Book Bitch (3 page)

Gail
nodded. “I’ll read it tonight.” Gail put the manuscript on the edge of the table before turning toward Rebecca. Getting a manuscript read by someone like Gail Cranston was next to impossible. That she promised to read it that week was like handing an English-speaking space alien to a group of nerdy scientists. “Now that the business is done, on to more important things. Are you attending the fundraiser at the Waldorf?”

“Of course. You?”

“Yes.”

From there, the woman discussed what they were wearing. Once the conversation shifted to couture, I was lost.

Upon leaving Gail’s office, we hopped a cab to meet with Preston Price for lunch. His latest mystery novel had been on the New York Times Best Seller list for seventy-two weeks. Rebecca was in charge of all seven of his novels. He came to her after his second one flopped using Donovan Richards’ agency. Rebecca took him on mostly because Donovan dropped him. She wanted to prove that Donovan’s company was incompetent. Once she catapulted Price’s career into the world spotlight, Price shifted agent control exclusively to her and vowed his loyalty to her forever. It was a decision Rebecca was very proud of, even if she thought Price was overly dramatic, both in person and in his literature.

“Preston, how are you?”
Rebecca extended her cheek for him to kiss.

“Fine, fine. You look wonderful,” the pretentious Price remarked. His slick, black hair had enough gel in it to grease a newspaper press
, and his clothing reeked of the money he made courtesy of Rebecca. A pompous attitude lingered in the air around him. Before this meeting, I liked his work somewhat. Now that I saw what was behind the name, I decided I didn’t care for him as much.

Rebecca
played the game with him. “Preston, this is my protégé, Alex Ryan.” We shook hands.

“How exciting,
Rebecca. A protégé. Does this mean you’re finally sharing your secrets to success? And he’s so delicious. Are you single, dear?” he asked.

I wasn’t sure if I should answer that.

Rebecca giggled. “Alex is quite a fantastic agent in his own right, Preston. But you know, there’s always more an agent can learn in order to serve his or her client best.”

Oh, she was good. Now I know why so many of her clients fell into her lap.

The waiter came and took our order. The lack of prices on the menu suggested that I’d need a raise if I were to treat clients in this restaurant in the future. Rebecca and Preston went back and forth with small talk about celebrity types, which I found to be boring. Still, Rebecca made it interesting for Preston and pretended to be absorbed in everything he found worth chatting about. Rebecca discussed the final phases of the latest deal she had made on his behalf. He seemed pleased with everything she was able to negotiate with Gail Cranston for him. Mid-way through our meal, Preston addressed me.

“So Alex, what type of work do you like to read?”

I froze. Rebecca looked up and waited to hear my answer. A carefully considered response was necessary. I didn’t want to jeopardize any future clientele by dismissing a particular genre. “Well, Mr. Price, I love to read them all. I don’t have a particular favorite. I just enjoy good writing no matter the topic, such as your fine work.” I looked at Rebecca. She sat taller and puffed out her chest. Whew! I gave the right answer.

We were too full for dessert.
Rebecca handled the check and Preston Price gave her a hug and a kiss on each cheek. He gave my hand a hearty shake before saying good-bye.

“You did very well, Alex,”
Rebecca said, as we took another cab back to the office.

“I didn’t want to embarrass you.”

“You could never do that,” she said and smiled at me.

It made me happy to have pleased her.

Chapter Three

Managing to get through the first week of my new position as
Rebecca’s protégé, she offered to take me out for a celebratory dinner.

“Normally, I don’t mix business and my personal life, but I like to reward employees for a job well done. I’ve invited Rose to join us, since I appreciate her
, too. If it weren’t for her, my daily living would be a mess.”

At seven fifteen, I shut down my computer and waited by Rose’s desk until
Rebecca was ready to go.

“So how did you like your first week?” Rose asked, making idle chit chat.

“Well, I’m still here, so I guess I did okay. At least I didn’t mess up, otherwise I’d be on the street with my pencil cup and Magic 8 Ball, asking strangers if I could reconstruct their sentences.”

