The Publicist (15 page)

“You like Janet, don’t you?”

“I do, she’s so old school, charming, always happy with whatever press I can get her, which of late hasn’t been too much, unfortunately.” Kate thought about the other authors, the ones writing the racy, hot sex scenes with half-naked men on the cover. Janet’s books often had flowers and quaint homes. Kate wondered how long Janet would be able to keep her following. It seemed everyone wanted romance novels with a highly erotic thread. Or, in the case of
Shades of Grey
, housewives living out fantasies of being tied up.

“Publishing is a helluva a business, Kate, and MD doesn’t make it any easier. I’m sure they don’t pay you what you’re worth and they sure as hell don’t appreciate you. It took, what, seven years for you to get a star title? Insane.” Allan sipped his tea; this was her best chance to bring up the agreement.

“Speaking of MD,” Kate hesitated, her mouth felt dry, this was going to kill Allan, she was sure of it, “that’s part of the reason why I’m here. Edward wants to let you out of your contract with them.”

Allan snorted, “You mean that philandering mess of a CEO finally figured out how to get rid of me? I was wondering how long it would take him to find the loophole.”

Kate was startled, “Wait, you knew that there was a way out of the contract?”

Allan laughed, “You bet I did. My former lawyer was a lot of things, but dumb wasn’t one of them. He pointed that out to me years ago.”

“So…why didn’t you tell MD that? I mean, if you really wanted out….”

“Because I wanted to fuck with Ed,” Allan winked at her, “I’ve known all along how to get out of that contract.”

“Allan, I’m confused. You always said it was a tether, like an albatross, something you didn’t want…”

“I didn’t want it, but I wanted to jack with Ed more. I can’t stand that bastard.” He smiled when he said it. Checkmate Allan. He’d kept Edward in the dark and strung him along for years with an unwritten book.

Allan leaned forward, “Look, Katie, years ago when they drew up that contract, my lawyer wanted to be sure that if MD ended up being a piece of shit publisher that I’d have a way out. A way to freedom if I wrote a second book and wanted to find a better home for it, that’s all.”

“So, this doesn’t bother you, then?” Kate asked, still surprised by Allan’s revelation. She wondered now what other secrets about MD, or his relationship with Edward, he might be keeping.

Allan thought for a moment, “I guess it does, but not in the way you think. I sort of always thought I’d get inspired to write a second book, but nothing ever came to me so I didn’t.” He sipped his tea, “There were parts of being an author I loved. Seeing your book in a bookstore, and if you were lucky in the window. Walking by Barnes & Noble on Fifth and signing a few copies. Did I tell you they still carry
The Fall
?”

Kate wasn’t sure how to respond, but somehow she didn’t believe Allan. If Kate knew nothing else, she knew an author’s heart. There were few authors that only had one book in them; most of them had at least two, maybe even more. Some, like Janet, had dozens. Kate knew in her heart that Allan was disappointed, maybe even more than she realized. But he was showing a brave face for whatever reason. Probably because he couldn’t stand the thought of anyone’s pity.

“So, where is the contract, let’s make Eddie’s day, shall we?” Kate reached for the envelope and slid it across the table. Allan opened it, grabbed a pen and signed it.

“Aren’t you going to read it?”

He shook his head, “No need. It’s clear cut. Eddie doesn’t want anything to do with me and the feeling is mutual. They can’t touch
The Fall
, that’s still my baby and will be till the day I die.” Allan folded the paperwork and slipped it back in the envelope.

“So, Katie, I got a new computer that I’d love to show you. Come with me.” Kate followed Allan into his office, still puzzled by what had just happened. She followed Allan down the hall, there in his office, was a shiny new Mac.

“Nicholas actually had it delivered to me, as a Christmas present.” He smiled, pointing to the laptop. “He seemed to think it would inspire me to write. I’m just hoping I can still play Solitaire on this damned thing.”

Kate let out a small laugh, it was so like Allan. He needed so little to make him happy. They were interrupted by a knock at the door.

“Nicholas is here!” Allan seemed ecstatic; he slipped out of the office, Kate behind him, and opened his front door.

