Page 2 of Perfect Night

All Charlie could do was nod before he got choked up. He was used to his boss taking credit for his work, but for him to have told Charlie it was rubbish and then gone and successfully pitched it to the client was a new low. He had to get out of there before he broke down. Charlie was officially upgrading today totheworst day.

He left without another word. He needed to get home and change. His phone pinged.

Lucinda:Client cancelled. Call me when you can.

He groaned in frustration. Although the last thing he was in the mood for was to entertain someone else and be all chirpy and flirty, he really needed that money. Rather than put it off, he pressed the call button as he walked onto the street. Lucinda answered immediately.

“Babe. Good news. All’s not lost. Jeremy asked for you personally. Well, he asked for the brown-haired twink with the big dick.”

“I think I’m past my twink era.”

“He thinks you’re twenty-three,” she laughed.

“Of course he does,” Charlie sighed. “I can’t see Jeremy tonight.”

“Beggars can’t be choosers. He’s willing to pay a premium for it being last minute. I didn’t tell him you had another job cancel on you.”

“Why did the guy cancel?”

“No idea. You know we don’t pry.”

“I can’t... I’m not in the right headspace for Jeremy tonight. I’m just going to go home and eat my weight in chocolate.”

“What’s wrong?”

Lucinda liked to act all concerned, but in reality, she just wanted to make sure her boys were still bringing in the coin.

“Just work stuff.”

“I don’t know why you still do that job, babe. If you quit and came to me full time, you’d make a fortune. You’re not getting any younger. You need to bank that dollar before gravity takes hold.”

She laughed, and he joined her. Lucinda was only out for herself, but she knew how to cheer him up.

“I just can’t see Jeremy tonight.”

“If you’re sure, but he doesn’t do repeats with anyone. You’re the exception. I’ll let you know if something else comes up. Bye.”

She hung up before he could respond. Fuck! Had he really just turned down a load of money? Jeremy was ridiculously wealthy. Lucinda always described him as easy money, but the one thing Jeremy wasn’t was easy. He was demanding and got in your head. Charlie always felt like shit for days afterwards. No, with the way he felt right now, he’d made the right call. He had a twenty-minute walk home – probably longer, once he stopped off to stock up on junk food.

Charlie walked into the flat he shared with his four best friends and smiled when he heard the raised voices coming from the kitchen.

“You need to pull your head out of your arse, sweetie, or that twink is gonna swoop in there and steal your man,” said Jason, with his usual dramatic flourish.

“He’s off limits,” Langdon grunted in frustration.

“Now you’re just making up excuses. That man is so hot, he makes lesbians wet. What are you waiting for?”

Langdon burst out laughing, shaking his head and opening the fridge to get more ingredients for whatever he was cooking. He was the chef of their group. Jason turned to the sound of Charlie chuckling, squealed and launched himself into Charlie’s arms. Jason was the twinkiest of twinks and loved cuddles with all his friends. He put it down to not being hugged much as a child, which he mentioned as dismissively and casually as though he was talking about the weather. Charlie knew there was more to it. Jason was guarded about his past, but not with Charlie. They shared their darkest secrets with each other, as they weren’t like the others who always tried to fix things in their different ways. It was an admirable quality, but not everyone needed saving. Jason had moved back up north after university and they’d lost touch, but two years ago he’d come back to London with no explanation of what he’d been doing for four years. The others had accepted him back into the fold without question. Charlie knew the truth, but it was Jason’s story to tell.

Charlie shared this incredible flat with his four best friends in the heart of Soho thanks to their friend Gregory. He’d become a tech millionaire at twenty-five, bought this place and had it renovated, so it was perfect for all of them. Gregory wouldn’t take a penny in rent, and they’d had to wear him down so he would accept the rest of them paying five hundred quid a montheach to cover the bills. Charlie was convinced everything cost a lot more than that, but there was no reasoning with Gregory.

The flat took up the whole top two floors of a five-storey building. The top floor hosted the master suite, an office, and a game room. Gregory was a huge gaming nerd, although he had made all his money with a fitness app. The floor they were on had an open-plan living, kitchen, and dining space. There were four bedrooms, each with their own en suite. Charlie could never have afforded to live somewhere like this, but Gregory wanted to share his success with the guys he called his true family. Charlie was fiercely independent, so had been the last one to accept Gregory’s offer, but he wasn’t sure now why he’d hesitated. This place felt like a home, full of love from friends who always had his back.

They’d all met at university as part of the LGBTQ+ network. They were all shy first-years, except for Jason, who had never been shy and wore his sexuality as a badge of honour. He wasn’t femme; he was just very gay and would say the wildest things in public, not giving two fucks about what anyone thought. Charlie would love to have that kind of confidence.

Langdon was like their big brother. He was thirty-two, so five years older than most of them. He’d been late in going to university because of his own family crap. Langdon was an intimidating guy to look at, with big muscles and tattoos, but he had the kindest heart and would do anything to protect his brothers, which was how they referred to each other.

Charlie was the lucky one. His mum had struggled with raising him on her own, but he’d been surrounded by love. She had been his biggest cheerleader when he’d come out. His friends didn’t have that. Paolo was their other flatmate and brother. He was between them all in age, at twenty-nine. His family still spoke to him, but it was so fucked up, Charlie wasn’tsure how he could be in the same room as them after what they did to him.

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