9. Charlie

CHAPTER 9

CHARLIE

Charlie was smiling when he walked back into the office. He had a date with Sebastian, not just another hookup. He'd been shocked to see him at the pitch meeting, but all those feelings came back immediately. They were intensified by how hot Sebastian had been, with the way he commanded that meeting without even having to raise his voice. The guy just oozed power and confidence, and Charlie was hooked. He could fight against it and say it wouldn't work and all the other negative crap which came into his head, but it was like the universe wanted them to be together. What were the chances that the first pitch meeting he'd ever been taken to was with Sebastian's company, which was worth billions? He'd sensed Sebastian was rich, but not to this level. It was intimidating, but he was just interested in the man, not his wallet. In fact, the money was more of a turn-off. Charlie would be happy just going out for a burger on Saturday night.

His cheerful mood deflated as soon as he walked back into the office.

"Took your fucking time. My office, now," snapped Nathaniel.

Charlie was conscious that his colleagues were looking at him. The public humiliation thing was one of Nathaniel's trademarks. The trick was to not push back or it would only encourage him to go further. Charlie walked ahead toward Nathaniel's office, standing in front of his desk. The door slammed, causing him to wince.

"How fucking dare you behave like that? I won't tolerate that sort of unprofessionalism on my team!"

Charlie wasn't sure what Nathaniel knew. Had he been seen with Sebastian in his office, or was he getting at something else? He thought it best to keep quiet.

"Well, are you going to explain your actions?"

"I'm not sure what you're getting at, sir. Did I say something wrong in the pitch?" he hedged.

"You know full well. I have no time for egos and you trampled all over your colleague in front of the client. This was Ocean's moment, and you made it all about you, as always."

Was he for real? Nathaniel had an ego the size of a solar system. And Ocean didn't have a clue what she was doing.

"The client asked me to explain the social media strategy."

"You should have declined and deferred to Ocean. She'll be the one leading this project, not you."

"But they wanted to speak to the person who designed the social media strategy. Isn't that why you took me along? They wanted me there."

"You were told to sit there and shut up. How do you think it made the rest of us look when someone at the bottom of the company took credit for work which was done by a team?"

What the fuck!

"If we don't win this account, it'll be your fault and then you're done here and in the industry. I'll blacklist your name. Now get the fuck out of my sight."

Charlie wasn't sure whether he wanted to burst into tears or punch Nathaniel in the face. He knew Sebastian wouldn't give them the contract, so he was finished anyway. Did he have anything to lose by walking out now? He couldn't make a snap decision. That was more Jason's thing; something which he admired in his spunky friend, although it wasn't without its drawbacks.

He left Nathaniel's office without another word and went back to his desk. It was clear everyone had heard Nathaniel's rant, which was humiliating, and he just wanted the ground to swallow him. Whoever designed the open-plan office concept had never been publicly humiliated by their boss. Despite his instincts telling him to run, he couldn't leave. It was still the middle of the day. All he could do was put his head down and hope time moved quickly.

Charlie needed to get some money so his mum's care facility would get off his back. He messaged Lucinda. Ten minutes later, she called him.

"How do you feel about seeing Jeremy again?"

"Is there anyone else?"

She laughed. "Not at short notice, and he specifically asked for the twink with the horse cock, again! "

He wasn't sure he was in the right headspace for Jeremy's bullshit.

"It's an overnight, so I said it would be a fifty per cent uplift as it's last minute. I made out you rarely did weeknights and may not be available. He agreed."

That was three grand. He couldn't say no.

"What time does he want me there?"

"He said eight o'clock and to eat before you get there. He intends to get his money's worth."

"Of course he does. Right, is he at home?"

"Yeah. I'll send you the details, as they've changed the code to his building."

Charlie ended the call and groaned. This was going to be an arduous night, but he needed the money. He just had to keep Jeremy out of his head. His phone rang again. It was an unknown number.

"Hello, this is Charlie."

"Hi Charlie, it's Candice from Steele Property Holdings."

"Oh, hi Candice." What the hell does she want?

"Look, I'll get straight to the point, Charlie. You impressed me today, I mean really impressed me, and that doesn't happen often at my age," she laughed.

He laughed along to be polite, not sure where she was going with this.

"I was wondering if we could meet so I could discuss a job opportunity with my team."

What the fuck?

