“Friday again…” Nick mumbled, fingers flying over the tablet’s keyboard as he made his way onto the balcony that overlooked the G & B’s crib. The workers scrambled below, gathering up their stories and making last minute calls to verify the validity of claims in said articles.
It was chaos, albeit organized chaos and Nick loved it.
“Getting down to the wire, people!” He shouted, startling some of the newbies with his booming voice. “Pull your scat together and get me your stories.”
“Here ya go, bossman, the info you requested on my new lovelies.”
Nick looked over at Penny, tilting her red leather shod foot this way and that while waving the paper in her hand. “Wolfman never showed up so what’s this for?”
“In case you want to do a little gifting. They do have them in black as well. You know…
someone’s favorite shoe color.”
The cacophony in the room rose another decibel—too many voices all going at once…nerves on edge, the putting to bed of this addition just hours away. Nick tapped away at the tablet, reviewing stories already turned in by speedy reporters.
“Nick, are you listening to me?”
“Boots, gifts…I hear you, Penny…”
“—Penelope.”
“But I haven’t done anything wrong…Ralph,” he roared the reviewers name. “Get your ass to the morgue and see if you’ve done this movie review lately, it sounds familiar.”
“You don’t give gift just when you’ve done something wrong, Dickhead.”
Nick shot his assistant and friend a warning glance, both of them knowing he’d never follow through with his actions.
“Ziva!”
“Stop yelling, Nick, I’ve almost go it ready to go.” Ziva barked back at him.
“I’ve not reviewed this movie before,
Mr. McMahon.” His movie reviewer sneered, lumbering closer. “Just post it!”
“Nick…” Penny continued to shake the paper at him.
“You gonna post it?” Ralph harrumphed.
“One more second…” his mate sing-songed his way.
The room was noisier and noisier. Something was about to give and he’d bet even money it would give in the worst of ways as was always his luck
“Come’on Woman, shake it and bake it! I need that copy!” Nick bellowed.
The silence in the room was absolute and made his skin crawl. He looked up from his work only to acknowledge the shocked looks from his staff bouncing between him and a sight he just knew he didn’t want to see down the hall. Yet he lifted his head anyway. Better to face his mistake now rather than trying to brush it off.
“I’m sorr…” He tried, but she was livid.
“Shut up. Just shut up.” Ziva stomped in his direction, face redder than he’d ever seen and her right eye twitched uncontrollably.
“Please let me apologize…”
“No, you listen here, Nicolas Taggert McMahon…”
Gah, his full name, in front of other people, she was beyond pissed.
“…It’s one thing to call me Woman like that at home during play time, but not at work. Then to add such a sexist remark as to make it seem my best skills are ‘shaking it’ in the bedroom and ‘baking it’ in the kitchen… I just lost all respect from my co-workers.”
“No one will disrespect you, Ziva! No one!”
“They already do and you can stop it…your words saw to that.” She quickly swiped at her eyes making Nick feel about one inch tall. There were tears starting and he knew she hated for other to see her gentle emotions. “Here’s the website layout all ready for you to approve and post.” Ziva tapped her tablet once to send controls his way. “Now, I better be off to see if Dante has any jobs available at the Pleasure club since this job just went down the tube.”
Nick watched his mate walk away and he was unsure of what to do. Wasn’t she going overboard? Her job at the paper was set in stone; he would have it no other way. People wouldn’t disrespect her, if anything they’d feel sorry that she had such an asshat of a mate.
“Ah Dumbass Bossman,” Nick looked over at Penny and snagged the paper she still held out. “You know it’s going to take more than an awesome pair of boots, right? And don’t say ‘a purse too than’”
“I know.” He did know. He needed a grand, ultra grand gesture, but what was the right one to go with to get him out of this scat load of trouble?
~~~
Oh Nick, once again not thinking before you speak. You'll be lucky if the punishment for this includes ropes and nakkiddity! ;) ~Authors shaking her head~
So, as I wrote this flash I found age kicking me in the ass in the form of a lost word. Gah, I hate that! Now, maybe ya'll can help me out. Does anyone know newspaper jargon? I'm pretty sure I didn't dream this up, but what does a newspaper call it's newsroom rather than newsroom? I used crib above, which I know is not what I'm looking for, but for the life of me I can't pull out of my head the word I'm looking for...I think it starts with a C but I'm not 100% on that. Man, getting old sucks!
Allons-y! As my favorite doctor would say...Let's go and have a great weekend everyone!
Serena
