15. Charlie

CHAPTER 15

CHARLIE

Waking up in Sebastian's arms was something he wanted for the rest of his life, but right now he was busting for a piss and was being held in a vice-like grip. He tried to move Sebastian's arm, but he just pulled Charlie closer, if that was possible. Charlie had a temptingly thick piece of morning wood pressed against his arse, but all he could think about was his bladder bursting. He was going to have to wake Sebastian up. More forcefully, but still as gently as he could, he moved his arm and slid out of the bed.

"Where are you going?" asked Sebastian, sitting up.

"Relax, it's morning. I just need a piss."

Sebastian smiled and rolled onto his back, reaching for his phone. He frowned, before putting it back down.

"Everything okay?"

"I thought you needed to pee."

Charlie smiled and went and took care of business. He splashed his face with water and brushed his teeth, just to freshen up a bit. When he walked back into the bedroom, it looked like Sebastian had fallen back to sleep, but the sheet had fallen off the bed.

There he was, all muscled and hairy, his cock standing to attention, and this perfect man actually loved him – Charlie. It had to be a dream, but he was determined to enjoy it until he woke up. He took a few seconds to admire this Adonis of a man, sprawled out.

"Why don't you stop looking and come over here and take a ride," he said, holding his cock towards the ceiling.

Charlie hesitated.

"What?" asked Sebastian, looking concerned.

"I'm just a bit . . . sore."

"Sorry," he said with a wry smile.

"You don't look sorry. Just give me some recovery time and we can come back to your offer."

"Want me to kiss it better?"

Charlie groaned. He really did, but he had stuff to do before their plane took off at five. Instead, he was a tease and bent over to pick up his clothes, which had gone everywhere the night before. He wiggled his arse in Sebastian's direction, which was just asking for trouble. Within seconds, Sebastian grabbed him from behind and flung him onto the bed. He wasn't a fan of being manhandled, but Sebastian made it hot. Before he could say anything, he felt that familiar warm tongue at his hole and knew it was pointless to protest.

After he'd seen stars from coming, and swallowing Sebastian's load in the shower, they were ready to go. They had a car picking them up from the hotel at two o'clock to take them to Paddington. They were getting the Heathrow Express, as it would be quicker than driving all the way, which could be a nightmare. Charlie was happy to let Sebastian deal with all that, as he was the seasoned traveller. He kissed his man goodbye and headed off to see his mum.

She was having a good day when he arrived, and was even on her feet, albeit briefly, when she moved herself from her chair onto the sofa in the community centre, which was part of the complex. It wasn't much, but was about all the independence she had left, and she was clinging on to it.

"Hi, Mum," he said, kissing her cheek and sitting next to her.

"You look happy. Is it your new man?"

"Yes, I was with Sebastian."

"You've got that freshly –"

"Do not finish that sentence."

Charlie was no prude, but he didn't want his mum talking about his sex life. It was great she was so supportive, but he had limits.

"I'm going to New York."

"Oh, that's fantastic. The boys said something, but weren't sure if you'd go. Don't worry about me. They're all going to fuss over me."

She always referred to his friends as ‘the boys.' To the rest of them, she was the only decent mother figure any of them had known. She never called out the behaviour of their own mothers, but she'd taken them all under her wing. In fact, Charlie was convinced she liked some of his friends more than him. Jason could make her laugh so much she could hardly breathe. She was the only person Gregory and Paolo opened up to, but Langdon was her true favourite. He couldn't blame her. Langdon was everyone's favourite, and given the shitty start in life he'd had, the fact he was so kind and caring was a testament to how amazing a person he was.

Charlie spent an hour with his mum. She got tired easily, so he couldn't do long visits. She was excited about his trip, as she'd never left the country either. It wasn't something they could afford when he was growing up, and he doubted now if she'd ever get the opportunity. He was going to take as many pictures as he could when he was away to share with her.

"So, when do I get to meet this man who's stolen your heart?"

"When we get back, I'll bring him over. Promise."

