WLUV Box Set: Ignited, Consumed, Burned (27 page)

Brick
Cooper Fifteen years ago…

The night
with Fawn had literally blown his mind. They’d been together three times in the
space of less than 8 hours. Each time different, better, hotter. Brick replayed
the delicious minutes with Fawn and damned if he was ready to go again. He’d
just dropped her off at her house. They both had to work, both had places to
be, but he was going to see her again any night she’d let him.

She was so
classy, so cool, so icy. Something in her reached out to something in him. He
knew she just needed more, and he gave it to her. She gave it right back. Wow.
Concentrating on work was going to be ridiculously hard, as he couldn’t stop
remembering his hands on her, or hers on him.

Brick had
to shake it off and focus. Because of the Fetters incident he had a chance to
seal the deal on the promotion he’d been after. He liked being a beat cop, but
he was intent on grabbing the next rung on the ladder.

A
promotion to detective would mean he could really investigate and not just be
shooed away from the case after securing the scene. He knew he had the mind for
the job and the persistence—sometimes that was the whole thing, being
persistent. But his bosses saw him as a bit too young. Even if they promoted
him now he’d be the youngest detective in the history of the department.

A few of
the detectives were hanging out by their desks. Despite being police
headquarters, it was still just an office. Cube farms exist in the detective
bureau just like they did in the accounting department. The partitions provided
a little visual privacy from the boss, but everyone could hear just about
everything anyone said.

Brick had
a meeting with the sergeant but since he was on the phone, Brick shot the shit
with the guys while he waited. He liked this crew and knew a few were pulling
for him to join their ranks. His dad’s old partner was close to retirement so
it would be logical for them to pair him up with Mike Bosley.  If he got this promotion,
they’d put the young buck with the old man who could show him the ropes. It was
all good in Brick’s mind, and he liked Bosley well enough.

“Hey
lookie here, it’s our hero!” One of the detectives made a ‘shoot ‘em up’
gesture, indicating Brick’s shot from the day before.

“Yes, you
are all safer now, thanks to me.” He was used to the ribbing; it was part of
the job.

“So we saw
you talking to that gorgeous piece of ass, the television lady.” Dan Deets was
the crudest of the bunch.

“Yeah.”
Brick would try to play it cool. He didn’t need to brag about sleeping with
beautiful women since he actually did it. Besides, he didn’t want them to
imagine too much about Fawn.

But the
guys were like a dog with a bone and they wouldn’t let it go. Their hot sex
days were also probably years ago so they were more or less hoping to live
vicariously through him.

“Those
tits are small, but I wouldn’t mind giving them a little nip.” Deets bared his
teeth.

“She’s
beautiful, for sure.” Brick held on to the last vestige of being a gentleman
though he couldn’t brush them off completely. These guys were the ones who
could make it easy or tough for him to get this job.

“Did you
bang the shit out of her? I guess we’ll see on the news tonight if she’s
walking funny.” Another detective chimed in.

“I bet you
had both her legs around your neck and uh uh uh.” Deets was making a fairly
disgusting gesture and an imitation of god knows what.

“Alright,
alright— I admit it. I tapped that hard, multiple times.” The group erupted in
laughter.

The
sergeant opened the door to his office. “Let’s go, Cooper, I don’t have all
day.”

Brick
forgot about the moment and focused on the meeting where he’d become the
youngest detective in the history of the Grand City Police Department.

Fawn
Fifteen Years Ago

Fawn knew
she was playing with fire, but she’d never taken a risky path in her life. What
could it hurt to push things a little? They needed a follow-up on the
investigation into the Fetters rampage and when the assignment got floated at
work, Fawn was all over it. She would do the second day story and she hoped
she’d catch a glimpse of Brick Cooper.

Secretly,
Fawn was thrilled at the thought. He would probably be out on patrol by the
time she and her photographer Bernie walked into police headquarters but still,
she hoped for a glimpse. Either way, the Fetters story was a big deal, even on
the second day, so she’d be the lead among the local stations.

