Dirty News E-Book

Michelle Love

• Herausgeber: Michelle Love
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

Six feet two inches of solid muscle, a former powerhouse on the gridiron, and a billionaire who doesn't lose—that's me.
The coveted morning anchor spot at WOLF was mine, or so I believed.
Then she arrived, a blonde beauty, seemingly too green to be a threat. But her eyes held a spark, a fierce determination that caught me off guard.
She's got grit, a raw talent that shone even as I stumbled on camera.
I've faced down bigger threats, opponents who could break bones and dreams.
This, though, is different. Her presence lingers, a tempting mix of trouble and desire.
I've always walked away, leaving women behind, but she's burrowing under my skin, disrupting my focus.
The stakes are higher now, with ludicrous company rules—harassment classes, sensitivity training—and the constant pull of her.
I'm determined to win the job, to prove I'm still the best.
Yet, I fear I might lose something more: my sanity, and perhaps, my heart.

Keywords: billionaire, bad boy, alpha romance, second chance romance, steamy romance, contemporary romance, love books, love stories, new adult, alpha male, romance, action, adventure, steamy romance, small-town secrets, hot, alpha hero, sweet romance, romantic novels, sexually romantic books, guaranteed HEA, no cliffhangers, happily ever after.

Leseprobe

Dirty News

A Bad Boy Billionaire Romance

Dirty Network Book 1

––––––––

By Michelle Love

©Copyright 2024 by Michelle Love - All rights Reserved

In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher. All rights are reserved.

Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the publisher.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

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Blurb

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Thirty

Dirty News Extended Epilogue

Duke

Lila

Duke

Lila

The In-laws

Jake

Lily

Jake

Lily

Sneak Peek - Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

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Blurb

Competing isn't always fun, especially when I have to go head-to-head with the most beautiful girl I've ever seen.

There is an opening for a new anchor to host the morning news, and my new irresistible coworker is the only one standing in front of me.

She is smart, funny, and provocative as hell.

There is one problem, though. 

Physical relationships are prohibited at work.

The heat between us is undeniable. 

We have to have each other. 

I'm going to take her higher than she's ever been, and I'm willing to sacrifice everything for her, but I wonder if she'll do the same for me.

Chapter One

Lila

New York, New York

WOLF, the newest television network that had everyone in the industry buzzing, had called me.

Me!

A woman named Mrs. Baker had called to ask me if I’d be interested in flying clear across the country from Los Angeles, California, to interview for one or more positions at a new network named WOLF. They only wanted new faces—new talent with promising futures ahead of them.

Being a recent graduate from UCLA with a degree in Communications—with a 4.0 grade average, I might add—had put me on their radar. With financial help from dear old Mom and Dad, I’d trekked across the country—well, maybe not trekked, but it was a long trip, and I took it all alone.

WOLF put me up in a nice hotel—no, nice isn’t the right word. One would not call the Park Hyatt New York merely nice. Extravagant, luxurious, fantastic—all those words fit the fine accommodations much more accurately. I was overcome with awe as I strode into the lobby of the enormous hotel.

To be perfectly honest, I can’t recall much of anything after the moment I stepped off the plane at JFK. My head went light, and not from the two glasses of wine I’d had while in the air, either. It had much more to do with the fact that my dreams were finally becoming a reality—playing themselves out in real life.

It had been my dream ever since I was a kid to be the woman on television telling the world the latest news. Bold, I know. I would engage my family—Mom, Dad, my twin sister, Lilly, and our older brother, Lonnie—with my charm and wit as I sat on a chair behind a T.V. tray in our modest living room. Written by my own hand, fueled by my active imagination, I’d read them the news. My kind of news.

Being only a kid, my news concerned all the things only a ten-year-old would care about—what the cafeteria served that day and how it had affected me and the other children in my class, or how doing algebra in later years of my education wouldn’t benefit students like me, artistic creatures with no mathematical goals. And, of course, how being good all year long so Santa would bring children toys was a scam since he only ever brought one present to each of us in the Banks’s household. One toy for a year’s worth of being good doesn’t make sense, mathematically. And I wasn’t even good at math and knew that much. You know, hard-hitting journalism.

