Charlotte's Tea Room

Ben was driving home through the countryside. He wanted to pop into a garden centre to get some strawberry plants. It was a wet November afternoon, and Christmas was on everyone's mind except his. Christmas was meant to be a time of the year that brought goodwill and cheer to all men, But Ben had little time for the man-made construction of Christmas. Choosing instead to see it as just another excuse to be nice to people who had done nothing all year to elicit such favour. It wasn't like he was a "Christmas humbug" but he could see through the facade and unhappiness that touched most people over fourteen.

Ben was single and had been through two marriages in his 60 years. They had left some scars but nothing traumatic or psychological. Looking back he had learnt from these relationships and put their ending to being too young the first time and drifting apart on the second. On the plus side, he had a great Son from his second marriage so life was looking good and had treated him well in the grand scheme of things.

The afternoon was getting away and Ben noticed a little garden centre that was still open as he drove along the English country lanes near where he lived. He decided to pull in and check it out. He went in, but the strawberry plants were outside, and it was still raining so he decided to look at them another day so he didn't get wet. As he headed to the exit he noticed a little sign that said "Betty's Tea Room" Ben reasoned that a nice coffee would go down a treat right now so he decided to go in and get a drink and warm up a bit.

The tea rooms were a standard fair for an English rural setting. Wooden tables were dotted around the inside with four chairs around each table and set far enough apart so you couldn't hear anyone else's conversation or steal food for the table next to you.

All in all a nice slightly plain-looking tea room, but one thing that made it stand out was a captivating waitress behind the counter.

"Hello," she said with a lovely smile "What are you having?"

There was something illuminating in her smile and her eyes felt like they could see right through you.

"Can I get a coffee please?" said a flustered Ben.

"Anything else?" she asked.

"That will do I think."

As she turned to make his coffee Ben couldn't help but look her up and down to try to asses what lay beneath the waitress's outfit. As he walked to a table he felt he needed one that looked in the waitress's direction so he could continue looking at her. What was it that she had that made Ben want to keep looking at her? He could certainly see that she looked after herself and obviously did something to keep herself fit but there was something else that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

She was captivating that much was obvious. Was it her smile or the words she'd used that made him feel that he had known her all his life? She was very friendly and open, it seemed like she didn't have a thing to hide. He kept looking at her without being too obvious. She was medium build for a woman, not at all fat. Hair that framed her features nicely and of course those dangerous beautiful eyes! A warm smile, nice lips and a great body from what he could tell.

Ben was looking at her to such an extent that it worried him that someone may be watching him while he ogled her. He cautiously looked around to make sure no one else could see him. Why did she bring out such emotions in him? It's not like he was looking for someone, feeling content with where he was he didn't feel the need to date anyone. But seeing this woman, something inside him clicked. He needed to know more he needed to get to know her.

She busied herself clearing tables and then out of the blue as Ben wished she would go back behind the counter so he could watch her again, she appeared at his table and started talking to him. It was a few seconds before he realised. His mind scrambled to get up to speed and not look foolish.

"I used to go to school with your sister, she's older than me though."

Ben's brain did the math and put her as being younger than his sister who was 64. He was certain that he didn't know her very well whilst he was at school so he reasoned she was probably older than he was. He went for 62, although she could definitely pass for someone in her fifties. Up close he could see more of her. His eyes were being told by his brain that he should look at her eyes but his inner mind had gaps to fill as he put together a reason why this woman had such power over him.

He did learn however that her name was "Charlotte" This suited her very well it just seemed to make her all the more alluring and he couldn't help but feel that she was flirting with him. The way she stood in front of him and that she was standing quite close told him she was tactile. Perhaps in a different setting, maybe sitting at a bar, with just her and him there she might now and again reach out and touch his hand or his arm.

What got to him was how friendly she was, not just friendly as an act but genuinely friendly. He felt like he could talk to her for hours and then some.

She then said "Well I better get going." and turned to continue tidying the tables whilst Ben's eyes followed her as his mind tried to make sense of why he was so smitten.

Eventually, Ben thought he better go home, Ben decided that he needed to come back to see Charlotte again soon, he wanted to get to know her. There was a reason he had stopped there today. There was a reason they had been put together on this wet Saturday afternoon in November. Ben realised as he said goodbye that he couldn't wait to get back to see her and talk to her some more.

Over the next few weeks, he visited the tea rooms to see Charlotte, and their friendship blossomed. There was even one week that Charlotte asked him "Are you on Facebook?" To which he said, "Yes I'm on Facebook".

They then started chatting, sending messages between them, and Ben was able to learn more about Charlotte. The first thing that he learned was that she lived about a mile up the road from where he lived.

Another thing he learned was that Charlotte was married. Under normal circumstances, most men would have called a halt to any further exploration as far as this relationship was concerned. Ben however was not "normal" he had his views on many things and encroaching on another man's wife was not on his list of "taboo" subjects.

