8. Sebastian

CHAPTER 8

SEBASTIAN

It was Friday night, and Sebastian had heard nothing from Charlie. Had Jason even passed on his number? The guy was flighty. He could have just forgotten. But the reality was, Charlie had his number and was choosing not to call. Sebastian had to accept it, but he couldn't let it go. Not yet. He needed Charlie to tell him to his face that he didn't want to see him again, and then he'd walk away. He got his stubbornness from their mother. His sister had it as well, and he knew he was in for a lecture when he pulled his car up on her drive. Hopefully, his nieces would cause a pleasant distraction.

His hopes were dashed when he walked into his sister's home and wasn't attacked by small people. Bex was holding out a glass of red wine with a smirk on her face.

"They're out with friends. It's just the two of us."

"Ugh, do we have to do this?"

"Yes, you've been a grumpy bastard all week. I'm not the only one who's noticed."

"Everyone's allowed to have a bad week."

"Just get on a bloody plane and go and see the guy."

"How am I supposed to do that? I don't have his number or anything other than his first name."

"How much money are you worth?"

"What's that got to do with anything?"

"Look, little brother. You're the sensible one who invested his money. You are literally a billionaire."

"You're not exactly poor."

"That's not my point. Not only do you have money at your disposal, you have the contacts. If you really wanted to, you could find this guy in a day."

"Isn't that creepy?"

"I'd call it resourceful. You need to see him again. Even if he tells you to piss off. At least you'll know. Although he'd be an idiot to turn you down."

"How would it even work, anyway? We live three thousand miles apart."

"Those are just details to be worked out later. You're rationalising."

"And that's a bad thing?"

"Sebastian, I've never seen you this distracted and hung up on a guy. Get your ass back to London."

There was no point in arguing with his sister when she was this determined. Now, all he had to do was find Charlie.

It was Tuesday morning when he arrived in the London office. He'd had to deal with something in New York on Monday, so he took a night flight. Sebastian had made no steps towards tracking Charlie down yet. He was still hoping Charlie would call him.

Sebastian was between meetings when he checked his email. There was an invitation for tomorrow's meeting with Sumptua. The attendee list included Charlie Davidson, who was the marketing executive.

It had to be a coincidence. The world couldn't be that small. He looked at the company website, but they only had bios for the leadership team. He went to LinkedIn instead, keeping his own profile private so Charlie wouldn't know he'd looked.

Sebastian let out a huge breath when he saw the beautiful face staring back at him. He'd found him – and not only that, he'd be in his office tomorrow with the arsehole boss he'd spoken of. Candice had reservations about Nathaniel Klein from their first meeting. Charlie had confirmed everything she suspected.

Sebastian was in two minds about pulling the whole contract immediately. He didn't want to work with a company who treated their staff like that, but then he'd lose the opportunity to see Charlie again.

How should he play this? If he blindsided Charlie, it could blow up in his face and put Charlie's job in jeopardy. Now he had his full name and where he worked, it wouldn't take long for him to get Charlie's number. He could give him a heads-up, but then he might not come. It was a conundrum, but he couldn't help but smile at the fact he'd be seeing Charlie again soon.

Back at the hotel, he had the same suite. He'd called in a favour and now had Charlie's number and his address. It wasn't his finest moment and would hardly endear him to Charlie, but he needed a backup in case he didn't show tomorrow, or their meeting was a disaster. He still wasn't sure how he was going to play it, but that night he slept better than he had since the night he fell asleep with Charlie still in his arms.

"They're here," said Candice, popping her head round the office door. "You sure you want to be in this one?"

"Yes. I just want to see how the guy treats his staff. It's your meeting to run."

"Okay, I'll see you in there."

He was nervous. Sebastian didn't get nervous. But he'd decided, and it was too late to back out of it now. A quick call to Reception confirmed Charlie was there. He straightened up his suit and headed to the boardroom. The door was still open, and he could hear chatter. He walked in and spotted Charlie straight away. He was busying himself with his laptop, connecting it to the videoconferencing equipment.

"Nathaniel, this our CEO, Sebastian Steele."

At that, Charlie looked up, and his jaw dropped. He recovered quickly and looked nervous as he stood up. It took a lot for Sebastian not to go straight over to him, but he had to play this cool. He shook Nathaniel's hand. The smile on his face was fake. There were two other people who seemed to be just as vacuous as Nathaniel, and then it came to Charlie.

