A Nerd Story of Love

Phoenix to LA to Vegas to My Geek Charming

"Hello?" James said gruffly.

"Mr. Hunter? This is Bella Dwyer from Twilight Publishing," I said smoothly. "I'm calling regards to your most recent novel, Raw Golden Memories."

"Ah, yes. One of my best pieces of work to date," James said. "What can I do for you, Ms. Dwyer?"

"I have some questions about the plot. It seems too real. Was this based in reality, Mr. Hunter?" I asked.

"Isn't all fiction based off some parts of reality, Ms. Dwyer?" James retorted. "I did use some part of my childhood in the story, but it doesn't matter. I stretched the truth. Vastly. Though, I wished it happened."

I closed my eyes and pinched my nose with my fingers. "Have you ever considered the person you may have been referring to? They can possibly sue you for slander," I said.

"Please. He would never do that," James scoffed.

"How can you be so sure?" I snapped. "Have you ever considered his feelings?"

"He got me expelled. However, he's a fucking pussy. Weak. Insignificant. He wouldn't do that. Now, if you don't have any more questions, Ms. Dwyer, I need to get going," James sneered.

"I'll be in touch, Mr. Hunter," I spat as I hung up the phone. I pushed away from my desk and went into Jane's office. I fell into a chair opposite her.

"Someone's in a bad mood," Jane laughed.

"I called James Hunter."

"And?"

"He used a real person as the basis for his main character in the newest novel. He confirmed my fears. He's confident that his 'muse' will not do anything. Jane, we can't publish this novel," I said.

"If he's done it for this novel, he's done it for others. I'm surprised that he hasn't been sued yet," Jane said. "I'll contact corporate and get his books pulled from the shelves, do some research. When you get back from this book tour, you will have your hands full. I'm putting you in charge of this."

"Got it," I said. "What if he goes to a different publisher?"

"Then it's not our problem," Jane said sadly. "I would suggest that your boyfriend get an attorney."

"He already has one," I said with a small smile.

"Excellent. Now, go do some work for Rose's tour. Some bookstores need final confirmations," Jane said. I nodded and went back to my office. I made the necessary phone calls to the bookstores and auditoriums that we were working with. I worked through lunch and made some good headway. At around three, I started packing up. I had a doctor's appointment for my shot. Joy...I love needles. Insert sarcasm here.

I get my shot and drove home, beginning the long process of packing for three months on the road. Rose has provided me with a new lingerie wardrobe, in addition to several new sexy items for my closet. The nice thing is that the hotels we booked were willing to provide laundry service for us. I was grateful for that. I didn't want to drag my suitcase of dirty clothes to a Laundromat. Yuck.

The weekend was busy for me, cleaning and preparing for my long trip. I stopped my newspaper delivery and arranged for my mail to be sent to the publishing company who would send it to whatever hotel I was staying at. The tour was starting at several local bookstores in Phoenix on Monday. The local news stations were going to be there and then we'd fly out to LA for some more book signings. I also arranged for Rose to meet with a couple of movie studios that had expressed interest in her novels.

I told Edward about my conversation with James on Sunday. He was busy with Jasper the day previous. They went to a Cubs game and he got lit. When I talked to him on Sunday afternoon on the webcam, he was still a little bleary eyed. I felt sorry for him. But I wanted to kick Jasper's ass. He was the one who got my boyfriend completely hammered with Jaeger bombs. Though, I think the hangover made Edward a little more docile when I explained James' take on his stories. His head was hurting too much for him to yell. Not that he would yell. I'd only ever heard him raise his voice once and that was to Jake. Who was thankfully still in jail.