He also learned that Charlotte was a shy person and it took a great deal of time for Ben to gain her trust. What he did know for certain was that she was unhappy and unfulfilled based on other people's opinions of how she should live her life. He realised this after listening to the story of her life that unfolded in the ongoing weeks of their friendship and messaging each other. She was not only unhappy but had been treated quite unfairly and sometimes to the extent one might have said "unfairly"

She was unable to have anything of what you might call her own life. She was often questioned and should she say anything out of place she was often cruelly shut down without explanation. Even having a drink of wine whilst at home often brought criticism. Ben wondered why anyone would want to keep such a sweet person under lock and key.

Her life was not her own, having to look after her immediate family plus she looked after her Dad and worked five or six days a week. She was still expected to perform her "wifely duties" to do the cooking and cleaning and all the other things. One thing he did learn early on was that as far as Charlotte was concerned there had been no intimacy between her and her husband for a considerable time.

Ben had always known that to keep a woman happy you had to allow them as much freedom of not only distance but also time to express their individuality. He knew that women are complex things that need stimulus not only from their partners but also within their own lives. Freedom to go and do things that made them happy and made them feel fulfilled. That and as the old saying used to go "Keep them well fucked and poorly shod" a saying that he was told many times by the older generation of his male family members.

Although for Ben he chose to not believe the last part of that particular saying. In the first part though, he believed that was true and did try to uphold it when in a relationship.

Keeping a woman "well fucked" not only helped with his mindset, but he firmly believed that keeping a woman satisfied in the bedroom was very important. A satisfied woman is a happy and content woman. Sex should never be used as a bargaining chip but should always be used to show how much love and affection are present in any relationship.

Ben realised during their time chatting that even though Charlotte was put upon a lot and made to feel like she was low down in the pecking order. That all this pressure to conform had not diminished her will to live. Whilst she may not have been sexually active with anyone for some time she was certainly still a very sexy lady and there was no doubt that she was just waiting to go bang the first chance she got with someone who she felt a spark with.

That's not to say she was in any way easy, in fact, quite the opposite. There were many hurdles required to break down the defensive structure that she had built up in the form of protection. But she was also ready to lower this protection if the right person came along who she felt had her interests at heart and was there for the long term.

As their friendship grew they had moved over to another messaging app because of Charlotte's worry that others may learn what was going on because she was concerned that others might discover their conversation by inspecting a device she had been using.

This offered her a more secure way to message but the eye of Saron sees all and she was often asked "Why she was always texting" whether she was on a phone or a tablet.

Ben had by now, moved on to feeling protective of Charlotte and hated the way she was treated. Wanting only to give her everything that she was missing in her life. He was careful not to condemn the brutality of her treatment at the hands of her loved ones. Instead, he offered support and occasionally visited the tea rooms when he thought she might be feeling down about the things going on around her.

During their chats, he learned that she had some adoring quirks sexually. She would tell him how being naked outside in the sun would turn her on. It seemed that being naked anywhere had a certain effect on Charlotte. It seemed to light her fuse. She also seemed to like the idea of swimming nude and Ben found himself fantasising that he and Charlotte would find themselves on the beach somewhere together swimming naked while he fucked her from behind as other people walked past.

She loved to dance. It wasn't just a love of dancing it was Charlotte's way of expressing her freedom. He heard about the times she had taken to the dance floor when out with her friends and she had really let her hair down. This only told Ben that this lady was full of life and only needed the tiniest of reasons to paint any town red, blue and yellow too if someone were to hold the pot of paint for her.

Close to Christmas day, Charlotte told Ben that she was going to dress up while working at the tea rooms with a little Christmas-themed outfit, she also added she would be wearing a sprig of mistletoe. This brought a smile to Ben's face knowing that he might get a little kiss from this woman who had become such a central part of his thoughts it felt like Christmas coming early.

Ben arrived at the tea rooms on the day, and as he walked in he saw her standing there looking cute. He walked up to the counter and ordered his usual coffee. Charlotte looked at him and smiled.

"What would you like?"

"Coffee please, you look very nice."

"Thank you, If you're good you might get a kiss before you leave here" she teased.

"I think the chance to kiss you might just make me the best-behaved boy in here today."

Ben wanted to drag her over the counter and take his kiss there and then. Charlotte looked so sexy and so in her element in front of all the people who were already there. She seemed to have a command over everyone. She was friendly and talked with everyone there. No wonder people came in for something to eat and drink. It wasn't for the food, although that was certainly good. The best thing on the menu was Charlotte.

Ben took a seat and waited for his coffee after a while Charlotte came over to him and placed down his drink. There she stood in her waitress gear with a little sprinkling of Christmas and he suddenly realised he had never wanted to kiss anyone so much in his life.

"I guess you want a kiss now?" she said.

"You bet."

He stood up and moved closer to Charlotte.

"Not too much, don't forget everyone's looking." she warned in a low voice only he could hear.

Ben wanted to put his hands on her hips and draw her closer but understood this was not the place. He knew this was just a Christmas kiss but he was going to make the most of it. Just being near this lady was all he wanted right now. As he leaned in for the kiss his brain was making plans to have more time with her where time wasn't going to be so urgent and other people's eyes would not see them so easily.

Lucky for Ben he owned a camper van, one he'd brought and converted himself. It had all the workings of a proper camper with a small kitchen and a double bed. Ben often used to head off to France and drive from village to town taking in the sights.

