BOSS

by Ashley John

  Even as he thought that, he knew he had another motive for wanting Joshua close by and it was being driven by his survival instinct.

  “You’ve got this, bro,” Levi massaged Joshua’s shoulders as they stood outside Silverton Tower, “Just a couple of weeks here and you’ll catch him out.”

  Joshua shrugged off Levi and puffed on the last of the cigarette. He tossed it into the road, narrowly missing a man on a bike.

  “Sorry!” Joshua waved after him but he was greeted with the middle finger, “Levi, I’m so nervous.”

  “Nervous? You own this place,” Levi slapped the huge logo attached to the glass wall, “Well, not yet, but you will. This dude, Ezrat, or whatever he’s called, you’ll catch him out. He can’t keep up that act forever. With a face like that he could charm anybody, so it’s probably a good thing you don’t have a pussy.”

  Levi laughed and heartily slapped Joshua on the back. He tried to laugh back but he felt like he could throw up at any moment. He’d spent the entire morning pacing Violet’s living room trying to talk himself out of going. Violet and Levi had both tried their best to convince him for different reasons but Violet hadn’t been able to walk him to the tower, so he’d been left with Levi’s version of things.

  Levi was convinced Joshua was going to walk in and demand things back but Joshua didn’t really know why he was there. As he uncomfortably tugged at the suit he’d borrowed from Violet’s fiancé’s closet, he wished he had a clear plan of what he was doing. The truth was, he was going to go in and see how things went. He was going to keep his guard up but he wasn’t sure if he had one anymore. Ezra had the ability to strip that away. He also has the ability to strip your clothes away.

  It felt like the start of a new chapter in his life but he only knew how the first paragraph turned out. He had Levi, Violet, Ezra and his father all pulling him in different directions and he wasn’t sure who was shouting the loudest to get his attention.

  “Get to work,” Levi winked, “I’m going to spend the day with your cousin.”

  He chuckled in the way a child would when they got to play with their favourite toy. Violet was sampling food for the wedding menu and she’d somehow accepted Levi’s offer of help. The engagement ring on her finger meant nothing to Levi but he knew Violet’s wrist was strong enough to bat his unwanted advances away.

  After a quick hug of support, Joshua tucked his unusually tame hair behind his ears and stepped into the revolving door entrance. The second he stepped from the carpet to the over-polished tiles, the nerves jumped from his stomach to his throat.

  How am I here? Why am I doing this?

  “Joshua?” Constance caught his eye across the entrance, “Is that you? Are you wearing a suit? Oh no, who died?”

  She propped her mob against a potted plant and ran towards him. After a quick kiss on his cheek, she held him at arm’s length, admiring him from top to bottom.

  “Nobody has died, this time. I think I’m working here now.”

  Those words felt like they were coming from somebody else’s lips. This is fucked up.

  “You’re working here?” she pointed at the floor, “You’re staying in London?”

  “Just for a couple of weeks,” he tugged at his collar, “I’m going to see what’s going on around here.”

  He’d been cursing Ezra for asking him the question when he had. He could have declined or gone back on his word later but it didn’t feel right. He was starting to wonder if Ezra really was the bad guy he’d imagined or if he’d just got him wrong.

  “You look so good in a suit,” she brushed across his shoulder, “your dad -,”

  They locked eyes and she stopped herself as her pupils enlarged.

  “What?”

  “He’d be proud of you,” she shrugged meekly, “it’s not my place to say that but -,”

  Joshua held his hand up to let Constance know she hadn’t over stepped the line. It made him feel warm to hear her say that because if anybody knew his father, it was Constance. She may have been ‘staff’ when he was growing up but she’d stepped into his mother’s shoes in so many ways that she became part of their fractured and dysfunctional family.

  “I should get going,” he nodded to the lifts, “I’m already three hours late.”

  With a promise to catch up soon, she scuttled back to her work. Tugging at the buttons on his jacket, Joshua headed towards the reception desk.

