Gardner Vance's Thoughts

I knew that there would be trouble with him as soon as I looked through his personnel file. That the charges were dropped doesn’t mean a thing. The fact is that an employee has accused him of sexual harassment and I know him to be a promiscuous homosexual. Alright, let me clarify that. I don’t particularly care that he’s gay. I care that he’s a—I believe that one word used to describe him was “slut”. I damn well do care about that.

When I saw the young man, that new blond intern, I was afraid that there would be a problem.

He’s young, he’s a beauty and he’s gay—everything, apparently, that Kinney likes in a ‘companion’.

As soon as I saw the looks on their faces in that presentation it was apparent that something was going on and when I tactfully asked some of the workers, found that they had spent time together in his office alone after hours.

I will not allow the man’s lack of self-control and unprofessionalism to threaten what I have here, I don’t care what title he holds.

The young man in question is barely of age, from the look of him and no match for a man so far beyond him both professionally and in terms of ‘experience’.  Dear God. That intern is probably the age of my son.

Now, I’m far from being a prude, but there are limits and taking advantage of one’s position in this sort of thing is beyond the pale.

I also spoke to the head of the art department and I’m told that Taylor is one of the more promising interns we’ve had. I simply can’t allow him to be abused. I’d decided to make a point of seeing Kinney after the NRA pitch. It still annoys me that he’s so damn squeamish about telling the positive side of gun ownership when the account is worth seven figures. I would think the man would enjoy the challenge, for the love of God.

So after sitting him down in my office—home court advantage and all that—I asked him point blank about what the fuck he thought he was doing. I have to admit that the answer wasn’t what I expected from the man.

After I made it clear that his position with the firm was on the line, he asked if what he said would be kept in confidence between the two of us as he would rather that his personal life not be made the fodder of office gossip—as if it wasn’t already! The gall of the man to dictate conditions. Simply amazing.

Finally and with no small amount of hesitation on his part, he admitted that the two of them had an acquaintance of several years duration and that it had been, at some point, a close friendship.

That’s what he said. A close friendship.

I asked him how close and he said that they had lived together on and off for over two years, but had experienced some problems. The boy had left and had now turned up at the agency without Kinney’s prior knowledge.

When I asked him if there was a potential problem I was assured there was not. He also added that whatever is between them is completely consensual, that the boy is of age and has been since they first became involved with one another. He even had the audacity to tell me that their relationship wouldn’t affect their ability to work together one way or the other.

What the Hell a man with the sophistication of Kinney would be doing—beyond the obvious—with this youngster is beyond me and makes me wonder if this will, in fact become troublesome.

Damn the man. He’s the best I have and certainly one of the best I’ve seen, but there are limits and he might well have gone beyond them.

I’ll watch this closely, but I’ll cut him loose if I have to and he knows that.

I’ll not allow this sort of thing to hang over me.

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