“Good luck telling that to the guys.” Gabe closed the door after him. “Their machismo is being challenged, and with some of them, that’s major. If they didn’t catch Katie’s show Friday night, they’ve heard all about it now, thanks to the balloons and the protest signs. If Crazy Katie showed up here, she’d be in some serious trouble.”
Jess braced his hips against the battered desk at the far end of the trailer and looked at Gabe. “Maybe I can get her to retract that theory she promoted Friday night.”
Gabe stared at him. “How?”
Jess wasn’t sure how, but he wanted to try and defuse this situation. “Well, I can—”
“Hold on. I was kidding yesterday. I mean, you can’t exactly force yourself on her to prove you’re a manly man. Guys get jailed for that stuff, dude.”
“No, I’m not talking about that.” Although in a roundabout way he was. A night of lovemaking might cause her to reconsider her views, although that wasn’t his main motivation for wanting that. “I know Katie from high school.” He hesitated. “I’m taking her to lunch today.”
Gabe’s mouth dropped open. “No kidding?”
“I’m meeting her at twelve-thirty at the station.”
“And you think you’re going to buy her lunch and talk her out of messing with us? Good luck, buddy. That is one tough cookie. I think you’d better wear your cup.”
Jess had to laugh. Protective gear wasn’t a bad idea, but not for the reason Gabe was thinking of. What Jess needed was a male chastity belt.
Gabe shook his head. “I mean it, man. That woman might take a notion to kick you in the nuts.”
“Not if I handle the situation right.”
“You’re gonna sweet-talk her?”
“There’s that old saying, ‘You can attract more flies with honey than vinegar.’”
“I never got that saying, because who wants to attract flies in the first place? Anyway, I admire your cojones. And I hope it works.”
“Yeah, me, too. In any case, it’ll be interesting.” Jess thought that might be the understatement of the century.
KATIE ARRIVED AT THE station at eleven so she could talk to Herbert Edgecomb. Ava had called her at home an hour before, gleeful about the new VOR signs, the helium balloons and the TV coverage.
When Katie walked in the lobby, Ava gave her a thumbs-up. “Edgecomb’s digging this publicity,” she said. “He thought you didn’t have a chance of stopping that construction before, but now he’s not so sure.”
“Good.” Katie allowed herself a moment of satisfaction. That was followed by a flicker of concern for Jess. Yes, he was putting up a building she hated and his company probably had the contract for the parking garage, too. But she didn’t want him to crash and burn because of her. At lunch she’d find out how high the stakes were for him.
“Edgecomb told me to send you in as soon as you got here. He said something about forming a strategy.”
“That sounds promising. Thanks.” Katie walked back to Edgecomb’s office.
“Katie, Katie, come in!” Edgecomb, a balding little guy with a booming voice, looked even smaller sitting behind the huge mahogany desk he was so proud of. With his big nose and thinning hair that stood up in wisps from his pink scalp, he looked like a newly hatched sparrow.
Whenever Katie stepped into this room she felt like Dorothy finally catching a glimpse of the little man who was the Wizard of Oz.
“Well, now, Katie.” That big voice coming out of such a small instrument was startling. “Sit down, sit down.”
She did, knowing how Edgecomb disliked anyone towering over him. He’d placed low-slung chairs in front of his desk which put visitors at his height.
“You caused quite a stir with your Friday night show,” he said.
“So it seems.”
“I’m sure you got the message that I was concerned, especially after the owners called me at home.”
“Ava told me. But under the circumstances, I think—”
“We’re not worried about the negotiations on the sale of the property at the moment,” he said.
“Oh?” She picked up on his use of we. Whenever he did that, he was speaking as if he and the station’s owners were part of a tight group of insiders. When he used we he was feeling extremely pleased with himself.
“The ratings for Friday night’s show were…very good.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” She had to believe the ratings had gone through the roof for Edgecomb to admit to very good.
“And then this added publicity with the VOR getting TV coverage—even if they have to edit it carefully for sexual content—well, it’s good news for KRZE. By positioning ourselves against this building and parking garage, we could increase our market share considerably. Everyone loves an underdog.”
“So you’ll back me?”
“All the way, Katie. Full speed ahead. Even if you don’t succeed—”
“I will succeed.” Katie wished her grandmother were alive to share this victory. She would understand why Katie was fighting for the little house, even if Katie’s parents thought it was misplaced sentimentality.
“I think there’s a chance you might, but even if you don’t, the station will reap the benefits. We’ll have our pick of alternate locations because everyone will want to be associated with the little station that battled for its place in the world.”
Katie nodded. “I can see how that would be, but I want us to stay right here, if it’s all the same to you.”
“That would be wonderful. But until you brought forth that outrageous opinion on Friday night, it wasn’t a remote possibility.”
“It does seem to have struck a chord with people.”
“It absolutely has, Katie.” Edgecomb steepled his fingers. “So what do you have in store for your listeners tonight?”
“I found a sociologist who did a study of the evolution of fastening devices like nails, pegs, screws and nuts. He draws a parallel between the devices and male and female anatomy and he even maintains that’s why men relish working with those items. I couldn’t bring him here for the show—he lives in Washington—but I’ve arranged for a phone interview during the first segment of my program.”
