Alec laughed. “I mean, who the fuck knows, but this one was the one that broke it all up. The Sr. Rep. was married, and—”
“I thought you said they were all young and single? You also said you never knew anyone who cheated on the job?”
He half-glared. Why did his semi-angry face turn me on?
“No, I didn’t. I’ve known plenty of cheating scumbags. But I also said it happened before my time, I didn’t know them, andmostlysingle. This guy wasn’t. But that’s far from the point.”
“What’s the point, then?”
His face soured. “He tried to get the Jr. Rep. to terminate. She didn’t and sued, and won big. After that, it was same-gender teams.” He shook his head, maybe realizing how on the nose he was about to be. “Until another suit was brought, both guys. So, now they mix genders and sexualities. But it’s not a perfect science. Rob’s husband was his Jr. Rep., but they went about it the right way and got HR’s blessing.”
I liked Rob. He never had a bad word to say about anyone. His husband was cool, too. How could all of that have happened,and no one talked about it? Sales and marketing people are very gossipy, myself included.
“How have I never heard of this?” I said.
“Never made it to court? I guess? They must’ve settled. The ones who were around for it don’t talk about it, but maybe they’re not allowed to? I don’t know. Whenever anyone mentioned it, I always got the feeling I shouldn’t press for details.”
“Damn.”
“Yeah, so it makes sense. That’s why Sr. Reps. don’t have material power over their Jr’s careers. Sales and Marketing management takes team formation into close consideration. One of them being how likely they are to fuck. They still get it wrong sometimes. Clearly.”
My face went red again. I didn’t understand how Alec could be so cavalier about it.
“Yup. They do.”
“It’s not worth it. Not when you could lose everything.” He picked up his bag and rifled through it. “Well, almost everything.”
“What do you mean?”
Without looking up at me, he laughed. “I’m off for two days when we get back to move into a hotel.”
My eyes went wide. “I thought you said you had time?”
After finding the nice jeans that stressed his bulge, he said, “We fought when I got home on Saturday. She said it was time. And honestly, I’m exhausted and want out myself.”
“Damn, man. I’m sorry. Didn’t realize it would be so sudden.”
“Neither did I,” he said with a smile that didn’t match his voice.
“I can help you move if you need it.”
He chuckled while slipping his shirt on. “No need, but thanks. I’m not taking much with me. Just clothes and personal effects. I appreciate the offer, though. For real.”
“Yeah, man. I got you.”
He smiled again. “Thanks.” He inhaled. “Ok, get dressed. I don’t want them waiting on us.”
“Sir, yes, sir!” I said without realizing. I went so red it hurt. Alec did, too, but laughed so hard he clutched his stomach.
???
If my entire job was working networking events, I’d have been a billionaire before twenty-five. It’s my true natural habitat. A little booze, but not too much, and everyone was willing to talk to people they didn’t know. No pressure to hit on anyone, which wasn’t a problem for me, but it helped. I could schmooze and cruise through a whole evening, gathering business cards like Pokémon. I was a master—I always got them all.
I was off my game that night. Or, no, not off my game, I was playing Alec’s. I stuck to him like fucking glue. I couldn’t help it. Not only did he not mind, but he encouraged it.
The event was networking in name only. I got the vibe everyone knew everyone else already. It was more about getting all the attendees sloshed and mixing. It happened every night of the conference, and was likely the most significant reason so many people attended. With good food, free booze, and the chance to hang out with friends you rarely see, I could see why.
Alec introduced me to all the people he thought I should meet. Big names too, from across the buyer and seller divide. Potential future clients and bosses. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciated it, but there wasn’t time to network outside of being Alec’s protégé.
