Santa Fe Billionaire

Chapter 66

Ava

I am so excited to meet with Darla, my agent that all my concerns about Arabella are not at the forefront of my mind. For once in the last few days ever since Sebastian confided in me that he had a daughter. I'm also not thinking about Mark. It's great to know that finally I am healed and one-hundred percent over him. After all those months of beating myself up for not being the right person and having my life torn away from me.

I dress in casual wide bottomed trousers, being white I can easily pair them with my pink loose fitting blouse. I want to be cheery and bright today, it's also going to be another warm day here in the city.

As I head out of the hotel I do make sure I check left and right, I certainly don't want Mark catching up with me again. I would freak out because then I'd definitely feel like he is stalking me. In my left hand I am carrying my portfolio of pictures I want to go in my first book. Me, little me from a small town in Chicago is walking down the street in New York City with a portfolio to meet a publishing agent. It's surreal. It's out of my wildest dreams. I am so grateful to my best friend, Zoe for pushing me to do this. And in some way I am also grateful to Mark for ditching me. I know if he hadn't I would have just been trailing along, travelling taking photos and only posting to my social media channels. This is a massive thing for me, hell it's massive for anyone who wants to get a book out there. I feel like I should pinch myself. I'm sure people are picking up on my happiness as I walk along admiring the tall buildings, the people and the noise of New York cars honking and hollering all with a gigantic smile on my face.

But it is New York City and generally they are so wrapped up in themselves that a little out-of-townie doesn't even float across their radar. I arrive at the building, it's impressive and I have to crane my neck to look up to the top of the glass fronted building. It has the simple letters TM the Trident Media Group which is on Lexington. Of all the agencies, of all the publishers this one has invited me to come in and meet with their agent, Darla. I don't feel nervous, after all it's my work that they are interested in. My vision. The stories that accompany each picture and.... they are talking a three book deal. I wish Zoe could be with me, she would just love all of this. I can't wait to catch up with her after our meeting.

I walk through the glass doors and step inside what looks like a boutique with marble floors, a marble and glass reception area in front of me and some very smart business type people. A woman behind the reception desk looks up and smiles. Phew. At least someone looks friendly and not so austere. Making my way over to her, I notice the hanging displays of books and authors they represent, black leather and stainless steel chairs dotted around glass square tables with magazines and books on them. It's pretty classy. My flat pumps make no sound as I approach the reception desk.

"Good morning ma'am." Says the ultra-cool woman behind the desk, with her very blonde hair tied into a ponytail, dark eyebrows and very red lipstick. Her skin is pale and immaculate. It's difficult to tell if she's had Botox or not but looking at her, I'm guessing yes since nothing above her eyebrows seems to move.

"Good morning. I'm here to see a Darla Yates." I tell her shifting the portfolio to under my arm.

She looks down at her screen and clicks away. "Someone will be right down for you. Take a seat. There is coffee and refreshments over there." The woman points to the right where I can see a Nespresso stand and of course being the caffeine junkie that I am, I head straight for it. There are a few men in grey suits standing around talking animatedly. I over hear them talking about a new author they have just signed and that they've acquired film rights for the book. Wow. How exciting for the author. That must be such an amazing feeling. I'd love to know how that feels. But right now, this is already amazing enough for me. To be standing in a building, on Lexington Avenue and inside one of the largest and most prestigious agencies in New York City. They move aside when they see me heading in their direction. I select my capsule and place it in the machine and listen to it make the noises of coffee coming through.

Looking around, I could just stand here for an hour or two, take pictures of people coming and going and those milling around. I imagine black and white images that would look perfect showing the sharp lines of the inside of the building and the intricacy of expressions on people's faces as they go about their morning.

"Ava Gardner?" A young girl dressed in black trousers, a la Audrey Hepburn style with an off the shoulder black fitted top extends her hand towards me. "I'm Emilia. Darla's assistant. Pleased to meet you." I shake hands with her.

"Pleased to meet you too, Emilia." She releases my hand and I notice how cool hers was against my hands that are warm in comparison Probably, I guess she sits under an air conditioning unit.

"Darla will only be a few minutes, they're wrapping up their morning meeting." Wow. They must start at the crack of dawn since it's only nine a.m right now. She guides me to a smoked glass lift which opens promptly and we step inside.

"How are you finding New York so far?" She asks as she presses the button to take us up to floor twenty-five.

"I'm loving it. It's not my first time here, but every time I come back. It just gets better and better." I tell her. The lift must be on steroids as we're already at floor twenty-five. I'm impressed.

The doors open and we step out onto cream marble flooring. In front of me are glass sliding doors with tall standing plinths on either side, on which sit tall vases filled with beautiful white roses. Everything looks immaculate, even the two women who are sitting at white desks the other side of the doors look immmmmacccculate. Honestly, I feel so under-dressed in comparison. They look like they're wearing matching designer white dresses with Christian Louboutin heels.

Emilia leads me through the doors not even acknowledging the girls either side of us as we enter. They don't look up and carry on clicking on their keyboards. She extends her hand, "you can take a seat here. Darla will be out shortly. Would you like anything to drink?"

"I'm fine thank you. I just had a coffee downstairs."

"Perfect. See you soon." She leaves me standing by a white two seater sofa in front of a rectangular coffee table with books neatly displayed on it. In front of me is a white wall with a white door in the middle. Really, this place could do with a splash of color. And there I sit patiently as I wait for my agent to appear. In the meantime, I allow myself to think about Sebastian and wonder how things have gone with Arabella. It'll be four in the afternoon for him. I don't realise, but I'm actually holding my breath.