Rose chuckled.
Rebecca walked out of her, oops, I mean our office. “What’s so funny?”

Rose glanced at me as if we were children caught talking during a movie. “Alex was just saying how he’s enjoyed his first week.”

Rebecca’s eyes volleyed between us. “He did very well… so far.” She glared at me and stressed the last two words as if to warn me.

Rose and I followed
Rebecca to the elevator bank in silence; children behaving after getting caught doing something bad.

Since the weather was agreeable, we decided to walk the seven blocks to the restaurant, rather than try our luck with hailing a cab at such a busy hour. What would have taken me
twelve minutes to walk, took us twenty. I suspect it was because Rose didn’t walk as fast as Rebecca and I. We were seated immediately.

“Ah, Ms. Stratford, your table is ready.” The maître ‘d ushered us toward the back of the room.

The lighting was dim. It made reading the menu difficult. Rose squinted even with her freshly donned reading glasses. From across the table Rebecca’s fair skin glowed in the soft light. Instead of reviewing the choices from the menu, I found my focus on her eyes scanning the tri-fold booklet. Long lashes fluttered over large, amber pupils. She chewed her bottom lip as she contemplated the choices. A wave of heat coasted through my body.

“Know what you’re having?” she asked Rose.

“I think I’m in the mood for the salmon,” our chaperone said.

“What about you, Alex?”
Rebecca looked up at me and broke the trance I was in.

“Um,
I think I’ll have the Penne alla Vodka.”

“Oh, it’s so yummy here.”

Yummy? That wasn’t a word I expected from Rebecca Stratford. It sounded playful and relaxed. Was she relaxed with Rose and me? It was nothing I remembered seeing at staff meetings or the business functions that I recently joined her on. And it certainly wasn’t the mood she set in the office on a regular basis. Within the walls of Stratford Literary, it was all serious business. Fun was frowned upon. But I liked her use of this word. I felt a smile spread.

“Something funny?” she asked.

“Um, no.” I felt my smile melt and I looked down at the menu.

Rebecca
ordered a bottle of Chablis with dinner. Although I’m no connoisseur, I knew that a three hundred dollar bottle of wine must be good.

I decided to break the awkward silence that hung in the air after the waitress took our order. “Rose, how long have you worked at Stratford?”

The older lady sat back in her chair and thought about her answer. “Let’s see, I started the year after Rebecca bought out her predecessor. It must be eight years now, right Rebecca?”

“Has it been that long?”
Rebecca was stunned. “It’s true what they say, ‘time goes by…’ I feel as if I just started out on my own last week.” She smiled. Her whole face lit up when she did. She was a beautiful woman. The clingy silk dress hinted at her full breasts and the thin belt accentuated her small waist. She was curvy and smart, a dangerous combination. My cheeks felt hot as I wondered how she’d feel in my arms. “And, I was a mess until you got there, Rose.” She winked at me.

Rebecca
turned the conversation. “What made you come to our little company, Alex?”

Never good with the focus being on me, my cheeks got hot
ter. “Ever since I was little, I’ve wanted to be an agent.”

“Really?”
Rebecca leaned in and propped her elbows on the table. She rested her chin on her laced hands and gave me her undivided attention. Uncharacteristic of her, just like her use of the word ‘yummy.’ Her eyes were on me. They ignited a small fire in my stomach. I felt its heat rise up.

I
took her focus as a sign to continue speaking. “My mother is a librarian. Books were a very important part of my upbringing. I’ve always loved them.” Now I had both Rebecca and Rose’s attention. I kept talking. “When I was in college, I wrote a short story. A friend told me it had potential to be a novel, so I took him up on the challenge and stretched it. He begged me to show it to my English professor at the time. After he read it, he shared it with his colleagues. They all encouraged me to submit to agents with the hopes to get it published.”

