Rebecca Joyce (12 page)

“It’s a lot like autism if you ask me, only different idiosyncrasies.” Kelly smiled, following.

“Is she hurting?” Jordan asked, concerned.

“No, Asperger’s syndrome isn’t painful,” Kelly began. “Well maybe not to us, but to her, there can be moments where it is painful for her to accept. You see, Asperger patients have a hard time with social interactions. Add in their behavior and repetitive patterns, and, well, some people think they are retarded. But let me make this very clear. They are not! Asperger patients and autism patients are some of the smartest people on the planet.”

“With that said, I believe Charlotte does have Asperger’s, or at least traits of it. From what I could gather, she has been like this for a very long time. Undiagnosed, she has gone through life thinking she was a freak that some people shied away from or just plain abandoned. I am sure you are well aware of her colorful expletives. Well, that is a coping mechanism. Since she was never taught to use her words, she picked up what she heard, thinking that was how people communicated.

“When Charlotte sees herself in a situation that overstimulates her, she lashes out. Hence the foul language, but when Caleb bound her, the constrictive feeling of the ropes helped center her, and for the first time, her mind was able to assimilate her surroundings.”

“Is this curable?” Braxton asked, trying like hell to take it all in.

“There is no cure for Asperger’s syndrome. Now, she can be taught what is right and wrong. She can be taught how to act properly in public, et cetera, but it’s going to take some time. She has been this way probably from birth. I just don’t get how her parents could have missed it.

“Charlotte will need to learn how to deal with her overstimulation. She is very smart, and I believe she will pick it up quickly. We are all going to have to learn to talk calmly to her. Shouting and excessive emotions can be overwhelming to her, and it’s too much for her to process at one time. Just relax and be calm when you speak to her. She is in room right now, playing a game on my computer. She is very computer savvy.”

“She has over five computers. I never knew what she was doing on them. I just thought she was surfing the Internet, or worse, getting into trouble.” Jordan sighed.

“I doubt she was using the computers to get into trouble. She uses them as a coping mechanism. They soothe her. Computers allow her to focus on more than one thing at a time, which, for her, helps calms her overactive mind. Think of it like a painting, a bold, bright painting with lots of colors on it. All we see is a typical abstract, but for Charlotte, that’s her mind. The chaos on the canvas is easy for us to ignore, but for her, she is trying to compartmentalize every stroke, every color, and every swirl. It can become exhausting for her. So for her, computers are a way for her to relax. Charlotte is very smart when it comes to computers, but to actually do something wrong, I don’t buy it,” Kelly offered.

“But she was found guilty for Internet hacking while in college,” Braxton admitted.

“What!” Janie asked, shocked. “When was this?”

“Yeah, in her freshmen year of college she spent eighteen months in jail for it,” Braxton informed the room.

“Not Charlotte. She may be smart when it comes to computer games, but she lacks the comprehensive knowledge of what it would take to accomplish Internet hacking. Besides, the stress alone from such an act would cause her mind to overload. It wasn’t her, Braxton. I would bet my career on this,” Kelly said bluntly.

“What can we do for her? I won’t abandon my sister,” Janie asked.

“Well, for starters, no more shouting at her. It only aggravates the situation. I want to see Charlotte three times a week for therapy sessions. While I have her, I can spend time correcting her grammar, simple etiquette techniques, and show her some coping mechanisms she can use at home when she gets overstressed. Other than that, we all have to watch out for her. She may not admit it, but she is a very scared woman. She is unsure of herself and where she belongs in this world. From what I got out of her, she didn’t have an easy upbringing. Apparently, she was left a lot with a nanny. She doesn’t like change, and from what she also told me, her world was just recently turned upside down. She is going to need some time to adjust to that, and what I mean by that is, Braxton, she is going to need your patience. She feels strongly for the both of you guys, but for the longest time, it was only Jordan. She is overwhelmed right now, and now that she has found her sister, it’s like her world is closing in on her. Just give her some space. She will come around,” Kelly advised.

“Can we see her?” Braxton asked.

