Quint - Liar, Liar--The Omnibus

For Ella

My first cheerleader

Many thanks

Liar, Liar, Tabloid Writer

S o thats her. The great Cleo Morgan. Alec had to admit she was a looker. Light brown hair tumbled down her back in soft waves, and the skirt of her red power suit ended at mid-thigh, accentuating tanned legs a mile long.

As if that wasnt enough, her full, lower lip made himand every other guy there, he was surewant to suck it into his mouth as he rolled her back on her heels.

Half a dozen of the staffmostly menwere hanging out in the open area at one end of the bullpen that served as a break area-slash-kitchenette, getting coffee or shooting the shit, as Nigel Delaney, the tabloids managing editor, led Cleo Morgan on an introductory lap around the office.

The Old Mans lost his mind for sure, Alecs buddy Jackson said. Not loud enough to draw anyone elses attention, of course, since, presumably, he liked his job. So she can write good copyJackson made a face that said big deal and she can get down and dirty doing investigative journalism. Doesnt mean she can write an Elvis story worth crap. But I heard the boss is paying her a small fortune. She even got a signing bonus like shes some sort of first-round draft pick.

Oh? And where did you hear that?

Lisa told me on the down-low.

Even as he shifted his attention to Jackson, Alec kept Cleo in his peripheral vision. Lisa in accounting with all the baby pictures or Lisa in legal with her nose in the air?

Lisa in legal. Jacksons smile spoke volumes about where else Lisas nose might have been lately.

Damn. You took her to bed. Alec didnt know why he was surprised. Women tended to fall all over Jackson when he decided to break out the charm. Hed thought Lisa was different and had been enjoying himself immensely as he watched Jackson work hardand fruitlesslyto overcome her uncanny resistance.

Well, no. I didnt take her to bed. Jackson looked crestfallen at the admission, but it only lasted a moment. A gleam appeared in his eye. I took her to the back file room. Have you ever done it where your boss could walk in on you any minute? Let me tell you, mi amigo, that is some of the hottest sex youll ever have.

I dont believe it. You didnt

Jackson made a discreet slicing motion, and Alec cut off his comment. Introducing Cleo to the other staff, Nigel had worked his way almost to them. Shelving Jacksons sex life wasnt too difficult when Alec had Cleo to look at. Which brought him back to the question of why she was there.

It was most likely the money. Tabloids paid exceptionally well, since any reporter who worked for them was committing professional suicide as far as respectable media was concerned. So it made sense they were paying more than the proverbial penny, bright and shiny as it might be, to get a reporter with Cleo Morgans credentials. It had been her story in The Tucson Sun that had blown open the corruption on the countrys southern border two years ago. Her investigation had exposed a string of misconduct that netted not only dozens of Border Patrol agents and the head of Homeland Security, but had brought down a sitting Arizona senator.

And earned The Sun consideration for a Pulitzer.

Nigel and Cleo moved to the guy next to Jackson. Alec took the opportunity to check her out at closer range. She had a nice rack. Full and firm, just the way he liked them. He wanted to nudge Jackson and ask if he thought they were real, but she and Nigel were too close.

And this is Jackson Palmaroy. Nigels high-tone accent made Jackson sound like he was someone who should have gone to Oxford instead of the University of Florida. His specialitypronounced with five crisp British syllablesis alien abduction stories.

Yeah, this week the president is being controlled by a receiver put in his brain by little green men, Jackson said without a trace of irony as he shook her manicured hand.

Weve already run that story, Jackson, Nigel said.

We did?

Last administration. You should know that. You wrote it.

Well, hell. Guess Ill have to get more creative. Wanna help me out, Cleo? Care to have an alien baby? Jackson tugged on his belt with both hands, a gesture that tightened his pants over his bulging crotch.

Yeah, charming. But only when he wanted to be. Exactly how much were they paying her? Whatever it was, it hadnt endeared her to Jackson.

Cleo didnt even look down. Can I get back to you on that? Id like to settle in a bit before I make a commitment that serious.

Jackson was unfazed, but Alec had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling. Damn. He didnt want to like her, but he couldnt help appreciating her coolness under fire.

And this is Alec Ramirez, Nigel said, moving things right along. Cleo stepped left as though she was moving through a receiving line, her gaze shifting to acknowledge the introduction. Her lips stretched into a stiff, obligatory smile, but from the look of her flat, cold baby blues, Cleo Morgan would happily be hung, drawn, and quartered if it could only happen somewhereanywhereother than The Inside Word s office.

Bitch. The thought was there in an instant. She thinks shes better than we are.

Alec is our Jack of all Trades, Nigel continued as though unaware of the sudden crackle in the air. Writes a bit of everything.

Maybe everyone was reacting this way to her. That would explain why she and Nigel seemed oblivious to the hostility Alec felt pouring off him.

Like an automaton, she held her hand out for him to shake. His mind was working itself into a fever pitch of resentment toward the woman in front of him, but his body responded the way it was conditioned to when face to face with a body like hers. He didnt even realize hed clasped her hand until her eyes widened and a spark drove away the emptiness that had been there a second before.

In the same moment, a charge shot up his arm and blew out all his circuits except one.

Fuck me. Please.

Like every other man in the room, hed been semi-hard the moment she came into view. Now, touching her hand, looking into eyes that had come to life with intelligence, natural curiosity, and more than a modicum of sexual awareness, he graduated to an oversized railroad spike trapped in too-tight denim. And he wanted to nail her with that spike in the worst way.