Red Dirt Heart 04 - Red Dirt Heart 4 (2 page)

Laura smiled at me. “So you haven’t set a date?”

I barked out a laugh. “Ah, no. I literally asked him a year ago, and he hasn’t even told Ma or George yet, so no, we’re a while away from that.”

“Really?” She tilted her head. “He hasn’t told anyone?”

“Well, he told Sam just now.”

“But it’s been a year!” she whispered, obviously baffled.

I laughed. “Welcome to living on Charlie Sutton time. It’s either everything all at once, or trying to fill an ocean one drop at a time.”

* * * *

Charlie fell backward on the still rumpled bed and undid his jeans. “I’ve eaten far too much and had a cocktail too many. What the hell was that thing you gave me anyway?”

I pulled off my boots and slid out of my pants. “It was a Tom Collins. I thought out of all the drinks on the menu, you’d do one that sounded like a man.”

He chuckled. “Well, if Qantas ever need a new type of fuel…”

I pulled Charlie’s boots off for him. “I was going to get you a Cocksucking Cowboy.”

He laughed louder. “You know me well. Why didn’t you?”

“Because Laura was with me at the bar.”

He sighed. “You two seemed pretty cosy havin’ a chat.”

I knelt on the bed and crawled up his body until I was at lip-kissin’ height and settled my weight on him. “I heard what you told Sam.”

Charlie’s eyes were kinda swimming, and he touched my hair. “And what was that?”

“That I asked you to marry me.”

He swallowed and his eyes darted between mine. “Was that okay?”

I pecked his lips. “Very okay.”

“I don’t know why I told him,” he said. “It just kinda came out.”

“It’s fine, Charlie. You can tell whoever you want.”

“Have you told your mum or dad?” he asked. “I mean, we haven’t talked about it in a while—”

“In a while?” I cut him off. “We haven’t really talked about it at all.”

“Yes we have,” he answered, as if offended. “Three times in the last year, since you asked me. Once when we were at Uluru, remember? Lyin’ on the bed and you said that me takin’ you there was the best anniversary present ever, and I said yours was better. Remember?”

“My anniversary gift?”

“You askin’ me to get married.” His eyebrows knitted together. “And then that time we were watchin’ that stupid reality TV show you like and that gay couple were married and you whispered in my ear that the word
husband
sounded nice, and I said yeah it did, it was a shame the Australian government didn’t agree. Don’t you remember that?”

“Yeah, I do, but—”

“And just last month, when we were babysittin’ little Gracie and we had her for a whole weekend, and I was puttin’ her down to sleep and you said something about gettin’ it done in a church and I said that we didn’t need a church. You were there for that. Please tell me you remember that.”

“I was talking about Trudy and Bacon getting Gracie baptized. What were you talking about?”

He opened his mouth and shut it again. Finally he answered, “Gettin’ married.”

“So are these your idea of conversations about getting married?”

“Well, we talked about it,” he said.

“You’ve been having in-your-head conversations again, Charlie,” I said with a smile. “How about including me in them every once in a while?”

He didn’t smile, and he had that over-thinking look in his eyes.

“Say it, Charlie.”

“Have you told your mum?”

I shook my head. “I was waiting for you.”

He turned his head so he wouldn’t have to look at me. I rested up on my elbows and pulled his chin around so his eyes met mine again. “I won’t rush you. I will wait forever for you.”

“A year’s too long, isn’t it?” He had that Charlie’s-about-to-panic look in his eyes. “I mean, I like the idea—no, not like, I mean I
love
the idea, and it’s been a year already and I’ve wasted so much time—”

I kissed him to shut him up. “Charlie, it’s been a great year and I wouldn’t trade a thing.”

He stared at me for the longest, longest minute. “I think we should tell your folks. At least that you asked me and I said yes, but that’s all so far. There’s no actual wedding plans or anything like that. Because, well, we’ll have to wait for laws to change, and even then I don’t know about getting married, I mean, engaged is fine, but married is just a whole other thing.”

