Seducing His Heart (18 page)

Then, Bess clapped her hands and all
activity stopped. “What’s going on here?”

“
We thought you’d be upset
about the news broadcast. So, we’re here to listen, feed you, and
let you know you’re not alone,” Brooke piped up.

Tears clouded Bess’s eyes, but she blinked
them back. “You guys are the best.”

“
So, how are you?” Rory
perched on a stool at the breakfast bar.

“
I’m confused. I don’t
know why he did it. When I told Whit I wanted to go to the
funeral…he offered…” Bess poured out the story, and the other three
listened while they passed around eggrolls, Mu Shu Chicken, and
fried Tofu. When she finished laying out the details, the women
packed up the empty cartons and placed them in the
garbage.

Before discussion could continue, the
doorbell sounded, and Homer ran over, barking.

“
That must be Whit,” Bess
whispered. Her heartbeat kicked up, and anger heated her
cheeks.

“
This is our signal to
leave. Come on, ladies.” Rory said. The Dinner Club women leashed
their dogs and headed for the door.

Whit stepped back to let them out. He nodded
a greeting. They avoided his gaze and silently headed for the
elevator. He crossed the room in three strides and gripped Bess’s
arms. “You saw the broadcast?”

“
Of course.”

“
Bess, I…I’m so sorry. I
had no idea…”

“
You mean to tell me, you
didn’t know they were recording?”

“
No, I didn’t. I really
didn’t. It never occurred to me they’d record something
so…so…private. Between us. In the van.”

“
But you knew they were
shooting the fight?”

“
I didn’t think about it.
All I thought about was getting you away from her and safely back
home. I should’ve been more aware. I should’ve told them to cut. I
didn’t. I’m so sorry. You have no idea.”

“
You didn’t arrange
this—or hope for this—to boost your career?”

He stepped back. “Of course not! I’d never
do that. I’d never hurt you to advance my career. You must believe
that.”

“
You betrayed me. Sold me
down the river. Now, I’m branded. People will think I’m a
cheater…an adulterer. My little white lie to save Mona’s feelings
will—I’ll never live it down.”

“
It’s not that big of a
deal. She’s the one who slapped you, even though you said you were
only Terry’s friend. She was in the wrong.”

“
So? I’m the single woman.
She’s the grieving widow. I’ll be the bad guy.”

“
Bess, forget it. The
public is fickle. Today’s news is gone tomorrow.”

“
Not this. And you were
going to broadcast this, weren’t you?”

“
Absolutely not! I told my
producer. We had a huge fight over it. She said she wasn’t going to
run the story and then—
blam!
—there it was on the screen,
big as life. I stopped in the middle and changed to the story about
the old man getting killed in Queens.”

“
I saw that.”

“
She cut me off! Then ran
the tape, playing the sound over a still picture. They never do
that…well, rarely. I was screaming.”

“
I’ll bet.” Bess narrowed
her eyes.

“
You don’t believe
me?”

“
It’s hard…”

Whit’s frustration exploded. “I come here
begging forgiveness, telling the truth, and you don’t believe me?
Damn it!”

“
I didn’t say
that…I…”

“
Yes, you did. The way you
looked at me. Shit! First, Sam doesn’t listen, and now you. Women!
Who needs ’em?” He threw up his hands and strode to the window.
Homer followed, barking.

“
Women? Now, you’re
lumping me in with your mean-ass producer?”

“
I didn’t say
that.”

“
Then, what did you
say?”

“
I said…forget it. Come
on, Homer.” He picked up his dog. “Thanks for taking care of
him.”

“
You’re
leaving?”

“
It’s obvious you don’t
want me here.”

“
It’s obvious you don’t
want to be here. You got what you wanted from me—some sack time and
food. Oh, and Homer. Time to take off, right?”

“
What?”

“
You heard me. You gave me
up to bring a hot story to your producer. Probably sleeping with
her, too. I’ve served my purpose. You’re ready to move
on.”

“
I can’t believe you’re
saying this.” His eyes widened.

“
Why not? It’s true, isn’t
it?”

“
Not one word.”

“
Please, I’m not stupid.
You’re probably sleeping with every important, publicity-generating
woman in Manhattan. The Great Whitfield Bass. Newsman
extraordinaire! Ruins reputations at the drop of a hat! Be sure to
spell his name right under those pictures in every newspaper and
magazine,” she sneered, snapping her fingers.

“
You bitch! I never
suspected you of…of…” Whit looked flustered, and his face
reddened.

“
What? Standing up for
myself? We women…bitches, all of us.”

“
Take your nasty attitude
and shove it, Bess. Never pictured you…like this.”

“
Only pictured me naked
and willing, huh?”

The look of shock on his
face told her she’d gone too far.
He sold
me down the river. Why am I feeling guilty? He’s got this coming.
Bastard.

But he didn’t look like a bastard. He didn’t
wear a nasty, smug, sly grin. His cool gray eyes, once lustful and
seductive, registered pain and confusion. “I thought you got
it…what we had. Never simply sex.”

“
Wasn’t it?”

He shook his head, tucked Homer under his
arm, and proceeded to leave without another word. Whit turned and
shot one hurt then angry look at Bess before he slammed the
door.

“
Good riddance,” Bess
muttered to herself. Dumpling stretched and yawned. “Right, girl.
Time to go out.” Bess fastened the leash on her pug, and they went
down in the elevator.

Chapter Ten

Bess awoke in the morning
feeling worse than the night before. All the righteous indignation
that had pumped her up, made her shout at Whit, had fizzled down to
nothing. She took a tablespoon of regret with her first cup of
coffee.
Why did I scream all those things
at him? He didn’t do the broadcast. It was obvious they cut him
off. Yes, he should have told them not to shoot or record, but how
did he know they were doing that? What have I done?

