The Author and Her Bodyguard

Chapter 16

I always felt comfortable with a pen in my hand. It meant I was writing something. And for me, writing was everything. It was a safety net that highlighted who I was. If a pen could be a spirit animal, that was mine. 

But as I stared down at a contract filled with legal jargon I didn't understand, with eyes and cameras watching my hand as it hovered over the dotted line, I suddenly hated the pen. 

My hand was sweaty. Can the cameras see that? I hope those are low-resolution cameras so they will miss the ketchup stain on my pants. I couldn't rely on Aiden to catch every potential ketchup stain, or he'd never be off the clock.

I had brought a cardigan with me in the car, which made my "running errands" outfit look somewhat presentable for signing the biggest deal of my life. Well, at least it hid my "Get Your Groove On," t-shirt I wore under it. Overall, I was a casual mess but I had refused to leave the pier early enough to change before heading to the studio. Instead, I had thrown my hair up into a casual messy bun and decided that wearing comfortable clothes was the only way I would survive the event. 

I didn't realize how many people would be there until I had walked inside, Aiden a step behind me and several cameras flashed, startling me and nearly causing me to trip backward and land on my butt. But Aiden, like a ninja, had steadied me and after a moment of confused blinking, I managed to make it to the large oak table where the signing was being held. 

I stared down at my name for what felt like the eighth time, in awe. Laliana Summers sat in bold at the bottom of the document next to InternationalSisters Studio. 

After a deep breath, I reached down and signed my name, and was rewarded with cheers and more blinding flashes. I had done it. Seapunk Princess was going to be made into a movie. Sanders was the first one to reach my side, her smile wide and proud. 

"See! That wasn't so bad! You did great!" 

I offered her a weak smile, "why didn't you tell me about this?" I whispered quietly, trying to hide my irritation. I hadn't been able to get a word in with her before the signing and I was going to take advantage of my moment. "I was blindsided at a bookstore." 

Her smile turned sheepish. "I know, I know. Someone on their marketing team leaked the news early. I didn't even know until a few minutes before you walked into that bookstore." She gripped my hands in hers, her touch gentle. "I'm so sorry Laliana. That must have been terrifying." 

I relaxed, relieved that she was just as shocked as I had been. A part of me had worried that she had known and kept it from me. "It was." I looked around and smiled back at her, "I can't believe this is real." 

She laughed. "Now don't go getting all dumbstruck like you do whenever you see your face on a book cover. You better get used to it. This is just the start. And we have A LOT of work to do." 

"Ms. Summers," a tall man in his forties, with pale blond hair, beady eyes and a slight villain energy held out his hand, interrupting our conversation. I tried not to wince as we shook hands. His grip was tight, making the bones in my hand crash into each other in an unnatural way. That's not normal.

"Mr. West," he said, introducing himself as he let my now bruised hand go. "We have a few things to discuss in regards to the next steps in the process as we go into pre-production for this movie." 

He motioned for Sanders and me to sit at the large oak table as the press and other employees that apparently I didn't need to meet were ushered from the room. Moving to the other side of the large table, Mr. West held up a large black folder and pushed it across the table towards us.