After regaling my family for years with my newscasts, I headed out west, away from small-town New Mexico, to seek the education I would need to fulfill my lifelong dream. UCLA welcomed me with open arms, and I flourished there, joining extracurriculars like the school newspaper while still excelling in my classes.

And now New York had called me into its bosom to drink from the nectar only it could give me. An anchor position at a brand spanking new network named WOLF. After getting the call, I decided my totem animal must be a wolf. Never one to delve much into the Native American beliefs of things like totem animals, I thought it just might be time to do so. I do have one-sixteenth Seminole running through my veins, thanks to an errant great-great-great-grandfather who had dabbled with a woman who later became my great-great-great illegitimate grandmother. Or, I became her illegitimate granddaughter; not really sure how all that works.

So, with the fearlessness and ferocity of a wolf, I got on an airplane, alone and trying not to be afraid, to come to New York City to find my dream. The dream of sitting behind a real anchor’s desk, with a real camera trained on me while I told everyone watching what was going on in the world.

I’d never wanted anything more. Well, there was that one pair of boots I’d found on sale that one time. Now, that was a real want—no, need. I’d needed those boots, and being just ten bucks short was too damn cruel.

But I’d gotten over my heart-breaking loss of those fabulous boots, all while holding fast to my dream of broadcast stardom. That steadfast desire paid off and landed me where I was that fateful day—in a cab, heading through the busy, packed streets of downtown New York.

I’d lived on campus at UCLA for four years. I thought I knew what a crowd of people was. I’d just thought JFK airport was packed. The hotel seemed packed, too. But I had no idea what packed looked like until I saw the streets and sidewalks of downtown New York City.

When the cabbie pulled to the side of the road, looking back at me to bark, “Fifty-seven fifty,” I knew my day had come.

Pulling three crisp twenties out of my small purse, I found my hands shaking. “Here you go, sir. I hope the rest of your day is nice. Keep the change.” I got out of the backseat and took in a big sniff of stale air before taking that first step toward the beginning of my career.

My mouth felt dry. My hands were sweaty. My tummy is knotted. Two glass doors stopped me. A ‘WO’ on the left door, and a ‘LF’ on the right—WOLF.

There I was, at the doors that I prayed I’d soon get to walk through every workday. As I went inside, I noticed there was hardly a soul around. One lone young woman sat at a large reception desk.

Her dark brown eyes moved up from the cell in her hand. “Hi.”

“Hi.” My feet somehow managed to take me to her without much instruction from me. My head wasn’t in it at all. No, my head was firmly in the clouds. “Um, I’m, uh...” My stomach rumbled, making me look down at it.

“Hungry?” the woman asked with a grin. “Or nervous?”

“That one.” Her little joke brought me closer to earth. “Whew, is it hot in here, or is it just me?” I pulled the neck of my blouse to fan myself a bit.

“It’s not hot in here at all.” She pulled out a notepad, looked it over, and then looked back at me. “Let me guess. Lila Banks, here for an interview with Mr. Wolfe?”

A nod moved my head. Then I looked around for a ladies’ room. “I need...”

She pointed in the direction she already knew I needed to go. “There’s a bathroom right over there. I’ll inform the boss that you’re here, and someone will be down to get you shortly. And try not to be so nervous. Mr. Wolfe and Mrs. Baker are very nice people. Both are very down-to-earth. You’d hardly be able to tell Mr. Wolfe is a filthy rich billionaire—it hasn’t seemed to go to his head at all. You’ll see.”

“K,” came my simple reply before I hurried off in the direction she pointed.

I found the small private bathroom to be just as elegant as the reception area. As I looked in the mirror, I couldn’t quite believe it. There I was, in a fancy building, about to interview for the job of a lifetime.

“Is this real?” My reflection nodded back at me, telling me it was indeed real.

A thorough handwashing had my sweaty palms under control. A few deep breaths took away the knots in my stomach. “This is what you’ve always wanted. Now time to stiffen that upper lip and let these people know that you can do the job they’ve brought you here to interview for.”

Smoothing out the white blouse I’d tucked neatly into an A-line black skirt that hit me just below my knees—which was thankfully no longer knocking after my stern pep-talk—I headed out.

My shiny black heels clicked and clacked over the black and grey marble floor, taking me out to meet the person who’d lead me to Mr. Wolfe and Mrs. Baker. Time to get this show on the road. 

