Aspiring Novelist Pt. 03

Mid afternoon, crying, Billie called Patricia.

"What's wrong darling? You sound so upset."

"It's so beautiful," Billie sobbed. "Please come and tell me I'm right."

Patricia read the first draft of the two chapters. Billie was on to her second wine whereas Patricia was only one-third through hers, being so engrossed.

Putting down the printed out pages Patricia went round the table and placed her arms around Billie and kissed the top of her head.

"God you need real work done on this hair my girl."

Billie was shaking.

"Oh god, sorry Billie. "I truly believe you are correct in this assessment. This reads to me as the opening to a truly great novel. It moved me so much that I almost felt as if I'd climaxed during sex."

They fell about laughing.

When Patricia left twenty minutes later Billie went to bed and slept right through until the cries of gulls awoke her as the first signs of dawn crept into her bedroom.

She worked steadily and she thought creatively during the next few weeks and after sending off the first batch of chapters her editor for this submission, Susan Carr called her.

"We are delighted with your progress to date Billie and you are ahead of schedule. Very good."

"But?"

"This is a fresh approach to a girl and her horse attachment and ranching is appropriately in a very modern setting."

"But?"

Susan choked and Billie waited for Susan to steel herself enough to proceed.

"Billie I'd like to make a considered suggestion about names."

"Oh yes, go on," Billie said, her voice lowering ominously.

"I-I think the alliteration Clinton Clarke sounds too contrived, Georgina would be fine if Clinton became Tom or David, you know, more usual first times and as for..."

"Stop Susan. You've said enough. The names stay as they are. I was very careful to explain how my heroine receive the name Abilene and if the name Abilene changes Abilene dies and with that my novel dies."

"Billie, I don't wish to pull rank but I am your editor. You are a contracted writer with this company and have a specific performance contract with us in respect of this commissioned novel for which we have paid you a big advance."

Billie spoke clearly and carefully. "You dare touch those names Mrs Carr and your company will see no more submissions on this novel for me and that advance will be delivered back to you in one dollar bills."

Susan appeared to be fighting panic and she advised Billie to seek legal advice about her contract or at least speak to the commissioning editor Mr Allen."

"The fiction commissioning editor is Jocelyn Winter."

"Mrs Winter had been promoted to executive editor."

Billie said in surprise, "Well that's the first I've heard about that."

"Why would you expect to be informed? Mrs Winter authorized acceptance of your proposal and now that authority transferred to Mr Allen as well as all other commissioning responsibilities."

"You sound like a bean counter."

"That comment is a little rude Billie and yes I am a qualified accountant and usually work on technical manuscripts but the fiction division is over-stretched at the moment and I was brought across to help out here. It may interest you to know that Mr Allen agrees with my opinion on names and he is a published author."

"What, travel books," Billie laughed derisively.

"Yes as a matter of fact he is a noted travel writer. I can't see anything funny about that."

"Well please tell your Mr Allen I will not agree to the names of my main characters being changed and that is the end of the matter. If my instruction is ignored you'll receive no more submissions on this project, I will return my advance and I will take my manuscript to a more accommodating publisher."

"Billie, you cannot do this. You'll be in breach of contract."

"Just report to him accurately Mrs Carr. Fight me and we'll meet in court. Goodbye.

Billie was furious but soon settled. Fuck them. The character Abilene Clark now appeared to reside in her soul and Billie was more concerned about fighting to prevent her character becoming larger than life to be engaged in petty bickering with her publisher's bean counter. She settled down to work but left her phone on.

Two hours later a tearful Mrs Carr sobbed, "Our executive chairman (Sam Sorenson) has demanded I apologize to you Billie. I sincerely apologize Billie for opposing your will and talking breach of contract to you."

"That's fine Susan and I accept your apology."

"I am to be replaced."

"Christ Susan I don't want that to happen now that you and I have hammered out an understanding. If you were thought well enough to be seconded to fiction that is acceptable to me. Put me on to Mr Allen please."

"Just a minute, he's right beside me."

"Hello Billie. Please call me Bryan. We must meet next time you're in New York and we do apologize for upsetting you."

