"So, what was he like?" Poppy asks sauntering over to me in a pair of daisy duke denim shorts and a white tank top illuminating her tanned complexion. She serves me a glass of white wine. Or at least I think it was a glass...

I give her the look causing her snigger "My measurements are different from yours. Suck it up and just drink it."

Eyeballing the fishbowl like glass, I accept it and take a generous sip before sighing.

"He's a massive douche."

A crack of laughter escapes from her lips as she sits in the sun lounger beside me. "Is that all? Not, hot, muscular, well defined, drop dead freaking gorgeous?"

"Nope. Just a douche." I settle with a nod.  Okay so he might be a little good looking and his eyes are totally to die for. But his attitude stunk, therefore, Twat-Waffle.

"So he's nothing like what he is on TV?"

"Hell knows, I just know he doesn't like having me on his show. Told me I'm on trial, which is pretty damn pointless as he has no ruling of my contract and that if I blink in his direction wrong, he'll dump my ass in the Arizona desert." I recall causing Poppy to gulp at her wine.

"Sounds like a ball buster." She mutters flicking her blonde hair over one shoulder.

"Well my lady balls are a little harder than a few threats and some seriously bad attitude."

She clicks her finger and points to me with a nod "That is true. Harriet Winslow found that out."

"Well she was a bitch anyway." I answer, recalling Harriet who whilst in high school stuffed Poppy into a locker. Claustrophobic Poppy had a melt down and when I heard her screams and found Harriet holding the door...

Well let's say my reaction cemented mine and Poppy's friendship... For life.

"What's Jack said about it all?" Poppy asks "Is he okay with you being away with a group of guys for a week or two at a time?"

I scoff and take a large sip again. "This large glass was a good idea."

"So that's a no. I thought he would be happy for you."

"Jack is... He's indifferent at the moment. He's glad I'm earning money or on the way to earning money, but he's also disgruntled that I'll be away and I'll be on TV."

Poppy's head whips over to me "Disgruntled?! Why? You're hot as hell! He should be proud!"

I shrug "Guess it's to do with men watching me, it's weird because he's never been protective before but now he wants to act all cloak and dagger."

"I don't understand men. I never have." Poppy replies scrunching her face to look up at the sun.

"I find that hard to believe, what number boyfriend are you on now?" I tease.

"Bish... So when do you leave?"

"Tomorrow. Hence the emergency meeting although I think Zak was just trying to get me to stay in Vegas. Didn't happen though, the network went in favour of me. Although I think they're expecting a phone call to say I've had my ass ditched in the desert."

"You'll be alright, by the time you get in with the rest of them, Zak will have no choice but to fall into line. You're not some axe wielding murderer."

"I know. But he has his reservations and he's allowed to have them. I don't have anything to prove to him, I just have to have patience. Some people are stuck in their old ways. Once he sees I'm not there to work against him, he might just let up."

"You hope.." Poppy murmurs.

I did... More than I'd like to admit.

-2-

Zak storms his home, tossing his keys down on the coffee table as he paces the room. His fury had not eased on the way home and all he could see whenever he closed his eyes was the smirk across her lips, how she was comfortable in his office, how her dark hair brushed over her the swell of her breasts, a pair of sunglasses perched on her head and how her Cupid's bow lips were painted a dusty pink whilst her dark green eyes watched him carefully.

"Fucking bitch." He snarls as he opens the door to let some air into his home, hoping the cooler air may coax him to calm down.

As his faithful dog Gracie races out to go to the bathroom, he continues on his marching, back and forth along the lounge.

Zak couldn't understand how she got under his skin so quick, why it irked him that she talked some shred of sense, that she wore a floral printed top, dammit!

How was he suppose make people believe she was one of them when she wore pink and floral?! He prays someone had given her the lowdown on dressing in the right attire and that she wouldn't rock up in Mickey Mouse tops or even worse, SpongeBob SquarePants...

She couldn't stay. She couldn't, it wouldn't work. There was no way in holy hell fire would having someone called Delilah on the team work.

Even her name reeked of innocence and Sunday Schooling.

Delilah Winters..

He was surprised she wasn't called Miss Honey, she held that look of the teacher from Matilda. But she had bite in her, he could confirm that.

How dare she speak to him like that?!

Through his anger, he almost misses the phone call being made to his cell phone, he tugs it from his pocket and answers with a heavy grunt of "Hello?"

"Bro.." Aaron spoke making Zak's anger burn a little hotter.

"What the fuck was that back there?! You're suppose to have my back!" Zak seethes.

"I did, I do! But you have to admit, it's a good idea. You were only saying a week ago at how something needed to change, this is it." Aaron replies.

Zak grits his teeth at his friend's Elephant like memory. Meaning he never forgot a damn thing that was said around him and often more than not, Aaron remember something Zak had long forgotten.

"That's not the point bro. We've built this up, we came from nothing and now she's gonna saunter in and get the benefits of it!" He bites.

"I don't think it's quiet like that."

"Oh come off it Aaron! Of course it is! We have to parade her around on cameras and hope that word gets out about it. She's like a damn ring girl. It's wrong."

"I can remember that you've had your fair share of ring girls in your time..."

And there it goes again. That fucking memory trait that Zak was beginning to detest.

Aaron sighs from the other end of the phone "She's really not that bad. She's not the devil reincarnated."

Zak scoffs "No, she's worse."

"Look let's just give her a chance, if investigating isn't for her, then we find somewhere else for her." Aaron reasons.

Zak nods "Fine. But I'm not babysitting her. She's with us, then she learns fast."

After wrapping up the call with Aaron, he checks his email, and as requested an email with Delilah's details has been sent, along with her contract...

Zak sits down on the couch and reads it, word for word. Page for page, syllable for syllable until he places it down with a plan already hatching in his mind.

So he found out that he couldn't fire her. That she was hired by the Network, therefore the network would have to dismiss her.

But Zak could make her time with them a living hell until she quit. And for the first time today, a smile pulled on his lips.

"Watch out Delilah. Because here I come..."