Chapter 10

Jesse

Jesse paced up and down the sidewalk in front of her building. She wrung her hands together and took in several slow, deep breaths to try and steady her racing nerves. She was about to have a private lunch with Hal Roberts, and she could not quite decide on how she should feel about it.

Some part of her was excited. It was not every person who got to sit down and have lunch with a movie-star billionaire, much less a young and attractive one. And it certainly wasn’t everyone who got to pick and pry at his personal motives for directing one of the best-selling films of all time. Her stomach lurched at the thought of his green and gold eyes boring into her as she asked him all the questions she had.

Jesse resisted the urge to run her hands through her hair, lest she ruin her up-do that she had worked so hard to create so that she would look decent for this lunch. Jesse repeated in her mind that this was just an interview. There was no reason for her stomach to be fluttering the way it was. She looked up and down the street, only to realize that the action was futile as she had no idea what kind of car they would be driving.

Jesse looked down at her watch, which read twelve fifty-eight. She had been outside since twelve fifty-five, just in case they were early. She schooled herself not to feel so anxious, but a part of her couldn’t shake the thought that this was all a ruse, and she was standing out on the sidewalk waiting for a ride that would never come.

Soon, though, those thoughts were all banished. A silver and black Range Rover pulled up to the curb. The back door opened, and Jesse’s stomach clenched as Hal stepped out of the car with a faint smile. She caught a whiff of his cologne and blinked to clear her mind as she moved over toward the car.

“Good afternoon,” Hal said smoothly as she approached the vehicle.

“Good afternoon,” Jesse responded, as composed as she could sound.

Jesse got in the car as Hal held the door open for her and buckled her seatbelt as he shut the door and moved around to the other side. She looked out of the car and could see the eyes of the various passersby lingering on the celebrity that had just appeared there. It was not long until Hal was safely and securely back in the car, and Adam pulled back out into the street. Jesse could see the eyes linger on the car until it had long abandoned the sidewalk in front of her office.

Jesse looked over at Hal to see that he was smiling at her.

“Yes?” she asked, raising an eyebrow, trying not to let on how incredibly unsettled she was just by being in his presence.

“Nothing.” She shrugged as his eyes twinkled. “You seemed a little overwhelmed.”

“Well, I guess it’s a little overwhelming,” she admitted.

“You get used to it,” he smirked. “You’ll have to deal with it too when you become the journalist extraordinaire of our time.”

“Right,” Jesse scoffed.

“That is what you want, isn’t it?” Hal asked, and Jesse frowned a little.

“I mean I guess everyone wants recognition for their work,” she said. “But honestly, I feel lucky enough just to have a job in the first place.”

“I know the feeling.” Hal chuckled. “It’s always rough going at first, and you get lucky enough if you manage to stay out of the porn industry along the way.”

Jesse couldn’t help laughing, if only because it was quite true.

“But once things get going ...” He shrugged. “It makes everything else worth it.”

“Well, I can’t speak from experience,” Jesse said. “But I can see that it’s certainly true for you.”

Hal smiled over at her and then turned to face forward in the car. Jesse did the same and silence reigned in the vehicle. Adam soon pulled the car into a parking garage. Once the car was parked, Hal immediately got out, and before Jesse could even move to open the door, Hal was there getting it for her.

Jesse gave him a slight smile as he offered his hand and helped her get down from the car. Then, he easily placed her hand on his arm and led her toward the entrance of a building that Jesse was unfamiliar with. Jesse hesitated for a moment, feeling a rush of insecurity, and Hal looked back at her, raising an eyebrow.

“Sorry.” Jesse laughed nervously. “Am I … am I dressed well enough to go in with you?”

Jesse had put on her nicest dress, a very nice shade of dark blue, as well as a pair of nude heels and a gold necklace that her mother had given her. Still, though, she had no idea what the level of sophistication was for this venue and didn’t want to go in and embarrass herself.

Jesse blushed lightly as Hal’s eyes traveled over her body, and a small smiled lighted upon his face.

“You look very lovely,” he assured her, his voice carrying amusement, but also sincerity. “Relax. You have nothing to worry about.”

Jesse nodded, appreciative of his assurance, though she did tighten her grip on his arm out of her lingering anxiety. Hal gently patter her hand and proceeded to move toward the entrance yet again.

