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  “John, it’s Ross. I’m here. Sorry, I’ve been screening my calls.”

  “Guess it’s best to do that right now.”

  “Yea,” Ross spoke. “Phone’s been ringing nonstop, mostly from reporters.”

  John Miller had an immediate and true concern for his employee. Even if he didn’t really like Ross, he did have compassion for his sales manager.

  “Tell me what happened, Ross.”

  “Mr. Miller, I don’t remember. All I know is that the police woke me up in my car. I was in a dress and makeup with several empty bottles of whiskey in and around my car.”

  “Were you drunk?”

  “My blood alcohol was 2.1, but I swear I don’t even remember having a drink—not one.” Ross was nearly in tears, his voice cracking.

  John was surprised at how adamant Ross was.

  “I honestly don’t remember anything from that night. Nothing! The one thing that I do know is that I have never been a cross-dresser,” Ross sobbed.

  “Ross, I’ve talked to our HR attorney. I’m sorry to tell you, but we’re suspending your employment indefinitely. The decision is based on our morals clause. You’ve embarrassed our station and our company, and we feel the business community won’t want to deal with you.”

  Fighting the sobs, Ross managed to say, “I understand, Mr. Miller. I am so sorry.”

  “I know, son. I’ll work with you to help you as much as possible, but understand, I have to take our attorney’s advice. I hope you’re able to rebound from this. You take care of yourself and I’ll be in touch.”

  John felt terrible about his employee’s predicament, but Ross did do it to himself.

  The general manager sent out a station memo stating that Ross Mitchell was no longer at the station. The memo expressed that he hoped everyone would respect the situation for what it was and not take part in any gossip surrounding Ross.

  Ross thought the station had acted too quickly, not waiting for any formal hearing to see if he was guilty or not. Indefinite suspension was effectively the same as being fired.

  Some HR trick, Ross thought. He immediately considered suing the station for unlawful termination.

  ***

  That afternoon, Lisa Addelson made her way to John Miller’s office.

  “Mr. Miller, do you have a few minutes?”

  “Of course. Jack and Tom are just leaving. Come on in, Lisa. What can I do for you?”

  Lisa waited for the news director and the main anchor to leave the room. “Look, I know this might seem insensitive, but I’d like to talk to you about the local sales manager’s position.”

  The general manager was put off and even a little shocked at Lisa’s timing. This was still a really new situation. He knew Lisa was aggressive. She went from being a new reporter to joining the sales department and becoming the top salesperson in less than three years. The GM thought, She wants the local sales manager’s position. It’s like she has no feeling for what just happened to Ross.

  John Miller didn’t know what to think about her.

  “Lisa, this really isn’t the time right now. Let’s talk about this later.”

  “Of course, Mr. Miller. Thank you.”

  Lisa was unabashedly pushing herself once again. Getting the job was all that mattered. It didn’t bother her that she lacked seniority in sales. She was the top sales executive on the team and clearly the most widely known in the area. Clients sought her out. And some of the biggest advertisers flocked to her. Lisa had leverage, and that didn’t include her most secret weapon—Stewart.

  She also had stiff competition.

  Steve Draper, the national sales manager and the one responsible for the very successful Sonny Bono televised mayoral debate, wanted Ross’s job, too, and had for years. He had even proposed creating a new position that would have elevated him above Ross, but the station didn’t have the budget to pay for such a job. So, Steve waited patiently to control the entire sales department.

  Lisa met with John Miller several times over the next three to four weeks. She was building her case. Steve lobbied hard as well. John wasn’t in any hurry to fill the sales management position. For the immediate future, he could watch over the local sales department himself. Then the surprise phone call came.

  “John, this is Stewart Simpson.”

  John always wondered why his owner always used his full name when he called. It wasn’t like John didn’t recognize his voice by now, or the phone number that popped up on his screen.

  “Hi, Mr. Simpson.”

  “John, where are you with your local sales manager’s search? It’s been almost a month now. Are you any closer to naming someone?”

