“Hey, Dad.”
“You haven’t called me back. Your mom and I are on pins and needles over here. Did you get the job?”
“I got a job. It’s okay.” I rubbed my forehead.
“You got a job?” He obviously didn’t understand.
“Right now I’ve got a slot as a sportscaster on the evening news, but I’m up for the morning anchor position too.” The moonlight poured through a gap in my curtain. I got up to close it. Sometimes even bright moonlight would give me a headache, but I opened the thick black curtain instead.
“Up for it?” Dad asked, sounding confused. “How many others are up for it, son?”
“Only one more person. A young woman—a recent grad from UCLA.” The glowing light filled my eyes. It didn’t hurt my head at all. I imagined Lila looking at that same moon as she looked out the window of her hotel room.
“UCLA? You’ve got this in the bag, son. You’re practically a New Yorker. Compared to her you are, anyway.” He spoke with confidence, as if he didn’t have any doubts at all.
“She’s tough, Dad. A real spitfire. And the camera loves her. It won’t be as easy as it seems.” The stars took my attention. Taking a late-night rowboat ride with Lila, the moon and stars over our heads, would be just the thing. Then back to my place to make love all night before falling asleep in each other’s arms.
Fuck, I’m turning into a sap!
“New York has tons of pretty faces, Duke. Don’t let her win just because she’s pretty.”
“I’m not. I’m giving it my all just like I always have. I’m just saying that she’s not going to be easy to beat.” I pulled the curtain shut. I needed to get some sleep and stop thinking about Lila.
If I didn’t get a hold of myself, I’d end up doing something stupid. Like quitting the job just so I could have a shot with her.
Chapter Eleven
Lila
The jet traveled smoothly through the sky, taking the crew and me back to New York. A successful trip to New Mexico and one hell of a great interview with Ted Turner had me feeling great about my chances of securing the morning show. I was sure Artimus Wolfe would be pleased with what I’d turn in.
“I’ll do the edits on the video then turn the interview in to Artimus this afternoon, Lila,” Ashton told me.
“Great, thank you, Ashton.” I lay my head back on the headrest to get a little nap. We’d had to be up at three in the morning to take the company jet out to New Mexico. The interview had been at nine, and it had taken a couple of hours. My parents had met me at the airport, giving me the majority of my clothes to take back to New York.
Dad had given me a credit card and told me to use it to pay for a place to stay until I started getting paid. He and Mom had been supportive, and both had wished me luck on getting the anchor position before we all had had to part ways.
Seeing them had made me realize how much I’d missed them. Mom had told me I had to make time to come for a visit even if it was just for the weekend. I’d promised I would, but had no idea when things would calm down for me.
Even as I tried to rest, my mind kept churning. I thought about stopping by one of the hospitals to see if I could talk to someone about doing some kind of volunteer work. I wanted to give Artimus and Mrs. Baker everything I could. I wanted this job more than I’d ever wanted anything.
The idea of making a living doing something I absolutely loved had me clinging to the hope that I would be able to make enough money to take care of myself. The small job doing the weather wasn’t going to do much more than pay my bills. Of course, I wanted to do more than just pay the bills. And I was ready to work as hard as I had to for that to happen.
Somehow, I finally drifted off to sleep, and woke up when Nina jostled me. “We’re home, sleeping beauty. Time to wake up.”
Yawning, I stretched my arms then got up to get off the plane. The pilot had already gotten my bags out, and they’d been placed on a cart for me. I gave the older man a big smile. “Thank you, Jeffery. That was nice of you.”
“Not a problem, Lila. Good luck with everything. I hope things go your way.” He tipped his hat at me then took off in the other direction.
Nina and I walked into the airport together. She looked tired too. “I’m going home and taking a long nap,” she informed me.
