"Oh, shoot, there it is!" Clementine exclaimed, pointing at the corner of the TV screen.
Alexa couldn't help herself laughing as she heard a cheer go up outside of the TV studio. It alerted the presenters and interviewees who were waffling away that something big had just happened. On the graphic in the corner of the screen, the number next to the name McMahon had just changed to 272, and it was now coloured in gold. The station had just called another state for Stephanie McMahon, pushing her over the winning line in the 2020 Presidential Election.
"She actually did it. Holy shit," Alexa said, putting a celebratory arm around her girlfriend. Clementine had no idea that McMahon was a client of A Moment of Bliss. That kind of thing was not discussed between them. They were celebrating because they had both voted for McMahon, and had spent election night cuddled up the couch, watching the coverage. Demolishing a large pizza had been another high point of the night.
A further cause for celebration had been the fact that Clementine's home state of Georgia and Alexa's home state of Ohio had both gone red for McMahon.
"I'll have to go collect my winnings tomorrow," Clementine beamed. She had been so confident about her prediction of a McMahon win that she had placed a bet on it.
"Clem, you bet five bucks, Alexa giggled.
Clementine gave one of the cute smiles that Alexa had fallen in love with. "I don't care. A win is a win."
A win is indeed a win, Alexa thought, watching an arena full of McMahon supporters celebrating her triumph. Soon, they would be addressed by the new President. It made Alexa grin to herself, thinking about some of the situations she'd had Stephanie in during her various bookings.
It was the day after the night before. The world was reacting to the news that America had its first female President.
Alexa had been on an early flight to LA, and was now driving a rental BMW from the airport to the address of a brand new high profile client of A Moment of Bliss. It was one that Alexa was looking forward to, figuring that it was going to be relatively easy work as far as twelve hour bookings went. During the drive, she was listening to the radio, enjoying the discussion about what a McMahon presidency might mean for America.
An incoming phone call interrupted the radio because Alexa's phone was connected to the car's sound system via Bluetooth. 'A Moment of Bliss Office' was the caller ID shown on the screen.
Alexa pressed the button on the steering wheel to answer the call. "Morning, Zelina."
"Hi, Alexa. How are you?" Zelina asked.
"I'm good, apart from the traffic. How do people live in LA?"
"You live in New York," Zelina pointed out with a laugh.
Alexa had to admit that was a pretty good comeback. "This is true," she laughed. "So, what's going on?"
"I just took a call from a repeat client. I'm sure you'll remember him as his first booking wasn't all that long ago. Adam Cole?"
"How could I forget Adam Cole?" Alexa chuckled. "Yes, I remember him. He wants to book again? I can't say I'm all that surprised." What she couldn't figure out was why the phone call was necessary.
"Right, but here's the thing," Zelina said. "Apparently Mr Cole was a donor to President McMahon's campaign. He's been invited to a celebratory dinner next week at the White House, and he wants to book you to go with him. Needless to say, I thought I'd better kick this one up to you for a decision."
"Shit," Alexa said under her breath. Taking the booking would put her in a position she had never been in before, meeting a client while on a booking with another client. It might make Stephanie feel a bit awkward, but Alexa reasoned that when it came down it, that wasn't her problem. She was in business to make money. What troubled her more was whether or not the dinner might receive any kind of television or newspaper coverage. That was something she couldn't afford, as having herself seen going to dinner with the President would potentially ruin every incarnation of Lexi Kaufman for her numerous clients, past, present and future, who had her pretend to be someone she wasn't. That scenario was unacceptable. "Do we know if there will be any media coverage?" she asked.
"I asked Mr Cole that," Zelina said, showing once again why Alexa paid her well. "He said there won't be, it's a strictly private affair for donors and campaign staff."
Alexa mulled it over for a moment before making a decision that she would have to stick to. "Tell him that I'll take the booking, on the condition that we get into the White House with no press or media attention. I see so much as a man with a camera, we turn around and leave before we get close."
"Understood. I'll get it organised," Zelina promised.
"Thanks, Z. Have a good day."
"You too. Have fun," Zelina added, referring to the upcoming booking. Alexa could hear the smile in her employee's voice before the call was ended and the radio came back on.
Awful traffic notwithstanding, it didn't take Alexa that much longer to reach her destination. At least, her satnav told her she had reached her destination. She had to log into her emails on her phone and check the booking form for confirmation, because she could hardly believe that the somewhat run down-looking rank average single storey house in the middle of a perfectly ordinary residential street was the home of her client. It barely seemed conceivable, yet the address did match what she had been given.
"Christ," Alexa said under her breath. Still, she was not one to judge, especially since she had come from a similarly humble background herself. Maybe, for whatever reason, the client liked living in this house and didn't want to move out. It was a certain fact that money wasn't the deciding factor.
Getting out of the BMW, Alexa retrieved her travel case from the trunk. After double checking that the car was locked, thinking that she didn't fully trust the look of the neighbourhood, Alexa headed up the short pathway to the front door.
Knocking the door, Alexa had a clear picture of the client in mind. She would have had to have been living under a rock not to have recognised the name.
Sure enough, when the door opened a few moments later Alexa discovered that she was at the correct address.
"Hey, I'm Ronda. Come in," the client said warmly.
"Hi, I'm Alexa," she replied for the sake of professionalism.
Ronda Rousey held the door open while Alexa brought her case into the house. She found it extraordinary that the woman who was fast becoming the most recognisable UFC fighter in the world lived in a house that was unremarkable both inside and out. There seemed to be nothing fancy about anything she saw, including the furniture in the living room when she followed Ronda in there.
"Can I get you anything before we start?" Ronda asked, showing the slight uncertainty that was common in new clients.
"I'm good, thank you," Alexa said with another smile, this one intended to encourage the client to feel at ease.
"You know what I asked for, right?"
"Absolutely," Alexa said with a nod. "I'll just need somewhere to change, then we can start."
Ronda pointed back out of the living room, as the stairs were near to the front door. "You can use the bedroom to your left at the top of the stairs. The bathroom is next to it."
"Okay. I'll be right back," Alexa said, making it sound like she was looking forward to making a start on Ronda's request as much as she was.
A/N: As ever, I want to thank everyone who left a review last time.
What do you think Ronda's booking request might be?
And what do you think of the booking Alexa agreed to take from Adam Cole?