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I appreciate the way he bargained with me. I get Julius off his case, and I get to publish his book. I respect that. He didn’t fold just because I went to his house wearing my cutest jeans and a tank top that showed side-boob.
After our meeting, I race home to fill Daisy in. She’s been spending a lot of time with Rock, the dog walker guy from Levi’s signing, so I’m desperate to catch up.
“Dais!” I say, running into my apartment.
Yup, she’s naked. But she’s sitting on a towel.
She reaches for the remote and clicks off the TV. “Hey, stranger!”
“Please go put on a robe or something. Then I’ll tell you what’s been happening.”
She returns to the living room, in my robe, and sits on the edge of the sofa in excitement.
“Tell me, please.”
“Okay. Well, it’s sort of good news-bad news, if you know what I mean.”
She nods. She has no idea what I mean and twirls a lock of red hair around a finger.
“Levi signed the contract on the condition I get a certain book critic off his back.”
She tilts her head. “Oh. Is that the guy you said who always trashes his stuff?”
I nod.
“Hmmm,” she says, sitting back on the sofa. “How will you do that?”
I shrug. “I have no idea. But he is sweet on me, so maybe I can think of something.”
She throws her arms in the air and slaps her thighs on the way back down. “Duh. Amalia, just sleep with him. He’ll do whatever you want then.”
I hold my hands up like a STOP sign. “Oh no. No, no, no, no. I am not and will never be that desperate. The thought of that man touching me with a ten-foot pole is enough to make me throw up in my mouth.”
She grimaces. “Damn. He’s that bad?”
“You met him at the signing, didn’t you?”
She wrinkles her nose. “I met a ton of people that night, including Rock. In fact, as soon as he’s done walking his dogs tonight, we’re going out. Why don’t you join us?”
I shake my head. “Can’t. I gotta swing by the gym and then formulate a plan for telling Cameron that Ryder Night is actually Levi Maverick, then find a way to get Julius to chill out.”
I’ve got a lot on my plate.
She stands and pulls my bathrobe tighter around her waist. “Whoa. That’s some heavy shit. And to top it off, Levi is one hunk of burnin’ love. I’m not sure I could work with him without throwing my clothes off.”
I’m not sure I’ll be able to either.
27
AMALIA
“Well,if it isn’t my pretty little acquisitions editor. How go your efforts to secure the Ryder Night novel? Ready to throw in the towel yet?” Cameron cackles as he peers down at me.
Nothing would please him more than to see me fall on my face.
Such. A. Dick. I’d really like to tell him he has a nose hair sticking out.
Ralph offers his jar of jellybeans to us, and when we wave him away, he pops one in his own mouth and continues listening as if he’s part of the conversation.
