Sweat rolled off Ethan’s face and dripped onto his half-soaked t-shirt. He pulled back his arm and swung another left hook into the punching bag suspended in the musty basement gym. The sunlight filtered through the barely opened windows and illuminated the specks of dust that fluttered around lazily with each punch Ethan threw. He pounded the bag again and again until his arms ached and the anger inside him slowly seeped away and dissipated.

Ethan stopped, panted for breath and used his mouth to pull apart the Velcro strip. He pulled off his tattered boxing gloves, first one and then the other. With the back of one hand, he wiped his wet, sweaty face and stepped backwards. His back rested against the peeling paintwork on the wall.

“I’m glad I’m not that punching bag right now.” Billy stopped jumping rope and gave Ethan a guarded glance. “Will you tell me now at least?”

Ethan took a long swig of water from his sports bottle.

“What’s happened?” Billy persisted.

Ethan slid slowly to the floor as he pushed his back into the wall. He closed his eyes and ran the cool bottle over this forehead. “I got laid off.”

“No way.” Billy put the skip rope down and slid to the floor. “When?”

No reply from Ethan.

“Just you? Or others?”

“A couple of us. Eddy says there isn’t enough work to go around. He’ll let me know when he’s busy again.”

“Sorry, man.” Billy knew how tough it was because, despite having a good job as a games programmer, even he had months where the money just did not cover all his bills. He was lucky that he put money away from the early days when business boomed.

Ethan closed his eyes and leaned his head back. What was he going to do now? He had needed that money for the materials, and without the materials he was not going to get his sculpture finished in time.

“It’s not too late, you know,” ventured Billy, chewing thoughtfully before he uttered his next words.

“For what? I’ll try anything, as long as I can pay the rent and have some left over to live on.”

“You could always join our dance troupe.” Billy waited for Ethan to make his excuses.

But Ethan was pensive. He opened his eyes, and turned sideways to Billy.

“How much does it pay?”

“Now that there’s just three of us, around a hundred dollars a night each, on a good day. Sometimes maybe a little less.”

Ethan thought about it. He shrugged his well-muscled shoulders and shook his head. Droplets of sweat streaked down his face. Somehow, he just couldn’t see himself in a dance act, not now, and not dancing half-naked either.

“I can’t.” He shook his head.

“Come on, Ethan. It’s not that bad. You need the money, and we could do with another dancer.”

“I’m not a dancer.”

“But it’s in your genes. You can move! It wasn’t for nothing that you and Jake spent those long hot summers street dancing.”

Back in Fresno, where he grew up, Billy’s older brother Jake and Ethan had been best friends. As teenagers, they had gotten into the street dancing scene and became excellent performers, learning from MTV music videos mostly. But that was a long time ago. Jake was happily married and settled now. His younger brother Billy had come out to San Francisco years ago, scouted around for games programmer jobs and had done well as a freelancer. Ethan and Billy had found an affordable rent-controlled converted house and they had been there ever since. But the programming jobs weren’t always consistent and Billy had decided to join a male dance troupe act on the side, as an easy way of earning extra money.

“We’re talking more than a decade ago,” said Ethan testily. “I can’t move that way now.”

“I’m not asking you to hip-hop. These are easy moves. Sure, you have to have rhythm and you’ve got to be able to move. But you can move, Ethan. Take off a few clothes and bam! Easy extra money on the side.”

“If you expanded your programming skills, I’m sure you’d make way more.” Ethan scratched his chin. Billy was smart and had a clever mind.

“I need to pay the bills. And so do you,” countered Billy defensively. “And it’s kinda fun, too.”

Ethan groaned and rubbed his forehead. Things were going from bad to worse lately. He thought he would be secure and settled by now. Not married or anything, but settled with money and savings and a secure income.

“Can’t you try modeling again?”

Ethan snorted. It was nice of Billy to come up with all these ideas, but nothing appealed to him. Yet he knew he was not in a position to take a job that appealed to him. He had to take on something, anything that paid money and paid it quickly.

“I’m too old for modeling now. It was only a short contract and that was many years ago, Billy.”

Billy chuckled beside him and nudged him in the ribs. “Yeah, though you did meet that hot chick who worked for one of the magazines. What was her name? Janey?”

“Jenna.” How could he forget the summer he met Jenna? Sparkling blue eyes and a body that filled out tank tops well enough for her to attract more than a passing glance wherever she went. She knew it, too.