Bernie was
flirting with the secretary for the detective bureau while Fawn made her way
through the maze of office cubicles. She stopped because she heard Brick
Cooper’s familiar voice.

Her heart
jumped in her chest. She’d get to see him at work, after all. Would they say
anything about last night? Exchange a look? It was all so sexy. Maybe he’d give
her another order. Fawn stifled a laugh and wandered closer to the sound of
laughter. Clearly the detectives were having an unguarded moment, even if she
couldn’t see them.

Then she
started to make out what they were saying. Who were they talking about? Her
face turned hot red when it dawned on her…they were talking about her.

She
was the hot piece of ass they were
laughing about. Fawn felt like she might throw up. She couldn’t go in there
now, walk into the middle of this humiliating conversation and ask for an
interview!

But would
Brick say anything? Surely he’d be quiet about their night. Had she asked him
to keep it a secret? She didn’t think so. The men were being so gross about her
he’d have to stop it. Maybe he’d defend her, or at the very least keep his
mouth shut.

She heard
one of the men make some grunting noises and could only imagine what that
looked like. And then she heard something even worse.

“Alright,
alright— I admit it. I tapped that hard, multiple times.”

It was
Brick Cooper. He was just as disgusting and base as the rest of them. He played
into their little locker room talk. He didn’t try to stop them, he chimed right
in!

“Just like
he did with that one waitress, remember her? Bangin’ Barb, wasn’t it?” she
heard one of the detectives ask.

“Yeah, oh yeah
Bangin’ Barb,” another voice laughed. Fawn didn’t stay to hear what
alliterative nickname she might have earned last night.

She
realized that she’d been played, and played big. No matter how great the sex
was, it was clearly a one-way street, Brick Cooper, the absolute asshole. He
got in her pants and was bragging about it to his friends to look like a big
man today.

Fawn was
humiliated. Disgusted. She turned quietly and walked as briskly as she could to
the stairwell.

Bernie
looked up, “Hey? What the hell?”

“Get some
sound from the detectives. I have a call to make.” She spoke to him over her
shoulder as she took the steps two at a time. At the bottom, she missed a step
and fell ass-over-elbows to the corner of the stairwell. Tears began to stream
down her face, the contents of her bag strewn on the floor.

This whole
thing was her fault. She should never have let Brick Cooper do what they did
last night. She enjoyed every carnal second of it and now she was going to pay
for it. While he whooped it up with those detectives, she was the joke.

Fawn
scooped up the items that had spilled from her purse, straightened her dress,
and smoothed her hair. She stood straight up and walked slowly from the
stairwell into the lobby of the police department. Brick Cooper would never get
the chance to see her like this. He would never know about her foolish fantasy
that they had something amazing together. They’d never speak again if she could
help it.

She was
waiting out on the sidewalk when Bernie finally emerged.

“Hey kid,
you okay? What’s the problem?” The old photographer was gruff when they first
worked together, but she’d learned he was a teddy bear inside. He had helped
her learn how to be a reporter in Grand City and cheered her on as she moved
closer to the anchor ranks.

“Yeah. I’m
okay. Just got my heart smashed on a little bit.”

“I’m sorry
to hear that. Never let the bastards get ya down.” Bernie loaded their gear.
“And I mean that. Don’t let that bastard Cooper see you upset. Ever.”

Fawn’s
face was hot again. “How’d you know?”

“I’m a
seasoned professional, a trained observer of human nature—a genius, really.”

At least
he could still make her laugh. His good-natured teasing made her feel a little
better. “Next time, warn me, oh trained observer and genius.”

“Will
there be a next time?” Bernie knew her better than she realized.

“No. Never
actually,” Fawn was no fool and she wouldn’t become the laughing stock of Grand
City by making this mistake again or chasing Brick Cooper around like a
lovesick teenager.

