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A Desk Job - Chapter 4, Part 2

Mister Exham’s office did not appear any different than it did during Fenton’s last visit.

The youth closed the great wooden doors of the office behind himself, trying not to make a sound. The room was empty save for a semi circle of chairs in front of a large, dark wood desk. Nobody sat behind it.

At the back was a large paneled window with long dark drapes framing it on either side. The view outside the glass was two stories above busy Brooks Avenue. 

The walls were lined with the kind of abstract painting that was usually associated with corporate offices. Inoffensive shapes and colors mounted on thick white card and framed very mutely.

Fenton peered quizzically at one, scrunching his nose so his glasses pressed back against his face. When he suddenly became aware of someone behind himself, Fenton’s scream left him blushing and feeling stupid.

Mister Exham stood in the corner of the room, regarding him with a raised eyebrow.

“Fenton.” He nodded. “I’m not surprised you came back.”

Fenton cast his eyes down and tried to think of a response. There wasn’t any that was meaningful so he went with the obligatory. “Its a good fit for me and I’m eager work.”

The long pause that followed made Fenton instantly self conscious again. Had he said something wrong?

“You came crawling back, didn’t you. You had no other option.”

Fenton’s ears burned red and he fidgeted with his hands, glancing up slightly at the man, uncertain of what he expected in response. The asshole was rubbing this in his face.

“I’m … grateful for the work and ready to get started.”

“Then crawl over here and sign the job offer.” Exham motioned to his desk and briskly walked over to it.

It only took a single step before Fenton stopped in his tracks. Exham, without looking up from his desk, wagged a finger and pointed at the ground. “I did say crawl.”

a desk job story misterx story

A Desk Job - Chapter 4, Part 1

The smirk on the secretary’s face was impossible to miss. Fenton knew she knew and she knew Fenton knew she knew. The job. What Mister Exham had asked. That Fenton Brenton came crawling back for this horrible job because he had no other options.

It was the next day. Fenton had made a brisk commute across the city, not wanting to be late on his first day but very much not wanting to be there at all.

“Welcome back.” The woman behind the front desk said curtly, smiling with only her lips so her mouth curled in the corners. While she was no more than in her mid twenties, her glasses had the horned rims that spoke of the 50s. “Go on back. Mister Exham is waiting. I expect we’ll be seeing a lot of you.”

Where Fenton had hoped to see a little pity or at least obliviousness, he instead found further humiliation. If the secretary knew, then who in the office didn’t know?

Already shaking prior to arriving, Fenton found his palms sweaty and his arms quivering. He had to bite down hard on his lower lip to keep his teeth from rattling.

He could only nod to the young woman before pushing open the door into the back offices.

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A Desk Job - Chapter 3, Part 5

The line was dead but Fenton still held the phone to head. Finally he caught his breath and swallowed loudly as though doing so could push all of these emotions flailing about down and away.

His mother looked at him expectantly, obviously pleased with his performance. There was something sickly sadistic in that. If she had any idea what she had just forced him into would she still be smiling? Was a job still more important?

“I’m very proud of you, ” she said. “Its not easy to swallow your pride like that.”

Fenton could only stare down at his shoes. Mister Exham’s word echoed in his mind throughout the evening, filling him with dread and self-consciousness.

a desk job story misterx story