Natalie was not laughing. She was frozen at the sight of Ryan McGreavy, a correspondent from her own network, who was standing in the back like he’d sneaked in after everyone was seated. “¡No esta noche, Presidente!” he singsonged, a big grin on his face, in a shitty falsetto imitation of the First Lady.

What is Ryan doing here?

“Excuse me!” Adam Majors snapped, though Natalie could tell he was swallowing a laugh.

What about this is funny?

If a Nazi-looking quarterback was your platonic ideal, McGreavy was a 26-year-old corn-fed exemplar of human perfection. The progeny of a former Nevada governor and a casino heiress, he’d parlayed his regional celebrity into an on-air job in Los Angeles local news. There, he’d staked his claim to immortality by going undercover as a contestant on the reality show Eat Me, where he’d gathered hours of hidden camera video. Ryan’s subsequent report, Reality UnReal, showed Eat Me’s producers staging conflicts between the contestants, and aired the same week as the show’s finale, proving a ratings juggernaut for his network.

Natalie had seen only one scene—the only one she needed to see—in which Ryan downed a plate of raw pig scrotum to win the competition. The resulting viral video won him a job at ATN, where his star had been on the rise all the way up to becoming ATN’s crime and justice correspondent.

Natalie hadn’t noticed Ryan before the briefing, which meant he’d crashed—both the briefing and her moment in the spotlight. The feeling of getting wantonly screwed intensified and not in a controllable way.

When Adam Majors closed his binder and exited the room, Matt turned to her. “You really went off leash there with your question. I’m impressed Bibb Connaught sanctioned that.”

Natalie tried to keep her face blank. “I write my own questions.”

“Oh please, Hot Nerd, don’t get defensive. I’m just saying you’ve got moxie. For a TV reporter.” He turned to the back of the room where the blond man-boy was yukking it up with fellow twentysomething reporters. “What’s he called again?”

“Pendejo?” Natalie suggested, then added, “I thought you knew everyone.” It must have come out a little meaner than she’d intended because Matt stiffened slightly. “Ryan McGreavy,” she added, relenting.

“Ah, the governor’s kid.” He gave her a knowing smile. “If you ask me, that pendejo is going to be stiff competition. Looks like he’s destined to become a crowd favorite.”

Matt stood and began to move off. “I think I’ll go introduce myself.”

What is the plural of pendejo? Natalie wondered, watching him leave. Then she moved her gaze to the vibrating phone in her hand and found that Bibb had sent her an email.

To: Natalie Savage

From: Bibb Connaught, DC Bureau Chief, ATN

Subject: Your Future