Brazen Affairs

Brazen Affairs Copyright © 2023 by Ashley James All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the authors imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or events is purely coincidental. Cover Design: Haya in Designs Editing: Nice Girl Naughty Edits Contents Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen Chapter Nineteen Chapter Twenty Chapter Twenty-One Chapter Twenty-Two Chapter Twenty-Three Chapter Twenty-Four Chapter Twenty-Five Chapter Twenty-Six Chapter Twenty-Seven Chapter Twenty-Eight Chapter Twenty-Nine Chapter Thirty Chapter Thirty-One Chapter Thirty-Two Chapter Thirty-Three Chapter Thirty-Four Chapter Thirty-Five Chapter Thirty-Six Epilogue Prologue To the girls, gays, and theys. I love you, you beautiful bitches. “And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow fast in movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with summer.” —F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby Playlist You can find the full playlist here. “Rumors” by NEFFEX “Bad Intentions” by Niykee Heaton, Migos “Where Are You?” by Elvis Drew, Avivian “Liquid Confidence” by You Me At Six “3:15” by Bazzi “Walking Disaster” by SayWeCanFly “Push” by Matchbox Twenty “Rapture” by Underoath “6 ft Deep” by Kina, Galvanic, Silent Child “Sex on Fire” by Kings of Leon “She Talks to Angels” by The Black Crowes “I Need You” by Yaeow, Kina “Spotlight” by Letdown. “Slide Thru” by Blackbear, Jerry Good “Confident” by Justin Bieber, Chance the Rapper Chapter One Vaughn Drewitt “Hi, Vaughn. Thanks for meeting with me on such short notice. I know how busy you are. Have a seat.” My boss gestures to the chair in front of him. It’s midday on a Friday and I’m on a strict deadline. Busy doesn’t even begin to cover it. “It’s no trouble, Rob. What’s going on?” Taking a seat in front of his large, cherry oak desk, I smooth a hand down my maroon and white striped tie. “Well, as you know, the market’s been a little iffy for quite some time. Business isn’t as booming as it was last year. In an effort to reduce costs, we’ve had to make the tough call to restructure the business, and this has resulted in the elimination of a number of positions in our company. Unfortunately, your position has been selected.” He pauses, eyes watching me timidly, like he’s sure I’m about to flip his desk over in a fit of rage. “Vaughn, I’m afraid we’re going to have to lay you off.” There are moments in your life when something will happen, whether it be big or small, good or bad, and you’ll have this surreal out-of-body reaction. You’re watching the moment from above. Disconnected. This is that moment for me. As my heart hammers in my chest, I fight to grip my bearings. This can’t be fucking happening. I’ve worked for this company for over a fucking decade. I was a college intern at this place. I helped grow this business into what it is today. And they’re laying me off? “You can’t be serious, Rob. I’ve seen this company through so much growth. I’ve sacrificed late nights and weekends. I accepted shit pay for years because I believed in this place. And you’re letting me go? There must be a mistake.” “Vaughn, please know that we sincerely appreciate everything you’ve done for this company. You helped bring us to where we are today. We have hit too significant of a snag to keep the staff we currently have. Difficult decisions had to be made, and unfortunately, you were one of them.” I understand business. I really do. I’m not ignorant enough to believe that cuts can always be avoided and that the market doesn’t fluctuate. I’m also not naïve enough to think the shit going on in the world, in our country, today doesn’t affect the industry I work in. But this company has been my home for my entire adult life. And they’re just letting me go? As if I was nothing? “Rob, please. There must be something that can be done. Surely, I hold seniority over half the company.” I hate the pleading tone in my voice. It’s not who I am, but fuck. “I really am very sorry, Vaughn. If there was anything I could do, I would. Unfortunately, this is just what needs to be done.” The way he continues to add “unfortunately,” even though I know this isn’t unfortunate for him, is grating my nerves. “The company isn’t setting you free, high and dry, though. We appreciate everything you’ve done for us, and we want to offer you a very generous severance package.” He says this like he’s announcing the winner of a new car on The Price is Right. If only I felt like a winner. He flips open the manila folder on his desk, removing a stack of papers and flipping them around so they face me. “We would like to offer you a severance package with six weeks’ full salary, and you get to keep your full health and 401k benefits during that time. If you read over thi—” “Six weeks?! I’ve been with this company for twelve years, Rob. Since I was nineteen years old, and you’re offering me six measly weeks of pay? You must be joking.” “And full health and 401k bene—” “Yes, I fucking heard. How lucky for me,” I deadpan, unable to keep my composure any longer. “There’s no need to get nasty, Vaughn. We’re doing the best we can with what we have. You should