Key. Chapter Eleven: On a Thumb Drive

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Chapter Eleven: On a Thumb Drive

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The next morning, I woke up with Jasper to make him breakfast before he went to work. He looked better than he did the day before. We had gone to bed early after I wore him out. He fell asleep within moments of his head touching the pillow. 

After his spanking, I had him take a hot shower then rubbed him down from head to toe in a massage that made him melt into the mattress. Then he showed me how much he worshiped me. For hours.

I sat on his lap again when we ate, but this time he fed me as we read the paper together. His glasses were perched on the end of his nose. After straightening his tie, I kissed him goodbye at the door. I was still in my underwear and camisole, looking like an insane sleepy mess next to his perfectly pressed suit. 

Jasper smiled when he pecked my lips. “I love you, darlin. I’ll see you tonight.”

“I love you, too. Call me today if you need me. Even if you just want to talk for a few minutes. I’ll be here for you. I promise. No matter what,” I told him as I held onto the lapels of his blazer.

“I know. Thank you,” he promised, kissing me once more.

Once he left, I cleaned up and worked on editing for a little while. I figured it was too early to call the agent. By ten, I decided it was late enough he would be in his office. I knew if I put it off anymore, I would wait another day. I was too nervous.

Sitting on the bed cross-legged with the computer in front of me, I stared at his card as the phone rang twice. He answered before the third. “Hello?”

“Hi, Mr. Yorkie. This is Bella Swan.”

“Yes!” He said excitedly. “Yes, Ms. Swan. Thank you for calling me. What can I do for you today?” I could hear a lot of noise in the background, but I wasn’t sure what it was.

I swallowed back my nerves. “I’d like to sign.”

“YES!” He shouted into the phone, surprising me. “YES! That is FUCKING AWESOME! YEAH!”

Laughing, I covered my mouth. “Oh, wow.”

“Sorry. Oops. Excuse me. I’m sorry,” he mumbled, but it wasn’t to me. He cleared his throat hastily. “That is such amazing news! I am so glad to hear that! When would you like to do that? I want to get the ball rolling as soon as possible.”

“Well, I’m in Albany right now-” I began.

“Oh, that’s not too far at all! Nice. Are you free today?” He inquired in a rush. “I can come to you. Dinner?”

“Um,” I drew out softly. Once again, I swallowed. There wasn’t any reason not to. “Yeah, I haven’t any plans. Would it be alright if my boyfriend joined us?” I asked right away. Even though I wasn’t sure when we were meeting or when he would get off. But I wanted Jasper there if possible. I needed him.

“Absolutely,” he promised. Eric was so pleased, his voice bubbly and energetic like a teenager. “This is great. You’ve made my day, Ms. Swan. Let me make some arrangements, and I’ll have my secretary call you back with some info. Is that good?”

“That works.”

Mr. Yorkie chuckled pleasantly. “Awesome! Okay. I’ll see you tonight!”

After we finished, I stared at the red end key as it flashed on the screen. My heart was beating a million miles an hour. That wasn’t what I had anticipated from the interaction. I expected it to be pleasant, sure. But he was sincerely thrilled. I didn’t know how to take it. It was weird.

I texted Jasper and asked him to call me when he went on his lunch break and had a few minutes to talk. I promised it wasn’t an emergency and only to do it when he was free. It was only two hours later when he did. The publisher’s secretary had made reservations for seven at a fancy place called 667 Prime. I had already nervously pulled out all of my clothes and thought about how I wanted to do my hair and makeup.

“Hey, what’s up?” He whispered.

“I’m sorry to bother you-”

“No,” he promptly stopped me. “If I can’t do that, neither can you.”

Smiling to myself, I picked at the blanket. He was right. “Okay. Um, so I talked to the agent, and he’d like to have dinner with us tonight. Well, with me. I want you to come if you can.”

“What time is it?” He questioned. “I can’t promise anything.” Jasper already sounded bothered that he might not. I understood, though.

“I know. If you can’t, it’s alright. It’s at seven.”

“Oh,” he hummed, thinking about it for a minute. “I could meet you there, probably. Would that be okay?”

“That’s perfect!” I promised, grinning as I felt relief wash over me. “Thank you. I just… I want you there with me.”

