“Darcy! You’re late. They’re in meeting room two.”
I nodded without slowing down and slid into the meeting room as quietly as I could.
My entire morning had gone to hell in a handbag after my one-night stand had cussed his way out of my apartment, and it was all Kane Bryson’s fault.
Kane Bryson’s fault my coffee maker killed my last filter.
Kane Bryson’s fault I couldn’t get an Uber fast enough.
Kane Bryson’s fault I ran out the door without my purse.
All his fault.
After five years of working him out of my system, literally and figuratively, he had the audacity to turn up on my television.
“...Rowsthorn.”
“Sorry, what?” I asked, looking up at Mr. Fagan, only to realize every eye in the room was on me.
“I said nice of you to join us. Shall I get you a coffee? Or can I give everyone their assignments so we can all get shit done?” Terrence Fagan looked like a bulldog in a suit. With heavy jowls that vibrated when he found himself displeased, he also had a tendency to take a bite out of something and not let go. I did not want to be that something. It made him great at his job, but it was also terrifying having his focus squarely on you.
“I’m so sorry, Mr. Fagan. Please, go on.”
He glared for a moment longer before turning back to his notes.
“Brown, you’re following the Bulls’ doping scandal. I want a new angle on that story, do you hear? Make it fresh. Steppings, you’re on that Baxter kid that just got picked up by the Boars. Rowsthorn, you’re following Bryson’s shot at the national team. I want to know every detail until decision time. Get in his back pocket and stay there. Any questions? No? Good. Get outta here.”
Had someone dumped a bucket of ice water over my head? My skin tingled and I felt a curious combination of a need to run while simultaneously my feet seemed rooted to the floor.
Why, after all this time, was he coming back to haunt me?
“No.” The word slipped from my numb lips as though spoken by another.
It was silent in the room. Too silent. Forcing my eyes up to meet Mr. Fagan, he seemed as frozen as me. Someone coughed, and the spell broke.
“Did you have something you needed to say, Rowsthorn?” he asked, his cheeks twitching, eyebrows climbing toward his receding hairline.
“I… I can’t work with Bryson. Can I swap with Steppings?” I ignored the chuckles that broke out around me. Anyone else in the world would have been easy. I was good with people. But I couldn’t bring myself to see Kane Bryson again. Let alone spend an extended period of time with him.
Mr. Fagan planted his hands on the polished wood of the meeting table before him, taking a deep breath before he pinned me with narrowed eyes.
“You cannot swap with Steppings. We don’t assign rookie journalists to our national sport. You are cutting your teeth on a swimmer. The article should be a breeze. I hear he likes the ladies, so use your assets and get me all the dirty details. If you aren’t feeling up to it, you can go back to making coffees, or find yourself another job.”
He straightened and stalked out the door without a backward glance, quickly followed by everyone else in attendance until I found myself alone in a cold meeting room wondering what the fuck I was going to do.
I hated Kane Bryson with a passion, and now I had to work with him.
Kane
“That was a nightmare,”Coach Turner groused as he wore a track in the cheap carpet of his apartment.
“Not a total nightmare,” I said, smirking as I held up the cell number of the pretty blonde reporter who had been making eyes at me from the front row.
The interview hadn’t been ideal. A lot of talk about my sex life instead of my skills in the pool, but that was my brand. Everyone knew Kane Bryson worked hard and played even harder. I caught myself, realizing that even in my thoughts, I sounded like a douche bag. Damn, I missed Cody. My best friend had been picked up by the Boars in this year’s draft and was too busy with pre-season training to hang out and give my ego a healthy shove.
Coach grimaced. I knew he hated how much time I spent sleeping around, but I was always on time for training, went above and beyond to increase my times, and was the best in the area. The national team was a shoo-in.
“…you have your future to think about here.”
