"He's impossible to be around!" Raymond moaned to Damon when he checked in later that week.
"From what I hear, you seem to be coping very well." Damon laughed at the frown on Raymond's face.
"You must be listening to the wrong people then. If I don't punch him in the face, then he'll be very lucky!"
"Don't get so worked up Ray, you've only been there for a few weeks. Now, are we any closer to who's messing around there?" Damon leaned forward over his desk.
"Not yet. Whatever is going on is being hidden very carefully. Although, do you know anything about what was going on with Jackson when he was in grad school?" a frown marred his face. "There is something that I'm missing or that someone isn't telling me. Do you know anything?"
"I've not been told anything, but I know that you'll be able to get to the bottom of it." Damon smiled at him.
"I'm not so sure. I've scratching around a bit, but it's as if there is a part of Jackson's life that went missing. Or at least, doesn't seem to fit." he sighed.
"You worry too much, Ray." Damon got up from his desk, grinning. "Now, you'd better get back before that new boss of yours notices."
"The only thing he'd notice, is the fact that he wasn't getting what he wanted." he said derisively, also getting up to leave.
--
With a sigh, Raymond entered the Dealer's building. Making his way up to his desk, he was stopped by Tilly.
"What did you do?" she asked, her eyes wide.
"What do you mean?" he looked at her in confusion as they entered the lift.
"Jackson has been sitting quietly in his office while you've been away. He didn't even call me!" She shook her head in disbelief. "All by himself..." she said in wonder. "And nobody was fired! What did you do?"
"You're being dramatic. What's so strange about him doing his work?" he was still puzzled by her reaction.
"He never sits that long without a screaming match of some sort and none of his assistants would ever dare to leave for lunch."
"Now you're really being dramatic." he laughed at her, as the doors opened on his floor and he made to leave. " See you later." he cheerfully waived as the lift doors closed while she was still shaking her head.
As soon as he'd put his bag down, Jackson called him in. With another sigh, Raymond straightened his jacket and entered his office.
"I see you've been away again." he frowned looking up at Raymond who was standing with his usual smile in front of him.
"Yes, I had some urgent business to attend to." was all he said, waiting for an explosion from Jackson. He was surprised when Jackson said nothing, just bobbing his head briefly.
"From the reports I've been reading, it seems as if you know what you're doing..." he trailed off, as Raymond just nodded his head, not saying anything. "Maybe you should accompany me to all my meetings."
Raymond nodded again, knowing that this would also be a test. Groaning inwardly, he wondered when these tests would end. They were becoming more and more irritating and pointless.
--
The following morning, they were sitting in the third meeting of the day. Raymond had sat through the first two, watching Jackson in horror. He was a hothead who couldn't control his mouth or temper. At the start he just held his tongue, taking copious notes and watching the interactions between the people in the boardroom.
Seeing that Jackson was going to flip out over something inconsequential, placed his hand on Jackson's arm to stop him. When Jackson looked over at him, he just smiled, leaning closer to Jackson:
"Let me handle this." To his surprise, Jackson nodded and sat back in his chair.
Jackson was surprised when he felt Raymond's touch. Now, sitting back, he watched as Raymond handled the rest of the meeting. He was taken aback at the level headed way in which he approached the situation, listening carefully to what was being said and then interrogating the information thoroughly. It seemed as if he knew exactly what he was doing, without bristling any feathers. Nobody seemed to feel threatened or intimidated by him, instead the whole room seemed to relax once he started talking.
He was still not sure how to handle Raymond. After their altercation, he knew that there was more to this skinny little boy, who looked like he'd just finished high school. Nobody had ever dared to stand up to him before, especially not one of his assistants. But, he was also intrigued by him. When he'd checked with HR, he couldn't get any more information out of his file than the usual CV, which was not as impressive as he'd have thought. But beyond that, there was nothing. He was pulled out of his reverie when he noticed everybody getting up and leaving the room.
"Where did you learn all that?" he asked as they walked toward Jackson's office.
"Oh, you know... I've been watching what you were doing..." he trailed off noncommittally, smiling up at Jackson.
"I must be a better teacher than I thought." he mused, grinning at Raymond.
"You must be." Raymond almost wanted to roll his eyes.
For the rest if the day, he worked in relative peace, scouring through all the information on his desk. So far nothing major had jumped out at him, except for a few financial transactions that seemed out of place. Deciding to take a closer look, he pulled up all the financial reports per department and worked his way methodically through them.
"Cook!" Jackson's voice boomed over the intercom. With a grimace, Raymond entered the office, plastering his usual smile on his face as he came to a halt in front of Jackson.
"I'll be out for the rest of the day," he started. "I need you to handle the rest of the meetings I have today."
"Of course." Raymond slightly inclined his head, before turning to leave.
"Hang on!" Jackson stopped him in his tracks. "Don't you want to know what's needed of you?" He was confused that Raymond had agreed so easily, without any argument.
"I've already read the brief, so it shouldn't be too difficult." he smiled. "And don't worry, I'll have a full report ready for you tomorrow morning."
"Smart ass!" Jackson mumbled loud enough for him to hear, with a smile playing on his lips.
--
"That new assistant of yours sounds fiery." Asuka, Jackson's college friend grinned at him. They were sitting at her coffee shop catching up as they usually do.
"Don't remind me." Jackson groaned, picking up his coffee.
"He can't be that bad if he's able to put up with you. I think he may have broken the record for an assistant to be working for you." Her laughter rang out while Jackson scowled at her.
"It's not that he's bad, I'm just surprised by him, that's all."
"And maybe also a little intrigued?" Asuka pushed, still smiling.
"Yes..., that too. In a nutshell."
"And the kiss? I'm surprised you didn't punch him in the face, knowing you." Even Asuka was curious about Raymond, having listened to the way Jackson had described him.
"I think I would've come off second best." he grinned to himself. "That little guy is not as innocent as he seems."
"You're going to have to bring him around! I want to see who is taming the beast." her eyes twinkled as she watched her friend.
"Talking about taming the beast, how are things with you and Tony?"
"Tony who?" she challenged. "He's still a jealous ass who has nothing better to do than interfere every time I even think of going on a date." she grimaced.
"Why don't you get a divorce then? You've been on and off again for the better part of a year." He's always been confused with the status of their relationship, neither going forward or going back to how things were. They just seemed to interfere in each other's lives and for some reason and couldn't let go.
"We were talking about you and that assistant of yours. Don't try and climb into my dysfunctional relationship." She deflected, not quite meeting his eyes.
"Okay, you're off the hook for now." Jackson grinned. "But only because we've stopped talking about me."
"You're gross! Get out!" she playfully slapped him on the back of his head as she got up.
"Hey now, watch the merchandise. It's irreplaceable." He laughed as he exited the shop.