“Miss Banks?” a short young man asked me as soon as I came out of the bathroom.

“Yes?”

“Come with me, please.” He headed to the bank of elevators, and I followed.

The doors closed on us, confining us together in the vast space. “Man, this elevator is huge.”

“We anticipate this place being very busy and full of people soon.” He pulled his round-frame glasses off to clean them with a hanky he’d pulled out of the pocket of his suit. “I’m Brady, the receptionist for Mr. Wolfe’s office.”

“Nice to meet you, Brady.” I offered my hand to shake his.

But he only shook his head. “Germaphobe.”

“I see.” Putting my hand back by my side, I wondered if I’d find many more people in the big city who would be afraid of catching something from me.

At the very top of the tall building, we got off on the twenty-second floor, the last floor. I’d thought the reception area on the first floor was elegant but it was nothing compared to this one. This one had a chandelier hanging from the very tall ceiling.

Brady stepped off first, leading the way, his arm flowing out to gesture to the grandeur. “This is the penthouse. Mr. Wolfe’s office is located here. His personal assistant, Mrs. Baker, has an office right across the hallway from his. There are two meeting rooms on both sides of the hall after them. We have eight more offices up here too. Those will go to the anchors on the news shows.”

“Do you mean that if I get one of the anchor positions, then I’ll have an office up here?” My eyes scanned every inch of the magnificent area, as far down the hall as I could see.

“You would.” He tapped lightly on a door that had a gold-plated nameplate with the name Artimus Wolfe engraved on it. “They’re waiting for you in here.” Brady opened the door and then stepped inside. “I have Lila Banks here, Mr. Wolfe.”

An older woman with dark hair and eyes to match got up from her seat on the side of a large Cherrywood desk. The man who sat behind it in a high-backed, rich brown leather chair had his back to me.

“Miss Banks, it’s lovely to meet you,” she greeted me. “I’m Mrs. Baker.” She shook my hand before gesturing for me to take a seat in one of the large matching dark brown leather chairs in the gigantic office.

Taking my seat, I said, “Thank you for asking me to come interview. This is a dream opportunity for me.”

The chair turned around, and a very handsome man with dark hair and piercing blue eyes smiled at me. “Artimus Wolfe. Damn glad to hear this is a dream of yours, Lila Banks.”

“A dream?” I shook my head. “The dream. The only dream.”

His dark brows raised as Mrs. Baker smiled. “I told you, Arti. She’s very driven.”

They had no idea how driven I truly was.

Chapter Two

Duke

When my agent, Larry Finkelstein’s name, lit up my cell, I was skeptical. Since hiring him a few months back, he’d only come up with shit offers. I needed more than he’d given me. But we had a contract for one year, so I answered the call, ready to shoot down his idea, “You’ve got Duke.”

His nasal tone filled my ear. “Duke, hey man, how’s it goin’ on this fine Monday morning?”

My shoulder ached, my knee throbbed, and I hadn’t had my coffee or the Aleve that wasn’t as all-day-strong as it promised—but at least it was half a day strong, so I took a couple each day to combat the pain.

“It’s going, Larry. What ya got for me?” Rubbing my forehead, I got ready to hear some lame shit.

So far, he’d come up with a role as a singer in a Broadway play about washed-up athletes who couldn’t find shit to do after retiring. That one hit a little too close to home for me.

Larry also had some goofy auto sales commercials he thought I’d be the bomb at. I’d refused. He asked me if I thought it was beneath me, and I’d told him, hell yeah, it was! I didn’t want to just rely on my past—I wanted things that would challenge me.

“You said you took journalism in college, right?” I could hear him tapping a pencil on his little desk.

“Yeah.” Steam came off the cup of coffee I’d poured myself to help me handle a Monday morning call with Larry.

“With your background as a linebacker with the New York Jets, I think I can score you an interview with this network that’s hiring fresh faces right now. It’s called WOLF, and it’s owned by some rich guy named Artimus Wolfe. Have ya heard of this?”

“Now, how would I hear about this, Larry?” Shit, the man had noodles in his head where brains should be. “And an interview to do what exactly?”

