Shafted by Mandasue Heller Page B

away from his ear when the girl literally screamed, he winced and handed it back to Julie.
    ‘God, thanks!’ She grinned. ‘She’ll be made up. Well, you can hear how chuffed she is, can’t you? But she’ll be so jealous that I got to actually meet you.’
    Turning round when she heard a buzzing sound, Georgie saw that it was coming from the desk phone. Clearing her throat to snap the girl out of her trance, she nodded towards it.
    Sighing, Julie said, ‘Looks like she’s ready for you.’
    Winking at her, Larry put his hand in his pocket and followed Georgie into the producers’ office, filled with renewed hope for the future. He’d been wallowing in self-pity and injured pride for so long now, thinking that the public had turned their backs on him. But judging by Julie’s reaction to seeing him just now – and her friend’s at having simply heard his voice – it was clear that he still had that certain something . And, better yet, they weren’t blaming him for the disastrous telethon or the shit that followed. Fingers crossed, his luck might actually be about to turn around.
    Terri and Jon exchanged a surreptitious glance when Larry walked in. As Terri had confessed to Georgie when she’d made the initial call, she’d never actually heard of him before. But she had made it her business to view old tapes of his show since, in order to judge his hosting abilities. But, good-looking as he undoubtedly was on screen, she was unprepared for the presence he exuded in the flesh. Even with the extra weight, and the small number of stress lines around his eyes, he was extraordinarily handsome.
    Sober and showered, and having made a real effort to clean up his act in the week since telling Georgie that he wanted this job, Larry knew that he looked great. He still resented being forced to take a one-off show, but beggars couldn’t be choosers so he’d had his best suit dry-cleaned and had booked himself in for a haircut with his favourite stylist – which had cost him far more than he could really afford. But, catching the look that passed between the producer and her assistant, he figured it had been worth it.
    Extending his hand now when Terri stood up to greet him, he gave her the same kind of once-over she’d just given him. She had too much black eyeliner framing her wide-spaced eyes, and her lipstick was too garish a red for her pale complexion, but she had the dark glossy hair that he liked, and her figure was pretty good for her age, which he estimated to be somewhere around the mid-thirties. Bit old for his taste, but she might be worth a second glance – if it helped get his career back on track.
    Turning to the man now, Larry smiled as he shook his hand. Jon was obviously younger than Terri, but his receding hairline and misguided attempt at dressing trendily made him look older. And Larry recognised the glint of envy in his eyes all too well, because it was the same expression that less handsome men always got on their faces when he walked into a room. Oh, he was back on form, all right.
    ‘Great to meet you both at last,’ Terri said, waving them to take a seat. ‘We were so pleased when Georgie told us that you’d reconsidered, Larry.’
    ‘Me, too,’ Georgie murmured, settling in her seat and gazing around the office.
    ‘Can we get you guys anything before we start?’ Terri asked now, perching prettily on the chair opposite Larry’s and indicating the table between them, which was stacked with nibbles and a variety of alcoholic and soft drinks.
    Larry felt a tugging sensation in his gut as he eyed the bottle of Scotch that was crying out to him from the centre of the table. But Georgie would be leaving from here to go to a family funeral and she was upset enough without him stressing her out by taking a drink before the contract was signed. And much as he’d have loved a glass or three of the hard stuff right now, he just couldn’t do that to her, so he asked for a fresh orange juice