Love Was Not an Option

by Edward Kendrick

  When it was fully dark, with only the waxing three-quarter moon above him to light the way, Nick slowed his pace somewhat. As he did he became aware that someone was coming up behind him. A man sped by him, flashing a ‘come on’ gesture over his shoulder.

  “Want to race, huh?” Nick said as he picked up his pace again. Soon they were running neck and neck, neither of them taking the lead for more than a few seconds.

  That is until the man suddenly came to a halt, bending over with his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. When Nick stopped beside him, the man said, “Damn, you’re good.”

  “Lots of practice,” Nick replied.

  “You’re not even breathing hard.”

  Nick laughed. “Unlike you. I have to give you kudos, though. Not many men can keep up with me for long.”

  The man straightened, wiping sweat from his forehead after pushing back his too long hair. “That’s a rather conceited statement, even if it’s true.”

  “It is.”

  “Are you a pro?”

  “At what?” Nick asked, gesturing to a bench at the side of the path.

  The man took Nick’s suggestion, collapsing on the bench. “Running, of course,” he replied after Nick sat as well.

  “Nope. For me it’s a stress reliever, and better exercise than going to the gym.”

  “I’m with you on that.” He paused, studying Nick, then said, “I’m Greg.”

  “I’m Nick. Nice to meet you, Greg. Do you come here often?” Nick chuckled. “That sounded like a pick-up line, which I assure you it wasn’t.”

  “Bummer.” Greg grinned.

  His reply gave Nick pause. Was this handsome man gay, or was he only teasing? Not that it mattered either way. He was certain this would be their first and last meeting.

  It seemed as if Greg thought differently when he said, “I’m bushed and thirsty. Feel like finding the nearest place where we can get coffee or whatever?”

  “No thanks. It’s late and I should get home.”

  “Ah. Okay. Wife wondering what’s taking you so long?”

  “Not at all. No wife, or live-in anyone. It’s been a long day and I’m beat.” Nick smiled. “I didn’t expect to end it by having a race with someone who could actually make me work to stay even with him.”

  Greg snorted. “I’ve got the feeling, if you hadn’t been on your third time around the lake, you’d have left me in your dust.”

  “You were watching me?” Nick wasn’t certain he liked that idea. In fact he knew he didn’t.

  “Not watching. Not the way you’re making it sound. I came with some people I know. We were playing volleyball.” He gestured to a field at the side of the lake. “I was sitting out the third round when I saw you arrive. When the game broke up, they wanted to hit up a bar, which is not my thing, so…” Greg shrugged.

  “You decided to take me on, instead.”

  “Pretty much. I figured you’d been running long enough I might be able to beat you.”

  “You came close,” Nick said as he got up. “I enjoyed the challenge. Now, as I said, I’m heading home. It was nice talking with you.”

  “Back at you. See you next time we’re here at the same time.” Greg stood as well, starting to walk in the opposite direction from where Nick had parked. “Maybe then I’ll beat you,” he tossed out over his shoulder.

  “I doubt you’ll get a chance to find out,” Nick said under his breath as he watched Greg walk away. He seems like a nice guy, even if he could use a good barber, but unless he’s here every day, I don’t think that will happen.

  * * * *

  “How goes it, ladies and gentlemen—and those who aren’t either one?” Nick asked at the start of the weekly staff meeting. Things had slowed down to their normal, if still busy pace in the last month, much to his relief.

  “The ‘who aren’t’ would be me,” Charles replied with a grin. “No one ever accused me of being close to a gentleman. My clients don’t seem to mind, however.”

  “As long as they’re happy.” Nick looked around the table. “Does anyone have anything they want to bring up before we get down to business?”

  “I do,” one of the men said. “I’ve already talked to Nick about this,” he told the others. “I’ll be leaving at the end of the month. I got a job offer from a firm back east. As much as I like it here, it’s too good to pass up.”

