Always Be a Wolf

by Mima

  Arriving on the third floor, the two stepped into the dimly lit hallway and Diego rushed ahead toward their office and then abruptly stopped. Chase was on his heels and immediately discovered what he was looking at; a beautifully engraved sign that said, ‘Diego and Jolene INC’ with gold lettering against a black background. Diego reached out, his fingers gently slid over their names, his lips drew into a satisfied smile as he shared a silent look with Chase before opening the door.

  Inside, a small staff barely glanced in their direction but it was impossible to miss the tension. Chase noticed office supplies scattered everywhere while a lone chair and parts of a table sat in the reception area. A young Filipino man and an Italian woman he vaguely remembered from the interviews were repositioning a desk while simultaneously attempting to work around an older man, who stood on a ladder, as he inspected a camera directed toward the main door. Three garbage cans were overflowing with clear plastic, empty coffee cups, and a donut box. The place was a mess.

  Diego appeared unfazed, barely giving them a glance, he headed down the hallway. The aroma of coffee met them as they slowly passed a room crowded with cubicles, making everything seem very cramped and uncomfortable while across from it was the boardroom, which in contrast, appeared roomy and professional. The two continued to Jolene’s office at the end of the hallway, just beside Diego’s and across from the staff area. She was mid-sentence with her new assistant Beverly when the two walked in the room.

  “Well, it is nice of the two of you to show up, finally, at almost lunchtime,” Jolene’s eyes darted from Diego to her former assistant. Feeling shameful, Chase averted his eyes and said nothing.

  “Calm down, Jolene, I had to take my car back,” Diego spoke casually and glanced around the small office, cluttered with opened boxes and piles of papers on her desk beside a cup of coffee and a half-eaten breakfast sandwich. “God it’s a mess in here.”

  “It is a mess in here because we are trying to organize all morning,” Jolene’s accent grew heavier as her anger increased, while her assistant awkwardly shuffled beside her. Jolene stood tall in her heels, a stylish dress fell just above her knees, she took a deep breath. “While you were off, taking a car back? Didn’t you just get that expensive car yesterday? What is wrong with you, Diego?”

  “It wasn’t for me,” He made a face and shrugged, continuing to inspect the room. “You know, too fast…”

  “Did he take you for a drive in the car?” Jolene abruptly cut him off, focusing her attention on Chase. “That crazy, I don’t know how you say, sport car?”

  Chase nodded and remained stoic.

  “He took me, almost killed me, he go so fast!” She pointed in Diego’s direction and not surprisingly, her brother’s face fell into a relaxed grin, his eyes glazed over in pleasure. “Diego, you cannot drive that way, you will die.”

  “Nonsense, I have the angels on my side.” Diego was flippant, shoving a hand in his pocket while the other one played with his tie.

  “Ay caramba!” Jolene shot back, her dark eyes blazing, she muttered, “More like the devil.”

  “I think we need a meeting,” Diego announced and glanced at Beverly, who appeared awkward as she bit her bottom lip, her large blue eyes seemed to amplify her discomfort. “You, clean up this mess and Jolene, we will go to the boardroom.”

  Chase opened his mouth to ask what they wanted him to do but Diego was already flying toward the door, Jolene snatched up her laptop and phone, her face in a scowl and rushed to catch up. Just as they reached the door, Diego abruptly spun around, almost running into her, something which he ignored, his large eyes focused on Chase. “You, come with us.”

  Glancing briefly toward Beverly, who looked as if she wanted to cry, Chase immediately decided that it was perhaps better to enter a room of hostility than stay in one full of tears. That’s the last thing he wanted to deal with.

  The yelling started immediately after the boardroom door closed. Jolene was furious that Diego wasn’t ‘stepping up’ to help, too busy with the details of his own life, leaving her to carry more than her share. “We are supposed to be partners, Diego, not me doing everything while you run out to get a manicure.”

