him. To have two men patronizing her in a matter of minutes was more than she wanted to take.
"I have to be fair to my other reporters, Sam. If there's something in this man's contract that requires he get first pick of everything, then you really don't need me to delegate the work. We'll just let Tad take over the City Desk."
"Would you calm down, Kel, no one's suggesting that," Sam tried pacifying her.
"I won't work under those circumstances, if I get criticized for every decision I make."
"Welcome to the real world babe," Tad said dryly.
"What are you trying to accomplish?" Kelly said. She was completely baffled.
Tad chuckled. "For a worldly reporter, slash newspaper woman, your damned naive, Kel. I want the headlines, I want the bylines, I want my name out there. One Pulitzer isn't enough for me. Your paper paid good bucks to have me because they know I'm the cream of the crop. When you see my interview with Senator Lewellyn, we're talking award time. In the meantime, I want first refusal on every story that goes down."
"Sam?" Kelly immediately turned to her boss.
"He carries that kind of clout," Sam admitted.
There was dead silence, until Kelly finally rose from her chair.
"Fine," she said. "You two run the City Desk, I'm going back to free-lancing, where I don't have to deal with this kind of arrogance."
"Kelly, come on, you're not serious," Sam groaned.
"Oh, but I am. You'll have my official resignation on your desk by five." She left the room despite Sam's attempts to call her back.
***
An hour later, Kelly was in her office, packing a cardboard box with her personal things.
"You're not really leaving, are you?" she heard Tad's voice and looked up. His more charming nature having returned, he smiled broadly as though he was about to begin something sexual.
"What does it look like?"
"A little reactionary, I think."
"Reactionary. You think this is reactionary? I call it the most sane thing I've done in five months. I can't believe you'd pull that kind of stunt about first refusal, and mean it. Maybe I was dense, a little slow to catch on, but I'm clear now what you want. And with those conditions, I can't do the job. It's pointless. Let some spineless copy editor take over, they'd do the job and it won't piss them off every day."
"Why don't you give it a couple of days," he said. "Cool down a little."
"Why? Did Sam send you down here to undo the shit you started?"
"I came on my own. Maybe I don't want you to leave."
Kelly took a deep breath. It was actually kindness she was getting from the maverick reporter, but that didn't really matter, it was too late. "Listen, I'm tired of the grind, the hours, the sass from you and everyone else, and Sam's cigar smoke, and deadlines every day, and spending too much time correcting other people's grammar and listening to them bitch. It's just not worth it."
"It's part of the job, Kel. You're just having a rough day . . . all the tension with the nightclub incident."
"No!" she snapped. "That's not it at all. This is no rough day, it's not PMS, it's not some "woman" thing. It has nothing to do with what was over and done two months ago. It's real stuff for me. You say welcome to the real world, well here's a piece of mine. I don't want to deal with you. I don't want you on my staff, the only way I've ever wanted you in my life was sexual. And I guess that's over too. You got the job you wanted, you climbed your way right over top of me, just like you said you would. So enjoy the view. This is final. I won't change my mind. And you can take that tidbit back to Sam. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like my office to myself."
It was impossible to look at Tad without sexual things stirring in her. There was a little sadness in his eyes, not something that she expected to see, but still, it was genuine.
"Whatever you say, boss," he replied.
He backed out the door and closed it before she could remind him that she was no longer his boss.
Pink
"I have to be fair to my other reporters, Sam. If there's something in this man's contract that requires he get first pick of everything, then you really don't need me to delegate the work. We'll just let Tad take over the City Desk."
"Would you calm down, Kel, no one's suggesting that," Sam tried pacifying her.
"I won't work under those circumstances, if I get criticized for every decision I make."
"Welcome to the real world babe," Tad said dryly.
"What are you trying to accomplish?" Kelly said. She was completely baffled.
Tad chuckled. "For a worldly reporter, slash newspaper woman, your damned naive, Kel. I want the headlines, I want the bylines, I want my name out there. One Pulitzer isn't enough for me. Your paper paid good bucks to have me because they know I'm the cream of the crop. When you see my interview with Senator Lewellyn, we're talking award time. In the meantime, I want first refusal on every story that goes down."
"Sam?" Kelly immediately turned to her boss.
"He carries that kind of clout," Sam admitted.
There was dead silence, until Kelly finally rose from her chair.
"Fine," she said. "You two run the City Desk, I'm going back to free-lancing, where I don't have to deal with this kind of arrogance."
"Kelly, come on, you're not serious," Sam groaned.
"Oh, but I am. You'll have my official resignation on your desk by five." She left the room despite Sam's attempts to call her back.
***
An hour later, Kelly was in her office, packing a cardboard box with her personal things.
"You're not really leaving, are you?" she heard Tad's voice and looked up. His more charming nature having returned, he smiled broadly as though he was about to begin something sexual.
"What does it look like?"
"A little reactionary, I think."
"Reactionary. You think this is reactionary? I call it the most sane thing I've done in five months. I can't believe you'd pull that kind of stunt about first refusal, and mean it. Maybe I was dense, a little slow to catch on, but I'm clear now what you want. And with those conditions, I can't do the job. It's pointless. Let some spineless copy editor take over, they'd do the job and it won't piss them off every day."
"Why don't you give it a couple of days," he said. "Cool down a little."
"Why? Did Sam send you down here to undo the shit you started?"
"I came on my own. Maybe I don't want you to leave."
Kelly took a deep breath. It was actually kindness she was getting from the maverick reporter, but that didn't really matter, it was too late. "Listen, I'm tired of the grind, the hours, the sass from you and everyone else, and Sam's cigar smoke, and deadlines every day, and spending too much time correcting other people's grammar and listening to them bitch. It's just not worth it."
"It's part of the job, Kel. You're just having a rough day . . . all the tension with the nightclub incident."
"No!" she snapped. "That's not it at all. This is no rough day, it's not PMS, it's not some "woman" thing. It has nothing to do with what was over and done two months ago. It's real stuff for me. You say welcome to the real world, well here's a piece of mine. I don't want to deal with you. I don't want you on my staff, the only way I've ever wanted you in my life was sexual. And I guess that's over too. You got the job you wanted, you climbed your way right over top of me, just like you said you would. So enjoy the view. This is final. I won't change my mind. And you can take that tidbit back to Sam. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like my office to myself."
It was impossible to look at Tad without sexual things stirring in her. There was a little sadness in his eyes, not something that she expected to see, but still, it was genuine.
"Whatever you say, boss," he replied.
He backed out the door and closed it before she could remind him that she was no longer his boss.
Pink
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