26. Wallace
Wallace
Wallace eagerly looked away from his computer when the chime rang on his phone.
How’s it going, sweet boy?
Wallace sent back a heart emoji to Daddy’s text. That was exactly what he needed right now.
Volt had seemed lighter over the past few weeks, since Wallace paid off Prism’s debts. He still caught his Daddy staring off into space with that wrinkle in his brow, but he was learning that Volt could be a bit broody when he wasn’t focusing all of his attention on Wallace.
But Wallace caught him smiling more, too. Laughing more with Angel and Magnolia. Visiting Wallace on a few spontaneous mornings to deliver breakfast and dance in the new studio Wallace had built.
Wallace just appreciated getting to know his Daddy better. And he was happy to lap up all the attention when they were together.
Now that he’d changed his Daddy’s life, it was time to change his own.
No big deal or anything.
He’d stupidly decided that he should sleep at his own apartment last night, and instead he’d hardly gotten any sleep at all.
But he’d followed Daddy’s instructions exactly, and that grounded him like nothing else could.
Even when everything was overwhelming, he could call Daddy at nine-thirty and turn the lights off by ten-thirty.
He could eat a nutritious breakfast, even if it felt like lead in his stomach, order a full lunch, and take pictures of his daily walk.
Just like any other day.
He texted back. I’m really nervous, but I’m going to do it. We’re still meeting up tonight?
He already knew the answer, but he still needed the confirmation.
I’ll be there with bells on, Daddy confirmed. I’m so proud of you, pansy.
Then he sent an image of pansies arranged in a heart.
Wallace nodded to himself. He could do this. He could do this.
It was time for the Tuesday afternoon meeting, and it was going to be a doozy.
All of his files were ready on his tablet. Reports prepared, budgets updated, timelines planned.
He was still sweating through his shirt, glad that his sweater hid the evidence. It would make sense to take it off, but he needed that fluffy layer of protection.
Daddy thinks my sweaters are cute and fashionable, he told himself. Daddy thinks I should be happy with my work.
It helped, but not enough for where this conversation was going.
He left his office, giving himself the usual five minutes to make sure he wasn’t late, and almost didn’t see Mr. Chaudry, he was so in his head.
“Sorry!” he apologized automatically when he almost crashed into the product manager.
“No problem, Wallace.” Mr. Chaudry gave him a warm smile.
“It looks like you’re in a hurry, but I just wanted to mention that I’ve been hearing good things from the motor learning and natural language processing labs about working with you these past few months.
They were telling me that you’ve been getting more involved in the product in a supportive way, and that you’re really adding something to their teams. I don’t know if they told you directly, but I wanted to pass the word along. ”
“Uh, thank you,” Wallace stammered. He hadn’t expected a compliment, and he still didn’t quite believe them, but he was getting so much better. He’d have to tell Volt tonight, and Daddy would be so proud. Mr. Chaudry had heard good things about him! And wanted him to know!
It almost made him regret his plans for the next half hour. Maybe if he… But then…
With a start, he realized Mr. Chaudry was still in front of him, waiting for a response.
“I… Thank you. They’re good people to work with.
Doing good work. I like working with them.
” He was sure that he sounded absolutely inane, repeating stock phrases, but it was all he could come up with his head so busy… and it was completely true.
Recently, he’d just been poking around in whatever projects interested him and working with the teams that seemed the most welcoming to letting him hang around at the edges and suggest ideas.
It was awkward because he was their supervisor, several levels up, but when he’d started coming to their meetings regularly and mostly staying out of the way, they’d started to greet him more warmly each time.
He had no idea that they actually thought he was adding something. That they wanted him there.
Mr. Chaudry gave him a firm pat on the shoulder. “You’re definitely growing in your leadership skills, and we can see the difference. Ah, but I won’t keep you any longer. It looks like you’re on the way somewhere.”
Mr. Chaudry took off, and Wallace didn’t have anything to do but continue on his way, thunderstruck. Were leadership skills just telling people when they were doing a good job? And lurking on the side of their projects when he wasn’t bothering them too much?
The thought distracted him enough that he was almost surprised when he landed in front of his father’s office.
Marquita was sneaking out the door, which was enough to shock Wallace back to reality.
He narrowly avoided rolling his eyes. As his father’s personal assistant, Marquita didn’t need to sneak anywhere.
