A/N Again, thank you to MissAlex for the very quick beta job and KlrTwiluver for pre-reading. You both are near and dear to me!

So in the prologue, I asked if you could guess who the unnamed man was. No one guessed correctly. Muahahahaha! I did give out some hints in some review replies.

Chapter One

Nothing was worse than waking up in a strange room, with a foreign alarm clock screaming at you to get up, and the worst headache known to womankind. I cracked one eye open and glared at the clock, reading the time. "Fuck!" I murmured into the dark room. The body next to me stirred and snorted, but didn't wake up. Thank God. I needed to make a quiet exit. I gave the alarm clock one last stink eye before rolling over on my back. It was only 1:45 a.m. If I was home, I wouldn't have to be up for another hour, but since I was presently laying in a the bed of Lance – no Logan – I had to get up and run home for clothes in order to make it to work on time. And Lance/Logan, whatever, lived in Kirkwood which meant it would take me twenty-five minutes to make it home, shower, change, and grab food before driving the additional thirty minutes downtown. So I really only had five minutes to get ready. Jesus, I was going to be late today.

Quietly, I slipped out of bed and fumbled blindly for my clothes on the floor. After many nights like this, I had mastered the art of feeling around in the dark. Also, I always made sure to notice where my clothes were flung in the heat of passion so I wouldn't have to scramble to find them when I needed to leave. And I always left before sunrise. I wasn't interested in staying for the "morning after". Blech! The last thing I wanted was to see what my beer-goggles didn't' let me the night before.

I dressed fast and found my purse by the coffee table in the living room. A light from the kitchen lit my way toward the door and I left, locking the door behind me. I might have been leaving without a word, but I was nice enough to lock the door. I shouldered my purse and opened my car door. Without a look back, I drove down the street in the direction of my house.

Well, my parent's house, if I had to be technical about it.

Being twenty-five years old, fifteen thousand dollars in debt – not student loan debt, but just plain debt- and no break in sight insured that I would be living with my folks for at least the next five years, or ten. God, I hoped not ten.

I made it home in record time, because, as usual, I drove like a maniac. Good thing it was mostly highway driving, and knock on wood, no cops.

I snuck in the front door; the dark house echoed every little sound I made. I kicked off my heels on the carpet and proceeded to hit every creak in the floor. Even though I was twenty-five and a capable adult, living with my parents, Charlie and Renee, always made me feel like I was perpetually sixteen. Tiptoeing down the stairs to my basement bedroom, I glanced at my watch and mentally cursed myself for taking too long to sneak into my own house, again.

The shower calmed me down some. I was beginning to panic about being ten minutes late to work. Most people wouldn't care much, but in my line of work, timing was everything. I produced the morning news for KSDK News Channel Five, here in St. Louis. I had a couple of stories I needed to work on before the first break-in of the morning, plus I needed to edit the reel of an interview with Mayor Slay for the noon show. Our station manager, Mike Newton was a classic chauvinistic prick, and I never wanted to give him any ammunition to think that I couldn't get the job done or the news out when it broke. Working in TV in St. Louis was a very competitive business. General Managers were very fickle and if you slipped up big enough just once, you were out the door. And forget about referrals. Once you screwed up, everyone in the business knew. Mike always lamented that a minute late was a minute lost in news time. This was very true. For being a major jerk, he had the best head for the news I had ever seen. Mike knew how to get the leads and he knew that if you missed just a single minute it could mean a mile in the ratings. And you know, the news wasn't' the important thing, the ratings were. I needed to be at the news desk a.s.a.p. to check the police blotter and see if anything happened while I was giving fellatio to Lance/Logan.

Which reminded me, I needed to gargle twice when I got out of the shower. Lance/Logan had asparagus last night – which he failed to inform me of - and my mouth tasted like ass and asparagus.

I kept my shower short and hurried to brush my teeth – gargling twice – and then got dressed. The beautiful thing about working in the news business and the early hours I kept was that I could stroll in wearing my sweats if I wanted. The dress code was very lax for the newsroom. Of course, on meeting days, I would dress business casual – which included my nicest jeans- and be good to go. But today, being already late meant my nicest sweats and cardigan would be my haute couture.

