by S F Draven
I was mulling over the cup of cold coffee sitting on my desk as I scanned through the last story I’d written for the small publication I worked for just outside of New York City. I knew that making the commute was going to be a bit of hassle, but I would be doing a disservice to myself to live just about anywhere else. The city had been calling my name since I was just a little girl, and I knew it’d be the place where I’d want to live out my dreams of becoming a journalist.
I was fresh out of college, having landed my first job, and just trying to be the best I could be at something I’d been interested in for such a long time. I was starting to realize, however, that the work I was doing was pretty subpar, and I knew that I could be doing so much more with my time if I was just given the opportunity to do so. I was flipping through some papers on my desk, looking for the notes I had made about a story I’d seen in the news a few days earlier. I was doing a story on some of the most infamous yet influential men in New York, and it got me thinking about all the others that were out there. I wanted to expand my horizons but I knew that my boss would never go for it. We ate, slept, and breathed the New York elite, and if I was going to convince him to pay for an all-expenses-paid trip to somewhere new, I would have to be following one of our very own.
I decided that the idea didn’t seem too far-fetched, because I had someone in mind who might just do the trick. I wrote up a proposal that I would bring to my boss first thing in the morning once I dropped off the last story I wrote. I worked on it well into the morning hours, and when I finally finished, I gave it one last look over and decided that it may just be good enough to get me out of the city for a little while. I ran over to my cell phone laying on my bed, dialing my best friend even though it was well after three o'clock in the morning. I needed to run this by someone, or it was going to drive me insane.
“Victoria, did I wake you?”
“Well, it is three in the morning, Kat. What’s up?” she asked, sounding very groggy, and I felt bad for having woken her up, but I knew that I’d never be able to sleep if I didn’t talk about this to someone.
“I had a wild idea, and I need you to tell me that I’m not going crazy,” I said.
“Hit me with it,” she replied, being the supportive friend that she was.
“You know how Reality Review has been closely following Roman Carlyle’s up-and-coming acting career?”
“I’m sure the entirety of New York is aware of that, Kat. Where are you going with this?”
“He’s heading to Russia soon to shoot a movie, and he’s set to attend a pretty incredible event in two days. If I convince Will that this would be good for RR, do you think that he’d let me go? We’d be getting the kind of exclusive we could only dream of before, and I think it’d be good for me to get away for a little,” I explained, waiting patiently to hear what she had to say.
“I think it’s an incredible idea, on one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“That you bring me with you,” she teased, and I chuckled, letting her go back to sleep as I tried to do the same. I tossed and turned until the sun eventually came up, and I knew that it was now or never. I needed to give this all I had, and I had a feeling it was going to be the single experience that would alter the entire course of my life forever. I’ve been looking for a real story for so long, if Will says yes, it’s going to not only make my career, but it’s going to change the game for every publication involved, I thought, and I knew that Will would have a lot of open-ended questions, but I knew that there was absolutely nothing that I couldn’t figure out if I tried.
Once it was time to finally get ready, I took a hot shower, slipping into my jeans as I ran a brush through my auburn tresses before heading out the door. I stared at my bright green eyes in the mirror in my entryway, wondering how this day was going to go, but I had a good feeling about it.
I arrived at Will’s office an hour later, trying to remain calm because if he caught wind of how excited I really was, he’d certainly say no. He had to know that I wouldn’t get swept up in anything other than the news, and that I’d remain focused if this story would ever truly be brought to life.
“Katerina, good to see you here so early. Do you have the story for me?” he asked, and I handed him the file with the story he requested.
“There’s something I needed to talk to you about, Will,” I said.
“Sit,” he instructed, and I obeyed.
“I’ve been thinking that we need to step up our news game a bit. We’re all covering the same stuff, and I think it’s time that we get the exclusive we’ve been waiting for.”
“Do you have an idea for me?” he asked.
“I know that Roman Carlyle is heading to Russia in two days to attend the Rise of the Stars event, and he’s going to stay on to shoot a movie. No one on that side of the world is going to be able to cover that news like one of our own. I’ve been following Roman so closely these last few months, I think it’d be an incredible exclusive,” I orated, watching as the gears turned behind his eyes, and I braced myself for disappointment.
“You know what? What the hell. I’ll foot the bill this time, Kat. But if you come back without a story, I expect a refund,” he told me, and I could feel my expression light up because I really couldn’t believe he had said yes.
“Thank you, Will. I won’t let you down.”
“You better not. Get packing, Auclair, you leave tomorrow morning. I don’t know how you’re going to get into that event, but something tells me that you already have something up your sleeve,” he said, and he was certainly right.
“Good journalism, sir. That’s all there is to it.”
I was absolutely beaming when I left the office that day, and I knew that if I was going to fit in with the high-profile society over there, I would have to look the part. I hit up a few shops on the way home, picking out the classiest things I could afford. I spent the rest of the evening packing everything into my suitcase as my laptop screen lit up, and I realized that Will had sent over my itinerary. There was a part of me that was a little afraid to be taking such a big step, especially because I wasn’t too keen on traveling on my own. I knew that Will would never let me take anyone with me, because this was strictly about business, and I told myself to break the news to Victoria later. I stared at my laptop screen for what felt like ages, trying to figure out if this was all going to turn out to be one colossal mistake.