  There were words of congratulations from the rest of the staff, along with a few, sort of kidding, gripes about having to take on an extra load when his clients were dispersed among the rest of them.

  Nick put a stop to that, saying, “I’m already looking for Jim’s replacement.”

  “Which will take forever, as picky as you are,” Susan replied.

  “Me? Picky?” Nick gave her a very feigned look of dismay.

  Mark snorted. “Yeah, you. That’s why we’re the best agency in the city, and maybe the country, Jim’s opinion to the contrary.”

  “Hey, I love working here,” Jim protested. “But what they offered me…Well, as I said, I couldn’t refuse.”

  “We understand,” Susan replied, patting his arm.

  “All right,” Nick said. “Anyone else have any big revelations?” When no one did, they moved on to the business of the clients and keeping the agency running in top form.

  * * * *

  “You have two interviews this afternoon,” Brenda said when she and Nick returned to his office suite after the meeting.

  “Two? I was only aware of one,” he replied. He had already talked to three potential hires, none of whom impressed him enough that he’d consider them. He was, as Susan had pointed out at the staff meeting, picky. He had to be. His agency had a reputation to maintain.

  “That’s because you didn’t give me time to tell you when you got in this morning.” Brenda picked up a résumé from her desk, handing it to him. “This came in the mail. He looks promising, so I called him.”

  Nick read through it and agreed. The man’s background was impeccable; from the university where he’d gotten dual degrees in marketing and graphic design, to the firms where he’d been employed. There were two of them and the owners had written glowing testimonials about the quality of his designs and his ability to work well with clients. Since both firms were down south, Nick could only presume the man, one Ambrose G. Tyson, had recently moved to the city and was now beginning his hunt for a new job.

  “Did you remind both men to bring their portfolios?”

  Brenda huffed. “Yes, boss. I do know what I’m doing.”

  Nick laughed, giving her a hug. “I know you do. I’d be lost without you.”

  “Remember that, the next time you pass out raises,” she replied with a wink before settling down at her desk, while he went into his private office.

  * * * *

  “Mr. Tyson is here to see you, Mr. Fontana,” Brenda announced formally from the doorway to Nick’s office.

  “Show him in, please,” Nick replied. He closed the file he was working on, stood, and turned to greet him.

  “Now this is a surprise,” Greg said when he came into the room.

  “I agree.” Nick smiled briefly as he beckoned to the chair beside his desk. A very strange surprise. Coincidence, or something else? Nick watched Greg’s face as he sat, deciding after reading what he saw and picked up on, that the man was as startled as he’d been.

  “The name on your résumé is Ambrose,” Nick said. “That’s not what you originally told me.”

  “Would you admit to that unless you had to, if it was your first name? My middle name is Gregory, ergo, Greg.”

  “Understandable.” Nick read through Greg’s résumé again, stopping to question him on a few points, before taking him over to the drawing table along the side wall of the office, asking to see his portfolio.

  When Greg laid out designs for some of the advertising campaigns he’d worked on for his previous employers, Nick was suitably impressed, and told him so. “Now, for a pop quiz,�
�� he said. “We have a client, purely fictional, who wants a dynamic logo for his new company.” He gave Greg an information sheet about the imaginary firm, asking him to read it and come up with three or four ideas which might work.

  “In ten seconds or less?” Greg asked with a flash of a smile.

  “Can you do it that quickly?” Nick replied, straight-faced, before chuckling. “No. Take your time. I’ve got plenty to keep me busy while you work.” He pointed out where he kept the art pads, pens, and pencils, and returned to his desk, opening the file he’d closed when Greg had arrived.

  While he worked, Nick found his concentration split between what he was doing and the man sitting a few feet away. Was his being at the park, and then showing up here, really coincidence? From what I picked up, he didn’t expect to be meeting with me today. He’d have to be very clever to hide his true feelings from me.

  He turned to study Greg. The man appeared to be totally embroiled in what he was doing—to the point of balling up one design with a disgusted “This sucks. I’m better than this,” as he tossed it into the wastebasket. Nick bit back a laugh. He knew the feeling and commiserated with him, even without seeing the drawing.