Edgecomb smiled. “Phone interview, huh? So is there really a sociologist or are you making him up? It seems almost too perfect.”
Katie’s jaw dropped as she absorbed the implication. “You think I’d create a fake expert to further my cause?”
“Well, it’s not like anybody’s going to try to track down your Washington sociologist to see if he’s real. And this is great theater, so—”
“I would never do something like that, Mr. Edgecomb.” Indignation made her quiver. “That’s dishonest.”
“Okay, okay.” He held up both hands, palms out. “Didn’t mean to upset you. Obviously you’ve done a lot of research to find these people. That’s great.”
“Thank you.” Katie’s respect for Edgecomb slipped several notches. He obviously didn’t care if she made up her sources just so the ratings were good. That was disheartening.
“And I’m expecting those ratings to go even higher tonight,” he said. “Congratulations.”
“I’m glad it’s working out.” She’d like to have a more ethical boss, but life wasn’t perfect.
“Me, too. Now I’ll let you get on with your day. I’m sure you have more research to do.”
“Yes, I do.” And she liked to think that was part of the reason she’d done so well as a DJ and why she’d continue to increase her listener base. Syndication wasn’t out of the realm of possibility someday.
She admitted to a certain amount of ambition. It would be a kick to reach even more people and educate them about the fun parts of sex. Besides, if she became famous enough, the little house that contained the radio station would become famous, too, and less likely be destroyed.
As she left Edgecomb’s office, she allowed herself some nostalgia. She’d been allowed to spend many weekends here with her grandmothe
r and grandfather. Every morning she’d walk down this hall from her bedroom to the kitchen, drawn by the scent of coffee brewing and pancakes sizzling on the griddle. She no longer had her grandmother with her, but thanks to this campaign, she might be able to save the place that held such poignant memories.
ALTHOUGH JESS TALKED TO his crew, he didn’t think he made much headway with them. Finally he’d been forced to threaten firing any guy who picked a fight with the protesters. In today’s economy, money should count more than machismo to them. At least he hoped to hell it did.
At twelve-thirty he drove his truck over to KRZE. Originally he’d planned to walk over and take her somewhere close by. The inflating/deflating balloons and the growing number of protesters made that seem like a bad plan.
He collected his share of suspicious looks from the picket line as he cruised around to the KRZE parking lot on the far side of the station. He wondered how they’d react when he came out the front door with Katie. With luck, it would confuse the hell out of them. This lunch date might serve more purposes than he’d thought.
When he walked into the lobby, Katie was standing by the receptionist’s desk, her back to the door as she talked to Ava, the same multipierced woman who had been sitting there Friday night. What a contrast—Ava with her spiked hair streaked green and her tongue stud flashing as she laughed, Katie in a slim-skirted suit of cobalt-blue and her hair a sleek waterfall of golden silk.
Sexual heat hit Jess the moment he saw Katie. As she turned and met his gaze, a picture of her kneeling in front of him came back with full force. He could smell the chocolate, feel the press of her fingers as she smeared it on, the flick of her tongue as she licked it off. He couldn’t speak for thinking about what she’d done with that mouth and those soft hands.
“Hi, Jess.”
“Hi.” With great effort he tore his attention from Katie so he wouldn’t appear rude. “Hi, Ava.”
“Hello.” Ava looked at him as if he were a specimen under a microscope.
“I’m ready to go if you are,” Katie said.
“Great.” He tried to decide if she was really as cool and calm as she acted. Her smile seemed relaxed and her body language didn’t suggest any tension except…she was gripping a pen so tightly in her right hand that her knuckles showed white against her skin.
“I thought we’d take the truck and get out of the downtown area for a while.”
“Far, far from the pink balloons,” Ava said.
“Um, yeah.” Jess had told the guys at work this should be treated as a joke, but he was no expert at laughing it off.
“Let’s go then.” Katie picked up her purse from the receptionist’s desk. “See you later, Ava.”
Jess held the door for Katie and she thanked him.
That was a relief. He’d met some women who thought holding the door for a woman was an outdated chauvinistic gesture. But it was how he’d been raised and he couldn’t help it.
On the way to his truck he didn’t look to the left, although he would have loved to know if anybody from VOR was watching. “I hope your supporters don’t think I’m kidnapping you,” he said.
“Now there’s an interesting idea. Maybe you’re kidnapping me and taking me away in your big old truck so you can have your way with me.”
“Never mind.” Him and his big mouth. Or maybe she would have taken anything he’d said and turned it into a sexual reference.
“Where are we going, by the way?”
He hadn’t decided until this minute, but now that he knew she was liable to say anything at all and get them both in trouble, he wanted some out-of-the-way spot. “There’s a little place I like called Casey’s Club, about two miles away. Great sandwiches.”
“Quiet?”
“Yeah, pretty quiet.” He opened the door and held it while she climbed in. He tried not to look at her legs while she did that, but a guy would have to be lobotomized not to. She had great legs, and she hadn’t covered them up with panty hose either. Tonight he wanted to be wedged right between those bare thighs.