  “Who says I got a manicure,” Diego appeared slightly irritated for the first time since Chase met him, he sat with his legs crossed, turned toward his sister, who was towering over him. “I was getting a car and today I returned it and here I am! Chase and I are here to help, so you stop yelling and tell us what you need.”

  Diego suddenly shifted gears, clearing his throat, he calmly fixed his tie before removing his jacket and in a relaxed voice said, “It’s warm in here, don’t you think, Chase?”

  Not replying, Chase glanced down at his own suit and sensing the fury coming from Jolene, decided it was best to keep quiet.

  “Diego,” Jolene took a deep breath and sat down beside him. Her eyes softened as her long, dark hair fell forward. “I’m overwhelmed, I need your help. You’re all over the place, I don’t know what I should do.”

  “Well, first your assistant should organize your office and be ready to drop everything when you need anything,” Diego forcefully insisted. “This isn’t the old days where you had Chase be everything from your errand boy to the doorman at the parties. You need to hire people to do all those things. Get what’s her name hiring, give her a list of what is expected right away. If she can’t cut it then replace her.”

  “You make it sound so easy as if I can find the ideal person with a snap of a finger,” Jolene countered. “It’s not that easy.”

  “Then make her be what you want,” Diego sat forward in his chair. “We have a business to run, Jolene. We still need to plan the parties, as well as get organized, so your assistant must balance her work. It is up to her to figure out how to get the job done.”

  “Which ones, you talk of so many things,” Jolene seemed to lose some of her original steam as she opened her laptop, “We have two party planners starting tomorrow.”

  “Make a list of what they need to do.”

  “And the others? You want boy parties? Ones for straight people? I don’t know anymore, Diego,” She referred to the various sex parties that had caused their company to grow rapidly in a short period. Originally geared toward women interested in experimenting with the same-sex in a safe, confidential environment, the underground events were extremely popular prompting Diego’s decision to expand their business. An important investor was backing them and wanted everything up and running immediately.

  “Eventually, yes,” Diego agreed. “First we are going to reestablish ourselves then raise the prices next month. These new party planners will work on their own schedule but will be responsible for all the details, keeping this business running. There’s no more of you planning everything, Jolene, you will oversee and oversee only. In the future, you will only watch the others, watch the numbers and look at ways to expand what is working and decrease what is not. Jolene,” He leaned forward and touched her hand, his voice softened. “I want to make your job easier, not more difficult. I’m not saying there won’t be stress but you won’t have to do everything anymore.”

  “But right now, it’s a lot,” She sighed as her eyes watered, her voice softened as did her whole disposition. “I don’t know where to start.”

  “I understand,” Diego clasped her hand. “Chase,” his voice grew stronger as he looked toward his assistant. “Can you go get what’s her name, Jolene’s assistant, we must talk to her,” his eyes returned to Jolene’s face, “Together, we will talk to her.”

  Chase rose from his seat while Diego spoke to his sister in Spanish. Leaving the room to return to Jolene’s office, he found Beverly looking out the window, her voice hushed, she spoke on a cell phone.

  “….to do, it’s crazy, maybe I can’t-

  “Excuse me,” Chase interrupted and she swung around, her eyes large and frightened, she quickly
ended the call.

  “I’m sorry, I..”

  “I don’t care,” Chase spoke honestly, his voice gentle. “Jolene and Diego want to talk to you.”

  She appeared apprehensive. “Are they going to fire me?”

  Chase studied her face and although he knew he should show kindness, he also knew that women sometimes misinterpreted that as an invitation to bond. He didn’t want to become her confidant. “Not if you do your job.” His words were direct and to the point. “They’re in the boardroom.”

  She didn’t reply but walked ahead of him and he noted how painfully thin she was; he had never found really skinny women attractive but viewed them as unshapely and weak. He could already see that her frailness reflected her personality.