  Nick continued to observe him until Greg said, “You’re staring at me and it’s unnerving. Either come over here to see what I’m doing or get back to whatever you’re working on.”

  “Sorry.” Nick was somewhat put off by Greg’s words, although he knew he deserved them. Getting up, he went over to find out how Greg was progressing. He had three designs, and was in the midst of creating a fourth one. They were sketches with color added, and enough detail that Nick could get the feel of what he was going for.

  Greg glanced at him, asking as he added the finishing touches, “Is this something you put every potential employee through?”

  “The designers? Yes. I want to know if they can think on their feet,” Nick replied. He tapped one of the sketches. “If I were a client with an ounce of sense, I’d go for this one.”

  “And if you weren’t?” Greg asked.

  “Sensible? Then probably this one. It’s flashier.”

  “Yeah. I’ve found that some people prefer flash over substance.” He looked directly at Nick as he said that, making him wonder if he was talking about designs or something more as he recalled Greg suggesting they go somewhere together after their run.

  He hadn’t better be. Sure, he’s got a certain appeal, but that’s it. And that’s presuming he’s even gay and not just an outgoing man who’s looking for new friends.

  “Do I pass?” Greg asked, breaking into Nick’s musings.

  “With flying colors,” Nick replied. “How soon can you start?”

  “Yesterday?”

  Nick chuckled. “I’m afraid that’s impossible. Tomorrow’s the best I can do. Be here at nine. I’ll let my secretary know you’ve been hired. She’ll have a ream of paperwork for you to fill out before you leave.”

  “Okay. Thank you. I’m looking forward to working for you. For your company, I mean.”

  There it is again. That subtle hint there’s more to his wanting to be here than the job. Don’t go there, Greg. Even if I were interested in you, which I’m not, it wouldn’t work. We’re too different.

  They shook hands before Nick escorted him out of the office, telling Brenda that Greg had been hired.

  “Which means you have to deal with these,” she said, taking several papers from one of her files.

  “Thanks.” Greg twirled a finger in the air before sitting down to fill them out.

  Brenda followed Nick when he returned to his office, asking after closing the door, “Is he really that good, or did you hire him because he’s cute.” She was grinning, so he knew she was teasing him. Or he hoped she was.

  “He’s definitely well above the other people I’ve interviewed. I think he’ll be a good fit for us.” He waggled a finger at her. “Get that idea out of your mind. I’m not in the market for a man in my life. For damned sure, if I was, it wouldn’t be someone who worked for me.”

  * * * *

  Two weeks later, Nick wondered if he’d have to eat his words, which would amuse Brenda no end. Seeing Greg every day, dealing with his subtly flirtatious comments when they crossed paths in the hallways, made Nick realize the man was more than an excellent designer. Or more to the point, he seems to have designs on me. How do I shut him down, and do I want to?

  Whether he wanted to was up for debate. Nick decided to find out if his growing interest in Greg, which he was fighting as hard as he could, was real or just the result of his own lack of personal sex. To test it, he spent one Saturday night at a club and then in the bed of a nice young man he connected with there. His physical needs were sated, quite well in fact. So the following Monday morning he was dismayed to find he still looked at Greg with much more interest than he should, all things considered.

  As they left work that evening Greg asked yet again, as he had a couple of times since he’d been hired, “Feel like stopping for something to eat before you go home?”

  This time, Nick took him up on the offer. He figured that, with luck, he’d find out Greg wasn’t nearly as interesting away from the office as he’d imagined. He was wrong. Greg told amusing stories about growing up in a small town on the east coast. He had three siblings, all boys, all mischief-makers, according to him.

  “We were always getting into trouble, much to our parents’ dismay. Of course the fact we learned it from Dad didn’t seem to factor into it. He was the ultimate practical joker.” He paused to take a bite of his steak sandwich then asked, “What was your childhood like?”

