And it was at this point that things got evenweirder.
Pace suddenly made a move on me. For a second I felt scared as he walked me into the corner of his office and made it very clear who was in charge. It felt horrible. But what was worse was that Pace said unless I changed my mind and did exactly what he wanted, he would make sure that not only would I no longer be represented by Pace Literary, but he would ensure that no other agency in the city would look twice at me.
And that’s just about it.
“Hey, you forgot this,” comes the voice from behind me.
I turn and see Pace’s assistant Kyle standing at the door to the office with my manuscript in his hands.
“Thanks,” I reply, my voice trembling a little. “Your boss is a real…”
I can’t quite get the words out and for a second think I’m about to burst out into tears. But somehow, I hold it in. And, luckilyfor me, I think Pace’s assistant knows full well where I’m coming from.
“I know,” Kyle says, a sad look in his eyes. “I’m sorry.”
“Hey, it’s not your fault,” I reply, trying my best to get through this moment without any further embarrassment.
And with that, Kyle and I nod our goodbye and I begin my lonely trudge back to the apartment. No more agent. No more prospect of an agent any time soon either—certainly not in this city anyhow.
As I walk, I look up at the sky and see that at least the sky is nice and blue this morning. That’s something at least. But my happiness is short lived though as a cab powers past me and a tsunami of a puddle rises and soaks me all down one side.
“Crap!” I exclaim, not only my leg soaked but my manuscript soaked too. “Crap! Crap! Crap!”
At this point, I’m conscious that passersby are looking at me with a mix of confusion, amusement, and even a little fear too. Right now, I feel like a crazy person, totally lost in a world of hurt.
Only one thing is going to help me now.
And luckily I’ve got a friend who knows how to do it…
The Littletown Play & Drink is quiet, which is pretty typical for a weekday morning. And that’s just fine as far as I’m concerned as it means that Robbie and me can have a nice chat while he makes me a super-fruity juice.
“Okay, so…Pace,” Robbie says, a knowing look in his eyes as he preps my strawberry, passion fruit, orange, and raspberry juice. “We can’t say we didn’t see it coming…”
“Urgh. I know,” I say, my upset at the whole situation now giving way to something closer to anger and frustration. “That’s the last time I’m going to let some smooth-talking city slicker pull the wool over my eyes. “But…”
“Yeah?”
“What if… what if… what if Pace was right?” I ask, watching as Robbie blends a big stack of berries. “What if my book isn’t good?”
Suddenly, my heart is racing. It’s the question that’s been on my mind for the whole time since I left the office. As much as I hate Pace, I have to face up to the reality that he might actually have been right about my book.
Sure, he’s a sleaze.
But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t know books…
“I’m serious,” I continue. “Maybe I do need to write more to what’s hot in the market?”
“Come on, that’s silly,” Robbie says, placing my drink on the counter and leaning over to place his hand on my arm. “I believe in you. The whole world wants you to win. You have to stay positive and don’t let some asshole put you off. Right?”
I nod, but inside I’m feeling all kinds of emotions.
And Robbie can tell too. We’ve been friends since I moved to the city and started finding my way in the whole world of Age Play, Littles, Daddies, and everything else that comes with it.In fact, we actually met here, at the Littletown Play & Drink. Since then we’ve been best friends. We’re the same age, love the same things, and share a sense of humor—oh, and we both love teasing Daddies too, even if it means we get our butt paddled!
And one thing I know about Robbie is that I can trust him.
If he’s saying I should stick to my guns, then that’s what I need to do.
The only problem is that Pace made it pretty much clear to me that the publishing scene in the city is going to be far from a friendly place for me now that I’ve dared to cross him.