Free Undercover (Hot Off The Press) Book 1 by C.T. Sloan

 
     
    My name is Julie Bandis. But that is not how everyone knows me at Rex Industries. In this building, I go by the name of “Vanessa London.” And there is a good reason why I am not using my real name. You see, I am an undercover reporter. All right, let me be straight here and say that I am not some hot-shot journalist from the New York Times or Washington Post . In fact, I am a 21-year old recent J-School grad from the University of Texas. During my time at UT, I harbored dreams of winning the Pulitzer before my twenty-fifth birthday. Yeah, it’s a crazy fantasy but that’s what happens when you have more optimism than common sense. Flash forward to one week after graduation. No job offers and no prospects. I have to serve jalapeno poppers at Chili’s just to pay my rent.
     
    In desperation, I plead for a job, any job, at Texas Monthly magazine. Out of sheer luck, I get a lowly mailroom position. It’s not real reporting but at least it’s a foot in the door. While at the magazine, I tried my best to impress the editors. Every pitch I gave them was shot down in the most polite way possible. No matter how much I tried to impress them, I was always going to be nothing more than the mailroom girl.
     
    I started getting depressed and spent most of my time flipping through the various magazines that came into the mailroom. One magazine in particular was the annual list of the Forbes 400 Richest People in the World. I started to peruse the issue just to see who was at the top of the list. Of course, there were large photos of people like Warren Buffett and Bill Gates. But at number 27 was a name that is more than familiar to any Texan - Mr. Trent Rex. Of course, Forbes did not have a photo of the billionaire known as the “T. Rex” of Texas business. Trent Rex is an enigma, even to lifelong Dallas residents. Rumors abound about the fiery 36-year old business titan. Some say he holds a seventh degree black belt. Others claim that he keeps a harem of sex slaves at his palatial Chateau style mansion.
     
    “An expose on the T. Rex,” I pitched to the senior editor at Texas Monthly . The editor laughed so hard he nearly fell off of his chair. He told me that he has been trying to get to the T. Rex for the past 10 years. As the editor tries to shoot me down, I try to think of any way to get the man to reconsider. “He won’t know me. I’ve never had a byline on any article at any publication. I’m 21. I haven’t been in Dallas longer than three months. I can change my identity and get a job as a secretary at Rex Industries,” I explain breathlessly. The senior editor wasn’t laughing anymore. He said he would think about it.
     
    Two long days go by. Then I get a call in the middle of the night. “Alright, you have a green light. Do not come by the office anymore. We will meet at the Denny’s by your house in half an hour.”
     
    I hop out of my bed, get dressed and meet my boss at the Denny’s down the street. There my editor hands me a yellow envelope. “I pulled some strings and got you a new identity. You are now Vanessa London from Boulder, Colorado. Here’s $2,000 to carry you for the next few weeks. Do not call my phone or stop by the office. We’ll set-up some e-mail accounts that you can access from public wi-fi hotspots,” my editor explains. The cloak and dagger routine makes me feel like a real undercover reporter. With my new identity, I apply for a secretarial job at Rex Industries. Due to the incredible growth of the company, there is no problem with me getting hired. After passing an extensive background check - thanks to the fake identity - I find myself within the walls of one of the most secretive companies on the planet.
     
    At 1,113 feet, The Rex Building is the tallest occupied structure in Dallas. I am currently working on the lowly 15th floor while Mr. Rex’s personal office occupies the top five levels of his building. I have only gotten as high as the fifty-first floor and