More Than Words: A Novella by Lilly Avalon Page A

“Give or take.”
     
    I would have to be crazy to accept this assignment, even if broadening my horizons does sound somewhat intriguing. Since I'm between projects, it's the perfect mental change of scenery. But two weeks? I don't think I can pull it off.
     
    However, the way Jamie looks at me now makes me realize exactly how desperate they are. If I say no, her hair's going to be far worse tomorrow. Nobody wants to witness that.
     
    There may be only one way to make the decision. I ask, “What do I get if I say yes?”
     
    “We'll pay you double your usual advance.”
     
    Without hesitation, I say, “I'll do it.”
     
    ~*~
     
    “I can't do it.” I rest my forehead on the bar and groan. It's the following Friday night and my best friend, Ivy, just yanked me from the confines of my apartment. “I can't believe I told her I could. I'm going to call her and tell her I can't.” I sit up in my seat and pull out my phone. The sooner I tell her, the better.
     
    Ivy grabs the phone from my hands and shoves it back in my purse. “Don't you dare give up now! You'll do fine. You're Dana Darling, master of the written word.”
     
    I laugh. “I don't know about that.” I've been at it for exactly one week, writing day and night. I have the bulk of the story written...but no sex scenes. I've hit a block. The first writer's block I've had in a long time. I'm too afraid to keep going. “I'm not sure if I'm qualified.”
     
    “You're an exceptional writer, of course you're qualified.”
     
    I shake my head. “No, not that. I know I can write; I just don’t know how to write those scenes.” The plot involves my protagonist, Melodie, getting lessons on sex from her brother's best friend, Michael. The banter is easy enough to throw together, but when they're about to get down to business, I freeze like a deer in headlights.
     
    “What scenes?” I give her a look and she smirks. “Oh, those scenes.” She brushes me off. “All you have to do is go by your own experience and you'll be golden.”
     
    I cringe. “I don't have a lot of experience in that regard.” My actual firsthand sexual knowledge is extremely limited. I may be twenty-three, but I've only had two serious boyfriends, both of whom weren't remarkable or imaginative in the bedroom. The majority of what I know about sex comes from the few romance novels I've read in my life. Even the pile of Juliet Oliver paperbacks piled on my desk haven’t really helped.
     
    Ivy tucks a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear. “You've had sex though, so you know how it works.”
 
    “This story calls for several scenes involving varying positions.”
     
    “Okay...so?”
     
    I close my eyes and let out a breath. I whisper, “I've only ever done...one position.”
     
    Her jaw drops and a choked sound comes from her throat. “Get out! You...you haven't even been on top?”
     
    I give a shy shrug. “Never had the opportunity.”
     
    “What do you mean 'opportunity'? You just climb on top.”
     
    “Oh good God.” Sometimes I forget how bold Ivy is until she comes right out and states it so plainly.
     
    “Are you blushing?” I shake my head no, but touch my cheek to cover it. She tsks me and says, “Honey, you shouldn't be afraid of stepping outside the box.”
     
    “I'm not. I just never had a guy willing to.”
     
    “Then you need to find one and get to work.”
     
    “You did not just suggest I start hooking up with a guy for research.”
     
    “I didn't, but now that you mention it...”
     
    I smack her arm and laugh. “That'll be the day.”
     
    “I'm serious.”
     
    My smile fades away. “Wait, you are?”
     
    “Yeah, why not? Could be good for you,” she says with a shrug.
     
    “I don't do sex with no strings.” Not just don't—I can't. I'm not good at separating the two. Sex happens when I feel love, not because I want to have fun. “I don't misbehave.”
     
    “You should. Playing it safe is why you're so scared of