Given it was likely that Charlie would meet Sebastian's sister and family when he was in New York, he could return the gesture when they got back. He kissed his mum goodbye and went to leave, but she called him back.

"Charlie, promise me something."

"Of course."

"Don't get in your own way."

He smiled and nodded. He knew what she meant and had no intention of getting in his own way. Sebastian was the best thing that had ever happened to him.

It was lunchtime, and he was packing for two weeks. He wasn't sure what to take. The weather would be like it was at home in spring: temperamental. He was struggling to get everything in one case and then worried it would be too heavy. Charlie thought of texting Sebastian to ask him what the weight limit was, but didn't want to sound stupid. But Sebastian had told him to be honest with him about everything, so he sent a message. Within seconds, his phone was ringing.

"Just bring as much as you want. There's no limit."

"That doesn't sound right. Why does everyone bitch about how much it costs to take extra luggage?"

"We're flying first class. There's no limit, within reason."

"First class? We said no extravagant gifts."

"Charlie, I always travel like this. I want to be comfortable. You said I could take care of travel, so just pack whatever you want and if you're missing something, we can buy it."

"But –"

"Sorry, you can buy it. Don't forget to bring that cash with you."

He said goodbye and hung up. Could he really take another case? He didn't want to look ridiculous, and anyway, he didn't have another case. Jason did and wouldn't mind if he borrowed it. He sent him a quick text and went to his room to get it. The door was closed, but Jason would be at work, so Charlie walked in and was greeted by the sight of Jason's naked arse. The noise of him walking in woke Jason, who screamed when he saw Charlie.

This made Charlie jump back, and he stood on a plug, which was up there with a stubbed toe as one of the most painful things in the world. It caused him to trip when he grabbed his foot and crash to the floor.

"What the hell are you doing?" asked Jason.

Charlie started laughing. He had no idea why, but the whole thing was hilarious and he couldn't stop.

"You're insane," said Jason, and then joined him in laughing, covering himself up. "Why are you in my room?" he asked as they calmed down.

"Why aren't you at work?"

"I asked first."

"I need to borrow your suitcase for New York."

Jason squealed with delight and leapt from the bed to give Charlie a hug, landing on top of him and showering him with kisses.

"You're naked, get off me."

"Relax, we're both big old bottoms. You're safe."

"Er, speak for yourself."

"Fucking old men for money doesn't count."

"Wow. Harsh, but accurate. But please put some clothes on. I have a boyfriend now."

Another huge squeal and more hugging and kissing. Charlie pried Jason off him and flipped him over before standing up.

"That was hot. You sure you don't want to top?"

Charlie shook his head in disbelief.

"What? I've seen that horse cock you've got."

"And we're done."

Charlie grabbed the suitcase off the top of the wardrobe and left before Jason could say anything else inappropriate. He understood why he did it, but it made people uncomfortable and he was worried one day his friend was going to do it to the wrong person.

Back in his room, he opened the suitcase and was horrified to see it was full of sex toys. Dildos, cuffs, paddles, chains, jockstraps, butt plugs and more. He assumed it would just be full of holiday clothes.

"You're welcome to borrow any of that," said Jason, making him jump.

Jason had found some clothes – well, bottoms at least. And he wasn't in the least bit fazed by the plethora of sex toys Charlie had just found.

"Are they clean?" he asked, without thinking.

"Rude."

They both laughed, but Charlie politely declined. He was more than satisfied with Sebastian's cock, and he didn't get any kinky vibes from him. He was certainly dirty with his love of come, but Charlie didn't really see that as a kink. Who didn't love come?

"You finish packing, and I'll make some tea."

Charlie got everything he wanted in the two cases, and just had his work backpack for hand luggage. He set up some downloads on his tablet, which he only owned because Gregory had bought them all one a couple of Christmases ago. He wheeled his cases out by the front door, put his tablet on the side, and plugged it in so it would download quicker.

"Why are you downloading stuff? They have movies on the plane."

