The Kaiser Account

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The Kaiser Account

ISBN # 978-1-78651-437-0

©Copyright Louise Blaydon 2016

Cover Art by Posh Gosh ©Copyright May 2016

Edited by Ann Leveille

Pride Publishing

This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Pride Publishing.

Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Pride Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.

The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.

Published in 2016 by Pride Publishing, Newland House, The Point, Weaver Road, Lincoln, LN6 3QN

Pride Publishing is a subsidiary of Totally Entwined Group Limited.

THE KAISER ACCOUNT

Louise Blaydon

The life of an ad man in 1960s New York is all about risk-taking, but not until Evan Jones meets the man from Kaiser, Mark O’Brien, does he fully understand what that means…

It’s 1965. Evan Jones is an account manager for a major advertising company in New York City, engaged to the boss’s daughter in a halfhearted sort of way, gradually making his way up into the highest ranks of the company, and into the boss’s favor. The Kaiser Motors account is one they’ve been angling at for years, and Evan has absolutely no intention of letting it slip through his fingers.

But the man from Kaiser, Mark O’Brien, is not what Evan is used to dealing with and, moreover, is someone who hits him right where it hurts—in the long-repressed part of him that prefers men and is ashamed to admit it. When it comes to O’Brien, ‘going to any length’ has a whole new meaning, because O’Brien wants Evan—and worse still, Evan wants him back. O’Brien, in the space of a night, shows him something more than the staid life is possible. Can Evan take the risk and close the deal?

Dedication

For Nancy.

Trademarks Acknowledgment

The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

University of Texas: Board of Regents, The University of Texas System State Agency

Chevy: General Motors Company

Superman: DC Comics General Partnership

Chapter One

When Evan Jones graduated high school, his father gave him a green silk tie. There was nothing particularly remarkable about it, beyond the fact that it was genuine silk and pulled nicely smooth when Evan wrapped it around his fist, but Evan liked that, its conservatism a sure shield for many sins. He liked the gesture, too—it meant something. A silk tie said ‘You’re growing up, son. You’re going to make it.’ These were things Evan had needed to hear when he was eighteen and uncertain, heading off into the great wide world of the University of Texas system. Whenever he was in doubt, the tie was there to remind him that he owed someone something, that he could manage it. The tie said, ‘Yes, you can.’

Over the years, the unremarkable tie acquired its own special significance. Evan wore it when he needed to feel that reassurance tight under his collar, whenever he was gunning for something important. He wore