Modern Girl's Guide to Friends With Benefits
Read Modern Girl's Guide to Friends With Benefits Online
Authors: GINA DRAYER
Tags: #Modern Girl&apos, #s Guide Series Book 3
Excerpt from A Modern Girl’s Guide To Friends...
The Modern Girl's Guide
To
Friends With Benefits
(Book Three in the Modern Girl's Guide Series)
by
Gina Drayer
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From The Modern Girl's Guide To Friends With Benefits
In a relationship slump? A friends with benefits arrangement can be just the thing a Modern Girl needs—a just-sex relationship between friends, without the emotional commitment of dating.
Whether it's your "bestie," an old childhood friend, or that hot guy who lives up the street, you can find the perfect partner anywhere. Sometimes there's a mutual attraction between you and your friend like a magnet is pulling your bodies together. Sometimes something catches your eye. Like the hottie in 4B—you know, the one who somehow makes taking out the trash sexy. Sometimes it's been a while and your friend comes over with wine.
Friends with benefits can be rewarding to both partners, but it takes a lot more work than a random hookup. This isn't a stranger, it's someone involved in your life. So in order to keep the friendship healthy, we've outlined a few tips. Follow them and you can get in, get off, and get out, without anyone getting hurt.
Chapter One
Modern Girl Tip #2 Pick A Friend, But Not Your Best Friend:
Friends with benefits works best if the person you're knocking boots with doesn't know all your secrets. Things can go south when you have an underlying emotional attachment to one another. And that can lead to a hot mess of a relationship.
"They've rejected it?" Megan asked, sure she'd heard her agent Jackie wrong. "I don't understand. In my contract, they agreed to publish three books. This would be the third."
"The contract also gives them the right of first refusal. They didn't want it," Jackie said without an ounce of sympathy. "The market is oversaturated with rock stars right now. What the publisher really wants is another Alpha FBI book. That series is still one of their best sellers. It's money in the bank."
Jackie's lack of empathy made her a great agent, but it didn't make Megan feel any better right now.
"I'm glad it's selling, but it's not what I want to write. I'm out of ideas for that series. I'm having trouble finishing the one I'm working on. If I try to push out another book, it's going to suck."
"Listen, Meg, I've told you this a hundred times—you don't kill the golden goose while it's still laying eggs. I know twelve books is a lot for any series, but your readers love those books. Ending it now is a bad business decision."
Megan gnashed her teeth, trying hard not to tell her agent to fuck off. She just needed to remember that this was why she paid the woman. Jackie looked out for the bottom line. "So, what's our next step?"
"If you insist, I can shop around your rock star series, but I'm not sure I will find any takers for the money you're making now. Have you thought about rewriting it as a New Adult—college garage band hitting the big time? I might be able to do something with that."
Writing about life on a college campus was the last thing Megan wanted to do. The kids she saw every day in her classroom weren't romance hero material. They were messy and loud, and a lot of them lacked even basic social skills. Not that she'd been much better at that age. Megan had been such a hot mess in her early twenties. And her love life had been a series of bad choices and naive assumptions about love. She couldn't imagine writing a novel about young love without it turning into a horror fest. Even continuing her FBI protector series
ad nauseam
was a better option.
"I'll think about it," Megan said with a sigh. "Let me get back to you after the holidays."
"Don't get too wrapped up in planning a new series," Jackie said in a warning tone. "I still need the rest of those chapters by January fifteenth to make your deadline or you'll be in breach." There was a pause, and then she added, a little softer, "You're burnt out. I get it. We'll find something else for you, but let's finish up this contract first. There's plenty of time to plan your next move."
"There's no need to worry. I'm making good progress. I'll have your pages before the deadline," Megan said, knowing full well that it wasn't the truth. She'd rewritten the first three chapters five times and had no idea what to do next.
"Fantastic," Jackie said, back to her usual no-nonsense tone. "We'll talk again after this book is done. Oh, and Megan, happy birthday. I hope you liked the flowers."
Megan stared at the limp, dying lilies.
Yeah, happy fucking birthday indeed.
"Thanks again, Jackie. I'll talk to you soon."
Megan slammed the old corded phone into the cradle, cracking the plastic. Then picked it up and banged a few more times for good measure. "Fuck!"
"It must be pretty bad to get that kind of response from you," Connor said from the doorway. "Is there anything I can do?"
Caught mid-tantrum, Megan eased the phone back down and pressed her forehead onto the desk.
What a craptastic morning.
Maybe the combination of his large biceps and the accent would lighten her mood.
"It's nothing. Talking business always gives me a headache."
"I can come back later," he said.
She took a deep breath, plastered on a smile, and twirled around in her chair to face him. She could play off the bad mood, but it was pretty bad when not even Connor's soft Irish lilt couldn't bring a smile. Then again, she wasn't happy to see him standing in her office. Megan's contractor never bothered her during the day while she worked, so his arrival could only mean one thing—more bad news.
"So what's up? And be sure to go into great detail. Could you maybe, flex while you're doing it? I wouldn't object if you wanted to take off your shirt."
"We've talked about this before. I won't be charmed by with your womanly wiles. We've agreed to keep it strictly business," he tried to say in a stern voice, but couldn't hold back the laugh. "I'll let it slide because I know you're under a lot of stress. And it's your birthday and all."
"I know something else you could let slide," she said with a wink.
"Oh, I don't think you could handle me, love."
Before she could continue their playful banter, her cell chirped. Her stepmother Michelle was calling, again. She had been avoiding her call. Michelle always wanted something when she called, and Megan was too busy. But her day had already gone to hell, so she might as well get all the bad news at once. Megan held up a finger to Connor and answered the phone.
"Shelton complaint line," Megan said.
"Megan dear, I'm glad I've finally got you. I've been trying to reach you for a week."
It had just been two days, but it felt like a week. "I've been busy. You should have left a message."
"You know I hate doing that. You never know who will get their hands on the recording. As a senator, your father has to be so careful. The press is notorious for taking things out of context."
"I'm his daughter. I'm not about to sell your voice messages to the press," Megan huffed, not really in the mood to get into it with her stepmom. Michelle was nice enough, but Nixon was more trusting than she was. Megan had little patience for her father and his politics. "What can I do for you?"
"Something came up, and we're not going to be able to attend the museum luncheon this year. We've made a sizable donation and your father feels that someone from the family should be there. Would you go in our place?"
She knew it. The only time Michelle or her father called these days was to ask her to be in some photo op, like she was some cardboard cutout.
Insert loving daughter here.
"You know I hate going to those type of events. Ask Simon. I'm sure he and Julia would look better in the paper than me."
"I already asked," she said flatly, as if Megan should have known she was the second choice. "He's leaving for New York and doesn't have time. That's why we wanted you to use our tickets."
"I'm sure everyone realizes that the senator and his wife are busy people. You don't need me to go." In the end, she would say yes, but Megan got great pleasure out of making her stepmother work for it.