"And before you ask, this hasn't come from Sebastian, although of course he's aware. He has no say in this hiring decision. I really think your talents are wasted at Sumptua. It's just an informal chat at this stage to tell you about the role so you can think about it. I'd rather do this in person. Perhaps we can grab a coffee tomorrow before work?"

He was too stunned to speak.

"You still there?"

"Yeah, sorry. Coffee sounds great. I need to be at work at half-eight though."

"How does seven thirty sound? I'd suggest somewhere near your work, but better not to risk it given we haven't communicated our decision on the contract yet. Where do you live?"

"Soho. Brewer Street."

"Nice, Okay, I know a place on Old Compton Street. I'll send you the details. Thanks, Charlie."

He said goodbye and hung up. Where had that come from? Once the initial shock wore off, he got irritated. Was this Sebastian's doing? She'd said he had nothing to do with it, but Sebastian knew what he was earning and had seemed angry. Was this just a pity offer? There was no way he could take something because the guy he'd slept with wanted to help him out. If he wouldn't take things from his friends, he would not do it with someone he'd spent one night with. He'd meet Candice tomorrow to be polite, but he'd need to have a word with Sebastian about overstepping. His phone buzzed in his pocket.

Sebastian: What's your favourite food?

Charlie wanted to call him out for Candice's phone call, but he knew Sebastian would call him and he wasn't ready for that conversation yet. He'd reply later. For now, he had to get ready for a night with Jeremy.

Jeremy was an investment banker who was probably richer than the royal family. He lived in a penthouse apartment on the River Thames. He could be considered handsome, and was in shape for his age, which Charlie would guess was early fifties, but his shitty personality made him deeply unattractive.

He liked to play power games. Even if he was the bottom in the bedroom, he was the one in complete control all the time. He also liked to be verbal during sex, and he somehow knew your weaknesses and would poke at them. You'd leave after seeing Jeremy and want to run to a therapist.

"Come in, boy."

Jeremy had opened the door swirling a glass of red, wearing a silk robe which covered nothing. Did he answer the door like that to everyone? Most people did one night with Jeremy and never went back, but he'd taken a shine to Charlie. He wasn't sure if it was a blessing or not. He'd ask himself that question again in the morning.

"Can I get you a drink?"

"A bottle of water, thanks."

Charlie followed him as Jeremy went to the fridge. His kitchen was the size of most people's whole flat. He took out the water and gestured towards the glasses. Charlie shook his head and took the bottle. It was something Lucinda had taught him when he'd first started. Always ask for a sealed bottle when offered a drink by a client.

"Shall we have a seat before we get started? I'd like to put a proposition to you."

Charlie did his best not to roll his eyes. He guessed what was coming, but he'd humour Jeremy. He was here all night, after all. They walked into the opulent lounge, which just screamed ostentatious money. Antique furniture, immaculate decoration. It was a modern penthouse decorated like a stately home. The guy even had his own coat of arms with some Latin writing under it, which probably translated as ‘I have billions of pounds, so fuck you!'

Jeremy took a seat on the sofa, his robe falling open. He was already aroused. Charlie took it as a compliment, and put on his best smile.

"If I remember rightly, you don't bottom for clients?"

"That's correct."

"But you're not an exclusive top when you're off-duty ."

"It's more of a boyfriend thing."

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

"No . . . no, I don't."

"Why did you hesitate?"

"I didn't."

"Come on. Don't bullshit me."

"It's new. We haven't had that conversation."

"Does he know you do this?"

"Not yet."

"I see, and has he fucked you good and hard?"

"What?" Charlie spluttered.

"I'll take that as a yes. So, why don't you let me top you?"

"Like I said, I don't do that with clients."

"How about if I trebled your fee? We could just round it up to an even ten grand."

Charlie was shocked. His immediate reaction was to say no. When he'd started doing this, Lucinda had suggested he make some hard boundaries, which he had.

It was a lot of money. It would get him out of the hole he was currently in. But, if he crossed that line, how long before he did it again? The last guy to fuck him was Sebastian. Did he really want to share that part of himself with someone like Jeremy?

"Look, you don't have to decide now. It's an offer that stays on the table. Give it some thought. For tonight, we'll stick to our agreement. Make it good and there'll be a little bonus for you in the morning."

Charlie smiled and stood up, offering a hand to Jeremy.

