Release(19)

“Are we done?” Adam said, trying not to let his voice shake, only partially succeeding.

“You come in here,” Wade said, ignoring the question, “flashing that meaty little ass of yours, waving it in my face like a sow in heat, getting me to put my hands all over you–”

“Are you kidding me–”

“And now, and now!” Something weird happened to Wade’s voice and it took a second before Adam realized he was forcing a laugh. “You purposely misunderstand a serious work conversation to make it seem like–” Wade rubbed the sweat from his moustache. “I don’t know. Like I’m coming on to you, Thorn?”

“I can see your erection, Wade.”

“Don’t be disgusting!” Wade’s hand immediately dropped to his crotch, covering it. “And now you’re going to try and say that a little bit of banter, that we’ve always had, is somehow leading you to this bullshit idea that–”

“If you try to reduce my hours, I’m calling human resources.”

Wade’s face suddenly hardened, like a camera coming into focus on a wasps’ nest. “Too late, boyo. You’re fired.”

“What?”

“Pack your shit and get out.”

“You can’t–”

“Who are they going to believe, Thorn? You? You’re a kid.”

“You can’t do this.”

“Can, and did.”

Adam felt a little ball of panic in his chest. “Wade, I need this job. My family, my brother–”

“Should’ve thought of that before you started telling lies.”

“I haven’t said anything. To anyone.” He swallowed again. “Yet.”

Wade raised an eyebrow.

Adam felt himself breathing. Where was he going with this? “Please,” he said, and immediately hated himself for it.

“You begging me, Thorn?” Wade said with a sudden half-grin. He seemed to visibly relax, open his knees wider, his hand still at his crotch, dangling there with faux innocence.

“You can’t… You can’t do this to people, Wade.”

“What people? I don’t see any people here. Just a teenage pussy overestimating his own appeal. I got twenty years with this company. You think you can take me on? You think you can do that and win?”

“I could sue.”

“And I’d be forced to tell the world how your faggotty voraciousness made it nearly impossible to do my job in a safe working environment.” And now Wade fully smiled. Adam wondered if there was anyone else in the world made so ugly by their smile. “What do you think the churchgoing folk of The House Upon The Rock would make of that?”

“You prick,” Adam said, barely whistling it between his teeth.

“Could’ve been different, Thorn. We could’ve come to an understanding. But now–”

“I’ll take the reduced hours,” Adam said, hating himself more with every word. “I’ll take a pay cut–”

Wade’s crotch-level hand made a motion against the khaki. “What else are you willing to take?”

And for a second, a second he would relive for years to come, Adam found himself considering it. Would it really be so bad? Wade didn’t look like someone who would ever take his time about anything, and if it was over quick, who would really be harmed…?

He would. The thought of Wade’s hands on his bare skin alone gave him goosebumps, already felt like a violation, but if…

If he deserved this. (Did he?) If Wade had spotted in him – as he obviously had – that corruption at his heart, that little piece of unfixable brokenness– It’s not real love, Marty said.

We’re just messing around, Enzo said.

Maybe it was all true.

Maybe this is what happened to people like him.

(People like what?)

“You think about it,” Wade said. “If you come back in here for your shift on Monday, I’ll know you made the right decision.” He turned back to his computer. “Now get the fuck out of my office.”

Adam left, clocking out on autopilot, not even saying goodbye to Karen and Renee, who were returning the scanning equipment. He left the warehouse and sat behind the wheel of his car, wondering what the hell had just happened. Had he really been given an ultimatum by his boss? Did that really happen to people?

His thumbs hovered over the letters on his phone. He typed, I think I have to sleep with Wade to keep my job.

Yuck… Angela replied, then, Wait, are you serious?

His phone rang immediately. “Call the police!” she said as soon as he answered.

“I need the money, Ange,” he said. “I need the job.”

“What happened?” He told her, and she said, “You are not going to sleep with Wade. He’d give you some seventies STD. Like herpes.”

“No, of course not, but–”

“But nothing. He broke the law.”

“Maybe… Maybe it didn’t even happen. Maybe I read it wrong?”

Angela screamed in frustration so loud he had to pull the phone away from his ear. “Why am I the only one I know with any self-esteem?”

“You have wonderful parents.”

“Look, where are you now?”