3. Charlie

CHAPTER 3

CHARLIE

The bar was heaving with bodies, the atmosphere charged with a feeling of euphoria at it being the end of the working week, and a sense of anticipation of what the night would bring. The place wasn't quite a nightclub, more a late-night bar with a dance floor. Charlie was on his third margarita and feeling a pleasant buzz as he moved to the music. He found dancing to be freeing as it took him out of his head. Jason kept pulling him out of his groove by pointing out a hot guy. There were a lot of objectively good-looking men out tonight, more so than usual, but that's all there was to them. Charlie wasn't looking for anyone special, but he wanted more than a quick fuck with someone whose mind would be elsewhere, probably thinking about the next guy they would be screwing. He'd once experienced that literally, when a guy had taken a phone call whilst still inside him and arranged a date with someone else. What had Charlie done in the moment? Ignored it, and carried on as if it hadn't happened. The self-loathing came later. His friends were appalled – apart from Jason, who thought it was hilarious.

The crowd had a city vibe to it, which wasn't always typical for a Friday night. There was nothing hotter than a guy in a suit. Thankfully, Charlie worked at one of those ‘dress for your day' places, so there weren't too many suits around the office, otherwise he'd be permanently hard. He only had to wear a suit if he was meeting a client, and since that never happened, it didn't matter. Ugh, now he was thinking about his arsehole of a boss.

Charlie finished his drink and signalled to Jason, asking if he wanted another. Jason was currently humping the leg of some grizzly bear, which was very him. The guy had a huge daddy complex but didn't understand what that scene was about. One day he was going to call the wrong guy Daddy and get a spanking, and Charlie doubted Jason would enjoy it in the way he thought he would.

Charlie left them to it, squeezing through people to get to the bar. There were some wandering hands, and his arse was pinched a few times. That was normal behaviour in the gay scene, yet if a straight man did it to a woman, there would be uproar, and their gay friends would be the first to be on her side.

A guy who looked sinister decided the arse wasn't enough and grabbed Charlie's crotch with a leer. Charlie jolted backwards without looking and crashed into what felt like a wall of muscle. He turned to apologise and couldn't speak for a second.

The guy he'd crashed into was sex on a stick. A big, tall, muscular stick. He was another one wearing a suit and had to be six foot five. He towered over Charlie's respectable five foot eleven. The black hair, slate-blue eyes and five o'clock shadow were checking more of Charlie's boxes. After a few seconds of literally drooling, Charlie realised the guy had hold of his arms as he'd steadied him.

"Sorry," he spluttered.

"No problem at all. Are you okay?"

He had a strange accent, a blend of American and British.

"Was that guy giving you trouble?"

Oh God, he's nice as well. There had to be something wrong with him. Nobody was this perfect. He felt like a horny teenager again, wanting to get his hands and tongue all over that body. It took all his restraint to not start humping Spartacus's leg. Until he had a name, ‘Spartacus' was what he was going with. He had a gladiator vibe about him. Woof!

"It's fine. He did me a favour by sending me your way."

Oh my God, did I just say that? Kill me now!

"I'm Sebastian." He smiled, holding out his hand.

Sebastian was an even hotter name than Spartacus. Charlie wasn't sure why; it was just a fact. There was also something about Sebastian. He shook Charlie's hand, which was formal, but didn't seem out of place. The guy just oozed confidence. Charlie wondered if that confidence transferred to the bedroom. He needed to stop with those thoughts, or the leg-humping would be an embarrassing reality.

"Charlie," he said, introducing himself.

"Are you here with anyone?"

"Just my flatmate, who was humping the leg of some bear when I left him."

Sebastian laughed. It changed his face completely. This was a guy who was confident and controlled, yet when he let go, Charlie could see there was a fun side. Charlie wanted to know it all.

"Can I buy you a drink?" Sebastian asked.

Charlie would be stupid to say no. He didn't know why a guy like this was giving him the time of day, but he'd had a shit week, so he was just going to go with it. Charlie agreed. Sebastian took his hand, which was sweet and possessive at the same time.

The crowd seemed to part, probably because of Sebastian's size. A few twinks spotted their joined hands and glared with jealousy. It was a heady feeling, and Charlie was enjoying it while it lasted.

It surprised him when they walked past the bar and towards a door. Oh God, was he going to be taken to some sex dungeon to be murdered? He knew Sebastian was too good to be true. Before he said anything, they approached the door, which had a security guard standing at it. How had Charlie never seen this before? The security guard nodded at Sebastian in recognition and opened the door.

They entered another bar, which was much quieter. It had a chill-out lounge feel to it. The music had a lower volume and less bass. There were comfortable chairs, sofas, and booths dotted around, and the place was about half-full. There were conversations going on, but there was a calmness too.

"I thought it'd be easier to talk in here," said Sebastian.

"I didn't even know this place existed and I've been coming here for years."

Sebastian chuckled and moved his hand to the small of Charlie's back, guiding him to the bar. Again, it was possessive, sweet, and hot as hell.

"What can I get you?" asked the barman.

Charlie hesitated. He'd been drinking cocktails, but he felt it was rude to ask for an expensive drink when someone else was buying, although he doubted Sebastian was hurting for money. This was clearly a VIP or membership bar. Fuck it!

"Margarita, please."

Sebastian smiled. "Jack and Coke, no ice. Thanks."

"Where's your accent from?"

"I was born here, but lived in New York for the past thirty years."

Charlie was trying to do the maths in his head.

"I'm forty-two. That okay?"

