Page 34 of Perfect Night

“I do, and I’m sure he would have told me about this when the time was right.”

“There’s more.”

Of course there was. He loved his sister, but she was like a dog with a bone when she had decided about something, or someone. And to Bex, Charlie was trash now.

Their food arrived and, of course, she wanted parmesan, black pepper, and chilli oil, which took an inordinately long time. Bex had a pizza, and Sebastian had a prawn and crab linguine, although he had no appetite anymore. After she’d scoffed down a quarter of her pizza, she finally spoke again.

“He’s in debt up to his eyeballs. He owes eight grand to the care facility and they’re threatening to kick his mum out.”

Sebastian had an overwhelming urge to call the care facility immediately and pay off the arrears.

“You’re thinking about paying it, aren’t you?” she asked.

“No.”

“Don’t bullshit me. Look. Think about this objectively. You said Charlie’s social media strategy was well researched, and he clearly knew the company and what it stood for?”

“Yes. What’s your point?”

“And then the day his boss takes credit for his work, you just bump into him in a bar and he doesn’t know who you are. He can’t have researched that well. Your picture’s on the website.”

She had a point. How could Charlie have not known who he was, especially given how well researched his social media strategy was. He didn’t want to believe it though, not when it came to Charlie.

“And I know you’ll say he left in the morning without your number, but he knew he’d be at the pitch meeting and that he’d see you again.”

“No, he didn’t. His boss did the pitch on the day we met. We didn’t tell Klein about wanting Charlie at the next pitch meeting until the following week.”

He felt a sense of triumph, but Bex was shaking her head and smiling. He couldn’t believe Charlie would do this.

“Brother, you’ve been played. This guy is hurting for money and just saw you as an easy ride.”

“Or maybe he’s just desperate. What would you have done if it was Mum in the same situation?”

“I agree, but if it was really just about money, why has he turned down a six-figure salary this morning to stay at his shitty paid job? The guy’s a hustler, and you need to walk away before he takes you for a ride.”

He didn’t know Candice was going to offer that much. No that Charlie wasn’t worth it, but why did he turn it down? If he earned that, he wouldn’t have to do escort work. And why hadn’t he spoken to Sebastian about it? Bex was causing him to doubt Charlie. She knew how to get at him, and he had to not be swayed. Sebastin needed time to think.

“I’d like to hear Charlie’s side of the story first.”

“He’ll just manipulate you again.”

“Thank you for telling me all this, but you need to back off now. I’ll speak to Charlie myself at our date tomorrow night. You will get on the plane tomorrow and I’ll see you Sunday.”

Sebastian wiped his mouth, although he had eaten none of the food, and downed his drink before standing and walking out of the restaurant. He wasn’t going back to the office. He needed to clear his head first. Brandon and Henry had both screwed him over, but the pain he was feeling at the possibility of Charlie having played him made Sebastian realise just how far gone his feelings were, and how painful it would be if Bex was right.

CHAPTER 11

CHARLIE

The week had dragged, but it was finally Friday. It started with a threat from his mum’s care home for the eight grand he owed them, and now he had three and a half thanks to Jeremy’s tip. After tonight, he’d be even closer, and tomorrow he was going on a date with Sebastian. Or was he?

The shock of the job offer from Candice had worn off, but the anger hadn’t. Did Sebastian think he was that stupid? Nobody gets a new job that pays four times their salary. The world didn’t work that way. He was twenty-seven and grew up in a council house with a single mother. People like him didn’t earn six-figure salaries. What would happen when Sebastian got bored with him, or was no longer needed in London? Charlie would have to go back to reality and what he was truly worth. Of course, he had dreams, but they were attainable ones. He knew if he ever had his own agency, it would be a small one, but he could make a difference with it. A billionaire CEO having a happily-ever-after with a glorified prostitute was not a reality. There was a reason they’d never made a gay version ofPretty Woman. It was so out of touch with reality nobody would believe it, even in a movie.

Nathaniel was also being an even bigger arsehole than usual. It appeared Steele Property Holdings’ decision not to offer themthe contract hadn’t been communicated yet as he was still there, but Nathaniel’s nastiness had stepped up a level. He normally snapped at Charlie for his poor-quality work, but now his digs were personal, and it was like he was deliberately trying to break him. Charlie had been pulled onto over a dozen different projects to add social media elements to pitches. Even senior associates didn’t work on more than five pitches at once and had made comments about how much he was being overworked. He was knackered but would leave on time tonight. The fact he was expected in the office five days a week was another pain, but he didn’t live far and didn’t want to work from his bedroom and have his colleagues effectively invade his personal space.

“What the fuck is this?” snapped Nathaniel.

He was standing by Charlie’s desk and threw a PowerPoint deck down in front of him. He looked at it, unsure what the issue was. The project team working on it was delighted with his contribution. He played dumb. Nathaniel didn’t like his staff to have a backbone.

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