After taking sensual Valentine’s Day pictures for her customers all week, photographer Michelle needs a break. An Anti-Valentine’s Day party with a firm no-romance rule seems like just the right change of pace…until a captivating blonde walks in, making Michelle question every rule. “The No-Romance Rule” is a prequel to Jae’s lesbian romance Departure from the Script but can be read as a standalone.

Aspiring actress Amanda Clark and photographer Michelle Osinski are two women burned by love and not looking to test the fire again. And even if they were, it certainly wouldn’t be with each other. Amanda has never been attracted to a butch woman before, and Michelle personifies the term butch. Having just landed a role on a hot new TV show, she’s determined to focus on her career and doesn’t need any complications in her life. After a turbulent breakup with her starlet ex, Michelle swore she would never get involved with an actress again. Another high-maintenance woman is the last thing she wants, and her first encounter with Amanda certainly makes her appear the type. But after a date that is not a date and some meddling from Amanda’s grandmother, they both begin to wonder if it’s not time for a departure from their usual dating scripts. Words: 54,620

An actress practically since birth, Grace Durand has finally made it in Hollywood. When a photo of her in a seeming compromising situation with another woman is plastered all over the tabloids, she fears for her career as a lead in romantic movies. Desperate for a publicist who’ll convince America that she’s straight, Grace hires Lauren Pearce, one of Hollywood’s leading PR agents, not knowing that she’s a lesbian. Lauren has dealt with PR nightmares for years, so doing damage control for one more rich, spoiled client shouldn’t be a problem—or so she thinks. But the more time she spends with Grace, the more she realizes how different she is from her television persona. Getting involved with her client is not in her game plan, especially since it would confirm the rumors and ruin Grace’s career, but the attraction between them is growing as they run the gauntlet of the paparazzi together.

Nothing could possibly be more erotic than watching the woman you love taking off her clothes in front of you, right? That’s what Lauren thinks, until she witnesses her girlfriend, celebrity actress Grace Durand, dressing up for a movie premiere. The reverse striptease gets Lauren’s pulse pounding and her breath catching in her throat, and she suddenly decides that they may be running late to that red carpet call… Words: 4,890

After being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, twenty-five-year-old Jill Corrigan takes herself off the romantic market. Not wanting to become a burden to a potential partner, she focuses on her career as an actress instead. On the set of a disaster movie, she meets stunt woman Kristine “Crash” Patterson, whose easy smile instantly makes Jill wish things were different. Meanwhile, Crash is trained to fall, but she didn’t count on falling in love. Despite their growing feelings for each other, Jill resolves to let Crash into her bed, but not her heart. As they start to play with fire on and off camera, will they really be able to keep things just physical?

Actress Jill and her girlfriend, stuntwoman Crash, explore new territory When struggling actress Jill lands her dream TV role, she rushes home to celebrate with her girlfriend, stuntwoman Crash. A steamy shower leads to sheet-rumpling passion as they try out a new sex toy. Will their intimate celebration turn out to be worth the wait? “Worth the Wait” won the Good Sex Awards 2021 in the Best Use of Sex Toys category. The short story (previously published in the anthology Laid Bare) is a mini sequel to Jae’s lesbian romance Just Physical. Length: 6,000 words (short story) Tropes & themes: Butch/femme, sex toys, steamy lesbian short story Series: The Hollywood Series