Page 3 of Scandalous Whispers (Alpha Billionaire #28)

HALEY

“ H aley, can you join me in my office, please?”

Mr. Green interrupted my research with his request. I was so close to finding what I needed.

I stared at the computer for a moment longer, then sighed.

“Sure.” Rising out of my seat, I followed him across the newsroom to his office.

I could see Mr. Wright seated and waiting for us, just like the meeting earlier this week when they told me I would be getting a few more important stories coming up.

The newsroom was loud, phones ringing, people having conversations, and the moment he shut the door to his office, silence reigned.

I nodded at David and took a seat next to him, smoothing my skirt out as I sat.

Meetings with David alone were pretty regular, but it was uncommon for me to meet like this with Mr. Green more than once a month, sometimes less than that, so I found it odd that I was here again for the second time in less than a week.

Mr. Green sat behind his desk and pushed his tablet across his desk toward me.

I glanced at David, who nodded, and I picked it up.

The tablet displayed a list of story headlines, a few of them national news and one international piece that brought a grin to my face.

I looked up at the two of them, not knowing which face to focus on.

Stories like these would set my career on a trajectory toward a Pulitzer for sure, and not wanting to make any assumptions, I decided clarification was in order.

“What is this?” I gingerly held the tablet, afraid that if I laid it back down on the table they’d change their minds and send me back to my cubicle to work on the boring human interest piece I was collecting research on.

Sure, it was national news, but a man who walked from one coast to the other wasn’t exactly investigative journalism—which was what I really wanted to be doing.

“It’s a list of the stories you’re covering now.

” Mr. Green sat forward, hands folded and laid on his desk.

“The EPA piece just blew up to international news because the European Union found out Baker Oil has been burying drums of benzene near the border of Moldova, and they’re out for blood.

Now we only have a few days before this blows up.

I know there is more to the story. I want you on that first. We find out the real dirt before our competitors do and blast it.

“After that, you’ll be on these national headlines.

The smoke has pretty much cleared on the election debacle, but we’re still hearing reports out of many states about the voting machines malfunctioning.

This will be huge as we approach midterm.

I want every shred of evidence we can drum up on what went wrong and how to fix it.

The more factual we can be—with sources to back things up—the better.

Our subscriptions have slipped. We need to share news that affects people right in their homes. ”

“But, sir…” I licked my lips, uncertain about how this story was actually still a major headline. “I am not in the political division.” I hated political stories, especially when they involved scandals.

Mr. Green scowled. “No, you’re in national news, and this is affecting the nation.

” His tone changed, and he simpered. “Look, for whatever reason, Danvers wants you on the biggest stories. I’ve been in this business for more than thirty years.

I know what I’m doing. So take the stories or don’t. It’s your career.”

I turned to David, who smiled reassuringly.

“Look, Haley, we’ll build a team around you to support your every whim.

We’re ready to supply a stipend and a means of travel for you to get the facts, meet the sources, and even visit places to do your own investigating if you want.

It’s a great move for your career.” He raised his eyebrows.

“I wish I’d have been given this opportunity when I was your age. ”

David ran a hand through his silver-streaked hair.

I could picture him as a young investigative journalist at one point, but now he was just an editor, helping the next generation find and report the facts.

I respected him a lot, even when he—like Mr. Green—was short-tempered or frustrating.

If he said this was a great move, then I had no choice but to believe him.

“I’ll take them, Mr. Green. I just need to wrap up the human-interest piece.” I slid the tablet back across the desk to Mr. Green, and he accepted it.

“Please, call me Tom. Mr. Green is my father.” He locked the tablet and placed it in the top drawer of the desk, then pursed his lips and stared at me.

“I think you’re more than capable of doing these stories.

I don’t think you’ve got anything special over the rest of the staff here, but you’ve caught Danvers’ eye. Don’t screw it up.”

I rose cautiously, bowing at the shoulders as I walked toward the door. “Oh, and Spencer, the human-interest piece is going to Williams. Just send him everything you’ve got. The EPA story is far more pressing.”

Frustrated that Jack would get credit for everything I’d already done, I scowled but said, “Of course, sir.” I let myself out of the office, and I could have sworn I heard Mr. Green shout at David, but I ignored it and headed for my desk.

The EPA story was huge, but the election fraud issue had seen its ten minutes of fame and held none of my interest. But a job was a job.

I rounded the corner of cubicles and saw someone seated at my desk, a man with dark hair.

I almost snapped at whoever it was until I realized it was Mr. Danvers.

He sat hunched over, arms crossed with his elbows on the desk as he read the beginning of my story, still on display on my computer screen.

I’d been away long enough for the screensaver to kick in, which meant he’d been there long enough to keep the screen active.