“They need anchors and other things for their newscasts, which are going to be done locally.” He coughed and sneezed in his usual way. His allergies always seemed to be kicking up. “Oh, these damn allergies are bothering me again.” The sound of him blowing his nose filled my ears.

So rude!

“Anchors, huh?” I liked the sound of that.

Duke Cofield, anchor for WOLF news. Yeah, that’ll work.

I’d been struggling since ending my football career. Drafted right out of college at LSU in my home state of Louisiana, the Jets took me and made me a star athlete. At twenty-two, I’d been making the big bucks, raking in dough as a linebacker for a major football club.

Everything was roses the first few years. Injuries weren’t a worry back then. When I turned twenty-five, I sustained my first injury. One rough tackle—a brutal blow to my left shoulder—that broke more things in it than I knew were there, had me on my way to my very first surgical procedure.

The next year, I saw my knee blowing out. One more surgery had me out for the remainder of that season. At twenty-eight, a rougher than necessary tackle not only broke three of my ribs but punctured my right lung with one of the broken ribs. Another surgery to repair that meant more time not being able to play.

On a good note, the San Francisco 49er who’d made that tackle was cited for unnecessary roughness. My mother said that should’ve made me happy. Funny how it didn’t at all.

The Jets kept me on, letting me play the next season. And that year had been a great one—no injuries at all. I felt like the old me was back and better than ever. And things kept going well up until I turned thirty-one.

Some years my early September birthday would coincide with the first game of the season. And my thirty-first birthday was one of those seasons. My family had filled the stands at the home game at MetLife Stadium. A big birthday party had already been planned. Coach Bowles had graciously offered his home for the big bash.

The first half was great. We were winning. The second half saw us losing our twenty-point lead. As can happen, my team became desperate and played a lot harder than we usually would in a first game.

Somehow, I ended up taking a tumble that left me with a pretty bad concussion. A broken left arm and two broken fingers on my right hand added to one shitshow of an injury. Bleeding on my brain required them to go in to release the pressure, and that surgery gave me a blood clot somehow.

My mother begged me to stop playing. She fell on her knees and cried like a baby, asking me to please retire. My body hurt like hell anyway, and watching my mother cry was something I just couldn’t take. So, I did what she had asked, telling the coach that I’d like to retire. He took it well and even told me he understood completely.

The years of playing had my bank accounts looking pretty damn good. I could afford to relax for a while. But that proved to be boring. Once I’d healed, I wanted to do something. I was thirty-two, not eighty-two, after all.

Hiring an agent to get some type of television job or something like that sounded like the thing to do. And here Larry was, finally giving me something I could sink my teeth into.

I’d majored in journalism at LSU. I could be a newsman.

“Yeah, there are anchor positions and other ones, too. I was thinking you might want to jump on any of the sportscaster positions, too.” Larry sniffled. “So, should I set it up?”

“Yeah, I think you should. I think this is just what I’ve been looking for. You know what, I thought you were useless, Larry, but you’ve gone and done something pretty good. Good job.” With a sip of hot coffee, my day began to look brighter.

“I’ll text you the time and address as soon as I set it up, Duke. Good luck, man.” He hung up, and I put the phone down.

Making my way to the bathroom, I looked at my reflection. My beard had grown out, making me look a little on the straggly side. My hair needed to be cut too. “Time to make an appointment to get myself looking presentable.”

After a hot shower, another pot of coffee, and my morning Aleve, I headed out to see the barber who’d taken care of me since I’d moved to New York.

Jordan greeted me as I entered his little shop in Queens. “Yo, Duke. What’s the good news today, my friend?”

Taking a seat in the empty chair, the loud clap of the cape Jordan snapped at his side echoed in the little place. “I might have an interview to be an anchorman, Jordan.”

“Oh, yeah?” He put the cape around me and looked at me in the mirror in front of us. “For which channel?”

“A new one.” I ran my hand through my hair. “I want something nice and short on the sides, but leave a little for the girls to run their hands through on top, alright?”

“Got ya.” He looked at my beard. “In my opinion, this needs to go. I’ve never seen an anchorman with a beard.”

Running my hand over my beard, which I’d had for years, I hated to see it go. But go it must. “Yeah, you’re right. Get rid of it entirely.”

With a nod, he went on. “What’s this new channel called?” Spritzing my hair with scented water, Jordan got right to work on that first.

