Page 23 of About Last Night
The memory of Tristan’s cold expression when he’d fired her sprang into her mind again and the decision was made. She’d be lax if she didn’t make him work at least a little bit hard for her forgiveness. She was sick of putting up with men pushing her around and taking her good nature for granted.
‘So, what are you offering me?’ she asked, tipping up her chin.
He frowned, appearing confused. ‘I’m offering you the opportunity to take over the Breakfast Show, which I know you’ve been interested in for quite some time.’
‘Yes, I got that. I mean what sort of wage hike are you offering? How far are you going to extend my contract on the show to make sure I’m allowed a good run at it? Perks, that kind of thing.’
He stared at her, the surprise clear in his eyes. Apparently, he thought he could waltz over here, toss her the offer of the Breakfast Show and she’d fall on her knees in gratitude.
Well, you can think again, Mister.
Even though she wanted that show with a passion, she needed to go back to the station feeling as though she had some power in her new position and wouldn’t just be ousted by a new station manager the moment Tristan slunk off back to Edinburgh.
He closed his eyes and laughed to himself, shaking his head as if he couldn’t believe what he’d got himself into here. Of course, he’d only meant to come over for the day to dish out his father’s orders and he’d somehow found himself with a mutiny on his hands.
That would teach him to get involved in other people’s affairs.
‘Okay,’ he said, running a hand over his, by now, rather rumpled hair. ‘You can have a 10 per cent wage increase to reflect your importance to the station and we’ll give you a year-long contract to show our commitment to you.’
She raised her eyebrows, but didn’t say anything.
Tristan cleared his throat and narrowed his eyes. ‘Okay, playing hardball, huh? A two-year contract and 15 per cent wage hike.’
‘I’d expect nothing less than a three-year contract and 20 per cent,’ she said levelly, digging her nails into her palms under her crossed arms to force herself to stand tough.
There was a long pause while Tristan digested her demands, his pragmatic gaze raking her face.
Finally, he nodded, drawing himself up to his full height as he pushed himself away from the doorframe and stood back.
A bubble of glee rose from deep inside her, making her skin tingle all over. She’d bloody welldoneit. She’d beaten him into submission.
Despite the urge to blurt out her acceptance of his terms and get straight down to the time-consuming business of planning the show for the morning, she made herself take a breath and a mental step away. After all, she’d had a tough day and shouldn’t jump into anything without giving it some proper consideration first.
It occurred to her too that he hadn’t apologised for accusing her of sleeping with him to sway his decisions.
She needed to hold her nerve for a bit longer to totally pay him back and restore her pride.
He was looking at her confidently, waiting for her agreement, his expression more relaxed now he seemed to think he’d sorted out the mess he’d made.
Flipping him as assertive a smile as she could muster, she put her hand on the door and straightened her posture, hoping he wouldn’t notice how much she was trembling.
‘Thanks for coming over. I have another job offer on the table, so I’ll think about yours and let you know my decision soon.’
He looked at her as if she’d just spoken complete gibberish. ‘But I need you at work tomorrow.’
She smiled sweetly. ‘Sorry, I have plans tomorrow. But I’ll get back to you in the next day or two.’
He opened and closed his mouth, apparently lost for words.
‘Bye, Tristan.’ She swung the door shut in his face, hearing it close with a satisfyingclick.
5
Tristan had never been so stressed in his life.
It had taken him the rest of the evening to find someone willing to step in to present the Breakfast Show on such short notice. Darla, the woman who had taken over Tallulah’s old Drivetime Show, point-blank refused to help him out because of the way he’d treated Jez ‘so appallingly’ and the rest of the presenters seemed unwilling to help because he’d fired Tallulah.
Added to that, he’d spent the night tossing and turning in his hotel bed as flashes of her face kept springing into his head. She knewexactlythe trouble she was causing him – he’d seen the mischief in her eyes as she’d swung the door shut in his face.
