17. Charlie

CHAPTER 17

CHARLIE

The nerves were kicking in now about the charity ball. He was attending as Sebastian Steele's partner. Charlie had overheard Sebastian say to the event organiser he was bringing his boyfriend. Sebastian was on the board of the charity, which he'd failed to mention. This meant there'd be more of a spotlight on them. He'd needed a pep talk from Jason earlier when they'd spoken on the phone.

"What if I make a tit out of myself?"

"I'm sure Sebastian will still love you regardless," said Jason dryly.

"How is that helping?"

"Just keeping it real."

"I'm looking for delusion here, Jason. This charity is important to him. I don't want to embarrass him by coming across as some poor kid who grew up on a council house in a rough part of London."

"But that's who you are, babes. And he'll have to deal with me if that's not good enough for him."

Charlie laughed. Jason was a pint-sized dynamo, and he knew he wouldn't hesitate to bitch-slap Sebastian, but there was no need. This was all in Charlie's own head. Bex's comments from earlier in the week still played on his mind. Even though she'd apologised and been nothing but lovely since, Charlie couldn't help but see some truth in her words.

"Oh, I wanted to talk to you about something," said Charlie, looking around to check he was alone.

"What's up, hun?"

"Remember that client I told you about? The one who always made me feel like shit because he got in my head."

"Jeremy, the investment banker."

"Jesus, you are the memory man. You should do something with that brain of yours. "

"We were talking about you. What about Jeremy?"

"He keeps contacting me and offering me money to see him again. I block the number and he texts me from another and puts the fee up."

"How much are we talking about?"

"Thirty grand now."

"Fucking hell. I didn't know you were that good in bed. I'd have tapped you myself."

"He wants me to bottom for him."

"What are you gonna do?"

"Nothing, of course. I love Sebastian."

"But?"

"But, what?"

"I know you, Charlie. There's a but there."

"It's just, what if Sebastian and I don't work out and I'd had an opportunity to pay Gregory back and didn't take it?"

"Gregory doesn't want to be paid back."

"I'm paying him back, whether he likes it or not."

"You're an idiot."

"Can you just tell me what to do?"

"Keep blocking the numbers and deleting the messages. He'll get the hint eventually, or run out of phones."

"So, I shouldn't message him back and tell him I've got a boyfriend and don't do that work anymore? That might make him back off."

"Good God, no. That'll just make it more of a challenge for him. Don't respond to him, and if he doesn't stop, you'll have to report him."

"I'm not doing that. I'll have to tell the police what I was doing. They might tell my mum or something."

Charlie could literally hear Jason's eyes rolling through the phone. He knew it was far-fetched, but he didn't want the police to know about his old job. They might put something on his file, like they do with those women who get murdered and the police say, ‘she was a known prostitute.' He couldn't let his mum live with that embarrassment. It would be hard enough for her if he were murdered. Yes, of course he'd thought about it.

They wrapped up the call, and Charlie sent his love to the other guys. He'd be home in just over a week. Now he had to get through the night.

Charlie was stressing out trying to tie his bow tie. He'd watched half a dozen YouTube tutorials and still couldn't get his head round it. He was getting ready in Sebastian's spare bedroom, as he needed to keep himself calm. His nerves were on edge. It was half past seven and their car would be here soon. Their arrival time was eight o'clock sharp, and he knew Sebastian didn't like to be late.

"Fuck me, you're hot," Sebastian growled from the doorway.

Charlie turned – and, if this was a cartoon, he'd have those big heart eyes and tongue on the floor. Sebastian always looked hot, especially in a suit. But in a tuxedo? Hubba, hubba.

"You can talk. You look like James Bond."

Sebastian chuckled and walked towards Charlie, took hold of the two sides of the tie and pulled Charlie forward, kissing him. Sebastian looked so gorgeous, Charlie had a desperate urge to hump his leg. Instead, he enjoyed the kiss. Sebastian pulled away first and made quick work of the bow tie, before spinning him round so he could see himself in the mirror. He scrubbed up well, even if he said so himself.

"Let's not stay too long. I want to fuck you later, wearing this."

Charlie was instantly hard, which was uncomfortable in the tight trousers. He could do little about it as Sebastian was ushering him out of the door moments later. They had a town car waiting for them, with a driver.

Within ten minutes, they'd arrived. Sebastian had spent the journey reassuring Charlie he had nothing to worry about before dropping the bombshell that his ex, Henry, would be attending. This was the super-rich ex-boyfriend who had a title or something. That just ramped the pressure right up.