  Returning to the boardroom, Diego shot him a look that was almost pleading. Jumping up from his chair, he almost ran into Beverly as he focused his attention on Chase. The new assistant sat down while Diego squeezed out the door and in a hushed voice began to speak, “Oh amigo, I have to sort out this shitshow before my sister loses her mind. Can you look around the office to make sure everyone is doing something? Just, you know, check in, try to look intimidating. Well,” his eyes glanced over Chase’s body. “Be yourself. You know what to do.”

  With that, he slipped back into the boardroom and closed the door. Chase turned around and glanced toward the reception area where the remaining three people worked together. Running on a skeleton staff, they only had the essentials hired; someone to take care of accounting and payroll, another person for marketing, and one more to handle reception and customer service; they were all jobs he had once assisted Jolene with, at least to a degree, but this was a whole other level.

  He couldn’t remember their names and therefore felt awkward approaching them, only vaguely recalling each from the interviews he sat in on, something Diego insisted that he do to make sure Jolene didn’t hire someone who was ‘terrible’; It was probably better he hadn’t been available to interrogate the interviewees.

  Deciding that the new staff didn’t need monitoring, he instead headed toward Diego’s office. Even at first glance, he could see that the room was substantially more organized than the rest, with only a MacBook and lamp on his desk, both still in boxes. As Chase entered the room, he saw that there were no overflowing garbage cans, no papers piled but then, he stopped in his tracks. There was a second desk; his desk.

  For the first time since moving to the new city, Chase felt overwhelmed. A sudden tightness grasped his chest and began to squeeze and he broke out in a cold sweat, as if his body were attempting to send an intense message. It took him a minute to calm down, his legs still heavy as he walked to the new desk and sat behind it. Closing his eyes for a moment, he struggled with the million thoughts that were taking over his mind.

  They would be together all day. Not only was Chase sharing an office with Diego, until he was able to find his own apartment, they were also sharing a living space. Granted, his boss lived in a beautiful, luxurious condo in the downtown area, so it wasn’t exactly a hardship. However, as much as his brain attempted to rationalize it, his body continued to send waves of anxiety through him as if to scream a message he wasn’t yet able to understand.

  Diego suddenly breezed into the room, whistling a top 40 song they had listened to on the way to work that morning, as if he hadn’t a care in the world. He shot Chase a humored glance as he passed by and headed for his own desk.

  “Sitting on the job already!” He teased and focused on the new laptop on his desk. “Ah! My new MacBook! It’s a beautiful day! Too bad Apple didn’t make cars, that would make my car decision much easier.”

  “I think they are,”

  “Ha?” Diego turned around, his eyebrows shot up and he appeared defenseless. “Oh yes, that’s right, but it won’t be on the market anytime soon.”

  His smile was sincere and he quickly looked away.

  “Everything out there,” Diego asked as he walked around his desk, “Is it okay?”

  “Yes, from what I can tell.”

  Diego nodded and opened the box and pulled out the Macbook, carefully inspecting it.

  Replacing the computer in the box, he looked at Chase, “This is for you. It’s your new computer.”

  “Thank you but, it’s not necessary. I already have one.”

  “That piece of shit,” Diego glanced at the laptop bag that sat in the corner. “Nah, we can’t have the best and give you a cheap toy from the bargain store. Take it to your desk and see what you think.”

  “So this is my desk?” Chase asked as he rose from the seat.

  “Yes.”

  “In your office?”

  Diego studied his face for a moment, his brown eyes appearing defensive as Chase approached. “You shared an office with Jolene, did you not?”

  “Yes, I mean, I thought you would want some privacy for meetings or whatever,” He replied hesitantly and took the MacBook that Diego passed him. “I don’t want to get in the way.”

  “Nonsense, you’ll be at the meetings,” Diego insisted.

  “Ok,” Chase spoke uncertainly and glanced down at the new computer in his hands, “Thanks for this, Diego.”

  With an impish grin, Diego didn’t reply but merely sat down.

