The Willingness to Burn (3 page)

“Nah, he looks like he’s had enough.” Brent stood up and slapped Jace on the arm. “Sorry, kid, you’re an easy target.”

“Oh, I know.” Jace chuckled.

“So … Give us a few minutes to discuss, and we will be back,” Brent said, letting his will be known.

Jace stood up. Brent grabbed his hand and squeezed. He smiled and nodded at Jace. It was a look of respect.

“Mark, why don’t you walk us out?” one of the other men said.

“Sure thing.”

Mark stood up and pushed the door open following Brent, his two partners, and the blonde girl out.

Jace let out a sigh and rolled his head back on the rest of the expensive leather seats that lined the conference room. He stared up at the ceiling and prayed, “God, don’t let this be the end of me.”

Moments later, Mark burst back into the room. Jace snapped out of his meditative state and sat up at attention.

“Well?” Jace stared desperately.

Mark shook his head. “Doesn’t look good, no indication at all.”

“Fuck.” Jace let out a deep breath. “So what now?”

Mark’s face expressed a sympathetic frown.

“Now you go to your office and pack your things.”

“Mark.”

“No. I told you this going in. This was sink or swim. You knew that and you accepted the risk. Now accept the consequences.”

“But maybe they’ll sign when they come back,” Jace pleaded, knowing deep down that it was more than just a long shot.

“
If
they come back,” Mark stated boldly.

“Mark … that girl.”

“I don’t care, Jace. Go pack your things. You can stay until lunch. By then, one of three things will happen.” Mark began counting on his fingers. “One, they won’t come back. Two, they will come back to politely tell us to fuck off. Or three, and I’m only including this one to not sound like a pessimist, they will come back and sign. And you won’t be in that office anymore anyway. So go pack your shit. And be prepared to celebrate or mourn … Emphasis on mourn.”

Jace stood up. He nodded somberly and walked around the deep mahogany table. He glanced down at the polished wood for just a second. Jace locked eyes with his own reflection—as he stepped away, it moved out of sight, much as his career had at the firm.

Back at his office, Jace closed the door behind him and leaned against it for a moment. He took a deep breath and let it out. Jace walked over to his desk and began stacking papers and shuffling his things about. He was moving them around but wasn’t making any progress at all. Jace began to stare and not move anything. Just stared into the clusterfuck that had become his life. He could start at another firm, but then he would be an analyst again. And maybe he could move up quicker, having experience. But eight years, eight fucking years.
What was I thinking? How could I throw it all away like that?

Sometime later, the door opened and Dexter walked in.

“Hey, man, how did it go?” Jace looked up at him and shook his head. “That bad, huh?”

“Yeah, apparently coffee isn’t the shirt color people prefer.”

“Sorry, man.”

“Yeah, so I’m out of here,” Jace said, looking up from his desk.

“You’re out of here?”

“Yeah, that was deal, if I went in and failed, I’m out.”

“Holy shit, man, I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Yeah.”

The door swung open. Mark stood there looking at Jace. He could see the stress in his eyes. The pending weight of failure crushing down on his shoulders. “Don’t slit your wrists yet. They’re back.”

“What!” Jace shot up, sending his chair to the back of the room.

“They’re back, let’s go.” Jace rushed around his desk and followed Mark quickly out of the office and down the hall.

“So this is a good thing, right?”

“We’ll find out.”

“I mean, if they’re back.”

“Shut the fuck
up
.”

The two men entered the large impressive reception area. There, Brent sat patiently on a white suede couch with his associates sitting to either side of him. He was engaged in conversation with the woman and laughing about something when he noticed them. He stood up. The others joined.

“Brent, shall we go back to the conference room?” Mark asked.

Brent smiled and extended his hand as to say go ahead. The three men walked and Jace locked eyes with the blonde girl and she rivaled his eye contact as she followed them. She turned her head to stare at Jace as she walked past him and then adjusted her skirt forcing his gaze down at her assets. Jace followed in the rear and was the last in the conference room.

Everyone took their seats, and Mark began.

“Brent, we both know …”

“Hang on a second, Mark,” Brent interrupted. “I’m going to level with you, with both of you.” Brent looked at Jace and then back to Mark. “I had no intention of ever going with you guys. I was really more interested in a bigger named firm.”