“The network is called WOLF. I don’t know what channel it’s gonna be on, though.”

“WOLF? Now, that’s gonna sound badass, man.” Jordan laughed. “And next up, Duke Cofield, WOLF’s toughest anchorman ever.”

Laughing, I felt a bit of excitement growing inside me. The first time in forever I’d felt that, and I knew that meant something. It had to.

My days had been blah since my retirement, humdrum even. My family asked me to come back to New Orleans all the time. But leaving New York felt like I’d be losing the game. And I hated to lose.

It felt like eons had passed since I had moved to the big city. This may not have always been my home, but now it felt like it was. I had my favorite deli just five blocks from my apartment. The hotdog stand on the corner made the best in New York, in my opinion. And the atmosphere was electric all the time.

Life just moved at a different pace in the city that never sleeps. I didn’t want to leave. I knew my life was meant to be spent here. So, I stayed and kept looking for the next phase of my life to begin.

My cell dinged. I had a message. Pulling it out of my pocket I found the address and time for the interview had been sent to me by Larry. “Finkelstein did it! I’ve got an interview at four this afternoon.”

“Way to go!” Jordan nodded. “You’re gonna get it. I know you will. You’re a freakin’ former New York Jets linebacker, dude! You’ve gotta be more popular than anyone else who’s going up for this thing, right?”

All I could do was shrug. I had no idea who else would be going up for this. “All I can do is hope, right?”

A few short hours later, I stood in front of the glass doors that I hoped I’d get to walk through every day. Seeing the word WOLF on those doors gave me such a thrill. I wanted to be WOLF’s first anchorman—and what I wanted, I usually got.

My dress shoes clicked as I walked over the black and grey marble floor to the reception desk. A woman with dark hair pulled into a tight bun looked up at me. Her dark eyes lingered on my cleanly shaven face. “Hey.”

“Hey, yourself.” I leaned my forearm on the top of the mahogany wood counter she stood behind. “I’m here for an interview. The anchor position, if I was correctly informed. Duke Cofield is the name.”

She licked her shiny red lips. “Yeah. Um, the boss is ready for you, I bet. Let me see real quick.” She looked away from me to pick up a phone. After a moment of mumbling, she hung up. “Brady’s coming to get you now. You were a football player, right?”

“Linebacker for the Jets. You a fan?” I ran my fingertip over the counter, and her eyes followed my movements. I loved toying with the opposite sex. Making women all wiggly inside was my specialty.

“I am.” She pulled her lower lip between her white teeth.

The sound of the elevator dinging had me looking away to find a little man stepping out of it. “Mr. Cofield, can you come with me?”

“Yeah.” I walked away as I looked over my shoulder. “Bye now.”

“Bye, Mr. Cofield. Oh, my name’s Gretchen, by the way.” She waved her little hand at me.

I nodded and got into the elevator as the little guy inside sighed. “Oh, that’s not good.”

Choosing to ignore his comment, as I just didn’t really give a rat’s ass, I asked, “So, are you Brady?”

He nodded as I put my hand out to shake his. “Um, no. I’m not into shaking hands.”

Who the fuck’s not into shaking hands?

“Okay.” I put mine into the pockets of my slacks as we went all the way to the top floor. I’d worn my best suit. The dark blue Armani had always been lucky for me. When the doors opened, I found a nice reception area. Everything done in dark colors. Very manly, which made me think the owner and I would get along just fine.

Brady didn’t say a word as he took me to the door with Artimus Wolfe’s name on it. He knocked before opening the door.

An older woman came to me, holding out her hand. Behind her, the man in the chair behind the desk got up, too, taking long strides toward me. “Duke Cofield, so glad you could come,” she said as I shook her hand. “I’m Mrs. Baker.”

“Nice to meet you.” I let go of her hand and turned my attention to the man who I hoped would hire me. He took mine with a firm shake.

Two pumps, strong grip.

I liked the way the man shook my hand. It told me a lot about him.

“Artimus Wolfe, Duke. I hope you don’t mind if I call you that?” He turned to lead me back to his desk but then walked right past it to the set of sofas on the other side of the room.

“No, you call me Duke. And may I call you by your first name as well?” I took a seat on the opposite sofa as he sat on the one across from me. Mrs. Baker was pouring a couple of glasses of amber liquid from a decanter.

