THE CRITIC Read Online Free PDF Page A

she busied herself on her computer and fielded the calls, refusing to do any more explaining.  She had already sent word over the loop that she had lost her temper and punched the man.  She didn’t know what the group really thought; she had been too afraid to open her emails.
    God.  And they’d wanted a chance to appear on Oprah .  Toreas shuddered to think what would have happened to her if she had done to the queen of talk shows what she had done to Jared.
    Well, that’s different , she told herself.  The queen doesn’t care much for us, but at least she doesn’t go around trashing us either.
    She had to wonder what Jared’s agenda was.  Didn’t he have anything else to talk about?  Why his sudden interest and increasingly vicious attacks on a group of writers who had done nothing to him?
    Apparently the station had given him her number because Jared was calling her repeatedly. The man was tenacious, she had to give him that. He alternated between threatening her and trying to charm her. When that failed, he’d tried to reason with her, convince her it would be good for her. No way would Toreas’s being around Jared be good for her. Her emotions where he was concerned were too conflicted.
    Even now with everything that was happening she couldn’t stop herself from turning the television channel to Jared’s show. For a few moments she watched him with the sound muted and then she closed her eyes and turned up the volume.
    Is there such a thing as love at first sight? This reporter recently attempted to ask romance writer Toreas Rose. Her answer was, “No comment.” That sounds like a big fat no to me. The writer knows how to throw a punch but does she know the first thing about love? For that matter, it appears Ms. Rose doesn’t even know how to apologize when she’s done something wrong. Believe me, I’ve held out the olive branch to her. I would think that as a romance writer she would want to come on the show and see what would happen. Maybe we could have real chemistry if she’d only give it a chance. Wouldn’t a true romantic wonder? Maybe coming on  my show would give her new material for a book.  How does she know what could happen if she doesn’t give it a chance? Maybe I could be the man of her dreams. But will she give either of us a chance to find out? The answer to that, dear viewer, is a no. Stay tuned and I’ll bring you more tomorrow on the world of romance and Toreas Rose.
    Toreas was furious. Jared Stone couldn’t just use her name like that. And what he said, surely it had to be considered slander. She frowned, trying to remember. No, he had not lied, but still he’d insinuated things. She reached for the phone and immediately put it back down. That was how their war had gotten started in the first place.
    Yet the next week Toreas found herself once again turning the channel to Straight up-No chaser. Surely by now he was talking about something else. Jared stared into the red light of the camera as if he’d been waiting for her. It was funny, the way he smiled as though he knew she was watching. What was wrong with that man?
    “Toreas Rose, are you out there watching? I know you are,” Jared purred. “Today we’re going to talk about, you guessed it, romance writers. Toreas, just this past month alone I’ve counted thirty-seven stories of the amnesiac bride. Do you really think that many women are walking around marrying guys when they’ve lost their memory?” Jared snickered. “Maybe that’s the reason women write romances and other women read them. Maybe you’ve all lost your memories. Toreas, I’m extending an open invitation to you to come on my show and tell my viewers your side of the romance story.”
    Toreas didn’t know what else Jared said because she turned off the set. The man was infuriating. He was definitely better at looking pretty than keeping his mouth shut.
    This was the last straw for her. Someone had to do something.  If, as he claimed, he