Page 5 of Knowing You
‘And thanks for ironing me a shirt for today. I’ll just grab a really quick shower and then fetch your Valentine’s present.’ He disappears into our bedroom and comes back with a small gift bag. I don’t need to open it. He always gets me the same book voucher and milk chocolates for birthdays, Christmas and Valentine’s. It might not be the most imaginative gift, but it’s perfect for me.
As promised, he’s ready ten minutes later and we sit down to eat. Lenny uncorks wine and I serve the food. I’ve decided to broach the subject of Beatrix but I’m not sure how. It’s still hardly sunk in that my idol could potentially be after my boyfriend. He needs to know about Hugo’s claims and that she’ll do anything to acquireAlien Hearts. He’s on the cusp of becoming a fully-fledged agent and looking for that one big deal that will finally impress his agency. Lenny has been desperate for promotion. That makes him vulnerable to being exploited. He’s already secretly shown Beatrix the manuscript. If she tells anyone, that could jeopardise his professional integrity. His agency won’t want a partner who isn’t transparent.
We eat the lasagne and playfully fight over the last chunk of garlic bread. After dessert we retire to the sofa. He pushes Flossie off and we snuggle up.
‘Beatrix’s imprint sounds interesting,’ I say. ‘Under her leadership it’s bound to be a huge success.’
Lenny removes his arm from around my shoulder and picks up his glass of wine. ‘She’s a very persuasive woman – and a hard worker.’ He clears his throat. ‘Sorry about lunch time. I think the build up toOut There Stories’ launch is taking its toll. I’m sure she didn’t mean to be rude.’
I pour myself another glass of wine. Lenny touches my hand and his face splits into a grin.
‘Two glasses? Violet? What’s going on?’
As our skin touches, I feel the familiar jolt of attraction. In physics, neutrality is a rather wonderful thing. It produces stability. It’s achieved through the attraction of opposites. Electrons and protons. Lenny and me.
I run my finger around the rim. ‘Can I talk to you about something?’
‘Everything okay?’ He puts down his wine and gives me his full attention.
I tell him what Hugo said without revealing my source.
Lenny shakes his head. ‘What absolute rubbish. Nothing but jealously spawns these rumours. You should know that.’
‘I was surprised – but what other explanation is there?’ Since talking to Hugo, I’d thought of more examples. Like the debut science fiction author she was known to have dated and snatched from HarperCollins. Word got around that they’d offered him a generous advance and the industry was flummoxed when he signed with Alpaca Books.
‘Beatrix is at the top of her game,’ says Lenny. ‘She doesn’t need to trade on her good looks. She’d heard aboutAlien Heartsand became so excited when I told her more about the plot. She didn’t ask to see it, I offered. Beatrix is a complete professional. Showing her is no big deal. She’ll keep schtum.’
‘You know she’s an absolute hero of mine. I just thought I ought to mention it. You’ve slogged hard to get this far and are on the verge of getting your own author list. I wouldn’t want to see your reputation questioned in any way if the agency found out you’d shown the manuscript around.’
He pushes up his sleeves. ‘If she’s got a track record of ensnaring younger men, why doesn’t she just go directly to Casey?’
‘Because I realised at lunch time you haven’t told her he’s really a man.’
Like a starstruck fan, Lenny once showed me an author photo, saying he wrote so well about women that he must have been on hundreds of dates. Casey’s tall, striking, with jet black hair and inky eyes. Lenny says Casey’s ambitious and driven and is unsure whether to reveal his male identity, concerned that it might put off readers.
‘Look, I’m not worried about Beatrix. Can’t we leave it at that? Let’s not spend our special evening talking about her – or Casey. How about I make coffee?’
He strokes my arm. Lenny’s touch feels so good. From the first time we had sex, it was as if a switch had been flipped. It illuminated a universe of sensual pleasure.
I meet his boyish smile. Dean Martin’sVolareplays in the background on one of the old CDs that Uncle Kevin couldn’t take with him when he moved to America. I intertwine my fingers with Lenny’s. We stand up. My hands slip around his neck. His go around my back. We sway side to side in perfect rhythm and I close my eyes. Our mouths meet. His hands trail my spine as we move as close as we can.
As the song comes to an end, I reluctantly pull away. We chat over coffee. I tell him about a new author we’ve signed who’s well-known for her bestselling erotica. She’s secretly always wanted to write children’s stories and has been given a two-book deal under a pseudonym.
‘And how was your day?’ I ask.
‘Busy. Sorry, again, that we couldn’t have lunch.’ He sighed. ‘After meeting Trixie, things got a bit boring, to be honest. An afternoon spent sending out rejection letters is far from inspiring. It’s hard, you know, still doing so much of the mundane stuff. If I don’t get my own list this year…’ His downturned mouth reflects the missing words.
‘You will, Lenny. If not where you are, then at another agency. You’ve gained so much experience and got yourself out there, networking, in a way I never could. It’ll happen, there’s no doubt about it. Keep on keeping on.’
He takes my hand, lifts it and presses his lips against my palm.
‘We’ve both come such a long way,’ I say, gently. ‘Remember when we first met and were still finding our way around the city?’
‘It took me long enough to become familiar with the British Library. I don’t know what I’d have done without you.’
I rub his arm. ‘It won’t be long before authors are queuing up to sign with you.’ I kiss him on the cheek. Lenny clears his throat, gets up and disappears into the kitchen.
‘I’ll tidy up,’ he calls.