  “Can I help you?” it was the same receptionist who’d denied him help last time he was there.

  “Joshua Silverton,” he smirked, “I’m new here.”

  He revelled in the look of realisation as she recognised him. Cheeks burning, she dropped her face into her hair and typed quickly on the keyboard.

  “Mr. Silverton,” she coughed, “Welcome to Silverton Industries. Here’s your key-card. It’s Level 1, so that will grant you access to the whole building.”

  “Level 1?” he turned the plastic card over in his hands noticing a picture from his teen years in the ID profile. Where the hell did they get that picture?

  “Here’s the key for the lift,” she handed him another plastic card, “that will get you up to the top floors.”

  As he walked towards the lifts, the access card felt heavy in his hands. He’d accepted a key to the top floor and it felt like he was finally accepting the offer his father had given him all those years ago. As a last ditch attempt to stop him leaving, he’d offered Joshua a position in the company even though he’d dropped out of university. Of course, Joshua had thrown it back in his face but he suddenly wasn’t too sure why.

  With a shaking finger, he called for the lift and as it descended towards the ground his nerves doubled and then tripled. When the doors finally opened, a flustered middle-aged man barged right into Joshua with such a force that Joshua went stumbling backwards. As his backside collided with the tiles, the wind knocked straight out of his lungs and it took him a second to regain his breath.

  “You stupid boy! You should watch where you’re going,” the red faced man barked down at him.

  It was his first day in the company but Joshua wasn’t about to let some big shot talk down to him like that, especially seeing as it was his father who’d put a roof over all of their heads.

  “You banged into me,” Joshua jumped up to his feet, dusting off his trousers, “maybe you should watch where you’re going.”

  The shock at being spoken back to was clear in the man’s eyes. His already red face was starting to deepen and it looked as if smoke would billow out of his ears at any moment.

  “You little shit,” the man barked, “what’s your name? I’ll have your job for this.”

  Joshua wanted to laugh in the man’s face. Not only was his name above the door but he was also connected to the man on the top floor, whether he liked it or not.

  “Piss off,” Joshua brushed past the man and into the lift, “I’m late.”

  He slid the keycard into the slot for the Top Floor and jabbed the button quickly, wanting to get out of the man’s way before he said or did something he’d regret.

  “How dare -,” his voice trailed off and his features softened, “I know you.”

  “What?” Joshua laughed.

  Why won’t these damn doors close? Before he had the chance to press the button again, the man joined him in the lift.

  “I know you,” he repeated again, “you’re older, but it’s you, isn’t it? Joshua? Joshua Silverton.”

  He stared at the man but he didn’t recognise him.

  “Yeah,” Joshua shrugged him, “so?”

  He knew it’d be a possibility that people would recognise him. If they had worked there seven years ago, they would have seen Joshua being kicked out of the tower on a regular basis. After trimming his beard back against his face that morning, he was even more recognisable as the kid on the ID card.

  The lift doors closed and they slowly started to travel upwards, trapped in the lift together.

  “It’s Graham,” he
pointed to himself, “you used to be friends with my son, Carol.”

  Staring at Graham he suddenly remembered who he was. Not just because his son had a ridiculous name but also because they had never actually been friends. Back when his family was still intact, they used to throw barbeques and his mum had always tried to force Carol on him and his friends because nobody wanted to talk to him.

  “Oh, Graham,” Joshua smiled awkwardly, “how’s it going? How’s Carol?”

  “Prison,” he shrugged, “but we’re trying to get him out.”

  Joshua didn’t even need to ask what he’d done because it sounded about right.

  “What are you doing here?” Graham shook his head, “I don’t understand.”

  Joshua explained that he’d just arrived back in London to find out his father was dead and he’d left the company to Ezra. Graham offered his deepest sympathies but they felt like empty words to Joshua, who was still a year behind everybody else when it came to grieving.

  “You could say I’m here on a trial,” Joshua shrugged, “to see how it goes.”

  “Trial?” Graham slapped his hand firmly on Joshua’s shoulder, “You should be running this place. You’re Bill’s son.”

