Nordic Heat

by Lizzie T. Leaf

  When they returned to the party, the guests were starting to leave and Isabella saw this as an opportune time for her to make an escape.

  “Now, Bella. You come to dinner Wednesday night. Okay.” Angela slipped an arm around her daughter’s waist which made it impossible to get away without an answer.

  “Ma, I can’t. I’m working. Remember, I do the six o’clock weather.”

  “Yes, I know and the eleven o’clock too.” Angela sighed her best martyr sigh. “No wonder your eyes are red. You never get enough sleep. Okay, then we’ll make it Saturday night. And Gino, you come too.”

  Brother and sister exchanged glances of defeat. If they didn’t come their mother would hound them until she wore them down. Each learned a long time ago…just do as their mother demanded, and be done with the nagging.

  “Saturday night it is. See you then.” Isabella kissed her mother’s cheek and planted a quick peck on her brother and father before making a strategic retreat out the door.

  She heard the agony in Gino’s voice as the door closed. “Okay, Ma. I’ll be here. What time?”

  Isabella quickly forgot her family as she headed for the subway. Her focus now was on tomorrow and work. Her job had become the one sanity factor in her life.

  CHAPTER TWO

  “Good morning.” Kyle Morgan grinned at Isabella as they squeezed onto the elevator. He leaned in and whispered in her ear as they were pushed closer together by the entry of additional people. “Sweet Cheeks.”

  “Morning.” It took all her self-control to even respond to the despicable anchorman for Channel 12 news. She wouldn’t have bothered answering if they’d not shared the confined space with any number of people who’d like to spread the news of a feud between the station’s top anchor and weather person. Pushed up against him now, she could detect the outline of an erection as he pressed harder on her butt cheeks. The crawling sensation across her neck sent shivers down her back.

  Escaping from the mass of humanity as quickly as she could when the elevators doors opened at her floor, Isabella felt Kyle on her heels.

  “You know you want me baby,” he leered as he came up beside her.

  “Yeah, about as much as I want a case of the clap.” She made a sharp turn and headed toward the weather pod, which thankfully was on the opposite side of the newsroom from him.

  “I see our favorite news letch has been whispering words of endearment to you again.” Sandy James, the weather intern, laughed when Isabella threw her purse on the desk and continued to mumble under her breath.

  “How Joanne Kent can stand to have that creep touch her is beyond me.” Isabella’s skin still crawled from where any part of Kyle’s body came in contact with hers.

  “There’s a good case of two people deserving each other if you ask me.” Sandy wasn’t a fan of either of the night-time news anchors. “They’re so in love with themselves that an affair between them makes sense. They don’t have to bother with telling the other how beautiful they are. The one I feel sorry for here is Sam Kent. He doesn’t seem to notice his wife and her co-anchor are bonking their brains out almost in front of him. Talk about in your face.”

  “Yeah. Know what you mean.” Isabella didn’t rate the station manager as her most favorite person, but even a brow-noser like Sam didn’t deserve Joanne. The affair between her and sleaze-ball Kyle gave the office gossips a field day and made her husband the laughing stock of the newsroom. The only time the two were discrete in their carrying-on was when Sam was around, or they were out in the public arena. After all, they had to keep up that public image.

  “Then again maybe his nose is so full of shit from having it up the new owner’s ass he can’t smell news anymore.” Sandy wiggled her eyebrows at Isabella.

  “You’re awful,” Isabella giggled, but Sandy’s wicked sense of humor was one of the things she liked about her, along with the intern’s brilliant mind. She needed to figure out a way to keep the young woman on the team when her internship ended. Everyone depended on her now and all of them would feel her loss.

  “Oh yeah, the radio station called. They’re ready for you to do your bit over there when you want to call in, and speaking of Sam, he wants you in some kind of meeting in his office at three.” Sandy handed her the weather projections from the National Weather Bureau and spouted off a list of additional reminders.