"I know, but I've heard they're not always good."

"You're flying first class. They'll have everything."

"How do you know?"

"Babes, your boyfriend's a billionaire. I'm surprised he's not got a private jet."

Charlie felt uncomfortable. He loved Sebastian, but he didn't like being constantly reminded about how different they were.

The journey to the airport was uneventful, as was check-in, but Charlie knew he was getting the first class experience, so couldn't use it as a benchmark. Within twenty minutes of the train arriving, which was first class again, they were sitting in the airport lounge. The opulence was like nothing Charlie had ever seen before. Top-shelf spirits, champagne which was hundreds of pounds a bottle, caviar, oysters, and many other things Charlie had never had the chance to try in his life.

He felt out of place. Was this Sebastian's life? He didn't seem perturbed by it at all, and was relaxing with his Jack and Coke whilst reading something on his tablet.

"What are you reading?"

"Quarterly financial reports."

"Hot!"

Sebastian chuckled. He looked at Charlie with a frown, clearly picking up that something was wrong. Damn his non-verbal expressions giving him away. He needed to get out of this place. He felt underdressed. Sebastian was in chinos and a polo shirt, which pinched nicely on his biceps, with a prominent vein popping on his tight skin. Shaking himself out of the fantasy before he started drooling, Charlie said he wanted to check out the shops. Sebastian offered to go with him, but Charlie suggested he should relax before the flight, and told him he wouldn't be long.

The departure terminal was packed with people and felt more like Charlie. It was noisy, people bumping into him. He was hungry, but it would be silly to waste money when everything was free in the lounge. Besides, Jason had said he should save his appetite for the food on the plane, which he had to take a picture of. None of his friends had flown first class before, even Gregory.

Charlie walked around the airport and bought nothing. His phone pinged.

Sebastian: Where are you? We're boarding xx.

Charlie : Can you bring my bag? I'll meet you at the gate xx.

Sebastian: Xxx

It took Charlie fifteen minutes to find the gate. Sebastian, who had called him seven times, rushed over and kissed him, before taking his hand and pulling him to the front of the line.

"We can't push in front of all these people," Charlie whispered.

"First class can get on whenever they want. There's a separate entrance. Come on."

It didn't feel right to Charlie, and he knew people were looking at him and thinking the worst. How could someone like him be travelling first class? He got little choice in the matter, as Sebastian had a way of moving through a crowd, which just parted. He was like a gay Moses.

Once they'd had their boarding passes checked, they were on the plane within a minute, having bypassed the long queue of people waiting to board. They were greeted like celebrities and shown to their seats. Charlie noticed there were only eight seats in the whole first class section, and they had two in the middle. They got seated, and Charlie's backpack was whisked away for him and put away, as was his jacket. Within seconds of boarding, he was seated with a bowl of assorted posh nuts and a glass of champagne.

He was too excited about finally being on a plane to be bothered by the overdone servitude. He looked at the window seat longingly and wondered why they'd been seated in the middle.

"You see this?" asked Sebastian, gesturing to the partition between their seats. "It goes all the way down, so when they make the bed up, it can be a double."

Sebastian was giving him one of his ‘I'm going to fuck you so hard' looks.

"We can't . . ."

"Relax. I'm just joking. We can still have a cuddle, though. Besides, the mile-high club is really overrated."

"What?" said Charlie, a surge of jealousy going through him.

"Still joking," Sebastian laughed. "Although, good to know I'm not the only one who gets jealous."

"Why would you get jealous?"

"Because half a dozen guys checked you out when we were walking through the airport."

"Have you seen yourself? You make straight men question their identity."

Sebastian laughed before leaning over and giving Charlie a kiss.

"Why don't you sit by the window for take-off?"

"I can't. It's someone else's seat."

"It's not. I checked. We're the only ones in the cabin for this flight, so you can sit where you want."

"Please tell me you didn't book out the whole cabin."

"No, it was just good luck. Even I'm not that ostentatious."

