But hope springs eternal because even though I’m crystal clear about the fact that I don’t do relationships, still the women try. They hope to change me, to turn me into the marrying kind. They don’t love me. They don’t even care about me. They just see green, and they want that green for themselves. Women sleep with me in hopes that we’ll get married and they’ll get my money. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of these women were already planning our divorce a couple years down the line.
So yeah, to each their own. I’m not offended by their rapacious ways. It just is. Maybe because I was thrown from family to family as a kid, I lost that longing for a family. I’ve never wanted to have a wife and kids. Play dates, soccer games, school plays, parent-teacher conferences. None of that was me.
But maybe it could be?
For the first time in my life, I think I could do the family thing. I could be a dad and have a wife to kiss every night when I get home from a long day at the office.
And all because of one woman I’ve known for less than twenty-four hours? What the hell? This is delusional for sure, and yet I can’t help how I feel.
I knew it the second Elisa walked into my office and took my breath away. It was even clearer when we were having sex on my desk. And when she left my office, it felt like there was something missing in my heart. Elisa is the woman who could change it for me.
The thought freaks me out because I don’t know the first thing about being in a relationship. Elisa was a virgin when we had sex earlier, so she’s probably not an expert either. Would I even be good at it? I know I’m good at the sex part. It’s the rest I need to work on.
I sigh and find the TV remote from the coffee table. I flip on whatever channel I last watched, but I’m not all that interested.
I need to get my mind off Elisa before I make any major life decisions. I don’t even know how she feels about me, let alone how to interpret my own feelings. I’ll be seeing her again next week, so I have a few days to get my mind in order.
Until then, I mindlessly watch TV, but my head’s not in it. Instead, I’m remembering those sweet curves and that generous smile … and counting down the minutes until we meet again.
6
Elisa
Thursday takes forever to arrive. Darla’s back in the city from her West Coast conference, and she wants to meet today so that we can go over my contract and make a final decision on whether we’re going to sign it.
“Hi,” I say when I see her. My tiny, redheaded superstar of an agent takes the seat across from me at our favorite New York City café. This is where I signed her agency contract, where we spent hours going over my manuscript, and it’s the perfect place to finally sign a publishing contract. If that’s what we decide to do.
“How are you, Elisa? How are you feeling?”
I play with my hands nervously. “Anxious,” I admit. “It all feels so real. Being a published author has been my dream since I started writing princess stories in second grade. And now… I’m almost there.”
Darla beams at me. Having an agent like her has been amazing. I had a few offers when I was starting out, but Darla’s personality and her friendliness won me over. She’s an amazing businessperson and an amazing person. We work together perfectly, and I adore her.
“How did the meeting go last week?”
I blush, but I don’t think Darla notices. There’s no way I can tell her I slept with the CEO. She would probably take the contract and destroy it. She certainly wouldn’t let me go to Robert’s office tomorrow.
“It went well,” I lie glibly. “Pattie and the CEO, Robert, they’re both really passionate about the project. They want to publish my book. Robert even said that there wouldn’t be a lot of edits for me to do.”
“That’s great, Elisa. It sounds like we’ve found the perfect place.”
“I think we have.”
“Well, let’s not beat around the bush then.” Darla pulls a stack of paper from her briefcase and lays it on the table in front of us. “This is an incredible contract. We’d be crazy not to sign it.”
My heart pounds so hard I’m sure it’s trying to fight its way out of my chest. “What?”
Darla puts her hand over mine. “I negotiated some better terms. Different rights agreements and more percentage points on royalties. This contract is one of the best I’ve ever seen. Cameron Publishing wants you and we should want them back.”