“You don’t have to thank me. There is no other place I’d want to be.”

Pausing, I pulled in a deep breath through my lips. It sounded shaky to me. “I’m about to be published. By a real- They’re going to give me money for my story.”

My boyfriend chuckled. “Yes, they are, darlin. I am so proud of you.”

“Thank you for believing in me.”

“Thank you for being my favorite author,” he answered teasingly. “Don’t worry. This is a good thing.”

I realized I didn’t know how to appear professional. I looked at every outfit I brought with me while frowning. Finally, I settled on a boring pencil skirt and a white button-down shirt. I spent way too much time messing with my hair and doing my makeup. I was more apprehensive about it than the first meeting with him.

Mr. Yorkie was waiting for me out front when I arrived. Beaming, he took my hand. “Hello, Ms. Swan! I’m so delighted. I think this is the start of a spectacular business relationship.”

“I hope so,” I uttered softly.

“Is your boyfriend joining us?” He questioned, looking behind me.

“He’s meeting us here. We can start without him,” I replied, taking a deep breath. It was hard to keep my voice from quivering.

“Ah, perfect! We can get the work out of the way quickly then get to the celebration when he arrives,” he remarked charmingly, pointing to the door.

When we got inside, he removed my coat for me. It was the one Jasper had gotten me when I came for New Year’s. Albany’s weather seemed to be bipolar in the late winter and early spring, and it was coming in handy. It had been in the sixties during the day, but it had already dropped into the thirties after sunset.

“You look lovely this evening,” he complimented, giving mine and his to the coat check. He chuckled. “I have to tell you how much easier it is to market a writer when they’re attractive. Sometimes these authors are trolls who rarely leave their cave.” He shook his head and raised his eyebrows. “But you? Well-spoken. Charming. More than easy on the eyes. They will eat you up in interviews.”

I coughed in surprise, looking at him with my mouth hanging open. My face was bright red. “Oh, really?”

He realized what he said and grimaced. “I’m sorry, that came out- I mean, you are gorgeous and-” Eric stopped, shaking his head again. “I am making this worse. I’m not coming onto you,” he laughed awkwardly. “I’m just so giddy. This feels like a big step towards something incredible.”

“You shouldn’t pump me up so much. What if it flops, and we’re both disappointed?” I asked as we waited for our table. The hostess motioned for us to follow her. He pulled my chair out for me before he sat.

Eric laughed, shaking his head. “A flop? Are you kidding me? This is a marketing dream. The timing is perfect. We can get your book out just as they’re starting the trial, which is free advertising. Everyone will read the murder mystery from the author who solved a real-life one. We’ll make money on pre-orders alone. Don’t you worry, honey.”

The server was standing by the table, waiting for us. 

He ordered a bottle of champagne right away. “We’ll need that in a minute,” he remarked as he pulled a thick stack of papers from his leather briefcase and sat them down in front of me. “This is just what I gave you the other day. This is the rights to your novel, The Rabbit in the Snow, for an advance of twenty-five thousand. This page explains your royalties. Did you have questions for me?”

I shook my head. He grinned as he handed me a pen, pointing at a line at the bottom. I quickly gave him my signature. As I looked up from doing so, I noticed Jasper walked into the room. Our eyes locked, and we both smiled. I slid the paper over to the publisher. Standing from my chair, I went to greet my boyfriend with a kiss. He promptly came to me and pulled me to his chest. His big hand rested on the small of my back as our lips pressed chastely together. 

Surprised, my agent quickly stood, too. “Oh, well! Hello! That was quicker than expected. I still had more business I wanted to discuss,” he stated. “I’m Eric Yorkie,” he introduced himself politely.

My man offered his hand. “I won’t keep you from it.” They shook briefly. “Dr. Jasper Hale.”

“Yes, Dr. Hale! I’ve been reading about your career recently. Your record is incredible,” he praised, making him a little uncomfortable.

We all sat, and I took his hand underneath the table. “It’s only because I’ve been lucky enough to work with a great team,” he deflected the compliment. “I’m simply a player in a much bigger game.”

“A very skilled one! I’d love a book from your point of view of the story, but I realize the Feds won’t let you talk about any of that.”

