2

Malik

Well, that was a disaster. I roll my eyes as I walk down the hall to the plush conference room that’s going to be my prison for however long I have to be in there talking to the literary equivalent of an ambulance chaser.

No matter how gorgeous she is.

The one thing that’s gone right today is that I wore dark jeans that didn’t immediately show my hard-on. Because that girl—Erin? — is exactly my type. I teased her about being a brat but in my heart, I was smitten by her youth.

Brunette. Bookish. Curves that go for miles under clothes that disguise them. It’s like she’s trying very hard to make sure no one notices her body. But any man I know would be salivating over her the minute that walked past.

Within the first three minutes of looking at her, I could see a hundred scenes featuring her and me in various positions. All of them with her absolutely wrecked by the pleasure that I’m giving her.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t actually help the writer’s block. Those scenes are hot, but they don’t fit the book. And as infuriating as it is that Michael is doing this, he’s not wrong. I am in trouble.

This book isn’t flowing like anything else that I’ve written. I’ve never had this problem before. Then again, I’ve never had things in my life be like this. I can’t focus enough to get on the right train, let alone fix a broken plot.

But that doesn’t mean that I should have a ghostwriter shoved on me. Michael should have asked me. We could have chosen one together. Not have a temptation wrapped in a cardigan that I’m going to have to interact with, knowing that she’s only writing for me for the money.

I pull my phone out to make sure that I haven’t gotten any messages. It’s like the nursing home needs me to move in at this point, the number of messages that I get. I’m exhausted, constantly anticipating the next time that I’ll get called in and have to get stabbed in the metaphorical heart all over again.

My father hasn’t really recognized me in over a year, and I thought that it would get easier over time, but it hasn’t. It may never get easier. Sometimes he’s lucid, but most of the time he’s not.

All the more reason I should do what Erin told me to do and get my head out of my ass. I can’t afford not to deliver this book. Full time care is expensive even for someone like me. I need that delivery payment. I can’t get dropped by my publisher or agent and expect to be able to take care of my dad. But while my head is so focused on how he’s doing, it’s kind of hard to work on making two characters fuck hard enough that they fall in love.

By the time I’m walking into the conference room, one of Michael’s assistants is already putting a tray of coffee down on the table. They don’t pull out the stops here. China cups and carafe, delicate dishes for cream and sugar. If there wasn’t a massive table and too many chairs, the coffee setting might be more fitting for the Plaza.

I settle into one of the chairs and wait.

If I’m lucky, Erin will have been so turned off by me that she quits on the spot, and I’ll dive down into my world so deep that I don’t come out until the book is finished. If I have to cut off the nursing home for three weeks, I will. It’s not what I want, but it would be better than losing the ability for him to be there all together.

And unfortunately, I don’t even think that my dad will realize that I’m gone.

The gaping hole of grief in my chest burns. It never seems to close lately. How can a book be more important than that?

I cut off the thoughts. Especially today in dealing with the girl, I can’t afford to go down the rabbit hole of my dad and how much I miss him. That trail of thoughts is already well-worn enough for me to stumble down it blindfolded.

Looking up, I catch sight of Erin coming down the hallway. She hasn’t seen me yet, and I take the time to study her. Short black high heels that aren’t quite high enough to scream ‘fuck me’ but make me wonder how she’d look in those kinds of shoes. Girl-next-door jeans that shape her ass.

A dark red button-down covered with a simple dark cardigan. I’d like to pop those buttons everywhere to find the curves that she’s hiding underneath. But that’s not what I need to do. What I need to do is find her weakness and make her quit.

Michael did me a favor. He lit a fire under my ass. I’ll get the book done. But I don’t want anyone writing my books for me. There’s nothing wrong with someone using a ghostwriter, I just love writing too much to do that.

Or I used to.

Her eyes lock on me, and fuck me if all of my blood doesn’t race south. I’m not going to be able to get through this meeting if I’m thinking with my second brain, but right now, it doesn’t seem like there’s any chance of me turning it off.

She looks at me. But she doesn’t come in. “Are you waiting for my permission?” I ask. Making a face, she marches in with gusto, then sits across from me and busies herself making a cup of coffee. No idea if she actually wants the coffee or if she’s just trying not to meet my eyes.

“So, Erin,” I say, “tell me about yourself.”

“What do you want to know?”

