Beauty and the Billionaire

"What choice did I have?" The volume of my voice was edging up past the jukebox music. "I'm a journalist. I can't work at a place that kills the facts to protect its own."

"You were a journalist. From what I hear, you're now a professor. That can't be all bad. In fact, I met a Landsman College student the other day. Patrick Dunkirk's daughter."

"Clarity?" My throat closed around her name.

Barton nodded with a reptilian smile. "She's interested in journalism internships. Quite ambitious, oh, and beautiful. I can't feel bad about where you ended up when the students at Landsman look like her." Barton kissed his fingertips.

I grabbed his hand and crushed it in my palm. "I know you think you're untouchable, but I'm ready to get my hands dirty."

"Whoa, hey, sorry for the misunderstanding. We were just leavi

ng." Jackson grabbed me by both shoulders and yanked me away from the rich man.

I jerked free of my friend and tried to get back into Barton's smug face. Jackson dodged in front of me. "Move, we're not done."

"We're leaving," Jackson said.

For a lanky English professor, my friend was deceptively strong. I could have taken him out with one, well-placed punch, but he knew I wouldn't, so he shoved me towards the door with impunity.

"Nice to see you, professor," Barton called.

The bar door swung shut behind us and Jackson let out a tight breath. "What in the hell was all that about?"

I paced up and down the sidewalk. "That? That slimy worm of a man is Wesley Barton, owner of Wire Communications."

"The man you tried to take down?" Jackson asked.

"The man that discredited me and forced me to leave journalism." Something snapped and I lunged for the door.

"Whoa, not tonight," Jackson groaned as he pushed me back. "That conversation is over."

"My whole career is over because of him. Right now, he should be rotting in jail while I polish a journalism award. The only reason it all turned out like this is because he's rich." I stalked up and down the sidewalk again and wished Barton would try to leave the bar.

Jackson held out his skinny arms and tried to corral me towards my apartment. "I'm not sure you can regain your professional or personal integrity by caving his face in."

The burst of laughter surprised us both. "You're right, but, god, it would feel good." My shoulders slumped. Slowly, all the reasons I needed to keep my job came flooding back into my conscience.

Jackson slapped me on the back as we walked away. "Remember, I've seen you fight before. You're lethal. My wife's a great lawyer, but even she couldn't get you out of assault with a deadly weapon. And I really like sleeping in my bed."

"Alice would make you sleep on the couch for getting into a bar fight?" I asked with a chuckle. "Fine, then for your sake, I won't go back and put my fist through his nose."

"See? What are friends for?" Jackson grinned and stopped next to his car. "Need a lift?"

"Nah, I gotta walk this off. My place isn't that far if I cut across campus," I said.

"As long as you keep walking." Jackson gave me a mock salute and drove home to his new wife.

The steep walk uphill to Landsman College cleared my head, and by the time I looked up, I was far off course. Music pumped from the row of old Victorians along the last side street before campus. The sorority and fraternity houses were always lively on the weekend, but my stomach sank as I saw which house was overflowing with a party.

The majority of Landsman jocks were Kappa Sig and I remembered overhearing that Clarity had a date with the quarterback that night. I was still confused over why she would accept a date with a jock. Sure, he was good-looking and popular, but neither of those were important factors to Clarity. I thought she was more interested in debating current events and discussing world news. It was hard to imagine her having fun at a keg party.

I walked closer just in case she realized her mistake and was trying to leave the party.

"Psst, Bauer. Over here."

The whispered voice was hidden in the deep shadows of an oak tree. "Dean Dunkirk?" I asked, shuffling through the dry leaves to join him.

"I know, I know, this looks a little crazy," he said.