by L. J. Dee
He seemed to be less interested in what I was saying than what I was wearing, and I caught the lingering glance at my smooth tanned legs and it sent a flash of excitement racing through me. I knew I shouldn’t be feeling this, but I just couldn’t help it.
“That wasn’t a row, at least not to Scarlett. She’s pretty misunderstood. Honestly, babe, she never even mentioned that again. She’ll have moved onto someone else after another wine, she’s a passionate woman,” he smiled.
Well that was just bullshit and I began to wonder if Charlie was becoming as deluded as her. Passionate – she was a fucking psycho.
My phone broke the silence as I saw Patrick’s name flash up on the caller I.D, wondering if he’d forgotten he’d given me the night off. “Hi Patrick, is everything okay?” I asked as he sighed deeply.
“I know you’re not working tonight, but I had to let you know, it’s just been announced that we’ve been bought out. It makes sense now why they’ve had us doing shitty events that are beneath us, waiting on people with cobwebs in their wallets and the fucking pomagne posse. They’ve been trying to increase the bottom line to get a better price. Bastards! According to the owners, no jobs are under threat, and as far as we’re concerned little will change, but I thought you should know before you heard it from anyone else.” He was speaking in a hushed whisper and I wondered if they were still actually in the meeting. Patrick loved a good gossip and he wouldn’t have been able to hold this juicy titbit for long.
“Who bought it?” I asked, looking at Charlie as a creeping dread spread over me and I convinced myself I was just being paranoid. It couldn’t be. It was too much of a coincidence.
“Everett Holdings, whoever they are. I’m going to Google them now, I’ll let you know,” he said.
“Don’t bother,” I replied as anger spawned in my gut, but he’d already gone. I stared at Charlie who was humming to himself as we pulled onto the Motorway. I didn’t need the internet.
I sat there for a moment, processing the information I’d just been told, and wondering how to handle it. Female intuition told me this was no coincidence.
“What kind of business does Scarlett work in?” I asked as innocently as I could, trying to hold back the rage that was bubbling in the pit of my stomach. It wasn’t Charlie’s fault and he clearly didn’t know. I was sure he’d tell me if he did.
“She deals in real estate mainly, commercial office space and rental for big business in the city. She dabbles in smaller concerns, when she thinks they can be useful to her wider portfolio, but she tends to stick to what she knows. Everett hasn’t given her that long of a leash yet, he still has the final say on everything,” he said, turning to smile at me and clearly taken aback at the look on my face.
“Why do you want to know?” he asked as I tried to stay calm.
“I was just wondering why she’d want to suddenly buy out Elite Entertainment,” I said as he frowned at me, his jaw gaping slightly.
“Is that what Patrick said?” he gasped, clearly as stunned as I was by the news.
“Everett Holdings?” I asked as he nodded mutely, processing what I’d just shared.
“I have no idea,” he said, shaking his head. “To be honest, babe, Scarlett and I never discuss business. Some of our interests overlap, and Lucas is paranoid that she’ll use information gleaned from me to gain the upper hand in business, despite our relationship. We agreed early on to keep the boardroom out of the bedroom.”
“I’ll only say this once, Charlie, because I’m certain you’ll just think I’m being paranoid, but trust me, I’m not. If that bitch is out to get me because you’re my friend, then she’ll have a fight on her hands,” I said as he chuckled gently.
“I’m certain she isn’t, Chas. She doesn’t even know your name and you’re right, I do think you’re being paranoid. It’s not like you to be this prickly.”
“It’s exactly like me, Charlie Hunter, and if you think this is prickly, you ain’t seen nothing yet. Any more encroachment into my life and I’ll turn into Freddy fucking Krueger on crack,” I said as he looked at me for a moment and started to laugh.
“I can’t visualise that, baby, you’re just too beautiful,” he smiled and I wasn’t certain if he was being kind or just delusional. Either way, if Scarlett Everett wanted a war, she’d get one.
I called Jess. “Hi Chas, we’re just getting on the jet. I don’t know why Charlie wanted to drive, this is luxurious in the extreme, and we’ve got about forty minutes to make the most of the bedroom,” she giggled and I could hear Lucas in the background.
