make things hard for you. I feel so awful as it is.”
I shook my head. “I’m a big girl,” I said, though I didn’t completely feel it at the moment. “I’ll be fine. We’ll just have to keep it professional from now on. Stay away from the Scooby Snacks.”
Jamie laughed. “If I never have another Scooby Snack it will be too soon.” He paused, then held out a tentative hand. “So, still friends?” he asked.
I shook it, hoping he didn’t notice my fingers were still trembling. “Friends,” I agreed.
But inside I wondered if it’d really be that easy.
Chapter Five
FROM: “Dr. Barbara Wilens”
TO: “Madeline Madison”
SUBJECT: re: Leaded Lipstick
Dear Maddy,
Thank you for your inquiry about whether or not lipstick contains dangerous levels of lead. The chain e-mail you forwarded me is incorrect in saying that lead in lipstick causes cancer. Exposure to lead does not cause cancer. However, lipstick pigments can contain some amount of lead and while the levels are not sufficient to harm a grown woman, a pregnant woman might be inadvertently poisoning her unborn child, which could possibly lead to brain damage. It’s a pretty big stretch to say cosmetics can kill, but we would certainly advise pregnant women to stay away from lipstick, just in case.
Sincerely,
Barbara Wilens, MD
P.S. To avoid bad luck, I did pass the e-mail on to five of my friends. Sure, it’s probably completely unethical to forward incorrect medical information to the public, but I’m in surgery today and I couldn’t really risk dropping the knife or leaving a sponge inside the patient’s body!!! That would be a good story, huh?
I was never going out on a Thursday night again. I was way too old to handle such hangover potential.
I peeked around the corner of my cubicle to make sure the Special Projects department remained vacant, then plopped my head in my hands on my desk. So tired. Just needed a minute of shut-eye.
Jamie had offered to drive me to work that morning (on his motorcycle, no less!), but I decided it would look a little strange to anyone who saw us pull into the News 9 parking lot. Like why were we together in the a.m.? Didn’t need those kinds of rumors on top of everything else.
I closed my eyes, attempting to block out the world. I felt terrible—both physically and emotionally—and couldn’t stop beating myself up over all that had happened. How could I have been so stupid? How could I have let things get so out of control?
Deep in my heart, I knew the answer was simple. I had a massive, out of control, raging crush on the guy. And it didn’t seem to be fading very fast, even with the awkward morning-after syndrome.
I was in such trouble.
“Sleeping on the job, are we, darling?”
I looked up, bleary-eyed. In my hangover stupor, I’d failed to realize David, my very gay political producer cubicle mate, had sat down across from me. Guess he was back from Senator Gorman’s reelection tour. He grinned nastily, enjoying my pain a bit too much. I flipped him the bird and returned my head to its resting position.
“Girlfriend, you so cannot sleep! I have big gossip.” He reached over to shake me by the shoulder. “Big!”
“I’m listening.” Didn’t have to raise my head for my ears to work.
“I slept with Brock.”
Okay, that was news enough to warrant a head lift. “Brock?” I asked, incredulous. “As in Senator Gorman’s son, Brock? As in Ivy League, Preppy Crew Captain Brock?”
“There’s only one Brock, sweetheart,” David said in his flamingest voice. “And let me tell you, he is prime grade-A beefcake.”
“I didn’t know he was gay.” Senator Gorman was the most conservative Republican on the planet. Hell, he’d spearheaded the committee to make gay marriage illegal and had tried for years to stop gays from adopting children. “Does his father know?”
“Nope!” David looked pleased as punch. “He’d totally kill him if he did. And I’m sworn to secrecy. Of course, I was like: ‘You know, Brock, I could ruin your daddy’s career with this.’ And he’s like: ‘Yeah, I guess I’d better be nice to you.’” David giggled. “And then he sucked my dick, which let me tell you, was very, very nice.”
“Oh-kay then. Too much information alert.”
David grinned wickedly. “Oh grow up, Maddy Pants. You’re just jealous ‘cause you aren’t getting any.”
“Yes I—” … was stopping right there. I would not say anything about sleeping with anyone. “You’re right, David. I’m completely and utterly jealous. Cause I