“Do you think Damon’s the one?” He waggles his perfectly groomed brows.
“Argh, you’re impossible. Always prying. Always probing. I’ll say this: he’s an amazing man, and for me, he’s the one for right now. Now stop pestering me so I can call a man about a band.”
The rest of the morning, I track down information about the likes and dislikes of Reluctant Capitalists. I reach their manager, who was helpful but brief. The only thing he said is the band likes single malt whiskey, preferably Redbreast 12 Year or Bushmills 16, and light beer on tap.
I talk to the event planner from their last concert who says the band prefers a private bartender and waitstaff on hand. They like cashmere blankets and down pillows for resting before and after the show. As for food, they were flexible, but she got the impression they like unique foods. The Kogi food truck comes to mind and would be the perfect catering option. And as long as we guarantee them more money than they’d make on a corner, I bet I could make that work. If not, we can get someone from Haywood’s to bring food. The rest of the requests seem reasonable.
Trevor said they’d be difficult, but it’s not like they are asking us for Skittles with the green ones removed.
I fill out the acquisition requests for the high-end whiskey, pillows, and blankets and make my way to Trevor’s office to submit them. I’ll run the food options by him, too.
I plop on the seat in front of his desk. “Here are the things I need for the band.” I pass the acquisition forms across the neat-as-a-pin oak desk. “Can we talk about the food? Maybe go out for lunch?” I hate to leave my lunchbox, but wrapping up the menu is important, and if I can get it settled, then it’s one more thing off my plate.
“Sure, what did you have in mind?”
“I thought about chasing down the Kogi truck. Have you ever had their stuff?”
“No, but I’ve heard it’s good. How do we track it down?”
“I’ll look at their Facebook page and see where they are today, or we can look at their tweets. I want you to try the food because it may be a good option for the band. If you like it, we can negotiate with Kogi to cater our event. What do you think?”
“Let me grab my keys. I’ll drive while you navigate.”
The truck sits on the corner of Sunset and Van Ness. The line winds down the street, but it only takes fifteen minutes for us to get to the front.
I order the short rib tacos, and Trevor gets spicy pork tacos and a kimchi quesadilla. There’s no talking while we eat.
Trevor licks the last of the barbecue sauce from his fingers. “Holy shit, that was amazing. Who would have thought of mixing Korean barbecue and Mexican food? This is a great idea. There’s no reason we can’t offer both Kogi and Haywood’s. Variety is the spice of life.”
“Will you come meet the band to see how everything turns out?”
“Yes, but you’re in charge of this part of the project and have to be there to make sure everything is running smoothly, so you’ll meet the band too.”
“You’re kidding, right? Why me? Won’t the team be jealous?”
“The team gets to go to the concert, but they didn’t save the company nearly $100,000 in eight weeks. I borrow most of the team from marketing. So really, you’re my team. You and me—we make the team.”
“I like that.” I raise my hand for a high five. “The dynamic duo.”
“I’m Batman. You can be Robin,” he says.
“I’m okay with that. I look amazing in red.” I gather our garbage and throw it away.
Time to get back to work.
“Did you know we give a super saver award for cost cutting?” Trevor opens the car door while I get in. When he climbs behind the wheel, he turns and smiles. “I put you in for it. Most people would have taken that budget and had a field day shopping, but you spent your time getting donations. The stuff you finagled out of people astounds me. How did you do it?”
“I asked. It’s as simple as that.” I think about my talk with Em. Specifically, when she told me to ask Damon about his past. “I’m told, if you don’t ask, you don’t get.” I’d do well to follow my advice.
“I don’t know. There’s something about you that people like. You make people feel at ease and comfortable. Hell, you have Damon wrapped around your little finger. I need some lessons, girl. You’ve got skills.”
“I have no superpowers.”
“Whatever.” He turns onto the road back to the office. “Speaking of Damon, why didn’t you have lunch with him today?”
I toss a dirty look at Trevor, but I know he’ll never give up unless I let him into my inner circle.
With a huff, I turn to face him. “I’ll cut you some slack because I like you, but I don’t understand your obsession with Damon and me?”
“Inquiring minds want to know.”
“Fine, I’ll tell you what you want to know, but I never want to hear it come back to me.”
Trevor grips the steering wheel in anticipation of a juicy story. Sadly, he’s only getting the G-rated version.
“Damon and I met at a fundraiser. He asked me out, but I said no. We met for a book club and got to know each other better. We have lunch together, almost daily. We’ve been out to dinner several times, but haven’t slept together, which is what you really want to know, and that’s about it.”
“Wow. My imagination is so much more interesting than your life. I hope he’s into some kinky shit, like screwing on buses or something like that. He’s the total Alpha male, and I don’t want to hear he’s the perfect gentleman.”
“Sorry to disappoint you. He’s a sexy, heterosexual, non-deviant man.” I have a hard time keeping a straight face when I think about the steakhouse and the amazing office experience. I don’t think I’ve begun to understand his deviant nature. I get lost in thoughts of the red scarf and what he might do with it.
“Earth to Kat.” He uses my nickname, which pulls me from my daydream.
“Sorry.” I got caught fantasizing about Damon—in front of Trevor. “What do you think about the band?”
“Good diversion, Ms. Cross. As far as the band is concerned, I love them. I think the drummer is hot. I could be happy feeling the beat of his stick against me. I’m sure he can pound out a good rhythm,” he teases.
“Okay, here’s the deal. You stop pestering me about Damon, and I’ll do what I can to hook you up with the drummer. Since I have access to the band because of my generous boss, it’s the least I can do.”
“He’s probably straight, but I appreciate the offer.”
“He’s not, and I’ll make sure you’re introduced properly. I’ll serve you up like raw meat to a ravenous lion. Save your money because we’re shopping before the grand opening.”
“Look at you. Such a sleuth. How did you find out about the drummer?”
“I talked to the last event planner, and she told me the drummer, named Rylan, was not in his best form because of a recent breakup with his boyfriend, Tom. I then called the manager and asked him if we needed to make special arrangements for the band’s significant others. He went through the list and confirmed Rylan was single.”