"Who would ever love, me? The beautiful girl always was looked over. She was always labeled as the nice girl, the funny girl, or the smart girl. But no cared to take a closer look at her. Until the one day she met a hitchhiker who would forever change her life," the tall red headed man stopped reading as he put down the page on top of the large stack of other papers. He sat on the edge of his desk and looked at the woman before him. She was a young, beautiful woman with memorizing green eyes, and the most exotic hair he had ever seen. It was auburn except for a few strands of hair in the front that were white. He was lost deep in thought and was only pulled out of it when she coughed. " ---Marie, it's good but how many times can someone read a story about a lonely girl who meets a stranger who helps her find herself and in the end they fall madly in love with each other and live happily ever after."
"Scott, Ah know. It's just - -"
"No, Marie. You have to understand." Scott explained as he leaned over his desk and shined his nameplate that read Scott Summers Chief Editor of Fantasmo Publishing. He inspected it and only when he was completely satisfied with its shine, he placed it back on his desk. "Marie," He continued as he folded his hands on the desk. "You are our best writer. You have single handedly brought this company to what it is today. But it's just that your stories are kind of-well-" and he quickly searched for a polite way of putting it, "-predictable. It's just that someone can sum up the story in seven words or fewer."
"Scott, it's a romance novel. It's not supposed to be a life questioning, thought provoking book. It's a cheesy romance novel that house wives read in order to replace the absence of romance in their lives," Marie answered with a hint of southern drawl in her voice.
"I know but it's not only that but your stories, well, there very unrealistic. No one falls in love that fast." Before Marie could even refute, Scott held up his hand to stop her. "I know, I know. It's a cheesy romance novel. But we are looking for something more."
"As in?" Marie asked as she crossed her legs and scratched her right forearm.
"Something with bite. Something that is new, that no one ever covered."
"Which is exactly what?"
Scott let out a sigh and rubbed the back of his head. "I don't know. You are the writer, think of something."
"And what if Ah can't"
"You will."
"Scott, Ah don't think Ah can. Ah mean Ah just wrote 5 books in 3 months. Ah am over worked. Ah can no longer distinguish between reality and fiction. Ah have so many characters in mah head that Ah can't really tell where they end and Ah begin. Ah need a break."
Scott nodded in sympathy. "I understand. But we need you, I need you. You are only hope for keeping this company afloat."
"No pressure or anything" Marie scoffed.
"You are our most promising writer. But you just need to get back to the basics. Remember when you sent us your manuscript. Everyone fell who read it fell in love with it. It had to be the greatest suspense story I have ever read. But lately you kind have been in a rut."
"Well thanks for noticing." Marie said as she crossed her arms in front of her.
"What I think you should do is. . ."
"Tell meh, Scott, what do yah think Ah should do? Because Ah would just be lost without yah advice."
"Marie, please." Scott said as he chose his words wisely to extinguish Marie's flaring temper. "It's just that-well-you know you are a brilliant writer, I know you are a brilliant writer. And we both know that you are capable of great things. I know you are exhausted. So that's why I am sending you on vacation."
"Yah are sending me on vacation." Marie repeated in disbelief. "Whah?"
"Well, I think one reason you are struggling with finding new creative and realistic work is you aren't writing about realistic and personal events anymore. You are stuck in a groove. Yah need to meet new people, be placed in new scenarios, to rediscover your passion for writing. There are only so many times you can stretch the same plot over and over again."
"Well Ah think yah made yahr point, Scott." Marie said as she twirled with her ring around her finger. "So where are yah shipping me off tah?"
"Well, that was the tough part. First we were going to send you on a tour of Europe but too many authors have used that as a premise. Next we were going to send you to--"
"Can Ah just have the cliff notes version, please?" Marie asked growing more impatient with Scott's encyclopedic answers.
"New Orleans."
Marie nodded for him to continue.
"We figured that since you are going to be there during Mardi Gras, it would be a perfect opportunity for you to meet new people. Besides you cannot meet a wider variety of people in crazier situation than at Mardi Gras. Plus you will also have fun there but not too much we still need you to write one of your best sellers again. Oh, and don't worry about money. Everything is taken care of: the airfare, hotel, car rental, and we are even given you this charge card." Scott said as he handed Rogue silver credit card with the word Fantasmo on it. Scott continued to explain, "It's the companies charge card. You can use it for everything, dinner, tours, souvenirs, whatever you want."
"Yah kind of makin this hard for me tah turn down."