"Sorry, my brain immediately likes to work things out. And yes, that's not a problem. I'm twenty-seven. Is that okay?"

Sebastian looked Charlie up and down slowly. It was commanding. Charlie almost came in his pants.

Sebastian smiled before turning to pay for the drinks. He hadn't vocalised his answer, but from the way he was looking at Charlie, there was no problem. How could he have gotten so lucky? Then it hit him: Sebastian lived in New York. This was going to be a one-and-done, and Charlie was fine with that. He had to switch the fantasy in his head from the perfect man to the perfect night, but he could do that. One night with this absolute god would be something he'd probably remember on his deathbed.

They took one of the booths. It was shaped like a semicircle, so it meant they were sitting next to each other. Sebastian's tree-trunk leg pressed against Charlie's. Next to Sebastian's, Charlie's legs resembled the last chicken drumstick in the shop.

"How long are you in London for?"

"Fly back Sunday."

"Here for business or fun?"

"Business, but that's all taken care of now."

Sebastian gave him a once-over again, and Charlie laughed.

"You know, that line should be corny, but on you it isn't."

"I'll take the compliment," he smiled. "Charlie?"

Charlie was taking a sip of his drink. He glanced back at Sebastian, who was looking like he wanted to drag Charlie back to his cave like a Neanderthal.

"Yeah?"

"Can I kiss you?"

Charlie was sure his heart stopped beating for a second. His mouth went dry. He wanted to take another drink, but it would look rude. All he could do was nod his head and lick his lips before Sebastian's mouth was on his. His tongue dived straight into Charlie's mouth. No hesitation. It was another area where Sebastian was confident. He pulled Charlie close to him, so he was practically sitting on his lap. The kiss was hot as hell and Charlie was hard in seconds, and in danger of really doing the leg-humping thing. Oh crap, he'd just left Jason on the dance floor. What kind of friend was he?

The kiss came to a natural end. Damn Charlie and his intrusive thoughts. Sebastian was smiling at him like he wanted to rip his clothes off, so he doubted it would be the last time they kissed tonight.

"Will you come back to my hotel with me?"

Charlie nodded without hesitation and went to down his drink.

"Slow down," Sebastian said, gently taking the drink. "There's no rush. We've got all night."

Charlie was enjoying Sebastian's company too much. It was making him fantasise about living happily ever after with a guy who lived three thousand miles away and who was so far out of his league. He wasn't even sure this was real. Perhaps he'd fallen asleep after he'd gotten home from his shitty job and this was all a dream. He should have insisted they go straight back to the hotel so Sebastian could pound him into the mattress before he changed his mind and before Charlie could see any more of what an amazing guy Sebastian was. Charlie had this terrible tendency to fall hard and fast. He needed to remember this was a one-night stand and enjoy it for what it was.

Sebastian had shared that he worked in property development. He was a twin and had twin nieces, who he clearly adored from the animated way he spoke about them. Charlie hadn't wanted to bring the mood down, so he'd not mentioned his mother's ill health, but still talked about how she'd raised him on her own, and the guys he shared a flat with. He'd spoken briefly about work, but just saying he was in marketing. There was no way he was mentioning his side hustle. Guys could get funny about it, and it wasn't anyone else's business.

"Are you okay?"

Charlie jolted out of his spiralling thoughts and took a sip of his drink. He had been on soft drinks after their first drink together. If this was only going to be one night, he wanted to remember it.

"Yeah, all good."

Sebastian's frown made it clear he wasn't convinced, so Charlie silenced him with another kiss, slipping his tongue in and getting the taste of Jack Daniel's. He didn't like whisky of any kind after a rather unpleasant experience on his sixteenth birthday, but on Sebastian it was hot.

"There you are!"

The familiar voice caused them to break apart. Charlie saw Jason standing in front of their table with a shit-eating grin on his face. Charlie had sent a text saying he'd met someone and was going back to their place. So, why was he in the VIP bar and how did he get in?

"How did you find me?"

"Your tracker said you were still here, and when I couldn't find you, this was the last place to look."

"You wear a tracker?" asked Sebastian with a raised eyebrow.

"Find My Friends. We all have it switched on."

"Ah."

"Are you not going to introduce me to your hot daddy?"

"Jason!"

Sebastian was chuckling, so thankfully hadn't taken it the wrong way. He loved a guy who took charge in the bedroom, but he wasn't into the whole daddy or domination thing.

"This is Sebastian. We were just about to leave."

"You've still got half your drink left," Jason said, plonking himself down in front of them.

"What happened to your bear?"

"Sucked him off in the toilets. Then I lost interest."

Charlie sighed and gave an apologetic look at Sebastian, who seemed amused. Charlie loved Jason, but he had absolutely no filter.

"So, what are your intentions with my friend?"

"Jason!"

"I mean, he has a python between his legs, but he's a big old bottom."

Kill me now! Charlie dropped his head onto the table in despair.

"That won't be a problem," said Sebastian with a slight growl.

Charlie's head snapped up. Sebastian looked like he wanted to take Charlie right now. Jason had that grin back on his face.

"You guys up for a third?"

"Jason!"

Jason laughed and stood up. He leaned in to kiss Charlie on the cheek and whispered in his ear.

"I want all the deets when you can walk again."

Charlie felt his face burning as Jason laughed and left them to it. Sebastian looked amused.

"Is he always like that?"

"Yes. It's a combination of ADHD and alcohol."

Sebastian laughed like he understood. He then downed his drink, making it clear their night was just getting started.