He’d be wise to keep his mind off that topic, though. Lunch today was supposed to be for talking about something besides sex.
Taking a deep breath, he walked around the front of the truck and climbed into the driver’s seat. Katie was rustling around in her seat, and ten whole seconds sped by before he realized what was going on.
Opening her purse, she tucked a pair of lace panties inside.
His brain reeled. Even in the face of the evidence, he couldn’t believe she’d done it. “What the hell is that all about?”
She turned her blue gaze on him, and the taunting fire was back. “I thought I’d add a little zing to our lunch hour by going commando.”
9
IF ONLY KATIE COULD PULL out her picture phone and snap Jess’s expression, she’d have a prizewinner. She’d gotten the drop on him…again. If he’d imagined that taking her to lunch in his truck to a place he’d chosen would put him back in charge, then he’d just found out how wrong he was.
“Changed your mind about going to lunch?” she asked.
He blinked. “Uh—”
“Because that’s okay if you have. Not every man is game for this kind of adventure.”
A look of resolution replaced the dazed expression. “We’ll go to lunch.” He sounded calm, but he jabbed at the ignition three times before he got the key in. Then he spun the tires on the way out of the parking lot.
She’d been right that he would go along with her move. No doubt he was keeping his eye on the evening ahead, and bailing on the lunch challenge would obviously mean no nooky later on. She still hadn’t decided how to handle their interaction tonight either.
Cheryl had advised structuring more detours so Jess wouldn’t get everything he wanted yet. That probably made sense. Unfortunately that meant that Katie wouldn’t get everything she wanted either.
Her dreams last night had centered on penetration of the Jess variety. She was ready to welcome that fine piece of equipment he carried around and test it for compatibility with her system. She had an inkling the fit would be outstanding.
But in the back of her mind lurked the fear that once she allowed that to take place, she’d lose all the ground she’d gained. She didn’t trust herself to experience full-out sex with Jess and not become totally infatuated with him. Then he’d be holding all the cards…again.
Riding in his macho construction truck with the manly leather seats wasn’t helping. He looked rugged and commanding as he negotiated the lunch-hour traffic. Good thing she’d taken off her panties to freak him out or he’d be totally in charge right now.
“Your protesters seem to have picked up speed,” he said.
“I need to warn you, Jess, that we might win this one. My station manager is behind me, and as you can see, we have more support than before.”
“The building’s in progress. Livingston Development isn’t going to back out now. They’d lose too much money.”
Not if it turns into a PR nightmare and they stand to lose even more by finishing it. “All right. But humor me here. Let’s say the building is no longer a viable investment and the developers call a halt to construction. What would happen to your company?”
“They have a contract with us. They’d have to find a way to honor that. If we’ve acted in good faith, then they’d have to compensate us.”
“So it wouldn’t really hurt you all that much.”
He glanced at her. “I don’t know how you expect me to carry on a discussion when I know you’re sitting there bare-assed under your skirt.”
“So it’s getting to you?” She thought she’d detected some movement under the fly of his jeans.
“What do you think?”
“I’d be worried about you if you weren’t thinking about it.”
He cleared his throat. “I’m thinking that you had the panty move in mind from the time I invited you to lunch.”
“Maybe.”
“You’re kill
ing me, Katie.”
“Am I really?” She doubted it.
“Really.”
“Come on, be honest. This is more sexual fun than you’ve ever had in your whole life.”
The corner of his lips twitched, as if he might be trying not to grin.
“It is. And don’t try to deny it.”
His laugh gave him away. “All right,” he said. “I’ll admit that I’ve never experienced anything quite like the past few days. Sex has never been so complicated.”
“Or so exciting,” Katie added. “Anyway, I’m glad your company wouldn’t suffer if Livingston stops construction. That eases my mind.”
“I didn’t say we wouldn’t suffer. I happen to take pride in what I do. Leaving a project unfinished, especially such a visible one, wouldn’t be a good feeling. The people I hire think the same way. We’re invested in putting up something we’re happy with.”
Katie controlled the urge to comment. Beauty was in the eye of the beholder. “I can understand that, but your building is threatening the adobe house KRZE calls home. Abandoning that house to the wrecking ball wouldn’t be a good feeling for me or the people who work there.”
Jess pulled the truck into the parking lot of a small restaurant with no windows. “KRZE could find another location even more historic, one that wouldn’t be right in the path of progress.”
“I don’t define your high-rise as progress.”
He turned off the motor and glanced at her. “So I noticed.” He rested his arms on the steering wheel and stared out the windshield. “I should be furious with you, considering the problems you’re giving me with that building.”
“I should be furious with you, considering that you’re the one putting up that monster next door.”
He turned to her. “The thing is, I’m not furious with you, Katie. But I intend to erect that building, no matter what you throw at me.”
“I’m not furious with you either, Jess. But I’ll do whatever I can to keep you from erecting that building.”
“Including taking off your panties before we go to lunch?”
Talking About Sex... Page 9