Page 25 of Coming Out at Crofton Hall

He’d drop the letters in to Ben and then start his search to find a perfect night away for Ben and Ashley; he already had several ideas and could use his contacts to make sure it would be truly memorable.

Alex let himself into Ben’s office, he wasn’t on his own but had Davy in his arms and was talking to a man with black hair, grey eyes and a jawline that would even make a nun swoon. He looked familiar.

“Apologies, I didn’t mean to interrupt. I’ll leave you with these to sign and then I’ll get them in the post.”

“Oh you’re not interrupting,” Ben said with a grin. “You’ve given me the chance to introduce you to Dorian.”

The pictures he’d seen that Dara and Chris had found had been grainy and didn’t do Dorian justice. Dorian stood, he was tall and fit. Alex couldn’t say he’d seen any movies with him in, although he was a rare creature who did watch for the plot, not the eye candy. But in the flesh, he was a stunning man. He buried all his impure thoughts about Dorian under a weighted blanket of his professionalism.

“Pleasure to meet you, Mr Forbes.”

“Call me, Dorian. Ben was saying you might be willing to help me out with a few things.”

The phone on Ben’s desk rang. “Why don’t you two go off and get acquainted?”

Dorian followed Alex out. “We could have a chat in one of the reception rooms downstairs, if that suits?” suggested Alex. “My office is still a work in progress.”

“Sounds a bit like me.”

Not something he’d expect from an international movie star, even one who’d come out recently and was having a crisis of identity. Dorian might need more TLC than a little bit of admin, but that wasn’t his job, but it might mean he would have to adapt his style to support Dorian to his best without being dragged too far in. Or let Dorian’s absurdly good looks infiltrate his subconscious to star in some of his more racy dreams. “I’ll just grab something to take notes with.”

His office wasn’t as bad as he’d made out, but the piles of boxes that had to be unpacked, and the clutter in mid-tidy, didn’t project the professional image he liked. Dorian was examining a portrait. “I’ve been here so many times over the years and I’ve never stopped to look at the paintings. Ben looks a lot like this chap.”

Alex stared at the painting and the plaque. “Percival, 6th Earl of Crofton. Looks early Georgian by the clothing. I wonder why there’s a ship in the background—I didn’t think the Redbourns had nautical links.”

“Ben’s always been very proud of his delightfully nefarious ancestors so I bet there’s a story in it somewhere.”

“Most families have their eccentrics.” His seemed to have more than their fair share. “Shall we head downstairs?”

“If we could get a coffee, that’d be great. I got some sleep on the plane and this morning but I’m beginning to flag.”

Dorian’s opening ask was for him to make coffee, not the best of starts but he couldn’t say he was surprised. “Let’s go via the kitchen. I know Karl’s out this afternoon running errands and I don’t want to bother Mr Billins.”

The coffee machine in the kitchen was a thing of beauty and it was treated with the utmost respect. Mrs Weather had given him exacting instructions on Sunday morning and Karl had supervised his first few uses before deeming him trained enough to be trusted with it on his own.

He made two cappuccinos and hoped he wasn’t making a rod for his own back. Since the weather was reasonable, Dorian suggested they sat outside and he was more than happy to agree.

During his career he’d met all sorts of people and, without fail, it was always better to set expectations from the get-go. For both parties. “I’m not sure I’ll be able to support you in the ways you’re used to. Ben will keep me busy and I have agreed to help the Archive Dragons when needed, so that won’t leave you with the level of commitment your previous PAs have had.”

Dorian chuckled. “No fear. I’m not looking for that. Reality is, I don’t know what I want to do with my life. I presume you know why I’m hiding out at Crofton Hall?”

Alex had done an internet search once he knew the name and he’d been surprised at the results. He’d got some of the story in the pub on Saturday but there were a lot of column inches in the gossip blogs given over to Dorian. “One of Hollywood’s leading men who has always had an eye for the ladies admits that he’s actually more interested in men. Some of the coverage is rather intrusive so I don’t blame you for hunkering down for a while.” He bit his lip wondering if he should say more, but Dorian had asked. “I might have thought you’d have chosen somewhere other than Crofton Hall, given some of the gossip though.”

“You mean me, Ben and Robin?” He shrugged. “It happened a few times when I was still together with Robin, so it’s not like it’s a complete fabrication.”

“I see.” Dorian didn’t seem at all bothered by the press knowing his business but it smacked of him not understanding the wider connotations. “It could see be a touchy topic.”

“Anything that suggested it is still happening or has happened recently is complete BS. If Ashley tells me he’s got a problem with me being here, I’ll sod off, but Ben’s my best friend and he invited me to stay, so I accepted as I needed a few friendly faces around me.”

Or maybe Dorian did understand, and Alex thought he should give him a bit more credit. Maybe he wasn’t just a pretty face and lovely biceps. “Seems reasonable enough, and obviously you don’t owe me an explanation.”

“I’m fed up with having secrets. Hiding the truth about myself may have given me my career but it’s made me a poorer human. I need to focus, make some decisions, and if you could help shuffle some of the inevitable paperwork, meetings and admin, then I’d be grateful. I’ve had people to do this stuff for me for years, but I’m in a tricky place now and I don’t know who to trust. Ben hired you so he obviously trusts you, and that’s good enough for me.”

Dorian gave off none of the swagger he’d expected. He was lost, and in a place he’d never thought to find himself. It was a rarity, in Alex’s experience, to meet a man of Dorian’s stature, in terms of career and looks, who were so obvious about their insecurities. “I’ll do what I can. And I know you don’t know me from Adam, but if you want to talk, then I’m a pretty good listener. My family were always supportive, I never hid my sexuality but my first boyfriend had to and so I’ve seen the pain that can cause.”

Yves had been a mess, but he’d survived and Alex had been at his wedding last summer. If he could be a friendly ear, and that was all that was on offer for the sake of his own sanity, then he’d be more than willing to help Dorian.

“It might be nice to talk to someone who doesn’t know all the shit I’ve pulled. Ben and Robin have been great, but they’re a bit too close to the action.”

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