“Well, Brent—”

“Mark, please. A Goldman Sachs, something like that,” Brent continued. “This was more of a courtesy and because I promised to get some perspective before making a decision. And perspective is what you gave me.” He turned his eyes toward Jace. “You know, Jace, I played college football. I was a safety.” Jace nodded. “It’s the most important position and do you know why?”

“You’re the last line of defense,” Jace responded quickly.

Brent paused, he was not expecting an answer to this rhetorical question, much less the
right
answer. “You’re absolutely right. Because you’re the last line of defense, and when you’re the last line, there are no excuses, you have to play and you have to play your hardest. No matter if you’re sick, or hurt, or what kind of morning you had.” Brent grinned.

Mark’s eyes opened just a little wider as he realized what was happening.

“So, when I see a young man, who’s covered in coffee, getting humiliated by me and my crew here, and he still gives a hell of a presentation, he still pushes for a signature, I see someone who plays hurt, and plays his hardest no matter what. So based on that, Jace, why don’t you show me where to sign?”

Brent grinned and Jace stood motionless for a moment, then snapped into purpose. Jace opened the paperwork to the back page and stood over Brent pointing his hand. His fingers were shaking with anticipation, but with some focused effort, he was able to still them.

“Right there.”

Brent signed and stood up. He grabbed Jace’s hand and squeezed.

“And I can’t fault you too much … You’re wearing my coffee.” Brent laughed.

“She told you?” Jace asked.

“Yeah, I told them in the elevator when we first got here.“

“Yes, she told us about this guy she threw coffee on, then we walked in to see you. I almost pissed myself!” Brent said laughing and slapped Jace on the shoulder.

“All right, now, this signature is contingent upon one thing.”

“What’s that?” Jace said, smiling. Brent reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. When he opened it up, he took out an AMEX business card. He handed the card to the blonde girl. “Maddy, go get this nice young man a new outfit.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Mark said.

Brent glanced coldly over his shoulder at Mark.

“I insist,” Brent demanded, then he turned his gaze back toward the coffee-stained man.

“Jace, I’m expecting big things from you.”

“You won’t be disappointed.”

“I know.” Brent looked back at his team. “All right, guys, let’s get out of here.” The three men walked out with Mark as their leader.

“So, I’ll wait for you in the lobby?” Maddy asked.

“Was he serious?” Jace asked coyly.

“Oh yes. In fact, if there’s not a bill from a clothing store on this card tomorrow, I’ll be in trouble.”

“Hmm, well, we wouldn’t want that, would we?”

“No, no, we wouldn’t. So I’ll be in the lobby. Oh, and after we get you some new digs, you’re taking me out to lunch, because I totally gave you the alley-oop on this sale.”

Jace laughed. “Deal.”

Maddy walked out of the conference room and turned her head to see Jace once more before stepping out of the door and letting it swing closed.

Jace leaped off the ground and punched wildly into the air. “Wheeeeew!” he let out in a low but strong throat sound. Then landed and cleared his throat and adjusted his jacket. Moments later, Mark walked back into the conference room. He calmly locked the door then gave the “Oh my fucking God” look to Jace.

“That was fucking
amazing
,” Mark declared.

“Right?” The two men embraced in a celebration.

“Jace, seriously, one of the best pitches I’ve ever seen you do. And goddamn if it wasn’t for the right person.”

“Thanks.”

“So wait, what did he mean it was his coffee?”

“Well, what I was trying to tell you before, is that the girl that was with him, Maddy,? Mark nodded. “She’s the one who threw coffee all over me.”

“No shit.”

“Yeah, right before I came in,” Jace explained.

“Wow.”

“Yeah, no wonder, right?”

“Well, shit, if it was that easy, I’d get coffee thrown on me before every meeting,” Mark joked.

“I know, right? Hey, listen, she asked me to take her to lunch after we get—”

Mark interrupted. “Go! Get out of here! Expense everything. Take to her to lunch, dinner, the fucking Caribbean for the weekend, I don’t care.”

Jace laughed. “Hey, don’t tempt me.”

“Hey, man, you just landed us ninety seven million dollars. Go nuts.”

Jace tilted his head to the side. “All right, I think I can do that.”

Chapter 3

“Hey,” Jace said, walking out to the pretty blonde reading a magazine in the lobby.