“Sure,” he said. “I’ve got some twenty-year-old Scotch I thought you might like to try.”

Never one to turn down a drink, especially one so expensive, I thought the interview was getting off to a great start.

I had this job in the bag.

Chapter Three

Lila

When a message came in from Mrs. Baker, I prepared myself for the worst. Pulling the fluffy white hotel robe tighter around me, I took a deep breath before opening the message on my cell.

Hello Lila, we hope you’re enjoying your evening. We’d like you to come in for another interview tomorrow morning at 9. We’ve booked you another night at the hotel.

My feet took me dancing around the room as I laughed and cried, feeling like I must be fast asleep and dreaming this whole thing. But as I fell back on the soft bed, I continued to stare at the words on the screen, and it finally began to sink in.

This is really happening!

Sleep was nearly impossible, but I managed to get a few good hours in before I got up to get ready for the meeting. Another sixty-dollar cab ride and I was standing once again in front of the glass doors I had prayed I would see again.

I’d put on a dress this time. Reminiscent of Audrey Hepburn, I wanted to be sure to show how diverse my style could be. Dark blue flowers flowed over pearl white fabric. My heels matched the blue perfectly, and I even wore my grandmother’s string of pearls around my neck.

I felt like a real New Yorker as I strode to the reception desk. “Lila Banks, here to see Mr. Wolfe again.” This time, no nerves plagued me. I’d been called back. They wanted me for sure this time around.

“Go on up. They’re waiting for you.” She smiled at me with a wide grin as I walked to the elevator. In hindsight, the grin she wore was a shit-eating one, not meant to make me feel at ease in the least.

Stepping off the elevator once I’d reached the top floor, I saw Mr. Wolfe, Mrs. Baker, Brady, and one more man in the reception area. Brady was busily making coffee as the other three talked about something.

They all looked at me as I headed their way. Mr. Wolfe was quick to make the introduction, “This is Lila Banks, Duke.”

The man he’d called Duke was tall. A man with broad shoulders. A man with a wide chest. A man with a devastating smile and perfectly straight, sparkling white teeth. His hairstyle—short on the sides, a bit longer on the top—accentuated his dark hair. Hair that contrasted well with his bright blue eyes.

In short, Duke exuded sexual prowess. And when he took my hand with a firm grip, I felt a spark—and then a lot more than a spark as heat flashed through me.

Oh, shit!

“Hi there, Lila. Duke Cofield, former New York Jet. And I hear you’re a recent grad from UCLA,” his voice was a mixture of satin and gravel that combined to tickle my ears, then sooth them with a soft tongue.

“Hi.” I couldn’t really come up with anything else at that moment. I’d never before been in the presence of so much man.

Mrs. Baker moved things along, “Come, let’s head to the meeting room. Brady, bring in the coffee and pastries please.”

She ushered us along. If she hadn’t, my feet might well have stayed planted right where they were. Duke certainly had an effect on me.

I, however, didn’t seem to affect him much at all. He seemed like the kind of guy who’d had plenty of women in his time, no doubt. Why would I affect him?

When we entered the meeting room, I found a white dry-erase board with a chart on it. My name was next to a box with the words ‘Nightly News Weather’ in it. Other names were in other areas. Duke’s attention was on his own name, which was written next to ‘Evening News Sports’.

My jaw dropped when I saw what was at the very top of the board. ‘Morning News Anchor’ had both of our names in the place next to it. Both were followed by question marks.

“As you can see, we’d like to welcome you both to WOLF,” Mr. Wolfe said as he took a seat.

Duke looked at me for a moment with no expression at all on his handsome face before he looked at our new boss. “And what do the question marks mean, Artimus?”

“Sit, you two,” Artimus urged us. After we’d taken seats across the table from where he and Mrs. Baker sat, he went on. “You see, we like you both for that position. We think what it will come down to is you showing us who would be better for that position. Then  we could make a final decision.”

“Like a competition?” My nails bit into my palms as I waited for the answer.

