“You can’t be serious, Andrea.”

The six men sitting around the conference room table all stare at me like I’m some creature from another planet. I’m used to being gawked at in this business. But the slackjaws looking back at me now are something totally unexpected given our topic of conversation.

How can they not understand where I’m coming from on this?

They’re men, one would think this may have happened to them at some point in their own lives and they’d have some sympathy. But since the moment I set foot in this board meeting, it’s been nothing but “fire him, fire him, fire him” coming from their old, crusty, geriatric mouths.

“I am serious, gentlemen. Rafe is a tremendous asset to this network, and I’m not willing to let an accident derail what both he and my predecessor worked so hard to build.”

Barry sighs and takes a sip of his coffee. The man is a legend in this industry and has led the board for the last quarter century. Still, that doesn’t mean I have to like what he has to say or agree with him.

“I appreciate your passion, Andy. It’s why we hired you over all the other applicants, but this was more than a little accident. His genitals were on full display. Now we are dealing with the FCC and an investigation, not to mention the public reaction. Have you seen the internet today?”

Unfortunately, I have.

Every celebrity gossip site on the web seems to have latched on to this story and run with it. Still images and videos of Rafe’s junk are plastered all over for anyone to see. And even though it’s wrong...really, really burn in Hell kind of wrong...I’ve looked...more than once.

I wish I could say it was for business reasons, to gauge how bad the situation really is, but it’s not. I’m just a big ol’ perv who is enjoying staring at a beautiful cock. Because make no mistake, Rafe has a gorgeous one. And if I weren’t his boss, I would want to help him lick his wounds...and something else.

I’ve been far too busy worrying and planning for this new job to spend any time looking for someone to spend my time with. And Rafe is exactly the kind of man I’m normally attracted to—tall, dark, and handsome. Plus, he’s brilliant. It’s a lethal combination to my libido. I’ve seen him on the small screen a hundred times, but when he walked into my office yesterday, swollen nose and all, I was instantly aware that the camera cannot capture everything. The man oozes sex appeal and is charming as hell even when he’s floundering and worried. I wanted to take him in my arms and tell him everything would be okay, and then bang him on my desk.

Yeah, being the boss sucks sometimes, because that can never happen. Nothing ever can.

I clear my throat and stare Barry down. “I’ve seen it, and I don’t care. Everyone knows it was an accident, and calling him ‘Dr. Boner’ isn’t going deflect from the fact that he’s number one in the ratings. We don’t often find a man with a background as stellar as Rafe’s who is so incredible on camera. Kids love him, and I’m not willing to throw that away over this.”

A collective round of sighs fills the room, and Barry scans the faces of the other board members before settling on mine again. “This is only your third day on the job. Are you really willing to risk it over Rafe Boswell?”

Am I?

The man is fantastic at what he does. I've never seen such a natural on camera who’s so good with kids and who can explain scientific things that should be way over their heads in such an accessible way. He really is an asset to this network. I'm not just blowing smoke because I think he’s hot. But it probably would be a lot easier just to fire him and get this over with. He can be replaced, probably not by someone who is as good as he is, but everyone is replaceable in this industry.

It would mean losing the top spot to Munro, which would be like kicking me in the balls, but maybe it is taking on too much to do this.

Just as I’m reconsidering the stance I’ve taken, I take a good look at the old men shifting around the table, and I realize that’s exactly what they want. They may have hired me, but no man from this generation really wants a woman in charge. They think they still run this show. They want me to back down. They want me to give in, and I'm not going to let them have that satisfaction.

“Yes, I'm sure. Rafe Boswell stays. I've already prepared a statement for the press today, and as soon as that's done, he has a couple weeks off to recover and then we go back to filming. We will not acknowledge any questions or comments about the incident. As far as I'm concerned, it's in the past and it’s going to stay that way. This is my network now, and I plan on doing everything I can to keep it profitable, and that means keeping Rafe Boswell here as long as we can. I'm not going to let some stupid incident scare me away from that. And neither should you.”

All sets of eyes are on me as I finish my rant. I hadn’t intended to come off so bitchy, but frankly, the fact that they don't trust me to make this decision irks me.

I know I just started and I haven't proven myself, but I would think my track record would be enough. It got me this job. But they are already questioning my first big decision. I understand their concerns, but they need to put their trust in me to handle this situation and know what I’m doing.

Now, I have something to prove, and that means my life is now in the hands of Rafe Boswell.