  Glancing at her watch, Isabella decided to utilize the thirty minutes available before she made the command appearance in Sam’s office to accomplish a couple of things on her list to get ready for her evening weather forecast on the five o’clock news. “Okay, I’ll call the radio station now and record their weather spot. That’ll leave me with a few minutes to record a couple of blurbs for tonight’s weather forecasts.”

  After a hectic half hour, she made her way through the news room to Sam’s office. Passing the news team’s pod, Kyle Morgan directed a wink and leer her way, which earned both of them a seething glare from Joanne Kent.

  Isabella almost felt sorry for the woman. Carrying on an affair with the biggest womanizer in the city right outside your husband’s office door must be tough. Then again, Joanne was a major bitch who never missed the chance for a dig when they were alone in what passed for their makeup room. Now that she thought about the issue, the cheating slut needed a dose of arsenic more then she needed sympathy.

  “Come in, come in.” Sam’s door was open and he called out to Isabella, “Close the door and take a seat.” He indicted the only empty chair since the other two chairs crowded around his desk contained male bodies.

  How lucky can I get? Her eyes met those of Leif Moultar, or Mr. Albino as she mentally referred to the station owner in moments of frustration. “Good to see you again, Leif.” The man’s blank expression didn’t change when he nodded his acknowledgment of Isabella’s comment. His pale skin, white-blond hair and iceberg eyes gave her the creeps the first time she met him and continued to do so.

  Repressing a shudder, she turned her attention from the man who signed her paycheck to the person in the chair next to him. She caught her gasp before it escaped. Sitting before her was the best piece of eye candy she’d seen in a long time…possibly ever.

  Even seated, she could tell he was a large man. The suit jacket stretched across his broad shoulders and tapered down to a slim waist. The sleeves appeared to barely contain the biceps that threatened to rip the luxurious fabric covering them.

  She was a sucker for a strong face, especially one with a cleft in the center of the chin. The blue eyes reminded her of a pool of water, calm and deep, but the thing that made her fingers itch was the hair. Barely brushing his ears on the sides, long blond top, shot with streaks of red and copper fell to one side of his forehead and over an eyebrow. She wanted to reach out and brush the hair back just to see if the strands felt as silky as they looked. Women paid good money for hair that color.

  “Isabella? Are you feeling okay?” Sam looked at her with concern.

  “Great. Never better.” She quickly recovered from the zone she’d drifted into while her eyes devoured the stud-muffin.

  “Good. I want to introduce you to your newest team member. This is Galvin Haldor.” The blond hunk stood and held out his hand.

  Isabella reacted automatically, placing her hand in the one extended toward her.

  “Nice to meet you, Izzy.” Galvin’s smile revealed a dimple in his right cheek.

  The deep, rich voice combined with the lethal smile sent shivers down her spine. “Me, too,” she mumbled. Then what he said hit her. He called her Izzy. Who the hell did he think he was? Nobody called her Izzy since Gino tried it when they were kids and she busted his nose.

  Wait a minute. New team member? Where did Sam get off hiring someone for her department without bringing her into the decision? Nope, this isn’t going to work. I’m not some teenager who goes ga-ga over a drop-dead, gorgeous male.

  “Sam, don’t you think you should’ve brought me in on the interviewing and hiring decisions for
my department? After all, I am the Chief Meteorologist.” She glared across the desk at the station manager daring him to dispute her.

  “Well, you do have a point, Isabella, but this was an opportunity we couldn’t let get away.” Sam squirmed uncomfortably in his chair and glanced at Leif. “You know we’re in a ratings war here and Leif…ah, Mr. Moultar knows Galvin’s father, and when they were talking…” Sam ran his finger under his shirt collar as if in an attempt to loosen its constraint. “Well, he found out that Galvin was looking for a job and thought he was exactly what the station needs. We know you draw a strong male group, but with Galvin here on board, we could increase our female demographics.”

  Isabella caught Sam’s audible sigh of relief when she turned to face Leif Moultar. “You felt it was your place to make this decision without consulting me?”

