Baring It All. Sandra Chastain

and I’ll let you know, and Sunny, call me Ted. I may be old enough to be your father, but I don’t like to be reminded of it.”

      Rolling her eyes, Sunny sucked in a quick breath. “All right, Ted. It’s just that I thought when I came to WTRU I’d be doing stories on real issues. I might as well have stayed in South Georgia. At least the drought and fire ants were life-altering events.”

      “Be patient, Sunny. This story on the theater is news, even without an interview with Lord Sin. I don’t suppose you got a picture, did you?”

      “I wish.” Sunny rolled her shoulders and leaned her head back. “Oh sure. I got shots of the usual VIPs, the mayor and a couple of well-heeled contributors, but no Lord Sin.”

      “I didn’t expect you to. If you’d managed to video him, the Sin Patrol would have confiscated it.”

      “Sin Patrol?”

      “Just kidding, Sunny. So far as we know, Lord Sin has been squeaky clean. What about the interview with Malone?”

      She gulped and wondered whether or not she should tell him the truth about Malone’s offer, then decided that was personal—at least for now. “I did have a very strange conversation with the tycoon, but I didn’t get to talk to him for very long. He’s as complex as Lord Sin, and—” she added almost as an afterthought “—just as intriguing. He has promised me another interview, and possibly some inside stories—if I spend some time with him.”

      Her boss let out a dry laugh, eased himself off the desk and moved to his chair. “Sunny, I don’t normally get involved in the personal life of my employees but I feel I ought to warn you. You’re new in Atlanta and you don’t know your way around yet. Ryan Malone is a pretty sophisticated guy, rarely seen with the same woman twice. He’s known for being a two-week man. Although I like the idea of some inside stories, you’re not ready for the Malone rush.”

      “I’m not a child, Ted, I’m a reporter. Malone has offered me a good deal.”

      “You sure you’re not just caught up in Lord Sin’s spell? I think the aging superstud got to you. My wife said he was…extraordinary, and she’s not easy to impress.”

      “Aging? Boy, are you wrong. An old man could never have made the moves he did. He’s pretty remarkable—if you like that kind of thing.”

      Ted smiled. “You’re right. The first rule of a good journalist is to keep an open mind. Let yourself experience the event first. Then decide.”

      Experience the event? Sunny shivered. If she’d experienced any more, she’d have turned into a cinder in her seat of honor. “He’s impressive, like one of those new-age magicians, alluring, mysterious and hypnotic. I think he graduated magna cum laude from the School of Lust. But I’m going to unmask him. And I’m going to use Ryan Malone to do it.”

      “I like it, Sunny.”

      “You do?”

      “I do—but the station can’t close down while you work on one story. I’ll give you two weeks and you still have to take assignments.”

      “That’s all I’ll need,” she assured him. “If I don’t get something you’ll like, I’ll write promos and make the coffee.”

      “You’re on. But remember what I said about Malone. I don’t want you to miss opportunities but I don’t want you to get hurt.”

      “Thanks, Ted.”

      “By the way, how’s your coffee?”

      “Lousy.”

      “That’s what I thought. Now, go write your story.”

      She took a deep breath. Get hurt? She’d been there, done that and had the “I’ve Been Downsized” T-shirt to prove it. She didn’t intend to let that happen again, either personally or as a reporter. “I don’t want to be hurt either,” she said softly.

      Sunny stood, gathering her strappy shoes in one hand and holding herself upright by leaning on the desk with the other. She was physically drained. Thank goodness she wasn’t one of the anchors who’d deliver her story. All she had to do was type the words to go along with Walt’s shots.

      “Hey, Sunny,” someone called out, “better hustle, thirty minutes to air time.”

      “Thirty minutes?” She was a beginner on television, but she knew how to write a story. And she intended to get home in time to watch the story—only to see how well it looked.

      She slid into a chair behind her desk and began to type.

      The premier of Gone With the Wind at Atlanta’s Rialto Theater in the thirties couldn’t have been any more remarkable than the Valentine fund-raising gala held tonight at The Palace Of Sin, soon to become a community theater. But the star responsible, both for the donation of the building and the highlight of the evening’s entertainment, is no Clark Gable. Instead, he is the internationally famous, golden-haired male stripper known as Lord Sin. Tonight, Lord Sin packed the house with well-heeled contributors. This is to be his last performance. Now, here’s our own Sunny Clary with more.

      Sensational journalism, she decided, cheesy but attention-getting, as had been her dress. She hoped the story worked better than the slit in her skirt. On stage, Lord Sin had professed his desire for her but apparently it hadn’t been enough for him to stick around for a more personal meeting. The only personal meeting she’d been invited to was by a dangerous real estate tycoon, Ryan Malone, who was sexy as sin and thought his father ought to have been in jail. At least he was honest if not honorable. He wanted her in his bed, and he’d told her that up-front. She’d never had a man be so blunt about his intentions, at least not at first. And she’d never been tempted to accept before.

      But you’re considering it, Sunny Clary. Malone is your means to an end. If you enjoy him a bit along the way, consider it one of the perks of the trade, like a parking space or a company car. Like the green dress and Ted’s promise of a real assignment. Yeah…

      She shook her head. It had to be the spell Lord Sin had put her under. She was thinking about him and Ryan Malone as if they were a dish of M&M’s on her news desk. She’d just eat one. Then the bowl would be empty and she’d swear off sweets until the next deadline. Still, she was in the big time now and to succeed she’d have to be tough. She didn’t have to give in to Ryan Malone if she didn’t want to. She just had to let him try to seduce her.

      Malone couldn’t actually be serious about anything more than just getting to know her. He probably used that line about wanting her in his bed with all his dates. And she’d bet her last dollar that every one of them fell for it. He didn’t know it, but she’d be the exception. Her career was at stake. She’d win the bet. Using Ryan Malone to get to Lord Sin would be a challenge, but it would be fun. She could even turn the tables on him. What she wouldn’t give to bring him to his knees.

      Bad image, Sunny. The picture of Ryan Malone on his knees was one of the places she didn’t want to go. She could only think of two things that came from a man kneeling before a woman, and a proposal wasn’t the thing turning up her pulse.

      “Whoa, girl! Let’s get back to work.” WTRU reported the news and she had about two minutes left to finish the story. Walt’s opening shot was of the building, then he’d cut to her as she explained what the Arts Council had in store for the facility. The mayor would talk about the cultural offerings of the city and a few of the affluent Atlantans who turned out to make the building renovation possible. They’d close with her interview with Ryan Malone.

      She ran a quick spell check and the story was timed and ready for broadcast. One of the advantages of being a local all-news station was that the story lineup was flexible, allowing for additions and changes at the last minute. If a story didn’t get on one segment, it would be picked up on the next one, then it, or an update, would be repeated at thirty-minute intervals until the news was stale.

      Still carrying her shoes, Sunny slid the strap of her evening purse over