She grinned. “Hey yourself.”

“So shall we?”

“After you, Sir,” Maddy responded.

Jace stepped forward and opened the glass door. “No, after you.”

Maddy smiled and eyed him up as she walked thought the transparent doors. Jace followed her and they walked out into the vestibule and Jace pressed the button for the elevator.

“So where are we going?”

“Well, funny you should ask. I asked Brent where I should take you and he sent me an address.”

“So, where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise,” Maddy teased.

“I hate surprises.”

The elevator dinged and the steel doors opened to an empty room. Jace extended his arm and Maddy stepped in the room.

“Oh, you’re no fun, but you are polite.”

Jace smirked. “I certainly try.” He smiled at her. “All right fine, I’ll go on your mystery trip.”

“Like you had a choice.”

Jace nodded his head to the side in silent concession.

*

The couple walked the crowded street to their destination. Upon reaching the store, Jace recognized a dark wood frame around the building store front. The carved sign “John Philips” cast overhead, a sure sign that he was in the presence of a place that required a little more than a junior account man’s salary. The door swung open. It was a nice space. The building obviously was not meant for mass consumption. The doors were composed mostly of a wood substitute and had an old world class to them that couldn’t be matched by today’s modern buildings.

“After were done here, we’ll go have some fun,” Jace said.

“We can have fun here too.”

Jace raised an eyebrow. “Oh, really?”

“Yeah, all depends …”

“On what?”

“How good are you on your toes?” Maddy asked with a devious grin.

“I’m better on my back,” Jace responded quickly.

Maddy laughed. “You’re trouble, aren’t you?”

To that, Jace winked.

A short man approached them upon entering the store. He was adorned in a classic almost butler-ish outfit. However, you could tell from the texture of the cloth that the man was no butler. His graying hair was impeccably slicked back and his mannerisms were proper to all respects.

“Good morning, Sir. How can I help you?”

“I think I …,” Jace began.

“He needs a new suit, shirt, and tie,” Maddy completed for him.

Jace glanced back at Maddy.

“We can certainly help you with that, Sir. My name is Richard; it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Thank you, Richard, I’m Jace, this is Maddy.”

“Will Maddy be joining us?”

Before Jace could response, Maddy spoke out. “I’d better be, I’m his wife.”

“Oh, I’m quite sorry, ma’am.”

Jace paused and averted his gaze from the gentlemen to the blonde behind him. Then he looked back at the man.

“Ex-wife. Don’t worry, she makes that mistake all the time.” Jace glared back at Maddy falsely, allowing himself a grin after Richard turned his head.

Maddy pursed her lips together and stared him down. Jace winked at her.
Two can play this game
, he thought to himself.

Richard led the couple into a sitting room complete with a small stage used for measurements and fittings that had been surrounded by mirrors. He walked them to a pair of matching, supple, leather chairs and extended his arm offering them a seat.

“Can I offer you a two a drink?”

Jace smiled to himself and glanced at Maddy. “Well its five o’clock somewhere. Sure, I’ll have a scotch, and my wife will have a glass of Pinot Grigio.” Maddy opened her mouth to object but then said nothing.

“Ma’am?”

Maddy nodded. “That would be great.”

“Certainly, and let’s see if we can find you something that you’ll love to replace that suit.” Richard beamed warmly.

“That would be great.” Jace smiled back as Richard vanished into a different part of the store. As soon as he was out of sight, he quickly turned to his co-conspirator.

“So, what were you going to say?”

“When?” Maddy asked innocently.

“Just now.”

“Oh, I was going to correct you and order the right drink.”

“And what stopped you?”

“Well, I didn’t want to blow your cover; a man who doesn’t know his wife’s drink of choice isn’t very believable.”

“Ex-wife’s drink, and by blow my cover you mean that I totally nailed it.” Jace waggled his eyebrows.

“Pinot is a good shopping wine! Everyone knows that!”

Jace laughed.

A younger man, no older then eighteen but still dressed well, came out with a tray with their drinks on it.

“Thank you,” Jace said as the young man placed their drinks on the end table.

“You know, I’m told that Pinot is a great shopping wine.” Jace grinned.

“Is that so?” the young man responded.

“So I’m told.”

