Free One Night: A BWWM Interracial Romance by Camilla Stevens Page B

“I’ve got some good news for you.”
    After proofing the revised novel for plot holes and editing mistakes, Jake was satisfied with his new masterpiece.   He christened it with the last of the whiskey before calling to break the news to his agent.   Martha Shapiro was a feisty woman pushing 70, with no intention of ever retiring. She had gone to bat for Jake since day one. Anyone who could take on the CIA and the publishing industry was a lot tougher than Jake had ever been. Of course, after the first successful book her job was a lot easier.  
    These days she tended to play the role of busy-body aunt. Much like his dear sister, she had a tendency to prod him about his intentions on settling down some time soon. He was fully prepared for a barrage of questions along those lines as he revealed the new plot twist to his Nick Zane series.  
    “You know how you’ve always thought I should add a recurring love interest, well I finally took your advice.”
    “Ok, who is she, this girl you’ve met?” Martha prodded. “Should I start saving date?”
    Jake should have known she’d see straight through him. How was she so wicked sharp?  
    “No one, I just decided to take your advice is all. The series was getting kind of repetitive.”
    “Well that’s true,” Martha confessed.  
    Jake winced.   Along with being sharp, she was incredibly blunt.   However, her advice had never ceased to work in his favor so he put up with it.  
    “Just out of curiosity,” he continued. “Why do you assume there’s someone I’ve met.”
    “Jake, honey,” she said in that matter-of-fact tone of hers. “I’ve known you for two years now. You push and you push when I say add a love interest. No, no, no, you say. I say, ‘okay, okay.’ Then you go on your little writing hiatus to some place in the mountains, telling me it’s going to be same old, same old. Then just before the draft is due you call me up to tell me you changed your mind?  
    “What do you take me for? There’s no girl, my ass,”   she finished.  
    Jake laughed into the phone. “Okay, you got me,” he confessed, leaning back into his chair and looking out at the lake. “But honestly, it was nothing special. I mean it wasn’t not nothing special, it was nice. It’s just, I don’t know her.   She was just visiting here and now she’s gone and—”
    “And she’s got you all tongue tied,” Martha said, knowingly. “I just hope this book isn’t as scrambled as she’s got your head.”  
    “No,” he said, “the book is perfect.”  
    “Mmm, that confident, huh?” she said. He could hear the smile in her voice. “So what’s she like, this girl?”  
    Jake paused, thinking about last night. “Nice.”  
    “Nice?” she asked. “Nice? That’s all I get? Nice?”
    “Well, it was short lived,” he responded.
    “Short lived enough to change an entire series,” she replied. “I’d say that’s something more than nice.”
    “Well, read the draft,” he said, changing the subject. “The character is all her.”
    “Now you’ve got me really curious.   About the girl, not the book.”  
    “As usual, you get first dibs,” he said, changing the subject. “I’ll send it to you as soon as we hang up.   You can deal with Wright.”  
    “Yeah, yeah,” she conceded. “Any chance you’ll see this girl again?”
    “You don’t give up, do you?” he smiled into the phone. “Sorry, Martha.   All I’ve got is a name and occupation. Librarian, if you can believe that.”
    “Cute,” she said “Did you tell her who you are, or did you keep up the whole anonymous schtick?”
    “I gave her my real name.   She has no clue who I am,” he said.
    “So she says,” she respond. “One day we’re going to get that gorgeous face of yours on the cover.   Sales will go through the roof, mostly to lonely housewives.”
    “Never happening, Martha,” Jake said.  
    “That’s my commission your playing with there, sonny,” she