“Sure.” Kelly smiled as Braxton and Jordan jumped from their seats, racing to Charlotte.

Knocking softly, Braxton and Jordan entered the room to find Charlotte sitting on the bed with her nose in the computer. She looked happy and at peace as her fingers clicked away. Moving closer to the bed, they watched as she played a game and a soft smile appeared on her face.

Neither one knew what to say. They didn’t know what to do or how to act. All they knew was that they loved this little hellcat, Asperger’s or not. She was theirs, and they would die protecting her.

“I’m not crazy,” she whispered, clicking away.

“We know that, baby doll,” Braxton said, sitting down next to her. He smiled when she didn’t move away. Looking at Jordan, he sighed and sat down on her other side.

“What are you playing, Charlotte?” Jordan asked.

“
Assassin’s Creed
,” she said.

“Isn’t that a game for the PlayStation?”

“Yeah.”

“Is it fun?” Braxton asked, watching the action figures move around the screen.

“Sometimes. I have beaten this one before. But that’s all Kelly had.”

“We can get you the new one if you want,” Braxton offered.

“Okay.”

“Is that what you did all the time in your room?” Jordan grinned.

“Yeah. I like
Halo
the best, but an online buddy asked me to start playing
World of Warcraft
, so I had to get another computer. Well, then another buddy wanted me to play
Call of Duty
, so I got another.”

“So you kept buying computers.” Jordan laughed softly. “So each computer is for a specific game? Clever.”

“It’s easier for me that way. I don’t have to shut down the games, and I can easily move from computer to computer when it’s my turn, or when it’s raid night. I like raid night,” Charlotte informed them.

“Charlotte, can I ask you something? Are you happy living with me?” Braxton asked, not knowing how she was going to answer. The thought of her saying no was a possibility and one he was prepared for. But not having her in his life was too much to take. He loved this woman, and he prayed she wanted him as much.

“I miss my things,” she whispered. “I need my computers.”

“Your computers are at the house. They were delivered today. You’re gonna have to set them back up. I can help you with that if you want.”

“Thank you, Braxton, but I don’t like it when people touch my computers. I can do it. I don’t mind.”

“Do you want to go home with us, Charlotte?” Jordan asked.

“Yes, but—” Charlotte began but stopped.

“What? What is it, baby doll?” Braxton asked softly, wanting so much to touch her and comfort her.

They watched as Charlotte began tugging at the choker around her neck. “This itches. I want it off.”

“All right, I can take it off.” Braxton frowned.

Removing the collar from around her neck, he asked, “You don’t like wearing my collar?”

“It itches.”

“Do you want us to find you another one?” Braxton asked, hoping.

“I like Janie’s. Hers is pretty. It looks soft.”

“I’ll talk with Jeff and see where he got it. Are you ready to go home?” Braxton sighed, smiling. She was still receptive to wearing his collar. The only thing bugging him now was did she understand what it meant to wear his collar?

“I want to see Janie and apologize. I was kinda mean to Caleb,” Charlotte said, closing the laptop and climbing off the bed. They watched as she left the room to go find her sister.

“She’s different when she is calm. She’s like a whole new person,” Jordan said, looking at the open door.

“We’re just gonna have to take it day by day. I’m not sure she really understands what we are asking of her. But she wants to go home with us, so that’s something.”

“I love her, Braxton. I have for a long time now. I will understand if you don’t want to take her on, but I can’t leave her. I will follow her wherever she goes.”

“I know. Let’s just get her home and see what happens,” Braxton said, rising from the bed. “And just so you know, you’re not the only one who loves her. She had me wrapped around her little finger that first night.”

* * * *

In the following weeks, adjustments were made, boundaries were set, space was allotted, and there was no sex.

Jordan was about to go fucking stir-crazy!

Charlotte had taken no time at all to set up her computers. Braxton gave her one of the three rooms in his house so she could use it as a sanctuary. Of course, she kept the door closed, and they were never allowed in there, but when Braxton refused to allow her to put a dead bolt on the door, Charlotte rebelled. It took both Jordan and Braxton to calm her down, and only when Braxton tied her up did she begin to relax.

