20. The number of people Lydia had interviewed today. 20. They were all the same, unreliable or shady, nothing like what she was looking for. It may seem ridiculous to be so anal about something so simple as a bodyguard, but Lydia cared about her boys. (Well, some of them at least, Jackson deserved to get hit a few times.) They had to be smart, and trustworthy, and she knew that she'd find them eventually.
Sadly though there was only one more person to interview, his name was Derek according to her paperwork. Ordinary name, hopefully nothing too weird. (Like some of the people she's encountered during this agonizing process). This Derek guy better be good, she thought to herself as she had Isaac signal him in from the hallway. When Derek walked into the room she knew he was the one, but she still had to test him.
"Hello, my name is Lydia Martin" She stands to shake his hand, doling out one of her signature devious smiles, (which had managed to scare a few guys away). She griped his hand firmly, receiving an equally firm handshake from him.
As she shakes his hand she looks him up and down, really taking him in. Oh he's good. Really good. Hands down the hottest guy to walk into the room all day, making this whole thing worthwhile. She already knows that he's the one, but a girl might as well have fun.
"So Derek, tell me a bit about yourself, previous work experience, anything you'd like to enlighten me on?" She smiles at him again in that way, but he still stays, he's as solid as a brick.
Derek kept the same serious look on his face as he told her of his previous experiences as a bouncer, even a few small bodyguard type jobs. Better yet he's sassy, Lydia can tell, he's ever so slightly snarky with his replies. It's people like him that keep her job interesting, fighting her authority ever so slightly, but not too much. He is definitely going to make this all worthwhile.
"Well Derek," She stood back up, Derek following suit. "I expect to see you any day we have a concert at around 5pm, until we travel again of course, I say five cause you never know who might be lurking around early. I'll email you our schedule so you know, now you may be here earlier, our other bodyguards are normally but they are close friends so, they have more of a reason to. We will be here until next Friday." She smiles at him. "When I see you Monday I'll introduce you to anyone of importance. My dress requirements for you are simple, black pants, black shirt. But you already seem to have that one down." She smirks, taking in the slightest hint of a sheepish smile from him.
"Now I would simply love to stay here chat but i'm afraid I am terribly busy, I have needy boys to deal with. It was a pleasure to meet you Mr. Hale and I will be seeing you Monday." She shakes his hand firmly again, walking out of the room, leaving him with the echo of her clicking heels.
Derek was nervous. Everyone who had been interviewed before him has either come out angry, scared, or crying. This does nothing to calm his nerves. But he needed this job so he stays, sitting there, trying to imagine what kind of creature must be behind that door.
Eventually a younger man gestures him in, and he's greeted by a woman, who introduces herself as Lydia Martin. Confidence and power radiates off of her, he now sees why all those other men left like they did.
He could feel her eyes on him as he sat down, judging him. When she asks about his previous experiences and he starts talking Derek starts to wonder why he even came here. Why is she looking at me like that? Derek wondered to himself.
After what felt like eternity Lydia is finished with her questioning and finally stands up. Here it comes… He thinks to himself. I'm out of here for sure. But Lydia's next words put a stop to Derek's thoughts.
"I expect to see you at 5pm. Any day we have a concert," The rest of what she has to say comes out so fast he barely has time to process it before she leaves with a smile and a flick of her hair.
Derek is left there in shock. How did he get the job that easy? He needs the job desperately, with his uncle in and out of the hospital and all, but what the hell was that? Lydia was definitely a force to be reckoned with and Derek had absolutely no intentions of messing with her.
But he couldn't help but ask himself.
What the hell did he just get himself into?
When Monday rolled around Derek made sure he wasn't late. Hell he was half an hour early. Derek may be a large man, generally seen as pretty threatening but he was not going to push Lydia's buttons his first day there.
He begins to think he's in the wrong place before he runs in Lydia. "Oh great you're here." She glands at her watch, "And early, fantastic." She smiles. "Now just follow me I'll introduce you to Allison, she'll show you around. I'm on a very tight schedule since somebody decided it'd be a wonderful idea to ruin their outfit for tonight." Derek can practically taste the bitterness in her voice.
They walk backstage and Lydia leads him to who he is assuming is Allison. She's petite, but can clearly handle herself. Next to her is a larger man, who he is assuming is the other bodyguard due to his attire.
"Derek this is Allison and Boyd, the other two body guards you'll be working with. Allison if you would be so kind to show him around I'd love you forever." Lydia practically hands Derek off to Allison before turning on her heels and walking away. Allison just smiles as she walks away, showing her deep dimples. Cute.
She then turns to look at him, still smiling. "It's great to finally meet you. Lydia has said a lot about you." Derek could only imagine what Lydia had to say.
"Well I guess we should get a move on. Bye Boyd." She waved at him as they walked away, Boyd just nodding slightly. "Boyd's not exactly the most talkative, but you don't seem to be either, so I think you'll get along great." She smiles.
She shows him around, pointing out anything of importance before they get to the dressing rooms. "Now we all just kind of walk into the dressing rooms whenever since we're all friends but I'd suggest knocking first cause, who knows what you'll see."
Allison knocks on the door before yelling. "Are you guys decent?"
Derek can hear one guy yelling that they're having an orgy but then hears a loud crash and yelling and someone else responding. "Come in!"
Allison looks like she almost doesn't want to go in there but opens the door anyway. "Guys this is Derek, your new bodyguard."
Derek looks around, taking everybody in. There's a guy sitting off to the side taking pictures on his phone of the guy on the floor that Derek can't get a good look at cause a bigger, jock looking guy sitting is on him. Next to them a guy resembling a lost puppy is trying to push him off.
Off to the other side of the room stands a blonde girl and the man from the interview, looking at the mess on the floor, unimpressed.
"Derek this is Erica, she's the other manager, Isaac who's just sort of...Isaac." They both wave and smile at him.
"This group of idiots is the band, that's Scott," She points to the lost puppy looking one. "Jackson," The jock. "Danny," He looks up briefly from his phone and smiles. "and that is Stiles." Derek hears a muffled "hey" and sees a hand pop up, waving to him.
"I was hoping I wouldn't have to apologize about them on your first day but, clearly that's not happening. Jackson please get off of Stiles."
Jackson gets up and moves to a chair, Scott helping Stiles of the floor.
"Now could you guys properly say hello?"
There's a very weak chorus of hellos, except from Stiles who stops talking and just looks at Derek.
Allison just sighs and shakes her head. "Well Derek now that you know this lovely bunch, I should show you everything else, they need to start getting ready anyway."
Derek wave slightly at them with an awkward smile before they leave, Stiles still just staring at him.