Page 45 of Cocky Bastard

Warmth flickered through my chest as I read his message. I wished he was here so he could experience this strange situation for himself. I’d just have to relay it to him later and hope I could remember all the details.

“Perfect, thank you. I’ll speak to you soon,” Henry said breezily before he put the phone back on the counter and grabbed another biscuit. “That was my agent, Celeste. She is less fond of the idea of me throwing my weight around, but honestly, if you can’t throw a diva tantrum every now and then when you get to my position, then when can you? It’s not like I’m randomly demanding they only put green pretzel M&Ms in my trailer.”

He rolled his eyes, still smiling. “Anyway, it’s not like I’m doing it for fun. If they think the streaming service will drop the show because they’re worried people won’t watch it due to your personal life, then they might as well not do the show at all becauseLlewelynis queer as fuck. It’s utterly ridiculous if you look at it that way. And if certain people don’t want to watch it because they hate your choice of partner, they’re going to hate you for your role inLlewelynanyway—we might as well dispose of the homophobes now and be done with it.”

“That makes sense, although I suppose people will still hate-watch it so they can post shit online,” I said.

“Of course they will, but that just makes me laugh because they’re contributing to viewing figures.” He drained the last of his coffee and looked around. “Shall we sit down? Also how do you feel about going out for dinner later? I know a truly wonderful little Mexican restaurant we could go to.”

The flush of embarrassment I’d felt over not offering Henry a seat melted away with his offer of dinner, which I gladly accepted as I led him through to the living room. Henry seemed charmed by everything and the two of us fell into easy conversation as we sat on the sofa, eating the last of the Hobnobs that Henry had brought through with him.

I didn’t know how much time had passed before his phone rang again, but when it did he simply smirked from his seat in the corner and languidly lifted the phone to his ear. “Ah, good afternoon, Mr. Morrison. I’ve been expecting your call.”

In another universe, I was pretty sure Henry was some corporate billionaire who ruthlessly drove all his rivals out of business. Or a mafia don. Either would fit given the way he carried himself.

“I’m sorry,” he continued. “I’m not sure what you mean there. Of course there are things to discuss… No, that attitude is unacceptable… Oh, so your company’s last equality, diversity, and inclusion message was false then? You only support the LGBTQ+ community when it suits you and doesn’t completely upset your right wing fanbase. Dear me, was I not supposed to say that out loud? Wait, has anyone told you that I’m queer? And Chinese too. How unfortunate for your customer base. In which case, perhaps it would be best if I dropped out of the project.”

Henry shot me a wink as he crossed one leg over the other, leaving me floundering like a grounded fish in the corner.

“Of course,” Henry added, obviously on a roll, “if I do drop out, I will do so loudly. And publicly. I think it’s very important to make people aware of your company’s values—the fact that they don’t want a queer Chinese actor and a gay man to play the leads in your new queer drama.” There was a loud voice on the other end and Henry’s eyes darkened. “I don’t give a fuck who his boyfriend is. Jude can shag whoever he bloody wants and it doesn’t concern anyone else. No… no, I have tried to be polite but I don’t think I’ve made it clear. I want Jude Kane for that role, and I will get what I want. Is that clear enough for you? Do you know who I am? I can break this project with one post, so I would advise you to think carefully about your next words… Wonderful. Yes, of course, discuss with your team… Monday then? Yes, I’ll speak to you then.”

I stared at him, not quite sure what I’d witnessed, a biscuit still held in mid-air.

Henry smiled warmly at me as he put the phone down. “There, that should do it. It’s the start at least. It might take them a while to admit it, but hopefully it’ll get the ball rolling.”

“You have to teach me to do that,” I said, then flushed when I realised it wasn’t the most appropriate reaction. But holy fuck did I need to know how to be that level of ruthless and charming all at once. “And thank you. Seriously, I… I don’t think I’ll ever be able to thank you enough.”

Henry waved a hand magnanimously. “Don’t worry about it. That was quite fun, actually. Anyway, it hasn’t worked yet, so I wouldn’t count your chickens just yet.”

“I’ll try.” I glanced at the clock and realised it was already nearly half five. Where had the afternoon gone? “Did you want that glass of wine now?”

“That sounds perfect. White, please, if you’ve got it.”

As I got up and made my way to the kitchen, I heard a sound outside the front door, followed by a sharp knock. I frowned and walked over to it, then smiled when I saw who it was, my heart racing and delight soaring through me. I didn’t even know why I was surprised.

I pulled open my front door for the second time that day to find a man standing on my doorstep. Only this time it was someone I knew very, very well.

“Hey, kitten,” Austin said, stepping forward to kiss me softly. “Sorry I’m late.”

CHAPTER TWENTY

Austin

Seeingthe relief on Kane’s face and feeling his body sag against mine as I wrapped my arms around him told me I’d made the right call to get on a train as soon as he’d told me about his call with Miles.

It’d been a little bit chaotic abandoning the shoot to shower, throw some clothes in a bag, get to the station, and hurl myself on the first train to London, but the guys I’d been filming with had all pitched in to help get me out the door.

In fact, Theo had been the one to volunteer to pack me some clothes while I showered and Kai had called an Uber while Jake shoved various drinks and snacks into a bag for me, just in case. Kai, who was probably the most sensible of all today’s co-stars, had promised to lock the house up using the spare key when they were finished and put it through the letterbox for me to find later, and I knew I’d come back to the place being absolutely spotless.

It was one less thing to worry about in the long run and I was very grateful to them.

I ran my fingers up and down Kanan’s spine as he leant against me, his face buried in my neck like he wanted to disappear from the world. “It’s okay,” I said softly, kissing the side of his head. “It’s okay. I’m here. It’s all going to be all right.” He made a humming sound that was somewhere between exhaustion and acceptance, and I bit back a smile. Whatever my thoughts and feelings about the situation and however guilty I was feeling over my potential role in it, this moment wasn’t about me.

My only job was to make sure Kanan felt supported.

“Can I come in now?” I asked. “Or am I meant to spend the rest of the evening on your doorstep with you using me as a pillow?”

“I suppose,” Kane said as he stood upright and took a slight step back. “Henry’s still here, by the way. We were just about to open a bottle of wine.”

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