Upon seeing Wallace, her cheeks flamed under her copper skin. Her usually immaculate clothing was disheveled, and her fire engine red lipstick was suspiciously dulled at the center of her lips.
Wallace sighed.
“Hello, Marquita.” He kept his voice as normal as possible. He wasn’t the embarrassed one. He’d been watching his father’s affairs and divorces for three decades.
If anything, he should thank her for leaving his father in a better mood.
“Mr. Wollencroft!” she squeaked.
“Yes, hello. Is my father ready for our meeting or does he need a few more minutes?”
“I, uh, he might need a few more minutes?” She scurried to her desk and took a seat.
Wallace sighed again. “Listen, Marquita. You’re a smart woman.
Who you sleep with is your business. But your employment isn’t conditional on it.
If you want to keep your work professional, just ask for a transfer to another department and come to me if my father puts up a fuss.
” Not that he could really promise that if he was leaving, but he could put her in better hands.
Mr. Chaudry’s, for example. Where she’d only be expected to do her actual job.
“Or talk to HR if you want. Sexual harassment is illegal, and I’ll back up your claim. ”
Marquita blinked at him, her blotchy lips rounded in an O.
“If you go along with this thing…” Wallace waved a hand vaguely toward his father’s door.
“Well, don’t get too attached, because he’s got a wife right now and at least one other mistress.
Just take him for all he’s worth. He’s using you, so you can use him right back.
Make him pay off your college debts or your kids’ tuition or whatever. Tell him you need a new car.”
“M-Mr. Wollencroft!”
He rolled his eyes. “I’m Wallace. My father’s Mr. Wollencroft, and he’s a dickhead.
” Man, did that feel good to say. “My father won’t marry you no matter what he says because he’s racist, and he thinks you’re ‘exotic’.
” He made the air quotes with his fingers.
Marquita’s skin was a burnished bronze, and he was pretty sure she was Dominican.
“So if he’s treating you like a sex worker, enjoy what you enjoy, but make sure you get paid for every penny of the work you’re doing. ”
Was he being too pushy? Overstepping the hell out of this conversation? Definitely. But he’d also seen the red-rimmed eyes of previous personal assistants who’d fallen for his father’s invisible-to-him charms and thought they were heading toward marriage.
“I… I’ll think about it,” she said shakily. She dabbed a tissue to her eye, and then her lips.
Shit. Was she going to cry?
“Uh, sorry to lay it all out like this.” Only now did he feel awful for being so blunt.
Before he’d just been pissed at his father, not even really thinking about Marquita’s feelings.
“I guess, talk to HR if you need to. Or you can talk with me.” Not that he had any idea what he would say.
“But I apologize again. I shouldn’t have just blurted all that out.
You deserve privacy. And you can make your own choices. ”
He really wasn’t good with people. Even with Daddy’s new rules, he too often hid in the background, too fearful to say anything, or he blurted out way too much information that should have stayed in his head. And now he’d hurt someone with his thoughtlessness.
Marquita drew in a huge breath, then straightened her shoulders. Her eyes blazed with some newfound strength. “No, it’s fine. Thank you. I… I needed to hear that, I guess.” She nodded, more to herself, it seemed, than him. “Yeah, I needed to hear that.”
He nodded back, not really sure what to say right now.
“He really calls me exotic?” she asked.
“I mean, I haven’t talked with him about you in particular…” He trailed off.
“Dickhead,” she spat. “You know, I probably would have gone along with anything else, but…”
He shrugged. “No judgment. Uh, my boyfriend is actually a spark and a sex worker. Or, uh, he was. Not that I’m saying you are…” He waved his hands frantically. “Just… no judgment.”
He wasn’t sure why he was telling her all of this. He didn’t know her at all. And she’d just slept with his father. But she was in a vulnerable position, and he figured that, well, that he didn’t want her to feel so alone.
So now she was the first person at Orbit—the first person at all, other than Angel, Magnolia, and Maxamillion—who knew that he had a boyfriend.
And he was fucking proud of his boyfriend.
She gave him a wide smile. “You know, Wallace, I heard that you were…” She struggled for a word. Wallace could only imagine.
“Doesn’t matter,” he told her.
“At any rate, you’re a good guy. Don’t let your father put you down.”
He gave her a wry smile. “Easier said than done.” He looked at the office door. He was definitely late for the meeting now.