Page 35 of Heartsick & Lipsticks
“Yep. On it.”
I hung up the call, and the wheels of my chair rolled on the floor as I pushed back from my desk and stood, feeling very unlike myself. Iwas alwaysaware of two things: my surroundings and what time it was. I had an internal clock that was always running in my head, from the time I woke up until I went to sleep. I never zoned out or lost track of time. This woman had turned me inside out.
“Have you looked over the notes?” Jada asked as we walked down the hall toward the studio.
“Notes?”
Part of what I liked about the advice show with Selena was that there was no prep. What you heard on the podcast were genuine reactions to live calls. We had no clue what the questions were going to be before we heard them from our listeners.
“Yes, on our guest host.”
Double shit. I’d completely forgotten that in the last production meeting, it had been decided that we were going to start having guest hosts on that we thought would bring something to the show.
“Olivia Bradshaw?” Jada prompted.
The name triggered a memory from the meeting where Ariel had pitched her as a guest. “The Maneater?”
Jada nodded. “High-profile divorce attorney. She’s cutthroat and has been known to demolish people in court.”
“I’m assuming that’s how she got the nickname.”
“Well, that’s the interesting thing about her. You would think with that nickname that her client base would be predominately women, but in more than ninety percent of her cases, she’s represented men. So, I’m not sure if the moniker is a joke or if it’s ironic. You should ask her about that.”
I nodded and tried my best to get into host mode, which was second nature to me, so it should be easy. I’d started on radio before I had a license to drive. Talking to guests was the easiest part of my job. I loved to talk. I loved people listening to me talk. And I never ran out of things to say.
Except with Skye. She had rendered me speechless… Several times. And that wasn’t all. My preoccupation with her was disturbing. I couldn’t stop thinking about her.
When I was thirteen, my wrestling coach told me that the sport was not physical; it was mental. And so was life. The person who controlled their thoughts controlled their destiny.
That sentiment resonated with me, and from that day on, I trained my brain, not just my body. I was at peak mental fitness at all times. But somehow Skye had come in, and I felt totally out of shape. I was at her mercy.
Entering the studio, I saw that my cohost Selena was already seated on her couch and was getting makeup touchups. Our podcast wasn’t just audio; it was video as well.
Not that she needed makeup. She had dark hair, light eyes, and perfect skin. Today she wore a sleeveless, deep green turtleneck that nearly matched her eyes and black slacks. She had an air of classy sophistication that complemented my rough-around-the-edges crudeness. Our dynamic was the key to our popularity.
Now, I just had to tune it up to get us to number one. Which, I had no doubt we’d reach.
“Hey.” She greeted me with a smile.
“Hi.” I sat down and finished reading through the bullet points of our guest before handing my phone to Jada.
I always gave it to her when I was on air or recording so she could monitor my calls in case there was an emergency with Bella. I had just settled back in my chair when a blonde bombshell walked in. This woman was the sort of woman who would draw attention in any room she entered.
She had that quality that was impossible to ignore. Besides having supermodel bone structure, full lips, and almond-shaped brown eyes, she had an air of authority that demanded respect. If I found out she was royalty, I wouldn’t be surprised. I’d attended a charity event with Kate Middleton once, and she had the same intangible thing about her.
Selena and I both stood to greet our guest as she got settled into the chair between us. Ariel, our producer, counted us down. When the green light came on, the opening music began to play, and I spoke into the microphone. “Welcome to Duel Point of View, the advice podcast that gives you two very different points of view on everything from relationships, careers, home renovations, and finances. I’m Nick Locke here with my lovely co-host.”
“Selena Grace.” Selena said before introducing our guest. “And today we have a very special guest on DPV. This woman is at the top of her field in the cutthroat industry of family law. Specializing in divorce, she has an unprecedented success rate of ninety-seven percent. Her high-profile clientele includes movie stars, CEOs, athletes, musicians, and more—the elite of the elite. Please help me in welcoming Olivia Bradshaw to The Duel.”
The applause sound effect lasted for about five seconds before I spoke into the mic again. “Olivia, thank you for joining us today. Now, the first question I have for you is about your nickname, the Maneater.”
As Olivia explained why she’d been given the Hall & Oates-inspired nickname, I tried to be present and listen, but I was struggling. The good news was that the mental clock that always ran in my head was ticking away again. The bad news was that it was counting down the seconds until Skye arrived for her shift tonight. That was the key to radio, or now podcasting. If your mind wandered, you were fucked. And right now, I was fucked.