Jasper cleared his throat. “Correct. We can’t discuss ongoing investigations.”

“Maybe after the trial.” Grinning, he leaned forward a little. “Imagine your narrative written by Bella. But I’m getting way ahead of myself here.” The champagne came to the table, and the waiter hurried to pour our glasses. “Anyway, what I wished to discuss with you is your next book. I’ve admittedly only read one, but I wanted to see if you knew which you’d like to publish next. If this goes well, I’d like to sign you for at least three more, and I want to know what to read first.”

I glanced at Jasper, my eyes wide. I was lost, and he could see it. He squeezed my hand under the table, his thumb running over my knuckles. “I think you’ll have to narrow it down a tad, Mr. Yorkie. Bella has dozens of wonderful novels and stories, and I don’t think she knows where to start.”

Laughing, I looked away. “He’s right.”

“Have you read all of her work?” Eric questioned, narrowing his eyes on him some.

“He’s read every single thing I’ve ever done. Things that no one else has.”

“And I’ve read it at least three times each.” Jasper adjusted in his seat, fidgeting with his tie shyly. “I was an obsessed fan before she allowed me the honor of being her partner.”

“What do you think her next book should be?”

He didn’t hesitate. “Well, it doesn’t have a name yet. But I’d say my Christmas present needs to be. It’s even better than Rabbit, and it’s my new favorite. So, that’s saying something. It’s a thriller, too. We’ve just been calling it ‘the cop’s story.’ But other than that, I’d say really look into her young adult novels. They’re exceptionally charming. I’m sure that’s where the real money is at.”

I didn’t know all the ways I would thank Jasper when we got back to the apartment, but I knew they would be numerous and fun. I was so in love with him. This was precisely why I wanted him by my side for this.

“Oh!” Eric said in surprise. “I didn’t know about the young adult novels. Is there any way I can get a list of them and maybe access to this new thriller?”

Taking a thumb drive out of my purse, I handed it to my new publisher and agent. “This is every novel and story I’ve ever written. It’s in chronological order of when I wrote them. The unnamed one is at the top.” Excluding pornographic ones. But I wouldn’t bring those up. If he found them and wanted to talk about them, we would. There was no way I was plunging into that conversation first.

He looked as if I was handing him something magical. “Thanks! Perfect!”

Jasper peered at me with a smirk. “I want one of those.”

“You don’t already have it saved?” I inquired jokingly.

“Yes, but probably not all neat and orderly like you do, though! You make me feel disorganized in comparison.” He playfully winked at me.

Chuckling at our exchange, Eric lifted his glass of champagne finally and smiled. “So, shall we toast?” I picked up my flute. “May there be many future best-sellers on that flash drive.”

“There are.” My boyfriend brought his drink up and clinked it to mine first. His eyes didn’t leave mine. “Cheers.”

After dinner, Eric drove away first. He had used the valet. Jasper and I walked to his rental car in the parking lot silently. I leaned against it, covering my face as I laughed. He did too, putting his hands on my shoulder. “This is happening,” I blurted out. “Holy shit!”

He put his forehead on mine. “Yes, it is.”

“How are you?” I asked as I looked up at him. The whole evening had been focused around me, and I hadn’t been able to ask.

His palms slipped down my arms, and he held my fingers. “I’m fine. Today was easier. My ass hurts a little, but other than that.”

Giggling, I kissed his lips. He smiled in return, and it was brilliant. Jasper opened the door for me, and I slid inside. My head felt light, and honestly, I was dizzy. I had to catch my breath. He didn’t get in right away but got something from the trunk first.

When he sat beside me, he had several things in his hands. First, he passed me a large bouquet of red roses dotted with white baby’s breath. Next, he pulled out a nice bottle of champagne from a stiff brown paper bag. It was cold from just being in the car. Finally, he took out a pink box. My boyfriend handed it to me with a tiny grin. 

“What’s this?”

“Open it,” he chuckled. I did so, biting my lip. It was a small chocolate cake meant for maybe two or three. It was elegantly decorated with dark chocolate curls and piles of whipped buttercream. “I figured you might need some of your favorite form of aftercare. It’s been a wild couple of days.”

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Thanks to Gina for proofreading this chapter!

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