  The pale eyes reflected the emotion of a hunk of steel. “When your signature is the one on the checks for the employees, then you can make any decisions you want.” His voice dripped the same ice reflected in his eyes. “No, I didn’t feel the need to get your approval.”

  Isabella took a deep breath to allow for a moment to gain control over the rage flowing through her veins. She could end up unemployed if she wasn’t careful. The impulse to tell Leif where to stick his job subsided and reason took over once again. She’d just bought her apartment when the building converted to condo units and the down payment took all her savings. The last thing she needed right now was to put herself in a position of no income, desperate enough to take any job offer.

  “You are correct, Mr. Moultar. You do sign the checks.” She bit hard on the inside of her cheek to keep from adding her reputation was the one on the line if his brilliant idea didn’t work.

  Directing her attention to Galvin, Isabella indicated her defeat with a tip of her head. “Okay, Mr. Haldor. You can start tomorrow. Be here by two and we’ll begin your training.”

  “Why tomorrow? I’m available now.” Galvin grinned and she felt her insides melt.

  “I’m not ready for you. I need to get a training program outlined and right now my focus is getting prepared for the six o’clock news.”

  “I don’t think Galvin will require much in the way of training.” Leif Moultar chose to step in again on behalf of his protégé. “He can start now. There is no need to delay.”

  “Fine,” Isabella fired back. She hated losing control and she detested the stilted way the station owner always talked. Right now, she despised everything about Leif Moultar. She especially was offended by his power over her life.

  Isabella stood and headed for the door with Galvin directly behind her. Outside of the prying ears of Sam and Leif she turned and faced him. “Let’s get a few things straight. I’m the Chief Meteorologist at this station and you follow my instructions.”

  “Whatever you say, Izzy.” Galvin grinned.

  “To begin with, I say ‘don’t call me Izzy.’ The last male who did ended up with a broken nose.” Isabella figured the little detail her six-year-old brother had been that male was none of his business.

  “Like I said, whatever you say,” Galvin said as he followed her toward the weather pod. “Izzy,” he mumbled under his breath.

  Damn, this guy is going to be a pain in my ass.

  “You sent for me, Sif?” Loki hesitated at the door of Sif’s private quarters.

  He considered himself the king of pranks, but it wasn’t beyond others to try and pull one on him from time to time. Sif never asked for his company these days. The woman carried one long grudge. The little thing with the hair was one of his better tricks. Too bad she didn’t see the humor. Just like a female to not see the humor in a little thing like a haircut.

  “Yes, Loki. I did.” Sif turned from the window where she’d been looking out over the city. “I need a favor from you.” Her eyes met his for the first time in eons.

  A favor…from him? Oh, my, my. This could give him a way to achieve redemption in her eyes. In those rare moments of honesty with himself, he admitted he missed his friendship with the goddess and longed to have the camaraderie they once shared back.

  “Ask, and I shall do my best to see that you receive.” Loki knew he’d move heaven and earth to do Sif’s bidding even if it went against Thor’s wishes.

  He did owe Thor for taking away the snake venom and releasing the chains which bound him to the boulder, but he was not nearly as much fun as Sif. When he spent time with Thor, he also contended with Thailfi. Thor’s loyal servant was a constant shadow, hovering in the background. Enough to get on a guy’s nerves, which Loki knew was Thailfi’s intent.

  “I want you to go down to earth and keep an eye on the situation in which my son has become involved. Learn more about this mortal woman in whom Galvin appears interested, as well as her family.” Sif turned back to the window. “For once Loki, try not to make any trouble that will cause pain for my son. Do you think you can do that?” She faced him again and this time he felt her gaze prick his soul.

  “Yes, for you I will control my urge to create discord.”

  “Thank you.” Sif’s sad little smile left Loki with the hope she too remembered the friendship from their past.

