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“Tell me, what inspired the book?” I continue like nothing’s wrong. “The rich atmosphere of the small town, the family dynamics, the raw emotion. There has to be a story behind the story.”
She smiles sweetly. “Well, I grew up in a town just like Smithville.”
I raise my brow. “I thought you were from the city?”
“I’m from about thirty minutes north of the city, but it’s easier to say I’m from NYC,” she says with a gentle laugh. “I went to school here, anyways, so I guess I just got used to saying it after four years.”
“I see.”
She continues to smile nervously at me. I’m tempted to jump over my desk and kiss those beautiful lips.
“So I drew a lot of inspiration from my hometown, though we don’t have unsolved murders and my dad isn’t a serial killer. The human relationships and dynamics are real, but the plot is all me.”
I can see that in the writing. I’m surprised I didn’t pick up on it before. Only someone from a small town could nail small town life so well.
“Your book is incredible, Elisa.”
She beams. “It means so much to hear you say that.”
“Do you think you’ll sign the contract? No pressure, of course. And you’re not legally bound by anything you say in here.”
She blushes again, biting her lip.
“I hope so. My agent is looking it over and requesting changes. We’re going to discuss it when she’s back in town next week, and I’ll have an answer for you.”
Elisa shifts in her seat, causing her dress to ride down just a bit further. The mounds of her breasts threaten to pop out of the tight bodice of her dress. I lick my lips and quickly tear my eyes away from the delicious sight.
She catches my eyes as they fight to meet hers again. I avert mine when I see her gentle smile. Does this woman know what she’s doing to me? Normally, I’d say yes, but in this case, she’s so innocent. It’s possible Elisa has no idea.
“Tell your agent we’re willing to make any reasonable changes to the contract if it means we can get to work on this project.”
Elisa smiles. “I’ll let Darla know.”
“Do you have any questions for me?”
She thinks for a second. “Well, I was wondering what the process is if I decide to sign the contract. What comes next? What should I expect?”
“Those are questions I can answer,” I say. I shift into my professional persona as much as I can with a raging hard on. “After you’ve signed the contract, we’ll send your agent a check for the first half of the advance. Then we’ll send you some preliminary edits. Based on the draft I read, the edits won’t be substantial. Pattie will be your contact for those. Once you turn them in, we’ll do another round of edits if necessary. If not, you’ll get the second half of the advance when you turn in your final draft. If there are more edits, you’ll get the rest of the advance once the final is turned in. And then there’s a bunch of backend stuff we can go over when the time comes. Cover design, packaging, line edits. Traditional publishing is a long road. If you sign that contract, you’re stuck with us for a while. But you’ll like it, I promise.”
The pretty brunette smiles. “I think I would be really happy to be stuck with you for a while.” Elisa blushes. “All of you,” she stammers. “All of Cameron Publishing. You seem like a great group of people.”
I smirk, drawling, “I only hire the best.”
Our conversation is coming to an end, but I don’t want her to leave. But as long as she’s in this office, I’m never going to get my cock to deflate.
So I finish the conversation smoothly, the way I always have.
“It was nice to meet you, Elisa,” I drawl, walking around the desk. My cock still strains against my dress pants, but I’m counting on Elisa being better than I am. I may not be able to keep my eyes off her breasts, but she can keep her eyes off my groin. Hopefully.
Elisa stands as well, holding out her hand for another shake. I take her hand in mine, grasping firmly. Her small hand is warm against my palm.
And shit, but sparks fly. I can feel it. There’s electricity in the room as our eyes meet, our hands touching one another. She gasps slightly, cheeks flushing as those big breasts heave. My erection wants out of my pants, and I want inside this woman. I can’t deny my instant attraction to her. I had hoped to get her out of the office before I made any stupid decisions, but I’m well beyond that point now.
So like a bastard, I yank Elisa to me, causing her to topple into my broad form. She steadies herself on her tall heels using my muscled chest as her anchor.