I want to know what you taste like. That’s the first thought I have as I’m watching her take a sip of her coffee. Lush lips on bone china. If I let myself get this carried away, she might be a character in my next book. The one after this one. Would Michael let me write a barely-eighteen heroine? Would he find that hot or perverted if I paired her with an old dog like me?

“I want to know why you’re here.”

She meets my eyes now. A clear, crystal blue. And right now, they’re filled with rage. “I was here for a meeting with Michael, and he offered me this job about five minutes before you came walking through the door. So, you can spare me your righteous tone. I didn’t come in here planning to steal your career.”

Leaning forward, I fix her in my gaze. “But you still said yes, didn’t you? Just a baby writer that Michael took a chance on with no true ambition or ideals. A sell-out here for the money and nothing more.”

Her cheeks turn pink. That’s a weakness. She does have ambition, and she doesn’t like being called a baby or a sell-out.

She mutters something under her breath.

“What was that?”

“I said you’re a fucking asshole.” That was at full volume. “You would be amazing on Broadway with the way you’ve created an act that makes you seem kind and genuine. If I’d known this was what you were really like, I would have said no.”

That makes me smile. At least she has a little spirit. “You could walk away.”

“Me walking away doesn’t change the situation. And since Michael is determined for you to have a ghostwriter, then yes, if you must know, the money is good.”

“So you admit that you’re doing this for the money?”

She rolls her eyes and takes a deep sip of her coffee. “We’re not all Malik Ellis rolling around in seven figure book deals and Central Park West penthouses.”

I don’t let my face react. It’s true that I have a really nice apartment. But it’s lucky that I already own it, given my current financial situation. Instead, I decide to poke her a little more. “How does it feel to be a mercenary?”

“I’m sorry you feel that way. It’s not my intention. Michael expects you to take whatever I give you and make it yours, so it’s not really like I’m writing it at all. Just helping jumpstart your muse.”

She was jumpstarting something that I was glad was hidden beneath the table. “Well,” I say, “since it seems like I’m not easily going to be rid of you, I guess we should talk about the book.”

Erin

I dig in my bag for a notebook and pen. I’m going to need to take notes for this part.

“I don’t know,” Malik says. His eyes take me in like they did in the office, carefully looking me up and down and making sure to touch every part of me. I desperately try to ignore the heat. “Dressed like that, I’m not sure that you’re equipped to handle my books.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” I snap.

This outfit is cute. My friends from high school helped pick it out. And I’m not going to let some entitled asshole tell me how to dress.

A devastating smirk plays on his lips. “It means that I think you might be a bit…tame.”

I grind my teeth together. Don’t react, Erin. Don’t do it. He’s just trying to get under your skin.

“I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure?” he asks. “Because if you’re inexperienced, then writing some of the scenes in this book is an issue.”

Clearing my throat, I give him a professional smile. “Much like you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, Mr. Ellis, you shouldn’t take all of your cues from someone’s clothing. Setting aside the fact that you shouldn’t be commenting on my clothing at all.”

“Still,” he says, “I just get a kind of innocent vibe from you. Perfect schoolgirl with the straight A’s? Naive, prudish?”

“I’m not,” I say through gritted teeth.

He grins wide. “Prove it.”

I slam my notebook down on the table. “I have read every single one of your books.” The words fly out of me. “I don’t know if that proves I’m not a prude, but even if I were, I think knowing your catalog so well puts me in a unique position to help you.”

His smirk turns into a surprised smile. “All of them?”

“Yes,” I say, fully exasperated. “All of them.”

“Did you like them?”

It's an honest question. So honest it throws me off guard. I can’t stop the blush that paints my cheeks. Malik’s books are known for being dirty. Scratch that. They’re downright filthy. And I’ve loved every second of them. But admitting it to the author is a very different thing. It’s like getting up in a crowd of people and announcing that you masturbate.

But these are his books, and we have to work together. I clear my throat. “Yes, I did.”

“Tell me a favorite.”

This is a dangerous conversation. Very dangerous. Cause no matter how much of an ass he’s being, he’s still the painfully gorgeous silver-fox Malik Ellis. “I like them all.”

“Don’t lie. You have a favorite. I can see it on your face.”

I go to take a sip of my coffee and realize that there’s none left. Fuck. “Vicious Surrender,” I say, not looking at him.