They stepped through the doors, and Jesse was overwhelmed by the rich, savory scents that filled her nostrils. The ambiance of the place was quiet and private. The largest table was set for four, and there was a great deal of space between each table. The lighting was dim, and the furniture was dark, with the floors a deeply stained hardwood. Jesse suddenly felt more comfortable and more nervous all at once.

The host smiled at them as they entered.

“Good afternoon Mr. Roberts,” he said, his voice crisp and courteous. “Your table will be right this way.”

Hal smiled and followed the host over to a booth in the very back of the restaurant. Jesse slid into one side and Hal into the other. The host handed them each a small menu. No sooner had the host left them than a waiter appeared.

“Good afternoon.” The man inclined his head to them. “How may I get you started this afternoon?”

“We’ll each have a glass of water,” Hal said easily. “And we’ll also each have a glass of your house red.”

“I’ll get all that right out to you,” the waiter said with a small smile and promptly turned to go get their drinks.

Jesse had yet to speak a word, and she was beginning to feel quite odd. Hal looked over at her and tilted his head.

“Everything alright?” he asked her.

“Oh, fine,” Jesse nodded. Hal raised an eyebrow at her, and she blushed.

“I’m just not used to having people order for me,” she explained slowly, and Hal’s face spread into a somewhat playful smile.

“You must not have met very many gentlemen in your time,” he said, his tone carrying a bit of an edge to it.

Jesse opened her mouth to respond but was interrupted by the return of the waiter. He set down a glass of water in front of each of them, as well as a wine glass. He then poured each of them a glass of wine.

“Actually, leave the bottle,” Hal said as the waiter made to withdraw it. “One of us will probably need more before this meal is over.”

“Of course.” The waiter gave him a nod and set the bottle on the table. Hal gave Jesse a wink from across the table, and she couldn’t help blushing a little at the mischievous flicker in his eyes.

“Are you two ready to order?” the waiter asked them.

Jesse was at a loss, having no idea what was on the menu. Hal seemed to be able to read her thoughts exactly, and a slow smile spread over his face.

“We’ll have two orders of your lunch special today,” he said softly. “Both medium.”

The waiter gave a single nod.

“Will that be all?” He looked between them.

“For now,” Hal confirmed, and with another nod, the waiter turned and left them.

Jesse fidgeted in her seat for a moment, beginning to feel a strange mixture of emotions. She was certainly unused to having people order her food without so much as asking what she preferred. A part of her was annoyed, but another part of her was grateful, and yet another part of her was somewhat excited.

“So,” Hal said, snapping Jesse out of the private dwellings of her mind. “I suppose there’s no better time to start all this than now.”

For a moment, Jesse was confused. Then, she recalled that the only reason they were having lunch in the first place was so that she could continue their interview.

“Right,” she breathed. She reached into her purse and took out her recording device and a small notebook.

“Is this alright?” she asked, regarding the recorder.

“Of course.” Hal smiled at her, and Jesse hastily looked down at the recorder and began fiddling with it.

“Alright then,” she breathed out. “Here we go.”

Jesse hit the record button and then settled back in her seat to look across the table at Hal.

“Back to where we left off,” she prefaced. “These questions will be in regard to your personal involvement in the movie.”

“Yes, of course.” Hal gave a slow nod.

“Alright,” Jesse sighed, ready for opposition no matter what he claimed. “What were some of your more personal reasons for choosing such a sensitive topic for your movie?”

Hal seemed to think for a moment, and Jesse waited with bated breath for his response.

“I suppose …” Hal said, frowning for a moment as he thought. “Well, before I was an active actor, you have to understand that there is the part that includes getting out there and getting noticed. Well, I think that’s the hardest part. It exposes you to your own vulnerabilities. And more than that, I was exposed to the insecurities and vulnerabilities of others.”

Jesse scribbled furiously in her notebook. She looked up at Hal to see an uncomfortable expression on his face. She waited expectantly for him to continue, and at last, he sighed, running a hand over his face.

“Another thing you have to understand,” Hal said, “is that this path isn’t an easy one to take. I made it, but not everyone does. But the links you form with the people you meet are incredibly strong sometimes.”

Again, Jesse wrote hastily in her notebook.

“I assume that’s where you drew most of your inspiration?” Jesse asked, prompting him to continue.

“Well, yes and no,” Hal answered. “A good deal of my inspiration came from inside myself. I drew upon the time I became depressed. That’s easy to talk about for me; in all honesty, I just haven’t let people really know about it because it seems silly to dwell on my own mental illness, especially now that I have recovered, and I am, in fact, quite successful in my endeavors now.”