Charlie hummed. He wasn't a hundred per cent convinced, but really wanted to see the take-off, so he moved seats. The flight attendant smiled at him and asked if he wanted another drink. He asked for a soft drink, as he just wanted to enjoy the moment of being on a plane for the first time and not pass out from being wasted on champagne.

Three hours into the flight, they were suitably fed and watered. Sebastian had suggested Charlie try the steak, which had been cooked fresh and was perfect. How did they cook it on a plane? The hot chocolate pudding had been so amazing he didn't protest when Sebastian asked them to make another one.

Charlie had come back from the toilet and the double bed was made up, with his drink at the window seat alongside his tablet. It was tempting to lie down and sleep for a bit, but he wasn't sure he'd sleep from the excitement. He hadn't watched a film as he was obsessed with the map screen, which showed where the plane was on its journey. They were over the Atlantic Ocean, so if they crashed, there would be no chance of survival. Okay, where did that come from?

Sebastian emerged, wearing the pyjamas they got in their amenity kit. Charlie wanted to save his for special occasions, and wasn't risking spilling something on them. Sebastian was towel-drying his hair.

"Why is your hair wet?"

"I had a shower."

"On a plane?"

Sebastian chuckled and passed his wet towel to the stewardess, who'd appeared out of thin air. It was like they knew the exact moment you would need something. Charlie's drink had been replenished twice before he even took his last sip. He'd wanted to change it to something else, as too many fizzy drinks made him burp a lot, but he didn't want to appear rude.

"Why don't you have a shower and get changed? We can cuddle up and watch a film. We're not going to disturb anyone."

That sounded amazing, but he hesitated, which Sebastian picked up on immediately. He came round the aisle, pulling Charlie into a hug.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm being silly."

"Just tell me."

"I wanted to save the pyjamas for other special occasions."

He was glad his face was buried in Sebastian's chest as he was burning with embarrassment. Sebastian kissed his head and rubbed his back lovingly. Charlie could tell there was no judgement, but his cringe factor was off the charts.

"Wait here a second. I've got an idea."

He pulled away, catching a quick kiss, and walked off to the galley. In less than a minute, he came back with another amenity kit and passed it to Charlie.

"Put that one in your bag and use the other while you're here."

"We can't just take another one."

"We didn't. I asked permission first. Now get changed. I want my cuddle."

Charlie relented and went to the bathroom to change, leaving Sebastian to pick a film. He would not have a shower. Something about it didn't seem right. What if they hit turbulence, Charlie was flung from the shower naked, and the stewardess found him? He'd die of the shame. The pyjamas were so soft. They also left little to the imagination, so Charlie put his boxers back on underneath to get things squished down.

Going back into the cabin, the lights had been dimmed, and Sebastian was lying down with Charlie's tablet.

"How many films did you download?"

"I didn't know if there would be anything I'd like, so wanted a backup."

"There are a lot of horror films here."

"Do you not like horror films?"

"Uh-oh, do we have a deal breaker?"

"Depends on your answer." Charlie smiled.

"I do like a good jumpy one, just not lots of gore."

"I can accept that. And I know the perfect film."

Sebastian passed the tablet over when Charlie took a seat. They got it all set up. Because of the plane noise, they used headphones, which they had to share, requiring the mandated snuggling. The film was starting when Sebastian's hand moved down the front of Charlie's pyjama bottoms.

"Why are you wearing underwear?"

"These pyjamas are tight, so I didn't want to be obscene."

Sebastian chuckled and moved his hand down the front of Charlie's boxers, cupping his cock, which was thickening rapidly.

"We said we weren't doing this on the plane," Charlie whispered, both scandalised and turned on.

"Relax. I just like holding it."

The way he was caressing Charlie's cock with his thumb was not just holding it. He was now at full attention. Charlie focused on the film, but could feel Sebastian pressed against him, equally hard. This could only end one way.

