Page 59 of Total Creative Control
In other words,fucking pay attention, minion.
Lewis ground his molars. “What were you saying?” he said tightly. Toni sent him a warning glance, but he ignored her. There was only so much of Charlie’s bullshit he could take, and he was already very close to the end of his tether.
Aaron’s leg pressed against his again, and maybe he was being fanciful, but he was sure the warm pressure was sympathetic.
“I was just asking where you grew up.”
Lewis paused. It was the kind of question he’d usually answer right away, no hesitation, but with Charlie, he was wary. Even as he acknowledged that thought, he was conscious of how melodramatic it sounded. Hell, it was a completely ordinary question.
“Stockwell, mostly. In Lambeth.”
“Really?” Charlie said. “God, you’re lucky. That’s a pretty diverse area, right? I went to Bishopton College which”—he rolled his eyes—“not so much.”
Mildly, Toni interjected, “Bishopton’s a very good school, though. I’m sure I read it’s the most expensive private school in Britain, is that right?”
Charlie gave a bark of laughter. “Yeah, well, these days it’s practically adisadvantagegoing to private school. I think you’d be surprised how much prejudice I’ve suffered during my career.” He threw back the rest of his drink and set the empty glass down on the table.
“Oh totally,” Milly echoed. “Oxford literally discriminates against privately educated students these days.” She trilled a laugh. “I’d never get in if I had to apply now!”
Lewis shared a wry look with Aaron, whose mouth ticked up at one corner before he could drown the smile in his drink.
“I honestly don’t get it,” Charlie bored on. “For me, people are just… people, you know? I don’t care where anyone came from, or what race they are, or Jesus, who theylove!” He unfolded his legs and stood. “Everyone want another?” His eyes glittered dangerously.
Toni held out her empty glass. “God, yes please. That was scrummy.”
Lewis offered his own empty glass but noted that Aaron had barely touched his ‘Sidekick’. When he noticed Lewis looking, Aaron just shrugged.
After another bout of ostentatious cocktail shaking, this time with Milly playing the role of glamorous assistant, Charlie handed around fresh drinks.
“I’ll help myself to a Scotch,” Geoff announced pointedly, prowling around behind the bar.
Charlie ignored him. “You know, Lewis,” he said, returning to sit cross-legged on the floor. “I don’t know whether I’ve ever told you how much I admire you.” His cheeks were faintly flushed, and Lewis wondered how much he’d had to drink before they arrived.
He gulped down a mouthful of his Negroni and grimaced. Jesus, this one was even stronger than the first. “Admire me for what?” he rasped past the alcohol burn in his throat.
“Well… I mean, look at you. Sitting here, with us, in this amazing place. Considering your background, I’m sure you could never have imagined this in your future when you were a kid.”
Lewis lowered his drink, conscious of the effect of the booze on his already volatile temper—and not really giving a shit. “What do you mean?” he said, his voice clipped. “What does my background have to do with anything?”
“Oh, don’t play coy,” Charlie said, smiling. “I mean the School of Hard Knocks, the University of Life. God, you’ve no idea—your background issuchan advantage when it comes to your creative output. And you’ve certainly exploited it. There’s a lot of Lewis Hunter in Skye Jäger, isn’t there?” He thumped his heart with his fist. “That’s why he feels so real. So street.”
Aaron’s leg pressed hard against Lewis’s again, and Lewis wasn’t sure whether that urgent pressure was horror or a desperate attempt not to laugh. Baring his teeth in an approximation of a smile, Lewis said, “I’ll tell you this for nothing, Charlie—there are no fucking vampires in Stockwell.”
“They stay north of the river,” Aaron deadpanned. “Highgate, mostly.”
Lewis snorted, and they shared a grin.
But Charlie didn’t smile. “I meant,” he said tightly, “that your deprived upbringing gives the show a lot of kudos. Marketingadoresit.” To Toni, he added, “I’msuchan advocate for diversity at Telopix. Anyone will tell you I’m obsessed with creating opportunities for women and other minorities.”
Lewis watched in amusement as Toni clenched her jaw, knowing that she wanted to point out that while women might be marginalised, they were not, in fact, a minority.
“Charlie’s PA is an African-American,” Milly supplied in a confiding whisper. “And alesbian.”
Lewis knocked back another mouthful of Negroni, surprised to find his glass empty again. “I don’t know what you think you know about my ‘upbringing’,” he told Charlie, “but it’s nobody else's damn—”
“What are we eating tonight?” Toni cut in. “I certainly built up an appetite at the workshop, and the food here is always so…” She struggled for a moment. “Such an adventure!”
Charlie’s gaze lingered on Lewis before he turned back to Toni with a mollified smile. “It is special, isn’t it? I’ve recently adopted a probiotic plant-based diet, so your digestive tract is in for a treat tonight.”