Chapter 60:  His Name is Joseph Massey

                  Friday morning, Harold had just let out a passenger and was about to swerve back into traffic when a squad car drove up and stopped at his door and hindered him.

“Officer?”  Harold addressed the policeman.

“Stay in your car, cabbie,” the officer ordered Harold and then he got out of his car with his ticket pad in his hand.

“What?”  Harold was stunned.  He had no idea what the officer was about to tag him for.  He didn’t break any traffic laws that he knew of.  He hadn’t been speeding, running lights or even illegally parked.  “What is it officer?”

“Are you aware that you driving with an expired inspection sticker on your cab?”

“What?”  Harold looked at the sticker and noticed it had expired a week ago.  “Sorry.  I didn’t realize.  Usually the dispatcher at the station keeps abreast of that kind of thing.”

“Hey!  You’re the one driving the cab.  So, you are as much responsible as anyone else.  So, I got to give you a ticket.”

“Can you give me a break, Officer?  I can’t afford another point on my CDL.”

“Oh, so you are a habitual…”

“No.  No.  Nothing like that.  It’s just I’ve been stressing a lot lately on the account of I have a sick child, Officer.  So, can you cut me some slack and just give me a warning instead?”

“Hey, my own child get sick from time to time but I don’t let that interfere with me doing my job properly.”

“My daughter is chronically sick, Officer – cancer victim.”

“Oh wow!  Sorry, to hear that,” the officer really sympathized just then.  “How old is she?”

“Twelve.”

“That’s really young… huh?  Well, I tell you what.  I’ll just give you a warning this time but I have to request that take this cab immediately back to the station and that it remain off the road until the inspection sticker is renewed.”

“Thank you, officer.  I’ll take care of it immediately.”

*

                  “What’s up, Theodore?  You should be in the office already,” Brian reprimanded his CFO when he received a call from Ted when he was supposed to be inside Brian’s office that very moment and sitting directly in front of him.  “You’re late, Theodore.  Where are you?”

“Boss, I’m stranded on the highway.  I’m having car troubles and I’m waiting for a tow truck.  I’ll grab a cab in as soon as I can.”

“Fine.  Get here when you can but there are some matters that can’t wait.  So, stay on the phone with me; and I suggest you get your Ipad, laptop, or what have you, out right now.”

“Sure, Boss,” Ted grabbed his briefcase and put it on his lap and got out his mobile devices and conducted business right there and then.  He was still on his cell with Brian and very much on the job when the tow truck arrived. 

The mechanic latched Ted car onto the tow truck and then Ted while still conducting business with Brian, sat inside the truck next to the mechanic, and he drove Ted to the garage with him.  And, because Brian was so demanding that he wouldn’t even relieve Ted long enough to call himself a cab, Ted wrote the instructions on a piece of paper, passed the note to the mechanic requesting that he call one for him.

*

                  “Come on, Perry!”  Harold was giving his supervisor hell.  He was really pissed because he had to abandon the cab with the expired inspection sticker on it.  But there were no other cabs available to take out.  “I got to get back on the road.  I need every damn fare I can get.  You know my kid’s sick with cancer and every penny I get my hands on goes toward her treatment.  I can’t be out of work because you forgot to get the inspection…”

“Hey!  Harold!”  Another driver Joseph Massey called out to him.  “I going off duty now.  Why don’t you take this cab?”

“Thanks, Joe!”  Harold anxiously ran up to him, grabbed the keys, got inside and took off to pick up the most recent call-in fare.

*

                  “Boss!  My cab’s here now,” Ted informed Brian the moment he saw his cab pull up in front of the mechanic’s shop.  But Brian told him not to hang up that business matters were still urgent.

Ted with all his mobile devices in hand, hurried to the cab, got the back door opened, hopped inside and settled immediately in the back seat.  “Umm… ummm… ummm…” Ted stuttered when he saw the handsome face of the man from Babylon who called him cute.  The brunet who he thought looked amazingly like Brian.

“You again,” the driver looked back at Ted, recognized him and gave him that that same seductive smile he gave him that night inside Babylon.  “Where to?”

“To work,” Ted said all nervously.  “I’m giving the driver instructions, Boss.”  Ted carried on two conversations at one.

“Okay, set back and relax.  I’ll take you to work.”

“Thanks,” Ted said and he expected the driver to get the cab moving then, but instead he just sat idle looking back at Ted and smiling lustfully at him.

“Umm,” Ted continuously blushed bashfully.  “To work,” he said once more and wondered why the handsome cabbie hadn’t driven out yet.   “I wasn’t talking to you, Boss,” Ted then told Brian. 

