PhoenixKiss by Lyric James Read Free Book Online Page A

Jordan stood across from her
and ate also. An awkward silence stretched between them, which would have been
fine with her but she had to get her game face back on and start thinking like
a reporter. There were questions to be asked and answered.
    Plus, undeniable proof needed to be found so she could tell
the world what Jordan was. This was the exposé of her career and she was not
going to blow it. No matter how good the sex was.
    Yeah, she’d agreed to a little bit of quid pro quo to get
the information she needed but spending a night with Jordan Gaines was hardly a
sacrifice. The man was gorgeous and sexy and the sex was, needless to say,
outstanding.
    Except she needed a plan of action that involved more than
salivating over the man she planned to write an exclusive feature about.
    He turned to pour himself another glass of wine. “How does a
Brown University graduate end up working for a newspaper like the Tattler ?”
    The fork heading up to her mouth stalled and she lowered it
back to her plate. “How did you know that?”
    Jordan glanced at an alcove in the corner of the kitchen she
hadn’t noticed and back at her again. A laptop sat in the center. From this
distance, she could see the logo for her newspaper and, if she wasn’t mistaken,
a picture of her from her bio page.
    “I’m also quite capable of doing research,” he said.
    All the insecurities, fears and shame she’d harbored at the
beginning of her career came roaring back. She shook it off. “It’s the job I
wanted.”
    “Oh no.” He shook his head and smiled. “You’re not getting
off that easy. You broke in my house to get a story, to ask me questions. You
can at least answer mine truthfully. Tell me how the daughter of a renowned
doctor and a judge ends up working for a tabloid.”
    Layla set her fork down and looked him straight in the eye.
“It was the only paper that would hire me. Satisfied?”
    His shoulders rose and fell. “Has to be more to it than
that.”
    “I tried, okay. The Atlanta Herald . The San
Francisco Chronicle . The New York Times . I tried them all but
evidently I didn’t have what it took to work for any of them. I was desperate.
My parents were giving me those looks they give you. What’s wrong with her?
We raised her so well. All that money spent on college for nothing. ”
    Layla could still remember it. Six months after she’d
graduated with honors from Brown, she still didn’t have a job. She’d moved back
home with her parents, had been sending out resumes for months, going on
interviews. But no one would hire her. The disappointment in her parents’ eyes
had killed her.
    “They were so sure I’d find a job with one of the top papers
in the country. Hell, even I’d been sure, but when it didn’t happen… I needed
out of their house, out of their sight. A college friend lived here so I
decided to come for a visit. As soon as I arrived, I grabbed a few papers from
a newsstand and started applying for any job I could get. There was no way I
was going back to my parents’ house.”
    She took a breath and forked in a couple mouthfuls of
spaghetti and paused to chew. “This is really good.” She hunched her shoulders
and said, “The Tattler was the first to offer me a job, so I took it.”
    “Now you’re one of their star reporters. I guess that means
you’re very good at your job.” When he said it, the edge in his voice didn’t
sound like a compliment.
    “I’m guessing the reason you’ve never done an interview is
because you don’t like reporters.”
    This time, he looked her square in the eyes. “Your guess
would be correct.”
    The expression on his face revealed a feeling that went much
further south than mere dislike. It teetered on loathing. For some reason, that
hit her hard in her chest. Fundamentally, that meant he didn’t like her and
never would. So what if she harbored a secret wish that when the night was over
he’d want to see her again?
    Well, so be it. She wasn’t here for