The Publicist Book One and Two (24 page)

As Mac had requested, the doorman had alerted him of Kate’s arrival. Mac was waiting for her with a smile on his face. The faint glow that peeked through the door silhouetted Mac’s body. He swung his door open wider, and Kate could see dozens of lit candles and a roaring fire in the fireplace. Mac quietly closed the door behind him,

“Good to see you, Katie. I didn’t get my fill of you at work today.” He reached for her, helping her out of her coat, and then he tipped her face and kissed her lips, which were cold from the wind. Kate noticed an unmistakable glint in his eye.

“Mac, what are you up to?” she asked.

“You had a rough day, Katie. I have something set up for you in the bedroom. Why don’t you go check it out?”

Kate smiled. “Mac, can we at least eat first? I’m starving.”

He laughed. “That’s not what I meant, Kate. Come here, let me show you.” Mac led her to his bedroom and opened the door. A woman dressed in a simple, crisp white shirt and yoga pants was standing over a table.

A massage table, Kate observed. She spun around. “Mac, what’s this about?”

“Rebecca told me what happened; you have had a rough few weeks. I thought you might like a treat, and I know you’d never do this for yourself.”

“Mac, this is so sweet of you. I don’t know what to say.”

Mac wrapped his arms around her. “Say thank you, and get on the table. You deserve this, Kate. I want to do something for you after all you’ve done for me.” His voice was soft, the words caressing her face.

“What have I done for you, Mac?”

He leaned in and whispered in her ear, “Everything, Katie. Absolutely everything.”

As Kate closed the door, his phone buzzed. He walked over to the counter to retrieve it.

“MacDermott,” he said.

“Mac, it’s me.” It was Carolyn. “I’ve left a few messages for you. I know you’re busy, but I really need an answer about the house refi.”

Of course she needed to hear from him, he was her husband and their house needed his attention. He’d been ignoring her calls. He told himself it was because he’d been busy, but the truth was he was becoming too wrapped up in the pretend life that he’d carved out for himself. He wanted a world where it was just him and Kate, but that wasn’t realistic. The awkward truth was that she was in the other room, and later they’d make love, but she was only his lover and his wife was on the phone.

“Mac,” Carolyn sighed. “Are you there?”

“Yes, I’m here. Sorry, it’s been crazy at the office.”
“Look, I don’t ask for a lot, Mac, but this is important.”

“Of course,” he said, keeping his voice low, “What’s going on?”

…

Kate emerged from Mac’s bedroom an hour later. The masseuse had quickly packed up her table and left. Kate draped herself in one of Mac’s fluffy robes. She could smell something delicious coming from the kitchen.

“I’m glad you’re cooking,” she smiled, her face as relaxed as he’d seen it in weeks. “I don’t think I could summon up the energy to leave and go somewhere.”

He stirred something and looked over his shoulder at her. “How was it?”

“Amazing. I’ve never had a massage like that.”

A sexy grin consumed his face, “Not even mine?”

Kate slid onto one of the kitchen barstools; she liked sitting there and watching Mac cook. She recalled that last time he’d cooked for her. It had been on a Saturday morning, after only their second night together. Had that really only been a few months ago? It felt like they’d been together forever.

“I have rosemary chicken in the oven, baby red potatoes, and a special sauce my mother used to make.” Mac took a kitchen towel, tossed it over his shoulder, and reached for two glasses.

“I have a great white wine I’ve been wanting to try. You game?”
“I’d love a glass.”

Mac expertly uncorked the bottle and let it breathe for a few minutes. “So, tell me about Sasha.”

Kate shook her head. “It’ll be all over the Internet tomorrow, I’m sure. The desperate author who faked her own reviews.”

Mac poured a small taste of wine, swirled the glass and handed it to Kate. “Sasha is such a train wreck. I’m sorry you have to deal with that. Wine should help. Here, see if you like this.”

Kate sipped it. “Mac, it’s fantastic. What is it?”

“It’s Leoness Viognier from California. I thought it was appropriate since we’re heading out there soon.”

The writers conference,
she thought.
Next week with Mac, alone in Southern California.
The upcoming trip along with the wine, the man, and the massage helped brighten her mood.

“Now, tell me about Sasha.”

“It’s insane, Mac. I’m just so sick of her crap. I bet Edward pulls her third book deal.”

“She’d deserve it. So, how many reviews?”

“I counted ninety-eight; we suspect she wrote all of them herself. She wasn’t even creative enough to get other people to write them for her. Many of them sound alike, and she even cut and pasted some reviews.”

Mac shook his head as he pulled the chicken from the oven. “What a moron. I’m sorry you have to deal with this on top of everything else.”

Kate sighed, “I often wonder what it would be like to go freelance, you know, to be able to take whatever authors I wanted.”

Mac walked out of the kitchen to set the dining room table. “You thinking of leaving?”

