“You seem oblivious to it half the time.”
I guess I did ignore some of it. When you spend time as part of a female minority in bars full of drunk men, it was hard not to think that some of them would have hit on me for no other reason than that I was female, regardless of how I acted, what I said, or what I looked like. I therefore learned that getting hit on wasn’t necessarily a compliment and, the later it happened in the evening, the less of a compliment it was.
“Anyway, we’ll see what happens. We’ll see if, when I tell him I’m in law school, he gets all weird about it. It could be our first and last date. I hope not though. He really is amazing.”
This was another one of my problems. A high-powered career was generally considered attractive in a man, but not always in a woman. Admitting to being a law student headed for that high-powered career could sometimes be intimidating to men who weren’t confident in themselves and their careers. Any insecurity on their part was not a result of anything I said or did because I certainly did not project any requirement in that regard on others. Although I could rationalize that, whenever interest waned after this admission, it was more about the other person than me, it still stung like rejection.
After dropping off Rachael in East Hollywood, I got home a little after 1 a.m. I was going to be exhausted in the morning, but meeting and spending time with Will was well worth it.
Chapter Two
I was tired, but at least I had Trial Advocacy on Fridays, which was a lot more interesting than my other classes. Most law school classes deal with theory as opposed to real world practice. This class was the converse. It was scary though in that they made you get up in front of the class every Friday and practice things like opening statements, direct and cross-examination, and closing arguments. I thought it was fun nonetheless and, therefore, the class did not drag on like most. Between my fatigue from insufficient sleep and my excitement at what may lay ahead that night, I could not have withstood a dry lecture.
After class, I had to go to work. My schedule was such that I clerked three days a week. My firm was a relatively small one of about twenty-five lawyers, half of whom were litigators and half were corporate and real estate transactional lawyers, with one going back and forth between both disciplines.
The firm was fairly conservative, having spun off from a much larger and well-known firm that had imploded about a decade before. The dark paneling, mahogany furniture, and green and burgundy hues reflected the tenor of the firm. It was a bit of an Old Boy’s Club. I was soon to be one of only two female attorneys at the firm.
I was like the little sister to the associates, all of whom were male, and all of whom had serious girlfriends. There was none of the tension I might have felt if any one of them had been available. Consequently, I was never really shy with them.
It was Rachael, though, who was my real ally at the firm as she was one of two paralegals and performed somewhat similar work to that of a law clerk. She was also the only other female relatively my age at the firm.
At work that day, I had to help one of the associates with research for a Demurrer to a Complaint, which argues that plaintiff’s pleading fails to state a claim for which relief may be granted. It was pretty straightforward so it didn’t tax my brain too much. It also had a little time pressure which forced me to focus on it rather than my upcoming date.
When I finished my research, it was time to go. I entered my time into the system, and then grabbed my clothes and my makeup to go change and freshen up in the bathroom. I changed into a little black lace spaghetti strap dress, a black short jacket, and black heels – black again as usual. I was overdressed for the Royalist, but I had no idea whether we were starting there or staying there. I figured that it was better to be overdressed than underdressed.
I fixed my makeup, which had run a little over the course of the day, put a brush through my hair trying to smooth it a little, and brushed my teeth. On my way out of the office, I ran into a couple of the associates, one of whom whistled.
“Someone’s got a hot date, I guess,” Max, an associate about five years older than me, stated while leering at me. “You tell him that, if he tries anything, he’s going to have to deal with us.”
Max was one of my closer friends at the firm. He was of medium height and somewhat studious looking with glasses. He loved to give others a hard time and I was a favorite target of abuse.
The other associate with him, John, was another close friend of mine. John was two years older than me, tall and narrow, with black hair, pale skin and dark eyes. He was shy with a brooding look about him. He just stared at me a little wide-eyed and said nothing.
“Very funny. See you guys Monday.” I left immediately to prevent any more teasing.
Despite Friday night traffic and my aging car, I made it across town, arriving at the Royalist about fifteen minutes early.
I didn’t know what to expect and felt a little self-conscious as I was anticipating having to stand around alone until seven-ish. I needn’t have worried. After showing my ID to the bouncer, I entered the pub where Will’s friend, Colin, was waiting to escort me to Will. We walked through the pub, the restaurant and the back bar to a private room on the other side of the far wall of the back bar. I thanked Colin and entered the room.
Will was the only person in the room, sitting at one of six tables in the middle of the room, and facing away from the windows. When he heard me enter, he stood and crossed the room quickly to greet me. I was glad I was dressed up as he wore a trendy close-fitting black suit with a white v-neck t-shirt underneath.
I had expected a peck on the cheek as I had received last night when I left. Instead, Will gave me a hug and a kiss, though not long, on the mouth. I felt every cell in my body at that moment. I was glad the lighting was dim because I was certain I was blushing heavily as he escorted me over to the table. I sat down and noticed a pint of cider waiting for me.
“Wow,” I said, as I looked around the room I previously didn’t know existed and the fact that I was impressed likely showed. “How’d you manage a private room?”
