III | The Robot

For Halle, Monday morning came quickly.

Her eyes stung as she lazily pressed the red button on her phone screen to shut her alarm off, yawning as she nestled deeper in the sheets for a few extra moments of warmth. It was 5 AM.

Then she blinked, and it was 5:21.

Fuck, I should've been leaving by now!

She hopped out of bed and rushed into the bathroom to brush her teeth, twirling the knob in the shower to fill the spacious area with steam. Rinsing off and applying a little deodorant, she threw on a baby blue spandex set, filled her water bottle with a powered protein shake, and dashed out of the front door.

The gym was scarce with people at this hour, making it easy for her to get lost in her workout. She ran 5 miles on the treadmill before calling it quits, and wiping herself down. Her legs burned satisfyingly as they carried her outside where the sun leisurely ascended in the horizon, painting the sky with shades of orange and yellow.

Upon her return to the penthouse, Halle was met with the sound of the blaring TV in the living room. Rowan adjusted his tie as he stood in front of the flat screen, his face lively after his morning shot of espresso.

"47-year-old millionaire, Cesar Alvarez was found dead in his Malibu estate. More on that at 7." The reporter announced, her thin eyebrows pulled together. "Back to you, Stev-O."

"What in the world?" Rowan's head jerked back at the news. He and Halle shared a brief look before he scurried into the bedroom, reaching underneath his pillow. "I need to call my mom."

Typical.

Halle didn't linger for the conversation. Yes, she was shocked, but his mother's voice on the other line was enough for her to keep her comments to herself. Instead, she hopped back into the shower and lathered up. Sometime later, she exited smelling of vanilla and oud, applying a mixture of oil and lotion to her skin before getting dressed in her business casual attire.

"Ro, are we still on for tonight?" Halle asked, slipping her left foot into a black, pointed toe pump.

Date nights were something that she looked forward to since the majority of Rowan's time was delegated to his career. He poked his head into the bedroom, the handle of his briefcase tucked into his fist. "For sure. See ya later."

Halle met him in the doorway to receive a quick kiss on the corner of her mouth. She yearned for something more, but knew that he didn't have time. So as usual, she let him go.

"I love you," she called behind him as he sauntered toward the front door.

"Love you," he replied, tugging the knob and leaving her alone in the penthouse.

ꨄꨄꨄꨄꨄ

"His freaking throat was slit!" Sage whisper-screamed from her cubicle, her dark eyes on the lookout for their boss. The sound of nails typing on keyboards filled the office space, helping to mask their voices. "How did Ro react? I know that Cesar was a longtime friend of the Belliairs."

"Besides the initial surprise... he didn't really have a reaction. His parents were hysterical though."

"Damn, that's cold." Sage leaned back in her seat, running her palm over her slicked back hair. Though it was flat, her texture created a rippling effect. "You know, I'm starting to think that Ro is short for robot."

"Cut it out." Halle rolled her eyes, withholding a laugh. "Maybe he's still processing it. I'll check on him at dinner tonight."

There was truth to Sage's words. Rowan wasn't one to visibly freak out about anything. Good or bad, his demeanor was often mild. Halle found it calming in many ways. She often tried to ditch her emotional reactions to mimic him, wanting to seem more mentally stable than she was given credit for.

"Oh, you're going out? I guess that's a no to my invitation then."

"You didn't invite me anywhere, Sage."

"Well, not yet." She chuckled. "Sameer wants me to go with him to this thing. I figured you could use some excitement."

I could, Halle thought, trying not to sulk over the stale kiss from this morning. Some head would've been nice.

"Ladies, please refrain from engaging in any personal conversation on company time. Thank you." Quintin whisked by with a clipboard in hand, frowning disapprovingly and the women scooted up to their desks, each one picking up a landline to tend to awaiting customers.

They worked diligently until lunchtime, slipping out of the automatic sliding doors and up the sidewalk to decide which restaurant to pick. A car rode by blasting an old R&B song and Sage joined in with loud off-key singing, making both the driver and Halle giggle.

Besides Rowan, Sage was one of Halle's favorite people. They had similar backgrounds; born to impoverished parents that were less than thrilled about their arrival, and later coupled with men with a better financial standing. The major differences were found in their personalities.

Sage said whatever was on her mind. She was daring and spontaneous, much like her boyfriend, Brezdin. They mirrored each other almost completely. Halle on the other hand kept to herself in most instances, believing it to be for the best in her case.

"How about sushi?" Halle suggested, her hand already on the metal knob to the Japanese based establishment.

"Hmm, I guess."

They entered the small building and walked up to the podium where an Asian woman with porcelain skin smiled politely. "Hello, table for two?"

"Yes please." Sage matched her expression, and the two women followed her to a table, lazily scanning the extensive menu set before them. Only when the waitress excused herself did their dialogue resume.

"So what're you and Sameer getting into tonight? And why is it on a Monday?"

"Girl." Sage bit her bottom lip to suppress a sly grin and lowered her voice. "Because it's some underground shit. Something that may or may not be illegal."