Kate slid from the barstool. “No, I mean, it’s security. I just think, you know, sometimes it would be nice to say ‘no.’”

Mac slipped his hands under the collar of his robe, feeling her bare shoulders. She was completely naked underneath, and the thought of her body made him hard.

“Well, let’s hope that whole ‘no’ thing doesn’t start tonight.” He smiled and leaned in to kiss her.

She pulled him closer. “I could no more say no to you than Sasha could write a good review.”

Laughter erupted from Mac’s throat. “Come, Kate, let’s eat before I carry you off to the bedroom and leave this dinner to burn.”

…

Kate was sitting on one of Mac’s big, overstuffed leather couches watching the fire. Mac brought the bottle of wine over and refilled her glass. He sat down beside her and Kate nestled into him. He draped his arm around her and she could feel his heart beating under his shirt. She felt safe and cared for and even loved, though neither of them had ever said the “L” word. That, much like living together, was off-limits.

“Kate, I have a question to ask you.” As Mac spoke, Carolyn became an unwelcome intruder in his mind. Carolyn, his
wife
. He pushed the thought of her to a far corner and smiled at Kate. Mac was an expert at compartmentalizing his life.

“What is it?” She was wondering what else he had in store for her. The evening had been absolutely wonderful, exactly what she needed.

“I want us to go away together, to Whistler for a ski weekend. A long weekend, just the two of us.”

Kate was startled, and turned to face him, “Mac, are you serious? What brought this on?”

Mac took her hand and stroked her fingers. Every time he touched her, it sent thunderbolts of heat ricocheting through her. Her core warmed at his touch, her body eager for release.

“I know this is hard for you, this re
lationship. I thought we could go away, you know, like a couple. I used to take the boys to Whistler, just them and me. It’s a fantastic place, and you mentioned that you haven’t been skiing in ages, so I thought we could do this…”

“…like a real couple,” she finished.

Mac nodded. “It’s a lot to ask you, to do this thing with me, this relationship that’s only half a life for you. I just want you to know that I get it, and I want to make this relationship as real for you as I can.”

Kate smiled. “Mac, this is all very real to me.” She looked around at the room, candles flickered everywhere, and in the center of this room, and her world, was this man who took her to places sexually that she’d never been.

“Let’s do this, Katie. Say you will.” Her heart fluttered. “I will, Mac. I’d love to. When?”

Mac dipped his head. “After California, I’ll make the reservations.”

“But won’t it look suspect if we’re out of the office at the same time?”

“Let me worry about that, Kate.” Mac slid the robe off of her shoulders and began kissing her neck. He had never wanted a woman as much as he wanted Kate, and his need to be inside her ached in him more than he cared to admit. Mac’s lips found her breasts and flicked her nipples with his tongue. Kate leaned back and groaned; she was already wet with the anticipation of him.

Mac, hard and long inside her. She needed him right now. Kate tugged at his belt, loosening it. She fumbled with the button on his pants and tugged down the zipper. Her hand reached inside and found him, round, hard and pressed against his thigh. She pulled him out, stroking him softly.

“I need you,” she whispered huskily, filled with a hot, wet desire. Mac pulled his shirt off and pushed his pants to the floor. They were naked on his couch, the heat and sexual tension growing inside them. He nudged her knees apart and pushed himself into her. She was wet and tight and full of need. He kissed her and he pushed into her, again and again, until he felt her release, her hands clawing through his hair. He let himself go, feeling his need for her only heighten as he climaxed.

Afterwards, they lay breathless and he kissed her moist skin. His mouth trailed to her lips. “Katie, you are an amazing woman,” Mac said breathlessly. “Every time I see you walk into a room, I feel like everyone can hear my heart pounding. I don’t lose control, ever. But with you, it’s different and new and sometimes frightening.”

Kate was surprised at Mac’s sudden confession. “Frightening?” she whispered, trailing her fingers along his back.

“In a good way, if that makes sense. No one has ever made me question anything I do. With you, I question everything. This life I lead, the choices I’ve made.”

“Is that bad?” she asked tentatively.

“No, it’s good, just different.” Mac held her eyes. “I never questioned what I did—I just did it. Now I feel like I want more.”

For a moment, Kate couldn’t breathe. “More? What do you mean?”

“I needed to tell you that, Kate, and maybe it wasn’t fair, but I haven’t defined the ‘more’ yet. I just know that it’s something I think about and I need to keep turning it over in my head.”

“Isn’t this a conversation I’m supposed to have, Mac?” she smiled; she could see he was nervous. Maybe he hadn’t meant to tell her and in a moment of post-passion euphoria, it had slipped out.

Mac smiled. “I know, I’m sorry Kate. I should have thought this through more. It didn’t come out right.”

Kate kissed him softly. “It came out fine. Don’t worry about it. We’ll figure this out.”

