"Good. Pivot to the present. But what if they press? What if they say their sources are solid?"
"Then my sources," I say, "say they're full of shit."
A few guys chuckle, but it’s strained. They can feel it, too.
This isn’t practice anymore.
This is personal.
Josie doesn’t back up an inch. "Charming. But 'full of shit' isn't a PR-approved response. Try again. With less… Morrison."
The challenge is there, simmering. Attraction versus pure irritation. She’s using her brain to box me in, and I’m letting her, because part of me wants to see how far she’ll push.
So I don’t push back.
I just sit there. Silent as the night is black.
"That's what I thought." Josie's voice is soft, almost gentle. But her eyes are steel. "You don't have an answer because you haven't thought about it. You've been coasting, Declan. Playing it safe. And I think you're terrified that if you actually try, if you actually care to put in the effort and do the training, you might fail."
The room is dead quiet. Not a damn sound.
"Alright," she says, cutting the tension before it can truly explode. "Thank you, Declan. That was very... instructive."
She turns back to her laptop, dismissing me.
I stand there for a moment, feeling like an asshole.
Great job, Morrison. Real mature.
I retreat to my seat, avoiding Beck's amused look. The rest of the session passes in a blur. Josie runs through a few more scenarios, has Corbin and Mason do a couple of practice interviews.
But I'm not paying attention.
The session wraps up, the team scattering toward the door. I’m halfway there when Josie’s hand closes around my wrist, and my entire body lights up.
“You. Stay.”
She doesn’t wait for me to turn, she just turns on her heel, expecting me to follow. She leads me back into the empty room after shutting the door behind us with a slam.
She rounds on me. “What the hell was that?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
Her professional mask is gone.
"Don't." She steps closer, her voice dropping to a furious whisper. "Don't youdareplay dumb with me. You've been giving me attitude since the moment I walked into this building. You've been dismissive, condescending, and frankly, a complete asshole."
"Coming from the woman who's been pretending I don't exist?"
She freezes.
"What?"
I step closer, my voice matching hers. "You heard me. You haven't said a single word about what happened between us. Not a glance. Not a hint. Just... nothing."
Her eyes flash as she quickly glances over my shoulder to make sure we don't have an audience. When she sees the coast is clear, she takes another small step forward, leaving barely any space between us.
"What do you want me to say?'Hey, remember that night we hooked up? Well, now I'm your boss, so let's just pretend it never happened'?"