Sebastian took his hand as they walked into the venue. It looked like they were using the ballroom of some posh hotel. Everyone was dressed to impress. Thankfully, he'd given in on the tuxedo. There was no off-the-rack here, which baffled Charlie, given that it was for charity. Although he knew the point was to make rich people part with their money.

They quickly found Bex and her husband, Martin, who was adorable and such an ally. Many straight men said they were, but few actually did anything about it. Deacon joined them as well. He was the director of sales and marketing for Steele Property Holdings. Charlie had met him once when he visited the office, and he was hot as hell. Not that he'd say anything to Sebastian, but Charlie was in a relationship, not dead. He was so effortlessly charming as well, and on the bisexual bus. It was a good job Jason wasn't here. He'd climb him like a tree.

Sebastian was his usual charming self, speaking to people and introducing Charlie as his boyfriend. Most people were pleasant, a few gave Charlie an up-and-down look with a bewildered expression on their face, and others were just rude. Charlie didn't care. No matter where you were in the world, or how rich or poor someone was, some people were just cunts.

"Well, well, well. Look who it is."

Charlie felt Sebastian grip his hand harder, and his face paled. Sebastian recovered quickly and turned round with a smile.

"Brandon. It's been a while."

So this was Brandon. To be fair, the guy was objectively gorgeous. He looked older than Sebastian, but not by the ten-year age gap he was aware of. Brandon looked distinguished in his tuxedo with salt-and-pepper hair. He was built like a line-backer, and yes, Charlie knew what one of them was. Sport porn was his favourite, after office porn, of course. Brandon had his arm round a twink who looked terrified and out of place.

"And who's this?" he gestured towards Charlie. "Young for you, isn't he?"

"This is my boyfriend, Charlie."

"And how much is he charging you for the night?"

Charlie felt his cheeks go bright red. Did Brandon know something? He didn't want him to cause a scene at this event. Sebastian squeezed his hand, providing comfort. The twink was introduced as Brandon's fiancé. He made a point of showing the ring he was wearing, talking about it being custom-made. Charlie wondered why Sebastian was being polite. There was no etiquette which said you had to be nice to your ex, especially when they were an arsehole. Maybe it was an American thing.

"What the fuck are you doing here, Brandon?" said Bex, who was flanked by Martin and Deacon.

"Rebecca. Always a pleasure."

"Well, the feeling's not mutual. Sebastian, I need you for something."

Everyone knew she was playing big sister to get him away. Charlie was now certain Sebastian's relationship with Brandon had been abusive, but it was still his story to tell. It was something Charlie would never push him on.

"Are you okay?" he asked Sebastian once they were away from Brandon.

"Yeah, it was just a surprise to see him here. I was looking out for Henry, not him."

"When did you last see him?"

"Ten years ago, when we broke up."

"Understandable for it to be a shock. Let's get you another drink."

He nodded, and Charlie dragged him to the bar. With Charlie taking the lead, he had to push his way through the crowd. He didn't have the same magic powers as Sebastian did.

Once they had fresh drinks, Sebastian seemed to relax a bit. Charlie nipped to the bathroom, leaving Sebatian with the others. Deacon looked like a guy who could look after himself should Brandon cause any trouble.

What he wasn't expecting was to come out of the toilet cubicle and see Brandon's twink crying by the sink. It was none of his business, but he couldn't just ignore him.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

The twink jumped in surprise that someone else was there. A flash of recognition went across his face, but he said nothing.

"I'm fine, thanks. I just needed a minute."

"Do you want me to get someone for you?"

"No, please don't do that." He sounded terrified.

Charlie knew he should leave and not get involved. But the guy didn't know him or Sebastian. Charlie had no personal grudge against him.

"Sorry, I didn't catch your name earlier."

"It's Hunter. You're Charlie, right?"

Charlie nodded, wondering how best to approach this. Hunter was upset about something, and he was sure it was Brandon. He put a comforting hand on Hunter's shoulder, who jumped back like he'd been electrocuted.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

That was when Charlie noticed Hunter was wincing in pain.

"Has someone hurt you?"

Hunter shook his head vehemently. Charlie reached out and gently touched his shoulder. Without thinking, Charlie opened the top buttons of Hunter's shirt. He wasn't sure where Hunter's jacket was. He pulled the shirt gently down his collarbone and saw a nasty bruise, which was obviously made by someone gripping really hard. The fact it was recent and already bruised showed just how much force had been used. Charlie suspected there was more, so unbuttoned the rest of his shirt. Hunter didn't protest. He was trying his best not to cry.

