Page 116 of Rookie Rules

"Numbers are good. Approval terms need work."

Rowan turned the page.

The woman in the evening dress appeared beside Luca's elevator.

His expression did not change.

Luca watched too closely anyway.

"Front Runner," Rowan read.

"Apparently I smell like momentum."

"Do you like the fragrance?"

"I haven't smelled it."

"Then that would be my first question."

Practical. Rowan could turn a fantasy campaign into a product evaluation in one sentence.

"That's not why I brought it," Luca said.

Rowan looked up.

Luca tapped the image. "What do you see?"

"A campaign draft."

"Very perceptive."

"You asked."

"I see a version of me that has never had to explain anything because everyone already decided what he wants."

Rowan returned his attention to the page. "Does the contract require you to say you're dating her?"

"No."

"Does it require personal interviews?"

"We can exclude dating questions."

Rowan continued through the deck. He stopped at the production schedule and compared it against the Wolves calendar.

"This shoot date is after an away back-to-back. Move it."

"Claire already flagged that."

"The retail appearance conflicts with optional skate."

"Optional."

"Recovery is not."

Luca watched Rowan protect his body, schedule, money, and approval rights with total concentration. This was not indifference. It was care translated into every category except the one Luca had brought into the house.

"You promised we'd talk after the trip," Luca said.