Writes of Submission Read Online Free PDF Page A

there, babe.” He held up his hands. Nikki almost growled when he exchanged a look with Dante. Now they were ganging up on her.
    That wasn’t a helpful image. She dragged her thoughts away from the ménage fantasy that sprang to mind. They were here to write, not for her to drool over him. Or over Gorgeous Surfer Dude.
    “First of all, professional is not the same as stodgy. I haven’t had twenty-five books published by twitching my nose, you know. If I like to have a glass of wine while I write, that doesn’t mean that I’m not taking my career seriously.” He looked almost stern. “Second, I will turn the music down if you don’t like it, or we can try your music if you’d rather. But I have to have music going. It’s just a quirk of mine, not a sign of insanity. I’ve been tested.”
    She opened her mouth to retort, but then caught sight of Dante’s face and closed it again. He was looking at her with wide eyes, as if he was wondering about her sanity. Okay, maybe she was overreacting a little.
    She sighed again. “Sorry. But can we please get down to business now?”
    Kane gave her a crisp salute and took a small notepad out of his pocket. “Aye, aye, boss. Shall we start with our characters?”
    This was better. Nikki poised her favorite pen over the notebook, excitement rippling through her stomach. He might be unconventional, but he was still her favorite writer, even if he wasn’t the woman she had expected, and he was going to teach her how he wrote those wonderful, moving books. Maybe it would be worth becoming a lush who listened to hippie music. She waited for his words of wisdom.
    “So what did you have in mind for this book?” He leaned back, swirling his wine and regarding her with interest.
    “What did I have in mind?” She stared at him, her pen hovering uncertainly. “I don’t know. You’re the expert. How do we start this?”
    “I usually start with the characters,” he said seriously. “Plot is important, of course, but really likeable characters are what make people remember you.”
    “Okay.” That made sense. She considered. “They’ll have to be strong male characters, right? Military? Ex—”
    “If you say ex-Navy SEALS, I’m going to pour this wine over your head.” His lips were smiling, but his eyes glittered dangerously. Dante snorted.
    She glared at them both. “What’s wrong with ex-Navy SEALS? I think they make great heroes. They’re brave, and tough, and caring—”
    “And they’re all six foot two, sunkissed, tortured, and between twenty-five and forty,” Kane finished. “No. No ex-military of any kind. That goes for CIA, FBI, Scotland Yard, USMC, SS, KAOS, or KGB. We use regular old American guys. You do realize”—he seemed to be settling himself into a lecture as he took a sip of wine and gave her a strict look—“if this country had as many ex-Navy SEALS as there are in these books, we’d own the world. There would be so many of them running around they would be asking if you want fries with that. I am a huge fan of real Navy SEALS and don’t want to diminish them or their work with my humble writing.”
    Nikki ignored Dante’s stifled laugh and took a deep breath. “Okay, then. Regular guys. Can they at least be good-looking?”
    “Of course.” He nodded regally, as if conferring an honor on her suggestion. “They can even be tall. For some reason that seems to be very important to women. Wealthy, even, although I draw the line at billionaires.”
    “Okay. Tall, good-looking, and wealthy.”
    “Yep, that will work. Now, how many of them do you want? Two? Three? More?”
    “Oh, I hadn’t thought about that,” she stammered, as images of the two men in front of her slowly taking off their shirts danced in her head.
    “Okay, I am going to ask this again. You have read my books, right? Keep in mind my fragile male ego.”
    “Of course. I’m your biggest fan.”
    “Nice save, babe.” Dante eyed her over the rim of his wine