Nicholas stood as tall, handsome, and tan as Kate would have expected a California boy to be. He flashed a brilliant white smile and sported sandy blond wavy hair. He was dressed in jeans and a pale blue shirt, but he looked like he’d just come from the beach. His jacket was too light for this weather; no doubt Allan would supply him with one.

“Uncle! So great to see you. Man it’s cold in the city!” Nicholas hugged Allan and the two stood in the doorway. Kate stepped back to give them a moment, but Nicholas caught her out of the corner of his eye.

“Uncle Allan, is this Kate, the one you’re always telling me about?” He stepped inside and past his uncle. Nicholas reached to shake her hand, “We finally meet.” A brilliant white smile almost overtook his face. Kate thought he could be a model with his perfect tan and chiseled featured. He looked almost god-like.

Kate took his hand, “Nice to meet you, Nicholas.”

“Please, only my uncle stands on formality. I prefer Nick.”

“Nicholas was your father’s name, my dearly departed brother. I have always loved that name.”

Nick rested a hand on his shoulder, “I know you have, Uncle and you may call me anything you like.” Nick gave Allan a soft kiss on the cheek. Allan seemed to glow.

“Allan,” she said after Nick wheeled his suitcase inside, “I should go; I have some things I need to take care of.”

“I’m sorry you won’t be staying,” Nick smiled; there it was again, that blinding flash. She’d need a pair of sunglasses if she was going to spend more time with this guy.

“Well, she’ll be back for Christmas,” Allan smiled, “thanks for dropping by, my Katie darling, it’s always good to see you.”

Kate hugged Allan hard. She still felt sad about what had just happened. Allan was no longer an MD author. His career was over, yet oddly he didn’t seem to mind. Though Kate was certain he did.

.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

When Kate arrived at Mac’s apartment, he was preparing a basket. He kissed her when she walked in, “How did it go?”

Kate took a deep breath, “It was okay, actually. He didn’t seem to mind. What are you doing?”

“Packing us a picnic basket.”

“It’s twenty-eight degrees out, Mac, where are we going to picnic?” Kate started taking off her coat.

“Leave that on, we’re not staying. Trust me.” Mac swept her out of his apartment, into the elevator and off for another adventure.

Kate had never known a man with so many mysterious ideas.

Mac hailed a cab and they rode for about twenty minutes. The car stopped.

“We’re here.” Mac pointed to the building in front of them.

“Mac, this building is still under construction,” She knew the building well; it promised to be a magnificent structure when it was done.

Tall glass walls with sweeping views of the bay and Battery Park “I know, a friend of mine designed it and he said that if I have a chance, I shouldn’t miss seeing the view from the twenty-seventh floor. I thought you might enjoy that, too.” Mac opened the door to the yet-to-finished structure.

Kate had actually been dying to see the building, most everyone had. The design was something that rivaled even the new
New York Times
building. Sleek with clean lines and lots and lots of glass. The designer, Arthur VanSassen, was well known for his love of what he called, “transparent art.” To him, all buildings were art. Some, of course, better art than others.

“I didn’t know you knew VanSassen.”

Mac let out a low whistle, “Wow, Katie, you know your architects.”

She smiled, “I used to date one. Insane control freaks that spend much of their day trying to make up for their raging insecurities by building things.” She paused as she stepped into the worker elevator, “But I’m sure your friend is nice.” She smiled sweetly.

Mac threw his head back and laughed, when he laughed his entire body joined in on the emotion. It was one of Kate’s favorite things about Mac, one of many.

“Don’t worry, you don’t offend me. I don’t know him that well, to be honest. But he sure does know how to cobble together a great design.”

The elevator lurched up twenty-seven floors. Kate felt slightly uneasy being in such a rickety thing, but assumed that if the workers were fine with it, it should be safe. And she was with Mac; she knew he wouldn’t let anything happen to her.

Mac held the basket of food in one hand and with the other he took ahold of hers, sensing her uneasiness, “We’re almost there,” he said in a low, sexy voice that made her want to undress.

