“Yeah,” Steve said. “But hers is great.”
To say I was on cloud nine would be an understatement. I knew I’d written something special, but to hear that they all thought so too was thrilling. Best of all, Duke’s expression told me he agreed with everyone too, and it scared him a bit.
After recording the video, Ashton took Nina and Steve with him to review both of our little introductions. I headed out to find a cup of coffee and to call my mother to let her in on the good news. I had gotten one job already, after all.
As soon as I got seated with a warm cup of mocha espresso in hand, I made the call I knew she’d been waiting for. “Lila!”
“Mom, I’ve got a job!”
She whooped and hollered. “Yes!”
“But I’m up for one more. A big one, Mom. If I get both of these jobs, then I won’t need to share an apartment with anyone—heck, I might even be able to buy a place of my own! If I don’t get this other job though, then I’ll definitely need to rent a room with someone here. Either way, I’m staying in New York, Mom.” I took a sip of the hot drink and waited to see what she’d have to say about my news.
“I’m so proud of you,” she said with the sound of tears in her voice. “My baby girl is going to make it big, just the way you’ve always wanted.”
Nina popped into the little café with a big smile on her face.
“Mom, I’ll call you later to tell you more. Bye, love you.”
She came right to me. “Ashton says you both did amazingly well.”
“Both of us?” I couldn’t really celebrate a tie, now, could I?
“Yes, both of you. But I’ve got more news. My sister and I talked, and you’ve got the interview with Ted Turner. Not right away; he’s got some things going on right now. But as soon as he’s free, you can go to him in New Mexico to do it.” Nina clapped her hands. “And we’ll get to go with you too!”
My heart was pounding. It was all happening. And just as I began to feel like I might just win this thing, Duke came in with Ashton and Artimus, the three laughing and acting all chummy.
I might be good, but Duke knew how to get in with the bigwigs. The competition wasn’t going to be getting one bit easier.
Chapter Six
Duke
Sitting in the same small café as Lila, I couldn’t stop myself from glancing over at her—too many times. She just kept drawing my attention, like a moth to a flame. The way she laughed, the tilt of her head, the way her lips pursed when she seemed to be thinking about something—all of it drew my attention.
And I hated it.
Artimus, Ashton, and I had decided to grab some coffees, and I’d had no idea she’d be there too. I might’ve passed on the coffee if I’d known.
It had to be the competition that had me feeling so out of sorts about the girl. I’d never competed with a woman before; I didn’t know how to act. And I sure as hell had had no idea it would affect me the way it was.
Her touch couldn’t really be sending sparks all through me. The way she smelled couldn’t really be that damn intoxicating. It had to be the competition. That’s all it could be.
I wasn’t some horny teenager who chased after every girl in a five-mile radius. No, I was the guy who sat back, checking out the bevy of beauties before finding one to my liking. Then I’d ease up to her, give her a little of my attention, and before she knew what had happened, she’d wake up in my bed. Her hair would be a sexy mess, her body naked, and she’d find herself extremely satisfied.
And maybe that’s just what Lila needed, too.
Why wasn’t I giving it to her the way I would with any other chick I found to my liking?
She got up, she and Nina leaving the café. They headed in opposite directions, Lila going one way, away from the station, and Nina heading in the other direction.
Lila was alone, and my chance had come. “I’ll see you guys later. I’ve got something to do.” Getting Lila in my bed and out of my head had just become my top priority— it was something I had to do if I wanted to be a real contender for this position.
“Oh, before you go.” Artimus grabbed my arm, stopping my hasty retreat. “I need you to be in a class tomorrow morning that I’ve signed everyone up for. Now that the staff has all been hired, you all have some classes to take.”
“Yeah? What kind of classes?” I tried not to let either of them see how I was straining to see Lila through the tiny windows of the café as she walked away.
“Well, tomorrow is a sexual harassment class.” His words definitely grabbed my attention, finally pulling my gaze away from Lila.
