The Immortal and the Baker 6: The Security Expert
Ambrose Rossi entered the business that had requested his expertise in security systems. That was what he did for a living, put in security systems into places of business. He was the go to guy when it came to security systems and was an expert in all kinds of electronics.
"Can I help you?" asked the lady at the front desk.
"Yes, I'm here to install a security system for one Penelope Garcia," Ambrose said reading off the worksheet.
"Oh, yeah, you must be from the security company," the lady behind the desk said and thought that the security guy was very handsome with his brown hair and dark eyes. Ambrose was a very handsome man with broad shoulders and about 5'10' in height, which made him an inch shorter than his father David Rossi. Ambrose also had slightly black skin inherited from his mother but he wasn't as dark as her thanks to his father being white. He looked like he had a dark tan. The only difference was he had never used a tanning booth or tanning lotion in his life to give him his skin color as it was natural.
"Yes, that's right," Ambrose agreed.
"I'll call her office and see if she's ready for you," the receptionist said, as she called someone over the link.
"You can go on up. Third-floor, office is directly to the left and it has her name on the door," the receptionist told Ambrose once she got off with his client.
"Thank you," Ambrose told the receptionist, as he walked to the elevator only thinking about getting home as he was tired.
Ambrose took the elevator up to the third-floor and then followed instructions seeing the nameplate on the door that said Penelope Garcia.
Ambrose knocked on the old-fashioned wooden door and heard voice say, "Come in," called a female voice.
Ambrose strode into the office and stood there for a minute, as the woman was turned away and the only thing he could see was a bit of blonde hair.
"Excuse me," Ambrose said finally trying to get the woman's attention.
"Oh, sorry, I didn't realize that you were here," the woman said, as she turned in her chair to face Ambrose.
Ambrose stood transfixed for several long seconds but then said, "You did tell me to come in ma'am. I assumed that meant you knew I was here."
"Sorry, I was distracted," the woman offered with a slight smile.
"You contacted my company about a topnotch security system," Ambrose began.
"I did," Penelope agreed trying not to stare the handsome man before her. The man had brown hair and brown eyes but was also several inches taller than she was, though he was relatively short for a man. "This company is just getting off the ground and I know how dangerous people can be. I don't want thieves or saboteurs getting in so I need a topnotch security system. That's where you come in."
"Well ma'am, there are few options if you want a good security system," Ambrose said. "I'll be happy to discuss them with you."
"You can address me as, Penny," Penelope told the man in front of her.
"I'm Ambrose," Ambrose offered.
"Ambrose is a rather unusual name," Penelope said.
"I know," Ambrose agreed with a grimace. "My mother really liked it though when she found it on one of those baby names sites. I don't know what my father was thinking agreeing to it, but he did."
Ambrose rolled his eyes to show how exasperated he was.
"My mother's name is really unusual so maybe that's why she liked it so much and my father agreed with her."
"What is your mother's name," Penelope asked.
"Jazzlyn," Ambrose supplied. "She goes by Jazz though. Unfortunately my name has no nicknames. Not ones I would consider going by at least. I never have liked Brose and that's the main nickname."
"There's also Amber," Penelope suggested with a grin.
"No thanks, that sounds like a girl's name to me," Ambrose grimaced. "I can imagine how much I would be teased by other men if I told them hi my name is Amber."
"It does sound like a girl's name and yes you would probably be teased maliciously if you told people that," Penelope agreed thinking that Ambrose was the most handsome man she had ever seen.
"I suppose I could go by Brody or Ross, as those are also nicknames for Ambrose and they're OK," Ambrose said. "At least they're more manly then Amber."
Ambrose's voice wasn't very enthusiastic, Penelope noticed.
"I might not like Ambrose very much, but that's only because people often comment about how unusual it is," Ambrose explained. "It's a very old-fashioned name that just isn't used much anymore. About that security system though."
Ambrose changed the subject deliberately and Penelope got the hint immediately, as she was an intelligent woman.
The two started discussing security systems and Penelope finally decided on the one we're all doors and windows would be alarmed and there would be several levels to the system. On level one an alarm would sound if any of the doors opened when it was set. On level five there would be pressure plates in the floor designed to go off if anyone entered if they didn't turn off the alarm. There would also be security cameras in a lot of different locations that would be on 24 hours a day and also be lasers crisscrossing the floor as well as pressure plates. It was a very complete system. Of course, it was still possible to get past even the best systems but you'd have to be very clever and know a lot about security systems in general.
"So now that's taken care of what about a date?" Ambrose asked Penelope once the work order had been signed.
"A handsome guy like you isn't married?" Penelope asked with a raised eyebrow. "I mean you're financially solvent, handsome, seem nice so why haven't you tied the knot with anyone?"
"I just haven't found the right woman yet," Ambrose shrugged causally. "My security company takes up a great deal of my time for one thing. A lot of women just don't understand that you have a business to run and make demands on your time. Women can be selfish creatures and want you to spend every spare minute with them no offense. So many woman just don't seem to care that the business that a man started is how they make their money and if they didn't go into work they'd soon be broke. That woman would then leave that man because there was no more money probably not even realizing or at least caring that she is the one that caused him to go broke, because of her demands and the man giving into them."