He knew Charlotte was shy and she worried that should she wander too far or raise doubt as to her whereabouts, questions would be asked. What he didn't want to do was draw attention to what she was doing.

He knew that she liked to walk when she had the time and one place she liked to walk was along a track through some woods. The only people you might meet would be "walkers" His mind formed a plan that he hoped would put them together where they could share a space without the limitations of time or prying eyes.

The next Saturday when he went to the tea rooms he had a chance to talk to Charlotte alone. They both liked doing walks and a bit of hiking. Charlotte liked to do park runs to keep herself in shape as well as walking but when that was not available she used to like doing walks.

"What are your plans for next week." Ben asked.

"Well I'm off Tuesday and Wednesday next week but I'm not sure what I'll be doing yet." she said. "I might try to do a walk in the woods on Tuesday." she added.

"Oh right, that sounds nice." said Ben.

Excited that he had a plan that might just put them together.

Ben didn't want to tell her what he was planning because he knew she was shy and she also worried in case someone might see them together. Ben wanted Charlotte to have control over the meeting even though he would make out it was by pure accident. His main aim was just to spend some time with her. Making her a cup of tea in his van if he possibly could. He knew that as long as she felt safe and in control of the moment she would be happy to spend some time in his presence.

Monday came along and Ben sent her a text asking how the rest of her weekend went and hoping she had a nice relaxing day off on Sunday.

"Hi Ben, it was okay I suppose, thanks for asking. There never seems to be enough time for me to do the things I like doing. I really want to get outside more and start doing some exercise but my time is so limited." came her reply.

"Well you're off tomorrow why not make sure you get some time to yourself and go for a walk in the woods tomorrow morning it will do you good to get out." he texted back.

"I could do that, I'll have to see what's going on before I commit to anything. I do love getting outside. It's nice walking alone; it gives me time to think and get away from everything.

Ben didn't want to push Charlotte, he wanted her to make the decision herself. He also didn't want to think he was stalking her but this was more for himself than for Charlotte. He didn't want to see himself as being manipulative because she was such a beautiful soul. He didn't want to scare her or make her question his motives.

"What are your plans?" Charlotte asked.

"Not sure yet I have some work to do on the van because I had some problems with the heating so I might try to get those fixed and give it a test." he replied.

"Heating? Doesn't that depend on who's in the camper with you? If the right person was in there with you you wouldn't need heating because you'll make your own heat."

Ben smiled as he read her text. This was his happy place just talking to Charlotte and the fact that she was being a little flirty with him made him happy.

"Are you applying for the job of testing the heater?" he asked.

"Well that would need some thought, we would have to see what temperature the van got to with and without the heater based on what we were doing?"

"We need to lay down a strict set of exercises that we would have to do during the testing." he sent back.

"Where were you thinking of doing these tests?" Charlotte asked.

"Probably Scotland."

"Scotland you say, I'd love to go to Scotland. Would there be anywhere to swim? I'm only asking because if we were to go swimming that would be quite cold and we would need to get warm quickly when we got back in the van. That would be another test of your heater against the old-fashioned way of getting warm like physical exercise." she teased.

"Are you thinking star jumps and running on the spot?" he replied. Smiling as he pushed the send button.

"Well, most of the survival documentaries I've seen say to huddle together to keep warm." came her reply.

Ben's hands were shaking slightly. He was no prude but talking like this to Charlotte was flirty and exciting. He knew how shy she was and he didn't want to say the wrong thing that may frighten her off. The very fact they were talking like this was testimony of how much trust she had for what they had forged in their time building this relationship. It didn't matter that it wasn't face-to-face that would come later. Right now she was being her beautiful self, telling it like it was and Ben felt privileged that she was saying these things to him.

"If we huddle together in wet clothes no one gets warm so I've been told." Ben stated.

"Oh Ben, have you forgotten that we would be bathing naked, huddling together is the only way to stop hyperthermia plus no wet clothes to get in the way."

"You've got me there, I never realised you meant swimming naked. That's going to need some testing, serious testing and some graph paper to record everything."

"I gotta go, Ben, have fun with your heater." Charlotte said.

There were no more texts that day, so early Tuesday Ben typed a text to Charlotte.

"Whatever you do today, have fun and if you get a chance grab some time for yourself."

40 minutes later Charlotte sent Ben a text.

"Morning Ben, I've got lots to do today, but I am going to go for a walk in the woods. I hope to be there at 10:30. It's time I made time for myself. Have a great day xxx."

"Fuck." thought Ben "What's the time now."

He looked at his watch, he would have to leave now. He'd skip breakfast and get to where he thought Charlotte was going.

"Where the hell might she park her car?" he thought to himself. She may have a shortcut to get to where she wants to go. Maybe parking on the road and not in the car park itself.

Ben decided to go anyway. If he missed this opportunity he might kick himself. The place she was going to did have a car park and from what he could remember it was rather large. It was going to be easy to miss her.

He drove as fast as his camper would let him. He had to get there before Charlotte or it would look like he followed her. That would not be a good look.