Nick is doing that one. We’ll have the station trailer set up and he’ll be giving away swag before the show, then he’ll take the winners of the drawing for backstage passes to meet the band.”
“He’ll be a bear in the morning, then. He hates those late nights.”
“That’s life in the radio biz.” He glanced her way again. “Maybe you want to rethink your career.”
She shook her head. “No. This is what I really want to do. When I was little, other kids played CDs—I had to put on a whole show, with commercials and everything.”
“I used to do that, too. I’d forgotten all that until now.” His watch beeped and he glanced at it. “I have to go now. It was good talking to you.”
“It’s always good talking to you, Adam.” She tried to put a little extra sultriness into the words, but he’d already turned away and was heading up the stairs, two at a time.
She sighed. Her seductress skills definitely needed work.
On the way to her cubicle, she stopped to talk to her best friend at the station, the production secretary, Tanisha. “How long have you worked here, Tanisha?” she asked.
“Fourteen months, twenty-two days and six hours. But who’s counting? Why?”
“I was just wondering. Do you know if Adam Hawkins has dated anybody since Bonnie?”
“Mr. Handsome Hawk hasn’t dated much of anyone since the Bombshell exploded,” she said. “Of course, with Carl’s rule against the on-air personalities dating, he’d almost have to find a girlfriend outside of work. But I haven’t heard about anyone.” She grinned. “And I make it my business to keep up on all the gossip.”
“That’s interesting.”
“I saw you two talking together just now. That’s more words than I’ve seen him exchange with anyone in months.”
“It took me weeks to get him to say even that much to me.” A man who kept his emotions reined in so tightly must have all kinds of passions bottled up inside, just waiting for the right woman to unleash them.
Of course, she could be all wrong. Maybe Adam was horribly repressed and not the demonstrative type. But she’d love the chance to find out.
“So are you interested in him?” Tanisha asked.
She checked to make sure they were alone, then leaned closer to Tanisha. “Let’s just say I could be.”
“Well good luck. He’s a tough one to figure. I mean, we know he’s not gay, we’re pretty sure he’s available, but why is he available?”
“Maybe Bonnie broke his heart.”
“Hmmph.” Tanisha sniffed. “I was here the day it all went down. He’s the one who tried to break up with her. I don’t think he was all that sad to see the back of her.”
“Then I’d say it was time for a new woman in his life.”
“But how are you going to get around Carl?”
“I’m not on-air talent, remember? This promo thing is just a temporary assignment.”
Tanisha laughed. “You go. Of course, you might have to fight off Naughty Nick first.”
She made a face. “Don’t remind me.”
“I don’t envy you three days in bed with that octopus.”
“I’m thinking about arming myself with Mace and a stun gun. Think that would stop him?”
“Better bring some earplugs, too. I never met a man who liked to talk so much—about himself.”
“Earplugs. Gotcha.” She mentally added these to her list. This was going to be the longest seventy-five hours of her life, but she was going to make the most of the time. By the time it was over she’d have a gig as the station’s newest jock and Naughty Nick would have learned to keep his hands to himself.
BONNIE GLARED at the billboard looming over the Englewood Light Rail Station. Five years she’d been with KROK and her face had never been on a billboard. Little Miss Muffet had worked there a lousy six months and her simpering mug was plastered all over town. Bonnie kicked the curb. So much for thinking seniority counted for anything.
She’d been sure she was on her way when she’d latched onto Adam Hawkins. Not only was the Hawk the best-looking thing to cross the threshold of KROK in years, he was a genuinely nice guy. Which to her meant he was easily manipulated. She’d smiled and flirted and before she knew it, he was following her home. She figured in a matter of weeks she’d be sitting behind a control board, doing the afternoon show with him. A few months after that, she’d find a way to lose him and she’d have a solo gig.
But when she’d suggested she sit in on a few shows with him, he’d turned her down cold. He didn’t want to muddle things by mixing business with pleasure, he’d said.
He didn’t want to share the spotlight with anyone else was the problem. She’d figured she could change his mind, and then he’d had the nerve to dump her. And right before his show, too!
Well, she’d shown him. When it was time to do her traffic report, she’d lit into him. She’d shown the world what a lousy bastard he was.
And then Carl had to come unglued. He’d totally overreacted. He’d even called her unprofessional. And Adam got off scot-free. It figured. Men got all the breaks in this business.
She scowled up at the billboard again. Carl was still holding that little outburst with Adam against her. Otherwise why would he have agreed to let a nobody like that do a major promo? And a sexy one at that? What was sexy about a kid like her? Everybody knew Bombshell Bonnie was, well, a bombshell.
Sometimes Carl could be so dumb. The light rail train pulled into the station and she took a last look at the billboard before climbing onto the car. Everybody at KROK was dumb if they thought she was giving up that easily. She was going to have her own show there sooner or later. All she needed was the right opportunity, and the right person to help her get there.
“IT’S WET and nasty out there tonight. A band of thunderstorms stretching from the eastern plains into the foothills has traffic snarled all over town. Wrecks working at C-470 and Broadway, westbound Six and Sheridan, northbound I-225 and Parker. Slow and go around the Pepsi Center. And we can expect much the same story for the rest of the week.”
Adam inched his Jeep along C-470 toward his home in Morrison, just southwest of Denver. Thank God he hadn’t drawn the Pepsi Center gig. Pulling the station trailer would be a nightmare in this weather.
Three more miles to his exit and it was taking forever to get there. His car stopped again almost directly under a KROK billboard. Erica smiled down on him, posed with Nick in front of an enormous brass bed.
For probably the thousandth time, he wished she didn’t work for the radio station. Why couldn’t she be a schoolteacher or a secretary or an attorney or anything but a co-worker? If he didn’t have to work with her, he might risk asking her out. Yeah, the age thing made him feel like a dirty old man, but he’d