"This is our executive, Charlie. We thought it'd be a good experience for him to see how a business meeting works," said Nathaniel.

That immediately got Sebastian's back up. He knew full well why Charlie was here. He'd done all the work.

"Good to meet you, Charlie," he said, shaking his hand.

"Yes, erm, you too . . . sir."

Well, that word had given Sebastian a semi, and was something they'd need to revisit later. Preferably when he had Charlie alone back at his hotel suite.

Sebastian gestured for everyone to take their seats. Charlie knocked his chair over and muttered an apology. His boss glared at him, which pissed Sebastian off, but he kept quiet, knowing Charlie wouldn't appreciate him causing a scene.

Candice started the meeting and Nathaniel went into his sales patter. He brought the other two in, but Charlie was ignored. It looked like he'd been brought along to press the button to move the slides on. They moved on to the social media campaign part of their pitch, which was what made them stand out from the others. The rest was the same thing everyone was offering, but the social media strategy was one of the most creative things he'd ever seen, and that was before he knew it was Charlie's work.

"My understanding is that Charlie created the social media strategy," said Candice.

"He helped," said Nathaniel.

"Okay, well, perhaps he should take this section."

"Actually, Ocean here is going to handle that. She'll be leading this work when the project starts."

Ocean? First, it was child abuse to give someone a name like that. Second, all Ocean seemed to have going for her was that she was pretty and heavy-busted. Candice didn't look impressed with Nathaniel's dismissal of Charlie and she didn't hide it. Sebastian didn't know how Charlie felt about it, as he'd refused to make eye contact since their introduction. Sebastian was doing as he promised, and keeping out of it, but even if he didn't know Charlie there would be no way he'd work with a guy like Nathaniel. He went against everything Steele Property Holdings stood for. A company was only successful if you treated your people with respect.

The presentation continued, and there were at least two instances when Ocean spoke and made no sense, which caused Charlie to frown. His boss noticed and shot a ‘shut the fuck up' look at him.

"This is fine, but you still haven't explained the why ," said Candice.

"What do you mean?" asked Ocean.

"Why did you make these choices?"

Nathaniel went to speak, but Sebastian had heard enough.

"We'd like to hear from the person who did the work. Charlie, can you talk us through it?"

"I really think Ocean needs to handle this,' said Nathaniel.

"I'll put it to you this way. You either let Charlie speak, or we'll call it now and we can speak to someone else."

That shut Nathaniel up. He nodded at Charlie to get on with it.

Charlie was staring at Sebastian with a shocked look on his face. It took him a few seconds to pull himself together, and then he made the point of addressing Candice directly. That was smart, as she'd asked, but Sebastian hoped it was because Charlie was still feeling something for him.

Charlie spoke passionately about why the social media campaign would work for Sebastian's company. He linked it to their mission and values, something that didn't come out as clearly in the rest of the pitch. He understood their customer base, and he knew that the strategy would attract new clientele, yet keep the existing ones.

Sebastian took a quick glance at the others. Ocean and the other one, whose name he'd forgotten, were enraptured by Charlie's pitch, but not Nathaniel. He looked furious. Candice asked some pointed questions. Nothing aggressive, but they could only be answered by the person whose concept it was. That was deliberate on her part. She was the best customer-focused professional he'd ever worked with and had led award-winning teams. It took a lot to impress Candice. Not negatively, but she'd been doing this job a long time, and knew all the tricks agencies used. He could tell she was hanging on every word Charlie said, and that his confidence was building by the second.

Sebastian couldn't help but be overwhelmed with pride by this remarkable man. Why was he working for an absolute arsehole? He had more talent than all of them put together, and he was at the bottom of the ladder. It was bullshit. Charlie could do so much better for himself. Sebastian wasn't one for charging in and trying to fix things – okay, that was complete bullshit, but not with his boyfriends. And now he was making assumptions about the relationship between them both. He couldn't help it. He'd been attracted to Charlie before. After watching him in his element, he was besotted.

