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Hannah nodded as Payson grabbed a notepad, shuffled into the corner office, and shut the glass door behind her. Jason’s arms moved in an animated manner as Payson sat and began scribbling in her notepad. The dynamic between them was obvious from the moment he’d called Payson’s name, and it rubbed Hannah the wrong way. She curbed an unexpected protective urge to storm into his office and get up in his face about his rudeness. But she reminded herself that the customs here were unfamiliar, and maybe his was a tolerated behavior. And besides, Payson was not hers to defend.
“Stay on task,” she whispered to herself as she let the uneasy feeling of being an outsider settle in. “I shouldn’t even be here,” she mumbled through a frustrated breath as she scratched herback against the chair to alleviate the annoying itch from the bra. She rested her head on the back of her chair, used the balls of her feet to spin in a circle, and distracted herself by staring at a variety of water stains on the ceiling panels. By her third rotation, she was bored and fed up with the bra. She unclasped the hooks, reached up her shirt and ripped the fabric from her body. She let out a sigh of relief as she deposited it in a desk drawer. She didn’t care if it was their custom to bind the breasts, the fabric was uncomfortable, and she couldn’t concentrate with it on.
From the corner of her eye, she caught the young man at the assignment desk staring at her, mouth agape and phone frozen halfway to his ear. She nodded in his direction and was entertained as he tripped over himself and tried to reengage in his task at hand. “Men.” She chuckled as her eyes traveled from him to Payson’s cubicle. She scanned the equally confined space until she settled on a picture of an island waterfall. She sighed and wished she was home, where she felt at ease, surrounded by people she related to and in a place that made sense to her. Hopefully by the end of the night, she would be back, and she could put this embarrassing mess behind her.
She glanced toward the corner office. Payson had stopped writing and was robotically nodding as she sat in her chair. She really is extraordinarily beautiful, Hannah thought as Payson turned toward her and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she smiled. Hannah smiled back, then closed her eyes and let out a breath. She was enchanted by Payson; that was undeniable. Had Payson been an islander, she would have acted on her emotions. But the combination of Payson being mortal and already spoken for conflicted with her desires. Payson was forbidden fruit. Her destiny was with Madison, not Hannah. Sadly, the only role Hannah would ever have in her life was that of a matchmaker. Nothing more.
“Stick to the plan,” she groaned to herself. “Stick to the plan.”
“Well, that was less than entertaining,” Payson said as she returned, tossed the notepad on her desk, ran a hand through her hair, and sighed.
“Is there anything I can do?” Hannah asked with concern as she noticed the new stress lines that creased her face.
Payson shook her head. “Nope…it’s just another day in paradise,” she said with bite. “Anyway. I need to get ready to—”
“Okay, I’m off to the…well, hello there,” a woman said as she approached Payson’s cubicle.
“Hannah, this is Tegan, our best reporter and the only person in this place who keeps me sane,” Payson said.
“Yep, that’s me, reporter extraordinaire and keeper of sanity. Also known as her best friend,” Tegan extended her hand. “And you’re here because…”
“I’m Payson’s temp.” Hannah smiled even though the words tasted bitter on her lips. If Oriana wished to teach her humility with this quest, then she was succeeding. She had been stripped of everything she identified with, and now she was even stripped of her title.
Tegan turned to Payson. “The grouch got you a temp?”
“Are you kidding? It would never dawn on him to perform an act of kindness. Hannah came from corporate. Some experimental project they’re trying out. She’s just here for a few days.”
“Only a few days? Well, that’s disappointing, but…we’ll have to make the best of those days, won’t we?” Tegan winked.
Hannah averted her eyes as she felt warmth flush her face. Tegan was cute and seemed confident, characteristics she found not only attractive but were usually a recipe for an evening of lovemaking. But in this particular case, the emotion thatwarmed her face was not laced with lust but more of unexpected bashfulness. An overtly flirtatious gesture in front of someone Hannah was attracted to made her a bit uncomfortable.
Payson cleared her throat. “You came by to tell me something?”
“Um…oh yeah.” Tegan released Hannah’s hand. “The tank story is legit. The cops escorted it off the strip, and it’s now sitting in some neighborhood just north of the Strat. The scene is still unfolding, so I’ll head over, grab a few interviews, and send you some B-roll and a couple sound bites for a tease.”
“Actually, send me a twenty second look-live, and I’ll need it by five thirty. Since I’m going to do a cut-in with Patty on the tiger from Mic’s Magic that got loose, I’d rather fill your promo slot with the same feel.”
“You’re kidding.” Tegan snorted. “A tiger got out? How’d that happen?”
“Don’t know, we’re still tracking the story.”
“I have an ex who works for that show. I’ll reach out and see if she can give us some behind-the-scenes info,” Tegan said as she retrieved her cell phone and started texting. “I’ll let you know if she has anything to share.”
“Thanks, Tegan. Now go be the amazing reporter that you are.”
“Yeah, totally amazing, that’s me. Guess that’s why I get paid the big bucks,” Tegan said sarcastically. “Anyway, off I go. It was very nice meeting you, Hannah. I hope to see you later for drinks.” She waved as she headed out the door.
“Drinks?” Hannah raised a brow.
“We go out for drinks after the newscast to decompress. Trust me, you’ll understand why after we’re done with the show.”
“Do all of you go?”
Payson shook her head. “Me, Tegan, a couple of the guys from master control and engineering…oh, and Madison, one of our evening anchors, joins us from time to time. It’s only for about an hour, but some stay longer and gamble.”
Hannah knew firsthand how the effects of alcohol aided in decision-making when lust was in the air. If both Payson and Madison were drinking tonight, Hannah would be home before sunrise, she was sure of it. “Well, then, I can’t say no to that.”
“Great. Now, I need to start building the rundown for the newscast, so I guess you can just shadow me and let me know if you have any questions.”
“Sounds good.”
The rest of the afternoon, Hannah sat under the flicker of fluorescent lights, hunched over a desk, staring at a computer screen, and listening to the constant screech of the police scanner in the background. What made her a bit nauseous and overpowered her senses didn’t seem to bother Payson in the least. In fact, she seemed to thrive on the environment. She juggled phone calls, answered endless questions from coworkers, screened video feeds from sister stations and national outlets, and wrote story after story on her computer. The pace was frantic, but Hannah had to admit, she was impressed at how Payson could juggle multiple tasks at once while keeping calm and never showing a single sign of aggression.
And just when Hannah was about to suggest they take a break to go outside and enjoy the fresh air or sit and relax while listening to the serenade of the birds, the back door opened, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. The air in the room shifted, and she was keenly aware that everyone got a little quieter. No, not quieter, more like on edge as Madison Morrison sauntered into the room clutching a Styrofoam take-out container.
Oriana had taught Hannah from a young age to pay close attention to any shift in energy. “Your surroundings will tell you when something’s off. When that happens, you must listen.” Oriana had told her. “Assess the situation quickly and never for a single moment doubt your senses, no matter what your eyes tell you, for looks can be deceiving. Something that can be beautiful and alluring can still bite, sting, or have hidden thorns.”
Oriana’s words echoed in Hannah’s head as she gazed at Madison and winced. Her heels clicked loudly on the tile as if commanding attention, and her hips swayed as they fought for movement in the restrictive skirt that was tightly wrapped around her thighs. Her face was smooth but painted with more makeup than Hannah thought tasteful, and as she walked to her cubicle, she scanned the room without moving her head the slightest inch, something Hannah had seen predators do before they pounced on their prey. The woman was pinging all of Hannah’sdangersenses, and she knew that Madison Morrison was someone who could not only bite and sting but could do it with a smile.