Charlie woke up the next morning, disorientated. It was still dark outside. A look at his phone told him it was four o'clock in the morning. He'd only been asleep for five hours, but his body felt like he'd been out for twelve. They'd both been tired when they arrived at Sebastian's apartment, so he hadn't looked around. It had been a case of shower and sleep. There had been enough sex on the plane – well, they'd just wanked each other off, but it felt like they'd broken some international law or something. Charlie couldn't look the stewardess in the face again for the rest of their flight.

Sebastian was curled up next to him, but didn't have Charlie in a vice-like grip this time. Charlie got up and went to the bathroom, before pulling on his boxers and a T-shirt and going to explore. The place was vast. It was the top floor of a twenty-storey building and was close to the city centre. Sebastian said he could walk to work in fifteen minutes. The apartment was neutral in décor and didn't match Sebastian's warm personality. It felt more like a rental than somewhere he owned. It was like he hadn't yet put his stamp on it, although he'd been living here for five years.

Charlie worked out how the state-of-the-art coffee machine operated and made himself a latte before taking a seat at the dining table. It was next to the floor-to-ceiling windows which looked out over the city. Lights everywhere, it really was a city which never slept. Charlie thought he'd sit here and watch the sunrise, although he wasn't sure which side of the apartment it came up on. He snuck back into the bedroom, not wanting to wake Sebastian, and grabbed his phone. He needed to let people know he'd arrived safely. It was early back in the UK when he'd arrived, but he still texted his mum and Langdon, as they were the two worriers.

He had returned messages from both, asking him to call when he was up. He'd leave that until Sebastian was awake. There were messages from the other guys and an inappropriate meme from Jason about the mile high club. The accuracy was alarming, and he wondered if Jason designed these himself. There was also a message from an unknown number.

Unknown: L tells me you've moved on. How about ￡20k for you to come out of retirement for one night? J x.

Charlie panicked and looked around to check Sebastian wasn't there. He went to delete the message and hesitated. Twenty grand would mean he could pay Gregory back, which he intended to do eventually, no matter what his friend said. He then shook some sense into himself and deleted the message, before blocking the number as well, just to be safe.

He was on his second coffee, watching the sunrise, when he heard a shuffling sound behind him.

"There you are." Sebastian looked rattled. "I panicked when you weren't next to me."

"Sorry, I was wide awake and didn't want to disturb you. I'm not going anywhere, you know."

Sebastian kissed him before walking over to the machine to make his own coffee.

"I know you're not. I just... well, it doesn't matter. We better make an early start on the sightseeing. You'll crash by dinner time with the jet lag."

"How come you didn't wake up so early?"

"I'm used to it, and I kept myself awake on the plane whilst you were snoring your head off."

"I don't snore."

"Course you don't, gorgeous." Sebastian kissed his cheek.

Charlie grumbled, unimpressed. He didn't snore, did he? Sebastian had to be teasing him. Nobody else had said anything to him before and he'd shared a bed with Jason. That bitch wouldn't hesitate to say something, and would probably have recorded it. Sebastian's phone rang. Who would call this early?

"Morning, Bex."

That answered the question.

"Can't Deacon handle it? I have plans with Charlie."

That didn't sound good.

"I know that, but I made it clear I was taking this week off."

It looked like Charlie was exploring the city on his own.

"Fine, okay . . . yeah . . . okay . . . right . . . bye."

He hung up and looked irritated. Charlie smiled. Sebastian had an important job. Charlie wanted to reassure him.

"It's fine, Sebastian. I can entertain myself."

"No, it's not fine. Bex is insisting I need to go in for a meeting with one of our clients who is wobbling on a new deal."

"I can entertain myself today and meet you after work or something."

"No, I'll be done by lunchtime. We'll make a start this afternoon."

"Cool. Well, I have that call with Candice this morning, and then I might do some applications. I'll just wait here and we can go out when you get back."

"You sure?"

"Of course. I've got two weeks."