I blanched at the thought of his seeing my unfinished work, and my steps faltered a bit as I finished the last few strides to my cubicle.

“Mr. Danvers?”

He turned around, a stern expression on his face. The minute he saw me, his expression lightened and he actually smiled. “Ms. Spencer—uh, Haley. Can I call you that?” He got out of my chair and turned it back beneath the desk. “And I thought I asked you to call me Parker.”

His strange insistence for me to call him by his first name made me wonder what his motive was in proffering this unsought attention.

He never came out on the news floor like this, except to pass through and stop at one of the editors’ offices.

I hadn’t ever seen him stop at a journalist’s desk.

I smiled timidly and turned my chair out, taking my seat.

“Haley is fine, and I apologize, sir—uh, Parker.” I felt my cheeks warm and looked away, toward my computer screen where instead of seeing my half-written story like I’d expected, I saw a different document, one he’d created. “What’s this?”

“You mean Tom didn’t tell you?” Parker leaned over me and my desk, hands planted on the edge of the manufactured wood, tie dangling across my shoulder.

He smelled like sandalwood and citrus and it drew me in.

My stomach fluttered as I read the screen.

It was a contract. “This is a contract for you to sign. It doesn’t bring you up to the level of editor quite yet, but you’ll see that we are boosting your pay here, offering a few perks, and increasing your responsibility. You’d be a fool to not want this.”

While his overconfidence smacked of an inflated ego, I couldn’t help but enjoy how near he was. I could see why some of my coworkers found him to be stodgy and mean, but I didn’t mind a man who got things done, even if he was rough around the edges at times.

“Is that the right number?” The dollar amount in question was almost double what I was making. It was shocking to see that giant increase, but not at all displeasing.

“Yes, of course it is. I wouldn’t have put that figure in the contract if I weren’t serious.” He stood and tucked his tie back into his suit coat. “If you need to think about it, take your time. I assume you’ve been informed of the new stories?”

I nodded. “I have.” I just didn’t understand why this special treatment all of a sudden.

I had received an award, but not anything to really brag about yet.

Then again, I showed up and did my job, never had anything bad to say about my coworkers, didn’t start trouble, and always produced top-notch work.

Maybe this was just Karma’s way of finally giving back for all my hard work.

The smile on his face as he winked at me though told me maybe he wasn’t just at my desk for a business-related purpose.

“Perfect, so I’ll expect regular check-ins and updates.

If it’s easier, you can skip reporting to David and Tom and just come straight to me, though they’ll have final say on the particulars of your work—grammar and whatnot.

” Parker’s gaze popped over to Mr. Green’s office where David was exiting, then he turned back to me.

“And if you need anything at all, you come see me. Got it?”

I struggled to maintain my composure as he turned the fullness of his gaze on me. There was no guile in his eyes, only something I couldn’t place—happiness, maybe, or attraction? “Thank you, Mr.—”

“Ah, ah…”

“Thank you, Parker.” The CEO was asking me to call him by his first name, and it made my stomach tense, like butterflies tickling every cell in my body at once and stirring me up.

“Great. Well, I have to go speak with David. Let me know how you go settling into the new story.” And with that he was off, dashing across the newsroom to catch up with Mr. Wright.

I watched him walk-jog, dodging in between cubicles and staff members, and didn’t even realize I was grinning until Maria leaned into my cubicle and snapped her fingers.

“Hello, Miss Sunshine. What’s the stupid grin about? What did Danvers want?” Her boldness stemmed from her upbringing, which made her a damn good reporter, but at times, I found her intrusive.

I shook my head, clearing the thought of Parker Danvers from my mind for the moment. Between the new stories and the new contract, my head was already spinning. I couldn’t afford to let sappy thoughts about my boss ruin my focus, especially after what happened to Gretchen.

“Nothing,” I said, forcing myself to look at her. Her lipstick clashed with her dark skin, making her look more like a lady of the night than a reporter.

“Didn’t look like nothing. Danvers smiled at you. What the fuck was that about? He never smiles. He’s got the tightest sphincter of any person I’ve ever met.” She chuckled, and I joined her, though my laugh was fake.

“Well, maybe he just got laid,” I joked, waving my hand in the air. “Get back to work.”

Maria shrank back around the corner of her cubicle and left me alone, but my mind was instantly filled with vivid images of Parker Danvers getting fucked.

Why had I said that? I stared at the computer monitor, reading and rereading the contract until it finally made sense on the fifth pass through.

I had to make myself believe Danvers wasn’t here on personal business, but maybe he just really thought I had something special.

David had said as much the other day. Now I just had to believe it…

and ignore the rising attraction I felt to my boss, the CEO.