platforms and with The Herald.” She made a gesture with her hand and Julia jumped up and presented me with paperwork. “The Single Life with Zola Patterson is yours. You are free to write articles, books, blog posts, whatever you so choose as Zola Patterson. The contract is not a way to stifle you or your creativity. I am a strong proponent of women owning their own. But the Dear Zola style Q&A that you’re known for will be under contract and will only be able to be used in The Herald and on your own site.”
I nodded as I looked down at the papers in front of me. “I understand.”
“Take your time. Review the contract. And if you are interested in the opportunity, sign and return to HR. You have two weeks to make your decision and then I will seek out another to fill that permanent spot.” Joan Stanford stood and as she walked toward me, I stood as well. She extended her hand, and I shook it. “I would love to have you as a more permanent fixture with The Herald,” she told me with a slight smile. “I look forward to hearing your decision.”
And with that, she left the room.
“Holy shit,” I breathed, completely floored.
“Zola,” Julia’s voice yanked me from my thoughts.
I had completely forgotten she was in the room. “Sorry.” I sat down and composed myself. “I’m ready.”
I showed her all eight of the Q&As for the month of October. She approved seven of the eight immediately, but she was hesitant about the last one.
“I’m not sure…” Julia dragged her statement out as she chewed on her thumbnail nervously. She shook her head and made a disgusted face. “No. We can’t use this one.”
I looked at her incredulously. “Did you even finish reading it?”
“There’s no need. As soon as I saw the ass part, I knew that it was inappropriate.”
“It was a question posed by one of the subscribers of The Herald.” I pushed the copy of the email across the table. The identifying information was marked out, but the scenario and question were highlighted. “It came to my Herald email and who knows how many other people are struggling with the same concern.”
Picking up the piece of paper, Julia squinted her eyes. “Dear Zola, I’ve been dating my boyfriend for two years and I love him very much. I want to get him to try different things in the bedroom but whenever I propose we do something new, he gets really defensive. I don’t know how to broach the subject. How can I get him to be more adventurous in bed? How can I get him to eat my ass?”
I held a straight face as the prim and proper Julia read the second question and then cringed with embarrassment before finishing the email.
“Valid questions,” I pointed out.
“That is…” She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. “No. Your column is a dating and relationship advice column. Not a sex column. This isn’t your website.”
I took note at the slight dig and narrowed my eyes slightly.
“No, it’s not my website. Because if it was, I wouldn’t be submitting anything to you for approval.” I tilted my head as I held her gaze. “And the Dear Zola column is about the readers reaching out to me. Because it was a reader asking a question and me answering the question, I don’t think the approval of this Q&A should be rooted in your personal hang-ups.”
“It’s not a personal hang-up,” she snapped before collecting herself. “I just don’t think having a question like this is appropriate.”
“What part isn’t appropriate?”
She glared at me. “Obviously, you know what is inappropriate.”
“Julia, I’m really trying to understand where you’re coming from here. Is it you who decides what’s appropriate and what’s not appropriate for The Herald?”
“That’s not what I’m saying. It’s my job to make sure the content is a good fit for our audience.” She held up the paper. “And this sex talk isn’t appropriate.”
“This question is too sexual for what we’re doing here. You need to be focused on dating and relationships.”
“Sex is part of dating and relationships.”
“Not…” She made a face and lowered her voice. “This kinky stuff. Like I said, it’s inappropriate. End of discussion.”
“No. It isn’t the end because I need to understand why you’re declining this article. If you’re going to deem it inappropriate and not accept my hard work, then you have to provide feedback to justify that decision. So again, why