The doors opened to a large room. The floors were in, but dusty and covered with papers and other debris. The room was huge; Kate assumed it would someday be a conference room. Mac walked over to the window and looked down, “Look at this, Katie, the whole world is down there.”

Kate walked up behind him; there was indeed a world beneath them. Pedestrians scurrying around and the park, wide and white in front of them. She remembered the night she kissed Mac somewhere amidst the trees down below. Had it only been a few days?

“I figured it would be nice, since we had our first date in that park.”

“It wasn’t a date, Mac, it was our company party.” Kate smiled and rested a hand on his firm chest.

“Ok, so not a date, but a great kiss….” Mac leaned down and kissed her, softly. He smiled as he pulled back, “That was a re-creation.”

Kate giggled. She felt giddy whenever she was around him. She hated girls like that. The giddy ones who laughed all the time and who thought their men were the funniest beings on the planet. Kate thought they were entirely unrealistic. No one person could be perfect, could they?

Now she was becoming one of them. She felt as though she crossed over to the place where everything out of his mouth was either brilliant, sexy, or made her laugh.

Giddy. She was becoming giddy.

Giddy and falling in love.

Welcome to Day Three of her affair with Mac.

.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

After they finished lunch and a bottle of crisp, white Sauvignon Blanc, they set off to walk the city, which was one of Kate’s most favorite things to do.

“Every time you turn a corner in New York, it’s like a whole different village,” she told Mac as they stepped through the city. “I can’t imagine living anywhere else.” They walked for hours, through lower Manhattan, Wall Street, and past the World Trade Center renovations, which were ongoing. They talked the entire time, sharing their childhood, their favorite movies and past times, though Mac carefully skirted any topic that would involve his wife.

“It’s getting late,” Kate hesitated, she didn’t want the day to end but he wasn’t her boyfriend, this wasn’t a weekend thing, it was an affair and she was still trying to figure out the rules.

“Are you hungry?” Mac asked.

“Very.”

“Let’s go grab dinner then, there’s a place I love called Extra Virgin. Fabulous food, sound good?”

“Funny name for a restaurant, but so like you.” Kate threw him a teasing smile, “But it sounds great.”

Located in west Village, Extra Virgin was small and quaint, as most restaurants in the Village were. When they arrived, the restaurant was teeming with patrons, it was warm and dim inside and the hum of voices and smell of food made Kate wonder why she hadn’t been there before. Probably because she worked so much. Normally a Saturday found Kate running errands and catching up on email. Today was a decadent treat, spent with one of the most delicious men she’d ever known.

“Would you like to wait at the bar for a table?” the hostess smiled.

“Sure.” Mac said, “Kate, you okay with that?”

“Absolutely.” Kate spotted two open barstools and grabbed them. Mac settled in beside her.

After Mac ordered drinks, Kate smiled and said: “Today was great, Mac.”

“It still is.” Mac’s voice was so low she could hardly hear him.

“Well, it’s almost over.”

She felt Mac’s hand brush her thigh, in an almost auto response her legs warmed under his touch and she could feel a wetness inside her.

“It doesn’t have to be.” Mac turned to the bartender, who set their drinks down.

“I have to go home tonight, Mac.”

“Why? To feed your cat?”

“I don’t have a cat.”

“Perfect, then it’s settled. We’ll head back to the apartment, yes?”

Kate sipped her Cosmo, “I don’t know if that’s a good idea, Mac. I mean, it’s…shouldn’t we be careful?”

“Careful of what? No one will see us making love, I promise.” Mac’s voice was understandably low.

Kate smiled, “You know what I mean. I can’t get used to this; we’ve been together two nights in a row.”

Mac was confused, “So? Wasn’t it great?”

Kate thought back to the night before, Mac’s mouth all over her. His tongue licking her in places that drove her wild. For a moment she thought she might slip off of her bar stool. Kate steadied herself. She had no control when it came to this man. She needed to fix that.

“Let’s just have dinner, Mac, and then see what we feel like doing. I just don’t want to get used to this, to you.”

Mac leaned into her, his voice steady but still low. She could feel his breath on her cheek: “What are you afraid of, Katie? Are you afraid you might actually like this? Are you afraid of finding something more important to you than your work?”