1
Once again thephotocopier was on the blink, the small screen flashing a letter-number combination, although Jason had no idea what the error actually meant. Judging by the crumpled piece of paper he’d had to wrench from between the rollers, he figured it was safe to say the error code indicated a paper jam.Fuck!First the laser printer and now this!Swearing under his breath, he wadded the ruined paper and jammed it into the recycling bin. Why was it that no one ever seemed to clear out the damn copier? It was always out of order whenever he needed it. Technology seemed to be against him every time he needed to produce hard copies of his monthly report, and only added to his stress levels. The inability to print his reports without jumping through hoops was just another thing he shouldn’t have to deal with. The end of the month was always busy with all the crap that was required to close out the reporting period—submitting next month’s forecast, gathering the data on the current month’s sales performance, and planning how to close the gap. In the current economy, things weren’t going according to the annual operating plan, and everyone was working their arse off to try to turn things around. As a result, the atmosphere in the office was tense, with everyone focused on their own performance—or lack thereof.
Jason had only been with the company for year and hadn’t known things to be any different. Each day was much like the last—meetings, phone calls, preparing documents and reports—basically chasing his tail from morning till night trying to please those higher up. He’d always wanted to work in marketing, though, so he wasn’t going to give up the opportunity, particularly given it probably wasn’t much better at any other organisation—frying pan, fire, and all that.
But as he fought with the photocopier, opening and closing all the flaps in his attempt to get the thing to reset, he second-guessed himself and his decisions thus far. Sure, he loved the field he worked in and, despite the day-to-day challenges, got an immense sense of satisfaction from his job. He enjoyed planning new campaigns and all the work he was doing trying to reach new markets, but there had to be more to life than pure work. For the few years since he’d left uni and entered the full-time workforce, he’d made his career his primary focus, making sure he gained strong experience to guarantee successful career progression. He may not be at the top of his field—yet—but he wasn’t doing too badly in middle management and had a nice salary to prove it. The salary paid for rent on a decent apartment, and his savings were proof of his longer-term plans. After growing up in an unstable home after his parents’ divorce, with a father who was a workaholic and a mother too focused on trying to find another husband, Jason was determined to buy a home. His dreams weren’t big—just a nice apartment or even a small house he could call his own. Somewhere he could start to lay down roots and build a place in the community. Moving around from rental to rental had left him with a yearning to stay in one place for a while.
With a final whack of the last compartment door, Jason stood and said a little prayer. “For the love of God, please work, you piece of shit.”
“You know what they say. Talking to yourself is the first sign of madness.” He jumped as Roger chuckled behind him in the small facilities room. “You really shouldn’t be so hard on the poor photocopier. It cops enough abuse as it is, and I don’t think banging on it is gonna help.”
“Well, it certainly can’t hurt.” Jason realigned his document on the glass surface before closing the lid again. “Wish me luck.”
He crossed the fingers of one hand as he hit the copy button with the other. With a grind and a whir, the machine started pushing out copies. He needed thirty.So far, so good.
“How are you going with your report?” Jason leaned against the counter as the copier did its thing.
He and Roger had been friends since the first day Jason joined the company. Roger had shown him the ins and outs—essential stuff like where to buy the best coffee and how to get the admin staff to do him favours. More importantly, he’d given him the rundown on who was who in the office—who on the management team he had to please, which executives to be on the lookout for, and countless other details to ensure good working relationships with his colleagues. Roger’s assistance had helped him settle in, and Jason was sure this insider knowledge had assisted him to get to where he was today. Sure, he had skill, but sometimes it was a case of “who you know, not what you know.” But Roger was more than just a useful colleague providing education and introductions—he had become a true friend outside of the office as well.
“All done.” Roger grinned, his tone upbeat. “Thankfully I had the data early so everything was finalised yesterday. The presentation is good to go, so I’d say it’s a great day.” He was the cheeriest person Jason had ever met, which was also another bonus when so much glumness surrounded him in the office.
“Lucky you,” Jason said with a laugh. “I’m not jealous. No, not me. Not envious in the slightest.”
Roger chuckled and clapped him on the shoulder. “You’ve got this. And if luck holds out and this old machine keeps chugging along, you’ll have perfectly collated copies in no time.”
For the next minute or so, they stood side by side, watching the counter on the little screen move upward while page after page ejected from within the depths of the copier. Jason’s stress levels dropped a notch and he sighed with relief. He finally took his eyes off the copier and looked beyond the facilities room, out onto the office floor. He couldn’t help himself—his gaze was drawn, as usual, to the cubicle three down from his own.
