3| It's Happening

There wasn't a better idea out there. This was actually happening.

After a full Saturday night and Sunday of researching and brainstorming, we were not able to come up with anything remotely as unique as eleDATE. Besides, Dakota was a stubborn man, and once he made up his mind about something it was damn near impossible to change it.

When my alarm went off on Monday morning, I felt physically ill. My stomach was in knots. I knew that there were some logistics that needed to be worked out before I could actually begin the dates, but I was still dreading meeting with Dakota to discuss the idea.

I sifted through my closet, deciding to wear my black pencil skirt, black strappy heels, and a short sleeve, olive blouse. I figured I'd dress nice today to try and keep a fake sense of confidence while pitching my stupid idea.

Once dressed, I threw some curls in my long hair, pulling it into a messy bun at my neck. I pulled some pieces out of the bun, curling them loosely to frame my face. When I was ready, I shoved down a not-so-nutritious granola bar before grabbing up my work bag and heading out the door.

As I navigated through the familiar streets of Charlotte, I swore the drive to my office building had never felt so long. As if hitting every single red light wasn't bad enough, the familiar drive became even more agitating as I thought about meeting with Dakota. I still couldn't believe that he threatened to fire me. I'd be lying if I said I wan't a little hurt by the notion.

Even after I parked my car and made my way to the elevator I was still being overly dramatic and grumpy. This was a new feeling for me-- dreading coming to work. It was definitely something I didn't want to experience more than once.

As the elevator doors closed I couldn't help but think about this tiny box as the space where I'd be having dates; many, many dates. Now that I was standing in here, the idea seemed even more ridiculous.

"Hold the elevator," a voice called from somewhere in front of me.

I stuck my hand out, stopping the doors from closing just in time. They slowly opened again to reveal that I was now standing face to face with Dakota. Shit.

"Ah, Ms. Adams. Just the writer I wanted to see," he said, strolling into the elevator with all the grace of a professional dancer.

"Mr. Kramer," I greeted, pressing the button to my floor.

"Oh don't bother to stop at your office," Dakota said, reaching over me to press the button for 50. A waft of cologne hit my nose. He always smelled amazing, yet he rarely ever smelled the same. I swear the man collected cologne. In fact, some of us girls made a game out of it, trying to guess which scent he'd wear the following day.

"Oh," I said, "okay." Immediately it became dead quiet in the elevator as we stood near each other in awkward silence. A strange sense of nervousness flooded my body and I couldn't think of anything to say. There truly was something about elevators that created an unavoidable amount of tension between two people. Maybe that's why we came up with this stupid idea in the first place.

"Huh," Dakota chuckled, pulling me from my thoughts.

I cocked an eyebrow at him, inviting him to explain what he was finding amusing.

"I hope you're not this awkward on your dates or this article may not work after all."

I scoffed. "I'm not being awkward, I'm just thinking. You're the one who can't handle silence."

"What are you thinking about?" He asked, staring ahead at our reflection in the shiny doors. He was so tall it made me look extra short beside him, even in my heels.

"The article pitch..." I admitted.

"Well," he started, "it's not so much a pitch anymore as it is working out the logistics. I already told you that your idea was approved."

"Right... well I was hoping that maybe I could have a little more time to come up with something else?"

He looked down at me, his glare harsh and scrutinizing. I could feel my face starting to turn red and I tried my best to look him in the eyes and to act unaffected by his stare. The door pinged open just then, dissipating all the tension as Dakota glided silently towards his desk.

I followed awkwardly behind, standing before him as he settled into his massive desk chair. "Sit down Kyla."

I did as I was told, settling into the chair across from him and setting my bag on the floor by my feet. I didn't like the positioning of this chair... it felt oddly like an interrogation.

"Why don't you want to do your idea?" He asked.

"Um... I just think that I can come up with something better..." I stuttered out, not wanting to admit my insecurities to my boss.

"And I'm telling you that you have a good idea. Not only is it going to push you out of your comfort zone, but it's also incredibly unique. So, my question to you is, why don't you want to do it?"

"I guess I'm just nervous about the whole thing. What if there aren't enough guys that want to do it? What if I go through all this, just to have nothing to show for it in the end?" I ranted.