“I’m too old for modeling. Good money while it lasted, though.” He heaved himself up off the floor.

Billy carried on, “Did I tell you about Tyler?” Tyler had initially been the fourth member of the Dreamboys Dancers but he left after a few months.

“What about him?” Ethan offered his hand to Billy and helped him off the floor.

“He left us to work as a male escort. Sounds like he’s doing well, too.”

Ethan grunted. “Doing well as a male escort? You serious? You want me to try that?”

“It’s just an idea, Ethan. A way of earning extra. You don’t want to join the Dreamboys Dancers. You don’t want to try the male escort work. Do you think money’s just going to appear out of thin air?” Billy left it at that.

Ethan sighed heavily and flexed his hands in front of his chest. “Is this what it’s all come down to?”

“Huh?”

“Is this all there is?” asked Ethan dejectedly.

Billy looked at Ethan, not sure what to say. “Want to hang out tonight and go to Rocco’s later?” he asked helpfully.

Ethan shook his head. He did not have money to pay the rent and could barely afford to eat. He sure as hell did not have the money to throw away on a night out with the boys.

“Going to the workshop again?” asked Billy.

Ethan nodded and flexed his feet in his running shoes.

Billy poked him in the back. “You really are getting too old, buddy.” He moved out of the way before Ethan threw a playful punch at him.

Nadine sat at her desk and gripped the pencil so tightly that it snapped in two. Her hands shook and she bowed her head down. She took in a few deep breaths.

“What’s going on back there?” Renee’s head of dark brown ringlets shot up from behind the partition that separated both women on opposite sides of the same desk.

Nadine looked up but her smile betrayed the rage that poured out of every cell in her body.

Renee took one look at the broken pencil and waddled along on the swivel chair to Nadine. She put her plump, rounded arms around Nadine’s shoulders and gave her a little squeeze.

“Nadine, honey. What’s the matter?” If ever an earth mother could have worked at an advertising firm and still kept hold of her motherly qualities, it was Renee. Her soft arms enveloped Nadine. “Tell me.”

“I can’t work here anymore. I dread meetings. I dread having anything to do with him,” she said through gritted teeth. “Look at this.” She showed Renee an email that Nathaniel had just sent her. It was to do with a marketing conference a couple of weeks away. “He wants me and him to go. He’s asking me if he should go ahead and book rooms.” Ordinarily, this would have been a normal enough proposition. But Nadine had put up with her boss’s moves for long enough. And she could see right through his motives.

“Say the word, just say it, and I’ll go over and punch the crap out of him,” said Renee angrily.

Nadine shook her head and covered her face with her hands. Just then her cell rang and she grabbed it. After a couple of nods and a sad, “Thank you for letting me know,” she snapped it shut.

“I didn’t get it. The interview I went for a few days ago.”

Renee gave Nadine another hug. “It’s not the end of the world, honey. Don’t take it so hard.” She let go and moved back a few inches to give Nadine the space to recover herself.

Nadine nodded her head vigorously, and her rich auburn head of curls shook as she fought to compose herself. She looked up at Renee with a fierce determination, but there was an air of sadness about her. “I honestly don’t know what I would do if you weren’t here. You make every day bearable for me, Renee. But I really needed that job.”

“Honey, cheer up. You just have to be patient.”

“I’m still waiting to hear on one more.” Nadine slunk back in her chair and crossed her long legs. She tapped impatiently on the table with one end of the broken pencil.

Being ever-optimistic, Renee answered, “You never know. This one might be the one for you.”

“I’d take anything, even a sideways move for the same money, same level of responsibility, just to get out of here. Either that or I’m going to do something stupid that I’ll regret. Don’t ever let me go to a meeting with him with any sharp objects in my hands because I don’t know if I’ll be able to ignore another pass!”

“Thank the Lord I’m not his type!” chortled Renee, and her belly laugh resounded around their end of the large open-plan office. But then her face became more serious. “It’s not even that we have an HR department that you can go and complain to.”

Nadine leaned her elbow on the table and placed one hand on her cheek. “The man owns the company and everything in it,” she said wistfully. Her eye caught sight of a new email that had just landed in her inbox and her voice trailed off.

“What’s happened now?” asked Renee anxiously.

“Oh, nothing. It’s an email from Casmount. They want another meeting.” She opened the email and gave it her full attention.

