[Episode] Baterilla by Day - When the Wolf Met the Weasel

Long, slim fingers drummed irritably against the corner of the coffee table whilst a young man talked endlessly before her. It had been quite some time since she had sat down and, yet, the aspiring author was no closer to finding out the reason for her summons.

All the mafiosa knew was that she had been asked to meet the enthusiastic nuisance as soon as possible under the pretense of “life-changing” news. It had seemed urgent so, of course, she had immediately agreed.

Unfortunately, all Ebony was hearing now was the endless prattle of small talk and the honeyed compliments sprinkled intelligently throughout his nonstop chatter. If only she could make him stop forever, but, then again, it defeated the purpose of being undercover.

The young woman sighed inwardly. Closing her eyes briefly, the mafiosa could only hope that patience would come back a-knocking. If the stalling man hadn’t sworn it was important, Ebony would have long left by now.

A good amount of time had passed when Ebony decided that drumming was not a good way to quell her growing irritation. In fact, the now short-tempered writer believed it was making it worse. She opted to, instead, avert her attention to the drink before her.

The mafiosa reached out and wrapped her fingers delicately around the smoothness of the porcelain handle. She was sure the drink was cold by now but, for the meantime, it helped her tolerate the young man for just a bit longer.

Bringing the cup to her lips, she nodded absentmindedly as the sweet taste of chocolate filled her senses. It was good. Lukewarm, but good. This, however, seemed to encourage the young man as he enthusiastically continued all the more.

By this point, the mafiosa was done. “Mike,” she butted in coolly. The irritation now clearly evident in her voice. “What exactly is this news you promised me? You know I have things to do.”

This snapped the prattling man from his reverie. He grinned sheepishly at the woman as he absentmindedly fidgeted with the napkin before him. “Right…” He trailed off, unsure of where to start. “Remember Daniel? Daniel Wilde?”

Ebony nodded cautiously. How could she forget? He was a publisher. One of the big ones, too. “He offered us a deal for one of your books!” Mike gushed, clearly excited about the prospect. Might even pay for a series if he likes it, too.” This captured the young woman’s interest.

“Buuuuuut, there’s a catch.” Ebony frowned, silently urging her editor to continue. “He wants something new. Something… unexpected!” He clasped his hands and leaned forward. Almost as if he were to tell her the secrets of the universe. “He wants it to focus on romance!”

Ebony looked at the fidgeting editor in confusion. “Michael, don’t I integrate that in my books already?” Sure, her concentration was in thrillers and murder mysteries, but surely it contained hints of romance as well.

Mike grabbed his coffee and drowned it to the point he almost choked. “EH… Ah… Well, no, not really, Skarlet.” He averted his gaze. “You write them as tragedies. Daniel is looking for something sweet!”

Inspiration seemed to hit him as Michael spooned up a bit of cake, “Like this! Squishy and soft. Makes you feel good, too.” He chomped at it happily as he beamed in delight. “It’s got the makings of a great novel, don’t you agree?”

Almost immediately, the young writer cringed. Michael, seeing her reaction, quickly interjected. “It’s just… We… Ah… we think it would be nice for you to explore other niches. Happy feely romance is getting quite popular, too, ya know?”

This did not change the mafiosa’s view on the matter. In fact, just the thought made her scowl in disgust. Her expertise was in a completely different genre. What would have compelled Mike to even consider this as an option for her? Clearly, he was living in delusion.

As if on cue, the editor quickly cut into her thoughts. “It’ll be a nice change, Skarlet!” He reasoned. “It could help expand your reader base, too.” Unfortunately, this did nothing to appease her mood and, yet, her poor editor still tried.

“Again, it’s getting popular and you’re almost done with the thriller you’re writing, riiiiight?” Her editor nodded and, without needing her confirmation, continued. “So, what’s the harm? If it doesn’t work out, you can at least say you tried, am I right?”

Ebony leaned back against her chair and closed her eyes in an attempt to wish away her desire to murder the man on the spot. Clearly, he was insistent and, evidently, this was not something that he’d back down from. Unfortunately, the reason was now clear.

Opening her eyes once more, the mafiosa locked them intently onto her editor before asking what she should have asked earlier. “I don’t have a choice, do I?” Her eyes narrowed with murderous intent causing the young man to gulp. ”You signed it, didn’t you?”

Mike stopped short before grinning widely. “Aheheheheh… You got me!” His eyes beamed with pride. He was clearly ignoring her annoyance. “It’ll be great for you. Real big company, too.” He clasped his hands and leaned forward. “So how about it? You in?”