Thief of Hearts

Chapter Eight

Thief of Hearts
Chapter Eight

As she headed down the stairs, Megan’s cell phone went off. Without glancing at the caller ID, she flipped it open. “Hello?”

“How’s my favorite author this morning,” grated the voice on the other end.

The corners of her lips dropped in a frown. “Fine, I suppose. Heading to the library to do some research.”

Her agent huffed. “Why don’t you just break down and get the internet? It seems like every time I call you, you’re going to the library to do some research. If you had the net, it would save you some time, you know.”

“I realize that but it just can’t replace the experience of actually going to the library. Besides, they have the internet anyway so it’s a no-lose situation.”

“I suppose…anyway, I was calling to see how you’re coming along on your book? Is it tasty yet?”

She paused briefly glaring at the receiver. She had a good mind to toss it against the last step. Thinking better of it, she ignored her impulse and pushed through the door leaving the building. Loud street sounds bombarded her ears and she smiled. Maybe Ruth wouldn’t be able to hear her and hang up.

But Ruth was a city girl. It didn’t phase her one bit. “Hello? Megan, I didn’t lose you did I?”

“No, I’m still here. The book’s fine. I’m already on chapter eight. Breezing through it pretty good.”

“Well, since you’re out, how about stopping by the office to drop off the first few chapters so I can get an idea as to which publisher I need to send it to.”

“I can tell you right now that you can send it to the same one you’ve been sending all my stories to. Really, Ruth, is that the best you can do to try and trick me into giving you a peek of my work?”

“I’m not trying to trick you. I might actually try to send it to another publisher this time.”

“And risk pissing my current one off and taking money out of our pockets? Way to not make sense.”

“Just let me read the prologue and maybe two chapters.”

“Nope, no can do. Gotta go Ruth. I’ll talk to you later.” Without waiting for a response, Megan hung up. She may not like Ruth but the woman was dogged. No wonder she could find a ‘home’ for all her novels.

With a loud, shrill whistle, she hailed a cab and hopped in. Only twenty minutes later through the thick traffic and she had reached her destination. Before she could get out, the phone rang again. A quick glance unfortunately proved that her agent was calling again. She wanted to ignore her but she had never called so soon after another call.

“Yes Ruth?”

“You wouldn’t believe this. I didn’t really mean it about sending your story to another publisher…”

“I already guessed that.”

“No, listen to me,” she gushed.

Megan’s ears perked at her agent’s excited tone.

“After I got off the phone with you, my secretary buzzed me and said that I had someone in the lobby waiting to see me.”

“And? There are always people in the lobby waiting to see you.”

“No, no, no…this is different. I told her that if this person didn’t have an appointment then she needed to send her away. Then she whispered into the line that it was a him and an acquisitions representative from Heated Hearts Publishing!”

Megan’s heart thumped hard in her chest. Heated Hearts Publishing was only one of the very top publishers of romance! “And?” she gulped.

“And…we had an impromptu meeting…”

“And…?”

“Well, just to get off the subject for a sec, he was so hot…”

“And…?”

“And Heated Hearts Publishing is interested in whatever your next book might be! Your book!”

“You’re bullshitting. They want my stuff?”

“Why not? I told you that you were the next up-and-coming author.”

“Uh, I believe our conversation at the book signing was something along the lines of my work not being quite good enough and that it was a good thing that I had critics for friends.”

“You know I was just pulling your leg. You are the next biggest author. I can feel it.”

“Are you sure you’re not blowing smoke up my ass just to get a peek at my story?”

“I swear to God, Meg. May my mom roll over in her grave if I’m lying.”

“Your mom is still alive,” she replied flatly.

“That’s beside the point. I’m trying to tell you that this is for real. Do you know what they can do for your career, our careers?”

Megan bit her bottom lip skeptically. This just had to be a stunt so that Ruth could get her way. She would call her bluff. “Okay then. Why don’t you call him and arrange a meeting so we can discuss details.”

She heard a satisfied chuckle on the other end. “I don’t have to call him. He’s still here. He wants to meet you today while he’s in town and refuses to leave until he does so. So get your sweet ass over here and now.”

“I swear, Ruth, if this is just a ploy to get me and my work there, you’re gonna piss me off.”

“I promise you that it’s not. I mean, come on, don’t you think it’s a weird coincidence that someone like him would show up when I was bullshitting you earlier? Do you honestly think that I’m that dense?”

She wanted to answer truthfully but opted to lie. “Well, I guess not. I’ll be there in about twenty to thirty. Do you think you can occupy him until I get there?”

“Don’t you worry. This old gal has plenty of tricks up her sleeve.”

As Ruth hung up, Megan stared at her phone dumbfounded. Twenty or thirty minutes… what had she been thinking? She didn’t have her laptop, didn’t have any printed manuscript. Then a smile spread across her face. She did, however, have her USB key that she had saved a few of the first chapters on. Her habit had always been to make triplicate copies of her work, her ‘babies’, for whatever life could throw at her. She could copy her work at the office for him to sample.
Her heart beat hard in her chest. She instructed the cab driver to quickly turn in the other direction. Hopefully, life had decided to throw her a great break!


McKinzie S. Heart
~Live to write, write to live~