Weekend Lover by Melissa Blue Read Free Book Online Page A

coffee.
    “ Oh, that's wonderful he's
actually here. I'm right down the hall.” She rounded the corner to
the bay of elevators and skidded to a halt. Taped to one of the
closed doors was a "Down for Maintenance" sign. One elevator for
eight busy floors. Crap on a cracker. She tapped her phone again.
Seven minutes.
    “ You sound winded. Where are
you really?”
    She headed to the stair case, glanced
up. If she made it in time, the moment she got home, Nicole would
kiss her treadmill. “I really should go now.”
    “ You really should let me tell you about
your new co-publicist. The reason I called in the first place, but
I got distracted by your lack of being where you're supposed to
be.”
    “ Not that I'm on one, but
I'm allowed breaks.”
    “ Not when you have a client
coming in.”
    True, but Nicole needed breaks and
moments of solitude, with her phone off, for the past two months.
Sacrilegious behavior and so unlike her. Something had changed
within her and she didn't like it one bit. She had this feeling
before and had killed, burned and buried it. The troublesome
emotion had Nicole off her game and not her usual
go-getter-work-at-all-hours-of-the-day self. She'd been taking time
to relax. A publicity manager one step away from being a managing
director, at the top of her game, didn't relax until she quit or
died.
    “ Do tell.” She cleared the
first flight with no problem. “Who is it this time?”
    “ I didn't hire him as a true
co-publicist.”
    “ Good, because you know I
don't need help.”
    “ Of course you don't,” Anna
said as though talking to a simpleton. “You vet newbies for
me.”
    Third floor and her calves
started to scream. Tap. Five minutes. She grabbed the rail, hand
slicked with sweat, and took a breath. “Giving them clients, I
don't mind. Training them, I do. Why me? It's a pain in the ass.
Other publicist on your payroll have patience. Anyone else has more
patience.”
    “ If they can survive your
schedule, they can work on their own at a slower pace.”
    Fifth floor. Four minutes. She grunted
in answer. There would be no kissing the treadmill any time
soon.
    “ But this new guy might give
you a run for the money. I stole him from a competitive
firm.”
    “ How? Giving me a run for
the money, not stealing. Buying loyalty isn't the shocking part of
this conversation.” She puffed and then sucked in a longer
breath.
    Sixth floor. Nicole would probably pass
out the moment she made it. Two minutes. She moved
faster.
    “ I hired him on as a
publicity manager. So, he's a co-publicity manager.” Anna let that
hang in the air before she added, “And, when I called him fifteen
minutes ago he was already sitting down with the
client.”
    The damn knots turned into lead
weights, and it had nothing to do with the marathon. “No.” The word
came out like an epithet.
    “ Yup.”
    Probably explained why Anna wasn't
chewing her a new one. This was chastisement enough. Nicole growled
and pushed through the eighth floor's door. Her anger spiked,
killing any unease. Her and her addiction to iced coffee. Really,
her need to take a break. She had a little anger, too, for the
client actually showing up this time. And the rest for the
interloper ruining the initial interview for a new
campaign.
    Oh, yes. He would have ruined it. Most
people Anna threw in Nicole's path didn't know their asshole from a
hole in the wall. Anna threw the newbies at Nicole to train,
toughen up and make competent. Anna didn't hire new publicity
managers. That was Nicole's job because she was fantastic at what
she did.
    Her clients loved her and so
did her stuffed-to-the max contacts list. A list filled with
reporters, radio execs, TV and radio personalities, DJs... anyone
who would speak her clients' name with wonderful press
coverage. Pretty much everyone but God and the Pope. Not having the latter had
everything to do with a lack of trying on Nicole's part.
    And some usurper felt it was ok to go
ahead with the