"Thank you. I just want your assurance the names of my main characters stay unchanged."

"They certainly do. The chairman and executive editor read the first two chapters and agreed the names and the writing conform to your established style and the only name that grated with them was Abilene but agreed you had believably explained how that happened and no doubt there will be closer ties between Abilene and the City of Abilene as the novel progresses."

"Yes and that had been my intention. With that issue resolved I am happy for Mrs Carr to remain as my editor. I shall email that as a request."

"Well thank you. Is there anything else to discuss?"

"No thanks but I would like to speak to Susan."

"Sure Billie. I must say this chairman who was called in to our meeting by Mrs Winter is now likely to take close interest in you. He doubted Mrs Winter's assertion that this novel will make you our current number one best selling author."

"She might be correct."

"Why do you say that?"

"I'm living the characters of Abilene and her famous horsewoman mother in my mind Bryan. You may not understand."

"Oh god Billie. Only a small percentage of writers can honestly claim that phenomenon. I've read about it and so probably have you to be aware of it. We must really whip up a budget proposal for the marketing of this book."

Ten weeks later Billie sent of her final chapters but that was not the end of course. She went to New York to view the mock-up of the front cover and read the blurb prepared by editor Susan Carr for the back cover and had lunch in the boardroom with Jocelyn Winter, Sam Sorenson, Susan and Ellen the new fiction commissioning editor. Ellen and Susan looked surprised to see the fuss the chairman and the executive editor made of Billie and how intimately they both knew her. In time they learned that the chairman had approached Billie on the strength of her published short story when she was at Penn University and later Jocelyn became Billie's mentor and had stayed in Southern Texas with Billie and still recalled in delight the early mornings they'd gone out fishing when the conditions were perfect.

When Ellen and Susan left to return to work, leaving the other three laughing and relaxing, Susan said, "Obviously she's the chosen one."

"Yeah but don't get catty about it. My understanding is it all goes back to her ability as a student to create an historic character and pump him so full of life that compelled Sam to go find that young author and talk to her. I know he came from Philly and heard him say he was there visiting his mother, but he still sought her out. I would think when Jocelyn received that invitation to go fishing and she told her boss about the invitation from his protégé, he would have told Jocelyn she had to go because he wanted that young author nurtured."

"I find those theories very believable Ellen. Now how can I persuade you to ask for me to be transferred to fiction permanently?"

Ellen scratched under her chin. "Perhaps to offer hosting me at a hotel for a night might move things along."

Susan gulped and said, "What kind of night did you have in mind?"

* * *

Sam Sorenson was eleven months away from turning fifty and for the first time in his life was aware of looming mortality, although he expected it to be some time off. He was the youngest chairman in the publishing company's 107-year history, succeeding his father who'd been the longest-serving chairman and who fifteen years ago had converted the family company into a public company, thereby tapping finance that allowed it to grow substantially to become a major publisher of fiction although still outside the really big league.

It had been three months since his second marriage ended, again in divorce, and both women had left him because they desired children and it appeared Sam was to blame for that failure. Sam didn't think he was to blame, both women had been two damn thin through eating next to nothing, and the breakups had occurred after he'd refused point-blank to have his potency proven by testing. Both women had refused to his suggestion to adopt children.

During the seven days when Sam went to a health resort for his annual comprehensive medical checkup and to be pampered at the spas and health clinics and to work intensively to tone up his fitness, he thought about his next partner, unsure whether he ought to marry until the woman was pregnant... er to him.

At nights at the resort after dinner, avoiding the hapless women desiring or even desperate to be taken to bed, Sam drank iced water and drank the occasional glass of vegetable juice and drew up lists of women he knew. List one was women he'd had sex with in the past. List two was women he'd desired and were no longer married and had at least one child and were still of child-bearing age. List three was of women he desired presently married. List four was names of women who had attracted him sufficiently to remember their names.

