"I'm really sorry, Madison," I said. "I should have—"
"Actually I'm glad you didn't tell me because I'm terrible at keeping secrets." She leaned forward and lowered her voice, even though the office door was closed. "So tell me, how'd you get Scott to go along with it?"
Now I'm really confused.
"Go… along…"
"Syd, the phones have been ringing off the hook. Half the women calling are congratulating you and the other half want to know how to get into news management." Then she held up a printout that I recognized as the daily ratings chart. "And the overnights for this past Friday are through the roof."
"So, you mean, you're not—"
"What? Mad? Are you kidding? We're the talk of the industry. You proved that women don't have to be put out to pasture at forty." She flipped the ratings printout to me. "The young women love him, the old women love him, and they all love you for giving him a mature co-anchor and letting them know the rules can be the same for women as men. You've empowered us, Syd. You turned back the clock to the 1950s so we can make up for lost time and chase the cute men around the desk. Frankly, I'm wondering why the hell I have a female assistant."
I exhaled for perhaps the first time in three days.
"Just one more thing, Syd."
"Yes?"
"I know you were the one who found Scott and all, but I was wondering if—"
"Yeah?"
Madison's smile grew, bringing out her perfect cheekbones. "Maybe one Friday when you're out of town. Would you be willing to… share?"
* * *
I was done with Scott, having "given" him to Madison. So back to checking references.
The leading candidate to anchor our new five o'clock newscast weaved his way past the tables, leaving a trail of hanging female tongues in his wake. The dark gray pinstripe vest draped from Jason Deller's broad shoulders, while his slim hips carried him through the room.
Here we go again.
I sat up straight on my bar stool, crossing my left leg over my right to take advantage of the slit on that side of my royal blue dress.
Just in time for the six-foot-three slice of prime beef to notice.
He extended his hand as he reached the bar. "Sydney?"
"Yes," I said as I shook his hand.
"What's a nice News Director like you doing in a place like this?" he asked.
Good. Sense of humor.
"It's a good place to relax after work," I said.
His cobalt blue eyes stole a glance at my legs, then locked on my own, looking right into my soul and almost putting me in a hypnotic trance. He smiled, revealing dimples that ran like trenches along his rugged twenty-eight-year-old face that bristled with a three-day growth. A shock of coal black hair cascaded over his forehead. He hopped onto the bar stool next to mine and swung it around to face me. His knees gently brushed mine, sending an electric charge through my body.
Damn, he makes Scott Harry look like a Boy Scout.
"You're not what I expected," he said.
"I hope that's good."
"Oh yeah."
"And you look good in clothes," I said.
His face flushed a bit as he shook his head. "I can't believe you actually saw that Off-Broadway disaster."
"Hey, Shakespeare in the nude wasn't all that bad."
"Right. That's why I'm still waiting tables uptown after playing opposite Lady McBare."
"Did you have a problem doing nudity on stage?"
"Nah. I just needed the work. At least I got discovered by you, right?"
"Right."
"I'm frankly surprised you'd actually consider an actor to be a news anchor."
"Well, we've had an actor as President and one was the Governor of California. It's all about being able to communicate. What's the difference?"
"True." He looked off to the side for a moment, then turned back to me. "I do have one question that we didn't cover during our phone conversation."
"Shoot."
He bit his lower lip, then fired away. "I've read the tabloids about your… hiring practices. And the regular weekly—"
"Let me answer your question with a question," I said.
"Okay."
I leaned forward and slid my hand on the smooth bar toward his so that our fingers lightly touched. "Hypothetically, mind you. If you were to be offered a job, a great job that paid really well, and one part of the interview process was to take care of the sexual needs of your future boss, how would you respond?
"Hypothetically?"
"Of course."
He shrugged. "Well, that depends."
"On what?"
"On who the boss is. If the boss is some twenty-five-year-old ditsy blonde looking for a commitment, then I'm not the guy. Romance can't be part of the picture. If it's some wrinkled sixty-year-old prune, forget it." He looked around, then leaned closer while putting his hand on top of mine. "The boss would have to be, say, a very attractive tall redhead with a great pair of legs and spectacular eyes. It would also be nice if she were a little older than me. I like women who are… seasoned."
Well, rub some spices on me and toss me on the grill.
"So," he continued, "to answer your question. If I were to be offered a great job that required me to have sex with my hot boss, and no romantic strings attached, well…"
"Yes?"
"I'd jump on it."
Gulp. (I don't even want to describe the image that flashed through my head, but let's just call it the really Off-Off-Broadway nude production of Taming of the Shrew.)
"Really," I said, feigning surprise. "You wouldn't consider it any sort of sexual harassment?"
"Oh, please. Hell, I'd let her be in charge in the bedroom too. Great job, free sex, where do I sign? Hypothetically, of course."
"Of course," I said.
"You know, the service at this place is really slow," he said, looking around at the lack of empty tables. "I oughta know, I used to work here. And the food's not that great either."
"True." I reached into my beaded purse, pulled out a ten-dollar bill and tossed it on the bar. "You know, I think we should continue our conversation elsewhere. I have a room at the Plaza."
"They have excellent room service there."
"They do. Are you hungry?"
He licked his lips, hungry eyes looking directly into mine. "I think I will be in a couple of hours."
He hopped off his stool and extended his hand. I took it and slid off the chair, then stood straight and tall, inches away from his face, breathing in his musky cologne.
"Oh, I do have one more question," he said.
Uh-oh. "Sure."
"All I have to do is read and look good, right? No reporting in the field, no journalism stuff, no writing. I mean, I'm an actor, not Edward R. Murrow."
"That's the deal. You're not a real news anchor,