The Muse

Erotica author Kate McMannis has crippling writer’s block and a deadline in less than two months. When a beautiful woman named Erato appears at her house and claims to be her muse, Kate isn’t certain whether Erato is mentally ill or truly her supernatural savior. Either way, when the incredible sex Erato offers leads to genuine inspiration, Kate isn’t inclined to refuse her unusual brand of help. When a little fantasy fulfillment with Erato inadvertently leads her to the shy and gorgeous Olive Johnson, unexpected feelings threaten to derail Kate’s motivation once again. Erato is just as determined to keep her writing on track as Kate is to explore her very real attraction to Olive—which leads to friction that threatens not only Kate’s ability to meet her deadline, but also her burgeoning romance with Olive. Caught between a contractual obligation and her heart, is there any way for Kate to have it all?

O’Brien “knows how to write passion really well, and I do not recommend reading her books in public (unless you want everyone to know exactly what you are reading).
Wild
is no different. It’s very steamy, and the sex scenes are frequent and quite erotic, to say the least.”—
Lesbian Book Review

“Meghan O’Brien has given her readers some very steamy scenes in this fast paced novel.
Thirteen Hours
is definitely a walk on the wild side, which may have you looking twice at those with whom you share an elevator.”—
Just About Write

“Boy, if there was ever fiction that a lesbian needs during a bed death rut or simply in need of some juicing up,
Thirteen Hours
by Meghan O’Brien is the book I’d recommend to my good friends…If you are looking for good ole American instant gratification, simple and not-at all-straight sexy lesbian eroticism, revel in the sexiness that is
Thirteen Hours
.”—
Tilted World

“In
The Three
by Meghan O’Brien, we are treated to first-rate storytelling that features scorching love scenes with three main characters…She hits her stride well in The Three with a well-paced plot that never slows. She excels at giving us an astounding tale that is tightly written and extremely sensual. I highly recommend this unique book.”—
Just About Write

The Muse

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The Muse

© 2015 By Meghan O’Brien. All Rights Reserved.

ISBN 13: 978-1-62639-280-9

This Electronic Book is published by

Bold Strokes Books, Inc.

P.O. Box 249

Valley Falls, New York 12185

First Edition: June 2015

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission.

Credits

Editor: Shelley Thrasher

Production Design: Stacia Seaman

Cover Design By Sheri ([email protected])

Infinite Loop

The Three

Thirteen Hours

Battle Scars

Wild

The Night Off

The Muse

I want to once again thank Shelley Thrasher for being such a kind and amazing editor. You’ve never been anything but supportive and amazing, and I appreciate all the ways you’ve helped me become a better writer. To my wife, Angie, for allowing me to retreat into my made-up worlds whenever necessary—I appreciate it, even though I know it must get lonely. To my sister Kathleen, because. And to my parents, again, who (again) should never, ever read this book.

To all the writers, and the readers who keep us going

Kate McMannis sat back in her office chair with an epic sigh of self-loathing. She’d stupidly checked the time after watching what had to be her thirtieth cat video in a row. Despite scheduling eight solid hours to write today, she’d already squandered half of them. Damn the Internet. How was she supposed to get anything done with an entire world of cuteness and hilarity at her fingertips? Not to mention news websites. Without sitting up straight, she reached for her mouse and clicked one of her permanent bookmarks. The day’s headlines washed over her—most familiar from her previous twenty check-ins—and she almost longed for some catastrophe to shake up the boredom of her afternoon.

She should be working on her novel. Every minute her deadline drew nearer. She had less than two months to finish her latest work-in-progress. While it wasn’t unprecedented for her to whip out a novel-length romance or erotica story in sixty days or fewer, she felt no closer to inspiration than she had the day before, or the week before, or even two months before. Paralyzed by writer’s block, she couldn’t manage to cobble together more than a few paragraphs in a sitting. She still had nine hundred words to go before reaching the twelve-thousand-word mark—and that had taken her months to achieve. Unfortunately, it represented only a fraction of the eighty thousand words she was obligated to deliver.

Kate glanced at the empty document titled “Chapter Four” that had been taunting her for days. Why the hell was this one so difficult? This wasn’t her first novel. She’d published several others. Another unpublished novel-length work had poured out of her over the course of months—years, technically—and she’d never given up on it despite never receiving a dime for its completion. Yet now she couldn’t seem to wrangle a seed of a good story out of her head and onto the screen despite the contractual obligation looming over her.

Why?

Grunting in frustration, Kate kicked back from her desk and walked to the kitchen. Maybe she needed a glass of lemonade. Or a snack. Granted, months of lemonade and snacks hadn’t yet loosened the masterpiece lurking within, but who knew? Today a snack break might solve all her problems.

She surveyed her nearly empty refrigerator and let out a tired groan. No lemonade. No hummus, either. Obviously she needed to go to the grocery store. This was a legitimate excuse to run an errand, but she
had
been on the verge of actually accomplishing something. And now this. No wonder she was getting nowhere fast.

“Well, damn.” A grocery run would obviously eat up at least another hour of her work time. Annoyed but resigned, she scooped her purse off the counter and left behind her dreams of whipping out a thousand words by lunchtime.

When she opened her front door, she couldn’t stifle a gasp upon discovering an exceedingly attractive woman of apparently Mediterranean origin standing with her fist poised to knock. The stranger held a cloth grocery bag in her free hand. Another full-to-bursting sack of groceries sat at her feet, along with a zippered travel bag. She met Kate’s no-doubt ridiculous expression of surprise with a wide, beaming smile.