Disclaimer
I don't own the characters only the plot!
Rose's POV
Today is the day. I'm going to meet this publisher. Well, I have to make a good impression on him right? As soon as I finished my evening routine I thought about the most important question in the world.
WHAT SHOULD I WEAR?
Isn't it the hardest question in the world? Well, I'm not lying I usually have trouble with that question. I have to wear something simple yet professional. Geez, I'm trying to publish my first book. My looks must represent my personality. So after more than 30 minutes, I decided to go with something simple. I'm not much a fan of makeup but today I decided to wear a little bit. Something about this publisher told me that I have to go nicely.
I'm not a fan of pink either! I know ironic! But I have those pink things all thanks to Liss. She loves it. After Deciding that I should let my hair down I was ready for today. I took my bag, my original book, a copy of my book, and all the other things that I thought I might need into my bag. More than taking the bus booking a car sounded good. I booked Uber and waited. As soon as the car arrived I got in and gave him the address. "Olena Publishing Company".
I'm so glad that the Uber driver wasn't so chatty or flirty. we arrived there.
Okay, I can do this. I've done things more than this I can handle this. It's no big deal. I just don't have fuck this up.I mentally made a list of things to do.
1. Go inside. Greet. Introduce.
2. Tell him about your book.
3. While doing this smile.
4. Stay calm, cool and DON'T FREAK OUT!
Fine I can do this. I went inside. Damn, This place, looked like a were people all around walking, some were talking.I saw a receptionist so I quickly went to her.
"Hi, I'm here to meet Mr Belikov. I'm Rose Hathaway,"
"Hi there. Miss. Hathaway. Please wait for a minute."She told me.I nodded at made a quick call and talked to someone.
"Ms Hathaway, Mr Belikov's office is on the 29th floor. His assistant is waiting for you there."
"Thank you"She nodded.
I entered the elevator and pressed the button soon I entered as she told me, a handsome guy was waiting.
"Ms Hathaway," He asked with a Russian accent.
"Yes."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Ivan Zeklos, Mr Belikov's assistant." We shook hands and he smiled.
"Pleasure to meet you too,"I told him politely.
"Please follow me, Ms, Hathaway," He gestured the way. I nodded and followed him. Damn this place is so beautiful. ' Don't act like you're in love with this. Don't stare. For fuck's sake don't hawk.' I looked around to find my publisher but just to find a ' smoking hot, handsome man' sitting behind that desk. I tilted my head to the side in confusion.
"With that expression of yours, I suppose you weren't expecting me."
Holy fuck that voice!
'Snap the hell out of this and act cool!' I smiled at him and made my way to him.
"No, I wasn't. Rose Hathaway,a pleasure to meet you." I extended my hand to him for a formal shake.
He eyed me from the top to the bottom very carefully before taking my hand.
"Dimitri Belikov. Please have a seat." I smiled and mumbled a thank you before sitting down.
"So Ms Hathaway tell me why didn't you expect to see me?"
"It's not that. From what I've heard about you like owning so many companies and being a co-owner of a university, I thought that you're an umm an old person." I smiled sheepishly. He raised an eyebrow.
"Wow now that hurts," he told me made me chuckle.
"Anyway, Ms Hathaway let's get to the business." I nodded.
"I just own this company. There's a supervisor who handles all of these. Even though I weekly pay a visit I'm not into reading. This publishing company was a dream of my mom. I just made it true. Last week when I came here Miss Matthews was here wanting to meet me. She gave me your book and asked my help." He stopped for a minute and looked straight at my eyes.
"I read it because it was from someone who's still learning in a university. I must say Ms Hathaway I'm still amused," He told me. I smiled lightly.
"Should I take it as a compliment or not?"I asked him wanting to get it by himself. He smirked.
"Compliment. A compliment." I smiled.
"Thank you." He nodded.
"So tell me, I'm sure that there must be a story behind your book, tell me about it." He told me. I smiled at him.
"Nothing special. I've always wanted to see a world like that. I wanted to live in a world like that. That's what gives me the idea of writing this book. This way, not just me each and everyone who wanted a world like that can live in it through this." I explained.