After flying upstairs to the kitchen and grabbing some frozen Eggos, I jumped into my car and hightailed it to the station. Thankfully, traffic was non-existent at this time of morning and I made it just barely before 3:30. I parked my Sebring on 10th and walked/jogged toward security. I hated walking in downtown St. Louis so early in the morning by myself. The crazies were usually still out trolling the streets. I had my share of run-ins in the past but there was a nice homeless man who slept in the park across from the courts building that liked to walk me to the station door. Without fail, Stefan was waiting for me on the curb next to my building.

"Good morning, Ms. Swan. It would my pleasure to assist you." Stefan repeated the same line to me every morning. Usually, slurred. He took my hand and helped me to the sidewalk. Stefan was a heavy drinker who couldn't shake the hold the bottle had on him. As far as I knew he has been homeless for the last thirteen years and was completely fine with it. He was the sweetest man and took pride walking the station staff- often times the ladies- into the building every morning.

"Why, kind sir, I thank you very much." I smiled and patted his back. Stefan chuckled at my usual line which I fed him every morning. So far, Stefan was the only constant man I had in my life besides my father. I knew he would be there every morning and I appreciated his friendship. He was definitely a man I didn't mind seeing first thing in the morning.

"Ms. Swan, it has brightened my day to have helped you. Please, take my kindness and spread it to all you meet." With that, he let go of my hand and bowed. Such a gentleman.

I giggled and curtsied. "I will!"

I entered my access code into the keypad and waved to Stan, the security guard, as I walked into the building and breathed a sigh of relief that I was on time. Taking the stairs down to the lower level, I found that the news room was quiet, which translated into slow news night. Jake Black, our entertainment reporter, had his feet propped up on his desk, leaning back in his chair, sleeping. He wasn't supposed to be here this early but we were sending him out to Belleville, Illinois, across the river, to a corn maze for one of our October remotes. He was reporting live and it typically took an hour to get there so I wasn't surprised he came in early to sleep. Lucky for me, his desk was next to mine.

I knocked his feet off his desk. "Wake up, you goober! You're snoring again."

With a snort, Jake jumped, almost falling out of his chair. "God, Bella! I was sleeping here."

"Ya, I know, and you don't want Mike to see you, do you?"

"Fuck Mike! That douchebag can suck my dick. I'm a freaking entertainment reporter, who could replace my ass?"

"Tim Ezell." I stated matter-of-factly. Tim Ezell was our competition's entertainment reporter at Fox. Unfortunately, Tim had better ratings than Jake.

"That's low, Bella."

"Then don't sleep on the job."

"Fine, point taken," he complied, getting up and stretching. His abs peeked through the bottom of his shirt, giving me a fine show of his hard body. I could admit that Jake was incredibly good looking, but I didn't dare dip in the work place. "So, what's up with the hot clothes? Another late night?" he asked.

I ducked my head, trying not to give any indication as to how late my night was. "You could say that."

Jake leaned against my desk, crossing his feet at the ankles and his arms over his broad chest, looking entirely too cocky. "When are you going to have a "late night" with me? You know, I can get you to work on time, I only live down Washington. "

He was right; I could make it to work in time if I took him up on his offer. The ass only lived nine blocks from the station in a loft off Washington Ave. He biked to work. Not motorcycle biked, but Schwin biked. Too bad I wasn't interested.

"As much fun as I would have riding on your handlebars, Jake, I think I'm going to pass."

"Your loss, baby. Everyone wants to take a ride on the Jakenator!" He started to hump my desk.

Ew."That's another reason why I won't sleep with you." I slapped his arm. "You literately are the village bicycle. Everyone has had a ride. And will you stop humping my desk, who did you say was a douchebag again?"

"Suck it up, Swan. You love this!" He gestured toward himself.

I rolled my eyes. "You're right. I can't get enough of your hotness." I took my purse off my shoulder and started rummaging for my keys. "Now, here, take my key -in my truck is your costume for the remote. Mike said that he wanted you to have a festive vibe to the shoot today."