 “Good.
Listen, the Missus wants you and your ma to come to dinner Sunday. Sound good?”

“Sounds
good.”

 “Alright
kid, let’s get this story filed.”

Fawn
Clawson today…

The women
of WLUV operated in a way that defied stereotypical female roles in the
workplace. As a successful female anchor at the station for over a decade, Fawn
tried to be supportive of her colleagues.

She also
felt valued by Wes Thompson the owner and the news director, Macy Green. They’d
said as much when her last contract came up. Macy was such a relief after the
train wreck that was Pat Walters, the previous news director. Macy wrangled
with Wes Thompson over expenses and things like that, but in the end her new
boss breathed life into the whole operation.

When
Walters was the news director, every single thing in the newsroom was a
challenge. He sucked the joy of the place and had her retreating to her little
office whenever she wasn’t on the air. It wasn’t much more than a tiny glass closet,
but it was still more privacy than the bullpen. She could slide the door shut
and concentrate on fixing scripts and checking facts.

But Macy
saw the value in having good people in key positions, which is why she put
Bernie where he belonged, on the assignment desk, and trusted him to do the
job. She’d also knocked that blowhard reporter Gordon Chancelor down a peg or
two, and she nurtured young Shelby Virtue’s talent.

Fawn was
able to contribute with Virtue’s training. The stuff that the young reporter
was doing was getting better every day, and Fawn made it a point to compliment
her on good stories and give her little tips on how to speak with authority,
even in a wind storm, or where to buy clothes.

They
didn’t make enough money at WLUV to buy designer brands, but the viewers
expected them to look like they did. It was a tough order, but Fawn pointed
Shelby in the right direction. “We need quantity and quality, so you have to
take the time to hunt through the clearance section and buy off-season to save
for later. ”

Fawn had
just finished anchoring the six o’clock, where the handsome new mayor dominated
the coverage when Macy called her into the office.

“Hey,
Macy.” Fawn came in and sat down. The atmosphere of collaboration that Macy
brought was a breath of fresh air and most of the staff felt pretty comfortable
sitting in her office.

“How are
you, Fawn?” Macy asked.

“Okay,”
Fawn wondered what was up. Usually Macy had a point when she called you in, and
got right to it.

“You
seemed a little tense today on the air, nothing that anyone else would notice,
but I did because, well, it’s my job. And I think I’ve grown to know you pretty
well in the last few months. Nothing usually rattles you. Everything okay?”

“My mom,
she’s just not doing very well. The physical aspect of her disease is becoming
more difficult, and it’s taking a tough toll on her. Maybe on me, too.” Macy
and Bernie were pretty much the only two people who knew what Fawn did every
day. Her life was not about glamour it was about overseeing her mother’s care
and paying bills. Since her mom had been in the home the physical demands were
better but not the financial ones. The facility was top-notch but that kind of
high quality care didn’t pay for itself.

Bernie had
been with Fawn from the beginning, on her darkest days, and that’s why he knew
about her mom. He knew what kept her working here, why she maintained a hard
force field to keep the rest of the world away.

Fawn was
slowly trusting Macy more and more, and once, during the February ratings period
when she had to miss a newscast Fawn had confided in Macy that caring for her
aging mother was the only reason she ever missed work.

“That must
be awful. I’m so sorry. Is there anything we can do for you here?” Macy’s
sincere concern nearly brought Fawn to tears. In the fifteen years that she’d
worked at the station she’d never known a news director who gave a damn.

“No, but
thank you. Really.”

“Alright.
Well, let me change the subject. I have something I want you to take on for the
station. It’s totally different than anything we’ve ever done here and might be
just the change of scenery you need.” Then Macy echoed the same sentiment
Fawn’s mother had shared, “I’d like to see you smile a little more.”
God, am
I really that dour?

“Okay,
shoot.” Fawn had no idea where this was going.