That night Braxton went out and bought silk ropes to replace the filament ropes, so that he wouldn’t harm her skin. Every night after that, Charlotte would bring the ropes to Braxton, and after dinner, he would bind her, for no more than an hour, while they watched the evening news.

Horny as hell, Jordan agreed with Braxton on the no-sex rule until Charlotte made the first move. He was fine during the day, because Charlotte and Braxton were at work. Charlotte took the job working with Matthew Jenkins. Though Braxton and Jordan explained to Matthew that Charlotte wouldn’t be able to do as he asked, the attorney didn’t want to hear it. He believed in Charlotte and thought she would be a big asset to his team, so, since Charlotte was able to spend most of the day on a computer that was what she did. When she was finished with Matthew, she headed over to see Kelly for her therapy sessions, which yielded amazing results. Now, Charlotte still had a mouth on her, but her social interactions were less stressful, and she was polite and calm when meeting new people, as long as Kelly, Braxton, or Jordan was with her.

She still couldn’t bring herself to see Janie. It broke Janie’s heart, and she understood, so Jordan took it upon himself to keep her informed of Charlotte’s progress. He called her daily, and soon they became good friends.

As for Braxton, well, he went back to finding the bad guys and keeping the town safe.

He and Braxton alternated weeks, making sure Charlotte kept to a tight schedule, which seemed to be working for her. By the third week, she no longer needed assistance and was adhering to it on her own. Of course, the iPad Braxton bought her with a built-in interactive calendar helped a lot. Plus, he had games installed on it for when she needed to relax. Charlotte loved it, taking it everywhere she went.

Charlotte still refused to sleep in the same bed with them, but they accepted that. Even when the large California King arrived, she jumped around on it and laughed, stretching out on it, but still nothing. It took all Jordan had in him not to jump on her and take her right then and there. The little hell kitten was too damn enticing. Braxton, on the other hand, groaned and left the room, rubbing his aching cock.

Now if he could only concentrate on getting his business back off the ground.

It wasn’t going as well as he hoped, and what contracts that stayed with him were only minor mom-and-pop places that probably couldn’t afford anyone else. Not looking a gift horse in the mouth, Jordan decided to just buckle down and do what needed to be done.

He was working on making new contacts when Charlotte came home, slamming the front door in a mood.

“Assholes! They are all fucking idiots!” Her shouts vibrated through the house.

Getting up, he went in search of her only to find her yelling at Braxton, who was desperately trying to hide his smile.

“Why the fuck can’t you stop them? I didn’t do anything wrong. All I fucking did was what that damn attorney asked me to do. Why am I being fuckin’ punished?” she ranted.

“Charlotte, calm down. This is not helping,” Braxton said calmly, trying to hold back his smile. Whatever had happened seemed minor, or Braxton wouldn’t be trying desperately to hold back his laughter.

“Fuck you! You’re the goddamned sheriff. Go arrest them!”

“What’s going on?” Jordan asked cautiously as Charlotte stomped her foot, growled, and walked past him, slamming her door to her computer room with a resounding click, letting them both know she didn’t want to be disturbed.

“What the hell was that all about?” Jordan asked as Braxton grinned and greeted him with a kiss.

“Oh, apparently baby doll stumbled upon what Matthew was looking for. Somehow she found the underwriter’s accounts. Well, instead of telling Matthew, Charlotte thought it was only right to take back what didn’t belong to this person. She snuck into Matthew’s office, took his checkbook, and began transferring the money into Matthew’s personal account, which not only alerted Matthew’s bank, but the asshole who has been stealing money from the town. Well, it didn’t take long for some FBI geek to show up, and if it wasn’t for Matthew’s quick thinking, baby doll would be in jail right now. It took both of us to persuade the Fed that she was only doing what was asked, and I even had to sign a paper saying I would be responsible for her. Of course, that pissed her off, and well, you know Charlotte.”