The Boundary

Chapter 1-2

“Gray, Kim will see you now.”

I nodded to the receptionist and got to my feet. My legs felt like spaghetti as I walked down the hallway to Kim’s office. When I got there, it surprised me to see an unfamiliar face. A statuesque blonde was standing behind Kim, her arms crossed over her chest. Her thin lips were pressed together, and I sensed she was yet another person in the crazy store I shouldn’t trust.

“Have a seat.” Kim sighed, and after I did, the blonde woman sat next to me and crossed her long legs. We sat in silence for a few moments while Kim drummed her fingers on the desk. Finally, the woman next to me turned and held out her hand for me to shake.

“My name is Theresa Goldman and I manage human resources for our corporate office.”

I’d just lifted my hand to shake hers, but it froze in place. f**k me, but this was Kim’s boss, and if she’d made the trip from New York just to see me, it couldn’t be good. I shook my head back and forth and briefly took her hand in mine and mumbled “Nice to meet you.”

“Gray, as you know the last few months have been rough in our cosmetics department, and unfortunately you are at the center of the storm.” Kim said, steepling her hands under her chin. Then she opened a folder and glanced down. “The first thing we want to do is thank you for your hard work.”

My mouth dropped open, and I froze. Maybe this would not be as bad as I thought.

“Isabelle Lancray was our lowest performing cosmetics counter and you’ve made it profitable. You are a highly skilled artist and salesman.” Kim said, then she pulled a piece of paper from the folder and grimaced. “In fact, you are a top producer in the department. But…” She hesitated, and then the woman next to me, Theresa interrupted.

“We are very pleased with your performance, but your coworker, Angie Stephens has accused you of s****l harassment.”

“What the… but I’m gay. Everyone knows it, like…” My heart hammered in my chest. Jesus f*****g Christ, but this was insane. I looked at Kim, who wouldn’t meet my gaze, then turned toward Theresa, who did. She shook her head and sighed.

“Yes, we are aware of that, but…” the woman began, but I cut her off.

“You can’t seriously believe this. Like, there’s no way I’d ever…”

“We would like to believe you, we really would, but according to our corporate policy we must investigate the matter, unless...” Kim’s voice trailed off, and I noticed her cheeks darkening. I turned to Theresa who stood up and began to pace behind Kim’s desk. Then she stopped and addressed me.

“s****l harassment is a matter Thalhimers takes very seriously, and we are... aware that you are…”

“Harassment? Why the hell aren’t you protecting me from harassment? Do you realize I could take this to court and…” I stammered, noticing Kim wince.

“We are hoping to avoid that. Kim?” Theresa nodded to her, and then Kim slid a piece of paper across the desk and laid a pen on top of it. “The toxicity of the working environment is detrimental to the health of our business. We are prepared to give you three months severance if you will leave your position immediately. You will agree never to seek legal action against Thalhimers, and will maintain your silence over this matter.”

“This can’t be happening.” I murmured, then felt tears welling up in my eyes. “What about Angie? Why is it I’m the only one who…”

“Let us deal with her. Our only concern now is to protect our business, and while we appreciate the hard work you’ve done while employed here, this has become too big of a problem to ignore.” Theresa snatched a kleenex out of a box on Kim’s desk and handed it to me. “I’m truly sorry, but this is the best we can do for you.”

My shoulders sagged. I knew it was useless to argue this any further, and all I wanted to do was bolt. The thought of a long drawn-out lawsuit seemed hopeless, and despite the fact that I was losing my job, I also felt a certain sense of relief. I reached for the pen, my fingers shaking as I scrawled my signature on the agreement. When I glanced up, neither woman would look me in the eye. Getting to my feet, I crossed the office and opened the door, unable to speak to either of them.

“Your severance will be direct deposited into your account on Friday. We wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.” Kim said weakly, but I didn’t turn around or say anything to acknowledge that she had spoken. Instead, I straightened my shoulders and walked out, knowing I had been wronged and helpless to do anything about it.