Morning Man Read Free Page B

toes.”
    Only because she wants me bad , he thought. “I look forward to it.”
    “But what about Willie?” Dayna asked. “If Dub moves to the midday shift, then what’ll happen to Willie?”
    “That’s my job to worry about,” Bonnie said. “You and Tack start working on the show. I’ll send out a memo to the sales staff and get production working on a promo we can run through the weekend.”
    “ Wake Up with Tack and Dayna .” He nodded, mulling it over. “You know, I think we could have some fun with this.”
    Bonnie dismissed the meeting, holding them back before they left her chambers. “Just remember the three Ss,” she said, poking three fingers into the air. “I want Sexy, I want Sharp, and So help me, I want big ratings.”
    Tack followed Dayna down the hall and back out to the news desk, his eyes fixed on how tasty she looked walking away. Behind every great woman there’s a guy staring at her ass , he reminded himself. Before she disappeared back into her work again, he leaned over the cubicle wall and extended his hand. “Welcome to the early shift, partner.”
    The corner of her mouth turned up slightly as she shook with him. “Thanks. And just so you know, this still won’t get you in my pants.”
    He grinned. Challenge accepted.
     

 

 
    Chapter 2
     
    “Morning show?” CJ gulped. “You’ve been at the station three whole days and they already bumped you to mornings?”
    Dayna focused on the cutting board as she quartered and sliced ripened cantaloupe into bite-sized chunks. “I’m not sure how it happened. I just kinda fell into it.”
    “No one ‘just kinda’ falls into a gig like that,” he said, snatching a piece of fruit and popping it into his mouth. “Did you blow the program director or something?”
    “Screw you.” She glared hard. “And keep your paws off my food.”
    “All I’m saying is that it usually takes years to earn such a high profile slot and you haven’t done anything bigger in your career than afternoon drive news.”
    “This from the guy whose butt has never once warmed a control room chair before ten o’clock,” she countered.
    He reached across the counter and helped himself to another slippery slice. “Granted, it’s the morning show of a shitty fifth-place station. And a country one at that.”
    The blade of the knife came crashing down against the wood board, nearly severing the tip of CJ’s finger. “I said hands off!”
    He chuckled and chewed the stolen mouthful at the same time. “Ooh. Struck a nerve, did I?”
    “Listen, I’m not crazy about living here because frankly, I can’t stand the idea of seeing your face one moment longer than I have to. But while we’re forced to share a roof, we stick by the rules. Separate lives, separate beds and separate food, damn it.”
    “All right, don’t pop a vein.” He jumped off the bar stool and walked across the kitchen to open the refrigerator. “Jesus, you labeled all your stuff in here?”
    She smiled to herself. “Absolutely. What’s mine is mine.”
    “Fine,” he said, taking out a beer and slamming the door shut again. “You’re just lucky I didn’t say that while you were riding my coattails all the way to the top.”
    “Kiss my ass,” she hissed, chopping the pliant cantaloupe flesh with excessive force. “I never rode your coattails. You never even had coattails worth riding.”
    “I seem to recall being one of the references that helped you get your foot in the door at Power Ninety-nine. I also remember recommending you to do the traffic and weather spot on my show. Not to mention being the reason you even moved here last week.”
    She pointed the tip of the knife at him. “Don’t you dare remind me while I’m holding a sharp object in my hand.”
    “Face it, Day, you owe me big time.”
    “I don’t owe you a thing. I got hired at Power because I aced the interview and the PD liked my tape. I got the spot on your show because I drew the short straw in the