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Romy looked like he had a million questions, but fortunately he let it drop.
After lunch, Nana sent us off with bags of baked goods, and we thanked her and said we’d see her soon. Romy and Marcus offered me a ride home, but I said, “No, thanks. It’s a gorgeous day, so I think I’ll ride my skateboard.”
Marcus asked, “Isn’t it kind of far?”
Romy finished the thought. “And hilly?”
“It’ll be fine,” I said, as I hung my bag across my body. “I usually carry my board up the steepest hills.”
Romy raised a brow. “And what do you do on the way back down?”
I smiled and told him, “I try not to die.” Then I stepped onto the board with one foot and pushed off with the other as I called, “See you tomorrow!”
As far as I was concerned, skateboarding was the perfect activity. It was fun, exhilarating, a good workout, and transportation, all in one. When you added in the challenge of navigating the crowded streets of a big city, it felt a bit like a live action video game. Sometimes it got a little dicey, like when people stepped in front of me or opened a car door directly in my path, but the rush and the sense of freedom that came with shooting down the hills more than made up for it.
I wasn’t concentrating the way I should be, though. My thoughts kept drifting to Aleksei, and when I was about a mile from home, I ended up hitting a pothole. Fortunately, I managed to land on my feet, running forward with the momentum when my board came to a sudden stop.
That could have gone a lot worse. Rather than push my luck, I went back and picked up my skateboard, and then I started walking.
Pretty soon, my thoughts turned to Aleksei again, and I found myself grinning. I wasn’t sure if it’d end up being a tame night or a wild one, but I was looking forward to our next encounter.
9
Timothy
At five minutes to eight that evening, I climbed out of my Lyft in front of Aleksei’s building and straightened my suit jacket. I’d decided to dress the part, since I was going to his office—not that the security guard at the front desk would care, but it made sense to me to blend in.
I slung my messenger bag over my shoulder and shifted the sack of takeout containers as I opened the heavy glass door. I’d noticed the lobby before, since it was directly across the street from the restaurant, but up close it was even more impressive. It had twenty-foot ceilings and granite floors, and its centerpiece was a towering modern art sculpture made of rusted machinery, which belonged in a museum.
After I checked in with security, I took the elevator to the seventh floor. Then I paused at the door to the suite to rearrange my curls and take a deep breath.
Why was I nervous? Was it because we’d talked a good game the night before, and now I didn’t know if I could live up to it? Or was it just because this was such an alien environment to me? This was Aleksei’s world, not mine, and it was tough to feel like I belonged here.
I made sure not to let that nervousness show as I opened the door and stepped into a posh waiting room. The focal point was a sleek, C-shaped reception desk in dark mahogany. Behind it was a curved wall of etched glass, with a world map and the company name engraved on it. Everything seemed extremely high end and spoke of wealth and success, which was obviously exactly what it was designed to do.
Since there was no one to stop me, I cut through reception and made my way to the back. On my right was an administrative section, with small offices behind it. I figured the CEO would be removed from the rest of his staff, so I went to the left, down a hallway and past a pair of impressive conference rooms.
Aleksei’s office was at the end of the hall. It was huge, with dark wood paneling, and the lighting was soft and warm, which probably wasn’t the case during office hours. A massive desk was dead ahead, with two leather chairs in front of it. The wall on the left was made up of floor to ceiling windows, and the right side of the rectangular space contained a seating area with four dark leather club chairs around a square coffee table. Like the reception area, the main purpose of this office was to impress.
Aleksei’s back was to me. He was wearing a wireless headset and slowly pacing while talking on the phone. I caught the phrase “emerging markets” before he ran out of room and turned back toward the door. It startled him when he saw me standing in the doorway, and he told whoever he was speaking to, “I have to go, but let’s touch base next week.”