“I’m going to drop by the hotel, get the rest of my things, and go check into a cheaper place. WOLF paid for the first two nights but my dad’s been footing the bill for the other nights I’ve had to spend in town. I think his credit card’s gotten enough of a workout.” I pushed the cart with my luggage through the sliding glass doors that led out to where tons of taxicabs were parked.
“I’ve got three roommates already, otherwise I’d invite you to move in with me.” Nina was proving to be a very good friend. “I can give my aunt a call to see if she’s got a room open, if you’d like. She runs a bed and breakfast in Manhattan.”
“Would you?” I asked. “That would be great!”
Hopping into a cab, we shared the ride as she made the call, finding me an affordable place to stay. It wasn’t my own apartment, but it was my own room and bathroom, complete with breakfast each morning. And her aunt gave me the employee discount, too.
The driver dropped Nina off first, as her apartment was on the way to the hotel. I hurried to pack my things then checked out of the fancy establishment. When I got to the bed and breakfast, Nina’s Aunt Lacey showed me to my room.
“Here we are, Lila. I hope you like it.” Lacey opened the door, and my eyes scanned the small room.
It wasn’t huge, but it was very nice. A pale blue bedspread covered the queen-size bed. Four fluffy pillows made it look comfy and inviting. One window, with curtains that matched the bedspread, lit the room up.
“This is so pretty.” I put my luggage down near the door to look around.
“You’ve got a large closet here.” She opened the door to a walk-in closet that had more than enough space to store my clothes.
I opened the other door, finding a small bathroom with a clawfoot bathtub. “I love it!”
“Thank you. I know it’s cozy, but there are three living areas on the main floor where you can stretch out a bit. All the bedrooms are on the second and third floors. On the fourth floor, there’s an exercise room for our guests. And breakfast is served in the dining area from five in the morning until ten in the afternoon.”
It was more like a real home than a hotel. “Thank you so much. I can’t tell you how nice it feels to know I’ve got a place to stay, and such a nice one at that.” I turned around, looking at the whole room once more. This would be my home for the next little while. And I couldn’t have been happier about that.
After unpacking my things, I headed out to Lenox Hill Hospital to see if I could get something set up for the next day. Walking past one of the hospital rooms, I heard a familiar voice coming from inside.
Peeking in, I found Duke sitting on the edge of a bed, a small girl with all kinds of tubes running into her lay on the bed, gazing up at him as he read her a children’s story. One cameraman and a sound man had their backs to me.
Duke had donned blue scrubs and a surgical mask, making him look like one hell of a sexy doctor. I stood there, frozen in place, as he changed his voice for each different character in the story.
The little girl seemed to be just as charmed by him as I was. As he read the last words of the story, he started lifting his head, and I hurried to duck away so he wouldn’t see me.
But it seemed he’d spotted me after all, as I heard him calling out behind me. “Hey, you. What’re you doing here?”
I stopped and turned around. “Just checking to see if I can do some volunteer work here. I see you had the same idea.”
He caught up with me, taking the surgical mask off and shoving it into one of his pockets. “Great minds think alike. Come on, the cafeteria here has some pretty good food. I’ll buy you lunch.”
I ran my hand over my empty stomach. I hadn’t eaten all da
y. “Thanks, I’d appreciate that.”
After getting a couple of turkey sandwiches and some chips, we took a seat in a booth, sitting across from each other. “So, how’d the interview with Ted Turner go?”
His question surprised me. “Who told you about that?”
“His publicist.” He looked at me with humor in his eyes. “I called to set up an interview myself but was told he already had one lined up with someone else at the network—one Lila Banks. She asked if I’d like to set up a time after you, but I told her that wouldn’t be necessary. Seems you and I think alike more often than we don’t.”
“Seems so.” I took a bite of my sandwich and tried not to think about how great he looked in those scrubs.
“I wish we didn’t have this competition going on between us.” He shoved his hand through his dark hair. “I wish we could just be co-anchors.”
“Well, you know what they say, wish in one hand, crap in the other, and see which one fills up first.” I put the sandwich down to take a drink of water.
