I calculated that there had to be around a hundred students seated in the tiered seating, which was arranged in three blocks, each separated by an aisle made up of those annoying stairs that were too big to achieve in one step, but not big enough to warrant two. Down at the front of the room, there was a dais with a speaker’s lectern, as well as a table and four chairs. The table held two microphones and a jug of water with several glasses.
As William stepped up onto the dais, the sound of chatting voices decreased and I was impressed that he hadn’t needed to say anything in order to get the students to quieten down. My mood improved at the show of respect. That was until I reached William and turned around to face the room. As my gaze swept the sea of faces staring at me, I instantly latched onto a pair of dark-rimmed glasses which didn’t conceal the widening, grey-green eyes beneath them.
The guy I’d knocked into was sitting right there in the front row. There was no way I was going to be able to avoid him.
Shitting hell, what was he doing here?
What the fuck do you think he’s doing here? Waiting to listen to you talk bullshit!
Charlie
The seat Guy had indicated for me to sit in was right in the front row of the lecture hall. “Can’t we sit further back? I’ve got a paper to finish and I’ve got a gig tonight. I could use this time to write it. I’m sure this bloke Professor Wright has drummed up to talk to us will be as boring as shit. I mean he’s a bloody billionaire. He was probably born with a platinum spoon in his gob.”
“That’s right, let’s not judge the man before he’s spoken to us.” Guy chuckled, rolling his eyes heavenward before he indicated the seats we should use again.
The protest died on my lips as he gave me a devilish smile and I caved like I always did. I shuffled along the front row of seating until we’d reached the spot Guy was aiming for and then I plonked my bag down and pulled out the books I’d need, placing them on the tiny shelf in front of me that was meant to pass for a table.
“It’s true, I’m judgy, but that’s only because I did a search on the businesses this guy owns and there’s a lot. Hell, it turns out he even owns the modelling agency I work for.” I gave a dry chuckle. “He’s actually paying my way through uni in a roundabout way.” I wanted to scoff, but as it registered, I huffed instead, none too happy with the idea for some reason.
I’d always hated the idea of being indebted to anyone. I’d worked my arse off to go to uni, saving every penny I earned in order to be able to afford the shitty digs and astronomical fees they charged for me to get an education.
My parents had thought that I’d at least get some money towards the fees when I’d applied, but their earnings had been just above the threshold required for me to get enough to survive on. The application form hadn’t taken into account the fact that my parents were barely scraping by as it was, what with paying for care for my granny, whose arthritis meant she needed someone to help her out with the day-to-day stuff. So there’d been no extra cash for me, not that I minded. It wasn’t my granny’s fault that her husband had upped and died, leaving her with so much debt from his gambling that she’d never recovered from it.
“A billionaire boyfriend would be right up your street, no? Just think, no more debt and scrabbling to make ends meet. No more wearing those posh, and sometimes non-existent clothes, showing off more parts of you than you’d like,” Guy replied excitedly, pulling me out of my thoughts.
Guy and I had no secrets from each other. We’d met when I’d ended up in the same accommodation block as him. As he was the first gay man on our floor I’d met, we’d gravitated towards each other. It didn’t hurt that Guy was as pretty as a picture with a feisty disposition. We’d had a moment of “did we fancy each other?” that had quickly died a death when we’d got pissed and had a snog. It had been like kissing a brother, not that I’d know when I didn’t have any siblings, but I guessed it would be the same. It had felt weird and a little gross.
I shifted uncomfortably on the hard, wooden seat, recalling a pair of firm lips that I’d be more than happy to have on mine. I also recalled the icy, blue eyes, eyes I’d have loved to view the bits of me that I usually hated having on show when I modelled.
Pushing the thoughts away, I clenched my thighs together to stop my body from reacting. I was convinced that the guy who’d barged into me was not in the slightest bit gay. Fuck, it was the exact opposite. He all but screamed heterosexual.
Guy nudged my arm as he nodded towards the aisle and the air in the room seemed to disappear. Holy crap, holy crap!
My gaze swept over the well-muscled guy in a suit, which didn’t seem to sit that well, regardless of the expensive cut. I’d learned a lot about fabrics and clothes since I’d started modelling in order to pay my way through uni. The suit was refined but did little to tame the beast wearing it.
What? Do you think you’re in a remake of Beauty and the Beast now?
I almost snorted at the thought, but then froze as the guy’s icy blue eyes met mine. Everything else seemed to fade to background noise as his stare pinned me in place. His face wasn’t classically handsome, his nose looking as if it had been broken at some point, but there was a broodiness that drew me in. His dark hair was cut short on the sides, longer on the top and was threaded with silver streaks. I struggled to figure out his age, although I’d probably have placed him somewhere between late thirties to early forties. His body looked like he took care of it, the suit jacket straining to contain his muscular arms and broad chest.
The longer his stare held mine, the more the urge to fidget became too much as I played with the books I’d laid down in front of me. His gaze lowered to my hands. The view of what I was doing was blocked by the top of the wooden half-wall that my tiny shelf-table was attached to. His icy eyes sparked with annoyance before a shutter came down and his face became a mask of indifference.
“Thank you all for behaving, I know how hard it is for you to do that, normally,” Professor Wright announced into the speaker, his voice full of humour.
There were a few titters of laughter before the room settled quickly. I looked down at the table feeling oddly hurt by the guy’s shuttered expression, and the fact he was now focusing somewhere over my head.
“I would like to introduce our speaker today, Mr. Griffin Hudson. Some of you may have come across his name in the business pages, or during internet searches. I’ve asked him here today to share some of his experiences of business management and what it takes to continue to thrive within the economic turmoil of Brexit.”
There was a loud groan at the mention of Brexit. It had been done to death and over the last two years it seemed to be all that anyone talked about. I understood that there was going to be an impact, but with all the second-guessing going on it was hard to assess which facts were the right ones.
I’d decided to study Economics and Business because it had seemed like a good idea to be an independent businessman. Then a guy had spotted me in Churchill Square shopping centre during my first year and he’d encouraged me to apply to the modelling agency he worked for. I’d never considered the fact that it might cause me to re-evaluate what I wanted to do. I still wanted to run my own business, but the kind of business I wanted to run had changed.