Her appetite went south. Coffee alone would
have to do. Bess boarded the elevator. Whit rushed in with Homer a
second before the doors closed. They rode to the first floor in
silence. A thousand times, Bess wanted to say something, but words
wouldn’t come. Neither one looked at the other. The uneasy quiet
was relieved only when they landed in the lobby.

Bess decided to walk to
work. A heaviness surrounded her heart.
Are Whit and I through? After what I said to him, I’m not
surprised.
She argued back and forth with
herself about Whitfield Bass and his betrayal. Was it or wasn’t it?
She had expected to feel triumphant, well rid of the heel who had
sabotaged her. But she didn’t. Their breakup left a big hole in her
life…and her heart. She cared for him more than she had
admitted.
Why is it people don’t truly
value someone until they’re gone?

When she arrived at the cable office
building, Ned met her at the elevator.

“
What happened to you?
Look like you lost your best friend.”

“
I did. What’s up this
morning?”

“
Carl wants to see
you.”

“
For the
meeting?”

“
No,
privately.”

Fear spiked through her,
releasing adrenaline. Carl never met privately. She only sat with
him in group planning meetings. He was the CEO of the
network.
Crap! Bet he saw the
newscast.
She hadn’t considered how it
might look to the station. Now, she was convinced the conversation
with Mr. Blackstone would not go well. Her hands got clammy, and
her mouth dried up like a mirage in the desert.

Ned walked with her. “What’s up? Carl never
meets with on-air people.”

“
Can’t be good,” she
said.

He squeezed her hand and laced his fingers
with hers. She shot him a grateful smile as they turned the corner
and approached the gigantic office. Ned peeled off as they reached
the door. “Good luck,” he whispered, blowing her a kiss.

The large man sat behind a
big desk cutting across a corner of the massive office.
If it’s a good meeting, he’ll join me on the
couch.
Carl did not get up, but swiveled
to face her and indicated a chair in front of him with a gesture.
With a quiver in her belly, Bess sat down.

“
Did you happen to catch
the six o’clock news last night?” he asked.

Bess took a breath. “I did.”

“
Was that stuff about you
on the level?”

“
That depends on what you
mean by ‘on the level.’ He wasn’t married when we were
dating.”

“
Did you lie to the widow
about your…uh…relationship with the cop?”

Bess let out air she’d been keeping in. “I
was only trying to save her feelings. Obviously, she was upset, and
I figured that…”

“
You were caught lying on
television to a grieving cop widow about your relationship with her
husband. Bess, that looks bad. No matter what the facts were.
That’s not the kind of image we want for the show.”

There was a moment of silence.

“
We’ve had a few phone
calls from viewers, too. None sympathetic to you.”

“
Are you firing me,
canceling my show, Mr. Blackstone?” She heard her heartbeat in her
ears.

“
Not canceling, exactly. I
was thinking more of taking a hiatus until this thing blows over.
And the phone stops ringing.”

“
Hiatus?”

“
We’ll run repeats for a
couple of weeks until this hoopla dies down.”

“
Oh, I see.”

“
Your show has been
popular, Bess. I’d hate to lose it.”

So hiatus is the nice way
of saying I’m finished? Is that what you mean?
“What are the show’s chances of going back on the
air?”

“
Don’t know. I don’t like
to predict these things. If there are no more headlines, I can see
lifting the ban…I mean…hiatus, maybe. Your contract comes up for
renewal before then. Let’s wait and see, Bess. I’d hate to give you
the wrong info.”

“
I see. Thank you, Mr.
Blackstone,” Her chest constricted, and her heartbeat
increased.
I’ve got to get out of here
before I break down.

“
You have a growing fan
base, Bess. It’s too bad this had to happen. I hope you can get
past it.” He stood up and shook her hand, signaling the meeting was
over. Bess managed a tiny, wan smile and made a beeline for the
door.

Once back in her office, she turned to face
the window. Tears stung at the backs of her eyes. A knock on her
doorjamb made her jump.

“
Hey, Bess. Sorry about
the hiatus. Go. Take a vacation. Bet you could use one.” Woody, her
producer, lounged in the doorway.

“
Don’t tell me to go on
vacation. My whole livelihood, my career, is about to get flushed.
Last thing I feel like doing is taking a vacation.”

“
You could be back on the
air in a couple of weeks. Fun in the sun time.”

Bess cocked an eyebrow at him. “Sure, sure.
Like I almost believe that.”

“
Your contract has a
couple of weeks to go.”

“
Yep. Then, I’ll be
canceled.”

“
At least they have to pay
you while you’re on hiatus.”

“
Wonderful.” Tears clouded
her eyes.

“
I’m sorry. I love your
program. It’s too bad.”

“
Thanks.”

Ned pushed through before Woody could close
the door. Bess glanced at him, then turned back to the window. “You
can go, Ned. Won’t be needing you today, or maybe ever.”

At the sound of him sinking into a plush
chair, Bess swiveled around to face him.

“
So that’s it, huh? Tail
between legs and slink out?”

She nodded as a few tears broke through.

“
A quitter? You surprise
me.”

“
What do you want me to
do? Get nasty? Fight them? I get it. I’m the wrong kind of news
right now.”

“
Go home. Think it
through. Re-group.”

“
I’m going. But I have no
clue what I’m going to do.”

“
Don’t assume your
contract will be canceled.”

“
We’ll see. But I’m not
taking bets. They always go the way that’s easiest for the company.
And that’s canceling me.”

“
Don’t be so sure,
babe.”

“
No one’s
irreplaceable.”

“
You are to me.” Ned
squeezed her hand.

Bess fished around in her purse, looking for
a tissue. Ned slid his handkerchief across the desk. She took it
and wiped her eyes.