lisa, whoever she is,” Charlie told her. “She saved you from a man worse than death. You say thank you very much the next time you see her.”

  “Which should be any minute now.” Joe pointed his bread stick behind Charlie. “That’s them by the door.”

  Allie looked up in time to see Mark wave and take Lisa’s hand and tow her toward them through the crowd.

  The day from hell would never end. Well, she’d asked for it.

  Charlie evidently thought so, too. “It’s a shame Lisa’s not with you,” he mimicked. “We could all have dinner together.”

  “I know.” Allie pushed her glasses back up the bridge of her nose and steeled herself for the mess to come. “I know. If I’d behaved like an adult, I wouldn’t have picked up Charlie in a bar and lied to Mark. I deserve this.”

  “Nobody deserves this.” Joe handed her a bread stick. “Eat. I’m with you. We can take them.”

  “Hell, yes.” Charlie relented and patted her hand. “The odds are in our favor.”

  “You in this, too? Good.” Joe handed him a bread stick, too. “We can always use another foot soldier in the fight against yuppie scum dweebs.”

  “That bad?”

  “Lisa! Mark!” Joe stood up. “I was just telling Charlie all about you.”

  Someday, Allie told herself, I’ll look back on this and laugh.

  But not yet.

  2

  Allie sat numbly while Mark beamed at all of them. “Isn’t this terrific. Can we join you?” He pulled out a chair for Lisa without waiting for an answer, and Lisa sat, giving Allie a cautious look under her lashes.

  She had beautiful lashes. Actually, Lisa had beautiful everything. No wonder Mark had wanted her instead. And there was no point in hating younger, more attractive women just because they existed. You had to wait until they did something to you to hate them. And Lisa hadn’t fired her, Mark had.

  Allie gave up and smiled at her. “Hi, Lisa. Congratulations on your promotion.”

  Lisa leaned forward, caution gone, her words tumbling out in her happiness. “It’s so exciting, Allie. I can’t thank you enough. Mark told me it was your decision-”

  Allie’s eyebrows almost hit the ceiling. “Oh?”

  Lisa stopped. “It wasn’t?”

  Allie looked at Mark as if he were fish bait. “I’m really looking forward to working with Charlie,” she lied. “Have you met Charlie yet, Lisa? Charlie Tenniel, Lisa Mitchell.”

  Charlie smiled at her and took her hand. “Nice to meet you.”

  Lisa smiled back, using her lashes on Charlie this time. “Welcome to the station. You’re going to love working with Allie. She’s-”

  “So.” Mark broke into the conversation loudly, and Lisa jerked her hand back. “Where are you staying, Charlie?”

  Charlie leaned back a little. “I just got into town today.”

  Mark narrowed his eyes at Allie. “You haven’t found him a place to live? That’s not like you. You organize everybody.”

  What’s your problem? Allie thought. Jealousy?Good. He’s staying with us,” she said, and Joe choked on his drink.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Mark asked him.

  “Nothing.” Joe smiled blandly. “Nothing.”

  Mark frowned again at Allie. “You’ve only got two bedrooms.”

  “Yes, I know.” It wouldn’t hurt Mark to think she was sleeping with Charlie. She looked at Charlie over the top of her glasses. Actually, it wouldn’t hurt her to think she was sleeping with Charlie. Bulky, friendly Charlie in shirtsleeves nade a nice contrast to trim, tense Mark in a suit. In fact, the more she saw Mark next to Charlie, the less she missed having him around. Sleeping with Charlie might be the logical cure for her lingering case of Mark. Sort of like using penicillin to wipe out a bad bug that wouldn’t go away.

  The analogy was certainly apt anyway.

  Allie’s logic kicked into gear, analyzing the situation, a relief after the panic of the afternoon. She wasn’t infatuated with Charlie the way she’d been with Mark. With Charlie, she could have an intelligent, well-planned one-night stand. Then her last sexual memory would be Charlie, not Mark, and she could get on with her life. The more she thought about it, the better she liked it. As long as Charlie didn’t get hung up on her, it would be perfect. And even in her short acquaintance with him, it was fairly evident that commitment was not his byword.

  Mark looked from Charlie to Allie to Joe, evidently reading Allie’s mind. “So who is he sleeping with?”

  “Me.” Allie held up her hand like a polite child, her plan now in place. “Joe gets him tomorrow.”

  “Very funny,” Mark said.

  “Not so funny for me,” Joe said. “I have to wait twenty-four hours.”

  “I don’t think that’s funny,” Mark said.

  “Neither does Joe,” Charlie said, and Allie laughed, delighted he was part of them.

  Lisa had been following the exchange, frowning as her head bobbed back and forth. “I don’t get it.”

  “It’s just a joke, Lisa.” Mark put his arm around her. “Not a very funny one.”

  Charlie shook his head. “You have no sense of humor, Mark. That’s why your relationship with Allie didn’t work, remember?”

  Mark decided to take offense, something, Allie reflected, that any sane man would have taken much sooner. “I don’t know what Allie is doing with someone like you,” Mark told Charlie. “You’re not her type. Of course, I don’t know what she’s doing with him, either.” He jerked his head at Joe.

  Allie did not take insults to any of her friends well, but especially not to Joe. “Look…”

  “I’m great in the kitchen,” Joe said. “She loves my cooking.”

  “And I’m great in the bedroom,” Charlie said. “She loves my body. Between the