“Who makes the decisions in your business?” I asked as she went quiet for a second.
“I’m the main partner, why?” she asked as I took a deep breath.
“I want a job,” I said as Charlie stared at me before turning his attention back to the road.
“Yes, definitely! I wanted to ask you, but I didn’t think you’d want to leave Elite. What’s happened?” she asked suddenly and I knew she’d be concerned. I loved my job, Patrick, and everyone I worked with. Jess knew this wouldn’t be a step I’d take lightly.
“Scarlett Everett is my new boss,” I said as she gasped disbelievingly.
“I’ll speak to Lucas and get you the best terms I can. I’ll see you in Manchester,” she said, ending the call. Well at least that part had been easy, and I was glad Lucas had set Jess up in a business I actually knew my way around.
I typed my text immediately.
‘Patrick, I quit. Can’t explain now, meet on Sunday for lunch x’
“What did you just do?” Charlie asked as I smiled across at him.
“I quit Elite. I’m not working for your girlfriend,” I said as he frowned deeply.
“Stop calling her that.”
I sighed, shaking my head and wondering what the hell Charlie was playing at. I couldn’t make sense of their relationship and wasn’t sure why he just hadn’t ended it. Surely he’d know by now if he wanted in.
“I’ll give you a job, Chas,” he smiled, resting his hand on my knee in an intimate gesture that fired up my skin in a way that was entirely inappropriate. My timing was certainly off. We’d had weeks to make things sexual before I’d wound up in bed with his brother and he’d gone back to his ex. I wasn’t certain if it was because there was someone else on the scene and I had competition, or because he seemed to be open to the idea of a relationship now at least. Maybe it was seeing him naked, or just that every time I looked at my list I realised I was looking at Charlie; but something had changed fundamentally in me. The chemistry had always been there, sizzling like a low electrical charge between us. We laughed, shared and flirted relentlessly. Charlie was the one that I wanted.
And the one I could never have.
“Doing what?” I asked, trying to lighten the mood. “Your P.A?”
“Jesus, no, I’d get nothing done,” he laughed.
“So what were you thinking?”
“Girl Friday. A little bit of everything, but I guess that’s just a waste of your talents,” he smiled as I laughed at him.
“And just what are my talents, Charlie? Sitting in the office in my red underwear, serving you cups of coffee on demand?” I laughed as he blew out hard.
“Fuck, how much do you want? Seriously, Chas, I’d pay you more than my senior managers for that post,” he smiled as I shook my head, still laughing.
“Pervert! But for you, baby, I’d do it for free,” I said as his face clouded over and I decided to change the subject again. That probably wasn’t fair.
“Why did you decide to drive?” I asked, thinking a ride in a private jet would have been pretty awesome. He went quiet for a moment and I knew instinctively there was something that he didn’t want to tell me.
“Are you afraid of flying?” I asked as he shook his head, turning to smile at me.
“Do you want the honest answer, or the one that doesn’t make me look like the world’s worst bastard?” he asked as I stared at him, stunned and wi
de eyed.
“Honesty, always,” I said as he nodded.
“I thought you’d say that,” he smiled and it looked like he was killing time and searching for the right words as my heart flipped in my chest.
“When I’m not with you I really miss you, Chas. I’m fucking someone else who thinks she’s my girlfriend and I don’t know how to tell her I need to take things slowly in a way that she’ll listen. You’re my best friend, and I have everything with you that I’ve never had with anyone else. With you it’s a relationship without sex, with her its sex without a relationship, or at least one I’m not entirely certain I want. I’m fucked off that you screwed my brother, Chas. It’s none of my business, I know that, but I am. It hurt more than I ever expected, but I had a choice. Forty minutes in a plane, or four hours in a car. I have very nearly screwed things up with you too many times and put our friendship at risk. I don’t intend to do it again, it’s too important to me, baby.”
He was deadly serious and I swallowed hard, knowing we’d both messed up. He was in as deep as I was; only I’d muddied the waters irrevocably. Both of us needed to find the right path through this to ensure our friendship and connection survived.
