Free Sinfully Sexy by Linda Francis Lee

good."

"Watch and learn, little brother." Trey was obviously warming up to his
subject. "On our bachelor
show we—"

There was that we word again.

"—will have a fresh twist. To start out, we'll tape each segment like
any other reality show. We'll have
six episodes total, each edited down to forty-four minutes, leaving
sixteen minutes for advertising. What will make us stand apart is that
instead of waiting until we have an entire season in the can, we'll air
each show the same night we tape it. It's how they do the Late Show with David Lettertnan ,
and it's the next best thing to live television."

Trey started to pace, excitement and plans rushing through him in a way
that was almost palpable.
"As I mentioned before, we can do the whole thing in a month."

"You want to air the entire program in a single month?" Chloe asked.

"No." He smiled. "A single month to plan, produce, and run the
program." He glanced around the room. "Then at the end, KTEX will be in
a position to pay off the debt." He glanced at Ben. "Saving the
station." He looked at Chloe. "I'm sure that should please you."

Was this guy for real?

"Two weeks to plan, then we'll air six episodes over two weeks," he
added. "Let's say we air each Monday, Friday, and Saturday night."

Chloe was stunned by the sheer amount of work that would have to be
done. She couldn't think of anything to say. But the truth was, it
wasn't such a horrible idea.

"We'd have a show that was part The
Bachelor ," he explained, "part The
Real World . We could call it The
Catch ."

"Interesting," Julia mused, her voice rising with excitement. "If I
have this right, it would be a series of segments that will be cheap to
make and will bring in tons of ad revenue."

"Exactly," he confirmed.

Could these two be any more sickeningly cheerful about a prospect that
would send her over the edge? Chloe thought dismally.

Trey Tanner's dark eyes glittered with a predator's success. "We'll be
combining the strongest elements
of two already successful shows, giving us something new in a genre of
television that is exceedingly popular, but crowded."

"The more I hear about this, the more I like it," Julia enthused. "We
just need to find a bachelor and
some women. How many were you thinking?"

"Ten or so. We'll have to sit down and make a plan."

"How about The Catch and His Dozen
Texas Roses ."

Chloe was as surprised by her interjection as everyone else. But she
couldn't seem to help herself. The producer in her was always at work.

"I like it," Trey stated with an approving nod.

His cell phone rang. After glancing at the readout, he said, "Excuse
me, I need to take this."

Ben stood, tipped his imaginary hat, then said he needed to stretch his
legs. Julia watched him go.

When Chloe would have followed, Julia stopped her. "Please go along
with this," she pleaded in a whisper. "We really need it."

Chloe's concern resurfaced. "What is going on?"

"Nothing I can talk about now. But I need you to help, not antagonize,
the man."

"Fine." She headed for the door just as Trey flipped his cell phone
closed.

"I'm going to need you to work with me on this, Ms. Sinclair."

"Me?" Chloe asked, looking around the room as if he were speaking to
someone else. "Me, as in me
work with you?" Being civil to him at the watercooler would have been a
stretch. Actually working together on a project would be impossible.

Julia implored her with her nearly violet eyes.

"Is that a problem, Chloe?" he asked.

"Yes!"

All eyes focused on her, and she realized she was acting like a
completely unprofessional lunatic—sort
of like last night. She nearly dropped her head into her hands. Not to
mention that Julia was speaking
with a seriousness that few people would have believed possible for the
woman who had always taken pride in never having a deeper concern than
if Raspberry Shocker nail enamel was passe.

"I mean, yes, there is a problem, Julia. Unfortunately my schedule is
full."

"Then clear it," Julia said.