Page 55 of Like the Season
Boyd struggled against the urge to stand in his office doorway and wait for Caleb to walk past. Ed Thorton was a good man, a fair man, and hopefully he’d find his way around this without either of them losing their jobs over it.
He hoped.
His phone rang about fifteen minutes after he’d returned to his office—Ed Thorton.
“My office, please.” Ed hung up without awaiting a response.
Shit.
When Boyd stepped out of his office, he nearly ran into Caleb, who’d been walking head-down as he returned to his cube. Caleb froze, fear splashed across his face.
Feeling like every eye was on them, but knowing in reality no one could see them, Boyd whispered, “Good boy,” then stepped around Caleb without glancing around to see if anyone had been close enough to hear. Usually not, because that corridor ran along a wall, with his office at the end and the flat sides of cube walls lining it, their entries to the inside.
Hopefully this wouldn’t take long.
Ed was alone in his office when Boyd reached the doorway. He was on the phone, but motioned for Boyd to come in and shut the door. Boyd retook the seat he’d occupied earlier and waited until Ed ended his call.
“I’ll keep it short. Caleb swears there was no impropriety at work or on your part. He also swore if I try to file a report that the two of you will counter-file a complaint that you’re both being discriminated against for being gay.”
Boyd struggled and somehow won the battle to not burst out laughing.
That’s my boy.“Okay. Thank you.”
“Calvin’s on his way down here now. He was upstairs talking to one of the commissioners. Here’s how we’re spinning it—the transfer ismyidea, because they’re going to need extra help with the comp plan stuff coming up anyway, so I’m not waiting to make the personnel transfer. Caleb is the most junior staffer, lowest salary, easiest to transfer, has the zoning experience, and you’ve signed off on the transfer already. It’s happening today because I didn’t want to bother you while you were out of the office, or I would have done it last week. Got it?”
Boyd’s relief helped him rein in his amusement at Caleb’s quick thinking. “Got it.”
“You follow my lead, and maybe we all get out of this with nothing more than the good start on an ulcer.”
Boyd nodded, relaxing in his seat.
The knock on the door sounded seconds later. “Come in,” Ed called.
Twenty minutes later, the meeting ended with Calvin taking on Caleb and Ed already making the changes in the HR file to move him to Calvin’s department.
On Boyd’s way to his office, he turned and walked through the cube corridor, pausing at Caleb’s. Caleb sat at his desk, in front of his computer but with his hands in his lap and a distant stare in his eyes.
My poor boy.“Can I talk to you for just a second? My office, please.”
Boyd didn’t wait. He was already sitting behind his desk when Caleb appeared in his doorway.
“Door open, please,” Boyd said, when Caleb started to close it, trying to keep his tone normal.
Hopefully Caleb would take a hint that things were okay.
“Sir?”
In some ways, they could get away with that at work, if it wasn’t too obvious.
“Have a seat.” He didn’t want to close his blinds in the window open to the corridor, because that would also be unusual for him.
Pulling his boss mask into place, Boyd didn’t leave Caleb spinning after he took a seat. Boyd knew no one could hear them talking, but in case someone walked by, he wanted a full sell on the story. “Ed Thorton is transferring you to Zoning to ease their workload. Calvin Estes will be your new supervisor.”
He paused as Caleb slumped in his seat, obvious relief painted on his features. “I need you to head over to his office to talk with him,” Boyd continued. “He’s expecting you. He’ll tell you where your new desk will be and get you up to speed there. You can finish anything you’re working on for me that you’re deep into, but anything you’ve just been assigned, that needs to get passed off to other planners. We’ll need to talk to IT about moving your phone and your laptop docking station and stuff when you know where your new desk will be.”
Caleb nodded, a little too eagerly, his smile a little too wide. “Yes, Sir.”
Boyd winked, wishing his cock wasn’t hard as he imagined putting Caleb on his knees under his desk to blow him. “Before the end of the day, please send me a list of what you’re working on and what needs to get handed off.”
