Even with the extensive directions Rocky gave me, I couldn't help but feel like I didn't really know what to do; he was a bit intimidating. He had told me to wear a dress and heels, yet I still had trouble picking out exactly what to wear. What dress did I own would translate from office attire to evening wear in the blink of an eye? I settled for a dark blue dress that had loose short sleeves and a knee length flowing skirt. I paired it with a pair of classic white heels . My makeup and hair were subtle but I nodded at my reflection in the floor length closet mirror.
Outside the window, I could see a black car pull up along the curb and within a minute, my phone buzzed to confirm it was the car that had been sent for me. I shoved my laptop, notebook, and a few pencils into my bag with my wallet and keys and made my way towards the door.
"Where are you off to looking all hot like that?" Bree chuckled from the kitchen. She was cooking herself some breakfast in only a button down shirt -- obviously not hers -- and panties.
"I have my first day of interviewing for my project," I smiled back at her. "And I need to get going right now, so can't talk. I have no idea when I'll be home." I walked right past her and out the door. I couldn't afford to be even a second late.
When I got out to the car, the driver was waiting by the door, holding it open. "Good morning, Ms. Penova," he greeted me with a courteous smile and slight nod.
I raised my eyebrows but smiled back. "Good morning..." I slid into the backseat and the door shut gently. All of this felt like over-doing it already, but I wasn't about to say anything to anyone in complaint. I was lucky Rocky was even agreeing to let me into his life, so however he wanted to go about it was fine with me.
The first stop was at Starbucks, of course. I hadn't forgotten his coffee order. After ordering, the wait was a bit long. Everyone was getting their mid-morning fix at the same time, like this was the only Starbucks in L.A. My name was called and I grabbed the coffee and made my way back to the car, where the driver was waiting once again. He opened the door and nodded at me as I got in.
"Do you mind if I ask your name?" I asked him once he got back into the driver's seat. "We're probably going to be seeing a lot of each other."
He glanced up into the rearview mirror as if he were surprised at my question, but the same soft smile returned to his face. "I'm Max. We'll be arriving at Mr. Lynch's office in about 10 minutes, which should put you right on time, Ms. Penova."
And sure enough, within 10 minutes, we were parked outside his building. I walked up to his office and was greeted by Linda, who told me to go ahead back. "Be sure to knock first," she advised me. I nodded and thanked her before making my way to his door.
I knocked three times quickly with my fist against the wood and waited.
"Come in," an even voice called back and I pushed the door open. Rocky looked up from his computer when I walked in and then looked right back at the screen. "Ah, Nicole."
I held out my arm, offering him the coffee. "Grande Cafe Americano," I confirmed.
"Yes," he took it and brought it to his lips to taste it. "Have a seat." He finished typing and looked over to me. He didn't look exactly thrilled to have me, but I could tell he was putting forth a certain effort to appear polite. His eyes looked me over slowly from head to toe before his dark eyes met my light green ones. "I have a full schedule today, so you're going to have to keep up. You may take notes, but you are --"
"Your shadow, I remember," I finished his sentence, but saw how his lips turned down at the corners when I interrupted him. "Sorry."
He huffed lightly and stood up, making his way towards the door. When I didn't get up right away, he turned around raised his eyebrows at me. "Well, Nicole?"
"Oh!" I gasped and picked up my notebook and a pencil, hurrying slightly to keep up with his stride. He walked with conviction and each of his steps equaled about three of my own small strides. "So, have you always known you wanted to work in this field?" I asked him, assuming it was alright to ask questions since we were the only people in the hallway.
"Have for a while," he answered shortly, keeping his gaze ahead of him. And that was it.
"How long is a while?" I followed up, trying to get a little more substance.
He sighed and stopped at a door. "Just a while," he repeated. He straightened his shirt and jacket slightly and twisted the watch on his wrist so it was positioned perfectly before pushing the door open. That was my cue to stop talking. I sat in the corner of the room and took notes on how he interacted with his clients and tried to draft a few questions to ask him.
I noticed a difference in his demeanor while he was talking to his clients. For the first time since meeting him, I saw him smile. His eyes softened and brightened as he talked about music, and I could tell this was more than just a job for him. It was what he was passionate about. When he listened to others talk, he twisted his rings around his fingers and clasped his hands together. After he was finished with his meeting, they shook hands and he turned and left the room with the same confident stride that he entered with. I got up silently but quickly and followed.
He gave me his lunch order and sent me on my way to the restaurant across the street to pick it up. We sat in his office and ate lunch while he worked. I took this as an opportunity to get more out of him. "So you said you have four siblings," I led. "Are they close in age to you?" He did a head movement that was hard to translate. This was not going to be easy at all. "What are their names?"
"Give it time, Nicole," was his simple response. "I'll reveal things like that in time."
For some reason, whenever he used my full name like that, it made me feel strange. He was definitely keeping me at a distance. I wondered just how much time it would take before I would be able to get any information of substance for my piece. But I accepted that challenge from the beginning, and I wasn't going to give up.
Once Rocky finished his lunch, he was off again, making his rounds throughout the building. Again, I struggled to keep up with him. My heels made a tinkering sound against the floors twice the speed of his own steps. I had been with him nearly a full day and I didn't even have a half page of information in my notebook. "So, what do you like to do for fun?" I asked. "Do you have any hobbies?"
"Sure," he replied as if it were a dumb question.
"And?" I pushed.
"In time," he said again and I did my best to repress a groan.
I sat through yet another meeting and by then, it was the end of the work day. "About tonight," I asked as he gathered his belongings. "What function are we going to exactly?"
"It's a press dinner," he said simply. He barely looked at me as he spoke now, too busy making sure he had everything he needed. His body moved fluidly and quickly. "And I need to go to my place to get ready. You will come with me." It wasn't a question or a request, but a statement. And with that, he was out the door again.
So he was already inviting me over to his house? Maybe he was ready to start revealing more of his private life to me. I followed him down to where a car was waiting for him.
"Do you live alone?" I asked him.
"Yes."
I scribbled the note onto my page and when I thought of my next question, I had a feeling I already knew the answer. "Do you have a girlfriend?" I said cautiously.
I could basically hear him telling me the same mysterious response he had been saying all day. Give it time, Nicole. But I was met with a rather abrupt response instead. "Isn't that a bit too personal?" he said almost too quickly.
"You're taking me to your home right now, but asking you if you have a girlfriend is too personal?" I basically scoffed, but reminded myself to keep my tone professional and polite.
He didn't respond with words, really. But when I glanced over to him, I could see that he was chewing on his bottom lip and his eyebrows were furrowed in thought. He was looking down at his phone screen, but it didn't look like he was really reading anything. His eyes didn't move or blink. He just stared down at it as an excuse to avoid me. I found myself wondering what exactly he was thinking about.
