Juliet is sitting at her desk, the large windows behind her looking out over downtown Nashville. Her silver-blonde hair is smoothed back into a tight bun on the back of her head, and her glasses are perched on the end of her nose. With her smart pantsuits and no-nonsense attitude, she looks more like a sexy librarian than the editor-in-chief of a lifestyle and sports magazine.
She looks up as I enter and gives me a friendly smile.
“Rylee! Come on in. Take a seat.”
“Sure thing.” I cross the room and settle in one of the cushioned chairs in front of her desk. “What’s up?”
Juliet takes off her glasses and regards me for a moment before asking, “Is it true you have some close connections to the Night Hawks hockey team in Denver?”
The question catches me off guard, but I slowly nod. “Um… yeah. One of my best friends just married the team’s captain this past summer, and another one is probably getting engaged to a different player soon.”
Grace’s wedding was gorgeous, though a bit blurry toward the end of the reception. I do have distinct memories, though, of a giant of a guy hauling me into the hotel over his shoulder and giving me one of the most intense orgasms of my life before totally ghosting me. I woke up the next morning, naked and alone, everything from the night before a blur, especially after he ate me out, but my pussy was swollen and tender from everything he did to me. Felt like I got a decent fucking. Just wish I could remember it, or the man who made me feel so good. Kodiak - at least, that’s what I’ve dubbed him since I don’t actually know who he was. Naming him after my favorite camera is a little bittersweet, though, given how he blew me off.
Small blessing that I don’t remember much more than that.
I’ll have to keep myself in check at Skyler’s wedding, though I don’t know how anyone expects me to keep it in my pants when my friends constantly surround themselves with fine ass hockey players…
“Wonderful!” Juliet exclaims. I don’t often see her so visibly excited. What the hell is going on? “I just heard from the magazine’s CEO. He wants us to do a full ten-page spread on the Night Hawks for our December edition ofThe Athlete’s Edit given their Stanley Cup win last season. We’re also going to pick one player from the team to name as ICON’s most eligible bachelor of 2025. The CEO wants to market the editionstogether so that people jump from one publication to the other, effectively doubling sales.”
“Woah,” I reply, keeping a cool exterior even as my adrenaline begins to spike. A bundle feature between two of the three ICON publications? Holy shit! This could be huge. I love sports and love working for The Athlete’s Edit, but I would love to get promoted so I’m working for the Lifestyle and Fashion Edits as well. If Juliet is putting me on this assignment, it might mean things are finally moving in that direction for me. “So, uh, what do you need me to do?”
“I’ve recommended you for the full job,” Juliet answers, and I squeeze the arms of my chair to keep from pumping a fist into the air in triumph. “There’s one catch, though.”
Fuck! There’s always a catch.
“What is it?”
“ICON can’t afford to send both a photographer and journalist to Denver, especially for the length of time that will be needed to pull this whole thing together.” She gives me a pointed look. It’s one I recognize. It’s theI’m-going-to-challenge-you-now-Rylee-and-you-better-not-let-me-downlook she’s given me many times before now. “So, you’re not just going to be taking photos for the articles… you’ll be writing them as well.”
My jaw drops. “What? You want me to write them?”
Juliet nods. “You’re an exceptional writer, Rylee, and I know you can do this. You’re going to get a hefty bonus, and I’m pairing you with one of the company’s top editors to compile everything and clean up the pieces. So, I don’t want you to worry about having to be perfect with your writing. You’re going to have a solid back up in that regard.”
Damn, Juliet knows me so well. Knowing I’ll have someone to perfect my work for me will allow me to focus on the overall assignment - otherwise, I’d likely get so bogged down making sure everything was just right, I’d never get the articles done.
“And just to sweeten the pot,” Juliet continues, “if you pull this off, you’ll have first pick of upcoming assignments for all three publications.”
Ding, ding, fucking ding!
Yes! This is exactly what I’ve been waiting for! The opportunity to blow my career up (in a good way).
“So?” Juliet prompts. “What do you think?”
“I’ll do it!” I exclaim, not bothering to hide my excitement anymore. “I’d love to do it. Yes, yes, yes!”
Juliet chuckles. “I thought you’d say yes. All right, we need to move quickly to get this all set up so we can have the articles done in time for the December release. I’m going to have you stay there to oversee everything until the article is ready to launch. Start looking for a place to stay in Denver right away. The company will cover your expenses up to five thousand dollars. The travel manager could likely find you a place, but I figured you’d want some say in where you stay. You can have your pick so long as you stay within the company’s budget.”
Holy shit! I’ve never had a budget so big! This is crazy. Am I dreaming? God, I hope not. I'd never want to wake up. Five thousand? I didn’t even get that much when they sent me to the Superbowl!
“Rylee?” Juliet arches her brow expectantly. “Does that all make sense?”
“Right, of course,” I nod, my mind already a million miles away as I think about seeing all my girls in Denver and hanging out with the Night Hawk hotties. “Stay within budget. Gotcha.” Suddenly, I realize I might not have to worry so much about the budget. “Oh! I might have an idea already of where I can stay. I’ll call my friends tonight and see if I can work something out.”
“Great,” Juliet replies. “Love that. Go ahead and spend the rest of the day getting your other jobs closed out or reassigned.Let’s see, it’s Friday, so… you’ll have the weekend to get ready, and you’ll leave Monday.”
Tight timeline, but I can make it work!
“No problem,” I assure her. “Thanks a lot, Juliet. I really appreciate this opportunity.”
