Page 20 of Mr. Perfect
“I’m also sorry I failed to earn your trust,” Jude carried on obliviously. “If I had, you never would’ve believed me capable of betraying your secrets to our journalism class.”
“Let’s not forget how you stole my project idea for senior year,” Felix added.
Jude groaned again. Any louder and the people in the building would get the wrong idea about what was happening behind closed doors. “Felix, I did not—”
Felix held up his hand. He didn’t want to hear another lie from those beautiful lips. “Just shut up. I’ve heard enough of your fake apology to last me a lifetime.”
“It wasn’t a fake apology. It just wasn’t the one you wanted to hear,” Jude argued, crossing his arms over his massive chest. The move pulled his dress shirt tighter over his bulging biceps.
Goddamned sexy bastard.
Felix quirked a brow. “Okay, we’ll call it a non-apology, then. How does that work for you?”
“A non-apology?” Jude asked. “What the hell is that?”
“When someone does or says something horrible to you, you call them out on their bullshit, and instead of saying, ‘I’m sorry I hurt you,’ the loser pops off with ‘I’m sorry your feelings are hurt.’ That is not the same thing at all. It’s implying the person who’s hurt is the one at fault. It’s victim-blaming, and I hate it.”
Jude clamped his jaw so tightly that Felix was surprised he didn’t hear his teeth cracking under the strain. His nostrils flared as he worked to calm himself. After a long, awkward staredown, Jude relaxed his jaw and tersely said, “You’re an idiot.”
Felix chuckled, the sound filled with disdain. “You’ll have to find harsher insults to throw me off my game, Arrow.”
“I don’t want to throw you off your game, Felix. I simply want…” Jude shook his head. “Never mind. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
The tension suddenly faded from Felix’s body, leaving him feeling emotionally drained. “Let’s just get through today, okay? Minerva has a lot riding on this, and I don’t want to disappoint her.”
Jude nodded. “It’s obvious you think highly of her.”
“She’s never let me down. I can’t say that about many people.”
Jude flinched, making Felix momentarily regret the barb. “I can ignore the past and work together. Can you?”
“Absolutely,” Felix said. So, he wasn’talwayshonest. But this white lie wouldn’t hurt anyone. He’d make sure of it.
Both men plastered phony smiles on their faces when they joined Jed and Minerva. Neither the station manager nor the editor was fooled, but they went along with the pretense. The catered lunch consisted of a variety of cold cut sandwiches and condiments, chips, pickles, potato salad, baked beans, and cookies. Simple but delicious.
Felix had been too angry to eat at first.Fucking fake-ass non-apology.Then he noticed Jude hoovering down his food like he didn’t have a single care in the world. The TV reporter was all smiles and laughter as he chatted up Minerva. Refusing to be outdone, Felix set his frustration aside, ate his food, and made small talk with Jed. The station manager seemed like a really nice guy, who spoke passionately about his career in journalism. It turned out his gig as a station manager was relatively new, and Jed admitted he preferred chasing leads over crunching viewership numbers.
“Amen to that,” Minerva said. She clanked her can of Diet Coke against Jed’s Mountain Dew.
The photographer arrived with three assistants, a selection of wardrobe pieces and props, and more attitude than one person should have. “The name’s Woodrow, but my friends call me Woody.”
“Woodrow,” Felix said, shaking the man’s hand. The photographer quirked a ginger brow. What? He thought they were friends after a mere introduction?
Jude, the ass-kissing sycophant, smiled charmingly. “Nice to meet you, Woody.”
“The pleasure is all mine, honey,” the photographer purred. “Are we ready to get started?”
“We are,” Minerva said. “Jed and I would like a simple photo shoot that stays true to what these reporters are about.”
“Hmmm,” Woody said, raking his eyes over Jude and Felix. He formed his thumbs and index fingers in mirroring L shapes to make a three-sided box. “Uh-huh,” he said, moving the frame from Felix to Jude, then back again. “Intensity just radiates off them. Makes me wish I was shooting a completely different set of photos today.”
Jed coughed, Minerva giggled nervously, and the reporters just glared at Woody.
“Okay. My remark was totally inappropriate. I apologize.”
“Just to be clear,” Felix said, raising his hand. “Are you apologizing for your actions, or for how we perceived your words?”
“Uh, for my actions,” Woody said, slowly drawing out each word. He ping-ponged his gaze back and forth between Felix and Jude.