He blinked at me, scooting his chair in closer to his desk and folding his muscled arms across his chest. "Kyla, this office is filled with single men around your age who I'm sure would be down to be featured in an article, anonymously or not. That isn't an issue. As for having nothing to show for your work, that's impossible. If you go through all this to find out that it didn't work, that you didn't make any connections than so be it. It's an experimental article, and one that if you write it like I know you can, will be very successful."

I nodded. I wasn't sure what to say but he was definitely making some good points.

"If you don't want to write this article Kyla, I will find somebody who does. Understood?"

I nodded again, "Understood."

"Good. Now," he said, "let's talk logistics."

*********

"So you're stuck with the eleDATE idea huh?" Rory asked, trying to conceal a smile.

"Rory try not to look so amused would you? She's clearly freaking out here," Ellie defended.

I plopped down into my own desk, brushing a piece of hair away from my face. "I blame you," I said, directing my comment at Hayden. "It's because of all the shots we took that we came up with this idea, and now I'll be speed dating half the office."

"Oh come on, it's hardly half the office," Hayden chimed in, "Besides, I think it's a great idea. Have you seen the men that work here? Girl, I'd trade places with you in a second!"

"Well, Dakota did offer to find someone else to do the article..."

"Oh that's good, isn't it?" Lydia cut me off.

"No, because he made it sound like I'd lose my job if I wasn't the one doing it."

"Oh yikes, never mind," she sighed.

Cole walked over to me, setting a coffee on my desk. "Figured you could use this today."

I smiled up at him; it was such a thoughtful gesture. "I really could. Thank you, Cole."

"No problem. And just remember this is a good opportunity. If you do this article, you keep your job and write about something interesting," he said.

"And," Ellie chimed in, "you get to date a bunch of hotties! Maybe you'll finally find yourself a boyfriend."

"Yeah maybe. That part is whatever," I stated, taking a quick sip of my hot coffee. "I think the only way I will get through this without having an anxiety attack is if I think of it in a completely professional way. This is just an experiment so that I can write something amazing."

My friends didn't have much to say after my statement so I just continued on. "Besides, I don't believe that I'd be able to catch feelings for someone that I'd only be talking to for such a short period of time."

"Maybe not," Cole said from beside me, "but that's why it's an experiment. Personally, I can't wait to read about it."

"Thanks guys," I said. "So, who wants to help me find men to participate? Dakota said that we should create a questionnaire to hand out to the men in the office that are interested, and then narrow down the guys based on their answers. I'm not supposed to know who the men are, so it's kind of up to you guys to choose who qualifies."

"Oooooo! Can Ellie and I please be in charge!?" Lydia asked, shooting her hand into the air as if waiting to be called on.

I chuckled. "Yes I was hoping the two of you would handle this process. You guys know me, so please pick men that you think I'd actually like in some way."

"We got you," Ellie stated, "how many men are we picking here?"

"Dakota said at least 20 if you can."

I had always found the idea of dating 20 men at once completely absurd... not that it ever stopped me from watching season after season of the Bachelorette. I had to admit the show was entertaining and honestly it seemed pretty glamorous. The problem was, in this situation I was not about to go on extravagant dinner dates, daring adventures, or to overnight suites with these men... I'd be dating them one on one, for 5 minutes at a time, in a freaking elevator.

After discussing some more logistics, I got started creating the questionnaire that I wanted to send out to the interested men. If I had even a shot at connecting with any of them, I wanted to make sure they weren't total scum. Together, Ellie, Lydia, and I came up with the following 5 questions:

1. How old are you and what's your job at Clicked?

2. Why are you interested in participating in "eleDATE?"

3. If chosen, are you okay with your name being used in the article? Yes or No.

4. How long was your longest relationship?

5. Are you ready to start a relationship?

I had wanted to add many more questions, but the girls insisted that this was enough. I didn't want to ask too many questions where nobody would want to fill out the sheet. Besides, I wasn't allowed to look at the men's answers anyway, only Ellie and Lydia could do that.

Once finished, I printed off 30 copies, and set my friends loose in the office to search for candidates. I had to admit, knowing that my 2 best girl friends were in charge of selecting the bachelors did make the concept seem less intimidating. I knew that they wouldn't select anyone who answered like a total creep. I was also a little jealous of the two of them. It seemed like fun to run around gathering up the men; I found myself wishing that I was the one that was hands-off and Lydia was the one doing the dating.

Jealousy aside, today had been one of the longer days at work that I had ever experienced... and I knew we were just getting started.