She nodded against his cheek, weak with spent passion. “I know. This is forever.”

She felt him relax, and then moments later he was asleep in her arms, and she held him tightly until she fell asleep, too.


* * *

It was afternoon when she woke up, and Charlie woke, too, when she stirred. He pulled her close and she closed her eyes when he kissed her forehead. “I forgot to tell you the good news,” he whispered. “We’ve got a new show.”

Allie frowned at him, still half-asleep. “What new show?”

“Bill gave us the prime-time spot,” he murmured into her hair. “The one at 6:00 a.m. You’re back where you wanted to be.”

Allie sat up, suddenly awake and appalled. “Did you say 6:00 a.m.? In the morning a.m.? Are you nuts?”

Charlie blinked and pushed himself up beside her on one arm. “I thought that was what you wanted. The prime-time show. Back on top.”

Allie looked exasperated. “I can be on top at night.”

He grinned at her and moved his hand to her breast and said, “Anytime,” and she grinned, too, covering his hand with hers.

“You know what I mean,” she told him. “I like the ten-to-two people. They’re bizarre. Let Mark have the prime-time show. At least until Marcia takes it away from him, which should be any day now. We belong at night, Charlie.” She looked at him anxiously. “Don’t you think so?”

“Well, yes.” Charlie started to laugh and collapsed back into the bed, pulling her on top of him. “Wait’ll I tell Bill.”

Allie propped herself up on his chest, enjoying the way her breasts squashed against him. “I can’t believe you even considered the morning show.”

Charlie sighed. “I thought I was giving you what you wanted.”

“You always give me what I want. Which reminds me…” Allie moved her face to his until they were nose-to-nose, stretching and feeling the long hard length of his body against hers. He’d be hers for the rest of her life. She almost died just thinking about it. Then his hand moved lazily down her back to her rear end, and she brought her mind back to the subject on hand. “I have an idea for a new show,” Allie told him. It’ll run forever. Audience of one. I’m thinking of calling it Charlie All Afternoon. And the playlist-”

“I do my own playlist,” Charlie told her and kissed her to start the program.