Going For It

“Explain that, please.”

He turned from Darlene to Jamie. “She needs to walk into this with no prejudice. It has to be real—as if I asked her out and she said yes of her own free will.”

“Jamie, how do you feel about that?”

“I think this joke has gone far enough.” She lifted her cup with shaky fingers, then put it down again without taking a sip. “Why don’t we hear from some listeners. Mr. Newman, thanks for being such a good sport, but you can go now.”

“Not on your life,” Darlene said, her tone as sharp as a knife blade. “There are only two ways this is going to end. Either you’re going to come in here in two weeks, in front of Chase and all your listeners, and tell us you stayed strong, that he didn’t seduce you, or you’re going to admit you’re a fraud.”

“Ms. Whittaker, I invited you here as a courtesy. I agreed to be interviewed. I didn’t sign up to be made a laughing stock.”

“Oh, I’m not laughing. I’m dead-on serious. Because, Dr. Jamie, I don’t believe you’ve ever been with a man like Chase. I don’t think you’ve been with a real man. Because if you had, you would know that sometimes the mind takes a back seat to the body. You’re just like the rest of us poor slobs, babe, and you know it. You’re playing with your listeners’ hearts, and their lives.”

“I take what I say seriously. I’ve got a PhD in human sexuality. I’ve dedicated my life to this work.”

“But you don’t even date! You can’t tell us you understand what we go through if you’re safe inside your radio station. It’s time to put up or shut up, Dr. Jamie.”

Chase watched Jamie look through the window as she abruptly gave the station identification, not even trying to respond to Darlene’s diatribe. Fred Holt stood with his nose practically pressed against the glass. He didn’t look happy. The woman—what was her name?—the producer, was freaking out. She was yanking on Fred’s coat sleeve. Chase’s old buddy Cujo was grinning like the cat that ate the canary. Chase knew why, of course. Ratings. This little experiment would be a ratings monster. The Arbitrons would go through the roof.

He hadn’t been involved with radio since he was a teenager, despite his father’s wishes—but he knew the game. He knew what it took to be successful. His father had never understood that he found it all boring. He would never be at the mercy of numbers. Chase needed physical challenges. Excitement. The unexpected.

He turned to the lovely doctor. She still looked flushed, but the pink in her cheeks was fueled by anger now. She was trapped, and she didn’t like it. It would be a challenge to get through her defenses—to weaken her resolve. Of course, he could do it. There was no doubt. Not because he was Don Juan, but because women wanted to be seduced.

He understood the game, and he was an excellent player—probably because he knew he had nothing to lose. It was never going to develop into anything more than some hot sex and some laughs.

This was a dumb stunt, and he shouldn’t have agreed to be part of it. He still wasn’t certain he shouldn’t back out. But going for it would accomplish several things. He’d have something to do while he waited for his next race. He’d help the station, sort of a tip of his hat to his dad. And he’d get Jamie into his bed.

Okay, so he didn’t give a damn about the station, and he’d never been bored a day in his life. The reason he’d said yes was that he wanted to sleep with the sex doctor. His motive wasn’t so different from Darlene’s—he wanted to show Jamie her theory was all wet.

He didn’t listen to the radio often, but he did tune in to Jamie’s show whenever he had the chance. He liked the sound of her voice, the way she laughed. In fact, after he’d seen her the first time, the talk show had taken on a whole new level of meaning. He’d never failed to get turned on by Dr. Jamie. Something about her stirred him up, made him hard. She was a fantasy, and soon she’d be a reality.

Jamie threw her headphones on the desk as the second commercial began. She didn’t say a word as she yanked open the heavy door. A moment later Chase saw her approach Fred. Man, she was one angry lady. Of course, he couldn’t hear the conversation, but he could read the expressions and the gestures. Jamie didn’t want to play.

“I’ve got her,” Darlene said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Chase wondered if she realized she’d spoken aloud. “What do you want her for?”

She jerked around to stare at him. “What?”

“You’ve got her. But what for? What’s the point?”

“Come on. You see her. Love guru? She’s barely out of her teens and she’s become the expert on love in New York? I’m sorry, but that’s bull. If she’s an expert, then I’m the Queen of England.”

“Maybe she’s gifted. People are, you know.”

“Gifted? I’ll tell you how she’s gifted. She doesn’t get embarrassed about body parts. She has this sweet little voice, and this angelic little face, and she talks like a biology teacher on steroids. That doesn’t mean she knows a thing about love or relationships. She’s a fraud, and I’m going to prove it.”

He nodded. “Nothing personal, though, right? Just doing the noble thing to protect the innocent ears of Manhattan youth?”

“Laugh if you want, but you know what? I am doing the noble thing. A fraud is a fraud is a fraud. She may look great on billboards, but she’s a menace on the airwaves.”

“And you’re going to stop her?”

“Damn straight.”

“What if it doesn’t work? What if she doesn’t fall for my charms?”

Darlene’s eyes narrowed. “You won’t let that happen. I know some things about you, Chase. You didn’t say yes for me. You want to prove her wrong just as much as I do.”

He shrugged. “Maybe. Which means I probably shouldn’t do it. I don’t have anything against Jamie.”

“Come on, Chase. This kid is a flash in the pan. She’s a marketing trick. She’ll only be around until the next fad comes along.”

The door behind them opened. Jamie walked in, her whole demeanor spelling out her defeat. This stunt could take her to the top, could make her a household name. And he held all the cards.

Chase wasn’t crazy about that. She seemed like a nice kid. And damn, she was pretty. But what the hell? It was only radio. Just a stunt, like all the other stunts he’d pulled. In the long run, it didn’t matter.

Despite what he’d said to Darlene, he would play fair. Of course, he’d use all the weapons in his arsenal. But if Jamie said no, it would stay no.

He knew he sounded like an arrogant bastard. But he didn’t care about that. The truth was the truth. Women wanted to be appreciated; to be admired for who they were, not just what they looked like—although he didn’t ignore that, either. Women wanted to be swept away. They wanted a man to run the show. They wanted to get well and truly laid.

What the hell. It was all just a game, right?

JAMIE HELD IT TOGETHER just long enough to finish the show. The moment she was off the air, she shot out of the booth and found Marcy and Fred in Fred’s office.

She walked in and planted a fist on her hip. “I’m not doing this.”

Marcy got to her feet, moving between her and Fred, a human blockade. “I’ll handle this, Jamie.”

“There’s nothing to handle. I refuse.”

“Ladies, take a seat.”

Marcy sat, and once Jamie caught a glimpse of the expression on Fred’s face, she sat down, too. It didn’t mean she was going to budge.

“Do you have any idea how many people have called the station in the past hour? More than a thousand, and that’s just the number we logged. Most people couldn’t get through. I’ve gotten calls from the Post and the CBS affiliate, both of whom want to do stories on this.”

“That doesn’t make it right, Fred.” Jamie leaned forward, putting her hands on his desk. “I won’t subject myself to this kind of humiliation. No job is worth that.”

“Really? That’s surprising coming from you. Didn’t you tell me last week you’d do anything to get national syndication?”

“I didn’t mean it literally, for God’s sake. Fred, the witch wants me to go out with that…that…man.”

“That man is going to save your butt,” Fred said. “You do know that his father built this station—that Chase himself could have owned the station, if he’d wanted to.”

“So?”

“So you think he’s going to let you fall on your fanny? The man is his father’s son. He’s going to do what’s right.”