"I know. So what do you say?" asked Scott as he gave her his game show host smile.
"Well, Ah guess yea but can Ah ask yah a favor?"
"Sure anything Marie, you know I'm not only your boss but your friend too."
"That's great, Scott, thanks really." Marie said trying to speed along the conversation. "It's just that with the hype from my last books, the media has been trying to find out who Ah am."
"Kind of makes you glad that you use a pseudonym, huh?" Scott said as he readjusted his tie.
"Yea, that's the trouble. Ah'm afraid someone is going to tell the media that Rogue is really Marie O'Connell. Ah mean, Ah can't turn the channel without hearing something about 'cracking the romance code.'"
"Can you blame them? Marie, you are the Stephen King in the romance world. Everyone wants to know who you are. They want to meet the 'passionate, idealistic mother of all romance.' I don't see where the problem is, you have millions of adoring fans. We get fan mail up to the wahzoo everyday, asking for the name of the woman who changed their lives."
"Scott, it's for personal reasons. Can you just please promise me that you want tell anyone, especially the media or one of your employees about who The Rogue really is."
Scott sighed and rubbed the back of his head. He then raised his gaze to reach Marie's eyes. "I promise. I wouldn't want to do anything that jeopardize your trust."
"Thanks, that means a lot to me," satisfied with his answer, she quickly changed the subject, "So when am Ah leaving for New Orleans?"
"Tomorrow at 11:00. I already have a car coming to pick you up at 9 and take you to the airport."
"Seems like yah were planning on me saying yes."
"Well I knew I would eventually wear you down with my charm," he said flashing her another one of his game show host smiles.
Marie stood up and playfully punched him in the arm. "Well, yah need tah work on yahr charm, Mr. Barker."
"Are my smiles really that fake?" Scott asked as he stood up and faced Marie.
"Sometimes. It's a combination of a used car salesman's and a sleazy game show hosts."
"Well at least I smile."
"If you call that smiling," Marie said as she glanced down at her watch. "Hate tah end this bonding moment between editor and author but well it's almost ten. I had a long day and Ah still have tah pack for the trip tomorrow," Marie said as she gathered her belongings, a winter jacket, and her purse.
"That's right. Well call me when you arrive at the hotel tomorrow. You better keep me posted about the progress of the story. I don't want to go down and hunt you down and find out that you married the first guy you saw." Scott joked.
"Yea, yah know meh "mother of romance", can't keep mah hands tah mahself, and mah mouth shut," Marie teased as she winked and turned to leave.
"Marie," Scott called after her.
"Yea, Scott?" Marie said as she turned around and faced him.
"Have fun, ok? You really deserve this."
Marie smiled and answered, "Thanks, Scott. See, told yah Ah smile." Marie winked and then walked out of the office.
- - -
A half an hour later, Marie returned to her penthouse apartment. She threw her items on a chair, and made her way to her bedroom. She pushed aside her dark green curtains, and stood staring out her ceiling to floor windows. She had a perfect view of Central Park. She gazed out her window and watched as the ground and trees were covered with a dusting of flurries. "Now if that isn't enough motivation for me tah pack, Ah don't know what is?" Marie asked herself as she went to her closet and pulled out her suitcases and began to pack.
After she was done packing, she walked to the kitchen and popped in a TV dinner in the microwave. By the time it took her to find a bottle of beer in the fridge the dinner was done. Marie grabbed the beer, and the dinner and headed towards the living room.
She plopped down on the couch next to Buster and turned on the television. "Oh, good Buster, we didn't miss Conan." Marie said to her dog in between bites of her nuked spaghetti and chicken dinner. "Yea look at me Buster, Ah'm 'the mother of romance'. Eating a frozen dinner, drinking by myself, and talking to my dog on a Friday night. Yea, Ah just live the life of romance." Marie laughed to herself as she finished the rest of her dinner.
"That's ok, who needs a guy when Ah have yah?" Marie asked her dog who was busy attacking the plate with his tongue, trying to lick up any leftovers Marie might have left on the plate. He let out a satisfied snort when he was full and jumped up onto the couch. "Yah're the guy in mah life, Buster," Marie murmured as she laid down on the couch with Buster snuggling next to her.
Well there's the first chapter, please review and tell me how you liked it. So do a "Ebert and Roeper" and tell me if it's a thumbs up, down or just if- y. Well basically just tell me what you think and believe me when I say, I am not above begging for reviews, lol.