NEW STORY IDEAS
We meet the heroine in her tragically boring life. Maybe she’s broke?
The heroine is rescued from her average life by the enigmatic billionaire.
The heroine and the hero make a mutually beneficial agreement.
She moves in with the billionaire and is thrust into his life, a world of glitz and glamour so unlike hers.
10
GRACE
Ishould be living my dream. I'm in a massive penthouse with beautiful views of the city I always dreamed of. I have endless hours every day to do anything I want, with no worries of struggling to find money to pay for the roof over my head or food on my table.
All I need to focus on is writing.
And yet, every time I open my laptop, my stomach churns and my brain spits out all the reasons this will never work. The cycle continues until I shut the computer, and then doing that starts up the internal monologue that tells me what a failure I am.
I'll never be a real writer.
For a brief moment, I think ofhim.
Richard Caldwell.
It's been over three months, but the wounds he left still feel fresh. I must have been naive to think he actually wanted to publish my manuscript. I met him at a publishing mixer for seniors in the creative writing department. He was older and kind, showing enthusiasm when I talked about my book, four hundred pages of a historical slow burn romance.
Next came the meetings. He was so attentive to every word, giving me advice to get my manuscript in shape for submission.
I thought my dreams were coming true.
And then it all came crashing down.
I try to take a deep breath, but it’s stunted. It must be the penthouse; the air is too stuffy and suffocating. Getting to my feet, I shoot a text to Kacey and find Wallace. It's not like I'm trapped here. Asher said Wallace could drive me wherever I want to go, so I decide to take him up on that offer.
Thirty minutes later, I'm still staring at the same blank page, only now I’m in my favorite coffee shop. Kacey plops into the cushioned seat next to me, and I use the excuse to close my manuscript for the day.
I tried.
A quick glance out the window shows me Wallace is still parked outside, leaning on the side of the Mercedes as he watches the coffee shop like a personal bodyguard. Asher’s driver has grown on me, even if I do find it weird that he seems to be with me more than with his employer. I brought him out a coffee while I waited for Kacey and tried to tell him to come inside. He smiled kindly, but he clearly has different orders.
My best friend takes a sip of her iced coffee, moaning as if she hasn't had that same caramel macchiato hundreds of times. Her hair is twisted into two thick braided pigtails, and she's wearing a short black skirt over tights with a purple crop top that exposes a sliver of her stomach. Where I like to hide my body under baggy clothes, Kacey likes to show hers off. "Soooo…are we just going to continue with small talk, or are you going to tell me how it’s going with Mr. Money Bags."
