Page 100 of The Trade

Rising from my chair, I pace the room. “And let’s not forget how you consistently assign me the most boring stories. You do realize no one wants to read about new cutlery or turnstiles or ... bricks in red square, right? It’s ridiculous!”

He leans back in his chair, barely containing his grin. “Jade, I assign you those articles because you’re one of the best reporters we have.”

“That doesn’t even make sense,” I splutter, caught off guard by his counterargument.

“Those topics are assigned to theDailyby the university. We’re obliged to cover them. And I assign them to you because you have the knack for making even the most mundane interesting.”

My pacing slows as his words sink in. “Oh.”

“Yeah, oh.”

“What about football, then? Why can’t I cover that?”

“Because weekly sports coverage isn’t that challenging,” he says dismissively. “Any generic reporter could write those articles.”

“That’s the issue.” I drag a weary hand down my face. “You just said any ‘generic reporter’ could write those pieces. Aren’t we, as women, just as capable of regurgitating stats as male reporters?”

“Yeah, you are.”

“What?”

“I said, yes ... you are,” he repeats, his gaze never leaving mine. “I didn’t realize it wasthisimportant to you.”

Frustration bubbles up inside me. “I’ve been practically begging to cover their games for years!”

“I know,” he says simply. “I thought it was more of a passing interest.”

“Garrett, I love football,” I reiterate, gritting my teeth. “And I hate that all our sports coverage is handled by men.”

“Then, I guess we’ll have to fix it.”

“We?”

“Look, Jade.” He sighs heavily. “I’m in this room almost every night, working myself to the bone. Things can slip through the cracks. You see issues that I overlook. How about you help me fix them?”

His suggestion leaves me reeling. “Seriously?”

“Why not?” He shrugs, a devil-may-care attitude plastered on his face. “What do I have to lose?”

“Power, maybe?” I ask with a snort. “Control over your subordinates?”

“You really think I’m the villain, don’t you?”

“Well, that depends. Are you going to let me sleep on the couch tonight, or is it the floor?”

“The floor,” he fires back, grinning wide. “Definitely the floor.”

29

WEST

Last night was rough.I ditched the banquet and got shitfaced out of my mind. Then I collapsed onto my bed, alone, to toss and turn for the rest of the night.

Jade dumped me. She broke up with me and walked away, just as I fucking deserved. I should’ve known this was coming because what we had was too good to be true. And I fucked it all away from the very beginning.

If Jade gave me another chance, I’d move heaven and earth to win back her trust. I gave her the space she asked for last night, even though every fiber of my being screamed to beg for her forgiveness. To drop to my knees and plead.

I want her back. Hell, I need her back.

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