  Galvin admired the ease with which Isabella prepared for the evening news and weather. The woman knew her job and did it well. She plotted the printouts of various weather fronts on paper, instead of relying solely on the information from the National Weather Bureau. Smart and beautiful, the two combined, presented a package that greatly appeals to me. His respect for her increased by the minute with the ease she juggled her job and the people involved in pulling everything all together.

  “Did you get that?” Isabella’s forehead wrinkled and she tapped her fingers on her desk.

  Damn. Her question caught him wool gathering over what he’d like to do to her outside the newsroom where work didn’t consume her. Then again, clearing a desk and taking her right here also appealed.

  “Sorry, I missed the question. Could you repeat it?”

  Her mouth tightened and a small sigh tickled his ears before she responded. “I said, ‘I prefer my staff plot out the local weather using the information we have at hand, instead of depending on the NWB. The National Weather Bureau is great for some things, but they’re not local and we know what’s happening here more than they do.” Isabella pushed back a dark curl that fell across one eye. “Do you know how to do manual plotting or is that a class you skipped in college?”

  Galvin didn’t take the class she referenced, but he’d be an idiot to miss the sarcasm in her voice. “I’m sure I can handle the plotting without an issue.” He didn’t need a piece of paper or satellite feeds to tell him about the weather.

  “Good. Let’s see what you can do then. Put together my forecast for the six o’clock news. I’ll check your work when I get back from doing more radio spots.” Isabella pointed to the printouts on the desk and walked away.

  “Whatever you say. After all, you’re the boss. Izzy.” Galvin stared after the departing form before tackling his assigned task. If she thought she could get the best of him, then she’d better think again. He’d cut his teeth on controlling weather and predicting the happenings on earth would present no problem.

  “You’re really trying to get under her skin, aren’t you?”

  Galvin turned to find Sandy standing behind him. “No, not really. Just trying to establish the alpha order here.”

  “Alpha order, my ass.” Sandy burst out laughing. “What do you think you’ve joined here…a wolf pack? If you don’t stop testing her, you’re going to find yourself out on the street. Isabella doesn’t take crap from anyone.”

  “We’ll see about that.” Galvin turned back to study the papers spread out in front of him.

  “You don’t know what the hell you’re doing, do you?” She peered over his shoulder.

  “I know weather, but maps are not my strong suit,” Galvin admitted.

  “Here, let me show you.” Sandy pulled a chair over
and sat down beside him. “See, what you’re doing here is tracking the weather fronts.”

  “Yeah, but that’s what we have here from the National Weather Bureau.” Galvin pointed to the computer screen.

  “True. The problem with accepting their forecasts at face value is like Isabella explained earlier, they’re not in our region. We start with a model in raw form, that way we have fewer biases which may not take in variances such as local inversions.”

  “Inversions?” Galvin didn’t know the term. Mortals used strange names for simple things and this was probably another example.

  Sandy fixed him with a hard look. “How in hell did you get this job? Obviously, you don’t know jack shit about weather forecasting.”

  “I know weather.” Galvin shrugged his shoulders. “And my father knows, Leif.”

  “Don’t make a statement like that to Isabella. She’s worked too damn hard to have some upstart roll in and try to lord it over her because his father has pull with the station owner.” Sandy eyes shot flames in Galvin’s direction.

  “She went to college and studied weather. I’m not trying to take that away from her.” Galvin met Sandy’s glare.

  “Her knowledge goes beyond graduating with a Degree in Meteorology. She also has her CCM, and that’s not pulled out of a cereal box.”

  “CCM?” Another term Galvin found unfamiliar.

  “Certified Consulting Meteorologist.” The intern shook her head. “Amazing all you don’t know. That little piece of paper requires at least five years’ experience on the job and passing a hard-ass test.”

  “I think I get the picture.” Galvin nodded. “I admit I have a lot to learn about the way you do things here. Will you help me?” He smiled at Sandy and used the look that worked best with his mother, the ‘I’ve been a bad boy’ expression.