“Do you
have a passport?”

“Yes, I
do. It’s fairly underused as we don’t do too much international news here from
Grand City, but I’ve got one.”

“Excellent.
Ever been to Belize?” Macy asked.

“Um, no I
have not. We opening a bureau in South America?”

“Not
quite. The Grand City Zoo is working on a project in Belize and I’d like you to
dig in, do stories about it, and then travel there to cover it. We’d create an
hour long special about it, make it a centerpiece of our May book.”

“You’re
moving a little fast for me. I’m sorry, what’s the project?”

Macy
grabbed a binder jam packed with documents and pamphlets. “Here, take a look.
You don’t have to decide today but I’m really leaning towards doing this. And
now, I’ve got to be brutally honest with you for a moment.”

The news
director paused for just a moment, looking hard at Fawn, “You are talented.
Obviously, you’re the only reason this station had the viewers it did— I see
that and Wes saw before I even got here. But you’re stagnating. I want to see
that reporter I heard about. I want you to show Shelby and Gordon and the rest
of them how it’s done. This could be the trip of a lifetime for pretty much
anyone, but if you get into this idea – if you run with it – it could be an
experience like nothing else for your career, and you need it. Listen, I know I
butt in where I shouldn’t but part of my job is to bring everyone to a higher
level. I want this for you and the station.”

“Quite a
speech,” Fawn began to flip through the binder. She couldn’t even feel stung by
the words because they were so true. Macy was right, she’d been doing the same
safe job for so long that she was beginning to bore herself.

“Just read
up on it and we’ll talk tomorrow. If you’re in, and I get the budget I need
from Wes, then we’ll be meeting about it with all the players by the end of the
week. This also has a big economic development angle.”

“All right,
I’ll do some studying. But I’ll be honest, I’m not keen on leaving my mom.”

“I know.
But I’ll be honest too—it seems like you need to live a little instead of
staying here and watching her die a little every day. I know that it’s terrible
for me to say, but Fawn, she won’t know you’re gone.”

Fawn
nodded and got up to leave, “Maybe so. I’ll do this homework tonight.”

“Thanks. I
really want you to consider this. Don’t make me cash in favors with Wes for
nothing.” Macy had a twinkle in her eye.

“I suspect
getting Mr. Wes Thompson to do things is pretty easy for you.” Fawn winked. The
hot and heavy romance between her bosses made her laugh these days. She’d
marveled at how much things had changed since her days as a young reporter.
Since her days when her own hot and heavy romance got her fired.

Brick
Cooper Today…

**

The Jaguar
Project was close to Brick’s heart. As mayor he was going to help the Grand
City Zoo acclimate two jaguars at the Cockscombe Wildlife Preserve. While he
was there he’d close an investment deal from the leading business in Belmopan,
the capital of Belize. He’d had his eye on Belize Cane Energy Corporation; he
wanted BCEC to bring their cane ethanol processing plant to Grand City.

Part of
Brick’s one-hundred day initiative was to lure outside investors to Grand City.
The city was too dependent on the auto industry and adding a few new industries
would go a long way to bolstering the economy. Bringing BCEC in would lead to
employment and turn the town into a minor player in biofuel. Brick had been
establishing a relationship with the CEO for well over a year. If all went well
he’d close the deal on bringing a new industry to Grand City while spending
time in the most gorgeous jaguar habitat in the world. Not bad for a small town
mayor.

The jaguar
thing developed during the campaign. He’d worked closely with the pillars of
Grand City’s cultural scene, which meant schmoozing with the zoo, the opera,
and the museum.

The Grand
City Zoo was his favorite of the three. The zoo was the most successful small
town zoo in the Midwest and its director, Paul Adrian, was one of the reasons
why. For the Jaguar Project, the zoo director was aiming to integrate his two
jaguars that had been raised in captivity into the only jaguar preserve in the
world. Eventually they’d be introduced into the mating pool. The preserve’s
goal was to expand the species, which currently hovered on the brink of
extinction.