I laughed at him and his nervous rambling and kissed him quiet with smiling lips. I bumped his nose with mine in that way that made his breath catch in his throat. “Just knowing is enough, Charlie. Just knowing you said yes will always be enough.”

He rolled us over so he was on top of me, and he did his just-staring thing again. “Just knowing you asked me is enough too.”

The two sides of Charlie.

We spent the next morning doing the sightseeing thing and inevitably ended up spending the heat of the Darwin afternoon by the resort pool.

“Do we really have to go to that boring old dinner tonight?” I asked.

“Yep.”

“But we’re still going out for drinks afterward with Sam and Ainsley?”

“Only because you lot won’t let me
not
go.”

I snorted out a laugh. “You’re right about that. It’s not like we have the opportunity often,” I told him. “Anyway, I’ve never seen you rolling drunk, and I plan on getting you somewhat inebriated.”

Charlie snorted. “I haven’t been pissed in a long time, so on the plus side, it should only cost you about two beers.”

“Then you can take full advantage of me,” I told him. “Or me you. You know, I’m nothing if not versatile.”

Charlie chuckled this time, but still never opened his eyes. “Yes you are.”

“And talented.”

“That too,” he agreed. He opened one eye and looked at me, still smiling. “You forgot modest.” He closed his eyes again.

“I was just gonna admit to bein’ conceited, but modest’ll do.”

He shook his head, still with his eyes closed, obviously loving the warmth of the sun on his skin. “Can’t drink too much,” he said. “Don’t want to be hung-over for the trip home.”

“What time does this dinner start?” I asked again.

“Six.”

I sat up on the sun chair, putting my feet on the ground. “Then we best start early.”

“You can’t just lie there and enjoy bein’ still?” he asked, making no move to get up. “I should have you tested for ADHD or something. Always gotta be busy.”

“Well, I could just let you lie there, but considering we’re supposed to be at that dinner in about half an hour, then we better—”

Charlie sat up. “What? What time is it?” He didn’t even look for a watch or a clock. He looked up at the sky. I’ll never get used to Outback time-telling.

“And my mom already did,” I told him. “Have me tested for ADHD, I mean, because I’m a bit hyper, but I’m just me. I like to be doing stuff.”

Charlie looked at me and blinked. “I was joking about that,” he said quietly. Then he asked again, “What time is it?”

I looked at my watch, like most normal people to do tell the time. “It’s five twenty-seven.”

“Shit,” he said, standing up. “We’re gonna be late.”

Twenty-six minutes later, we walked into the hotel restaurant, showered and dressed for dinner.

I’d been to enough Beef Farmers meetings with Charlie over the last twelve months to know what to expect. I didn’t think a supermarket buyers’ meeting would be any different.

It was more of an annual informal dinner where the sponsors got to spiel off products, and I guess all the farmers who could afford the dollars or the time attended. It was a networking of sorts, which was good for Charlie to do outside of the Beef Farmers Association.

The real bigwigs were there and it was funny seeing Charlie in a setting where he was only the third-biggest station owner. And yet, despite him being a good forty years younger than them, it was pretty obvious the two men who ran the bigger stations both respected him.

Sutton was a recognized name in the industry, and Charlie had outdone his father’s records on sales and productivity. Even with average stock prices, Charlie ran a good business. His credentials on the Beef Farmers Association didn’t hurt him either.

He chatted with everyone, including Blake, the guy we’d met on the plane last year who had secured Charlie’s contract on the supermarket buyers’ list.

Five minutes before the formalities were to start, Blake asked Charlie if he’d get up and speak in front of everyone. He didn’t really exactly have a great deal of time to argue or to prepare what he was going to say.

But he simply walked up to the front and stood behind the podium like he owned it. Now, I knew he was smart, and we’d often talked about the different sciences we’d studied in agronomy, and I’d heard him talkin’ on the phone to all sorts of people. But he stood up there and talked figures, percentages, taxes changes, kilos per dollar and stock ratios. He talked about the climate and projected seasons and sales, the increase in overheads and decrease of stock value, and how the saying
work smarter, not harder
is getting truer every day.

