Adriana Hunter on Amazon
Plus Size Heroines
Knock Out Curves – BBW Erotica
Reunion (Plus Size Loving)
The New Guy – Plus Size Loving –
What Happened In Vegas (Plus Size Loving) E
Dangerous Curves (Plus Size Loving)
Wealthy Men & Lonely Women
Billionaire’s Game – Seduction Series
Billionaire’s Bribe – Blackmailed Into Bed
For His Pleasure – Blackmailed by the Billionaire
Rough Rider – Billionaire in the Country
Historical Romance
The Spoiled King (Throne of Pleasure)
Saving Sarah (Throne of Pleasure Book 2)
The King’s Virgin
Wet Ink
BBW Erotic Romance
Copyright © 2012, Adriana Hunter
All Rights Reserved.
Published by Wet Ink Publishing
Adriana Hunter
http://www.AdrianaHunter.com
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This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations and places are solely the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, including events, areas, locations and situations is entirely coincidental.
With a content smile, Valerie leaned back into the cool leather of her desk chair and slipped her hands behind her head. She’d just finished writing an incredibly steamy scene between the hero and heroine of her next romance novel. The chemistry between the characters was explosive. She couldn’t wait to finish the book so she could pitch it to her agent.
Just the reminder of having an agent was enough to send her into a spout of giddiness. It had taken her two years, a handful of manuscripts and an untold number of queries, but she finally had one. And Vanessa Harrison was one of the biggest romance agents in the business.
They’d worked together for several months getting her book, Secret Lovers, ready for submission, and it had been out in the wind for the past two, landing on the desks of various editors in the business. So far she’d gotten four rejections, but Vanessa told her that was normal, and they were nowhere near down for the count yet.
Even so, not every book was going to be able to sell, even if the agent had a rep as stellar as Vanessa’s. Valerie had to constantly remind herself that editors’ desks were piled high with manuscripts, and that the majority of the ones who’d been sent hers probably hadn’t even looked at it yet. Surely one of them would fall in love with her work and buy it.
“Oh, stop,” she muttered to herself. “You’re going to worry yourself to death about this if you keep it up!”
Sighing, she turned back to her computer screen so she could lose herself in her characters once again. After all, if this book didn’t work out, she was going to have to have another one, because one way or the other, she planned to see her books in print.
~ * ~ * ~
Alex Stone strolled through the front doors of Random House’s New York office with a cup of coffee and a smile on his face. There was a bounce in his step as his long legs ate up the polished lobby floor, and he even greeted and chatted with his co-workers as he rode the elevator up to his office. Normally at seven in the morning he was still not quite awake, but he’d emerged from his bed with the same cheery disposition. Somehow, he just knew today was going to be a great day.
“Hey Cheri,” he greeted his assistant as he walked into his office. “Got anything new for me?”
Cheri rolled her eyes. “Are you kidding?” she asked as he sat down behind his desk and fired up his computer. “You’re one of the top acquisition editors for Random House. There isn’t a single day new submissions aren’t flying into this office.”
Alex arched his eyebrows. “No need for sarcasm,” he replied with a grin, as Cheri dropped an enormous stack of manuscripts on his desk. “Jesus. Are these really all just for today?”
“Actually, there are more. These are the just ones that show promise. I’ve got all the other ones on my desk,” she jerked her thumb toward a stack twice as high, “since as your assistant I get to do all the dirty work.”
He smiled at her with a look of sincere appreciation. “Thanks, Cheri.”
Cheri couldn’t help but smile in return. Alex was sinfully handsome but better yet, his personality was equally attractive and she was grateful to be working for him. A mom of five and with her husband currently unemployed, she needed the job more than ever.
“You’re more than welcome,” she replied warmly. Alex beamed as Cheri picked up her empty coffee cup and walked off. He immediately began flipping through the pile of manuscripts. Of course he doubted he would get to reading any of them today—he still had plenty to go through, as well as several projects he needed to finish marking up so he could shoot them off to their respective authors for edits.
“Alright,” he muttered to himself as he glanced through the titles. “Thriller, thriller, mystery, lit fic, crime, chick lit… a romance novel?” He pulled it from the stack. “Secret Lovers by Savannah Winters.” It made him think of hot summer nights and beach sunsets. “Sexy name.”
He read over the pitch and synopsis, and completely forgot about the remaining manuscripts as well as the ones he’d already committed himself to working on today. By the time lunch rolled around he was already halfway through the manuscript, completely caught up. It was a spy romance, with plenty of action and adventure to suit him, but definitely with plenty of steam and sparks between the characters. Julie, the female spy, was incredibly hot. And Drake, the mercenary, was intriguing.
“Uh, Alex?” Cheri rapped his desk.
Alex wrenched his eyes from the manuscript in his hands. “What?” he snapped.
“I’m going to Rizzoli’s for lunch. Do you want anything?”
“Just get me my usual,” he muttered, his eyes already flying back to the book.
