I'd asked him three times.

Three separate times over breakfast, during the car ride to some boutique where he'd disappeared for an hour, and again when we got back to the hotel. Each time, I'd tried to be professional about it, to frame it in a way that made sense.

"Mr. Romano, if I could just have some background on today's client, their business profile, their preferences, any specific,"

"Don't bother."

He had dismissed. No explanation, no context, nothing that would help me do my actual ...