Yes-Man

Chapter 2

By the time he’s showered and dressed, Tim is just beginning to rouse. Bryce pauses to plant a quick kiss on his lover’s forehead and whispers, “See you soon.”

“Drive safe,” Tim mutters sleepily.

With a grin, Bryce lands his next kiss on Tim’s lips. “Yes, sir. Don’t go back to bed.”

Wearily Tim waves him away. “Yeah, yeah, I’m up.”

As he heads for the door, Bryce calls over his shoulder, “I’m going to call you in ten minutes to make sure.”

Though they both work downtown, they don’t share the commute. Bryce likes to get to the office before anyone else; he’s the first one every morning, unlocking the door and disabling the alarm system a good half hour before anyone else shows up. Some days that quiet time between seven thirty and eight is his only chance to think.

Today he makes the last of the coffee and leaves a note on Alecia’s desk about calling the service. There, on the corner of her desk, are the files for the incoming interviewees, right where he expected to find them. While the java brews, filling the office with a warm, rich scent, he flips through the files, familiarizing himself with the potential new hires.

Eckhart Incorporated is a logistics firm specializing in moving high tech products to influential clients around the world. They don’t just ship computers; no, they ship whole information systems worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, mostly to universities and governments who can afford their services. A typical order may include two or three onsite servers, twenty or thirty personal desktop computers, twice as many laptops and tablets, and the software needed to integrate everything together. They include installation and setup, too, and provide round the clock customer support. Unlike other companies that do what they do, Eckhart insists on support run out of their Richmond, Virginia, office, which costs much more than farming it out to subsidiaries in places like India or China. But their clients appreciate the extra effort, and their billing department pads the invoices to recoup the cost.

The two interviews Bryce has scheduled are to fill representative positions. Customer service has a high turnover rate—no one wants to be a customer service rep when they grow up. No one wants to be an executive assistant, either, he tells himself, suppressing a grin. Most exec assistants probably don’t do what it is he does that makes him so great at his job, though. That makes him indispensable, as far as Eckhart’s concerned.

When the coffee’s ready, Bryce pours himself a cup and stirs in a packet of sugar. Both candidates look good on paper, but he’s had that happen before. This is the second interview for both, though. Alecia culls the resumes when they arrive, then interviews the ones that show promise, and only passes on the really good ones to Bryce if she thinks they might be a good fit. Still, he feels as if he shouldn’t be so hands-on when it comes to the reps. Most don’t stay more than six months, tops. Maybe they should hire a hiring manager to do the interviews, instead, and leave Bryce free to focus on everything else he has to get done.

Like prepping the account for Eckhart’s afternoon call. He should do it now, while he has the chance, because once the rest of the office arrives, he’ll be too busy to get anything done. The interviews, then the conference with his boss at eleven. Damn.

Why’s it feel like the day’s already slipping away from him when it hasn’t even begun?