Jake narrowed his eyes. "I don't like the sound of that."

I dangled my keys in front of his face and gave him my best puppy dog eyes. "It's for the kids, Jake. Do it for the kids."

"I'm dressing up as a dog or something, aren't I?"

I smiled and patted his cheek. "Oh, you'll see."

Jake snatched my keys, rolling his eyes as he walked away, grumbling. I couldn't help but laugh. "Don't forget to tell Glen to take truck four!" I shouted after him. He waved his hand over his head without turning around.

I was still smiling as I sat down and booted up my computer. I had a couple of messages on my desk regarding a fatal accident on I-44 from the overnight news desk guy. I knew that it would be a leading story so I began gathering details when I felt a presence behind me. I didn't have to turn around; I saw his hulking frame reflected in the TV monitor to my left.

"Can I help you, Mike?" I asked, clicking through my email.

"Is Black on his way?"

Of course, Mike probably saw Jake leave, but being the micro-manager he was, he had to ask me.

"Yep, he just left."

"Did you get him the costume?"

"Yes, Mike."

"Did you see the fatal on 44?" I turned around; Mike had his hand in his pockets and he rocked back and forth on his heels. The man was very unnerving. He was thirty-eight, single, and not bad looking, but his personality sucked ass. As far as I knew, the man lived and breathed the news. No social life whatsoever. He was probably a closet freak, for all I knew. The man didn't share much about himself.

"Yes," I responded dryly. "I was just about to put together something and call State Patrol."

"Good." Mike started to walk away before stopping. "Don't forget the Slay piece is due to production by 11:30." He snapped his fingers. "Oh, did you get my text last night?"

I scrunched up my nose, reaching for my phone. "I don't remember seeing a text from you."

"I asked you if you could be here at three. I needed you to go over the prompts for Jessica Stanley."

Fuck! Jessica Stanley was our new morning anchor and apparent hothead. This was her first week and she still needed a little handholding. She was fresh out of school with little practical knowledge of broadcasting behind her. The rumor was that what she did have behind her was our General Manager, but that was just hearsay at the moment. Looking though my texts, I felt so pissed at myself. Sure enough, I had a text come in at ten p.m. from Mike, asking me to come in a half hour early for prompt work with JS.

Stupid Lance/Logan fellatio distracted me!

"I'm sorry, Mike. I don't know what to say. I didn't see the text until now."

Huffing, Mike responded, "There's no point in worrying about it now. When I didn't get a reply from you, I decided to come in to show Jessica the prompts instead. But next time, Bella, keep your phone on the nightstand."

What was that supposed to mean? Did he know I wasn't at home last night?

Mike palmed his Blackberry. "I never leave this thing out of my sight, even in the shower. I put it in a plastic sandwich baggie; it's the only way to go. The news never sleeps. I suggest you do the same."

Gross, he showered with his phone.

Then it dawned on me. He just wanted me to keep my phone by me at all times. "Okay, Mike. I will." I rolled my eyes and twirled around in my chair. Mike stalked away, shouting morning greetings to the other producers as I chastised myself for not using my phone as my alarm clock at Lance/Logan's house. If I would have done so, I would have known about the text. Great, now Mike was going to be on my case all day. And I was going to have to make sure that Jessica was really okay with the teleprompter. Mike wasn't a very good instructor. He probably gave her the basics and was done with it.

I finished up my story on the fatal, and sent out a couple of emails. Checking the time, I assumed that Jessica would be in the dressing room by now, so I made my way down the hall. I stopped at the kitchen to grab two cups of coffee and some creamers. Before I even got to the closed door, I could hear Jessica banging around inside.

I knocked softly before entering. "Good morning," I said, handing an already frantic Jessica a cup of coffee.

Jessica took the cup and set it right down on the counter, ignoring it as she peered in the mirror, fluffing her hair. "Do you know where Alice is? She's late and my hair is terrible today. Ahh! Do you have a flatiron stuffed in your sweats?"