Nathaniel wrapped up the pitch after Charlie had finished, with Candice informing them the outcome would be communicated by the end of the following week. Everyone stood up, packing their things to go. Candice looked at Sebastian, surprised that he was still sitting down watching Charlie. He couldn't let him walk out of here without talking to him, although how he wouldn't make it look dodgy was a conundrum. He asked Candice for a quick word, saying his polite goodbyes to everyone, including Charlie, with the handshake perhaps lingering a bit too long.

"What's wrong, boss?"

She always called him that when she was about to call him out on his shit.

"I need to speak to Charlie alone. Can you distract the others and get him to my office?"

She raised her eyebrows.

"We're already acquainted."

"Do I want to know?"

"Well –"

They were interrupted when Charlie came out. He looked surprised to see them both.

"Oh sorry, I was just wondering where the bathroom was."

"I'll show you," said Sebastian, earning an eye roll from Candice. "Can you see to our guests, Candice? I'll show Charlie the way out."

He didn't wait for a response, just walked toward his office, in the opposite direction of the toilet. He wasn't sure if Charlie was following him at first, but felt him fall into step beside him. They arrived outside Sebastian's office.

"In there."

Charlie didn't hesitate or look surprised that they were at Sebastian's office. Once he closed the door, Charlie pushed Sebastian against it and stuck his tongue down his throat. Sebastian grabbed Charlie and swung them around, taking control. His knee was between Charlie's legs. He could already feel how hard they both were as they vied for dominance of the kiss. It was only because Sebastian thought he was going to come in his pants that he pulled away.

"Sorry, I couldn't help myself," said Charlie, turning back into the uncertain guy he'd met almost two weeks ago.

"Don't be sorry. It was hot. Did you actually need the bathroom?"

"No, I wanted to find you before I left. I deleted your number..."

Sebastian's happy bubble deflated.

"But now I regret it. I just didn't want to..."

"Didn't want to what?"

"I thought you were just being polite. What do we have in common? I just didn't want to get my hopes up."

That made Sebastian smile. This guy was so adorable and didn't realise how amazing he was.

"Come over here."

He gestured to the sofa in his expansive office, not letting go of Charlie's hand the whole time.

"First, you're taking my number again, and I'm taking yours. Second, we have a lot more in common than you think, and I don't mean the amazing sex."

Charlie blushed and looked down, but didn't move his hands.

"The way you spoke in there with such passion. That's me with my work. I was so proud of you."

Sebastian noticed his eyes water. He wiped them with his thumb.

"What's wrong?"

"No one's ever told me they were proud of me before."

"Nobody?"

"Apart from my mum and brothers, but family doesn't count, does it? They have to say things like that."

"No, they don't. You are amazing, but – and I say this from a good place– what the fuck are you doing working for that cunt?"

Charlie burst out laughing, but quickly glanced at the door and sobered. They didn't have long until Charlie's boss would wonder where he was.

"I mean, how much are you earning there? Thirty-five, forty?"

Charlie mumbled something, looking embarrassed.

"Tell me, Charlie."

"Twenty-five."

Sebastian felt a surge of rage. What the actual fuck? That was barely above the living wage in London, and he should be earning double that at least. It took all his willpower not to walk outside and punch Nathaniel in the face. How many of his other staff was he underpaying?

"Maybe if we get this job, he'll see how much I helped and give me that promotion."

"They aren't getting the contract, Charlie."

"What? But you said I impressed you."

"And you did, but we don't do business with companies who treat their staff like shit."

"But you wouldn't have known that if I didn't tell you what my boss was like."

"You didn't need to tell me. I saw it with my own eyes today. Candice did as well."

Charlie stood up, looking terrified and like he was going to burst into tears.

"What's wrong, Charlie?"

"He'll blame me when they don't get the contract. He'll say it was my fault because they never take me on pitches and the first time they do, they lose because of me. You don't know what he's like. I can't lose this job."

"Trust me. You can do a lot better."

"No, I can't. You don't understand."

Sebastian needed to calm him down. He was highly distressed, but what could he do? There was no way they would sign the contract. Charlie could do so much better anyway. His skills were phenomenal. Candice could put the word out for him.

"Charlie, I've got some contacts. Let me get you some interviews. You should have a job which pays you what you're worth."

"I don't need charity," he snapped.

Sebastian was taken aback for a second. It was a side of Charlie he hadn't seen before, but it intrigued him.