Brick had
helped get funding for the trip. Someday he might need Paul Adrian’s support on
something else. That’s how politics worked.

He’d also
reached out to Macy Green at WLUV to request she send a crew for this economic
and zoological excursion. He’d gotten the junket paid for by Grand City’s CEOs
as opposed to taxpayers. Economic development was good for them as well. He was
feeling pretty good about the entire project. It was coming together perfectly
and was a spectacular way to start his term as mayor.

Then there
was Fawn. He’d need all the coverage he could get on this trip, the fact of
life in politics is that it was no good if you did good and didn’t get credit
for it. If she agreed to cover the story, it would be a triple play for Mayor
Brick Cooper.

He sat in
his new office, staffers rushing in and out. Interviews were underway for
dozens of open positions, and an endless stream of items continually piled onto
his schedule, but he decided if he wanted news coverage from the news person he
had in mind he’d have to put in a call to Macy Green.

The
beautiful news director was savvy and brought quite a bit of big city slick to
their town. He’d been impressed with Green and WLUV’s all-of-a-sudden hands-on
owner, Wes Thompson, and he hoped to show them why continuing to invest in this
town was a good idea. Thompson’s pockets were deep especially considering the
fact that they were connected to the multi-billion dollar Thompson Hardaway
hedge fund. This connection could also prove useful if he ever moved from mayor
to higher office.

But right
now it was about focusing on making this trip successful, and being the mayor
that he knew he could be. Brick dialed WLUV’s number. “Macy Green, please. Can
you let her know it's Mayor Cooper.” It felt strange saying that.

“Hello Mr.
Mayor.” Green answered the call quickly, “Congratulations on the inauguration!
Looks like it went off without a hitch.”

“It did,
and of course it was great to have my dance partner there.” Shelby Virtue had
covered the event live. Shelby and Brick’s sister had become very close since
his ballet director sister forced him into the public dance performance for
charity, and he’d come to think of Shelby as a baby sister. One thing was
certain: he did not want her lug of a boyfriend assigned as the photographer if
WLUV did go to Belize with him.

“Yes,
she’s turning into quite a good reporter. I’d be careful, if I were you, that
she doesn’t worm insider secrets out of Government Center.” Macy was always the
journalist, it seemed.

“Duly
noted. Hey listen, I just called to see if you’d presented the idea of
traveling with us to Fawn Clawson?” Brick tried to sound casual, as though he
could care less which reporter was embedded with them for the excursion.

“I have,
she’s mulling it over. But I’d say we’re in, no matter what. Can you make a
meeting here Friday? We can talk about some logistics and what we’ll need, what
we’ll have access to, and all that.” Fawn hadn’t committed, and getting her on
the trip was critical. The last thing he wanted was to babysit some other news
person; more importantly, he wanted a reason to reconnect with her. This was
it.

“I think
that works. Just one more thing, and this comes from my staff, you understand.
It’s Fawn or no dice. The other two stations are offering their main anchors.
We’ve held them off because frankly, Fawn’s the best, despite WLUV’s only
recent ratings success. Pretty much it’s her or we’ll go with WBPN’s main guy,
Rudy Price. The people here keep telling me that we should partner up with them
on this because they’re number one and all that, but personally I’m partial to
all you guys at WLUV.”

“Thank
you. Don’t worry. She’ll be on board.”

“Great,
see you Friday then. I’ll have my secretary get with you on available time
slots. See you soon.”

Brick hung
up. What was it about Fawn? Why did she avoid him? He hadn’t stopped thinking
about her for one day in fifteen years. He’d tried like hell to get her to
return his calls after that spectacular night together. But never had a woman
dumped him so completely, no warning. Like a hot potato. After years of less
than acceptable substitutes, he was going to get her right where he wanted her—
in his arms, in his life, and even more if he played his cards right.