Warm and Fuzzy by Ann Somerville

Author:Ann Somerville
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: M/M Fantasy, Source: Smashwords, _ Nightstand
Publisher: Ann Somerville
Published: 2011-01-11T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

“Well, Daniel, are you now completely recovered from your overindulgence?” Tony took his glasses off. “Please sit down.”

Daniel obeyed, glad to be able to hide his shaking knees. “Yes, I’m fine,” he muttered, not able to meet Tony’s eyes.

“Good. It was quite disappointing to have to tell people that the seminar was cancelled. It left quite a gap in their knowledge.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Yes, I believe that. Such a shame to spoil such a satisfactory work performance up to then by getting carried away with alcohol.”

“It wasn’t—” Daniel stopped. Admitting it was drugs—however administered—sounded much worse. “Um, it was probably something I ate.”

“Ah. Well, I suppose that’s something we could all fall prey to. However, we still need to fill that information gap, and quickly. So I expect you and Spencer to turn your presentation into a detailed handout by the end of this week, and you and I will attend the meeting of Northern’s managers at the end of this month to give them the final rundown. It’ll be an overnight trip on the twenty-eighth, with the meeting in the morning next day. Make your arrangements as you need to.”

“Yes,” Daniel mumbled.

“A lot rides on this, Daniel. National roll out is expected to be underway by the end of the year, beginning with Northern. I depend on your support, and if you don’t feel you’re up to it, then I’ll have to find someone who can give it to me.”

Daniel swallowed. “No, I can do it. I just ate something that made me sick.”

“Very well. There’s a backlog of messages to attend to, and I want the Underwood file. That needs to be followed up.”

“Yes, Tony.”

Back at his desk, Daniel stared at the list of emails but didn’t really register them. He hadn’t expect this hostility from Tony, though maybe it wasn’t surprising since he must have lost a bit of face when Spen had cancelled with so little warning. Daniel had tried so hard to be the model employee, to give more than expected at every turn, but now his job was threatened by something that wasn’t his fault and he had no control over. A wave of anger rushed through him, and for a few mad seconds, he contemplated throwing his laptop to the floor or through Tony’s window.

The rage left him just as quickly as it came on, and was replaced by a depression so profound, his eyes filled with tears that no amount of wiping could remove. He went to the men’s loo to wash his face. Was Spen right, he asked himself as he stared at his mottled complexion in the mirror? Should he give this up now, instead of persisting for however long it took to find another job?

But if he left now, Tony would have every excuse to write an unflattering reference. Leaving before his probation was completed couldn’t ever look good, even without a bad or carefully neutral recommendation. Daniel didn’t know if he could face months of job hunting again, especially now he realised how little he’d enjoy the jobs he’d be applying for.

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