I knew he was a businessman. I mean, of course he was. I felt a little foolish for being so surprised, but he kinda blew me away. I lost track of what he was talking about and just got fixated on watching him speak. He only made eye contact with me once, but looked away quick ’cause he started to smile. If he worried that the people in the room—his colleagues—wouldn’t respect him, then he was wrong. When he’d finished talking, he got the loudest round of applause of anyone there.

Up there in his good jeans and best button-down shirt, his shined boots and brushed hair, talking business and layin’ down the law on keeping costs low and prices high, he absolutely nailed it. He’d certainly never looked so damn sexy.

Charlie came back and took his seat next to mine. It wasn’t like I could acknowledge him with more than a he’s-just-my-boss smile, but after a little while, when someone else was talking, I gave his knee a quick nudge with mine. The corner of his lips twitched like he was fighting a smile, and instead of leaning in real close and telling him he gave me a boner, I shifted in my seat, crossed my legs at my ankles and palmed my dick all in one super-smooth motion that no one noticed but him.

He coughed back a laugh and while he continued to sit there all suave and sexy, I spent the next forty minutes thinking of nasty things like roadkill and gutting fish.

* * * *

With all grown-up duties and dinner out of the way, it was time to let loose. I’d been looking forward to seeing Charlie in party mode since he suggested the trip to Darwin a few weeks ago.

We took a cab to the address that Sam had given us, and he and Ainsley were waiting on the sidewalk when we got there.

“How was your dinner?”

Charlie shrugged. “Food was good, my speech was shit.”

I laughed. “Ignore him. His speech was brilliant.” I looked at the place Sam had told us to come to. It was a Greek restaurant. “Did you guys just finish dinner?” I asked.

Sam and Ainsley both smiled. “No,” she said, “we’re taking you upstairs.”

I looked up to the second floor. It didn’t look like, well, anything. “Okay…”

Sam grinned. “You’ll like it.” He looked at Charlie. “You’ll probably kill me.”

I laughed at that, but Charlie looked up at the second storey of the building, then eyed his brother cautiously. “Why do I feel like I’m not gonna like what’s up there?”

Sam snorted and clapped his hand on Charlie’s shoulder. “Come on.” He walked toward the entrance, but then he stopped. “Just so you know, I have never been here before, so I apologise if it’s lame.”

“Sounds ominous,” Charlie mumbled, but we followed them up the stairs and found ourselves in a bar.

A “gay” bar. And I use the term in little air quotation marks because it wasn’t like a normal city gay bar. It was barely ten at night, and barely lit. But it was late enough for there to be half a crowd, mostly drinking, talking, mostly men. Sam laughed at Charlie’s expression. “Oh, come on,” Sam teased him. “How often do you get to do this?”

“Never,” I answered.

Charlie looked like he was about to object, but he glanced at me and no doubt saw me smiling. He rolled his eyes and sighed, I grinned and Sam and Ainsley both laughed.

“My shout,” Sam said. “Beer?”

“Don’t think it matters at this point.” Charlie looked at me and shook his head. “We have to go home tomorrow, and I’d rather not be hung-over but I think I need a few drinks to suffer through this,” he said, waving his hand at the dance floor area.

“It won’t be too bad,” I told him, slipping my hand into the back pocket of his jeans. I leaned in and whispered so only he could hear, “Actually, I like being able to touch you when we go out. I can’t do this at a bar in Alice.”

Sam came back with his hands full of bottles and handed us each a beer. Ainsley was smiling at us as she took her first sip. “So tell me, the other night you said you absolutely spoiled Grace. What did you get her?”

If it was Ainsley’s aim to make Charlie relax, it worked a treat. Charlie spent the first two beers telling Ainsley and Sam all about the pink boots he’d ordered in for Gracie, and the toddler’s Akubra, of course. Trudy was gonna flip her shit when she saw what he bought for her daughter, but there was no stopping him. He spent the next beer telling them all about Nugget’s latest habit of biting feet and just bein’ funny.