"No, I only keep styling products in my dress pants."

Jessica threw up her arms. "Where is that girl? I swear she's the most flighty woman I've ever met! Did you know she tried to convince me yesterday to do a smoky eye? A smoky eye, Bella! I don't want to look Goth!

"I'm sure she was just trying to make sure your eyes popped on camera. Alice knows how much the lights can wash you out. Trust her; she knows what she is doing."

"I trust her to make me look more Ann Currie, not Greta Van Susteren."

I snorted because that was just ridiculous "Jessica, she'll be here. It's only four, you don't go on until five-thirty, there is plenty of time." I took her hands, and sat her down. "Now calm down. We need to go over prompts."

"You're right, I'm sorry. I'm just jittery. Mike made me nervous when he tried to explain them earlier." She took her coffee and sipped it.

"Mike has that effect on all of us."

Jessica placed her hand on my arm. "Bella, how do you work with him?"

"Well, it's not without a lot of hard work," I said, thinking about how annoying Mike could be.

She looked across the room with a dreamy expression on her face. "God, don't I know it."

M'kay. That was weird. She almost looked a little lovesick. I shook off the thought quickly.

I took a seat next to her and explained the prompts for the morning show once again. I also scheduled a run through at five so she could practice before we went live. Even though she was still green, Jessica was a fast learner and I was confident that her first week would go well.

Alice came bopping in at exactly 4:30, looking entirely too awake and too polished for the early hour. She was dressed in a black pencil skirt with a white button down frilly blouse. Her red pumps completed her look along with the pearls around her neck. I looked down at myself and back at Alice, wondering when I started not caring about what I wore.

As if reading my mind, Alice scrunched up her face, looking me over. "Bella, is there any given week when you don't wear your sweats to work?"

"Nope." I shrugged. "I like to be comfortable."

"You can be comfortable in clothes like mine," she said cheerfully, waving her hand over her skirt.

"Are you wearing a G-string?"

"Yes, of course."

"Then no, I can't."

Alice rolled her perfectly lined eyes. "Ugh, Bella, you're impossible. I bet you're wearing granny panties."

I scoffed. She assumed way too much. "I beg your pardon; I have boy shorts on and a matching bra. I'm not completely useless when it comes to these things."

Alice clapped her hands together before opening her makeup case. "Thank goodness, I don't know how you date like you do."

"Thank goodness, you're finally doing my makeup," Jessica muttered as she positioned herself on the stool next to Alice.

"Oh, shush, you'll take five minutes, Jessica." Jessica puffed up her cheeks in annoyance.

"Anyway, I don't date, Alice. I have intimate encounters."

She smiled, blotting a makeup sponge in foundation, and then applying it to Jessica's fair complexion. "Such a little slut, you are. Is that why you're dressed like that today, no time to get ready after running away from whatever stud you landed last night?"

Stud? Well, I guess if you had to call all of my one-night stands something, stud would be it. I tended to keep my liaisons to myself. I wasn't big on blabbing to the world that I was a whorey slut who picked up men just to fuck and never see them again.

I was a lady, after all.

I glared at Alice, backing away toward the door. I really didn't want to discuss this, especially in front of our new anchor who didn't know me or my reason for not having relationships.

"I don't runaway, Alice. I avoid the awkward." I cleared my throat. "Now finish Jessica, she needs to be on set by five."

"All right, all right, she'll be ready. Her skin is beautiful, I'm just going to play up her eyes and blow out her hair."

Jessica stopped Alice's hand with her own, giving her a piercing stare. "No smoky eyes."

Alice put her other hand on her hip, staring back at Jessica. "You're worse than this one." Alice thumbed my way. "How about a heavy neutral eye, then?"

Jessica's shoulders slumped. "Okay, but no grays or blacks."

Alice gave me a funny look. "Can you believe her?"

"I know, how dare her!" I joked, winking at Jessica who smiled back.

I reached for the door when Alice stopped me again.

"Oh, Bella, don't forget about tomorrow." Her smile was radiant.

I came back to give her a quick hug. "I wouldn't miss your wedding for the world. I'll be there with bells on!"