  “Lonely,” Nick replied, which was the truth, although the reason wasn’t the one he gave Greg. “I’m an only child. My parents were gone more than they were home, leaving me to the tender mercies of my paternal grandmother. She tried, but she had interests of her own that took precedence more often than not. So I spent a lot of time reading. The characters in the books became my surrogate friends.”

  “Ouch. How did that translate into you starting your own advertising firm?”

  “I saw too many bad ads in newspapers and magazines. I kept thinking how I’d improve them, if I had the chance.” That was the truth, as far as it went. “I decided to go to college to study advertising and marketing. Rather like you, from what was listed on your résumé.” He got a nod from Greg before continuing. “I worked at a couple of agencies then decided to strike out on my own. I don’t have your artistic talent, by a long shot, but I do know how to put together good teams to help clients achieve their dreams.”

  “Okay, another question, since I’m being nosy. How did your family take it when you let them know you were gay?”

  “Excuse me?”

  Greg shook his head. “Don’t try to deny it. First off, it’s an open secret at work, and you know it.”

  “Yes, it is,” Nick admitted. “Once my parents decided it wasn’t just a phase, as they put it, that I was going through, they accepted it with no problems. They’re very open-minded about most things.” Nick looked dead at Greg, asking, “How about your family?”

  Greg grinned. “So you’ve picked up on it.”

  “It wasn’t all that hard. Most men don’t flirt with other men unless they are.”

  “I’d say no man does unless he is. To be honest, it’s not something I do on a regular basis. It’s…” Greg shrugged. “I find you interesting. I did that night at the park and it hasn’t changed since then, even though I never saw you there again. I figured I’d just have to dream about what might have been, until I walked into your office, looking for a job. That doesn’t answer your question, though. Mom bemoaned the fact I’d never give her grandkids, until Dad pointed out she had three other sons who would.”

  “Back up. You dreamed about me? Are you serious?”

  “I am. Very erotic ones, if you want the truth. Still do.” He winked at Nick.

  Nick shook his head in disbelief. “It won’t do you any good. I�
�m single for a reason.”

  “I sort of figured. Rumor has it you’ve never had a man in your life as more than a friend.”

  “I’m going to have a long talk with everyone at the next staff meeting,” Nick growled.

  Greg laughed. “Do you honestly think that’ll stop them?”

  “Probably not,” Nick replied with a feigned sigh of dismay. He knew very well that it wouldn’t and had long ago accepted it. People were people, and he’d rather have them gossiping about that than spending their time trying to figure out why he’d sometimes take unexpected time off or come in late because of his outside activities.

  “This was fun, and interesting,” Greg said at that point, as he finished the last of his meal. “We should do it again sometime.”

  Against his better judgment, Nick agreed. “Maybe Friday night.”

  “It’s a date. Okay, don’t take that the wrong way. I get you’re not interested in me that way. Hell, I don’t know you well enough, yet, to more than to wonder what it would be like if we did hook up.”

  “It won’t happen. I don’t hook up, as you put it, with employees. It’s not good for morale.”

  “It would be great for my morale,” Greg replied, grinning. “Sorry. It was there.”

  Nick laughed as he flagged down their waitress, signaling he wanted the check. “And you couldn’t avoid saying it.”

  “Nope. It comes from my upbringing.”

  “As a mischief-maker. I think you get a kick out of teasing me.”

  “I do. You need someone who doesn’t take you seriously all the time.”

  “Debatable.” Nick took check when the waitress handed it to him, waving off Greg’s attempt to pay half. They finished their coffee, after telling her they didn’t want refills, and left the restaurant.

  “I’ll see you in the morning,” Nick said.

  “Bright and early,” Greg replied. “I have designs I have to do for two clients Mark is handling.”

  “Finicky ones?” Nick asked, although he knew the answer.

  “I won’t know until I show them my ideas.” He grimaced. “If they are, then it’s back to the drawing board.”