Page 13 of Tempt the Boss
CHAPTER 6
ALI
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, Ali? 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 Chris’s office tomorrow.
“It went well,” I lie glibly. “Jenny and the CEO, Chris, they’re both really passionate about the project. They want to publish my book. Chris even said that there wouldn’t be a lot of edits for me to do.”
“That’s great, Ali. 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. Carmichael Publishing wants you and we should want them back.”
“I do,” I say breathlessly. “You know they’ve been my number one since we started submitting.”
“I know. So what do you say? Are you ready to sign?”
I smile and take the pen from the table. “You promise this is a good contract and I’m not signing my life away? Like they won’t be asking for my firstborn child and pinkie finger next?”
Darla cackles with laughter.
“I promise. I wouldn’t lead you wrong, sweetheart. You’re like a daughter to me.”
I know she wouldn’t. An agent gets paid when the author gets paid. It’s in her best interest to get me a good contract because she would be screwed over by a bad contract, too.
Darla pushes the sheaf of paper to me, and I sign the flagged pages. When it’s done, I sit back and let out a deep, cleansing exhale. It feels like I’ve been holding my breath since I sent my first query letter. And now I’m going to be a published author.
“This is it, girlie. Do you want me to run this contract over to Carmichael right now?” Darla asks, already starting to pack up her bag.
“No,” I say, careful not to sound too desperate. “Jenny and Chris asked me to stop by with it tomorrow.”
Darla shrugs. “Okay. I’ll leave it with you, then.” She places my newly signed contract into a folder and pushes it across the table to me before checking the time on her watch. “Listen, I hate to sign and ditch, but I have another meeting in twenty minutes. This is what I get for leaving town for two weeks. I’ve been in meetings all week. I need a drink.”
I giggle.
“It’s ten in the morning.”
She wriggles her brows at me.
“A mimosa it is then. Definitely,” my agent says with a laugh. “Give me a call after you meet with Carmichael Publishing tomorrow.”
We stand, and Darla blows air kisses before running out of the café for her next meeting. I still have coffee and a muffin left, so I sit back down and finish my meal.