Duke chuckled. “Yeah, I know. But if I had my way, we’d both get that job. I think we’d make a great team.”
I thought so too. And in more ways than one. But I wasn’t going to get any of what I wanted with the man. “So, have you picked someone else to interview?”
“Yes, I’m going to see Barbara Walters in her Manhattan home later this afternoon.” He smiled, seeming pleased with himself.
“Now that’s a get! The thought crossed my mind to reach out to her team, but when I found out that Turner’s been a huge inspiration for Artimus, I went with him instead.” It seemed that we really did think alike. “By the way, I like how you interacted with that little girl back there. That was sweet. I didn’t know you did sweet, Duke.”
“I can do sweet when I want to.” His expression softened as he looked at me. “Lila, do you think about me?”
“All the time. You are my competition, after all.” I laughed a little, then ate a chip, feeling a little thrown off by the question.
“I’ve been thinking about you a lot too, Lila.” He took a drink of his bottled water, looking at me as he did.
My body went hot. Something in his eyes told me he didn’t just mean in a professional capacity. The idea that he might be having very … unprofessional … thoughts about me made my heartbeat pick up a notch.
I had to remind myself that this particular man was off-limits to me. “I suppose you have to, in order to stay a step ahead of me in this thing.”
He’d finished his meal, and nodded as he got up to throw his trash away. “I’ve gotta get going. I have to change clothes before going to Manhattan.”
“Speaking of Manhattan, Nina very graciously made a call and helped me find a new home. At least for a while. I’ve got a room in the bed and breakfast that her aunt runs.” I took another bite of my sandwich as he tossed his trash into the nearby receptacle.
“Good, so you’ve got a place. That’s good to know. I did wonder if you’d be able to find something.” A smile filled his handsome face. “For the record, if you hadn’t found something, I was going to tell you about some openings for roommates in the building I live in. But it’s probably much better staying in a bed and breakfast. You won’t have to share a bathroom with anybody.”
“And free breakfast too,” I added. “I’m glad to know you thought about me, Duke. Thank you for that.”
“I’ll see you around,” he said with a nod, walking away.
I watched him as he left. My eyes were glued to his muscular body as he walked away from me. My mind wandered, imagining the two of us alone in the cafeteria; him sitting right next to me, our hands resting on each other’s legs.
In my alternate reality, Duke was telling me he had to go, and I was leaning in for a goodbye kiss. Our lips touched, and fire shot through me. The kiss went from soft and sweet to hard and lustful.
My hands moved over his back, pulling him closer to me. His hands tangled in my hair as our chests pressed against each other. My core pulsed as he ran one hand down to caress my sex. Only the material of my thin slacks separated his hand from my yearning flesh.
Suddenly I could hear heavy breathing. I opened my eyes, realizing it was me who was making that noise. A couple of older ladies sitting at the next table were staring at me with their mouths gaping.
Shit! Busted.
I had to get the hell out of there, and fast.
Chapter Twelve
Duke
A text the night before had informed me that we all had to attend a class on compassion at NYU the next morning. It was going to be the last class we had to go to, making me glad this would soon be over.
Heading into the lecture hall, once again I found Lila with an empty spot next to her. Nina hadn’t shown up yet, so Lila was alone as I took the seat next to her. “Hi there, stranger.”
Her face lit up when she looked at me. “Hi, Duke. I’m glad you came to sit with me. I wanted to ask you how the Barbara Walters interview went.”
“It was great, actually. She’s a very interesting person. I never imagined I’d ever sit down to have a chat with her, but I have to admit that her presence is something else entirely. She’s so genuine. I can see now how she was able to get so many people to trust her enough to let her interview them.” I put my pen and pad of paper on the table in front of me, noticing Lila’s fingernails were now painted a light, sparkly pink.
She tapped her nails on the table. “Man, I wish I could’ve been there too. I envy you so much, Duke.”
