11. Charlie

CHAPTER 11

CHARLIE

The week had dragged, but it was finally Friday. It started with a threat from his mum's care home for the eight grand he owed them, and now he had three and a half thanks to Jeremy's tip. After tonight, he'd be even closer, and tomorrow he was going on a date with Sebastian. Or was he?

The shock of the job offer from Candice had worn off, but the anger hadn't. Did Sebastian think he was that stupid? Nobody gets a new job that pays four times their salary. The world didn't work that way. He was twenty-seven and grew up in a council house with a single mother. People like him didn't earn six-figure salaries. What would happen when Sebastian got bored with him, or was no longer needed in London? Charlie would have to go back to reality and what he was truly worth. Of course, he had dreams, but they were attainable ones. He knew if he ever had his own agency, it would be a small one, but he could make a difference with it. A billionaire CEO having a happily-ever-after with a glorified prostitute was not a reality. There was a reason they'd never made a gay version of Pretty Woman . It was so out of touch with reality nobody would believe it, even in a movie.

Nathaniel was also being an even bigger arsehole than usual. It appeared Steele Property Holdings' decision not to offer them the contract hadn't been communicated yet as he was still there, but Nathaniel's nastiness had stepped up a level. He normally snapped at Charlie for his poor-quality work, but now his digs were personal, and it was like he was deliberately trying to break him. Charlie had been pulled onto over a dozen different projects to add social media elements to pitches. Even senior associates didn't work on more than five pitches at once and had made comments about how much he was being overworked. He was knackered but would leave on time tonight. The fact he was expected in the office five days a week was another pain, but he didn't live far and didn't want to work from his bedroom and have his colleagues effectively invade his personal space.

"What the fuck is this?" snapped Nathaniel.

He was standing by Charlie's desk and threw a PowerPoint deck down in front of him. He looked at it, unsure what the issue was. The project team working on it was delighted with his contribution. He played dumb. Nathaniel didn't like his staff to have a backbone.

"You've made this too complicated."

"The team said they were happy with it."

"Yeah, well, I'm not. But it's too late to change it now. You'll need to stay late and talk it through with Ocean. She'll be leading the pitch."

So that was the reason. He was pushing Ocean forward as some rising star, which was pissing others off as well. He had to be screwing her.

"I can't stay late tonight."

"It wasn't a request. The pitch is Monday morning, and if we don't win the business, it'll be your fault."

He went to walk away, and something in Charlie snapped. He stood up.

"I'm not staying past five o'clock. I've already done nearly sixty hours this week."

He stopped and turned. Others were getting interested. The general office murmur quieted.

"Like I said, it's not a request. You will do your fucking job. If you hadn't screwed up, we wouldn't have this problem. We lost the contract with Steele because of your incompetence. We will not lose another one if you want to keep your job."

Oh, so he knew. Another thing to add to Sebastian's downsides. He should have given Charlie a heads-up, knowing he would be in the firing line. Geraldine, the HR woman, appeared, looking worried. She was used to Nathaniel blowing up and having to put out fires. Her presence should have spooked Charlie, but it boosted his confidence. He was putting it down to exhaustion, adrenaline, and an excessive amount of caffeine.

"I'm sorry, sir , but I already have plans tonight."

"What's that? Walking around some queer bar with your pants around your ankles?"

There were audible gasps in the room. Geraldine looked like she might pass out. Charlie didn't bite. He'd heard far worse from people growing up, even in a city like London.

"Will you be paying overtime?"

"What? You're on salary. You don't get overtime, nobody does."

"Because, effectively, I'm earning about eight pounds an hour with the hours I'm doing, which is below minimum wage, and you want me to do more?"

There were murmurs around the office as it sunk in how little Charlie was paid. Nathaniel had gone bright red, like he was going to explode.

"I think we should take this into your office, Nathaniel," said Geraldine.

"You heard him, Geraldine. Discussing salary with other employees is gross misconduct."

"I really think we should take this into your office."

"Geraldine, be quiet. Charlie, you either work late and save this pitch and you'll be getting a final written warning, or you can walk out now, but don't expect notice or a reference."

Geraldine was close to having a heart attack. She went to speak, but Nathaniel put his hand up to silence her.

"Well?"

"So, I'm clear. The choice is to work late, win the pitch, and get a final written warning, or be sacked with no notice and no reference."

"No, you walk out."

"You mean resign?"

"Yes."

"What if I refuse?"

"You don't have any other choices. You do what you're told, or you need to leave."

Everyone was on tenterhooks at the stand-off in the middle of the office. Nathaniel and Charlie were just staring at each other, with Geraldine looking like she should do something, but not knowing what. She was probably thinking about damage limitation. Jason worked in HR, so Charlie knew enough to realise Nathaniel had fucked up big time, but the one thing he shouldn't do was resign.

"I'm not going to resign."

"So we have an agreement."

"And I'm not going to work late."