Sean was hard at work, typing furiously and looking down at the desk to his right every now and then. He was obviously reading from a document on the work surface and using this information to complete whatever was on his screen—his own monthly report, if Jason was to hazard a guess. His chest flooded with warmth at the sight of Sean’s bent dark head. He was the first to admit he had a thing for Sean—a pretty big thing, if truth were told. Something that made him lightheaded and filled him with longing, making him want to close the distance between them, to be beside Sean, breathing the same air. There was something about Sean that spoke to Jason, drew his attention. Sean was good-looking, but it was more than that. There was a shy intensity about him. He was quiet and almost introverted, but he was also determined, and something about that combination of quiet fierceness really called to Jason. He wanted to protect him, even though Sean didn’t really need any protection. He might have been shy, but Sean could stand up for himself when needed, as he’d proved on more than a few occasions. There was nothing restrained about Sean when he stood at the front of the boardroom quoting facts and figures and justifying the actions of his team. He wanted to make Sean happy, to bring a smile to his often-pensive features. He longed to get to know him, to find out what made him tick.
Jason never missed an opportunity to gaze at Sean. He might have been sitting on a standard office chair in a bland office, but he was a sight to behold. He moved with a graceful fluidity that suited his lean frame. He swung a little in his chair as he concentrated on the report and tilted his head to the side in contemplation. The change in position enabled Jason to admire his slightly angular profile with its straight nose and strong jaw. His hair was unruly, just touching his collar, which caused it to curl up slightly on the ends. Jason often wondered whether Sean was bucking convention or just didn’t have time to get it cut regularly. Whatever the reason, Jason fantasised about running his fingers through those tempting locks. The unflattering overhead light did nothing for his colouring, but Jason knew Sean’s brown hair was full of fair highlights and complemented his naturally golden complexion. Yes, Jason had no problem admitting that Sean captivated and intrigued him.
“Earth calling Jace. Earth calling Jace. You copy?”
He became aware of Roger’s voice just as Roger poked him in the ribs with the edge of the report folder he was holding.
Jason flinched then rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. I copy.”
“You’ve either got to stop dreaming about him or do something about it and cut out the drooling.”
“Doing something about it wouldn’t stop the drooling,” Jason muttered.
Roger barked out a laugh. “Seriously, mate, you’ve got it bad. Just ask him out already.”
Roger had been hassling Jason to ask Sean out for a drink for six months now—six very long months. Damn, he deserved a medal for not crumbling, given Roger’s persistence. At first he’d been reluctant to get involved with anyone at work, thinking it wouldn’t be appropriate and might reflect negatively on how he was perceived by his superiors and colleagues—apart from Roger, of course. Company policy didn’t necessarily prohibit co-workers from dating, but he wasn’t sure what the unspoken rules of the organisation were. Then, as he’d gotten to know Sean a little better, he’d sensed that the guy just wanted to be left alone. Sean appeared reserved, not really participating when they all got together for after-work drinks. More often than not, Sean declined the offer to join the group at the local bar they tended to favour, preferring to either stay late in the office to work by himself or to head out elsewhere. Jason didn’t really know what Sean got up to, as Sean wasn’t all that forthcoming about his private life.
“You know the merger party is next month. Maybe you should use that as the opportunity to ask him out. I mean who can resist Valentine’s?” Roger winked suggestively.
Jason couldn’t help but chuckle at his exaggerated expression.
Bloody Valentine’s Day.He thought it was ridiculous the company was commemorating Valentine’s Day. Why not have a standard corporate celebration for all staff to celebrate the recent merger? The event was scheduled for February—albeit the last week of February and not the fourteenth—and because the party was all about celebrating the successful union of the two companies, some bright spark had suggested they make Valentine’s the theme: pink, red, balloons, hearts, and flowers. Jason had heard they’d gone as far as arranging a chocolate fountain, one of those champagne pyramids, and an ice sculpture of kissing swans. Over-the-top romance and not Jason’s idea of a good time, but so long as they didn’t expect him to dress up as Cupid, he’d be fine.
Not that he’d mind having someone to celebrate Valentine’s Day with—it had been way too long between boyfriends. With that unexpected thought, he glanced back at Sean before meeting Roger’s eyes.Valentine’s? Maybe it’s a sign?“You know, Rog, perhaps you’re not as dumb as you look.”
Roger gave him a friendly punch. “That’s my boy.”
Jason grinned as he collected his copies from the tray and headed back to his cubicle, leaving a laughing Roger to use the copier.
Back at his desk, with half an hour to go before he had to be in the boardroom, Jason attempted to force away thoughts of his love life. He reviewed his report copies, making sure the prints were all good quality. The last thing he wanted to do was mess up in front of the director of marketing by having a missing or out of order page. But he couldn’t keep his mind from drifting back to Valentine’s, especially now that Roger had planted the seed.Valentine’s Day. Perhaps the time is right to open up to the possibility of romance.
