Connected To Him (ManxMan)

Part 2: Chapter 50

Chapter 50: Cross-Over

Ethan held onto Chris's proposal for a week instead of immediately telling Grace or anyone else. He didn't want to miss the opportunity to brag. He was going to milk this contract for everything it was worth. And that meant waiting until the next Team Leads meeting to bring it up. During that time, Ethan really tried to get comfortable with his new role. It was a lot of clerical work, balancing breaks and responsibilities, and watching over his team members. There was little time to actually do IT work. Then when Ethan finally found time to consult, he ended up having to give the account to a team member because they had nothing to work on.

His promotion ended up being a lot less about working with computers and more about getting other people to do so. But this time, with the Puma account, Ethan was going to do that all on his own.

"Are you going to another meeting?" Amira, a consultant on Ethan's team, asked after Ethan completed their morning check-up. She noted Ethan turning off his computer and getting ready to leave. Ethan nodded, his smile self-satisfied, anticipating what was to come. "Good luck. I'll see you when you get back."

"Yeah. Hopefully, I'll see you working and making us some money," Ethan joked, wagging his eyebrows at her. Instinctively, Amira checked a pin in her hijab while she rolled her eyes.

"You mean making Grace money, but sure, that."

Ethan was still laughing as Amira went back to her desk, waving at him over her shoulder. Maybe it was bleak to acknowledge how little their efforts affected their paychecks, but Ethan chose to be positive. This was his moment. His redemption.

The lanky blond man felt like Beyoncé as he walked to the meeting room. Other team leads filtered in, tired, calm, and ready to dominate the meeting. None of them knew what Ethan had in store.

Once again Ethan sat at the end of the long table. Once again he watched everyone share their new contracts. And once again Grace singled him out, asking if he brought any clients. Ethan looked around the room, finding eyes staring back at him, amused. Instead of sinking further into his seat, Ethan sat up, a small smirk on his mouth.

"I actually secured a contract with Puma's Toronto office," He announced proudly, watching the shock set into the faces of those around him. "They need to completely rework their database and filing systems."

His coworkers' reactions were everything Ethan hoped they would be. Eyes shot to him with laser focus. The jealousy was palpable. Instead of making Ethan the butt of the joke once again, they watched as he became the star. Grace sat up in her seat, eyes widening in excitement.

"Puma," She repeated, her voice slightly breathless as the word echoed in her mind. "That is quite the contract. Make sure you tell them that we're excited to work with them. And, push them to pay for a larger plan."

Unfortunately, that was the end of his glory. Ethan's big reveal lasted less than two minutes and everything was back to normal. The team leads waited for Grace to go then filtered out after her, and Ethan was left alone. It was a great moment, just terribly fleeting.

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Chris saw the moment Ethan stepped onto his floor. Ethan texted him last night, wanting to give Chris a heads up about his visit. As a result, Chris was on edge of his seat the entire day, waiting to see him. Naturally he quickly noticed Ethan walking onto their floor with Mohammed, the head of their IT department. Mohammed's steps were inconsistent, he was walking forward but turned behind him repeatedly to speak to the taller man. Ethan followed him steadily, his suit and briefcase professional while his expression was still, serious. Not an ounce of his usual goofines was to be found. Chris watched him go, waiting to catch his eye. But Ethan's gaze never wavered, focused straight ahead at the office Mohammed headed towards.