  “I have one candidate out of state and two strong internal candidates.”

  “Who are your internal candidates?” Stewart asked, trying not to sound like he already knew.

  “Steve Draper, the national sales manager, and Lisa Addelson.”

  “Lisa? Isn’t she relatively new to sales?”

  Lisa poked Stewart in the ribcage. She was curled on his chest, listening to him make the phone call that she asked him to make on her behalf.

  “She is, but I like her balls—pardon the term.”

  “You like her balls?” Stewart tried not to laugh. Lisa rose and straddled him. In one quick motion, she pulled her shirt open, revealing her beautiful breasts. Lisa knew exactly how to push Stewart Simpson’s buttons.

  “Look, if you want my opinion, and I know you didn’t ask, but I’m not a big Steve Draper fan. We’ve talked about that before. I also don’t believe you help yourself with local sales by going outside our market to bring someone in—not when you have strong insiders. Always better to promote from within when you can. It creates opportunities for others. Maybe Lisa is the right choice. There is some risk there, but she seems to have tremendous upside. I’d give her some strong consideration. She sounds like she’s hungry and really wants the shot.”

  Lisa licked her lips as if to let Stewart know what was coming next.

  “It might be worth the gamble on this new kid to see what she can do.” Stewart tried to control his emotions so his GM wouldn’t suspect Stewart’s current predicament.

  “You might be right, Mr. Simpson. I appreciate your insight. I’ll let you know how I’m progressing.”

  “Well, don’t delay it much longer. The local sales department needs a full-time leader overseeing it. You don’t have the time to do it yourself. I’ll talk to you later.”

  The owner hung up so he could enjoy the pleasures of Lisa’s mouth.

  ***

  Greg McDonald, Sonny Bono’s campaign manager, threw a giant “Rockin New Year’s Eve Party” at the new Palm Springs Convention Center for New Year’s 1989. Sonny Bono played host to a list of oldies-but-goodies rockers—rock ‘n’ roll legends like Jerry Lee Lewis, Dion of Dion and the Belmonts, Herman’s Hermits, and a list of others. It was Sonny Bono putting some life back into Palm Springs. The party was sold out.

  Blake decided to finally give Tom Preston a date, and she thought the New Year’s Eve party was safe. They met at the party, trying to keep “their date” between themselves. The station had two tables at the event, so she would have plenty of support and people around them. Tom was the perfect gentleman all night. They talked, danced a little, and the main anchor kept his hands off her. Blake was pleasantly surprised. Tom offered to drive her home, and because she had been drinking, she thought that was probably a good idea.

  When Tom dropped her off at her apartment he walked her to the door and gave her a soft kiss on her cheek. She thought this was way out of character from everything she had heard about Tom Preston. Maybe she would see where this would go. Besides, maybe Tom could help her achieve her broadcast goal. Blake told Tom at some point in their evening that her goal was to be his co-anchor. He let her know that he could make that happen. She didn’t believe him, but, having him on her side wouldn’t hurt.

  While the Rockin New Year’s Eve Party was going
on in Palm Springs, Stewart and Lisa were enjoying a phenomenal dinner overlooking the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The relationship was perfect for Stewart. He was in a very uncommitted committed relationship. He was able to have other women, and he did. Lisa was seeing only Stewart and hoping for the one thing that she knew he would never give her—a ring. Hell, no one even knew she was seeing him. They never went out in public where anyone she knew would see them together. However strange, the relationship worked for her. But for how much longer? she wondered.

  Lisa didn’t want kids, but she did want a full-time partner. She didn’t need to have a marriage, but she did want something more permanent. As it was, she saw Stewart once or twice a month, and it had been that way since they had gotten together. Lisa was pragmatic, though, and understood the perks of this relationship, and that counted for a lot in her mind. Besides, the trips were fabulous.

