Page 28 of Excitable Boy
“That idiot tried to blame me.” Tony didn’t even want to say the guy’s name.
“That’s because he didn’t know you, and he was a freaking idiot. Tony, seriously, you saved our asses. Don’t think I don’t know that. I’ve been making sureeveryoneknows that.”
He nodded. “Thanks. Let me get back to work.”
“Oh, and there’s one other thing.”
Tony silently grumbled. “What?”
“They want us to cut two people from your team.”
Tony blinked and turned to him. “Say again?”
“I mean, don’t you have two part-timers or something?”
“We areunderstaffed, Darren. Youknowthat. We have listings out tohiremore people. I need at least three more people to have a complete crew, and that’s running bare minimum to avoid overtime every week! Which I get bitched at if I run, but news flash—no data center, no insurance company, no call center, no online services, no new underwriting or policies, no billing—nothing!”
Darren sighed. “I know. If you talk to them tonight, you can probably explain that a lot better than I can.”
“If they want to cut someone, cut a VP or two. That’ll probably pay for two or three sys admins with enough to spare to hire some Windows people or DB admins, because they’re severely understaffed, too!”
“That’s the other reason I need you there tonight. To tell them all that. Please?”
Tony closed his eyes and imagined Darren on his knees, in a gimp suit, gagged, and getting the crap beat out of him by Tilly.
Wasn’t the first time he’d had that fantasy to prevent him from committing career suicide, either.
He finally opened his eyes and sent another death-glare to Darren. “You need me to be the bad guy, is what you’re saying?”
Darren nodded. “Theylistento you. Every time you’ve gone up against them, they end up backing you and loving everything you say. I try it, they pretty much ignore me.”
That’s because you’re a weaselly little shitstain.
But he didn’tsaythat.
“And you always manage to make me look really good,” Darren added. “I admit it—I need you. I’m hosed if I lose you. Please?”
Tony felt his Dom mask slip into place. “Fine. Tell HR to add five extra PTO days onto my account for this year. And that it’s my new minimum per annum PTO scale.Rightnow.”
“What?”
Tony sat back. “I know they can do it, and I know you’re friends with the head of HR. Tell her it’s to make up for Denver, and because it’s still four months until my annual review when you can give me a raise. When you message me it’s done, then you’ll know for sure I’ll be at that meeting and will make you look good.”
Darren looked like he was going to want to negotiate this, but Tony leveled a cold, steady gaze at him.
Darren folded like wet toilet paper. “Okay, okay. Give me a little bit. I don’t even know if she’s in today.”
Tony glanced at their internal messaging system. “Show’s she’s online right now. You’re on the clock. Go.”
Darren headed out.
Tony shook his head and pulled out his personal phone to text Shay and update her.
She wouldn’t be happy, but at least it wasn’t as big of a clusterfuck as it could be.
But not that he’d say anything here at work…it did give him an idea.
If he could make his boss look good, a man who Tony damn well knew was making at least twenty grand more than Tony was…