“Sure, you can look at it like that.” Mrs. Baker put packets in front of us both. “We’ll need you to sign these papers. It’s your normal new hire paperwork.” She pulled out the first sheets in each packet. “On these, you’ll find your salary for the positions you’ve been hired for. Whoever gets the anchor spot will get another paper to sign for that job. Of course, that job comes with three times the pay as the positions we’re offering you right now. We’re financially transparent here at WOLF. No matter what gender you happen to be, each job pays the same for men and women. We’re hoping to set a precedent for other networks.”

Duke looked stunned. His mouth opened and closed a few times before he actually said, “You want me to compete? With her?”

“You don’t have to look at it like that if you don’t want to,” Artimus informed him. “You both have qualities that we like, but we just want to be sure we’re making the right choice before making anything final.”

Mrs. Baker took over, “I’d like you both to think about what being an anchor really means. It means doing great interviews. It means doing things in the community that show how much you care about our city and our people.”

Artimus added, “Being an anchor is more than just reading things off the prompters or cue cards. It’s about being the face of our new network. The morning show is what will start it all off when we go on-air. We have very high expectations for that position.”

“I feel confident that I can handle that responsibility, Artimus.” Duke looked at me with a weak smile. “Not to offend you in any way, but you’re not even from here. I don’t think people will connect with you as quickly as they will with me. No offense.”

“None taken.” My hands lay in my lap as I tried to put on my best face. “And I see what you’re saying, but I have to say that I am the fresh face they’re after. The new look of a new network. WOLF is about people who are new to this industry.”

“And I am.” Duke looked at Artimus. “I am new to this. My face isn’t a television staple. It’s been hidden behind a football helmet most of the time.”

“He’s right,” Artimus agreed. “He’s just as fresh a face as you are.”

Mrs. Baker seemed set on making us understand what the hell they were doing to us. “Look, you’re both perfect for that position. But we only want one. So, we need you both to use the rest of this week to make us some videos. Do some community work and interviews. Anything you can think of to show us who you are and what you can do for WOLF.”

“Can I ask how I’m to make videos? I don’t have a camera here in New York.” I looked at Duke and found him nodding.

“Yeah, how are we to go about doing that?” He chewed his lower lip. That made him look nervous to me, which I rather liked seeing.

If he was nervous, then he thought I stood a chance. I could beat him. If I tried hard enough, I could do it.

So what if he was the manliest man I’d ever seen in real life? He could be beaten—his nerves told me so. Being devastatingly muscular and sexy didn’t automatically mean he’d be the best man for the job.

Artimus answered our question, “You can use our crews. All you have to do is call the producer, Ashton Lange.” He pulled two business cards out of his breast pocket and pushed them across the table to us. They were Ashton Lange’s business cards. “He’ll get the crew out to wherever you need them to be.”

I still had questions. “And if the person I find to interview doesn’t reside in New York?”

“WOLF has a private jet.” Artemis gave me a brilliant smile. “Call me, and I’ll set that up if need be.”

So, we had it all at our fingertips. Both of us did. Everything we’d need to show them why each of us was the best.

The only problem was that I had no idea what I had that would be better than what Duke Cofield of the New York Jets could offer. Or former New York Jet. Whatever the hell he was, he was better known by New Yorkers than I was.

How will I make them love me?

“Start by doing a video here today,” Mrs. Baker told us as she gave us each a pen to start working on the mountain of paperwork in the packets. “The crew will be in the studio after lunch. They can film you telling the people of New York good morning for the first time, introducing yourself to them all. The same way you’ll have to do when we first go live.”

Introduce myself?

Already, this was proving harder than I knew it would be. My only saving grace was that Duke seemed just as worried as I was.

“Okay, so I’ll make a video introducing myself to this town.” Duke drummed his thick fingers. Two of them were bent a bit.

I brushed them with my fingertips. “They look like you broke them.”

His blue eyes followed my fingers as I moved them off his hand. “Yeah, I did. I’ve broken more than just those fingers.”

That gave me an idea—maybe I’d interview him. But did I want to make my enemy look any better in the boss’s eyes than he already did?

Probably not.

I hadn’t ever been in a real competition before. I was more of a team player—a let’s all do this together kind of girl. But now it seemed I was going head-to-head with a man who had made a living out of competing. And not with girls, either. No, he competed with strong men. Men who were brutal. Men who could break a girl like me in half.

Did I have it in me to fight as hard as I knew Duke Cofield would?