  ***

  It had been almost two months since Ross Mitchell had been bounced from TV3. John Miller was taking his time filling the position. It gave him the opportunity to gain insight on how the department was running. He called Steve Draper into his office. The general manager had made up his mind.

  On the one hand, he had a very experienced national sales manager, but he wanted to reorganize the sales structure to refresh the department. On the other hand, he had a very dynamic salesperson in Lisa, who seemed to have the support of the owner, but she had far less sales experience. Of course, she was the top salesperson on the staff—John had to give her credit.

  “Steve, I wanted to let you know that I appreciate you wanting to help me restructure the sales department. It’s long overdue. We’ve had the same system for a long time. Always best to mix things up and try new approaches.”

  The general manager carefully picked his words to his national sales manager. He didn’t want to blow Steve up by giving him what he was sure would be devastating news regarding the sales manager’s position.

  “John, I agree, and I’d be excited to lead that effort.”

  “I know,” the GM said. After a short pause, he took the conversation to a more intense tone. “Look, the bottom line is I’m going to offer the position to Lisa. I wanted you to hear it from me first, before I even offered it to her.”

  Steve went pale and his jaw dropped. He thought the top job was his, as did many of the sales executives already treating him as such. After an awkward silence, he finally was able to speak.

  “Mr. Miller, I’m disappointed, but I will support whatever your decision is. I’m just glad to be part of this team.”

  John knew what he was hearing was not what his guest truly felt. One of the reasons John delayed his decision was because he was nervous about delivering the news to Steve, who he feared was unstable and might quit. As Steve left the office, Lisa was summoned. Fortunately, they didn’t pass each other in the hallway. Lisa made a restroom stop in between and therefore avoided running into the national sales manager.

  “Come on in, Lisa. I’ll get right to the point. I’d like to offer you the local sales manager’s position.”

  Lisa’s face lit with a huge smile. This was what she had wanted, and she was used to getting what she wanted, but she hadn’t been sure that her “want” would materialize this time around. It was a great surprise to hear the GM’s offer.

  “John, thank you so much. I will not disappoint you.”

  “I know you won’t. I want to make the announcement this afternoon. I have written out an official offer for the position. Take some time and look it over, and then return it to me once you’ve signed it.”

  Lisa looked her general manager directly in the eye. “Is it a fair offer?”

  “I believe so.”

  She took out a pen and signed it on the spot. “Then let’s go to work.”

  John Miller thought, I have never seen such a strong, more confident woman in my entire life. “I’ll make a copy for your records.”

  The intercom buzzed. “Lisa, one minute please. Yeah, Jack. Okay, did you send someone to the courthouse? Let’s send the live truck and if you think it’s worth doing we’ll do some special reports. Some cut-ins. Okay, thanks,”

  John turned his attention back to Lisa. “That was the newsroom. Plea bargains are coming down this morning in the pyramid case. Looks like you’ve come full circle. Weren’t you involved in the pyramid story when you first arrived? It’s hard to believe that this story has been lingering out there for such a long time. This should be the end of it.” John stood and extended his hand. “Lisa, congratulations. Now show me I made the right decision.”

  “Thank you, John. I will.”

  As soon as she left the GM’s office, her phone rang. “Hello, this is Lisa.”

  “Congratulations. You got what you wanted.”

  “Stewart, how did you know? Do you have John’s office bugged?”

  “I’m not that enterprising. Congratulations. I’ll be coming out to the desert this weekend. I’ll see you then, okay?”

  “Sounds good. I look forward to it.” She wanted so desperately to say I love you, but she knew Stewart Simpson didn’t want to hear that.

  Bouncing into the sales arena, she didn’t say anything. It wasn’t her place to announce the promotion. Across the room, she caught the dark glare from Steve Draper. Scary person, she thought.

  ***

  “Jack, let me have Blake at the courthouse with me. I want to see what she can do.” Tom Preston had ulterior motives, but Blake was also the only one in the newsroom available at the time.