After working on the lists between watching a program or two on TV on three evenings, Sam had pared the sixty-something names on list one down to four names and removed those names when found duplicated on the other three lists. Lists two and three ended up with two names still listed. He then worked ruthlessly on the fifty-two names on the final list. If he didn't know the whereabouts of any of those women they were deleted and then he checked each remaining woman with a desirability appraisal as being desirable to become the third live-in woman of his life. If they were or had been anorexic or looked close to it they were deleted. It they were overly plump the marker pen slashed through their name and if he had any uncertainty about their sex appeal they were slashed.

Sam looked at the only remaining name almost horrified: Billie Summers.

Christ she was just a grown up kid. Everyone would regard her as his daughter.

He raised the pen to strike through her name but his fingers froze and thoughts raced through his mind.

He'd seen her recently.

She was a great looking young woman.

She was his height, a tad over six feet.

She was sexy. Er very sexy actually.

She was tough. Look how she'd confronted head-on that editor who'd been upset at being called a bean counter and wanted the names of MCs changed.

She understood literature and was a top university graduate like himself.

She related well to young people, having relating over lunch about taking two eighteen-year-old neighbors' daughters fishing regularly. He also recalled how well she related to Celeste B. Bush and Jocelyn who was even older that Celeste appeared captivated by her as a personality.

"Jesus I can't do this," Sam. But as he rolled the four lists into a ball and tossed them into the trashcan he already knew he try to win favor with Billie.

* * *

Billie answered her phone.

"Hi it's Betty Zachariasen calling. Please wait for Mr Sorenson."

Betty who? Billie thought even if Betty repeated her surname she'd be none the wiser.

"Hi my pet genius. How is you MS coming on?"

"We are almost there Sam. I expect to get off the final fifty page proofs tomorrow. We're ahead of schedule. I'm surprised you are calling about that."

Actually it's a private call.

"Oh."

"Yeah when you were talking about the ease of fishing down where you live I got thinking and remembered I used to like fishing."

"But you haven't fished in years."

"Yeah right Billy."

"Then why don't you come right down here and out we'll go fishing, loaded with bait and beer and we'll go out as many times as you wish subject to conditions."

"Oh yeah."

"I mean it Sam. I want you down here. If you don't commit now you won't do it. You know how that works."

"Well okay. What say I hop on an airplane Friday?"

"Yes you do that."

"Book me into a hotel baby."

Billie was surprised to get a call from Sam and even more surprised to hear him call her baby. God was he on heat or whatever they called that situation for men? Oh yeah randy.

"Why a hotel; who not rough it with me?"

She heard Sam swallow and his voice turn deeper when he said, "What with you?"

Billie assumed naively she was leading the conversation, not really aware that men could also be devious as females.

"Um yes, I mean stay at my house. It's only a holiday home but better than a cabin and very comfortable. You wouldn't disturb me at work because I'm doing nothing for the next twenty-eight days but fool around."

"Fool around?"

She missed the significance of Sam choosing to pick up on that phrase. "I mean rest up. I've worked till near exhaustion five days a week for week after week and now it's time for a real break."

"Perhaps you should be left to rest alone?"

"Oh no Sam. Please come and visit."

"Oh very well. Actually the timing appears right. Yes, I would like to stay with you."

"Where would you like to sleep?"

Sam appeared hesitant, perhaps thrown by that comment. "Um what are the options?"

"There is a near derelict tiny cabin probably inhabited by rats. In the house there's the floor, three sofas, a lounge chair with built-in leg rest and two bedrooms one with two beds and the other with four bunks."

"Is that all options?"

"Apart from upstairs in the loft with me."

Sam didn't respond.

"Sam?"

"Yes."

"Does your silence mean you wish to sleep with me?" She smiled guessing he was grinning hugely.

"Yes."

"Goodbye Sam."

He cried, "Don't go."

Heart pounding and now aware she may have been set up, Billie said, "Oh Sam you naughty man. Email flight details. I'll collect you from Corpus Christi International."

The call was cut before Sam could reply.

Billie sat back in her chair, red-faced and experiencing palpitations. God he was making a super hit on her even if he were also mildly focused on fishing. Any affair with a much older man would risk the superb relationship she'd carefully developed with the emotionally difficult Caitlin and would probably upset the much warmer Patricia.