It was an impulsive thought, and I truly hoped that I was going to come back with the story of a lifetime. I’d heard stories of the kinds of things that went on in a place like Moscow, but I knew that as long as I stayed alert, I wouldn’t get myself into too much trouble. I stayed up pretty late yet again doing research of all the places I would need to see, where I would be staying, as well as all the places where Roman Carlyle would be over the next few days. I wondered if this story was going to lead me to something much deeper than an actor’s daily life, I wondered if there were secrets out there to be uncovered, and I told myself that there would be no reason not to gather information on other possible stories while I was there.
This was my opportunity to really make a name for myself in the journalism world, and I knew that the minute something piqued my interest, I wouldn’t be able to let it go until I followed it to the very end. I wondered if the Roman Carlyle story was going to lead me to something that would be much bigger than any of us realized, and I hoped to find something just as great because it was going to show Will that I was capable of covering much bigger stories. It’s time you step outside of your comfort zone, Katerina. It’s time you do something worthwhile.
It wasn’t long before I was sitting in my first-class seat on an unfamiliar airline, leaving the city I’d called home for years behind as I ventured off into the next chapter of my life. Will had given me a deadline of two weeks to get this done, because he was using me to gather as much information on Roman as possible, but I couldn’t shake the feeling in the pit of my stomach that somet
hing much bigger was going to come of this trip. The flight was a long one, but I entertained myself with the travel magazine in the seat pocket in front of me, devouring every little detail of all that I needed to know upon landing. It’s not going to be as bad as you may think it is. You’re going to blend in with everyone else just fine. Don’t let your overthinking ruin this opportunity for you, I told myself, drifting off to sleep as the hours slowly ticked by.
I woke just as we were approaching Moscow, and upon getting off the plane, it was like I’d entered an entirely different world. I gathered my things, waited patiently at the assigned carousel for my bag and was off in a taxi to my quaint little hotel. I was surprised that Will had paid for all of this and didn’t have me foot the bill myself, even though we both knew that could’ve very well been a possibility. I wasn’t asking for much, as he already managed to get my economy seat upgraded to first-class. I just needed a roof over my head, a place to eat and somewhere to sleep. Once the taxicab pulled up to my destination, I pulled out my phone and typed in a translator to try to thank the driver in Russian but my attempt was unsuccessful because he shot me a confused look. Russian is a beautiful, yet entirely complicated language. I’m going to have to do a lot better than that if I plan on blending in with the crowd.
The building was architecturally stunning. It sat perfectly on the corner of the street, windows decorated with wrought-iron plates around each sill, and incredibly aged brick that indicated that it must’ve been around a long time. I was just hoping that I was going to meet enough people around who spoke English, but I assumed that the hotel staff must be required to, given their line of work.
“Checking in?” asked the concierge. Phew.
“Yes, under the name Katerina Auclair,” I replied, as her manicured fingernails tapped away at the keyboard in front of her.
“Ah, yes, here are the keys to your room. Thank you for staying with us, Ms. Auclair,” she said, as I looked down at the little old-fashioned key she placed in my hand with a neatly tied red ribbon and an ivory card which indicated my room number. I went off to drop off my things and catch up on a bit of work before I’d have to start scoping out Roman’s whereabouts. I had just over twenty-four hours before I’d have to attend the event, and somehow manage to get in without an invitation.
The entire ordeal was certainly going to test my skills as a journalist, though I was quite glad that I didn’t have to spend the whole time going undercover. It was going to feel nice to be holed up in my hotel room proofreading stories and finishing the few drafts I had left for Will. I knew that this trip was going to be a hard one to juggle, but I’d always been the kind of person who liked to take on a challenge. I knew this time was going to be no different, and I had every intention of delivering on my word. I turned on the television, hit in the face with the different kinds of shows that played, commercials I didn’t understand, and I knew I was going to have to brush up on my Russian before I entered the event the following day. While I assumed there were many there that didn’t speak a lick of Russian, I didn’t want to be one of them. If I were to be, they would assume I was someone important, and I certainly couldn’t have that.
I sat in the quiet at the little wooden desk in the corner of the room for what felt like hours, typing away on my computer. It wasn’t until I looked up at the window above me that I realized it was getting dark. I’ve only been here a few hours and I’m already wasting all of my time, I thought, deciding to check Roman’s social media before heading out in case he was anywhere nearby. I wanted to get started on the story as soon as possible, so I could forward along as much information to Will because I knew we’d most likely be the first to get the word out to our locals back home.