Nathaniel launched at Charlie and grabbed him by the collar. Spittle was forming at the corners of his mouth, he was that angry. Geraldine was trying to break them apart. Charlie didn't hear what she was saying. He'd obviously pushed the guy too far. What if Nathaniel punched him? He wouldn't be able to work later, and he'd lose money, and that would affect his mum. He needed to defuse things quickly. Nathaniel was snarling in his face with a stream of homophobic insults. He couldn't respond to them, no matter how angry they made him; he just needed to get away, and fast. There was too much at stake. He wriggled, but Nathaniel wasn't letting go.

"Fine, fine, you win. I quit."

Nathaniel let him go with a smile and straightened out his suit.

"You heard him, Geraldine. It was his choice. Deal with the paperwork. I'm going to lunch. I want him gone when I get back."

He walked out, taking the stairs. Waiting for the lift was never as dramatic an exit. After he'd left, there was a stunned silence before the murmurs started. Charlie felt humiliated. Geraldine asked him to come to her office, but he refused and grabbed his bag. He took off his security pass and dumped it on his desk. He then went to his locker and emptied it quickly. Charlie was aware everyone was watching him. He'd felt emboldened in the moment, but the adrenaline had worn off and he knew he'd regret this moment. Having a job with a boss he hated was better than having no job.

"Charlie, we need to go through some paperwork before you leave."

He just wanted to bolt, but he'd then have to come back. Reluctantly, he followed her, not looking at anyone else who was still watching him and whispering, no doubt enjoying his humiliation.

After he'd left the office – having signed his life away, or that's what it felt like – he called Jason. He didn't want to go home, as he knew Langdon would be there and he would want to punch Nathaniel. He didn't want his friends fixing things for him, no matter how well intentioned they were. Charlie could look after himself, but for now, he just wanted to vent. Jason was usually the best for that, but he'd made a mistake in his choice.

"She made you sign what?"

He passed the paper to Jason.

"Well, this isn't legal. You have to have a settlement agreement signed by a lawyer. And you get what? A month's notice and your holiday pay, which you're entitled to anyway."

"Please don't go all HR on me. I just need a friend right now. Yes, he forced me to resign when he grabbed me and called me a dirty queer. Do I care? No. I just want my money and to get another job as soon as possible."

"He did what?" Jason looked horrified.

"Please, can we let it go? I need to find a job. Can you look at my CV at the weekend for me?"

"You have to take this to tribunal."

"Jason! I said, leave it. Now, will you help me with my CV?"

"Yes, of course. We can do it on Sunday after your big date." He smiled, getting back to his happy, chirpy self.

"I'm not going on the date. We can do it tomorrow."

"Why not?"

"I've just lost my job. It's not a priority right now. I need money. And don't tell any of the others about this either."

"I think they'll notice when you're not at work on Monday," said Jason.

"What?"

"The guys will know something is up. You can only keep this from them until Monday. Langdon will be home, and Paolo doesn't work Mondays. Even Gregory might not go in to the office. You'll have to say something."

"I'll think of something. Just let me get tonight out of the way, and I can think of a plan over the weekend."

"I don't think you should see a client tonight. Your head isn't in the right place. You don't want it to mess you up."

"I don't have a choice. I need the money. Now, more than ever."

Charlie wished he'd listened to Jason. His client was a Sebastian doppelg?nger, but that's where the similarity ended. He was an absolute arsehole and kept referring to Charlie as his ‘property' for the night. There was no let-up in his demands, and when he kicked Charlie out at four o'clock in the morning with no tip, he'd had no sleep.

He just wanted to crawl into bed, but of course, the universe hated him right now. Langdon was up, having just come home from a late shift. He was making a sandwich which looked far too healthy for this time of the day.

"Where have you been?" he asked.

"Out." He didn't want to get into this now.

"With Sebastian?"

"Yeah. He had to get an early flight."

"And he wouldn't let you stay in the hotel?"

"I wanted to sleep in my own bed."

Langdon nodded. Charlie breathed a sigh of relief and walked towards his bedroom.

"I thought your date was tonight?"

Charlie stopped and thought quickly before turning. "He had to go back to New York early, so we brought it forward."

Langdon seemed happy with that, so Charlie didn't wait for any further afterthoughts and headed to his room, closing the door behind him. He needed a shower after that creepy guy. His demands weren't anything out of the ordinary. In fact, he was quite vanilla. It was just the way he spoke to Charlie, as if he was nothing. It wasn't the first time it had happened, but tonight it had gotten under his skin.

He scrubbed himself thoroughly in the shower. His body ached from exertion and the fact he'd been awake for almost twenty-four hours. It was a good job he wasn't seeing Sebastian the next day. He wouldn't have been the best company.

Was Charlie making the right decision to walk away from him? He believed so. He'd just lost his job and had to work on the side to pay for his mum's care. Charlie was a complete mess. Sebastian was successful. They couldn't be more different. Chemistry in the bedroom wasn't enough to make something work. He had little experience with relationships, but even he knew that.

He dried himself off and pulled on a pair of pyjama shorts before slipping between the cool covers. He picked up his phone. It was now or never. He sent Sebastian a message, keeping it short and to the point, but making it clear this was the end. To cement that, he blocked his number. It would best for them both if they left their memories as that one perfect night.