“Does Lila have to take that class too?”
“Everyone does,” Artimus informed me. “Even me.”
“Even you?” Now I was intrigued, and I took my seat again. “And why is that?”
He picked up his paper cup of coffee, blowing across the top, making the steam swirl. “I want this network to set a precedent within the industry. It’s like we told you about with the pay scale—that information is open to the public. Everyone gets equal pay for equal work, and we want to make sure that sense of equality stays intact in every aspect of this network. With the sexual harassment that’s been going on in this industry for far too long, we feel it’s our responsibility to create a different kind of atmosphere for our workers. One where they all feel safe. Men and women need to feel safe in their workplaces.”
“I agree.” I shoved my hands into my pockets as I thought about what this meant. “So, you want us all to be clear about what is considered harassment. That’s cool.”
He nodded. “And I also expect WOLF’s employees to engage in a high standard of professionalism. I don’t want any office romances.”
Wait? What?
“What do you mean by that?” Ashton asked, suddenly looking a bit worried for some reason.
“I mean, I don’t want any dating amongst my employees.” Artimus took a sip of his coffee.
“No dating,” I mumbled as I thought about what he really meant. “But casual hookups aren’t dating, right?”
Artimus shook his head. “None of that either, Duke. I want a zero-tolerance policy on physical interaction between my employees.”
“Zero?” Ashton asked as he shook his head. “Is that even possible?”
“We’re going to make it possible. We’re going to show the rest of the world that it can be done. Men and women can work together and give each other the respect we all deserve.” The smile he wore told me he thought of himself as some kind of a guru.
I’d gone to work for a crazy man. My boss was a looney-bird. It was one thing to have a zero-harassment policy—obviously everyone should feel comfortable and respected—but expecting everyone to repress all their feelings for the opposite gender?
It was starting to look like Finkelstein had done it again. He’d sent me on an interview for a shit job. Not that the job was shit, but working in a place where I couldn’t exercise my manhood would be impossible. Or next to impossible, at the very least.
Ashton looked just about as disappointed as I did. “Man, that’s too damn bad.”
Artimus was dead set though. “It’s not too bad. It’s great, really. This way there won’t be any awkward professional fallout from a relationship going south, as usually happens along with breaking up. It’s a godsend, really.”
His idea of a godsend and mine were very different. “Did you have a breakup like that, Artimus? Is that where this comes from?”
“Actually, no. I’ve never had a breakup like that because I’ve never dated anyone I’ve worked with.” He looked at me with a skeptical expression. “You’ve only been with this network for a few hours. Are you going to tell me you’ve already set your sights on one of your female coworkers?”
“Hell, no!” My voice went a little too high, and it earned me a frown from my new boss.
“Hmm.” Artimus looked at Ashton. “And you, Ashton? You’ve been working for a week. Have you found anyone you’ve set your sight
s on in that short amount of time?”
I watched Ashton carefully as he looked off to one side. “Not me. No, sir.”
The way Artimus had worded the questions would have made any man feel like a fool if he’d answered yes. Ashton and I had no choice but to say no. And with that new knowledge, I really had to get Lila off my mind.
She was just a woman. There were millions of them in the city of New York alone. I’d never had any trouble at all getting any girl I wanted, and I didn’t need to sleep with Lila to satisfy my urges. I wanted to, but I didn’t need to.
“So, we’ve got a sexual harassment class to go to tomorrow.” I resigned myself to the fact. I’d already signed a two-year contract with WOLF, so I wasn’t going anywhere. “Is that all we have to go to?”
“No, after that I’ve booked us a class to teach us about physical harassment and bullying.” Artimus tapped his fingers on the tabletop. “And then a class on compassion. That’s all. Three classes in three days.”
It sounded like he meant they’d last all day. “How long are these classes?”
“Eight hours each,” he said, as if it wasn’t that long at all.
It was longer than any class I’d ever had to sit through. And Ashton must’ve thought so too as he groaned, “Eight hours?”