Our food arrived, but neither woman began to eat. Their stares implored me to continue. “After twenty-seven rejections, I decided to withdraw my submission. I tossed the story into a box, where it’s been sitting at the bottom of my closet since. But, the whole experience made me interested in how agents operate. I applied for a
reader internship with an agent here in New York and learned a great deal, but he wouldn’t promote me to junior agent. Since he didn’t want to help me, I had to move on. So, I left. I landed a position as junior agent with his rival. And I utilized everything I learned from him. My ex-boss was pissed, but I needed to pay rent. I figured it’s the nature of the business. I jumped from junior agent to senior agent in less than a year, but the agency went out of business. That’s when I came to Stratford, where I’ve been ever since.”

Rose was satisfied with my tale. She
picked up her fork and began to eat her salmon. Rebecca, on the other hand, wanted more. “So why’d you stay so long at Stratford? I mean it seems obvious that you’re looking to climb.”

I chewed my pasta and swallowed before answering. “I like the way you do
things. You cater to both sides - the clients and the houses. And somehow you manage to make everyone happy without compromising your principals, all while making the most from both ends. It’s impressive how you’ve developed your company.”

A smile of accomplishment appeared
on Rebecca’s face. “I’m a very savvy business woman.”

I looked up to see her staring at me. “I know. I plan on learning a great deal from you.”

Pleased with my answer, she lifted her fork to her mouth. Her smile widened before she took a bite of her food.

Two glasses of wine and one cup of coffee with dessert caused Rose to surrender and go home.
Rebecca had the maître ‘d call her a cab.

“Rose is widowed,”
Rebecca explained once the older woman was safely away in the cab. “I worry about her taking the subway home, particularly at night. She tells me she’s fine, but I can’t help it. Do you live far from here?” Her eyes sparkled in the dim light. Again, I was distracted by her mouth. Why couldn’t I have ever dated someone like her?

“I live on 50
th
, near Broadway.”

“Oh, not far from the office.”

“I could take the train, but I usually walk it. Don’t want to run the risk of being late. You know how the subway runs.”

“
Actually, I don’t. I don’t care for the subway system. But that must be convenient for you, living so close.”

“What about you? Do you live near the office?” Was I getting too personal? Well, she asked me, wasn’t it okay to ask her the same question?

“I have an apartment in SoHo.”

Of course she did. “I bet that’s nice.
Lot’s of night life.”

“It’s okay. It’s a bustling area. I usually stay in at night though. I tend to get most submissions read while I’m relaxing in my pajamas.”

I imagined Rebecca in a red, silk negligee, lying across a big white comforter surrounded by manuscripts. Suddenly, I felt a pull in my groin. My eyes flashed open and I shifted in my seat. “Excuse me for a moment, I need to use the men’s room.”

“Of course.”

Once in front of the mirror, I scolded myself. “What are you thinking? That’s your boss. You aren’t supposed to think of her in sexy lingerie. It must be the wine. Get a grip, Alex.” When I sufficiently reprimanded myself, I rinsed my face with some cold water and ran my hands through my hair. Returning to the table, Rebecca had already settled the bill.

“Please, let me get dinner,” I said.

“Oh no. I told you this was a celebration for a week well done. Accept it, these gifts don’t happen from me often. You have to earn everything you get from me.”

The
pull in my groin nudged again. We walked out into the street. With the sun down a few hours now, the temperature shifted. I handed my sport coat to Rebecca. She covered her shoulders as we waited for the car service to show up. There wasn’t a lot of time before a black town car pulled up to the curb. She handed me back my jacket and got into the cab. Before closing the door, she thanked me.

“You’re a true gentleman, Alex. I know you’ll go far in this business.
You know how to treat people.”

“Thank you for dinner,” I said.
“And for taking me under your wing.”             

She smiled. “See you on Monday. Enjoy the weekend. Next week I’m g
oing to start working you hard.” She winked and closed the car door. The driver pulled away before I could say another word.

I fell asleep feeling more secure about my new position, but I dreamt about
Rebecca in a red, silk negligee.