I checked through Roman’s most recent updates to see that he was dining at a lovely little restaurant just after getting off of his flight. I quickly googled it, mapped it from my location, before throwing my bag over my shoulder and heading out of the door. I could hear my stomach grumble as I managed to get another taxicab to take me where I needed to go. I really need to learn the Russian word for taxi, and I also have to check if I can even afford the food at this restaurant. I opened up my cell phone screen to find that I didn’t have any service. Shit. I could only hope that I gave the man the right location, and I promised myself that I was going to find my way back to the hotel one way or another.
We arrived about fifteen minutes later, and I could already see that there were people crowding the big bay window, looking in to see him dining alone. I wondered why he would be, considering the fact that he probably came to the country with quite a lot of friends as well as his team. I thought that maybe the man just liked his alone time, and that was something I could certainly relate to. I could already tell that the media were starting to pick up on Roman’s presence, because he was out here shooting a movie set in Russia while he played a Russian role. I wondered whether his accent coach did a number on him or not, and I was looking forward to seeing if he was planning on testing it out in public. He was chowing down on something that looked absolutely scrumptious and my stomach started to grumble yet again. I pushed past the crowd of onlookers and headed straight up to the hostess who took one look at me that indicated that I wasn’t dressed for a place like this.
“May I help you?”
“Table for one,” I said, confidently.
“Bar seating?”
“Dining room, please,” I replied, picking up my cell phone and pretending to dial Will as I engaged in a fake conversation about the next editorial piece we were running. I watched the woman’s gears turn behind her eyes as she completely changed her attitude toward me. From there on out it was all smiles and kind remarks, as she called a waiter to attend to me right away. I took one glance at the menu, realizing that everything here was wildly overpriced, but I expected nothing less from Roman. I ordered the cheapest thing on the menu and a glass of sparkling water as I watched him from a distance. I managed to snap a few pictures without anyone noticing, making sure they were high-quality so that I could send them to Will later.
These were the kinds of things the paparazzi would never dream of doing, because it was the opposite of getting up in an actor’s face hoping to get the right shot. This was about studying a person, understanding why they do the things they do, and what their next plans may be. I had strict ground rules for these kinds of things, where I’d only gather information in public settings. I valued my privacy just as much as the next person, and the last thing I’d want was for someone to be taking unsolicited photographs of me in a place that should’ve remained private. I kept things strictly business, taking note of the things he ate, the conversations he had on his phone, and how he overall appeared to be. As much as I wanted to say that he was enjoying himself, from looking at him carefully, I knew better. He looked exhausted, and rightfully so. I could imagine that his schedule had been jam-packed with rehearsals for weeks at least.
I thought about what the following evening was going to be like, and whether I’d get the chance to talk to him at all. I promised myself that if I were ever awarded that opportunity, I’d play it totally cool. I needed him not to suspect that I was out there trying to interview him, even though that was exactly what I planned on doing.
The waiter brought out my expensive meal as I tried to savor every bite because I knew with a price like that, I couldn’t waste a bit. It was a much smaller portion than I was hoping for too, but it was going to have to do for the rest of the evening. Just as I was finishing up, I noticed that there was a man sitting alone in a booth in the corner of the restaurant. He had his cell phone to his ear and he appeared to be yelling at someone on the other line in a distinctively thick Russian accent. I couldn’t help but notice how attractive he was, and how the minute he locked eyes with me, his voice seemed to soften. He shot me an incredible smile, and in that moment I wondered how I could’ve let myself get so distracted because I looked around to see that Roman was nowhere to be seen. Again, you’ve onl
y been here a few hours and you’re already losing track of time. Focus, Kat, I told myself.
I supposed the smile was the polite thing to do, but there was something about the way he glanced over at me every few minutes that made me feel like he was checking me out. I could feel myself blush as I finished up my meal, and just as I got up to leave, I purposely walked in the other direction so I could pass his table. The waiter who was tending to me was also finishing up with that man, and I caught his name just as I was heading out the door.
Mr. Volkov.
Chapter Three: Dominik
There is still absolutely no sign of my money, and as it stands I’m starting to feel like the air around me is much heavier than it usually is. It’s almost as if Alexei was right, and there is someone out there that has been keeping a close eye on me. I suppose I’m just going to have to watch my back, pay a little extra attention to my surroundings, as I try to have a good time tonight.
I was slipping into my freshly pressed suit, reminding myself that tonight wasn’t supposed to be about business, it was about maintaining my public image and making sure that the world knew there was nothing to worry about in regards to my extracurricular activities. I let the staff know that business was just going to have to wait until the morning, because like everyone around me, I needed to take the edge off every once in a while.
I thought about the women I’d slept with in the past week alone, and how they were all as uninteresting as the last. I was hoping to find someone at this event who was going to change that, pique my interest a bit, before I’d ultimately have to forget that the entire situation even occurred.
I was tired of trying to pretend to be a good guy to get the woman I set my sights on, because it usually always ended in disaster. They’d request to be paid for their troubles, that I’d shower them in expensive gifts after a one-night stand as though they were somehow going to stick around for a while. I made it evidently clear to everyone around me that I was a man who enjoyed a bit of fun, but the only thing I ever valued in life was the money I made and the choices that allowed me to do so.
