Page 4 of Heartfelt Goals

“Don’t say ‘No,’ Dustin – not when you are having the world laid at your feet like this. You need this, whether your ego wants to admit it or not. It’s not about marrying for love or any of that other garbage. Find someone you know or can tolerate, make a bargain, get married, and accept the deal. I’ve already got some nice places lined up for you – all I need you to do is sign the dotted line, and then we’re in the money, baby!”

“Malcolm…”

“Seventy-two-hours!” his agent cut off immediately, not even letting Dustin speak. “I’ll call you back in seventy-two-hours. Bye!”

And Dustin chuckled.

Nothing was going to change in that short of a timeframe.

2

LAUREL

Her body was flushed, her breath clenched with anticipation as the man with the cerulean gaze stared at her heaving bosom and…

“That is so stupid!”

Laurel sighed heavily, turning away from her computer screen, and looked over her shoulder at her younger sister, Kendall, standing there in her pajamas watching her, eating a whip of red licorice. As she took a bite, Laurel reached up and took the cord of sweetness from her, biting into it, and glared at the girl.

“Uh, don’t you have to get ready for the school bus?”

“No, it’s Saturday.”

“Oh.”

“Technically, it’s Saturday afternoon – and give me back my breakfast.”

“Licorice is not breakfast. Why are you still in your pajamas?”

“Look down and ask yourself the same question,” Kendall shot back, rolling her eyes. “And you might ask yourself why allof your dragon-sex-monster-guys haveceruleaneyes… that is so stupidly corny, I swear.”

“Hey!” Laurel bit out in disbelief. “Before you judge, those ‘cerulean’ eyes pay for this condo and that licorice you’re eating.”

“And we’re out.”

“Well, why’d you eat it all?”

“Because I was hungry.”

“Then make some food.”

“We don’t have any.”

“What do you mean we don’t have any?”

“Well, you’ve been writing all these dragon-boinking-scenes and…”

“Kendall…”

“You haven’t showered in three days because…”

“Because I have a deadline and dragon romantasy books do not write themselves. You know the rule of thumb and how I get paid.”

“Once a month,” Kendall groaned, rolling her eyes.

“That’s right – the twenty-ninth giveth the moolah… and the twenty-ninth taketh away,” Laurel chanted, feeling a slight twinge of guilt as she looked at her sister, reminding her of the bills.

It wasn’t Kendall’s fault that their parents died eighteen months ago or that they were overwhelmed with bills. Honestly, she was really lucky that the judge gave her custody over Kendall instead of putting her in foster care, and that was because of these stupid ‘dragon-boinking-scenes’in a hot series that was selling wildly.

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