Chapter 14

Kiara

REJECTED.

I stare at the screen for a long time. Maybe a little too long because my eyes are starting to hurt.

"Damn it!" I slam the laptop shut and toss it onto the passenger seat.

This is the fourth publishing company that rejected my manuscript as it is. It seems like without adding more explicit sex scenes, it won't sell at all.

Out of nowhere, I hear a knock on the window. It's Ms. Hill, looking worried. "Hey baby, are you alright? It seems like every time I come down here, you're sitting in this car."

I flash a fake smile. "Oh yeah, just enjoying the peace and quiet. My boyfriend's video games are kinda loud and overstimulating."

It's not like I'm going to admit to anyone what's really going on.

Ms. Hill is a kind, older woman that has aged like fine wine. She has to be sixty or seventy, but she could easily pass for someone in their forties.

Her mahogany skin glows underneath the garage lights, and she always wear