He yelped when Jeremy smacked his ass. “What was that for?” he asked and picked up his clothes, frowning at their wrinkles. What the hell. He’d walk around in a sack to have Jeremy say “I love you” again.
“Because I can. This ass is mine.”
Another dark thrill ran through him, and he smiled as he buttoned up his shirt. “Uh-huh. All yours.”
With Jeremy loving him, Blake knew he could conquer the world.
****
Two days later,Blake’s world fell apart.
No, no, no.This couldn’t be happening. Not to him. His sweaty hands gripping the sides of the chair, Blake forced himself to listen to Scott. Maybe he’d heard him wrong. All Blake knew was that he found it hard to take a breath.
“Do you want a glass of water?” Without waiting for his answer, Scott stood and in a fluid motion, strode across the room to the water cooler, and filled a paper cup with cold water. “Here.”
Reflexively, Blake took it but didn’t drink, merely stared at Scott’s hard, uncompromising face. “Why? I’ve been here almost ten years. Never a bad review.”
“True. But nothing outstanding either, I’m afraid, Blake. We spoke about it as I’m sure you remember. You’re competent, but Shipman and York needs more than that. We strive for the best, and I’m afraid your best isn’t good enough.”
“Wha-what? I’ve been trying. You know how hard it is to pick up clients with the bad economy. And my work on the financials on those three new cases you gave me was excellent. Harvey told me so.”
Harvey was the CFO of their company and an old-timer. He liked to come around and schmooze with Blake every once in a while, and Blake suspected the newer people in the firm thought of Harvey as an old fool, stuck in the past. But Blake had picked up a wealth of information from the elderly man about dealing with clients. People weren’t numbers, at least to him.
“That’s yesterday’s thinking. And Harvey…” Here Scott shrugged. “Harvey’s old-school, and his way of thinking doesn’t help Shipman and York hit their bottom line any longer.” He leaned back in his chair, hands peaked in a triangle over his stomach. “The problem with you is that you’re negative, not forward thinking. When was the last time you took the initiative on things? We can’t keep carrying you. The new group of first-years are bringing in more work than you ever did. The firm doesn’t have a place for mediocre. Not at your salary, at least.”
Those casual words stung as if Blake had been slapped. “What about the Brightman account? I know they had to be happy that I found out the waste of company resources on ridiculous three-hundred-dollar lunches, massive travel expenses, and personal shopping sprees.”
Instead of agreeing, Scott quirked a brow, and a curl of disdain tugged at the corner of his lips. “With your experience, you should’ve had the foresight to bring that to my attention. We had a lot to do to get Brightman out of that hole you dug him into.”
Heart sinking, Blake listened in horror to the real reason he was fired.
“Brightman’s new wife and her children work for the company. The expenses you found problems with and put in the financials were theirs.”
Cassandra had told him that, and though he was aware, Blake would never compromise an audit to cover up the client’s wrongdoing.
“And Brightman is okay with them raping the company?” He didn’t really expect an answer to that question. “So I’m being punished for their illegal deductions. Jesus.” His anger rising, he ran his hand through his hair. “They have shareholders to report to. What was I supposed to do?”
“Your duty is to the client,” said Scott in that annoyingly smooth voice of his. “You should’ve come to me right away, and we could’ve figured it out.”
“You mean lied, don’t you?”
Their gazes clashed. Funny he’d never realized how soulless and empty Scott’s eyes were. It didn’t matter whether the client was lying or cheating the company. As long as Shipman and York got their fee, he was happy.
“You know what?” Ignoring his lightheadedness and hammering heart, Blake stood and drew his shoulders back, attempting to present a picture of dignity, as he was certain Scott expected him to break down. They’d always had an uneasy relationship. “I’m glad. I don’t want to work for a place like this anymore. But I expect severance. After ten years, I deserve it.”
Scott gave him a curt nod. “You’ll get the standard one week for every year. Nothing more.”
Blake turned to leave.
“Oh, and Blake?”
Still stiff and careful to keep his voice neutral, Blake faced Scott again. “Yes?”
“We’d like you to leave today.”
Never in his life had he been so humiliated, and his face flamed hot at Scott’s words. Refusing to break down in front of Scott, Blake walked out, back straight, but his vision blurred with tears. He ignored everyone’s curious looks as he passed by them on his way to his office. Once inside, he closed the door and collapsed into the chair, staring blindly at his desk.
What the fuck just happened?He’d never been fired from a job before—not even when he worked in the big-box chain bookstore as a high-school student. He’d made sure to always be on time and follow exactly what they told him to do. Never break the rules, or even bend them. Everyone said he was perfect.
