Susan talk me into the Internet? Everyone knows it’ s crawling with loonies.
As I entertained thoughts of being held captive in a cellar later while Sebastian decided which part of me he’ d use to make his coat of human flesh, the guy who’ d served as bouncer earlier announced that we’ d be taking a brief break, after which Mr. Forbes would sign books.
Sebastian came over and this time kissed my forehead. ‘ How’ d I do?’
Be calm& be cool& don’ t aggravate the crazy man.
‘ Great! But you know what I realized? I need to go.’
His face fell. ‘ You’ re leaving?’
‘ I forgot I have this big meeting tomorrow.’ I faked a yawn. ‘ But I loved your book. Thanks so much for inviting me.’
‘ Can’ t you stick around a while longer?’
No sudden movements that might startle him.& ‘ It was lovely, really. But I need to get going.’
‘ Give me a few more minutes, please. Let me explain.’ He pleaded so earnestly-and even though he was a psychopath, his face still seemed sweet-I let him lead me behind a bookshelf, where I figured my screams could be heard. ‘ The L.A. Times book reviewer isn’ t here yet, and my publicist says he’ s due any minute. Can’ t you stay for that, at least?’
‘ To be honest, Sebastian, I don’ t understand what’ s going on here.’
‘ Going on?’
‘ Everybody acts as if they know me, and they keep congratulating me. Then you introduce me as your beloved JJ.’
‘ What, people can’ t be friendly?’
‘ Thank you, I’ ll be leaving now.’
‘ Wait!’ he whispered urgently, grabbing my arm. ‘ There’ s something else.’
‘ I’ m listening.’
‘ I may have let it get around that we were engaged.’
‘ Engaged?! Why!?’
‘ Think about it. I’ m writing about a lifelong romance between a man and a woman, but I’ m coming to my own event stag? No one would take me seriously.’
‘ You couldn’ t get a friend to pretend for you?’
He released my arm. ‘ I didn’ t want to be that& devious. I was hoping you wouldn’ t catch on, the press would write it up-and by the time anyone was the wiser, my book would already be at the top of the best-seller list.’
‘ Weren’ t you scared people might see your personal ad?’
‘ It was a chance I had to take.’
‘ Sebastian, I wish you luck. I do. But-’
‘ No buts, please! I’ m begging you! Just for another hour or so, pretend to be my fiancée. Please& as a favor to a fellow writer. I hate to ask this of you, but when I got your letter and photo, you seemed so nice.’
‘ I’ m not comfortable with this. I’ m sorry& .’ And I turned to go.
He slumped against the shelf. ‘ You think I’ m a lunatic, right?’
‘ I& uh& ‘ Yes?!!?
‘ Would it ease your mind if I mention to you that, lovely as you are, you’ re not exactly my type?’
‘ What-’ I bristled, finally fed up and not afraid to let him know. Now the psycho was going to insult me as well? ‘ You mean sane?’
‘ No. Female.’
I stared at him, he shrugged, and after a second a light bulb went on over my head. ‘ Oh.’
No wonder he was so good-looking.
‘ I’ m not in the closet, but for this first book, I thought it would be best if I appeared to be straight. The book has received good buzz. If the press found out I was gay, no matter how glowing the reviews, it would still be a gay man’ s account of a romance. I didn’ t want to see it limited that way. Believe me, once this hits it big, I won’ t care what anyone thinks. I’ ll hand out free copies at the Gay fucking Pride parade.’
‘ I don’ t claim to know anything about writing books,’ I said, neglecting to mention the Carpoolers Guide to Road Safety I’ d authored, ‘ but don’ t they say ‘ Write about what you know’ ? Shouldn’ t you have written about a gay relationship?’
‘ This is what I know. It’ s the story of my parents’ courtship-and it’ s a love story, but it’ s also a
As I entertained thoughts of being held captive in a cellar later while Sebastian decided which part of me he’ d use to make his coat of human flesh, the guy who’ d served as bouncer earlier announced that we’ d be taking a brief break, after which Mr. Forbes would sign books.
Sebastian came over and this time kissed my forehead. ‘ How’ d I do?’
Be calm& be cool& don’ t aggravate the crazy man.
‘ Great! But you know what I realized? I need to go.’
His face fell. ‘ You’ re leaving?’
‘ I forgot I have this big meeting tomorrow.’ I faked a yawn. ‘ But I loved your book. Thanks so much for inviting me.’
‘ Can’ t you stick around a while longer?’
No sudden movements that might startle him.& ‘ It was lovely, really. But I need to get going.’
‘ Give me a few more minutes, please. Let me explain.’ He pleaded so earnestly-and even though he was a psychopath, his face still seemed sweet-I let him lead me behind a bookshelf, where I figured my screams could be heard. ‘ The L.A. Times book reviewer isn’ t here yet, and my publicist says he’ s due any minute. Can’ t you stay for that, at least?’
‘ To be honest, Sebastian, I don’ t understand what’ s going on here.’
‘ Going on?’
‘ Everybody acts as if they know me, and they keep congratulating me. Then you introduce me as your beloved JJ.’
‘ What, people can’ t be friendly?’
‘ Thank you, I’ ll be leaving now.’
‘ Wait!’ he whispered urgently, grabbing my arm. ‘ There’ s something else.’
‘ I’ m listening.’
‘ I may have let it get around that we were engaged.’
‘ Engaged?! Why!?’
‘ Think about it. I’ m writing about a lifelong romance between a man and a woman, but I’ m coming to my own event stag? No one would take me seriously.’
‘ You couldn’ t get a friend to pretend for you?’
He released my arm. ‘ I didn’ t want to be that& devious. I was hoping you wouldn’ t catch on, the press would write it up-and by the time anyone was the wiser, my book would already be at the top of the best-seller list.’
‘ Weren’ t you scared people might see your personal ad?’
‘ It was a chance I had to take.’
‘ Sebastian, I wish you luck. I do. But-’
‘ No buts, please! I’ m begging you! Just for another hour or so, pretend to be my fiancée. Please& as a favor to a fellow writer. I hate to ask this of you, but when I got your letter and photo, you seemed so nice.’
‘ I’ m not comfortable with this. I’ m sorry& .’ And I turned to go.
He slumped against the shelf. ‘ You think I’ m a lunatic, right?’
‘ I& uh& ‘ Yes?!!?
‘ Would it ease your mind if I mention to you that, lovely as you are, you’ re not exactly my type?’
‘ What-’ I bristled, finally fed up and not afraid to let him know. Now the psycho was going to insult me as well? ‘ You mean sane?’
‘ No. Female.’
I stared at him, he shrugged, and after a second a light bulb went on over my head. ‘ Oh.’
No wonder he was so good-looking.
‘ I’ m not in the closet, but for this first book, I thought it would be best if I appeared to be straight. The book has received good buzz. If the press found out I was gay, no matter how glowing the reviews, it would still be a gay man’ s account of a romance. I didn’ t want to see it limited that way. Believe me, once this hits it big, I won’ t care what anyone thinks. I’ ll hand out free copies at the Gay fucking Pride parade.’
‘ I don’ t claim to know anything about writing books,’ I said, neglecting to mention the Carpoolers Guide to Road Safety I’ d authored, ‘ but don’ t they say ‘ Write about what you know’ ? Shouldn’ t you have written about a gay relationship?’
‘ This is what I know. It’ s the story of my parents’ courtship-and it’ s a love story, but it’ s also a
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