Dwayne warned him, “Just don’t slack off on your tax work. Or if you do slack off, just make sure you bring in enough new clients where John and Barry won’t mind as much.” Then he smiled again. “That’s when they’ll move you up to manager and ask you to explain how you did it. So begin to prepare yourself for that conversation. I had to do that myself years ago. Along with pulling on a tougher coat of skin that I have to wear now.”

Ivan heard Dwayne out and understood him a lot more now. He nodded thoughtfully and said, “I’m glad we finally had this conversation, man. Because, to be honest with you, I had no idea who you were or what you represented.”

Dwayne heard that and held up an index finger of caution. He said, “Ivan, just like I’ll maintain your business as your business, I’ll expect you to do the same with mine. So I don’t want you treating me any differently now. That means no ‘What ups,’ no ‘Hey, brothers,’ no funny handshakes; none of that stuff. You understand me? Because I don’t need any of that extra attention around here.”

Ivan understood his point and laughed. Then he deadpanned with a final nod, “Okay…sir,” he joked.

Dwayne stared at him to settle him back down from the humor.

Ivan understood his glare and repeated, “I got you. This meeting was about nothing more than our usual tax work.”

Dwayne nodded and remained stone-faced. He said, “You get yourself prepared to explain your methods, Ivan. And I have nothing to do with it.”

He then closed the paperwork on the new clients whose folders sat out on his desk and stood up to show Ivan back out of the office.

“We’ll have you sign off on the new clients by the end of the week.”

Like clockwork, as soon as Ivan stepped out of the private meeting with Dwayne, Chip appeared behind him at his cubicle.

“Hey, Ivan, what was that all about?”

Ivan looked up at him and let out a long, tired sigh. “Just your typical tax issues, man. Nothing you want to know about.”

Before Chip could ask anything else, Dwayne called him out.

“Chip Garrett, you’re next. My office, please.”

Chip looked in his direction. “Okay.” As soon as the middle manager walked back inside of his office, Chip complained to Ivan again.

“Shit. I don’t need this, this morning,” he grumbled.

When he walked off, Ivan was all smiles. If Chip only knew, he told himself. He’s probably the main guy that I have to watch out for. Me and Dwayne.

Ivan then looked at his cell phone to see about the call he had missed a minute ago. He read the 310 area code of the phone number and froze. It was his brother calling from L.A.