"Oh my God! Oh my God! Katie, look! It's Noah freaking Mayer!"
Noah hid his eye-roll behind the lenses of his Armani sunglasses and turned to flash the two girls his pearly whites; rewarding them with a tiny wave hello.
The girl who'd first spotted him literally swooned.
"He waved at us!" She told her equally excited friend; fanning herself with one hand. "Jesus Christ, Katie! Noah Mayer just waved at us!"
Noah shook his head and quickly stepped inside the leather interior of his dark grey Porsche Cayman S before the girls could gather themselves and start pestering him for autographs. Noah was a rare breed of director. He took on the role out of passion and love for the art form rather than for the fame and glory that went along with it. But in Los Angeles, you just couldn't advance in the film industry without adopting the expected exterior; right down to the clothes you wore and the car you drove. Image was everything in this town; and directing was everything to Noah. If he wanted to impress the right people; and get the backing he needed for his films, he had to portray the part.
It was a lesson he was quick to learn when he first arrived in the city at the naive age of 19; wearing just a faded pair of jeans, a T-shirt, which read Save the Planet and a multi-colored cotton button down. At home, out of sight of the public and more importantly especially the press, it was still Noah's favorite form of attire.
As a rule, Noah shied away from press interviews as much as was possible. After the success of his first film, he hired Blake Rutherson to manage his public relations flax. Over the years, Blake had successfully protected Noah from the worst of what the media could throw at him; firmly handling the public and the media but also fairly too. Noah may not have always been comfortable with the added attention that came from the success of his career. But he was smart enough to know he still needed to play the game.
Just as Noah pulled away from the curb, the Bluetooth system in his car picked up a call from Blake himself.
"Yes, Blake, I'll be at Universal for the meeting I promise." Noah said before Blake could utter one word. "Just might be a few minutes late, that's all."
One of the major perks to being an award- winning director in Hollywood, was that people tended to be more willing to wait for Noah, rather than the other way around.
"Okay, okay," Blake replied. "Just confirming the interview at three. And, hey listen, don't forget you got that Luke Snyder Foundation charity thing tonight. Encouraging kids into film-making. You love that stuff!"
Noah sighed and checked his watch. "Yes, yes, I haven't forgotten. The penguin suit's hanging in the closet back at the office. But first I got a date with a special lady."
...
As Noah headed up the rocky, windy Pacific Coast Highway toward Santa Barbara, he already had some idea as to what the interview at three would be about; and it definitely wouldn't focus on the charity event set for tonight. There was currently intense speculation over his future plans, especially now that he'd acquired the huge office complex south of the city.
His blue eyes scanned the road ahead as he thought over what he was and wasn't willing to reveal. Growing up, he'd never have imaged he'd actually be in this position. Being a director was just a hopeless dream back then; one that seemed a major impossibility with a father who wanted him to join the military; a father whose idea of parenting was a good helping of backhands across the cheek.
Yet despite every hardship he'd endured as the son of Colonel Winston Mayer, he'd fought his way out from under his father's grasp. He was the director he always wanted to be; and a successful one at that.
Now that he'd surpassed even his wildest dreams and succeeded as a director, he was surprised to have formulated yet another dream. He wasn't just going to direct movies, he was going to produce them as well.
Using the hefty paycheck from his latest film, Noah purchased the vacant office and warehouse space with the goal of creating his own production studio. It was risky considering the competition he'd face, but the new endeavor seem to set a new fire under his feet.
If there was one thing Noah had in spades, it was ambition.
However nervous he was about the pending interview, his thoughts turned to his current destination; excitement building with every passing mile. Soon he'd lay eyes on the smooth curves of his potential new leading lady. One he was willing to do almost anything to win.
His GPRS found the beach house easily. The so-called cottage was beautiful, set amongst a well manicured garden with sweeping Pacific Ocean views from large windows adorning almost every front facing room. Yet the impressive piece of prime real estate didn't hold Noah's attention for long, when he spotted the object of his desire laying broken and battered in the rose bushes.