“Only eight hours,” Artimus said, trying to make it sound less horrible than it really was.
“Okay, tomorrow I can plan on being bored for the entire day.” I got up once again, ready to go home and drink the remainder of this day away.
Artimus wasn’t about to let me take his news poorly. “Duke, I expect all of you to be good sports about this. My goal is to make a difference in this industry, and I will do that. I can be stubborn when I need to be. I warn you; I’ll be holding fast to the decisions I’ve made about this network.”
“I get it, Artimus.” I didn’t like it, but I did understand that the man had a vision. Whether I agreed with him or not, the network belonged to him, and he aimed to change the world—using us to show people that it could be done. “It’s just not going to be easy, that’s all.”
He smiled at me, amazingly enough. “Nothing great ever is. Don’t you two agree?”
“Sure,” Ashton said as he got up too. “I’m gonna go home and get a drink, maybe call up some of my old girlfriends to see how things are going with them. If I have a girl already, then I won’t be tempted to break any of your rules.”
“Great thinking, Ashton.” Artimus seemed to think Ashton was onto something.
That had me wondering something. “Arti, you got a girl?”
He shook his head. “No. It’s been a while since I’ve dated anyone. My last relationship ended badly. She left me for one of my business partners, little money grubber that she was. I should’ve been happy she left me, but it all felt unfinished. I wanted closure that she wouldn’t give me.”
Artimus wasn’t an old man. Maybe forty, if that. It made me wonder just how well he’d fare under his own rules about no messing around in the workplace. “So, you think you can keep yourself in check with all the pretty ladies who’ll be around, boss?”
“I’m taking the classes too, Duke. I don’t think I’ve got anymore willpower than anyone else.” He shook his head, looking serious. “This is very important to me. You see, I’ve got three younger sisters. Two are actresses. The stories they’ve told me made me sick to my stomach. Men who had power over them telling them they had to do certain things to get the parts they wanted. My youngest sister was only nineteen when a man we’ve all seen on the national news told her he needed someone to help him take his mind off his demanding job. He’d make it worth her while if she’d stop by his office around nine each night, before he had to go home to his wife.”
I had to interject, “I hope she told him no.”
Artimus nodded. “Oh, she did. And then he told her if she liked her job—at a company he wasn’t even associated with, I might add—then she’d do what he asked her.”
Still, I knew she had the right to say no. How could he get her fired? She didn’t even work directly for him, after all. “I still hope she said no.”
“She said no and she left his office. An office she’d only been called to because of what he wanted from her, she later found out.” Artimus looked down, his eyes dropping. “She found a text on her phone the next morning before heading to work. Her supervisor told her that her services would no longer be required.”
“But how did he manage that?” Confusion riddled Ashton’s voice.
“He knew people. People who would take him at his word, whatever word he used to have her fired. People who have power know how much they have, and they know how to use it to their advantage.” Artimus looked grim. “I just want to make a difference. And you should want that too.”
Well, there was no arguing with that, was there?
Chapter Seven
Lila
The next morning saw the entire staff of WOLF, including the owner and his assistant, gathering in a lecture hall on the NYU campus. Professor Higgins, an anthropologist, was there to talk to us about sexual harassment.
Before the lecture began, we were all briefed by Mrs. Baker as to how we’d be conducting ourselves while working for WOLF. She began by telling us that there would be a strict no-dating policy between WOLF staff members. And that meant not even the smallest of relationships, not even a one-night hook up. No romance, no flirting, no physical contact that wasn’t necessary.
I sat five rows behind Duke in the auditorium-style lecture hall. Nina sat next to me. We’d all been given pens and pads of paper to take notes. There wouldn’t be a test, but we were encouraged to write down things we didn’t know before.
Professor Higgins started the lecture. “Good morning, WOLF staff members. Mr. Wolfe has asked me to advise you all on sexual harassment, what it means, how it works, how it demeans a person or persons, and how to avoid it.”
