Echo (6 page)

"Hey, seriously, you're not in any trouble," Anderson's voice brought him back. He looked into Anderson's eyes and they were clear and honest. It made him feel safe.

"Plus, you get a new office," Anderson grinned. "Do you want to see it?"

"
Do you want to see it?
A new office? What's wrong with my old one?" Cole asked.

Anderson made a face, standing up and walking toward the door. "That wasn't an office. That was a tiny closet. Come on, let me show you your new space."

He was so enthusiastic, that even with all his doubts about what was going on, Cole still followed him. He didn't even say anything when Anderson rested a hand between his shoulder blades to help move him along. Probably because it felt surprisingly warm.

The office he was led to was the one right across from Anderson's. It had belonged to Ramona Leech and still smelled vaguely of her orchid perfume. It was about four times larger than his old office and a hundred times nicer. The desk was twice the size as he was used to and the carpet wasn't threadbare and badly in need of replacing. It was basically the office he'd always dreamed of.

"What am I supposed to do with all this space?" He couldn't help craning his neck around as he tried to see everything.

"I don't know," Anderson shrugged. "You could store your pewter D&D figurines in here."

Cole gave him a flat look. "
You could store your pewter D&D figurines in here
. Sorry, but that's you.
I
play video games and collect comic books.
You
make and paint figurines."

"Hey now, that was a secret told in confidence," Anderson said, mock-annoyed. His eyes laughed though. "So, do you like the office?"

"
So, do you like the office?
Yeah, I really kind of do," Cole said honestly. "I just don't think I deserve it."

Anderson snorted. "Are you kidding me? You were doing the work of fifteen people. And the only reason they got caught is that they stopped reading the reports you drew up. You deserve a lot more than just a new office and a pay hike."

Cole felt himself blushing under the praise, then Anderson's words sunk in. "
You deserve a lot more than just a new office and a pay hike
. What do you mean 'pay hike?'"

Anderson shrugged like it was nothing. "You're getting a raise. You do good work and Bester International rewards that. Honestly, you should have gotten a raise months ago, except Etty probably thought you would be reassigned to a new department. He was probably right."

Cole's head was spinning. "
He was probably right
. So I get a new office
and
more money?" He shook his head. "This doesn't even feel real. Are we sure I'm not dreaming?"

Anderson's smile was indulgent. "You're not dreaming and this is everything you deserve. You've worked hard for the company, and the company rewards that."

Cole gazed around his new office. He had a window, an actual
window
. He could see the outside world or maybe crack it open to get some air.

It was overwhelming.

"You're not about to faint or anything, are you?" Anderson asked. "You haven't let the giddiness get out of control?"

Cole shook his head, then finally couldn't resist and went to sit in the desk chair. It was one of those ones that conformed to the shape of his body, and he couldn't help sighing when he sank into it.

Pure heaven.

* * *

Cole seemed to get cuter every time Anderson looked at him. He couldn't help feeling unbelievably lucky that he'd met the man at all. Especially when he noticed that Cole had a dimple in his left cheek when he smiled widely. He wanted to lick it.

He could have stood there all day watching Cole practically make love to the desk chair, except his phone decided to go off. "Devil Went Down to Georgia."

"Excuse me, I have to take this." Cole barely acknowledged him with a nod. He'd discovered the controls on the side of the chair and was trying out the massage function, his eyes falling half-closed with ecstasy. It was an expression Anderson wouldn't mind getting more intimate with.

Anderson shook his head, but hurried across the hall to his own office before answering. "Hey Dad," he said, closing the door.

"
Finally. What took you so long?
" George demanded, then didn't even wait, "
Jessica came through with the paperwork. You now have a house. Do you have any interior design preferences?
"

"Care Bears and porn," Anderson said promptly.

George snorted. "
I'll take that as a no. Well, Laura's been dying for a new project. I'll let her handle things. She'll make everything perfect.
"

Anderson rolled his eyes, glad his father couldn't see him. "Whatever," he said. "By the way, I've pretty much got the situation here handled. I've got a whole new set of employees working the department and I put the Weinberg account on the priority list. Things should be straightened out by tomorrow."

"
Good. The last thing we need is a total cock-up
," George's voice was filled with satisfaction.

It made Anderson feel good to know that his father had confidence in him. He'd had to work his way up the ranks, though there had probably been more than his fair share of nepotism to help him on his way. Still, hearing that his father thought he would do a good job made him feel like it was all worth it.

"I'm handling it," he said.

"
I have no doubt
," George said. "
Now what's this I hear about you giving a young man a fancy new office?
"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Anderson felt himself flushing to the roots of his hair. He had to be glad that George wasn't right there because with one look the man would be able to read him like a really thin book.

"
Hm
," George said with a wealth of meaning. "
Well, as long as you have the situation under control.
"

"I'm handling it," Anderson said. "Do you have any ideas on who you're going to have replace me when I'm done here?"

George growled. "
That's something that's still being considered. The way things are going right now, you could very well end up staying there for the next couple of months
."

Yes!
"Oh," Anderson said, mock-disappointedly. "Well, I'll keep a handle on things."

"
I know you will
," George said. "
I've gotta go now. Laura has this stupid thing she wants me to go to
." There was a feminine yell in the background. "
This supremely wonderful and life changing thing she wants me to go to
."

"Well, you go do that," Anderson said. "I'll keep you up to date on events as they take place. Bye Dad."

"
Bye
," George said, hanging up.

Staring down at his phone, Anderson gave a heavy sigh. Sometimes his father's abrupt nature could be a bit aggravating. And now he had to worry that George was going to ferret out all kinds of information about Cole.

And I don't even know if anything's really going on between us
, he thought. They'd shared one meal. That was all.

Tucking his phone in his pocket, he left his office to check on Cole. He just wanted to be sure the man liked his new office. Or that was the excuse he gave himself about why he wanted to hover around him.

CHAPTER SIX

As soon as he got home and had changed out of his work clothes, he was on the phone with Jeremy.

His cousin was on location somewhere and the reception was terrible, but he managed to get out the news that everyone else in his department had been fired, but that he'd been kept on and had even been given a bigger office.

"
That's kind of great, man. I always felt that they were taking advantage at Bester, but if they're finally acknowledging just how much you do
..." Jeremy sounded ecstatic. "
I'm so happy for you
."

"
I'm so happy for you
. And how are you doing?" Cole asked, laying down on the couch. He hadn't bothered to kick off his sneakers, a sin which his mother probably would have murdered him for. "I try to keep up on IMDB and all kinds of online magazines, but it's pretty hard."

Jeremy laughed. "
I'm doing great. The director seems to really like me and I haven't screwed anything up yet
."

"
I haven't screwed anything up yet
. You're going to be so frickin' famous that we're not going to be able to hang out anymore." Cole had tried not to sound sad about it, but he couldn't quite hide his worry. Jeremy was pretty much his only real life friend.

"
Hey, don't worry about it
," Jeremy said. "
There's no way I would ever abandon you. You're my favorite, most neediest person in the world. You're kind of stuck with me.
"

"
You're kind of stuck with me
," Cole echoed, feeling like it was true. "I miss you, but I'm glad things are going so good for you. Are you keeping a video log like I asked?"