Cover Girl

Bella put her palms up. “So, you want I should fix you up?”

“I wouldn’t mind meeting her. You know, see if there’s any chemistry beyond the initial attraction. Since, you know, you think I might be her type.”

“Hmmm, let me get this straight. You want me to play Jewish mother with a woman you can’t meet because she has to think you’re a woman despite the fact that the qualities of the male character in your book are basically yours and those she has conveyed to me that are necessary in her dream guy. Please explain how I am supposed to make this happen.”

“Yeah, I guess that might be a problem. This sounds like a romance novel in itself.”

“So, you want a date with the redhead, figure out a plot twist.”

Keira looked at the clock, saw it was ten minutes till six and hoped her publisher hadn’t left for the day. She dialed the extension and drummed her fingers on the desk while it rang.

“Keira, I was just about to leave—”

“Jill, hang for sixty seconds. I’ll be right there.”

“This important?”

“Extremely.”

“Okay, but hurry. I’ve got a dinner date.”

Keira hung up and bolted out of her office, dashed down the long hallway that led to the corner office occupied by the publisher. The door was already open and she saw Jill Howland looking at the skyline. “Thanks for staying,” she said, out of breath.

The forty-year-old publisher turned to face her as Keira leaned over and rested her hands on her knees. “Sweetie, you gotta get out of your office and work on your cardio.”

“Later. Anyway, I found her.”

“Found who?”

She stood up straight. “The next Rose Fontaine.”

Jill’s eyes widened and she plopped down into the chair behind her desk. “Seriously?”

“Bella Farentino sent the book over this morning. We’ve got an exclusive for four days, but you’ll want to pre-empt this. It’s incredible. I spent the entire day reading it. Didn’t even go to lunch.”

“You didn’t have lunch?”

“Okay, I demolished that box of chocolates you gave me.”

“Ah, your sweet tooth rears its ugly head.”

“Anyway, I just emailed the manuscript to you. It’s called Ring Girl. Debut author named Alex Bauer. Seriously, Jill, you need to stay up all night if you have to and read it. You’ll need a cold shower when you’re done.”

“That steamy?”

“That’s the amazing part. There are no sex scenes. It’s a sweet romance but an incredible turn-on. The hero is off the charts. He’s everything women want in a guy, and more. And the chemistry between him and the heroine is smoking hot. Plus, just like Rose’s books, it has an ending no one will ever see coming.”

Jill studied her face and slowly nodded. “First time I’ve seen you smile since…”

Keira bit her lower lip for a moment as her eyes welled up a bit. “Yeah, I know. But even Rose would admit this writer has an amazing voice. And the book has a really clever plot, just like her books did. Look, Bella gave us four days and I trust her, but I want to lock this up as soon as possible just in case this rookie author goes rogue and does something crazy like switch agents and hire an uncle. I want to present our best offer first thing in the morning.”

“You’re that sure?”

“Gretch read it too and she was all flushed like she usually looks after a Chippendales show. She just left for the bar downstairs to find the nearest breathing male she could ravish.”

“And… how does the good Catholic girl know how Gretch looks after a Chippendales show?” Jill raised one perfectly plucked eyebrow. “Hmmm?”

Keira blushed. “I, uh, ran into her one Saturday night when she was leaving the club. I happened to be out for a walk. On, you know, my way to confession.”

“Uh-huh.” Jill chuckled a bit. “Okay, I’ll read it tonight, but let me make a call first.”

“Jill, please don’t call the CEO. You know he’s a cheap bean-counting sonofabitch and doesn’t understand romance.”

“I wasn’t calling him. I’m breaking my dinner date.”

Chapter 4 (#ulink_bd2c968a-c579-54bb-8f92-08b42e7403b9)

Jill handed Keira a contract and a check. “You think this is enough?”

Keira looked at it and smiled. “Yeah. No debut author is gonna turn down this amount of money and a three-book deal. Bella would never let that happen.” But one worry still ran through her mind. “You clear this with the CEO?”

“Nope. Thankfully he’s on vacation on a cruise ship the rest of the week and for whatever reason I was unable to reach him.” She shrugged as she flashed a wicked grin. “Those satellite phones are so damn unreliable. And, you know, since I’m in charge when he’s out of pocket…”

“This is exactly why I love working for you. He thinks there’s still a glass ceiling in this place and has no idea we broke it and installed a trick circus mirror.”

Jill’s face tightened. “Stop. The thought of him looking even fatter than he is will kill my appetite for the whole day.” She sat opposite Keira. “Well, when this book hits he won’t have a problem. You’re right, it’s incredible. So what time does Bella get in?”

“Nine. I already emailed her and told her I would have an offer at nine-oh-one.”

“Okay. Let me know how it goes. And look, if you need to sweeten the pot a bit, go ahead. You can go twenty percent more if you have to. More than that, call me.”

Alex Bauer looked at the grandfather clock in Bella’s office. The pendulum seemed to be swinging in slow motion.

Bella shook her head. “Will you stop checking the time? Trust me, when Keira says she’ll have an offer at one minute past nine, she’s not kidding. She’s as much a deadline nut as you TV people are. And by the way, don’t ever miss a deadline with her.”

“Never missed one in TV. Not about to start doing it now.”

“Good. Now please try to relax. Your life is about to change in an amazing way when that phone rings in two minutes.”

Alex released his white-knuckle death grip on the arms of the chair opposite Bella’s desk. “Sorry. I’ve been waiting a long time for this.”

“Trust me, I’ve seen that look before. And you can actually hear it over the phone if the sale isn’t done in person. Making the call is the best part of my job.”

“I can imagine. I’m sure it’s like playing God.”

“In some ways. I mean, I have helped change lives in a big way. But it’s still the author who has to put the words down on paper. Without the unique voice to sell, I’ve got nothing.”

“Can I ask you something?”