The morning newscast started without a hitch. Jessica made it to set – heavy neutral eyes and all- and quickly went over her prompts before the first break-in. I sat behind the cameraman with my headset on, talking to the director until the end of the first segment. I was the 5:30 to 7:30 producer so I needed to check in on Jake for his first cut. We broke to commercial and I quickly dialed Jake's phone to make sure he was set for his first hit.

It rang once.

"You got to be fucking kidding me!" Jake roared, making me hold the phone away from my ear. I already knew why he was pissed. The costume.

"You only have to wear it while the Girl Scout troupe is on during this segment," I replied. "Just chill out."

"Bella! I'm dressed as a giant pumpkin!"

"Well, you are at a corn maze ….and pumpkin patch. What better to dress as than an enormous, orange pumpkin?" I tried to sound reassuring, but really, this was all Mike's idiotic idea. He always wanted Jake to be wacky and crazy, hence the costume.

"You're so paying me back for this."

"Come on, it's not that bad. The kids are going to love it. Just keep the energy up, no one wants to see a grumpy jack-o-lantern." I snickered as Jake started growling into the phone. "Stop being such a baby, I'll buy you a drink tonight, okay?"

"Fine, but I'm not forgetting about this."

"Ya, ya. You're on in five."

"River City," he grunted as he hung up the phone.

Wonderful. He was going to make me buy him a drink at the slummiest bar in south city. He knew I hated that place.

Jake played it up for the camera like he usually did; you couldn't even tell he hated the costume. Of course, the kids loved it and then Mike congratulated me on a good segment. Which was rare coming from him.

The rest of the morning was smooth. Around 11:30, I was taking the Slay reel to production when Alice stopped me on her way out.

"Bella, I'm glad I caught you." She skipped to catch up with me. "I'm leaving to get ready for the rehearsal tonight but I wanted to make sure to tell you that you needed to look extra special tomorrow."

"Alice, it's your wedding, I'm going to look nice. I'm not going to wear my sweats."

'I know, but maybe you can go get a mani and pedi, or a wax."

"A wax?"

She winked. "You never know."

"What are you going to do, Alice?"

"It's nothing, Bella, really. I just wanted to introduce you to someone. It's a friend of Peter's from high school. I think he would be great for you." Peter, Alice's fiancé, went to high school in the bum fuck country, so this loser was probably a hick.

"Great for me? I don't like the sound of that. I can pick my own men just fine. And I know what you mean. You think he's what I need, not what I want."

"Is it so wrong to want to see one of my best friends happy?"

"No."

"It's just an introduction; I'll let you take over if you're interested. If not, no harm, no foul."

"Are you sure there isn't a way around this?"

Alice pouted. "It's my wedding."

"Yes, I know and I'm so glad that you didn't want a big wedding party. Can I thank you again for not having me wear a bridesmaid's gown?"

"You can, but not in front of Rose. She's still not too fond of black with her skin tone." Rose was Alice's best friend from childhood and she was the only maid - or really matron considering she was married- in the party. Alice chose to have a small, intimate wedding at a vineyard. Since I met Alice here at work, and wasn't a lifelong best friend like Rose, I didn't mind too much when I wasn't asked to be in the wedding party. Rose and I got along wonderfully so I couldn't think of a better person to stand up with one of my best friends.

Alice glanced at her watch. "Oh my god! I have to go. Peter is meeting me at Carmine's for a quick lunch and then we have to go pick up the best man at the airport."

"Okay, have fun!" I yelled at her as she trotted down the long hallway, her heels clicking on the tile. If I knew Alice like I did, she probably had this "induction" planned for a month. I would humor her, though. Like she said, it was her wedding.

"Wait, Alice! What is the love of my life's name anyway?" I called out.

Alice turned around and walked backward with the hugest smile plastered on her face. "Edward, and you'll love him!" She tapped her temple with her finger and winked before turning the corner.

A/N

True facts from chapter one:

I did in fact work as a producer for some major news stations.

I hate G-strings.

I still own a Sebring.