A Welcome Burden (Gay Fantasy)

Preface

'Sorry if it's borin, this is just the Proface, it'll get better!'

Proface

            The room smelled of lavender and orchids when Kris entered the office, finding an older man behind the desk in a suit – not surprised to find fresh orchids and lavender picked and placed in a glass vase sitting on the edge of his desk. A pleasant feeling came over Kris at the memories that filtered his mind. The room was bare, which surprised him, considering who this man’s son happened to be. A DELL laptop sat in the middle of the hard oak desk, papers and files piled neatly together. Pens and pencils were organized and placed upside-down in a black wired cup, with only a black pen and notepad alongside his laptop.

            Chairs with cherry stained mahogany wood and plush, white cushions faced the interviewer behind his desk, with a glass window that occupied the entire wall showing a breathtaking view of the overpopulated city of Los Angeles, California. A matching knee-high side table inhabited the space between the two chairs, with a square coaster sheltering the wood from the concentration on the poured water glass.

            “Right on time, that's a good sign,” said the interviewer. The man stood with grace despite his age, and eagerly held his hand towards Kris. “Henry Sykes.”

            Kris griped Henry's hand with his own, giving a firm shake. “Honor to meet you. The name is Kristoff Hardlin,” he pronounced, letting the lie slip easily off his tongue. Out of habit, he brushed his long fingers through his slick back white hair and sat in the chair facing Mr. Sykes.

            “I must admit,” the old man started, taking his time to sit back into his leather black chair, “very few men apply for this type of position.”

            Without much effort, Kris let the lies flow from his firm lips once more. “I'd be lying if I said I've never been told that. I understand that not many men have interest in a job such as a professional organizer and personal assistant. However, I believe that if you were to give me a chance, I will not disappoint you or this company.”

            Henry had no doubt about the young man's abilities, and had been astounded reading his resume. “Would you mind telling how you heard about his position?”

            “I have a friend who works for Employed Incorporated, the placement agency; he was kind enough to point me into your direction.” He answered smoothly, crossing one leg over the other.

            Henry nodded with a light, polite smile. Then continued, “What skills do you have that would assist you in fulfilling your duties here?”

            Kris played a warm smile at Henry, radiating with confidence. “I have a very high attention to detail, an uncanny knack for recalling information rather precisely, and I follow orders better than a military trained German Shepard.”

            Henry gave a light chuckle then proceeded, “Well, your credentials are certainly impressive. I must ask, with the wide range of employers you've had, why are you interested in Entrepreneur Generator, my business consulting firm?”

            After clasping his hands and placing them gracefully in his lap, Kris politely replied, “I did some research on your company, and you are quite successful. I see Entrepreneur Generator expanding to a Fortune 500 company, and I would like to be part of that expansion.”

            Henry, for only a few seconds, showed a shocked expression on his face, then, gave a broad full toothed smile. “If I asked you to entertain some very important clients for me because I was delayed, what would you do?”

            Kris thought for a respectful moment, then answered, “I would first review the client files, if possible, to learn more about the people I would be associating with. Then, I would offer them a drink of champagne, scotch, or brandy, with a celebratory cigar, if they would like, in celebration of the success their business will have because of their decision to work with such an exceptional consulting firm, such as yours.”

            Henry stood up, as did Kris, and extended his hand once more, receiving a firm, confident handshake from Kris. “Kris, It was a pleasure meeting with you today, and I will give you a call by the end of the evening with my decision.”

            “Kris smiled. “Absolutely. I can't wait to hear from you again, Mr. Sykes.”

            He could feel eyes fall upon him, as they always did, when he emerged from the small office. He held his head high and gazed off into the distant, as if trying to get a glimpse of the future. In the elevator he noticed people trying to evidently scoot away from him, leaving him alone in the center of the elevator when it had hit the first floor.

            Not a hundred feet from the elevator, Kris got sight of him for the first time this close. Kris’s heart skipped multiple beats walking passed him, holding back every urge to do it then and there. His breathing was neutral and had kept his posture, not revealing anything that was going on in his head. Kristoff Hardlyn knew that everything would be different very soon; he would have to tell him the truth.

            And he, Oliver Sykes, was the core reason why Kris needed Henry Sykes to hire him as his personal assistant; being Henry’s personal assistant was the only guarantee that he would be able to get close to Oliver.