The shirt came off and Charlie was horrified at how much bruising there was. Some of the bruises were old and almost healed, while others were fresh. It even looked like he had a boot mark on his back.

"You have to report him."

"I can't. I'd be homeless without him."

"Okay. Well, at least let me take some pictures, in case you change your mind. Sebastian could help you get somewhere to stay."

"No. I couldn't speak to Sebastian. He told me to keep away from him or he'd kill me. I think he's still got a thing for him. He's always talking about him."

That did not surprise Charlie, especially with the way Brandon had been earlier. He knew Sebastian had no lingering feelings, so there was nothing for him to be worried about. Right now, his only concern was Hunter.

He took the photos and put his phone away. Hunter was buttoning up his shirt when the door slammed open. They both spun around to see Brandon there, looking furious.

"What the fuck is going on in here? Are you fucking around with my fiancé?"

Charlie shook his head. He couldn't speak as Brandon advanced on him. He backed up quickly against the sink, but Brandon was a big guy and was in his face within seconds.

"You fucking little slut, I should have known anything Sebastian was with wouldn't be able to keep their hands to themselves. Hunter, go outside now. I'll deal with you later."

"He wasn't doing anything wrong. He was just helping me."

"Helping you with what?"

Brandon's eyes didn't leave Charlie's face. He had him pinned by his furious gaze, and the sheer presence of his bulk.

Hunter mumbled something.

"What? Speak up, boy."

"I'll wait outside."

He left without another word. Fuck. What was Brandon going to do to him? Charlie needed to get away. If he could get back out into the crowd, Brandon couldn't touch him.

"So, if you two weren't fucking in here, what were you doing?" he sneered.

Given Hunter had just left him, he didn't feel like he owed him much right now, and he needed to say something.

"He was showing me your handiwork. Got a bit of history, I'm guessing."

"Has Sebastian been crying over that? Fucker needed to be kept in line, that was all. He had a good thing with me. And now he's with you. Some two-bit whore who wouldn't know what to do with a man like that."

Charlie snapped. He'd wriggled a bit to the side and had a perfect aim. He drew his knee up as hard as could into Brandon's bollocks.

Brandon dropped like a sack of shit, groaning in pain. Charlie bolted for the door, but wasn't fast enough. Brandon, who had recovered quickly, grabbed Charlie and flung him onto the floor. He kicked Charlie hard in the ribs and knocked the wind out of him. Before he could even think of moving or defending himself, the boot was there again. It was relentless and Charlie thought he might black out from the pain.

There was a loud crash as the door burst open and Charlie couldn't work out what was going on. He heard bone on bone crunching as someone punched Brandon and he went down.

Charlie winced in pain as he tried to stand up, but he was too winded. A moment later, Sebastian was by his side, holding him.

"Charlie, Charlie, can you stand up?"

"Just give me a minute," he wheezed. "How did you know I was in here?"

"He told us," he said, pointing at Hunter, who looked horrified.

Charlie could stand, but it was agonising. Deacon was standing over Brandon, who was flat out on the floor. Charlie noticed Sebastian's hand was bleeding.

"You punched him?"

"He was hurting you."

It was said so matter-of-factly. Charlie could see Sebastian's eyes watering. He'd never seen him get emotional. He was always the strong one.

Bex arrived with Martin and some security guards. She looked at Brandon on the floor.

"Fuck, little bro. I always knew you had it in you."

Sebastian rolled his eyes and pulled Charlie towards him protectively.

"I'd like to get Charlie home. You guys can take it from here."

"Will Mr Davidson be pressing charges?"

Sebastian looked at him. There was no expectation on his face. It was completely Charlie's decision. And he loved that about him. He looked over at Hunter. The guy was broken. It was a no-brainer.

"Yes, I'll be pressing charges."

"Then you need to wait for the police."

Oh, bollocks. He hadn't thought of that. Sebastian was already a step ahead.

"Can someone arrange a room for us to wait in?"

One of the security guards signalled for them to follow him. Charlie took hold of Hunter's arm.

"You're coming with us."

He nodded. Bex followed them as well, leaving the others with security. Thankfully, they were taken out the back way. The security guard left them in a lounge area and said he'd get someone to arrange some drinks. Charlie didn't need alcohol right now. The adrenaline had worn off and all he felt was pain. He wondered if some of his ribs were broken. Charlie eased down onto a chair. Sebastian was sitting on the arm, not leaving his side. Bex was pacing, and Hunter was sitting opposite, looking like his world had just ended. All they could do was wait.