Cheri arched an eyebrow. “Jesus, Alex. Looks like some author is about to be made very happy!” She leaned over to catch a glimpse of the title. “Oh my God… Alex, you do realize you’re reading a romance novel, right?”
He looked up, and then scowled at the unholy gleam in her eyes. “Yeah, so?”
Cheri giggled. “It’s just… I stuck that in your pile as a joke. You always leave the romance novels to me!”
He shrugged. “Yeah well… this one’s really good. It’s a spy romance,” he said almost defensively as Cheri cackled. “This one’s a winner, Cheri.”
Cheri grinned. “You’re definitely going to make some woman very happy today.”
Alex picked up the phone. “Definitely. And I think I’m going to do it right now.”
~ * ~ * ~
Valerie was out in the garden when the phone rang. Dropping the radishes she’d just pulled up from the ground, she raced inside, not even bothering to kick off her dirt-encrusted boots. Her pulse jumped at the sight of her agent’s name and number flashing on the caller I.D., and she snatched the receiver off the cradle and jammed it to her ear.
“Hello?” She tried to sound cool and composed, but she was a little breathless from her mad dash… and from the anticipation.
“Hey Val,” Vanessa’s smooth voice came through the line. “You okay? You sound like you’ve been running a marathon!”
Valerie laughed nervously, swiping at a bit of hair plastered to her forehead. “I’ve just been out in the garden. What can I do for you?”
“Ah, yes, gardening.” Vanessa sounded amused. “Hard work. Never been able to get into that kind of thing. Guess that’s why I’m living in Manhattan and you’re out on the Island. In any case, I’
ve got some exciting news for you. One of the editors at Random House wants to buy your book.”
“Really?” Valerie squealed. “Oh my God! Already?” She pinched herself just to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. “It’s finally happening!”
“You pinched yourself, didn’t you?” Vanessa laughed. “Yes, it is real. And because you only live a few hours away, he wants to do lunch with both of us.”
“He?” Valerie squeaked, a little bit of the excitement dropping away. “The editor’s a he?”
“Is that a problem?”
“Well, no… it’s just that… it’s a romance novel. I never thought I’d land a male editor.” She recalled the steamy scenes she’d written and her cheeks scalded at the thought of a man reading them. And he was going to be the one editing for her too?
“Well, the acquisitions editor isn’t always the one you end up working with,” Vanessa said, “but Alex is one of the best editors in the business, so I don’t think you could go wrong if he was the one you ended up working with. In any case, this is really exciting! I’ve got to get everything together for the negotiations. I’m so happy for you!”
Valerie smiled, willing some of the anxiety to go away—she should be happy about this, not worked up because the editor interested happened to be a man. “Thank you so much, Vanessa. This really means the world to me.”
“Hey, you did the work, writing an excellent story. Congrats.” Vanessa relayed the time and place of the meet—three days from now, in one of the most posh restaurants in Manhattan. “Make sure to dress sharp and bring that killer smile! You’ll do great.”
~ * ~ * ~
“I’m so going to blow this.”
“Oh, cut it out, Val” Nancy, her cousin, chided as she pawed through Valerie’s wardrobe. “You’re going to do just fine.”
“He’s going to look at me when I show up and think he’s got the wrong person,” Valerie lamented. “He’s going to say, ‘there is no way this chubby, frumpy girl wrote this romance novel. Readers are going to take one look at her author photo, roll their eyes, and put the book down. I’m calling off this deal.’”
Nancy whirled around, her hands on her hips. “What the hell are you talking about?”
Valerie threw her hands up in the air and started pacing the length of her bedroom floor. “Nancy, this is hopeless. When my agent gave me the name of the editor I’m supposed to be meeting with today, I decided to Google him so that I could get a better idea of who I’m dealing with. And he’s gorgeous. With a bit of extra muscle he could be one of the heroes in my novels.”
“Oooh, nice.” Nancy grinned. “And you’re going to lunch with him. From where I’m standing, that makes you lucky. So what are you complaining about?”
Valerie turned to face her cousin, and then swept her hands out to indicate herself. “Nancy, look at me. I can barely fit into a size sixteen on a good day. White is my nemesis, and you could lay out a three-course meal on the back of my ass. You’re skinny so you wouldn’t understand. You can wear anything you want and look good in it. I, on the other hand, have to spend hours just trying to piece together something that doesn’t look either frumpy or ten sizes too big on me. I don’t understand why designers think that just because some of us are plus size means that we don’t have a sense of fashion. It’s aggravating.”
Nancy shook her head. “You’re a bit dramatic, Val. You’re gorgeous.” She grinned. “And most women, myself included, would kill for your rack not to mention those curves. You’ve got plenty of charms to entice a man with.”
Valerie sighed. “You don’t understand. The whole idea of being an author is that no one would ever have to see me face-to-face. I could project myself as being the same type of woman I write about.” She pressed a hand to her temple. “And instead I’m going to end up in a face-to-face meet with my editor that will bring it all crashing down.”
