Page 42 of Roses for Rosie

“You must be joking. You have events every day. Venues have been booked. Tickets have been sold. Markets have been inundated with advertising. What would your fans think if you didn’t show up?”

“Maybe they would think I have a life.”

“They don’t want you to have a life. They want you to fulfill their wildest fantasies,” Jan responds. “Besides, I am not telling the publisher that you are backing out of the tour. I’m just not doing it.”

“But, Jan…”

“Is this about your new flavor of the month?”

“Don’t call her that. Rosie is different from those other women.”

“Hmm. If you say so.”

“I do say so.”

“Sorry, I’ve never known you to get serious about anyone.”

“I just told you. Rosie is different.”

“Got it. Rosie is special. The tour is still on, Casa Nova. Cinderella will just have to wait for another ten days.”

“Fine,” I grumble.

I know she is right. I can’t just leave the book tour. These events drive business, they sell books faster than water flows over Niagara Falls. The publisher needs to sell books and I need the publisher if I want to keep writing.

“That sounds more like the sensible Adam I know and love.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’ll see you in the lobby in an hour.” I hang up the phone and stare at the empty space next to me where I wish Rosie was still sitting. She’s back in Jamesville and I’m here though. I might as well make the best of it and work my ass off until I can get back to her.

I have an hour to kill and nothing to do. I need to stop moping and get working. My mind keeps settling back on Rosie though. I can’t get the image of her body, the feel of her kiss, the sensation of her touch out of my mind. But then again, maybe I don’t have to.

I open my laptop and create a new blank file. My next book practically writes itself as I pour my feelings about Rosie onto the page. My desire for her drives the details of the sex scenes. I write out every dirty thing I want to do with Rosie. Every detail is graphic, every moment rendered in perfect clarity.

I translate the yearning I feel for her into my main character pining for his counterpart. All of his emotional barriers are broken down by his love for her. His habit of jumping from one woman to the next is broken in a moment. He dreams about her when he is sleeping and is haunted by her when he is awake. He can think of nothing other than the next time he can hold her.

I create the most authentic female main character I have ever known to match Rosie’s role in my story. She is sweet, but spunky. She is strong and determined. Her devotion to her friends and family is unparalleled. Her innocence jumps off the page and makes me want to hug her close and protect her.

I might be projecting here, but I let her fall in love, hard. She spends her days fantasizing about her next encounter with her lover and dreaming about a future for them. Together forever doesn’t seem out of reach. She can’t deny that fate and destiny brought them together. Her passion overwhelms her sensibilities and she drops everything to be with him.

The pages fill quickly as I explore everything I feel for Rosie and imagine how our own story might unfurl. It’s still early, but I can tell it’s one of the best stories I’ve written yet. The emotion is raw; the characters are compelling; the sex is so hot it burns up the pages.

I feel closer to Rosie while I’m writing it. It’s like she is still here next to me. She is my muse, my inspiration. The more I write, the more committed I feel to her. I can’t decide if writing about her eases my need for her and the urgency I feel to be with her or makes me want her even more than I did before.

My phone buzzes next to me, startling me out of my reverie.

“Where R U?” Jans text message reads. I glance at the clock and see that I am late.

“Be right there,” I answer hastily before I hit the Save button on my document.

This startling blend of fiction and reality will have to wait. Jan will have my head if we are late for today’s event. I glance quickly in the mirror and head out the door to take the elevator to the lobby.

There is a new spring in my step on the way. Not only do I have the beginnings of what I know will be an excellent book, I also have a way to feel closer to Rosie while we are apart.

I usually tell Jan as soon I start working on something new, but I decide to keep this project to myself for a while. Rosie and I are too new, too amazing to risk Jan shooting the idea down.

Chapter 21

Rosie

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