Ambrose didn't bother to tell Penelope that he'd kept busy on purpose, because he was immortal and until he had met her, his mate, he wasn't about to settle down. While what he told Penelope was the truth, it wasn't the whole truth. He needed to contact his parents and tell them the good news, but that could wait a few days at least.
"No offense but so many women can be demanding," Ambrose added.
"I won't argue because you're right," Penelope agreed. "The same can be said of men."
"I can guess what those men you dated wanted," Ambrose said. "It's so hard to find someone who understands you."
"That's the truth," Penelope agreed making a face as she thought of men she had dated in the past. "I'll be happy to go out on a date with you just let me know when and where."
"I was thinking tonight, if that's okay with you," Ambrose said. He was very eager to start to get to know his mate.
"That's fine, as I wasn't doing anything in particular," Penelope said.
"Alright, same question you asked me earlier. Why are you not married or at least have a significant other?" Ambrose asked Penelope.
"This is a new company for one thing and like you I work a great deal," Penelope gestured around at her office. "I just haven't had time to date much, as men can be so demanding, as I stated a few minutes ago. So many of them don't understand why you don't spend at least most of your time with them. They don't seem to understand that it takes a lot of hard work and long hours to start up a new business and we've only been open a few months. It'll be awhile yet before those long hours will change into something more reasonable and so many men just don't understand that. Much like women they want what they want and they don't care that you have a business to run. Also, a lot of men are suspicious of whoever their dating if the woman in question doesn't spend every moment with them and think your cheating them when you're not and even if there's no proof you are."
"I understand," Ambrose said and he did. It took a solid work ethic and long hours to get a new business off the ground and definitely understood why his mate wasn't dating or settled down with anyone yet. That was good for him though and he could be patient when it came to having children by her or even getting her to believe in something like immortality. Penny was also right that men could be very difficult and believe a woman was cheating on them if she didn't spend every spare minute with them.
The two of them decided to go to a concert as both of them liked music and Ambrose promised he already had the tickets and hadn't chosen who to take yet.
Ambrose left Penelope's office with a spring in his step as he couldn't really believe he had finally met his mate. It was a dream come true.
~~~Ambrose and Penelope~~~
"The concert was wonderful," Penelope told Ambrose when they got together the next day. "If I had been able to get tickets it would've been nosebleed seats and who can see anything from that distance? Thanks to us meeting and you asking me on a date we were in a good position to see the band on the stage. Thanks for taking me as you could've taken anyone. Another woman for instance."
"I'm not dating anyone right now as you know," Ambrose said. "Didn't we just discuss how women are so much trouble and how busy I've been?"
"While that's true, you could've taken a friend of yours, even if they happen to be a woman," Penelope pointed out.
"You would have gotten the wrong impression if I had," Ambrose told her. "I do have several female cousins that share my musical tastes that would've loved to have attended with me, but I chose to take you instead."
"I'm grateful you did," Penelope said.
She and Ambrose sat in a nearby café sharing breakfast. Ambrose had invited her after the concert if she didn't want to sleep in, as it had been quite late when he had taken her home. It had been after 1 o'clock in the morning by the time they had gotten home but then both of them were night owls so they didn't mind.
"So what about lunch to Miss Penelope," Ambrose asked having learned her full name the other day.
"I told you prefer, Penny," Penelope scolded him lightly.
"I don't see why you object to your full name, as it's very pretty," Ambrose told her.
"Just like you, I've had comments about how unusual my name is and even some malicious remarks," Penelope explained. "Penny is much more common in this day and age then Penelope and people don't make stupid comments about it or nasty remarks. Like I can help what my parents named me. It's like nobody reads Greek myths anymore to realize where the name comes from."
"Well, at least your name has a good nickname while mine simply does not," Ambrose told Penelope.
"Well, there are the nicknames we mentioned yesterday but you don't seem to like any of them," Penelope said.
"I don't know why mom and dad couldn't name me something more normal like Charles, because at least you can shorten that to Charlie or even Chuck," Ambrose moaned dramatically.
Penelope giggled, which had been Ambrose's intent in the first place.
Ambrose knew exactly why he had ended up with such an unusual name, even if he didn't tell Penelope that. His parents had simply had so many children that they'd used most of the most common ones a long time ago. Between his family and the Hotchners who were considered family, there just was not that many normal names left that didn't mean exactly the same thing or at least sound similar to names that hadn't already been used anyway. Names like Charles, William, Henry, Derek, Julian, Darien, Jeremiah, Raymond, Josiah, Joshua, Howard, Preston, Prescott and many others had already been used for boys names.
"I can understand disliking your name, as it is rather unusual in this century," Penelope said.
"I don't hate it," Ambrose admitted. "It's just that people act like idiots when they hear my name. Like I can help what my parents named me."
"I know exactly how you feel," Penelope agreed sympathizing deeply with Ambrose, as both of them had unusual names for this century.
"Well, I suppose I'm lucky that they didn't decide on Bartholomew, which I definitely would've hated," Ambrose said not mentioning he had a cousin by that name, though he went by Bart, something he couldn't blame his cousin for because at least Bart was more normal.
"Consider yourself lucky," Penelope told him in full agreement that Bartholomew was worse than Ambrose.
"I do," Ambrose promised her. "Ambrose might be unusual, but it's certainly worlds better than Bartholomew, though at least you can use Bart or Barty as a nickname or even Barth."
~~~Ambrose and Penelope~~~