Sebastian pulled him into a kiss before heading off to the shower. The meeting was at eight o'clock. And Charlie thought nine o'clock meetings were an abomination.

Sebastian had been gone for an hour when Charlie heard the front door open. He rushed out of the bedroom, excited, but stopped immediately when he realised it wasn't Sebastian. From how he'd described her, this had to be his sister, Bex.

"You must be Charlie. I'm Bex, Sebastian's big sister."

Charlie was pleased he'd showered and dressed to prepare for his video call with Candice. The last thing he'd want to be when he met Sebastian's sister was in his boxers.

"I know Sebastian's at the office. I thought we could have a coffee and get to know each other."

There was something frosty in her demeanour. Sebastian had spoken fondly of his sister, so perhaps she just took time to warm up to new people. Charlie smiled and nodded, before heading over to the coffee machine and asking what she wanted.

"Flat white. I see you've already made yourself at home."

Charlie ignored the barb and just smiled again. He wanted to make a good impression, so thought it best to get a read on her before he responded. Thankfully, the coffee machine roared into life, negating the possibility of conversation for a couple of minutes.

Bex was sitting at the breakfast bar, so Charlie joined her with their coffees. There was an awkward silence before Bex broke the tension.

"What do you do for work, Charlie?"

"I work in marketing, although I'm between jobs at the moment."

"Why's that?"

Charlie wasn't sure how to answer. Her questions didn't seem inquisitory, they were more accusatory in tone. He was honest.

"I didn't get along with my boss, but I'm speaking to Candice later about some of her contacts who might help me."

"She told me you'd turned down the job she offered you. Why did you do that?"

Charlie didn't like her tone. The whole encounter felt uncomfortable, and this wasn't how he'd envisaged meeting Bex. He'd expected to have Sebastian with him as a protective buffer.

"I mean, it was a substantial offer. Four times your current salary. That certainly would have solved your money problems, wouldn't it? Although you've got a nice little side hustle for that, don't you?"

Charlie felt himself go bright red with shame. How much did Bex know about him? Did Sebastian know she felt this way? Why hadn't he warned Charlie? He had to say something.

"Sebastian understands my reasons, and I don't do that anymore."

"Sebastian is blinded by his infatuation with you. He enjoys having people to protect, and you look like the type who needs it. But I know a gold-digger when I see one."

"I'm not interested in his money."

"Paid for your own first class ticket here, then, did you?"

Charlie didn't know what to say.

"I thought as much. Why don't you just pack up your stuff, and I'll arrange your flight home for you? My treat. I'll even pay for first class. Then you can just forget about my brother."

Charlie was stunned and wanted to burst into tears, but then a new emotion came along – anger. How dare she accuse him of being something he wasn't? She didn't know him.

"Does Sebastian know you're here speaking to me?"

"Sebastian doesn't know what's best for him. He's a soft touch. I won't have him taken for a ride by some whore."

"Excuse me?"

"Charlie, let's be real. You're a whore. I'm still not convinced you conveniently met in a bar."

"Believe what you want, but I'm not going anywhere until Sebastian asks me to. And you better leave unless you want me to tell him about this conversation."

That shut her up, and he saw a flash of fear in her eyes before she quickly regained her composure.

"I'm not done with you. If you think you can take my brother away from his family to move to London, you've got another thing coming."

"I haven't asked him to move to London."

"Don't lie to me. I know he's looking at property there. That's all your doing."

Charlie was flabbergasted. Was she telling the truth? No. Sebastian would have spoken to him before making such a big decision, and they had only started officially dating this weekend. How could he be looking at property already? It had to be related to something else, but he didn't want to admit to Bex he didn't know about something so important.

He didn't have time to respond to her, as she stormed out, slamming the door behind her. Charlie was at a loss for what to do. Should he call Sebastian? He wasn't sure if he wanted to come between the siblings. If it came down to a choice, Sebastian would always choose his family, just like Charlie would if his mum asked him to choose between her and Sebastian. The difference was that Charlie's family would never ask him to make that choice.