Right Now | Rafe Cameron

05: nothing to hide.

FIVE

nothing to hide.

Billie's weekend had been eventful. She got a call from her brother who had fallen out with his girlfriend, she told him to get over himself and apologize. Then Billie got tired of having Uma pine for James in marketing, and told her to just ask him out already, come Monday. Uma reluctantly accepted and Billie felt pleased with herself. She had sorted everybody out, and it had distracted her from her own... problems.

When Monday came, she looked forward to sitting in the office all day and revising everything she had collected on Friday at the law firm-party. But she barely got time to look through her notes before her boss came leaning over her desk. He didn't understand the concept of personal space. Or he did, but ignored it as a misuse of power.

"How's it going," Mark asked, his sour coffee-stained breath making Billie crawl.

"It's going well. I just need a few focused hours to get my material together," Billie said, hoping he'd understand and leave. But he didn't move, he just surveyed her scribbles, while the feeling of having her neck exposed made Billie silently shiver because of having watched too many vampire movies. Finally, he mumbled something and then put his finger down on a name she'd circled.

"Do you know him?" he asked, barely covering his excited curiosity. Billie sighed, but didn't want to lie. Lies always come back and bite her in the ass. Like the past, it would seem.

"Yes," she said, reluctantly. She could hear that Mark had an idea, and it worried her.

"Come with me," he finally said. Billie closed her laptop and followed Mark to the conference room. As they walked through the office, Billie got a questioning look from Uma, to which she shrugged her shoulders and gave her a look that said I'll tell you later.

"This really is perfect, Billie," Mark started as he sat down.

She still stood up and looked around the room with confusion. It was clear a meeting was about to be held here. There were notepads and pencils with the magazine's logo on them distributed for four seats, and an assistant brought in fresh jugs of water for the table.

"We're planning something big, a large head-page story. The commission is more than you've ever been given for a piece, and would get you and the magazine massive recognition and publicity," Mark continued excitedly.

"I'll do it," Billie said without doubt. The money alone was argument enough. One of these days she would like to move to a place with an elevator and working hot water supply. Mark continued.

"We've been given a one-of-a-kind offer to write a piece about an up-and-coming company, and it really just falls perfectly into place when one of my best reporters already knows the CEO," he laughed. Fuck. Damn it. Fuck, fuck, double fuck. "Here they come," he said and gestured towards the door. He stood up and welcomed them in. Billie stood frozen. She took a breath and turned around.

"Rafe Cameron, nice to meet you," Rafe said and Mark shook his hand excessively. Jesus, what a clown, Billie thought as she saw Mark starstruck. Is Rafe really that big of a deal?

"This is Cameron Development's head of marketing, Walter Cruise," Rafe said and gestured to the man next to him, basically the same age as Billie and Rafe. As Mark and Walter shook hands and nodded to each other, Rafe noticed Billie's presence with shock. She stayed calm, and looked at him without emotion - be nonchalant. He's nothing.

"And, gentlemen, this is my best reporter, Billie. I really think her work will satisfy you, Mr Cameron," Mark said and Rafe held in a laugh. Who is this clown? he thought and noticed a subtle eye-roll from the girl standing in front of him. Billie shook Walter's hand and gave Rafe a curt nod. He just smirked back, amused by the situation.