To say I was bored just didn’t cut it. I knew what it was. And I knew how to curtail it. I’d been in college, a place where young men weren’t quite men yet. I’d met a lot of men that hadn’t quite gotten past their boyish phase, most not capable of not sexually harassing females. And I knew how to let them know, in no uncertain terms, when I was interested and when I wasn’t. And if I wasn’t, they’d better watch what they said to me, and God forbid any one of them actually touch me.
Dad and my older brother, Lonnie, had been sure to teach my sister and me how to defend ourselves if necessary. She and I had both gone off to colleges in other parts of the U.S., far from our home, and Dad wanted us to know how to take care of ourselves.
Our mother had made sure we knew how to cook, clean, and tend to ourselves if we found ourselves sick. Dad had made sure we knew how to be firm with the opposite sex, and how to stop unwanted advances if we weren’t respected.
A knee to the crotch, an elbow to the ribs, and a well-placed headbutt were all it would take, Dad had told my twin and me. And Lonnie had allowed us to practice on him, always the devoted big brother.
The professor droned on, “The EEOC, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, defines sexual harassment as verbal or physical sexual harassment, unwanted sexual advances, and requests for sexual favors. Now, Mr. Wolfe has informed me that no type of sexual advances will be allowed at his place of business—whether unwanted or consensual. This means that you all must refrain from things like flirting, openly looking a person over.” He stopped and smiled. “Ah, but you all are in an industry where some of you will have to be looked over, now aren’t you? Of course, if your hair, makeup, and wardrobe people look you over, that’s different. Unless they make you feel uncomfortable by leering at you with lust-filled expressions.”
One of the ladies up front raised her hand to ask a question, and the professor gave her a nod. “Sir, I’m in wardrobe. This is my first job doing this type of work. Can you clarify what things might make people feel uncomfortable, and how I can make sure I don’t cross any boundarie
s while I make sure my coworkers are ready to go on air?”
My eyes moved to her right, finding Duke. I didn’t envy the woman asking the question—I knew I would have a hard time looking that man over and not feeling excitement or lust for him. But my job wasn’t to look him over, to fix his clothes, hair, or cover the shiny places on his handsome face.
Nina and I had made comments about Duke being too sexy for morning television. Would that be considered harassment, even though no one had overheard us? Even though we hadn’t said anything directly to Duke?
I wasn’t paying much attention to the professor as he responded to the question. That wasn’t my department, so I didn’t think I needed to worry about that.
My eyes held fast to Duke’s wide shoulders. He’d forgone the suit and tie, looking casual in a black T-shirt and faded blue jeans. Most of the men had come in casual clothes, ready for a long day of sitting in class.
I’d only brought nice clothes with me when I’d packed. Lucky for me, the interview with Ted Turner would see me heading to New Mexico. Mom and Dad were packing my things and would bring them to me there. For now though, I had to make do with what I’d packed in the one bag I’d brought with me.
Duke stretched a bit, putting his hands behind his head, linking his thick fingers to give his head a place to rest. My heart raced for some reason. I chided myself for how my body reacted to everything the man did.
Why did he have to be so damn good looking? Why did he have to affect me so much? Why did we have to work at a place that forbade us from even flirting, never mind acting on any sort of attraction that might grow?
And why did he have to be the man standing between me and my ultimate dream job?
Even if we hadn’t had all those obstacles standing between us, I had no reason to think he’d be as interested in me as I apparently was in him. He was a man in his early thirties, and I was a young woman of only 22. I was sure I had to be too young for him anyway. So why was I even thinking that way?
The professor had stopped talking about how to look one over the right way, and was moving on to the next topic. “Now let’s talk about how sexual harassment works. First, it’s important to understand that all advances aren’t harassment. If that were the case, then our species would cease to exist. But your workplace wants there to be no advances whatsoever, so you all will have to avoid falling victim to your own desires.”
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