“I know the owners,” Will replied nonchalantly.
I would have asked him to explain, but I was sidetracked by the waitress, who arrived to take our orders. I had to think about my order because my favorite thing on the menu was the Cornish pastie, but it was hard to eat. I had visions of my first time out with the attorneys at my firm and ordering fajitas. It was not the best idea to order something so messy when you are trying to impress. I ordered the shepherd’s pie instead as did Will despite the fact that fish and chips were the specialty. I suspected that neither of us wanted fish breath on our first date.
The din from the pub and the restaurant, and the music didn’t make its way to this room. We were able to talk easily without shouting.
Since we had talked only about music for the most part the night before, I wanted to start the conversation with a more personal question, but I didn’t want to start with “What do you do for a living?” Unlike many women in L.A. who were searching for a prospective husband with a suitable and well-paying career, I honestly didn’t care. I intended to be in a position to pay my own freight in life instead of being at the mercy of the earning potential of the man in my life.
I started with a safe and easy question. “Where in England are you from?”
“I live, or at least I have a flat, in London, but I am over here a lot of the time these days, working for an American company. I travel a bit.” He then changed the subject to me. “Tell me about you.”
I said with a little nervousness as I wasn’t sure how it would be received, “I’m a law student at USC and clerk part-time for a small law firm in Downtown L.A. I graduate in May and then start taking Bar review courses and studying for the California Bar Exam. It’s at the end of July. After that, one of my best friends from college and I are traveling around Britain and Europe for about six weeks. I start working full-time in September, but I won’t officially be a lawy
er until I get my Bar results in November and get sworn into the Bar in December.”
“Wow. Now I’m impressed. Not surprised, but impressed.”
I looked at his expression and smiled as he didn’t seem intimidated at all.
“What do you mean?” I asked, realizing that he had said that he was not surprised.
“That you are very intelligent is obvious. I could see it in your eyes when I first met you and it was clear from talking to you last night. It is very sexy.”
I felt my cheeks flush again and shifted in my seat, a little uncomfortable at being called sexy. Calling me, much less my intelligence, sexy was a new experience for me. Most of the guys I knew, even those who were very intelligent, tended to date girls who were not as intelligent as they were. It tilted the balance of power in their relationships in their favor. Here was someone who not only was not threatened by my being intelligent, was very happy that I was so.
Before I could change the subject back to him, our meals were served.
Will ordered another beer for him and another cider for me. “Half please,” I countered. Although I always said I had a hollow leg when asked why I was able to keep it together on more alcohol than most girls of my height and weight, I didn’t want to take any chances of being the slightest bit drunk. Although I didn’t tend to get sloppy drunk ever, my inhibitions did lower a little bit. I really wanted to make a good impression. I really liked this guy, but still couldn’t wrap my mind around the fact that this perfect man could be interested in me.
I headed into more dangerous territory with my next foray into learning more about Will. “Where do you stay when you’re here in L.A.?” I knew that this was another question asked by women trying to figure out whether a guy had sufficient wealth. However, since Will made it sound like he didn’t have a permanent residence here, I thought it was safe.
“I share a house in the Palisades with my two mates you met last night.”
“You live here, then, rather than in England?”
“Most of the time these days.”
I smiled, happy that his living arrangements didn’t seem too temporary and I might be able to see him for a while assuming he was interested. I then thought about the fact that that was a big assumption.
Turning the question away from how well off Will appeared to be, I asked, “How do you know Stephen and Colin?”
“You remembered.” His smile brightened as if impressed that I recalled their names. Usually, I was bad with names, but I remembered every moment of our first meeting as I had gone over every detail in my head the night before repeatedly as I tried, unsuccessfully, to get a good night’s sleep.
My thoughts were interrupted as Will started to answer my question. “Umm, I met them through work when I first got to L.A. We got on well right away since we were all English, having a bit in common there, and were all a little homesick. We lived separately initially, but not as well as we thought we could together. When I was offered the place in the Palisades through a work contact, we jumped at it.”
Seemingly worried that he was showing off a bit, he added, “It’s not as nice as it sounds though. It is definitely a bachelor pad, very spartan, but with a big telly in the living room to watch football, I mean, soccer. And you? Where do you live?”
“I’m a starving student, remember. I live in an apartment in mid-Wilshire, Koreatown actually. I share it with my sister. She’s an undergrad at USC. It’s not too far from school or work so it’s good for now. I won’t be living there much longer though. When my sister graduates, she’s moving to San Francisco to work for a CPA firm there. I’m going to put my stuff in storage and move into USC housing for the summer with a friend from law school to study for the Bar. I’ll have to find a more permanent residence when I get back from Europe.”
“Your parents must be pretty proud. A CPA is an accountant, yes?”
I nodded.
“An attorney and an accountant. Wow. Do you have any other brothers or sisters?”
I shook my head. “No.”
“I have two older sisters living in England,” he volunteered. “I don’t see them as often as I’d like.” Will frowned slightly.