"This wouldn't be charity. I want to help you because you're talented and deserve better."

"And if we hadn't fucked?"

Sebastian hesitated for a second, which was enough for Charlie to turn and head for the door.

"Where are you going?"

"I've been here too long. They're going to wonder where I am."

"Have dinner with me on Friday night."

He spun around. Sebastian looked at him, pleading for him to say yes.

"I don't think that's a good idea. This is a conflict of interest. If my boss finds out when we don't get the contract... I just can't take the risk."

Fuck! This was going worse than he'd expected. Charlie hadn't given Sebastian his number, so it would be creepy as hell if he called him.

"Look, we told your boss we'd give him an answer at the end of next week. Why don't we have dinner and you can try to convince me to change my mind?"

"And that's the only reason you want to have dinner with me?"

"Of course not, Charlie. I'm clutching at straws here. Give me something."

"I can't do Friday night. I have a thing I can't get out of."

Sebastian had been due to fly home on Saturday, but he could reschedule his flight. He didn't like to let his nieces down, and he had plans with them on Sunday, but his sister would understand. She was the one who'd sent him here to find Charlie, after all.

"How about Saturday?"

"I'm not sure."

"I could just call your boss tomorrow and give him our decision."

Charlie glared. Okay, perhaps he'd gone too far, but he was desperate. He wouldn't be pushing so hard if he didn't know Charlie felt the same. He just needed to get out of his own way.

"Fine, but just dinner."

We'll see about that!

"Just dinner. Shall I pick you up at seven?"

"Fine."

Charlie put his hand on the door handle.

"Aren't you going to give me your number?"

"You're a resourceful man, Mr Steele. I'm sure you can find it, if you haven't already."

Charlie smiled and left, closing the door behind him. Fuck, that was hot. Had Charlie known Sebastian was going to be here all along? Had that little fucker played him? No, he'd looked genuinely shocked when he saw Sebastian. But he was definitely up to something, and that excited Sebastian.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

"Is the coast clear?" asked Candice. She glanced around before walking in.

"Hilarious. Like you didn't just see him leave. What did his boss say?"

"I could only keep him talking for a while. He said to let Charlie know to join them back at the office. They left without him."

"Of course they did."

"I assume we're on the same page, and it's going to be a no?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Come on, it's a no-brainer. Take Charlie out of the equation and what have they got?"

"I agree, but if they don't get it, Charlie will take the fall for it."

"I've got a solution for that."

He nodded for her to continue.

"I want him," Candice said.

"I don't think he swings your way."

"Hilarious. I mean, I want him to head up the social media team I'm going to build. The guy's a born leader."

"Seriously?"

"What, you don't think he'd be good at it? I've looked up other stuff he's done before today. Over seventy per cent of pitches he's involved in are successful, which is double the average for the company. Not one iota of credit on any of them of course."

"What would you pay him?"

"I'd need to look at his existing package because we'd want to be competitive, but something north of eighty."

"Just offer him what you think he's worth. Let's not let them know our decision until next week. That'll give you a chance to sound out Charlie, but he works for you. I need to stay neutral on this one."

"I'll get on it."

"Don't ask him about his current package."

"Why not?"

He didn't need to say anything, just gave her a look, and she got it. Her face said it all. They shared the same values, and she hated people being taken advantage of with a passion. She left without another word, leaving Sebastian with his thoughts. He glanced at his calendar. He had ten minutes until his next meeting, so popped out for some fresh air.

Going down in the lift, he sent Charlie a message.

Sebastian: Looking forward to dinner on Saturday!

Charlie: Haha! Your resourcefulness doesn't disappoint. Until Saturday, Mr Steele x.

Sebastian laughed. He wasn't sure what was going to happen with Charlie. He wanted everything he was willing to offer, but he also wanted him to have a better life. If he started working for Sebastian's company, would he be making things even more difficult for Charlie? That was the last thing he wanted. It wouldn't be the first time an interoffice relationship had happened, and Sebastian wouldn't even be here every day. He was only here because they didn't have a GM. What would happen when they found one? If things progressed with Charlie, would Sebastian really be willing to move here, or would Charlie be happy to live in New York with him? He was already getting ahead of himself. First, he had a date to plan.