The young man smiled politely. As he was retreating back from once he came, Richard returned carrying a light-gray suit. The moment his eyes fell upon it, Jace fell in love. It was a similar pattern to the formally uncoffee-stained suit that laid upon his shoulders, only it was constructed of a much better material. The suit was made of wool but could have passed for silk. The pattern was rivaled only by the texture, and upon touching the formidable fabric, Jace felt an instant lust for the amenities that are afforded to hedge fund manager, a man who can afford to come here and pay Richard nearly ten thousand dollars for an ensemble.

“That’s perfect.” Jace beamed.

“Do you have anything in a darker color?” Maddy asked.

“But of course.”

Jace snapped out of his fabric-induced daydream. “Nah, you know, I like this one.”

“Well, it wouldn’t kill you to at least look at the darker one,” Maddy jeered.

Jace gritted his teeth. Not really angry, just playing the role and glanced back at her. “No, darling, I suppose it wouldn’t.”

Richard brought out the next suit, and it looked just as exquisite as the first one. Jace threw it over his shoulders, and yet again, when the fabric touched his skin, he got the same warm feeling of futuristic nostalgia. It was a beautiful piece of craftsmanship. He eyed himself in the mirror.

“You know, I think I’m going to go with the lighter option.”

“Very good, sir.”

Jace took off the jacket and handed it to Richard.

“You’re just saying that because I suggested the darker one.”

“Yes, I am.”

“That’s so childish.”

Jace turned away from Richard and faced Maddy.“
You’re
a child!”

Maddy stood up, seemingly angry. “I’m your
wife
.”

“
Ex
-wife.”

Maddy gasped and threw her hair to the side. “How could you?”

“Well, since we’re divorced, that makes you my ex.”

“That makes us separated.”

“Seriously now?”

“We’re not legally divorced yet.”

“That’s because you won’t sign the paperwork,” Jace countered.

Maddy changed her stance and facial expressions from aggressive to playfulness. “This is so us.”

Jace’s eyes shot open. He took two slow paces toward Maddy. She inhaled deeply and extended her hands behind her as though she was reaching for the wall.

“Tell me again,” he said.

“Tell you what?” she said coyly.

“You know what,” Jace continued to close the gap between them.

“You’re the best I ever had.”

Jace grabbed Maddy by the throat and held her firm. “Say it again, louder.”

“You’re the be—”

Jace pressed her hard against the wall. He planted a strong kiss on her lips, and upon the converging of their two mouths, he felt the texture of her tongue, the smell of her hair, and the feel of her skin, and he realized that the best amenities aren’t bought at a custom tailor. The two parted their lips and Jace looked over his shoulder.

“Guess we lost him. “

“Yeah,” Maddy responded and threw her arm around his neck and pulled him in closer for a kiss. Their lips met, and with the synergistic effects of two merging lightning storms, their energies transpired as their lips and tongues gently played with one another. Their lips parted ways yet again.

“I was wondering how long it would take you to kiss me,” Maddy said.

“It’s barely eleven,” Jace said in his own defense.

“Sweetie, you had me at, ‘Why are you laughing?’”

“Oh, you’re an evil bitch.”

“You know it.”

They embraced again for a kiss. At that moment, Richard walked back into the room. He took two steps in, and at this point was able to witness that he may have returned a moment too soon so he stood at the entrance to the room and cleared his throat.

They broke again, and Maddy began to whisper softly to Jace, “I do think you should go with the charcoal gray, though. It brings out your eyes more.”

“My eyes are brown.”

“Yeah, but they’re light brown. Trust me, I’m good at this sort of thing.”

Jace looked to the side and smiled then looked back at his blonde companion. “You win.”

Jace looked about and his eyes fell on a patient Richard waiting in the doorway.

“I think we’re ready.”

“Yes, Sir.“

Jace walked over and picked up the glass of wine; he handed it to Maddy and grabbed his glass of scotch.

“I think we’re going to go with the charcoal-gray suit.”

“Are you sure, Sir?”

“Yes … My wife, ex or not, is quite convincing.” Jace took a sip of his drink.

“Very good, Sir.”

Maddy sat patiently as Jace got fitted for his suit. After being fitted, he picked out a new white shirt, put it on, and casually threw out his original suit jacket. That thing was a relic of an older lifestyle anyway. It was merely a key that had broken upon opening the next door in his life.