“Don’t envy me—you got to talk to Ted Turner! That’s a coup too, you know.” I chuckled as I sat back.
I knew Artimus would be watching our interviews that day. I had to wonder if they’d be enough for him to make his decision, or if he’d still need more from us. If I won, would Lila still be this nice to me?
The teacher began the class and what he said really got to me: Compassion was about putting yourself in someone else’s shoes. Really getting into their heads, understanding why they did the things they did and felt the way they did.
We had a thirty-minute lunch break where Lila and I caught up with Ashton and his crew. All of us sat at a picnic table near the lecture hall, munching on the things we’d brought to eat. Our conversation focused on what we’d learned in the class.
Ashton looked at Nina and asked, “As a woman, Nina, how do you feel about the fact that in many businesses men make more than women do for doing the same job?”
She laughed. “Pissed. And how would you feel if things were the other way around? If you and I had the same job and I got paid more than you?”
“Pissed.” He smiled at her. “Good thing we’ve landed jobs with a company that doesn’t do that, huh?”
Lila looked at me. “Being a former football player, Duke, how do you feel about women not being allowed to play pro football?”
“To be honest, I don’t think that field is something any female should even want to be in. It’s brutal out there. That said, I do believe that if a woman works just as hard as a man does to get to that place, then she deserves to be there.” Happy with my response, I threw a question to her. “And how would you feel about using a gender-neutral restroom?”
She frowned. “Okay, I’ve got to be honest too. I don’t like it.”
Nina chimed in. “No matter how unfair or fair things are, we’re all going to have opinions that conflict with others. But understanding other people is the key, I think.”
The thirty minutes was up far too soon, and we all headed back to the lecture hall. Waiting on the teacher, I found myself admitting something to Lila. “I just want you to know, without a shadow of a doubt, that I don’t like what we’re having to do here, Lila. At times, I’ve thought about pulling myself out of the running for the job.”
Her eyes went wide. “Don’t you dare do that, Duke! I’m not crazy about the way we’re having to go about this either, but I don’t want this handed to me. You keep on doing your best and I wi
ll too. I don’t want to get that position just because you pulled out of the race.”
I had to admire her spirit. “Okay. I’ll keep on trying. But I did want you to know I have thought about doing that. You’re young, and you don’t have the nest egg I do.”
“It’s nice of you to think about that, but I’ll build my nest egg, so don’t you worry about me. If I have to make do with just the weather job, then I’ll write articles too or something, maybe do some other reporting for the station if Artimus will let me.” She seemed confident in her abilities and that only made the admiration I had for her grow.
Sitting next to her proved to be harder than I thought it would be. She’d gone and used some strawberry scented shampoo that kept wafting past my nose. And she was wearing a sheer pink blouse that showed off a lacey camisole underneath it. A white skirt hugged her round hips and showcased her perky ass. The clothes she wore weren’t meant to be sexy. They were standard office attire, but the woman made everything look sexy.
Her hair was pulled back into a tight bun that rested on the nape of her long, slender neck. A bun! How was I getting turned on by something to mundane?
But somehow, on her, it looked sexy.
When the class was over, we both got texts requesting that we head to Artimus’s office. “We can share a cab,” I suggested.
She nodded as I hailed one and we got into the backseat. “What do you think this is about?”
“I know they watched our interviews today. I suppose it’s about that.” I could see she was nervous. “I don’t think this is the day we find out who has the job though. No need to worry.”
She shook her head. “Yeah, I know. And worry hasn’t ever solved anything anyway.” Lila’s blue eyes landed on mine. “I feel like my emotions are being tossed around all over the place. One minute I feel calm and prepared, sorting out a backup plan, and the next I’m worrying over what I’ll do if I don’t get it.”
“You wouldn’t be human if you didn’t get worried about things like this.” I patted her leg to reassure her. “Things will work out. And I do hope we can remain friends in the end, no matter what happens.”
Dirty News (Dirty Network Book 1) Page 7