  “Yeah, well, Bill didn’t think so.”

  “Bill wasn’t himself towards the end,” Graham dismissed his suggestion, “I’m on the board of directors and they will be very pleased to hear that you’re back on the scene. What position are you working?”

  Joshua opened his mouth but he had no idea. The very idea that he was there to do anything felt ludicrous so he hadn’t started to think about what he’d actually be doing.

  They reached the top floor and the doors opened onto the familiar scene. His eyes honed straight in on Ezra’s open office door. I hope I’m not going to walk in on anything this time.

  “I better go, Graham,” Joshua didn’t take his eyes away from the door, “Tell Carol I said hi.”

  “He’s not allowed visitors,” he lowered his voice, “keeps biting people.”

  “Still?” Joshua suddenly remembered that’s why none of his friends had wanted to speak to him.

  “Listen,” Graham caught up with him as he started to walk towards Ezra’s door, “when I said the board of directors would be happy to know you’re here, I meant it. There’s a lot of uneasy feeling in the company at the moment and not a lot of faith in our lord and master. Can we meet properly to discuss some stuff?”

  “Yeah, sure,” Joshua shrugged, “whatever.”

  “Here, take my card,” he quickly slotted a tiny business card into the lapel pocket of Joshua’s jacket, “call me.”

  “Call you,” Joshua nodded, “gotcha.”

  Speeding up, he left Graham behind so he could head straight for Ezra’s door. When he stepped over the threshold, he suddenly felt a lot safer. Was it because it was familiar or because Ezra was sitting behind the desk and fully clothed?

  “Joshua?” Ezra jumped up, a grin on his face, “I-I-,”

  “Sorry I’m late,” Joshua closed the door, “you know what London traffic is like.”

  “3 hours late?” Ezra glanced at his watch, “Even by my standards, that’s a new record.”

  Joshua smiled and Ezra returned it straight away. It was obvious Ezra was pleased to see him and Joshua had to admit that he was pleased to see Ezra too. He’d been tormenting himself about what had happened in Violet’s kitchen, somehow convincing his mind that it was completely wrong. Being in Ezra’s presence again made it feel not so wrong.

  “There was some guy out there,” Joshua pointed over his shoulder, “Graham. Proper creep.”

  “What did he want?” Ezra narrowed his eyes, “What did he say to you?”

  The business card burned through his jacket but he couldn’t bring himself to tell Ezra. He still didn’t know why he was there so he didn’t want to reveal his hand straight away.

  “Not a lot,” he lied, “he recognised me. I used to know his son.”

  “Carol?” Ezra rolled his eyes, “You know he’s in prison? He bit somebody’s nose off.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Proper weirdo,” Ezra nodded, “he gave me the creeps. I’m glad I only fucked him once.”

  “You didn’t?”

  Ezra winked, a devious smile spreading across his cheeks, “I’m kidding, Joshua. Come on, I’ll show you to your new office.”

  “I get an office?” he didn’t know why he was so surprised by this.

  “You’re Joshua Silverton,” Ezra looked shocked that he’d be surprised, “of course you get an office. I want to keep you close by.”

  As Ezra marched Joshua towards his new office, he looked down at the ID picture, wondering where that picture was from. It looked like a mug shot.

  “Where’d you get this?” he flashed the card in Ezra’s face.

  “Police database,” he winked, “I Googled you. Quite a naughty boy in your youth, weren’t you?”

  Joshua felt a little pissed that Ezra had done that behind his back. If he’d asked, he would have told him everything about his past but he doubted he was Googling purely for background checks. People looked up from their desks, some of them confused and some of them with knowledge in their eyes. Joshua knew it wouldn’t take long for word to start spreading.

  The office was small but because it was in the corner of the tower, it benefited from floor to ceiling windows on both walls. There was a desk and a computer and not much else. He looked for some indication of his job title but there was nothing.

  “I had to kick Becky, my assistant out,” Ezra leaned against the desk, “what do you think?”