“Umm… how about shifting the car to drive, getting it moving and take me to my job?”  Ted readdressed the cabbie, and suggested but tried to keep all demanding air out of his voice.  “I’m still talking to the cab driver, Boss, not you.”

“I’d love to take you to work, but only one problem… ummm…”

“It’s Ted.” 

Brian then said that he knew who the fuck he was.

“Well, Ted.  It might make it a TED bit easier to get you to work if only you were to tell me exactly where TO WORK is.”

“Oh, silly me,” Ted burst into laughter.   “You must think I’m an absolute idiot.” 

Brian then told Ted he does think he’s an absolute idiot and an unemployed one if he doesn’t hurry his ass back into the office. 

“I wasn’t talking to you,” Ted said to Brian once more.

“No, you’re no idiot.  I think you’re more charming than anything else,” the driver flirted with him.

“Umm… ummm.”

“What’s the address, Ted?”

“Oh it’s the Kinnetic Building on…”

“I know where the Kinnetic Building is, Ted.  I’ll get you there in a jiffy.”

“Ohhhh, oh kay.”

The driver then turned around in his seat and put the car in motion. 

There was so much more that Ted wanted to say to the driver.  He especially wanted to get his name and exchange numbers with him, but Brian was so demanding on the phone, so Ted had to get really serious about giving his boss his undivided attention.  Ted then started looking around for one of those large identification cards they make cab drivers display inside the cab that gives the name and identification information about the driver.   Ted trying to conduct business with Brian while at that same time trying to extract information off of the card, glanced briefly at the data but he only data he extracted from the card was a name that read Joseph Massey.   So, Ted naturally assumed that that was the handsome brunet’s name. 

And, while Ted was still on his cell and other mobile devices conducting business with Brian, the driver’s phone rang and he started conversing with someone.

“Yeah, Vivian!  What is it this time?” 

Although Ted’s attention was mainly with Brian, he only half listened to the driver’s conversation, and at least he got gist of the mood of the call, which was quite agitated in the beginning. 

“Give me a break, Vivian, damn it,” the call started off that way, and then the driver said a several more harsh things to the caller.  “I’m divorcing your ass, woman; don’t you recall.”

However, there was a long pause and then the driver resumed talking and ended the call in a totally different mode.  Suddenly, he was all smiles and laughter when he said, “Hi there, sweetheart.”  [Paused]  “Yeah, I’m in love with you too, sweet baby.” 

And, Ted watched as the driver made kissing noises into the phone.

“Love you too, sweetheart.  Bye-bye.”  The call ended there.

Ted figured those were some helluva phone conversations.  And, had the driver not flirted with him twice already, he would have pegged the man for straight after hearing all that.  Therefore, he’d love to sit down over a cup of coffee and get the full scoop from the handsome driver.  Obviously, he just spoke with two different people on the phone.  The first person he spoke with was obviously a woman (his wife) and they are in the process of a divorce.  But who was the second person on the phone with him Ted wondered.

The wife thing was rather puzzlingly to Ted though.  He had to wonder was that an indication that ‘pretty-boy’ has been in the closet or is he possibly bi.  And, the second person he spoke to whom he kept calling sweetheart was that a male or a female?  It could definitely be kind of interesting finding out; and Ted hoped Brian would give him a breather so he could talk to the driver.

However, Brian kept Ted conducting business during the full duration of the ride.

So, when the driver pulled up in front of the Kinnetic Building, Ted, believing he at least got the driver’s name, just paid him and got out of the cab (still on his cell conducting business with Brian) and the cab instantly sped away.

*

Ted was still on his phone with his boss as he rushed inside the Kinnetic Building, got on and off the elevator and then was quickly face-to-face to Brian.  Ted went immediately from talking on his cell to the CEO to conversing with him in person.

“Hey!  Bri!  I would like you to know, that you really put a damper in my love life when you wouldn’t let up off me for a second… you know.”

“I pay you to work not to get fucked.  But, a love life, Theodore?  When and where did you get one of those?”

“I’d like you to know that I didn’t do too badly at Babylon that night Emmett and I were there.”

“You got laid?”

“How come, Boss, you can sound both condescending and proud of a person at the same time?  I don’t know anybody else who can do that.”

“So spill, Ted?  Who was he?  And, who was the top and who was the bottom?  I bet I can guessssss,” Brian teased.

“His name is Joseph Massey,” Ted still assumed that because that’s what he saw on the card.  “But it hasn’t gotten that far yet but…”

“Then it won’t,” Brian called himself completing Ted’s sentence.