  CHAPTER THREE

  The pace at the office increased as the days moved forward; interviews were held, meetings were had and Chase saw his job duties change day-to-day; sometimes hour to hour. It felt like he was on a never-ending, frantic merry-go-round that didn’t stop for a second, only slowed down from time to time. His work days were often long and followed by a trip to a gym on the way home. Although his body was often exhausted at that point in the evening, Chase welcomed a few minutes away from his new coworkers and for that matter, Diego.

  His comfortable living arrangements and busy schedule made it difficult to search for a new apartment. By the time his days ended, the last thing Chase wanted to do was more research, even though it was to his benefit. Then again, was it? He lived in a luxurious condo, comfortable and beautiful, with large windows in the living room that looked out over the city’s downtown and filled with new, plush furniture that was simple, yet refreshing after living in homes that mostly consisted of second-hand offerings. The kitchen was clean, compact, his bedroom small, yet inviting and both he and Diego had their own bathrooms, something that Chase appreciated.

  Although he thought living with Diego would be awkward, the first two weeks were so busy, that he actually spent very little time with his new boss. He noted that Jolene hadn’t extended an offer for him to stay with her, something that stung a bit when he considered it but at the same time, it made sense. She was a private person and although they were close, sometimes he felt as though he didn’t know her at all. Her private life was a mystery.

  Diego was similar. He didn’t discuss many areas of his life unless they involved a good story. He loved telling stories. Although they were sometimes saturated in exaggeration, there was something in his enthusiasm and energy that drew you in and always made you smile. Diego had a charisma that many could only dream of; a personality that made him easy to be around, even when he was mad. His passion toward life never ended nor did his appreciation of ‘the small things’. He would notice the sun setting at nighttime and comment on it or the details in a simple meal at a nearby, family restaurant. He was observant and always reached for the positive, even when he was tired, even when frustrated, even when he had a hint of sadness in his eyes.

  “It has been a successful week, has it not, my friend?” Diego asked Chase as they were preparing to leave the office on the first Friday night after opening. Most doors were locked; except for Jolene’s office, where she continued to work. “We made great strides, we sorted out our plan for the business and the website, you know, except for minor details and we already have a few new parties booked. We will be, as they say, a hit.�
��

  His enthusiasm was contagious, Diego’s devilish smile settled into more of a pucker as he glanced toward his sister’s office. “Jolene, are you coming with us? We need to go out and celebrate!”

  “Celebrate, Diego, I still have work to do and I-

  “Leave it!” He insisted and strode toward her office while loosening his tie. “Jolene, it’s after 6, you’ve been here since before 6 this morning, time to go!”

  “I just-

  “No no no! Do it later. Take it home. I don’t care, you need a break,” His voice was calm for a man that rarely relaxed. Everything fell silent. “You’ve done well this week, come out for dinner with us. It’ll be fun.”

  She reluctantly agreed.

  After making sure doors were closed and locked, that lights were turned off and the alarm turned on, the three headed to a downtown bistro that Diego insisted was one of the best in Toronto. Unfortunately, he hadn’t anticipated that the restaurant would be full on a Friday night, requiring a reservation, so they settled on a pizza place that was nearby. Although Diego turned his nose up at the idea, he gave into Jolene’s insistence that the intoxication aroma that escaped the establishment as they passed was enough to encourage her rumbling stomach.

  The three sat next to a window at the back, fortunately away from the family with the three small children who were loud, obnoxious, not to mention messy. Jolene had to step around a slap of pepperoni on the floor as they passed, her heels barely missing a string of dried up cheese. Fortunately, the family left shortly after their arrival.

  “My God, people and their children,” Jolene’s forehead wrinkled as she talked, the three of them watched a hapless waitress cleaning up a mess around the table, her expression displaying the frustration that Chase greatly understood. Having three young children of his own, especially after a period where he stayed home with them, he was sympathetic to her situation. “Do they not understand that not all of us finds them as….I don’t know, how you say, enjoyable?”