  “You didn’t have to kick anybody out,” somehow, he didn’t think pissing people off was the best way to kick things off.

  “I wanted you next door,” Ezra smile was sweet and relaxed.

  It put Joshua on edge. He wants to keep an eye on you so you don’t cause any trouble.

  “What do I do? What’s my official title?”

  “Don’t rush into that,” Ezra gave a subtle shrug, “take things slow. Feel around the place. We’ll see where you fit in.”

  It sounded relaxed and chilled out and not like a real job at all. He hadn’t been expecting to be running the place on the first day but he’d expected something other than an empty office.

  “What did Graham have to say for himself?” Ezra suddenly changed gears.

  Would he tell him that he’d practically been poached in his first ten minutes or did he keep it to himself? He looked deep into Ezra’s eyes and the twinkle told him that he wasn’t to be trusted, despite how quickly Joshua’s heart was pounding. Listen to your head, not your cock.

  “Not a lot, he barely recognised me,” he kept it simple.

  “So, he didn’t mention me?”

  “Nope.”

  “Or the company?”

  “Not that I can remember,” he walked over to the window to take in the view, “we just passed each other in the lift.”

  “He told you his son was in prison in passing?” Ezra’s eyes darkened.

  “You know what he’s like,” was all Joshua could say.

  Ezra smiled and nodded in agreement but Joshua could tell he didn’t believe him. The longer they spent together in the tiny office, the smaller it became and the tighter his suit hugged his skin. He still didn’t understand what he was doing there. Any second, I’ll wake up and I’ll really be on a plane out of here.

  “I’ll leave you to get settled in,” Ezra looked at his watch, “I’m late for my next meeting.”

  “That’s it?”

  Ezra walked over to him to gently pat him on the arm, “Some of us have a company to run. I’ll catch you later.”

  And just like that, he was gone. Ezra’s pat on the shoulder had been patronising and loaded with accusation. It made Joshua wonder why he’d been so quick to drop the hatred towards Ezra. Maybe it’s because he gave you the best blowjob of your life?

  He settled into the comfy leather cha
ir. He tried the computer but it was locked under ‘Becky’. He guessed she was the unlucky assistant who had been hoisted out of her office. He better not think I’m his new assistant. To be Ezra’s assistant would be the biggest insult but Joshua wouldn’t put it past Ezra to do something like that.

  After an hour of staring at the walls, wondering what his next move would be, one of the maintenance men came and changed the sign on the door. When the drilling stopped, Joshua opened the door and there it was.

  ‘Joshua Silverton’.

  No title or role, just a blank space below it, ready for whatever fake job title Ezra would pull out of his arse. Suddenly, none of it felt real. He didn’t belong at the company any more now than he did when he was a teenager. Staring at the silver plaque, it was all becoming too real. He officially existed in Silverton Industries and he now felt the weight of the past on his shoulders. The weight hurt and he didn’t really understand why but the urge to live up to his name was all that mattered.

  Dad didn’t think I could do this and Ezra thinks I’m a toy, but I’m going to show them both what Joshua Silverton is really made of.

  “What do you mean there are loopholes? I made sure this was watertight.”

  “There are always loopholes, Ezra,” Charles Worthington, the lawyer who’d sorted out everything when Bill was dying, spoke with a sternness, “that’s how law works.”

  Clenching the phone tightly to his ear, his knuckles turned white with frustration.

  “You’re trying to tell me that this kid can take everything, aren’t you?”

  Suddenly, he was questioning his decision to ever chase Joshua. He was stuck between the urge to protect his life and the urge to unlock Joshua. He was past just wanting to fuck him, it was much more complicated than that. If he said it was, he knew he’d be lying to himself. He’d never felt so intrigued and gripped by a guy before. Why did it have to be him?

  “It’s not that simple,” the lawyer sighed, “there are so many variables. Joshua would need to put forward a strong case and that’s assuming he even has reason to speculate or that he even has a lawyer.”