Their husbands would probably wonder why she hadn't chosen them if she were hankering for an older guy. Jim would frown and then return to his indifference while Gene would use it as the excuse he was looking for to drop her. Their relationship had been wearing thin anyway and the almost nightly bouts of sex were now to almost a dribble and she'd not seen him for more than a week except to exchange hand waves in the distance. She had been wondering had she upset him.

That would leave Silvana and Natalie remaining in the ring of Billie's closest community of friends.

Billie thought optimistically Silvana would butter up to Sam and then question him about all aspects of sex and then how did young people in New York or rather Manhattan fill their leisure hours and Natalie would probably butter up to Sam to try to have sex with him because he had the looks and physique of a gigolo.

Emitting a big sigh, Billie was quite sure she'd blown it. She had been looking so forward to a glorious summer in this prime location apart from having the small airport so close. She sighed and considered relocating. It would give her aunt and uncle the chance of getting much higher summer rent.

* * *

Billie drove to the airport to meet the 1:30 arrival thinking about the sexy old devil Sam. Jocelyn had mentioned during their evening in New York at the ballet about Sam's recent divorce, his second, and that he'd complained to her drunkenly it had been the second time he'd married skin and bones and would be the last time. That was dreadful of him to talk about women like that. Perhaps he was coming to look her over as a new wife who possessed the required curves including noticeable breasts that didn't require padding!

She giggled and thought she was dreaming if she thought Sam would be interested in her beyond nailing her in bed.

Well if Sam really did stay with her instead insisting on staying at a hotel, thought Billie, and they had sex frequently, then she might be able to stay with him whenever she visited New York, providing it coincided with him being between girlfriends.

Smiling Billie watched him walking towards her waving. She'd prepared for the occasion, having had her blonde hair highlighted and was wearing a tight sundress with its tight built-in bra that flattened her breasts somewhat but probably made their bulk appear juicy to a guy.

Juicy, where did that word come from? She licked her lips nervously. His light hair appeared less unruly and his tan had been artificially supplemented over winter. The poor guy's hair was thinning but in that light blue suit he was already turning the heads of a couple of women, both younger than Sam.

When Sam reached Billie his smile, the smile of a seducer, was huge and they had their first real kiss and without thinking Billie pushed her tongue into his mouth. His tongue welcomed hers, briefly, and he pulled away wiping his lips with the back of his hand and said, "Jesus Billie."

God she's acted like a whore, Billie panicked but recovered instantly. "I-I was making it clear Sam I don't want you backing off shyly. I want you in my bed and doing more than sleeping and felt the need to get my message across.

"Sam Sorenson shy? Sam appeared to savor the word as if it were quite foreign to him, with almost the interest as if just being told some foreign monarchy had offered him a knighthood for services rendered.

"Well perhaps not shyness but I bet you are filled with tender feelings and expressions."

He slipped into being the sympathetic Sam. "Oh god, you've been stewing over this haven't you, not knowing which was to turn with the people around you."

"A little like that," said the recently turned twenty-six year old, pushing an arm around Sam's arm and hooked up they began walking to collect his luggage. "But I have gained sufficient maturity to handle it appropriately."

"If I stay in the house alone with you, how will your friendly neighbors react?"

"What happens, happens," Billie said, squeezing his arm. "I'm only half your age but so what? Other people should get on with their own lives. But thanks for thinking of my situation. It tells me you do have sensitivity. It will be fine, I promise."

"I can always stay..."

"Can it Sam. You're staying with me and having sex with me. Get used to it."

They smiled as some people walking along with them move farther away.

After Sam dropped his two bags into the Wrangler Billie said, "You drive."

"No you drive. That will allow me to look at you without crashing the vehicle."

"Are you always this agreeable?"

He said no and they laughed.

Sam cleared his throat. "There is something I should tell you. I'm forty-nine and have married twice and divorced twice."

"I have that information already thank you. What I don't know is do you really like having sex?"

"Watch that blue truck."

"Where?"

He pointed.

She scoffed, "It's stopped."