"Hmm. 'Lack of romance' is something that I noticed in your book. Why?" He asked me.
"Lust and love are two different things. So is a crush and love. In my book, Maddie has a crush on Lucas but Lucas only wants to sleep with her, that's the reason I included only a little bit of romance in his book. That way people do understand what is the difference."
He got up and walked in front of me. He leaned on his table and crossed his arms and kept looking at me.
"Tell me Jane Austen, William Shakespeare or Charles Dickens made you fall in love with literature?"He asked me. Fuck his lips are beautiful. I bit my lips to ease the tension building inside me. I saw him clenching his hands.
"Jane Austen," I answered.
"Pride and prejudice, I suppose."
"Sense and Sensibility," I told him. He smiled and nodded.
"So tell me about yourself, Ms Hathaway," He asked me.
"Me?" I asked him. Why on earth would he want to know about me?
"Yes, you."Okay
"Well there's nothing much, I'm Rosemary Nicole Hathaway. Learning Literature and Music in University of LA."
"That's it?" I shrugged my shoulders.
"Introvert much?" he asked me.
"Got my reasons," I answered him. Back to staring.
"So Ms Hathaway how many copies do you want us to publish?"he asked me.
Well Shit! I didn't think about it. Should I say 100, 500 or 1000? Fuck.
"Um, I didn't think about it. I never had an experience since this is my first book." I told him. He chuckled.
"Do you want my advice?" He asked me and I nodded.
"How about we publish like 100 copies and if it hits we can publish a lot later."He told me.
"But what if it doesn't? What about the copies we make?" I asked him.
"You want money from this right?" I nodded again.
"Well for that matter for the very first 25 we publish you won't get any. So if your book doesn't hit we won't have a problem in that way." He told me. I nodded.
" Also how much do you expect from this book?" He asked me.
"Well if this hits then at first I was expecting 5% but you can increase it right?" Geez, I sound greedy.
"Sure."He told me. I nodded.
"If you don't mind can I see the original copy of your book? If you brought it." He asked me.
"Sure." I took it out of my bag and handle it over to me.
"Whoa, you wrote this whole book?" He asked me surprised. I just shrugged my shoulders with a proud smile.
He examined the book for quite a while. Out of nowhere, his smile changed. The respective, sweet and honourable smile faded just to replace with a cocky one.
This isn't good.
"You know what Ms Hathaway when I was told that a university girl wrote this one I wasn't expecting someone like you." I frowned in confusion. "What I meant was I wasn't expecting someone so beautiful like you."
Okay, I know where this is going. God just when I thought he's different.
"Thank you" I have to smile. I have to keep smiling.
"I'll give you an offer, Ms Hathaway,"I raised an eyebrow.
I gotta find a new publisher.
He walked and stood right in front of me. Looking at me with his dangerous yet beautiful eyes he leaned down until my eye level. placing both of his on every side of my chair trapping me.
"I'll publish your book and also I can give you 15% from the beginning but only if you decide to go on a date with me." He told me and then his eyes darted down to my lips. I raised an eyebrow at him.
"And then end up in your bed in the morning?"I asked him. Well, he wasn't expecting that.
"You are wise Ms Hathaway." Bastard. He's not even denying it. Fuck even his assistant and his bodyguards are here. A tiny bit of fear started creeping into my mind but I ignored it. I looked at him. So my book is with him. I have to get that before I leave.
Okay, Mr Belikov if you want to play this game then let's play it.
I looked down and smiled a sweet seduced smile at him while looking up at him.
His smirk got wider. I could hear others chuckling. I guess this ain't something new for them. I got up and lifted my hand only to place it on his chest. I slide my index finger over his shirt biting my lower lip. Three things happened so damn fast.
1. He gripped my waist.
2. Turned me around and lifted me by my waist.
3. Placed me on his table.
Fuck this man is strong. I gasped and giggled snaking my hands around his neck pulling me closer.
