Journalistic Integrity

Joey left for work with a sense of relief that Charlie would be out for as long as he was, doing whatever it was she was tasked with when not babysitting him. Liv was at home all day, and Joey dreaded to think what mental state she might be in when he returned if those two were left alone together.

Charlie had insisted she retain her control over Liv's mind for as long as her mission lasted. This was so she could continue to test the extent and duration of her powers outside of a situation where their failure could result in something very bad happening. In return, she had promised she would never give any commands to Liv that were harmful, permanent or which would cause her any public embarrassment or reputational damage. Joey liked to think the fact he found one sexy girl mind controlling another as unexpectedly hot as he did played no part in his agreement to those conditions, which still left Charlie with a lot of leeway within the privacy of the apartment the trio shared.

Speaking of the devil, his phone buzzed. It was a text from his agent buddy.

Hey Roomie, here is your first story. Type it up exactly as it is written here. This one needs to go out in the next edition C x

Joey felt his heart racing as he went to open the attachment. He was surely about to find out exactly what the group of "good guys" he had been **** into helping actually stood for. In terms of reaching the highest readership possible, The Washington Post didn't seem the obvious pick - the New York Times or USA Today would have been far better choices for that. The conclusion Joey had therefore reached was that his bosses were not targeting the public, but politicians. So what was he going to be writing about? The virtues of communism? Some wacky conspiracy theory made real? The need to hand over control of the country to our new lizard overlords?

When he read the "story" he;d been given, his initial reaction was one of confusion. It was a bunch of soccer results from some European tournament. Joey was even more baffled when he read the scores.

Champions League Group Phase, Round 3

Barcelona 0 Slavia Prague 7

Union Saint-Gilloise 9 Manchester City 1

Paris Saint Germain 0 Qarabag 11

And so it continued. Joey didn't know much about soccer, but he knew those results seemed way off. Either this was a record shattering night for the underdogs, or a betting scam. Of course, that made perfect sense when Joey thought about it. Charlie's bosses would place bets on those absurd scores at astronomical odds then claim their winnings the next morning. Even if all other sources contradicted what was printed in the Post, Joey's words would be so indisputable in the eyes of anyone who read them that the bookies would payout regardless. Joey's employers weren't letting him know what their agenda was at this point, just using him to finance it. He briefly considered placing a bet en route to the office, then decided he wanted no part in this.

By whatever means he had gotten there, Joey couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of pride as he arrived at the Washington Post HQ at One Franklin Square. There was no question this was the big leagues, and everywhere he looked in the huge, state of the art office confirmed that notion. The Danbury Gazette barely seemed like it was operating in the same industry as this.

Not long after he had set foot in his new workplace, a portly, bearded man in an expensive suit walked over to Joey and shook his hand enthusiastically.

"Joey Jones? Cole Marsden, Executive Editor. I've heard so many good things about you, it's great to have you on board!"

"It's an honour to be here!"

"I believe your former Danbury Gazette colleague Kayleigh Preston will be joining us today as well"

Joey's face lit up. Kayleigh had made it here already? That was certainly going to make his first day in his new workplace all the more enjoyable.

"That's great to hear Cole. You are aware that Kayleigh is now your number one reporter, and that you will print whatever she writes without any edits, preferably within the first few pages of the next days paper, as well as publishing it prominently online?"

Joey's new boss paused for a moment as this new reality sank in.

"That's certainly my understanding, yes. Anyway, let me introduce you to Dawn Fraser. She's one of our best journalists, and you two are going to be working very closely together."

"You aren't partnering me with Kayleigh?" Joey asked with barely disguised disappointment. That had felt the most natural and likely scenario for him "I've always worked with her up until now"

"Two newbies here? No. Dawn is the perfect person to take you under her wing and show you the ropes. Trust me, she's phenomenal. I'm only putting you in her hands because the people who recommended you to us spoke so highly of you"

Joey knew who Dawn was, and there was no doubting excellence. She also looked hot in the photos accompanying her articles, though Joey figured those had probably been severely airbrushed.

So he was pleasantly surprised when he was introduced to Dawn.

She was just as attractive in person, though not in the girl-next-door way Joey usually went for. Dawn was more like the super strict teacher he might have had an inappropriate crush on in high school. She smiled at him as they were introduced, but it was businesslike rather than friendly.

"I'm really looking forward to working with you, Dawn. I know you are one of the best in the business, so this will be a privilege for me" Joey gushed as Cole left them to get acquainted.

"The honour is all mine. I've always hoped to be partnered with someone who has genuine, lived experience of working on a small town Connecticut paper"

"Oh.." Joey was a little taken aback by that obvious barb and found himself unable to think of a quick response.

"I've actually read up on some of your scoops" Dawn continued "I particularly like all those stories you write about cats"

Great. So Joey would now spend almost the entirety of his new working life with a bitch and a bully. Except..

"Relax, I'm playing with you!" suddenly the smile on Dawn's face was wide and genuine "I'm easing you into the ball breaking humour we all love around here. Trust me, I'm a pussycat compared to most of my colleagues"

"No, you were right though" Joey told her with a relieved smile "The Danbury Gazette to The Washington Post is a heck of a leap. And I did get more than my fair share of cat exclusives in my old job"

"If you are here, you are here on merit, and as your partner I'll always have your back. I actually have a good feeling we're going to have a lot of fun working together"

Okay, so here was yet another woman Joey found himself instantly crushing on, despite the obvious impracticalities any hint of a relationship with her would cause. What was with that lately?

Before he had time to get to know Dawn any further, Joey looked up to see that a very familiar face had entered the office. Kayleigh was here.