“It might very well still happen, Briannnnn,” Ted chastised him.

“Did you two exchange numbers (at least)?”

“No.”

“Dream on, Theodore.” 

Ted kind of wanted to tell his boss that man he met looks a lot like him but Ted had already told Brian that he could never be attractive to him.  He had also told him that he couldn’t understand what it is that Justin sees in him.   So, how was he going to tell his boss that the man he’s all gooey-eyed over reminds him so much of him in more ways than just one?  So, he decided to keep that detail to himself.

“Now hurry to your office, Theodore.  I have an appointment in about…”

“Here’s that appointment now, Brian,” Ted said as he was hurrying out the door pass Brian’s appointment.  “Hi, Kip… Mr. Thomas,” Ted greeted the man on the way out.

“Hi, Mr. Schmidt,” Kip greeted him back.

“Have a seat, Kip,” Brian instructed him to sit down in front of him.

“Thanks, Mr. Kinney.”

“Brian… please.”

“Thanks, Brian.”

“Well, first of all, Kip, congratulations on your new promotion to Senior Advertising Executive.”

“Thank you, Brian.  But, I don’t expect to stay in this position long though.”

“Oh, you’re leaving the company so soon after being promoted?”

“No… no… nothing like that.  What I meant is that there’s a rumor that the V.P. job in your advertising business might be opening up; and…”

“And, you haven’t gotten your feet wet with this position yet; and already you’re eyeballing the V.P. position?

“I’m sure I can handle that job, Brian.  I’m a very ambitious guy.”

“Slow down, Kip.   I think you’re getting way ahead of yourself.  You aren’t ready for that position yet.  One step at a time… or should I say one position at a time.”

“Sure.  I’ll take whatever position you’ll like me to take, Brian, just say the word… and describe it to me perfectly.  I take instruction so well.”

“Excuse me?”

“Umm… I just want you to know that I’m here for you.  You can count on me, Brian.”

“Well, if you want to get paid I suggest you are here everyday and on time; as well as be fully accountable.”

“Certainly, Brian.  I’m here everyday if you like,” Kip kept piling on the flattery.  “I brought with me some ideas for a new campaign for Eyetronics.  I want you to see.  Do you mind if I get it up and cum around your desk and show you?”

“You can just spread your portfolio out on the table here in front of us.  You don’t have to bring your body around to this side of the desk.”

“Sure.  But which portfolio of mines do you want me to spread across your desk, exactly?”

“Keep it up, Mr. Thomas; and I’ll ask you to spread your letter of resignation across my desk instead.”  Brian distinctively arched his brows at him.

“Huh?   But I saw the video on the Net and I thought…”

“Obviously, you thought wrong.  For one, I just fucking got married less than three weeks ago; and two, Brian Taylor-Kinney never ever fucks his employees regardless.  I’m more likely to fire my employees’ ass than fuck them in it.   So don’t let this kind of thing happen again or I will terminate your ass on the spot.  Do you understand me, Mr. Kip Thomas?”

“Yeah.  Sorry.”

“Sorry’s bullshit.  Now let’s see what kind of ideas you have for my advertising company…  never mind what ideas you had had for my cock.  That’s just isn’t going to happen.”

“Umm, I’m sorry about coming on to you like that but I was very serious about the V.P. position though.”

“Again… that’s another thing that isn’t going to happen… at least not this soon.  Has nothing to do with you personally though.  It’s just that you’re not fit for the V.P. position, or my cock.”

“I think I am.”

“Excuse me!”

“I mean for the V.P. job – not your cock.”

“Mr. Kip, let’s concentrate on the job at hand right now.”

“Sure.  But later can we discuss the V.P. position?”

“No, we can’t.  There’s a big difference, Mr. Thomas, between ambitious and pushy.  Right now you over the top with the pushiness.  I’m meeting with you about your promotion to Senior Advertising Executive not the V.P. of Advertising.  So, let’s not wander away from the subject at hand again.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Thank you.  And, save the ‘sir’ for my old man… I’m Brian.”

“Yes, Brian.”

“Excuse me, Mr. Thomas.”  Brian pardon himself when Cynthia buzzed the intercom.  “Yeah, Cynthia?”

“I hate to interrupt, Brian.  However, Leo Brown is on the line and he said neither Jim nor Gardner showed up in Chicago for today’s meeting.  You know the one that was rescheduled and moved up to today.”

“What!”  Brian bitched angrily.  “Neither Jim nor Gardner showed up there in Chicago!  You have to be fucking kidding me, Cynthia!  I’ll fry both their ass!”