I should win a medal for my restraint.
My head was a battlefield of f-bombs, exploding with each throb of pain. Worse than that, my colleagues laughed, at least they did until they saw blood trickle down my foot.
Now I just wore shoes.
I walked toward Ed's office, wondering if a tack might be easier to deal with than heels. What was I thinking when I got dressed this morning? Oh yes, I was feeling pretty for once. Seeing myself through Hawk's eyes made me feel special, sexy. I couldn't remember the last time I felt that way. I liked it.
My feet did not.
"You wanted to see me?" I stuck my head in through Ed's doorway.
Ed Isaac held the job of editor for theNational Dailyfor over a decade. His career as a journalist went back so far he probably reported on the comet that wiped out the dinosaurs. He looked like he should cut down on the mammoth burgers and fries, but he was more or less a human. His attitude toward women could stand to move forward a century or so.
"Rebecca, come in; sit." For some reason, he never called me Becca.
"Thanks, Edward." I sat and shot him a smile. No one called him Edward but me, and apparently his mother, but only when he did something wrong. So, frequently, according to him.
Ed tapped the side of his nose. "I've heard a rumour about you."
My heart stopped.Oh crap.
"Only one?" I said jokingly. Forget a medal. I deserved an Oscar.
He chuckled, deep in the back of his throat. "Maybe a butt ton, but only one I'm interested in. A little birdie told me you've been spending a lot of time with Conrad 'Hawk' Florence." He curled his fingers into air quotes for his nickname.
Thankfully I was ready for this question. I nodded.
"You told me to interview him," I said evenly. "To get an exclusive."
Ed rubbed his chin. "Seems you were spotted out on the town."
Spotted? By who?I tried to keep my expression neutral.
"How better to get him to open up and tell me all his secrets?" I said uncomfortably.
Ed cut to the chase. "And has he?" he asked.
Uh. Shit.
"He's opened up a bit," I replied carefully.
"Good, because I've been doing some hunting," Ed said.
That sounded ominous.
"Okay," I said slowly, trying to ignore the way my stomach suddenly wanted to relocate to my knees or somewhere around there.
He peeled open his laptop. "I saw the press conference. Nice job on that article, by the way." He stuck on his reading glasses and looked over the frame at me.
"Thanks." I tried not to squirm too much. Someday I'd take praise well, but today was not that day. Especially now.
"I saw his expression when he got to talking about Lori Franks."
I sensed where this was going and my blood went cold. "He looks up to her," I said carefully. "They all do."
"Yeah, she seems like a nice lady," Ed said.
I half expected him to call her a 'broad' and held back a snort. "That's what I gather too."