“That’s got to be hard, being so far away from family and friends. My sister’s here, my parents are only an hour plane ride away in the Bay Area, and most of my friends are here.”
“You do what you have to, I guess. I’m fortunate in that I can travel back to England fairly often and I live with two good mates here. And, over time, my circle of friends in L.A. has grown. Plus, I like it here. The weather is much better.” He chuckled softly.
I was waiting for a check that never came. It was clear that dinner was over as the plates were cleared away, but we were still sitting there. It was still fairly early, about nine o’clock, when Will asked, “Do you want to get out of here?”
“What did you have in mind?” I countered.
“We could go back to my place.”
Uh-Oh. Things were moving a bit too fast for me.
Appearing to notice my fearful look, Will added, “Stephen and Colin will be there. You’ll be able to talk to them and they will actually be able to hear you tonight.”
“Okay,” I agreed a little nervously.
We left my car in the parking lot across from the Royalist and took his. It was a black, fairly new, Range Rover, with all the bells and whistles. We cut down to PCH and turned up into the bluffs in Pacific Palisades. We turned left somewhere toward the top of the hill and then pulled into the garage of one of the many white one-story houses, not particularly large, but whose backyard likely had a view of the ocean in the distance. Considering the car, I was a little nervous about seeing the house.
As we entered the house through the garage, I realized that Will had been right about it being spartan. The kitchen didn’t look to have been used much. There was a somewhat mismatched dining table and chairs in the dinette area. Beyond that, the focal point of the family room was a large flat-screened TV hanging on the wall that was at least sixty inches with home theater system speakers surrounding it. Facing it was a brown leather sofa, two matching leather recliners on either side of it and a big coffee table. There were no end tables, no other tables in the room other than TV trays, and the only lighting was the track lighting inset in the ceiling. Toward the front door was a living room and dining room with no furniture whatsoever. On the other side of the family room was a hallway that appeared to lead to the bedrooms at the back of the house. It was quite the bachelor pad.
Colin was sitting in one of the recliners. Stephen and what appeared to be Stephen’s girlfriend, as he had his arm around her, were sitting on the couch. They were engrossed in a movie. They all waved in greeting as we walked in, without looking at us, keeping their focused attention on the movie. I’m not sure they realized I was even there.
Will whispered to me, “Since they don’t appear to be in the mood to talk right now, why don’t I give you the tour?”
He took my hand and led me out to the patio, turning on the lights on the way. Outside, there was a beautiful black-bottomed pool and a view of what was probably the ocean in the distance, although it could not be seen at night. A large table, chairs and patio umbrella sat on a redwood deck to the left above the pool that was just beyond the patio. There was also a fire pit with outdoor sofas surrounding it on the opposite side of the yard from the deck.
“The backyard is what sold us on the house.”
“It’s beautiful. I imagine it’s gorgeous during the day when you can see the ocean.” I shivered as it was a little foggy and damp outside. Will rubbed my shoulders and upper arms over my jacket and led me back inside.
Will continued the tour through the back of the house. There were four bedrooms, one of which was empty. Through the crack in the doors, I could see into Colin and Stephen’s rooms on either side of a bathroom, but not really past what appeared to be clothes strewn on the floor.
At the end of the hall was Will’s room. H
e apparently got the master bedroom. Will had a king-sized bed, covered in navy blue bed linens, against the far wall with no headboard, but he did have tables on either side. There was a clock and iPhone dock on one table, and a pile of books and papers as well as a closed laptop computer on the other. Across from the bed was another large TV on the wall over a dresser with a DVR and home theater speakers on it. Beyond the bed, there were windows along the wall to the right of the bed. To the left of the door was the bathroom with a stall shower and spa tub as well as a dressing area with a walk-in closet. It was all surprisingly neat.
“Do you want anything to eat or drink?” Will asked.
“No, I’m fine. Thank you.” I was nervous.
“How about a movie?” he suggested.
“Sure. I don’t get to watch much in the way of TV or movies.”
He smirked and stifled a laugh as he said, “I definitely got that impression.”
He piled up the pillows on his bed and we leaned back together on the pillows. He had his arm around me as we watched an action movie on cable. As I was sitting on his bed with him, the entire left side of my body that was flush against his was on fire. It took all my focus to pay attention to the movie to keep myself from touching him or running my fingers through his voluminous brown hair.
When the movie was over, we returned to the living room, but Will’s roommates weren’t there anymore. Will asked me if I would like a glass of wine, a beer, or some cider. I didn’t want to leave.
“Whatever is easier,” I replied.
Will handed me a glass of cider and held a bottle of beer for himself. We sat on the sofa together, facing each other, but not touching, and talked for a while. I felt a little more comfortable out in the living room as opposed to Will’s bedroom and was able to relax a little.
“How do you like it here in L.A.?” I asked, trying to start conversation again.
“I like it. It was hard at first, difficult to get used to, but I’ve really grown to like it. Although I miss my family and my mates back in England sometimes, I have a pretty close group of friends here and we have a good time. There’s really only one thing missing.”
Away From the Spotlight Page 2