“Yeah, yeah,” I interrupted him with another beer. “We all know I’ve been relegated to number three on your favourites list.”

“That’s so not true,” he said with a three-beer smile.

I looked out over the filling-up dance floor, just dying to get him out there. Charlie and I had done a lot of things, but dancin’ wasn’t ever one of them. Not in a nightclub anyway.

“Drink up,” I told him. “You owe the number three on your list a dance.”

He stepped in closer and leaned against me. “You ain’t my number three.”

I smiled at him. “Two? I would hope I’d rank higher than a wombat.”

Charlie laughed and slid his hand around my back. “Number one. Always.”

“Then prove it. Dance with me.”

He did that growly-grumble thing he does, but shook his head. “I don’t dance.”

Well, that’s just a lie, plain and simple, because two drinks after that, I made my way to the bar and spent fifteen seconds talking to some random guy who was nice enough to say hi and ask me about my accent. He had to lean in because the music was so loud, and that was when Charlie suddenly appeared, put his hand on my ass, glaring at the poor innocent guy I still hadn’t even answered yet, and dragged me back to the table where Sam and Ainsley were watching.

Charlie, still holding my hand, downed the last of the beer and looked at a now very bemused Sam and Ainsley. He yelled over the music, “I’d just like to apologise in advance for what you’re about to see.”

I barked out a laugh, and he led me out onto the dance floor.

He wasn’t too far wrong when he said it’d only take a few beers to get him drunk. We’d usually only ever have a couple of drinks when we went into the Alice, and I guess not really being a big drinker, having a few quick ones was bound to hit him fast and hard.

And this was the two sides of Charlie Sutton. Earlier tonight he was giving speeches and dominating a conference of bigwigs across the country bein’ the businessman he is, then here he was gettin’ his young and carefree self drunk and dancin’.

He was a smiley drunk. A happy, handsy, can’t-dance-for-shit kind of drunk. He was all stumbly on his feet, and gropey with his hands, with a perma-grin and a don’t-even-fucking-think-about-it glare at other guys who might or might not have been looking at me. This possessive streak was a far cry from the nonchalance he showed back home, and I had to admit—it was fucking hot.

The later it got, the more guys came in, the lights went down and the music went up. And after Charlie stopped drinking beer and started drinking bourbon, I don’t think it mattered where the hell we were.

We drank some more and laughed with Sam and Ainsley. They were on the dance floor not far from us, getting their grinding on, all laughs and looks of love, and as the night wore on, I knew they’d be going home soon.

I wasn’t too far wrong. Sam tapped our shoulders, Ainsley right behind him. “We’re off now,” he said with a grin. “You two behave and say, ‘Thanks, Sam, for bringing us here’.”

Charlie laughed and mumbled, “Thanks, Sam, for bringing us here,” but he never let go of me, didn’t even watch them leave. He just gripped my ass and ground against me, kissing my neck. We were just two zippers away from fucking on the dance floor, and it was so heady. I knew we were a long way from home, but to see Charlie like this, in public, in a gay bar, to feel him against me, swaying to music only he seemed to hear was such a turn-on.

I don’t know how many drinks he’d had, but normally Charlie would struggle to say things that were playing on his mind. Bourbon must have broken that filter, because he started murmuring things to me he’d never normally say, and things got dirtier with each song. “You have the hottest arse,” he said, pressing his lips to my neck. He whispered, hot and husky in my ear, “I love how you take all of me and how I can come inside you.”

I pulled his head back and kissed him hard. He just writhed against me, rolling his hips into mine, kissing me back. In front of everyone. He didn’t care.

He kissed over my jaw and put his lips to the shell of my ear. “And I fucking love it when you come in mine.”

I fisted the hair on the back of his head and pulled his head right back again, sweeping his mouth with my tongue. It was so unlike Charlie, but he just didn’t seem to care that we were surrounded by people, that the dance floor was full, that guys were watching. So neither did I.