Renee let out a noise that was guttural. “I don’t know why you still give so much of yourself to the job and his company when he’s harassing you on a daily basis. There’s perfection and loving your job, and then there’s downright stupidity.” She snorted disapproval and scooted back to her desk on her chair.

Their friendly banter and wonderful friendship kept them going in the small advertising company of NC Media. It was owned by thirty-eight-year old Nathaniel Clements, who possessed the arrogance and ruthlessness of a man who had been in business for over a decade. He sat in his own office at the far end of the open-plan area where Renee and Nadine shared a large desk.

The rest of the floor was arranged in little groups of four to five people at a desk. With around forty people, it was a small sized company, but its longevity in the cutthroat advertising world meant that it had good repeat business and good turnover even during the economic downturn. Nadine thought she had made a good career move when she accepted a job here as head of marketing. Renee had been there five years as a copywriter, and they worked well together.

Renee had lasted that long because she did not live to work, unlike Nadine. She was happily married to her college sweetheart and was the mother of two teenage children. She had a life outside of work. And she was not the type of woman who caught the eye of Nathaniel Clements.

Nadine Stefano, on the other hand, was suffering because she had caught the attention of her lustful boss. She was ambitious, smart, in her mid-thirties, tall, slender, and totally driven. But he didn’t like her because she was driven or because she was an asset to his company.

Nathaniel Clements liked Nadine because she was eye candy.

At thirty-four, she was a good ten to fifteen years older than his preferred age range but she made up for that with her pretty face, lean body, and the way she carried herself. She was sexy and attractive and had no real idea just how attractive she was. There was nothing more exciting to him than a woman who looked as sexy as hell but who did not have a clue about her sexiness.

“Want me to go in with you when you have your next meeting?” suggested Renee.

“No. I’ll handle this.”

“Nadine, you’re shaking,” said Renee worriedly.

“I can’t work here anymore, Renee. He wanted to take me out to dinner earlier. I think he’s asked me every week.”

“You would think he’d get the hint by now.” Renee raised her eyebrows and tut-tutted. “Some men can’t take no for an answer.”

“So it seems.”

“Storm heading your way.” Renee uttered her warning and drew her breath in sharply.

A few seconds later, the well-maintained Nathaniel Clements showed up at Nadine’s side. He smiled smugly, with his hands deep in his pockets. “How’re my dynamic marketing duo doing?” he asked cheerily. He addressed only Nadine and completely ignored Renee.

“We’re doing great, Nathaniel,” replied Renee with such exaggeration that Nathaniel was forced to acknowledge her.

Thank you, Renee. Nadine knew what was coming next.

“Nah-deeeen,” he dragged out her name longer than was necessary, “what’s the latest on the Casmount proposal? I’m worried we’re going to slip on the deadlines. Maybe we can meet tonight to discuss progress?” He kept his hands buried deep within his pockets.

Nadine’s stomach did a queasy backflip, and the appetite that she had had in anticipation of her Friday lunch with Renee instantly evaporated.

“It’s running to schedule, Nathaniel, as I discussed just a few days ago at Monday’s meeting. I don’t think we need to meet so soon.”

Nathaniel ummmed. “I see. Maybe we should pencil something in for this coming Monday anyway?”

Monday is good. It means I don’t have to suffer with you this evening.

She had not realized it, but Nadine had held her breath, and when she replied, she let out a long sigh. “If you think it’s absolutely necessary.”

“I do and it is. Monday then.” Nathaniel smiled even more, looking like the ultimate victor. He gave Nadine a knowing look before he disappeared past Renee’s desk.

“I hate that man,” Nadine whispered when he had gone. “Hate him. I didn’t think it was possible to hate someone that much. But I do. Hate! Him!”

“Take me with you when you leave, honey,” begged Renee from her side of the partition.

“He’s a scumbag.”

Renee joined in. “A man like that would have to pay for a woman to spend the night with him.”

“He probably already does.”

The two women giggled, sharing a close bond in their united front and shared hatred of the man they worked for.

Renee’s hushed voice floated over from behind the partition. “We’ll think of something for Monday.” Then she popped up her head, beaming from cheek to cheek. “But Monday is a long way away. Are you ready for lunch?”

Although Nadine had lost her appetite, she knew that a lunch with Renee was just the thing she needed.

“Let’s get the hell out of here,” she said.

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