Charlie's Devil

1 - "I'm loving this more than you are hating it."

The room was dark, only illuminated by a flimsy lamp hanging from above the table. It smelled of cigarettes and nature, accompanying the dark in a somewhat resentful manner.

I took a deep breath in, straightened my pencil skirt, patted down the extra pieces of hair framing my face and took a seat.

I could only see the outline of his large frame sat opposite me. Yet even that radiated a sense of arrogance and confidence that had me fisting my hands.

"Charlie," my name rolled off his tongue almost seductively. Below the table, I crossed my legs. "What a pleasure it is to see you again."

"My name," I gritted out, "is Charlotte."

He leaned forward, resting his stubbled chin onto his palm. His elbows lay on the table, his eyes shining a stormy grey. "How may I be of your assistance, bela?"

I leaned back, away from the minty breath fanning my face, and set the file down on the table in front of me.

"Somebody has taken something that does not belong to them." I said, straightening my back, neutralising my facial features. He would not get to me. Not again. "I need you to get it back."

His tongue snaked its way out to lick his plump lips. I resisted the sudden and heavy urge to lick my own. To stare at him. To affect him the way he was affecting me. The left side of his lip tilting up was enough to break me from my trance. I narrowed my eyes as he spoke in that gruff, amused voice of his, each word lathered with a fine coat of Italian charm. "Who?"

I chewed on the inside of my cheek and opened the file to its first page. Moving the file to him, I watched his expression change from amused to angry in an almost theatrical way.

"Xavier." He gritted out, and it was then that it hit me how terrifying this man could be. So why are you not afraid? I shut off my pesky subconscious and focused my eyes on his fisted hand that lay on the table, feeling a tinge of pleasure at the fact that I'd succeeded in wiping that annoyingly handsome amused smirk from his lips.

"I need you to steal it back for me, Frazier." I said and instantly his back straightened, his eyes snapping to me rapidly, darker than they had been a moment ago. I held the urge to bite my lip and held his intense gaze.

The stupid fucking smirk returned to his stupid fucking face. "That's the first time you've said my name, Charlie." He said, his voice almost a growl it was so low. He leaned forward so suddenly I didn't have a chance to run for the hills. His mouth was right before mine, his eyes millimetres away. "I'd like to hear you say it again."

This time, I couldn't stop my lip from folding into my mouth. Like a moth drawn to a flame, his darkened grey eyes followed, his hands resting on either side of mine.

"Say it, Charlie." He said gruffly, his eyes zoned on my lips.

It terrified me to the core that, had I not seen my own reflection in his eyes in that moment, I would have listened to every word he uttered.

I pulled apart and yanked myself away from his presence, my chair screeching against the dirty floor and creating a deafening shriek as I stumbled to stand. When I had, I was quick to collect myself, fuelling my anger through his annoying smirk as he leaned back into his chair, large arms folded across his wide chest.

"Watch your every fucking move." I growled angrily. "One more, and I'll blow your brain to pieces smaller than your dick."

"If I recall correctly, my beautiful Charlie, it is you who requires my assistance." He mused casually. He looked me up and down and then to the chair opposite him. "Please, bela, sit down."

I closed my eyes for three seconds and took a deep breath in through my nose. Then I opened them, blank as ever. I took a seat once more, crossed my legs one ankle over the other and folded my hands onto my lap.

"You've worked with Xavier before," I said plainly, professionally. His jaw tightened. "You know him, how he works, how he functions. You'll get the job done quickly. We need..." I cleared my throat. He caught on to my slip up, but was fighting against letting it show until I'd finished. He was playing with me. "I need it back as soon as possible."

He fisted his hand and bought it to under his chin. He smirked again. "Who is 'we', Charlie?"

I narrowed my eyes. "I think we both know that answer to that question."

"You're resisting saying my name, Charlie." He noted casually. How did he know that? "But I will let it slide. For now." He smirked. "You want me to do something for the CIA?"

I nodded briskly once, feeling a strand of brown hair come to rest above my eyes. I raised my hand to push it back but before I could, Frazier already had, his large hands resting against my comparatively small face for longer than necessary before he sighed and dropped it again.

"You have become the most beautiful woman in my world, my Charlie," He said and immediately I tensed as if someone had shoved an American flag up my arse. "You always did have the softest hair."

My jaw locked. "Will you do it, or not?"

"As much as I wish I could be a romantic protagonist, Charlie, I can not. What will I get in return?" Whenever he said my name, his Italian drawl became even stronger, like he was speaking Italian instead of English.

I closed my eyes for a moment then opened them again. "Freedom." I said and his smirked.

"Freedom is something one is in charge of for themselves, Charlie." He said, his grey eyes regarding me with something I didn't wanna look into. "You can be in a prison cell and feel free, or you can be in vast empty land and feel trapped."

I closed my hands into fists, hating that he still talked in riddles that I didn't understand. "Okay," I gritted out. "What would you like then?"

He smirked and I held in the urge to punch him, hard. Again. "I would like you to come with me." He said, his dark eyes amused yet hiding an explosion of emotion. "When we go to Italy to find Xavier, I want you to go with me. And, of course, immunity. No jail. No one keeping track of me. Clean slate, Charlie, and it's a deal."

I sighed deeply. "Deal." I replied, unable to dictate whether my voice had a hint of excitement in it. "Anything else, your highness?" I muttered sarcastically, packing the file back in and beginning to stand. His voice stopped me.

"I didn't mention the most important thing," slowly, creepily, a smile formed on his plump lips. I gulped. "Say my name again, Charlie, and I promise you the best results."

I gave him a disbelieving look. "Why-"

"Just say it Charlie, and I'm in."

I hated that he said my name in every one of his sentences, as if it were on his lips every time he took a breath.

I sighed. "Frazier."

His eyes widened momentarily then closed all together and he dropped back into his chair. "Dios mio, Charlie." He breathed out. "I can not wait for you to scream that name."

I gasped, my hand flying to my mouth in sheer shock. What the fuck?

"I am loving this more than you are hating it, my Charlie." He said. I gritted my teeth, turned on my heel and stomped out, making sure to slam the door behind me.

On the other side, Dan, my best friend and colleague, was staring at me with wide brown eyes.

"What?" I snapped.

He breathed out a sigh. "Jesus, Char, I feel like I just watched a fucking porno."