“Oh, honey.” Nancy pulled Valerie in for a quick hug. “God gave you this body, and you’ll have to work with what you’ve got. “ She stepped back and looked at Valerie’s brilliant green eyes, curling red hair and pale skin. “If you opened up, I’m pretty sure men would be falling over each other’s feet to try and get to you.”
Valerie grinned a little. “You’re so ridiculous, Nancy. But I guess it really doesn’t matter either way—I have to go through with this.” She would hold her head up high and act confident; whatever it took to impress Alex. “I want my books published, and I’ll do whatever it takes to make that happen.”
“Atta girl.” Nancy patted her on the back. “Now let’s get you dressed and out the door. We don’t want you to be late.”
~ * ~ * ~
Valerie paid the cab driver his fair and then stepped out onto the sidewalk, directly in front of The Mark—one of the most prestigious hotels on the Upper East Side. She’d never been before because on the rare trips to Manhattan she never visited the Upper East Side, but it seemed like a quaint, elegant building with its warm, brown bricks and inviting windows.
The outside was completely misleading though—on the inside everything was black and white. The floor was patterned in dizzying black and white stripes, and the furniture was either solid black or black and white as well. There was a funky chandelier in the middle of the room, and strange, artsy paintings on the walls.
“Proof never to judge a book by its cover,” Valerie murmured, trying to look past the overwhelming décor to try and find the concierge desk. She finally saw it, a big, black desk manned by an elderly man in a stiff black suit. Vanessa was standing right in front of it, looking impeccable in a white, high-waist skirt and a striped silk blouse to go with it. Valerie couldn’t help but grin—it looked as though her agent had been here before and had decided to try and dress to match the décor.
“Valerie!” Vanessa rushed over, having noticed her standing in the lobby. “You’re right on time. Let’s head on into the restaurant so we don’t keep Alex waiting.”
Valerie’s hands automatically went to her hair, which she had left to hang down around her face in an attempt to draw attention away from her pudgy cheeks, but she didn’t have time to fuss as her agent pulled her into the restaurant. She’d expected more of the same décor as in the lobby, but instead was confronted with yellow walls and red-and-brown striped carpeting. The maître de led them through the restaurant floor, which was scattered with mahogany tables and low-backed pale orange chairs. It should have all been very distasteful, but somehow the blending of colors came together to create a warm, homey atmosphere.
Waiting at a table by one of the large, multi-paned windows overlooking Central Park was Alex, who pushed back his chair and stood to greet them. He was dressed in a business suit clearly tailored to fit his tall, rangy body, and his sandy blond hair was swept back to reveal a tanned face with strong bones, sparkling blue eyes and a million-watt smile.
“Hello ladies.” He stepped forward to shake Vanessa’s hand. “It’s been a long time since we’ve last seen each other face-to-face. I think the last time was at that writer’s conference in Chicago?”
Vanessa smiled. “That was a blast.” She released his hand and turned slightly toward Valerie. “Alex, this is Valerie Grant, writing under the pen name Savannah Winters.”
“So you’re the face behind the keyboard, are you?” Alex grinned and shook her hand, looking Valerie up and down. He had to admit he’d been expecting some tall, leggy blonde, but he wasn’t at all disappointed with what he was seeing. She was of average height, her curvy figure dressed in black slacks and a blazer. Beneath the blazer she wore a bright blue corset with black lacy patterns that did the most amazing things to her cleavage and yet somehow didn’t manage to push her breasts straight into his face. She had porcelain skin, luxurious red curls, and vivid green eyes that shimmered with a touch of nerves. Her hand was dainty in his, but her grip was impressively firm despite said nerves—no dead mouse handshakes for this woman. She held her head up high and returned his smile with one of her own.
“It’s great to meet you, Mr. Stone,” she told him. “Vanessa’s told me great things about you.”
“Likewise,” he told her. “And feel free to call me Alex.”
They sat down, ordered drinks and appetizers, and slipped into easy conversation. Valerie sipped her Cherry Yuzu as she answered questions about herself and her writing, and asked some of her own. Strangely, it didn’t feel much like a business meeting at all, but a lunch out with a couple of adults getting to know each other. Alex was easy going and friendly, and didn’t seem to care at all that she wasn’t skinny and glamorous. A couple of times she even thought he’d been giving her appreciative glances—but that was just her imagination. No way would a guy like him be interested in a girl like her.
“Well, that was delicious,” Vanessa said as she pushed back her plate, “but unfortunately I have another meeting I need to get to. I’m leaving Valerie in your capable hands, Alex; try not to corrupt her too much.” She winked at Valerie. “See you later, sweetie.”
Valerie gulped, her nerves coming back in force, but before she could say anything Vanessa had already dropped a few dollars on the table and whisked herself away. Oh God. Her agent was leaving her here by herself with Mr. Gorgeous Editor? How was she going to survive?
She turned back to see Alex chuckling as he picked up his glass of wine. “Typical of her, leaving me here to pay the bill.”
“Oh.” Valerie’s cheeks turned red—she’d assumed that since he’d extended the invitation that he was paying, but maybe things were done differently with editors? She opened up her purse and rummaged for her wallet. “I’m sorry. I can—”
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