"Such a polite boy," Jeremy smiled, but it was in a way which made Charlie's skin crawl.

Jeremy led the way into his bedroom. Charlie took a deep breath and followed him.

The next morning was a disaster. Jeremy had kept Charlie up until three o'clock in the morning, and then not woken him until seven. Jeremy hadn't told him he had the next day off, so wasn't getting up at his usual five o'clock.

He'd had to grab a quick shower and put on his clothes from the night before, luckily it wasn't what he'd worn to work yesterday. Charlie had lied to his flatmates and said he was staying with Sebastian. Normally he would just say he'd hooked up when he stayed out all night, but they knew he was sweet on Sebastian, so wouldn't do anything like that.

Jeremy had woken Charlie up serenading him with a song, which was something he'd done before. It was cringe-inducing.

Charlie was late for his meeting with Candice, who he had texted in advance to apologise. He'd been out of breath when he arrived, and full of apologies. He couldn't say he'd been staying with some guy the night before because it would get back to Sebastian, so he'd said his alarm didn't go off. It was close to the truth.

Candice went to get him a coffee whilst he got his breath back. He'd already decided he wouldn't take the job if one was offered. Sebastian needed to learn there were boundaries.

"There you go," said Candice, putting his large, extra-strong latte in front of him.

He added about three hundred sugars, telling Candice it was going to be one of those days. She chuckled and pulled out a portfolio document folder. Charlie felt relaxed, as he wasn't under any pressure. He was only here to be polite.

"Are you okay if I get straight to the point, Charlie?"

He nodded, taking a sip of his coffee. It was sweet, strong, and perfect. Just like Sebastian. God, that was corny. Thankfully, he hadn't said it out loud.

"As I mentioned, I'm building out my team with centres of excellence – one of those being social media, which from yesterday I know is an immense strength of yours. Have you thought about specialising?"

"Yes, eventually, and it would probably be in social media. It was suggested I spend the first part of my career being more of a generalist to see where my strengths lie."

"Solid advice for most people, but not for someone with your skills. Do you mind if I show you a few things, for you to give your opinion on what you would do from a social media standpoint?"

"Sure."

They spent the next fifteen minutes going through different product profiles. They were all in property, but the target markets were different. Some were high-value homes, others commercial properties such as offices and retail parks. There was even a power station. Charlie gave his honest opinion about what he thought would work. He'd need more data and research to give a definitive proposal, but Candice had suggested he go with his gut. She glanced at her watch and put the portfolio away.

"I've heard enough. Charlie, I'd like to offer you a job."

"What?" He wasn't sure what to say. "As part of the social media team?"

She shook her head. "No, I want you to head up the team and build it from scratch."

Charlie's jaw hit the floor. She had to be taking the piss.

"But . . . but . . . I've never led a team before."

"You've got the instinct for this stuff, Charlie. The rest you can learn as you go, with my help. I want you on my team. Look, I know it's a lot to take in and I'm not gonna rush you."

She stood up, opened her bag and pulled out a document, folded it up and handed it over to him.

"What's this?"

"An offer. I had it prepared in case this chat went well. Just give it some thought over the weekend and call me on Monday. I'm happy to chat about it again. You can come in and meet some of the other people in the team before you decide. And, Charlie?"

He looked up at her from the document.

"That's an opening offer. I would expect you to negotiate. Speak soon."

And with that, she was gone.

Charlie opened the document and nearly fell off his seat. She was offering him a six-figure salary. That was four times what he was on now, and the benefits package was insane. There was even a bonus, something he'd never had in his current job. He just kept looking at the numbers, trying to get his head around it. He'd come into this meeting to be polite, and now he wasn't sure what to do. His phone pinged.

Sebastian: Sorry to hassle you, but let me know about the food. I want to book us someplace special for our date xx.

Charlie read the message again and flashed with anger. This was all Sebastian's doing. He wasn't worth a six-figure salary. Candice was just the messenger and had been told to offer him the job. He'd obviously looked at Charlie and seen him as someone pathetic who couldn't look after himself. Was the job even real, or did Sebastian just want Charlie in his office for whenever he was in town, like some well-paid booty call? Why was he even doing this? Charlie needed to have it out with him, but he needed to calm down first. He didn't want to do it in a public place, so he had to speak to Sebastian before their date and, as intimidating as it felt, it was something he had to do in person.