2nd Fill: Business Propositions (2/?)
anonymous
November 5 2011, 18:47:52 UTC
"How generous of you." He returned, yet again facing the wall with unfocused attention. The office just outside the door was bustling with activity. A pool of secretaries, interns, and the like all going about their business. The place had seemed completely normal from the outside, everyone up to this point had been nice, the pay would be a godsend.
He had been so looking forward to it. A weight off his shoulders for the first time in months. Without actual visas, working abroad had been hard to impossible, and the hefty sum of money he'd managed to drain from his accounts before he came over was being dumped into humble living costs for himself and Raven, but mostly legal costs to fight the Markos over his stolen fortune.
The man was right, Charles had nothing left. The money on this job was supposed to cover the legal fees and keep them in their small flat. He'd been depending on it. Hell, the job wasn't even supposed to be anywhere near up this high on the food chain. He was supposed to be working three floors down in the company think tank. He was supposed to only communicate with Lehnsherr through quarterly company emails talking about profit margins and birthday parties.
Why was he still standing there? He should just leave. Find another way.
The sound of pen on paper caught Charles's attention, dragging it back over to the desk where Erik had taken a seat. Opened up on the expansive desk was a small book of checks, and Erik was writing something on one in script too small for Charles to read.
...the amount of zeroes he stretched over the check didn't escape Charles's attention though.
Like a blade dropping on a guillotine, Erik ripped the check out, placed it flat on the table, and leaned back comfortably into the imposing black chair all CEOs tended to have. A quick flick of gray-green eyes indicated Charles should look at the piece of expensive paper, and hesitantly, inching forward like a scared animal, Charles did.
He almost immediately staggered back again.
Sitting on the desk, written in Erik's hand, was a check made out to one Charles Xavier for a million dollars. Even.
"Are you mad!" Charles exclaimed without his usual restraint.
Erik didn't answer that question, he just continued staring with that dispassionate look, lacing his long fingers together over his stomach.
"Consider it an employment bonus on top of your upcoming paychecks." He said.
Charles pinned him again with his gaze, trying to find some kind of trick, some overtly malicious intent, well, besides the obvious. What if the man kept wanting this to happen, kept holding this over his head. Where would it end?
"You'd only have to do it once." Erik said, as if he could tell what Charles was thinking, "After that, I won't seek you out again."
Charles really had no reason to believe him, yet again he didn't really have to. Even just with this one check he could buy himself enough time to find something with an employer who had some sense of morality.
"I'm straight, you know." Charles said bluntly, the words sounding desperate even to his own ears.
Erik's eyes narrowed, but he didn't reply to that. Charles wasn't surprised, Erik didn't seem the type to care about his partner's opinions. Perhaps it was better just to not think about it.
He had been so looking forward to it. A weight off his shoulders for the first time in months. Without actual visas, working abroad had been hard to impossible, and the hefty sum of money he'd managed to drain from his accounts before he came over was being dumped into humble living costs for himself and Raven, but mostly legal costs to fight the Markos over his stolen fortune.
The man was right, Charles had nothing left. The money on this job was supposed to cover the legal fees and keep them in their small flat. He'd been depending on it. Hell, the job wasn't even supposed to be anywhere near up this high on the food chain. He was supposed to be working three floors down in the company think tank. He was supposed to only communicate with Lehnsherr through quarterly company emails talking about profit margins and birthday parties.
Why was he still standing there? He should just leave. Find another way.
The sound of pen on paper caught Charles's attention, dragging it back over to the desk where Erik had taken a seat. Opened up on the expansive desk was a small book of checks, and Erik was writing something on one in script too small for Charles to read.
...the amount of zeroes he stretched over the check didn't escape Charles's attention though.
Like a blade dropping on a guillotine, Erik ripped the check out, placed it flat on the table, and leaned back comfortably into the imposing black chair all CEOs tended to have. A quick flick of gray-green eyes indicated Charles should look at the piece of expensive paper, and hesitantly, inching forward like a scared animal, Charles did.
He almost immediately staggered back again.
Sitting on the desk, written in Erik's hand, was a check made out to one Charles Xavier for a million dollars. Even.
"Are you mad!" Charles exclaimed without his usual restraint.
Erik didn't answer that question, he just continued staring with that dispassionate look, lacing his long fingers together over his stomach.
"Consider it an employment bonus on top of your upcoming paychecks." He said.
Charles pinned him again with his gaze, trying to find some kind of trick, some overtly malicious intent, well, besides the obvious. What if the man kept wanting this to happen, kept holding this over his head. Where would it end?
"You'd only have to do it once." Erik said, as if he could tell what Charles was thinking, "After that, I won't seek you out again."
Charles really had no reason to believe him, yet again he didn't really have to. Even just with this one check he could buy himself enough time to find something with an employer who had some sense of morality.
"I'm straight, you know." Charles said bluntly, the words sounding desperate even to his own ears.
Erik's eyes narrowed, but he didn't reply to that. Charles wasn't surprised, Erik didn't seem the type to care about his partner's opinions. Perhaps it was better just to not think about it.
Christ, was he actually considering this?
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