Mac was amazed. Most women he knew would have jumped on the ‘more’ comment and debated it until every angle had been inspected and perhaps rightfully so. But Kate just dropped it, and her lack of pressure and of expectation made Mac want to give her more than he’d ever given another woman before. Just exactly what that was, he wasn’t sure.

Chapter Six

“We are wondering what you plan to do for us.”

The connection on the Skype video call wasn’t the best, but Kate was sure she had heard the question correctly.

“I’m not sure I understand…” Kate began, trying to give the Shenkman twins the benefit of the doubt. They’d gotten special permission from the prison to do a video chat, and MD had pulled some strings to make it happen. The call was allowed to go thirty minutes. By Kate’s watch, they were already eleven minutes in, which in her opinion was ten minutes too long. She had led off the meeting with a full rundown of her publicity plan; this didn’t take long since the proposed marketing outline had been sent to their attorney and the twins already had time to go through it.

“Kate,” Iris, the twin who had supposedly masterminded her parents’ murder, was getting impatient, “Did you hear us?”

Kate took a deep breath. “I did hear you, but we just ran through the marketing outline, so I’m not sure what you are asking.”

Sara nudged her sister out of the way. Like Iris, she had light brown hair that hung in an uneven cut around her face. Kate could tell that at one time the twins had probably been quite attractive, but a few years inside a women’s prison with minimal access to the sun had turned their once California sun-kissed skin almost grey, matching their eyes and the interior walls. Kate wondered if everything in the prison turned grey eventually. Everything except the frumpy bright orange jumpsuits the twins were wearing.

“What we’re asking,” Sara said, taking control of the meeting, “is how much do you plan on giving us for our story?”

“What do you mean?” Kate paused. “We’re not here to negotiate this deal, Sara, that’s been done. The book pubs in sixty days.” She fought the urge to let her expressions show on her face. She hated video chats with authors and having to suppress the juvenile urge of sticking her tongue out at the phone.

“We want a better deal,” Iris said from behind her sister. Her face was determined. These girls really weren’t kidding.

“And,” Sara added, “we want the publisher to print fifty thousand copies, at a

minimum, because that’s how many letters we’ve gotten.” Sara jutted her chin out in defiance. Clearly, the girls were feeling like rock stars and this was their one chance at glory. All because they’d gunned down their parents. Lovely.

Kate wished for a power outage as she collected her thoughts. They were negotiating with her? She pondered calling Mac in, then decided to try to rein them back in herself, or at least try.

“Ladies,” the word sort of stuck in her throat, “I have no control over how many copies we will print, and that’s not what we are here to discuss.” Kate wanted to shake her head, or shake her fist, at these delusional women.

“We want a movie deal,” Iris piped up.

Since a power failure wasn’t going to save her, Kate debated ripping the DSL cord out of the wall.

“Listen, we’re here to talk about publicity, that’s it. If you have questions about your contract, you should take that up with your editor.”

“What about the book copies?” Sara asked again, clearly getting impatient. She wasn’t the only one.

Kate took a deep breath.
Remain calm
, she thought. Between Sasha and these two, it had already been a long week.

“Look, as I said, I have no control over the number of books we print, but I will tell you this: The correspondence you’ve received is no indication of how many copies people will buy, so I wouldn’t mention this to your editor.”

“Why not? It seems logical to us.”

Of course it does, they murdered their parents. Their ability to negotiate even the most absurd ideas must be a finely tuned skill.
“Because people who write to prisoners are often poor and illiterate and certainly don’t care about a book you wrote.”

“You’re wrong! They love us, and they understand what we went through.” Both girls looked pissed off. Kate was pretty certain they believed their own delusional rants.

Kate nodded. “I’m sure they do, but they still aren’t going to buy your book. Now let’s talk about the marketing and publicity.”

“We want to talk about our deal.”

The Shenkman’s attorney, Michael Presso, finally stepped into view of the webcam. He had been sitting in the background, quietly observing. “I think we should take this up with the editor, girls. Kate really can’t negotiate this.”

Kate felt like her head was going to explode. She tapped her foot against the Internet cable. Tempting.

“Ladies, I think I have everything I need. Let’s chat again soon.”

Kate pushed her mouse button quickly, ending the call. Another reason she preferred calls by phone, you could slam the receiver down, which she found very cathartic. It beat tossing the phone out the window, which her office generally frowned on. Their attorney watched over them vigilantly and believed that forgiveness of their sins was largely overdue. No doubt after this less-than-stellar meeting, he’d place a call to Edward or Mac, though Kate knew he wouldn’t get far with Mac. Kate knew there would be some sort of ramifications from the attorney who protected these girls as if they were his daughters. He’d better hope they weren’t his kids. He might wake up one morning with a gun to his head. Kate put her head on her desk. God how she hated these types of books, and she hated the authors even more.