Ace narrowed his eyes further.“Keaton Dunbar,” he said thoughtfully.He glanced over my resume again.“Are you gay?”
My eyes popped open so wide that I felt like they were going to fall out, like this was a cartoon.“I… don’t think you can ask me that.”
Ace looked slightly guilty, but not enough to stop.“Right, uh.This isn’t for demographics or anything.I just wondered.I’m gay, myself, and I thought I might be sensing a vibe.”
I blinked.Well.This was either a trap that I was about to walk into, or it was going to be something I could bond with my interviewer over and potentially have a better chance of getting the job.Either way, at least I could say I was true to myself.
“Yes,” I said, raising my chin a little higher.“I am.”
Ace broke out into a grin.“Alright, well, I can tell you you’re not going to face any discrimination or nasty comments here.I know it can be a bit daunting coming into a sports company, but I’ve been working here for years and I’ve got everyone pretty much straightened out.Oh, no pun intended.”
I laughed.“Got it.”Was I being overly eager, or did it sound as if he was talking like he was going to offer me the job?“How did you figure it out?”
“No one else has come in here talking about Olly’s clothing or his private life,” Ace chuckled.“Not to be stereotypical about it, but it did seem to be a bit of a sign.And if I was going to analyze it a bit more closely, maybe people like us are more aware of what we give away and don’t give away, especially in the public eye.”
I nodded soberly.“That’s true.Are you…?”
“Out and proud,” Ace confirmed.“I also rep three of the biggest gay football stars on the field.Well, the only three, for now.But we’re looking to change that.”
“That sounds like a goal I could get behind,” I smiled.
“Why do you want to work here, Keaton?”Ace asked, resuming serious interviewer mode – though he looked even more relaxed than before.He leaned back on his chair, letting it tip onto two legs.
“Well, two reasons,” I lied.“One, I like this kind of work and I think I’m good at it.And two… well, to be honest with you, I need to make better money than I’m making right now.There’s not a lot of career progression in secretarial work, so I want to work for the best of the best.”And three, the real reason: because your boss is one of the most famous sports agents of all time, and I know from experience that he’s also a major asshole.And if I can capture that on a hidden camera, I’m hoping I can leak it to the press and it will be the film that finally launches the career I really want.
Because if it pays well enough, I can actually afford to produce a real documentary, too.
Ace nodded decisively and brought his chair back down to earth.“Well, Keaton Dunbar, I’d like to offer you the role of Mr.Harvey’s secretary.What do you say?”
I gaped at him for a moment.“Um,” I say.“Just like that?Don’t you have anyone else to interview?”I was the last person left in the waiting room, but when I arrived earlier there were at least three other young men in suits who had to be waiting for the same opportunity.
“We did,” Ace said casually.“Mr.Harvey sat in on the first batch of interviews with me and he dismissed every single one of them on the spot.To put it bluntly, Keaton, you’re our last hope.It’s either you or we go out and start the recruiting process over again from the start, and believe me, I am already on my last nerve as far as that’s concerned.So?Do you want the job?”
I looked down at the table between us.So, the boss was very particular, and he was undoubtedly prickly to work with.But this was only a temporary measure.And if he did turn out to be prickly with me – or even better, aggressive in some way – then it would make for good documentary footage.That was what I was here for.There was no sense in getting scared and backing out now.
“Okay,” I said, looking up.“Yes, I’d like the job.When do you need me to start?”
Ace gave me a disarming grin.I felt like we were going to be good friends already – so long as he wasn’t about to feed me to a lion.“How about right now?”
Olly
“Helen?”I yelled without looking up from my papers.
There was a long pause.I finished the page I was reading and flipped it over.
Still no response.
“Helen!”I yelled again.Louder this time.Where was the damn woman…?“Hel -”
“Sir,” someone said from the door.Definitely not Helen.I looked up.
“Where’s Helen?”I asked with a frown.
Fernando winced.“You fired her two days ago.”
I looked at my desk for a moment.“She left on the spot?”
“Yes, and no one new has been hired yet,” Fernando said.“I think Ace was in one of the meeting rooms, finishing off the interviews.”