Halle leaned forward, her heart rate increasing with curiosity. "What? And you're taking your baby brother?"

"He's eighteen. He can handle himself, and if he can't, I can handle us."

"And what does Brez have to say about this?"

"He encouraged it." She snickered and Halle shook her head playfully.

I'm not even gonna ask.

Two dainty sushi rolls were ordered, one fresh and vegetable based, and the other stuffed with seafood and fried. They split them both in half and chowed before returning to the office, their conversation full of dumb jokes and light gossip.

By the time the workday ended, Halle's feet were a little sore. She kicked off her pumps as soon as she pushed the door open to the empty penthouse, and plopped down onto the gray sofa to assess her pinky toe. Slightly red, but not swollen.

I can work with this.

Shower number three was longer than the previous two. The hot water glided down her body and into every crevice, loosening her muscles and stirring up feelings that she rarely ever released, even on her own. Her fingertips traveled down her belly button, threatening to creep into the valley between her legs.

It was the chirp of her ringtone that stopped her.

Halle ignored it, figuring that she'd just call her back after she dried off. But the ringing persisted.

A sudsy arm reached for the device on the back of the toilet, panic seeping into her veins. "Hello? Vi, what is it?"

"Halle, whew, sorry to bother you." The sizzle of liquid acted as background noise as she turned up the heat on the stove. "I was just wondering if you'd seen Karter. He hasn't answered my calls. I just want to make sure that he's alright."

Now you know I don't talk to his ass.

"Oh, no I haven't." Halle cleared her throat. "I will ask Ro for you later and let you know."

"Okay." Violet sighed, picking up a wooden spoon. "Thanks, Halle. Bye."

"No problem. Bye."

Karter had a knack for stressing his wife out. He was the type of man who felt that he didn't have to answer to anyone and went AWOL semi-regularly. No doubt probably laid up with another woman. Something that Violet knew, but pretended that she didn't.

Stepping onto the memory foam bathroom mat, Halle drug a towel over her skin. A plush white robe encased her body as she padded out of the bathroom and sat down in front of her vanity. She took her time applying her makeup, craving a light and dewy beat, and styling her hair while humming along to her playlist before getting dressed.

A black, lace up tank top covered the majority of her torso, pushing her cleavage to her neck. She opted for some denim jeans that hugged her in all the right places and an open-toed heel, finishing the look with a red clutch.

Too good to resist.

She eyed her reflection in the floor length mirror with pride, blotting her wet lipstick with the pad of her fingers one last time before she left.

Halle's shoes clicked noisily on the tile as she walked away from the elevator, through the lobby, and out onto the pavement where a lanky driver held one of the Mercedes's backseat doors open for her.

"Evening, Ms. Prescott. You look lovely."

"Thanks, Vaughn." She cheesed.

The ride to Heated Prime was rather short. The hype for the second location hadn't died down yet in its third week, so the line was down the block. Halle was escorted to the front of course. Being connected to the Belliairs did have its perks after all, and she made sure to utilize them.

Rowan met her with a subtle smile once his eyes left his phone, and he slipped his hand in hers to lead her to the table. "Well, well, well, look who's actually on time."

"What can I say, I missed you." Halle smirked, nestling into the seat across from him.

"Already?" Rowan chuckled, nodding politely as the waiter sat down the drink menu. His chestnut brown hair appeared black in the dim candlelight. "It seems like I blinked and poof, the morning is gone."

"Yes, already," Halle reiterated, watching him through narrow eyes.

They continued to exchange dull pleasantries, and Rowan's attention dwindled with each passing word. Halle fought to keep a smile on her face, the only thing giving away her true feelings was the bouncing of her knee.

Just keep the conversation going. She gave herself an internal pep talk.

"So, how are you feeling about Cesar? You haven't elaborated much, or at all."

"I mean, I'm dumbfounded." He sipped his glass of Cabernet Sauvignon, his voice emotionless. "It's a real tragedy."

"I agree. Any idea who could've done it?"

"No, not really. Police think it was a robbery. I don't know, Cesar knew a lot of people." He adjusted his navy blue necktie, a notification on his phone stalling his next few words.

"You look handsome tonight, Ro." Halle cleared her throat, attempting to make eye contact.

"Th-thanks, Hals," he said, finally pointing his gaze back in her direction and locking his phone. "Listen, something's come up at the office, and I don't want to leave Dr. Harvie hanging. Meet you back at home?"

"...Umm sure."

"Great." Rowan pecked her forehead, handing her one of his debit cards, and hastily left the table.

She downed the rest of her red wine in a hearty gulp, completely unsurprised but still bothered. With her appetite extinguished, she flagged down the server and scrolled through her contacts while both meals were neatly boxed.

Sage picked up on the first ring. "Girl, what's wrong? Did the robot piss you off?"

Is it that obvious?

"Pretty much." Halle caressed the soft hairs behind her head, her face pointed to the ceiling to keep her tears at bay. "Is the invitation still valid? I don't want to waist an outfit."

"Absolutely."

~

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-What's Rowan's best nickname? Robot or Mr. Perfect.

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