Chapter 3
"Rach, that guy was really into you…" Blaine exclaimed as they slid into the backseat of a cab. Rachel blushed, replying, "You're imagining things, Blaine; he was just being a good host."
"Nonsense, kiddo; I know what I saw, and I think you reciprocated the feelings, too…"
"Don't be silly, Blaine…" Rachel weakly protested while Blaine chuckled, reminding her, "You know what they say…'Denial is more than a river in Egypt'!"
Rachel giggled, shaking her head as she teasingly admonished, "Blaine Anderson, what am I gonna do with you?"
"The same thing you've been doing for the past 10 years; love me, because I'm just that kind 'a guy," he replied with a grin. "So…did he give you his number? I got Kurt's…"
"No, Blaine, of course not," Rachel lightly admonished. "It was an interview, not a prelude to a hookup."
"Maybe so, but it could have been," Blaine teased.
"Well, in the first place, I'm not a 'hookup' kind of woman…" Rachel reminded her friend, continuing, "…and, in the second place, it's too late now, anyway," she commented, sighing lightly as the cab pulled away, heading to their next destination.
"So, did ya' get her number?" Ryder Lynn, the camera operator teased.
A slightly disconcerted expression flickering across his face, Noah looked at his coworker, replying, "No idea what you're talkin' about, man…"
"That Berry chick…she was hot," he commented, winking at Noah in the process.
"She sure was…" Noah thought, inner dialogue continuing, "Last thing I need is to fuck up this job over some woman…" He carefully replied to Ryder, "Yes, she was very pretty and, no, I did not ask for her number."
"Too bad," Ryder remarked before turning away and returning to his duties.
Noah left the set to change into more casual attire and remove his makeup, but he had not gotten far when he was intercepted by one Kurt Hummel, studio manager and theater geek extraordinaire. "A moment of your time, Mr. Puckerman?" Kurt inquired with a friendly smile.
"Sure, boss, your time is my time," Noah replied, falling into step with the other man.
"You're a good guy, Puck," Kurt unexpectedly complimented, to Noah's surprise.
"Thanks, Kurt; I appreciate it," Noah acknowledged. "If I may ask, what brought this on?"
"I noticed the looks that were passing between you and Rachel Berry…Hell, even a blind man would have noticed," Kurt commented.
"Kurt, are you saying I behaved unprofessionally?" Noah concernedly queried.
"No, not at all, Puck," Kurt assured him. "I'm saying that the antics of one crazy woman close to four years ago shouldn't preclude you from pursuing another romantic relationship. Life's too short…"
"I don't see what that has to do with anything," Noah defensively replied.
"No, no…Look, Puck, I've known you over three years, now, and I consider myself an excellent judge of character." Kurt looked into Noah's eyes, continuing, "I know you'd never do anything that harridan accused you of…Hell, even her own father didn't believe it…he's the one who suggested that I reach out to you in the first place. As far as I'm concerned, their loss was definitely our gain."
Noah smiled at Kurt's remarks, and Kurt continued, "All I'm saying is that you shouldn't stop yourself from looking for happiness. From what I can tell, she seems like a nice, down-to-earth woman. If you decide that you want her number, let me know, and I'll look into getting it from Blaine."
"Thanks, Kurt," Noah humbly replied, "for the vote of confidence, too. I'll think about it. If you'll excuse me, though, I'd like to get changed, and I have some calls to make…" Noah excused himself, heading toward the dressing room. Once inside, he took off his jacket, tie, and shirt and entered the washroom to remove the necessary evil of a career in front of the camera…makeup.
As he patted dry his now clean face, he looked up, staring into his reflection in the mirror, recalling the incident that Kurt had touched on:
Noah had recently moved from Chicago to New York. It was a big step for him, and the first time he had lived outside of Illinois, having grown up in Northbrook (a Chicago suburb) and attended college at Northwestern University. It was a great opportunity and an excellent career move; anchoring the news desk at a prominent local station in New York was the next logical step toward a national position, perhaps at NBC or at CNN in Atlanta.
DeForest Wilde, the station owner, was a straight-shooter and a shrewd businessman. He had been in broadcasting for many years and had only one major weakness: his youngest daughter Katherine, who went by "Kitty".
Kitty was slender and attractive, with blonde hair and ice blue eyes that could switch from innocent to devious with one bat of her eyelashes. Unfortunately, she was also willful and spoiled, with a major sense of entitlement, having been catered to all of her life without hesitation. The problem was, she had set her sights on Noah, and he did not reciprocate her feelings.
Kitty wheedled and cajoled her father until he all but begged Noah to take her out. Having been in the position less than a year and fearing that his job might be on the line, he complied. After two relatively innocuous dinner dates, she propositioned him and he politely declined, paid the check, left her with cab fare, and returned to his home.
Kitty was outraged; no man had ever denied her anything, and she certainly didn't want anybody thinking she wasn't desirable enough for some "small-time local news jockey". The next day, she sailed into the station, marched into her father's office, and, as she shed crocodile tears and feigned histrionics, she attempted to convince him that Noah had tried to rape her, and if he wasn't summarily dismissed, she would go to the authorities.
Although Mr. Wilde realized that his daughter's accusations toward Noah were false, he knew that she would have no problem going to the police with her pack of lies, ruining Noah's reputation as well as casting the station in an extremely bad light. Even after the truth came out (with a total loss of credibility for her and potential legal ramifications yet unknown), the damage would be too great to mitigate. There were more livelihoods at stake than one man's, and even though he would have preferred not to submit to his daughter's demands, he realized that he was basically at her mercy.
Kitty left the office, nose in the air and a smug expression on her face, and, shortly thereafter, Noah was given his walking papers. He was provided a generous severance package to tide him over, and Mr. Wilde promised to make some calls on his behalf as well as provide an excellent recommendation for him. Although Noah's head was spinning, he had enough presence of mind to insist on a letter exonerating him of any and all accusations, which he received (and would submit a copy to his attorney the following day). As he cleared his desk, he promised himself that he would never again allow a woman to place his career in such a tenuous position.
As he gazed into his own eyes, he wondered if he would ever be able to trust a woman enough to open himself up to a healthy, adult relationship, and perhaps even love.
