See what I said about you judging beta readers? That one happens to be younger that you and me.
As for the preppy comment, nowhere does it mention others not being able to enjoy Hendricks. His remark was about a segment of the student body at Georgetown (much larger when I attended) who come from wealthy families, attended prep schools, dress the part, and have displayed an affinity for certain liquor brands and cocktails.
I missed having Mann edit this story. I think it's good and accomplishes my goals, but I know it would have been better, tighter, and probably 10% shorter had he been involved. A lot of the praise I get for my writing is owed to him.
Jurgen's probably a catch for someone a tad more sedate. Calum's personality, and to a degree Austin's in flashes we've seen, is too close to CJ and Owen's I could see him as a Squad member if he had been in Washington instead of Australia. Nat needs to spend more time with gay men to figure out sexual orientation's not enough to create a connection.
And as I age him, CJ gets to meet and interact with older individuals he doesn't call uncle. Aside from the Brit, Ambassador Cox is someone who could become a sounding board/advisor in the future.
He may have had help breaking the ice, but CJ took over quickly enough. I'm thinking of the cocktail party celebrating Brett & Cesar's wedding anniversary when he meets a bunch of big shots and navigates the event as if he was an old hand.
What do you expect? A straight woman could easily miss the signs. Calum's may be a bit mellower in mixed company, but when it's only gay men around he lets loose. Further proof once you introduce a straight person into the mix, behaviors change. I've explored the subject before.
I touched upon the importance of people skills and client relations in the early chapters of the series. Somewhere, there's a comment about Cesar being good technically but excelling at client development, and that leading to rapid promotions. No matter how good a professional is, without clients they won't survive.