“Thank you. I’m glad you chose the car and the eight hour round trip, Charlie,” I said as he flashed his eyebrows mischievously.
“Tyler wants us at the after party. I thought maybe I’d blow out the drive back and book us in somewhere,” he said as I bit my lip to stifle my ecstatic smile. “Separate rooms obviously,” he said as I smiled through my disappointment.
“Obviously, Sugar Pie,” I grinned, rolling my tongue sarcastically over the words as he flashed me a warning glance. “Seriously, Charlie?” I laughed as he joined me and we chatted happily all the way up to Manchester.
Chapter Twenty Three
The concert was incredible and Tyler Hunter live was a revelation. I felt ecstatic that I’d seen him jam with his band, knowing that I was on the cusp of something huge. It was in the air, an aura and a vibe and I just knew this was the tipping point for Heat. The crowd were insatiable and excitable, and the reaction to every song was immense. The manager said they could have sold out the venue three times over, which would tally with the scrum as we’d forced our way through the crowd, heading for the back door where we were ushered in amidst deafening screams and borderline violent shoving.
I was dancing to every song, smiling at Charlie who looked relaxed, happy and proud, grinning at my sister and Lucas who could barely keep their hands off one another. I was so happy he was giving her the life she so richly deserved, throwing back the vodka’s and getting more and more emotional with every song they sang, pulling her to one side when Lucas finally released his grip.
“Are you okay?” she smiled as I put my arm around her waist and we swayed to the sounds of Brighten the night.
“Yeah, I’m great! I just wanted to say that I’m so, so, happy for you, Jess. I feel like finally you’ve got the life you should have, and I don’t mean the money and all the trappings. It’s just so good to see you out, dancing, knowing that Dexter is taken care of and having a social life as well as a love life. Lucas is awesome,” I grinned as she hugged me hard.
“So is Charlie. Has he ditched that bitch yet?” she laughed as I shook my head. “He’s only with her out of guilt, it’s obvious it’s you that he wants,” she said as I smiled. I didn’t need any more encouragement when it came to Charlie. I was already close to overstepping the mark as it was and I didn’t go near men with girlfriends. “You know it is, Chas,” she said as Heat started playing a song so familiar to me.
I stopped immediately, turning and looking backwards into the bouncing crowd. I couldn’t be certain what it was, a feeling, a pull, or just the vodka playing tricks with my mind as my eyes scanned the crowd; landing on the beautiful face of Roman.
I gasped out loud, blinking for a second, transfixed by that captivating and dangerous gaze, still and piercing among the faceless fans who were bouncing around him. I felt like I’d stopped breathing, forcing my way forward through the crowds who were shoving and pushing in the opposite direction, like a swaying, impenetrable human wall.
I was focused on him like a mirage in the distance, glued by that mesmerising gaze, wanting to speak to him, but I couldn’t get through the unforgiving swell of heaving bodies. “Get out of my way,” I said, pushed by a giant of a man as I reeled backwards, opening my eyes to search once again for Roman, but he was gone. There was no sign of him as my eyes darted around quickly, scanning the faces and the entire place to see if he’d moved. He couldn’t have, the density of the crowd was just too thick.
I turned around and my stomach knotted, knowing instantly my mind was playing tricks on me. If Roman was here he’d be standing with us. It was the song evoking memories and I shook my head, trying to clear it and grabbed a bottle of water from Charlie’s hand, glugging it down. I was obviously already way too pissed.
“You having fun?” he grinned as I nodded over the noise. He wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me in for a close dance, grinding his hips against me. I followed his lead, looking up at him as he smiled down at me, knowing I couldn’t keep this up.
I was hallucinating about Roman, yet the need to kiss Charlie was almost overwhelming. I’d fallen for my best friend, but those visuals were taunting me, reminding me what I couldn’t have and why. I took a deep breath, moving away and dancing in a space on my own, trying to avoid thoughts of either of them. I was close to doing something reckless, zoning out instead and concentrating on the incredible voice of Tyler Hunter. I felt the strong arms winding around my waist from behind, the hard hot body pulling me tight and swaying with me in time to the music. Jesus Christ, he wasn’t making this easy, but it felt divine and there was no way I was moving.
