disappointment?
26
“This promises to be a red letter day for the Blunt Agency,” Jonas Blunt says by way of greeting when Jane joins him for breakfast at The Pierre.
He called her at 6:30 A.M., waking her from a troubled slumber, the events of the night before leaving her nerves raw.
Insisting that she “get cleaned up and meet him soonest” he’d rung off before she could protest, so she’d jumped under the shower, dressed and rushed over here all in under forty-five minutes.
Breathless, she falls into a chair opposite her boss and takes a slug of spring water.
Shoveling Eggs Benedict into his mouth, Jonas says, “Right here in my briefcase I have a contract from Raynebeau Jones’s production company for the movie rights to Ivy . Three million dollars will be Lucky Lizzie Rushworth’s once she puts pen to paper.”
“Wow,” Jane says.
“ Wow indeed. And the Blunt Agency will be a production partner in this little enterprise. We’re spreading our wings, Janey, all thanks to you.”
He reaches across and honest-to-goodness chucks her under the chin.
But Jane doesn’t see her suave, smirking boss, she sees Gordon Rushworth sitting on her couch last night, coming within a hairsbreadth (she’s all-too positive) of owning up to being the author of Ivy .
And she’d stopped him.
Given him time to retreat behind his little wall of lies.
Again.
All because she was terrified of facing Jonas Blunt with the truth and seeing the inevitable disintegration of her career.
“Janey? Jane?”
Jonas clicks his fingers before her eyes like a hypnotist bringing a subject back from a trance.
She blinks and laughs.
“Sorry, Jonas, I’m just a little overawed by those numbers.”
“Then hold onto your seat my little petal. Yesterday I very subtly leaked news of our impending auction of Ivy . I already have pre-emptive bids from three of the big five, with offers of four million for this book and a sequel. By the time we go to auction we’ll get double that.”
Jane shakes her head.
“I don’t know what to say.”
Jonas raises his tomato cocktail and clinks his glass against hers.
“Just say cheers , Janey, and enjoy the moment. Days like these come seldom in the benighted world of publishing.”
They drink and then he sets down his glass.
“There is to be an addition to the media schedule. At 8 P.M. Eastern Raynebeau Jones will be interviewed live in L.A. by Bernadine Class from Entertainment Tonight . She’ll be breaking the news about Ivy . A camera crew from ET will be upstairs in Lizzie’s suite and she’ll be able to field questions and chat with Raynebeau.”
“You’re saying this is all going out live?”
“Oh yes, we’re talking prime time. And then it’ll be picked up by dozens of ET ’s syndication affiliates.”
He stares at her.
“You look concerned?”
“I’m just a little worried that Lizzie Rushworth is going to pull this off. Live network TV? Talking to a Hollywood star? That’s quite a leap for her from selling bric - a- brac in Vermont.”
“That’s why you’re here, my precious. To nurture and guide her while I bait the media piranhas.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“I’m counting on you.”
Jonas stands.
“Now why don’t you take me upstairs and introduce me to our little cash cow?”
27
Bitsy Rushworth can’t honestly remember feeling more stressed and disoriented since the day her ex-husband sat her down and told her that he was gay and that he was leaving her for their landlord, a bluff man in his fifties with a spray tan and a hairpiece.
A small army of scuttling women have invaded her bedroom at The Pierre, and with little regard for her decency, have stripped her to her underwear and are busy dressing her, selecting outfits from a rail that was wheeled in when the unsuspecting Bitsy, wearing the fluffy robe she hopes she can take home with her, opened the door fifteen minutes ago.
The women ignore her and talk
26
“This promises to be a red letter day for the Blunt Agency,” Jonas Blunt says by way of greeting when Jane joins him for breakfast at The Pierre.
He called her at 6:30 A.M., waking her from a troubled slumber, the events of the night before leaving her nerves raw.
Insisting that she “get cleaned up and meet him soonest” he’d rung off before she could protest, so she’d jumped under the shower, dressed and rushed over here all in under forty-five minutes.
Breathless, she falls into a chair opposite her boss and takes a slug of spring water.
Shoveling Eggs Benedict into his mouth, Jonas says, “Right here in my briefcase I have a contract from Raynebeau Jones’s production company for the movie rights to Ivy . Three million dollars will be Lucky Lizzie Rushworth’s once she puts pen to paper.”
“Wow,” Jane says.
“ Wow indeed. And the Blunt Agency will be a production partner in this little enterprise. We’re spreading our wings, Janey, all thanks to you.”
He reaches across and honest-to-goodness chucks her under the chin.
But Jane doesn’t see her suave, smirking boss, she sees Gordon Rushworth sitting on her couch last night, coming within a hairsbreadth (she’s all-too positive) of owning up to being the author of Ivy .
And she’d stopped him.
Given him time to retreat behind his little wall of lies.
Again.
All because she was terrified of facing Jonas Blunt with the truth and seeing the inevitable disintegration of her career.
“Janey? Jane?”
Jonas clicks his fingers before her eyes like a hypnotist bringing a subject back from a trance.
She blinks and laughs.
“Sorry, Jonas, I’m just a little overawed by those numbers.”
“Then hold onto your seat my little petal. Yesterday I very subtly leaked news of our impending auction of Ivy . I already have pre-emptive bids from three of the big five, with offers of four million for this book and a sequel. By the time we go to auction we’ll get double that.”
Jane shakes her head.
“I don’t know what to say.”
Jonas raises his tomato cocktail and clinks his glass against hers.
“Just say cheers , Janey, and enjoy the moment. Days like these come seldom in the benighted world of publishing.”
They drink and then he sets down his glass.
“There is to be an addition to the media schedule. At 8 P.M. Eastern Raynebeau Jones will be interviewed live in L.A. by Bernadine Class from Entertainment Tonight . She’ll be breaking the news about Ivy . A camera crew from ET will be upstairs in Lizzie’s suite and she’ll be able to field questions and chat with Raynebeau.”
“You’re saying this is all going out live?”
“Oh yes, we’re talking prime time. And then it’ll be picked up by dozens of ET ’s syndication affiliates.”
He stares at her.
“You look concerned?”
“I’m just a little worried that Lizzie Rushworth is going to pull this off. Live network TV? Talking to a Hollywood star? That’s quite a leap for her from selling bric - a- brac in Vermont.”
“That’s why you’re here, my precious. To nurture and guide her while I bait the media piranhas.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“I’m counting on you.”
Jonas stands.
“Now why don’t you take me upstairs and introduce me to our little cash cow?”
27
Bitsy Rushworth can’t honestly remember feeling more stressed and disoriented since the day her ex-husband sat her down and told her that he was gay and that he was leaving her for their landlord, a bluff man in his fifties with a spray tan and a hairpiece.
A small army of scuttling women have invaded her bedroom at The Pierre, and with little regard for her decency, have stripped her to her underwear and are busy dressing her, selecting outfits from a rail that was wheeled in when the unsuspecting Bitsy, wearing the fluffy robe she hopes she can take home with her, opened the door fifteen minutes ago.
The women ignore her and talk
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