  “Okay, take her with you. I’ve got Greg rolling the live truck in case we want to take some special reports.”

  Tom tapped Blake’s shoulder. “Let’s go, kid. We’ve got some breaking news.”

  Blake was surprised; she didn’t expect Tom to be pushing her agenda so quickly. Tom had his reasons, but none of them had to do with journalism. On the drive to the courthouse in Indio, Tom filled Blake in on the storyline.

  “We’ll get the information and then I want you to take part of this story. It will put you in front of Jack so he can see what you can do. Are you ready for this?”

  “I can do this. I’m ready.”

  “I think so too. Understand, though, that breaking news is not like anchoring the morning news show. There is a lot more intensity, and you need to pick your words carefully to tell the story. There’s no tape. It’s live and you can’t have a do-over.”

  Blake was surprised at how much passion Tom showed for his job. The anchor might be a horndog with the young female reporters, but part of his allure was that he was a hard-charger. News was his aphrodisiac. The only thing greater would be having sex with Blake while doing the story.

  The courtroom was filling up. The judge allowed cameras inside. Seven of the twelve defendants in the pyramid scheme were in the courtroom. Each defendant had an attorney. There was someone else in court as well—Ross Mitchell. Tom Preston recognized him sitting quietly with the court’s other defendants. He must be getting his sentencing today as well.

  Tom had continued to do updates on the pyramid story on a regular basis so it wouldn’t totally drop off the radar. Today looked like it would be the end to this very long process. It had been almost three years since Tom was blown up trying to first report this story.

  The Riverside County Superior Court judge entered the room and took his seat. Plea bargains had been worked out with all six defendants. The judge spent ten minutes lecturing the defendants on how shameful and despicable it was for community leaders to be involved in known criminal activity and, more importantly, to use their influence to drag their constituents into the scheme for their own personal gain.

  There was still a lot of debate on the local level about whether this was even a crime. The court didn’t see it that way. No real jail sentences but still some stiff penalties.

  Tom Strickland, president of the College of the Desert, had already stepped down. He got three years’ probation plus one hundred hours of community serv
ice, and he was ordered to pay back fifty thousand dollars in restitution.

  Roberta Sanchez, the superintendent of the Desert Sands School District, fought to keep her job. The district decided to hold off until the superintendent got her day in court. That was today. She didn’t feel she had done anything criminal. She did admit that she knew the activity was against the law, but “It wasn’t like I swindled anyone” was her attitude. The judge didn’t agree and gave her a tongue lashing because of her blatant disregard for the law.

  “Swindling someone is exactly what you did. You’re a very well-educated woman who should have known better”.

  Roberta Sanchez received five years’ probation, two hundred hours of community service, and was ordered to pay back one hundred thousand dollars that she reportedly earned in the pyramid scheme.

  Tom Preston scribbled a note to Blake. Great sound bite!

  Sonia Questa, the CEO of the Indio Chamber of Commerce, was fired as soon as the charges were filed against her. She had been out of work since the incident and unable to find a new position. She received the lesser of the sentences handed down that day. She got one year of probation and didn’t have to pay back any restitution. The judge admitted in the courtroom that he was lenient with her because of the hardship she had already faced. The leniency was also prompted by the fact that there wasn’t evidence that she made any money. She was the last of the “community leaders” to get charged. The judge felt she was “just trying to fit in with the big shots.”

  Sitting in a wheelchair wearing an oxygen mask was John Tyson, the father of Brian Tyson, the TV3 employee who confessed to blowing up the live truck and killed himself. John Tyson was a shell of the man he used to be. He resigned his position as a counselor at the College of the Desert. He looked like he was constantly on medication. No one in the courtroom thought this was for show. John Taylor looked like a person ready to die. In his mind, he had already been through the worst part. He would never recover.

  The judge took pity on the ill defendant, figuring he had already lost everything. He was ordered to fulfil fifty hours of community service, to be served only after he regained enough strength to do so. No one believed that would ever happen.