There were more and more encores, and by the time Heat finished I was aching, exhausted and totally rocked out. Charlie held me tightly, tucked protectively under his arm as we jostled through the hollering crowds who were still screaming for more.
As we made our way backstage, Charlie turned and smiled, an incredible panty-dropping white grin as my stomach exploded in a flurry of excitement. I was just staring, unable to smile back as he chuckled softly and I wondered if he knew just how hard he was making things.
We were following Lucas and Jess and they couldn’t wait to see Tyler to congratulate him. He’d wowed the crowd like he was born to do it, laughing with his band mates as we made our way through the record company management, friends, girlfriends, general VIP’s and groupies that were milling around him.
Lucas was the first to hug Tyler, spinning him around in a loving gesture that made my heart clench. “You were fucking awesome,” he grinned as Tyler smiled, high on adrenaline and still buzzing from that incredible performance.
Charlie was next, patting him on the back as Tyler whispered in his ear and Charlie shook his head. He looked stunned for a moment, glancing at Lucas and muttering something. Lucas had the same reaction, whispering something to Tyler who looked instantly relieved at whatever his brother had told him. Jess and I moved to congratulate him.
“You’re made for this,” I grinned broadly. “Honestly, Tyler, I’ve never had so much fun at a gig. You were amazing, all of you,” I smiled.
“You look like you had a good time,” he grinned, looking me over. I knew I had to find the ladies room, to wipe away the sheen of sweat that had covered my body as I danced amongst the crowd all night and dry off my hair. I wasn’t sure basher was as wet as me and he’d been playing drums. I leant across as he caught my eye.
“Where are the bathrooms, I need to dry myself off,” I asked as he pointed towards a door in the corner.
“Above or below?” he laughed as I flicked him the bird. Leery drummers I could do without.
I left the bathroom feeling significantly sexier, wanting to see Charlie’s face, but he was nowhere to be found.
Jess was still with Tyler, gesticulating wildly and the
y were laughing loudly as I eased the exit door open to find him standing in the corridor, talking quietly with Lucas and I knew instantly that something was amiss.
“There you both are,” I smiled, still swigging vodka and swaying slightly as Charlie tried to steady me. “What’s going on?” I asked as Lucas shook his head and I pulled a petulant face, giggling as he stared down at me, his mouth set in a firm line.
“Always so serious,” I said in a low voice, pouting my lips as Charlie laughed and Lucas’s smile eventually broke.
“Chas had a bit of a shock tonight as well,” Charlie said, looking at Lucas as I stared at him blankly. Did I? I couldn’t remember.
“You quit your job,” Charlie smiled, straightening me up as Lucas frowned down at me.
“Oh Yeah,” I laughed as he held my gaze.
“Why?” he asked and I assumed my sister would have told him. That said, they only had forty minutes on that plane and I wouldn’t have wasted it chatting either.
“Scarlett fucking Everett bought Elite,” I said as Lucas stared at Charlie, momentarily stunned before turning his gaze back on me. I didn’t know what he expected. I couldn’t tell him anything else.
“Oh, and I work for you now, well, Jess,” I laughed as he smiled, shaking his head and looking back at Charlie. I was desperate to know what had gone on here.
“What am I missing?” I asked as Lucas looked me straight in the eye.
“Scarlett’s undercut us and bought the record company,” he said seriously as I turned my gaze on Charlie.
“Holy shit. Did you know?” I asked, turning my gaze up to an infuriated looking Charlie. That question had really pissed him off.
“Of course I didn’t know. I wanted this label as much as Lucas, if not more. We don’t discuss business. Ever.” He turned an angry glare on his brother and I knew that answer was as much for him as for me.
“Besides, Lucas, you need to speak to Roberta. Apparently she’s a silent partner in Delaport and the one who stands to gain whichever of us wins that contract. I’ve always defended her because you assured me her loyalty was unwavering. Now it seems that’s under question. If she’s out to fuck us over she has way too much knowledge about Hunter Industries. If this is personal because of Jess, you need to sort it out quickly. We could lose millions.”