"Isn't this illegal Mr Belikov? Planning to have sex with a university girl who wants to publish her book?" I asked him.
"Is it so pleasant to sleep around to get something?" This bastard.
"Hmm, fair point but don't tell me that I'm the only one who does that,"I told him.
"No, you're not."He smirked and dipped his to my neck.
I pulled away and slide my hand down his arm to get my book. I took it and looked at it.
"Well giving 15% is amazing. And getting to publish my book is also great. Worth this." I told him and looked at him.
"But not my hard work and reputation as an honour student."
I told him changing my expression to a hard glare. Oh, and I made sure others heard me very well too.
His shocked expression send me over the edge. I pushed him and got down. Walking past him I took my bag and my book. Turning back to him. His men were looking at me with their mouths opened completely surprised. I suppose this is something they haven't seen.
"I don't think I want to publish my book here if that's what's gonna cost Mr Belikov." I turned to leave but a hand gripped my wrist. I turned around and saw Mr Arrogant Bastard Belikov holding my hand.
"Do you have any idea what you're doing at least whom you're playing with?" I freed my hand away from him and crossed both of them in front of my chest with a 'duh' expression.
"I'm talking to someone who thinks that every girl in this world wants to sleep with him. And I'm leaving." I told him smiling.
"Really? You know what I can ruin your entire life. I can kick you out of the university and ..."I interrupted him before he could continue. Arrogant Jerk! He hasn't even searched about me.
"Oh yeah? It seems like you haven't searched about me. You can't kick me out of the university so easily."I told him with a proud smile. He scoffed.
"Really? Go on then surprise me." He told me.
"I'm studying literature. I should've graduated within four years but here I am graduating within 3 years. I got the best marks in both my subjects. Do you know how high my standard is? From all of the exams I wrote, I've got 97.5%. Do you think you can kick me out so damn easily? Oh my my Mr Belikov I don't think the university will let you kick out one of their best students. Why do you think Ms Matthews took a chance on my book?" His face looked surprised but then he smirked.
"Really? Well, I wasn't expecting that Ms Rose. But I can still kick you out and ruin your future." I scoffed and rolled my eyes.
"Of course you can. But what if I tell you that writing is only my dream. In the university, I was known as nerd Mr Belikov and that is not just because of what I told you. It's because I'm awesome in Business, IT and three languages along with your native tongue. Do you think you'll ruin my future? With my skills, it would be so easy to find a job. But you, you have to deal with all the chaos you create by kicking out one of the best students in the university."
Yup surprised. When he didn't tell me anything I decide to continue. I stepped closer to him and raised my head to look at him.
"So you have two options, Mr Belikov. One. You can create all this chaos and deal with it while me of course living my life peacefully and two you can let me go now." He laughed.
"Do you think you're gonna live so damn peacefully if that happens?"He asked me. I smiled and turned around to leave. When I got near the door I turned at him once again.
"You may have played this game so many times which makes you a genius by now but what you don't know is that you're not the only genius here. To accept the art of rejection. It was nice but not so nice meeting you, Mr Belikov." I winked at his left.
Yeah, get that bastard.
Once I came out of the building I took a deep breath.
Fuck! I need alcohol!
"Liss, let's go to the club tonight!"
Dimitri's POV
"Did the almighty Dimitri Belikov just get rejected by a university girl?" I heard my fucking best friend telling.
I was furious, angry, humiliated more than anything surprised. The nerve of that girl! I looked at her through the window. She was standing in front of my building with her phone in her ear.
"Ivan?" I called him.
"What?"
"You know what to do. Everything, each and every single thing you find about her, I want them on my table before 7.00." I told him.
"Okay Dimitri, it's about time you deal with a tigress," I smirked at his response. A knock interrupted us.
"Come in," I told and my third in command Peter came inside.
"Boss, Mr Mazar is expecting to meet you tonight." He told me.
"Tell him to meet me in club 'Blood Shot' at 8.00 Peter." He nodded.
"Yes, boss." I dismissed him.
Once again I let my thoughts wander around that girl.
Rosemarie Hathaway, just wait till we meet again.