Leena has it all: a degree, a good job for an important company, and a fiance who she's been with for four years. According to everyone, she's done everything perfectly, and now she has become a person who does things in order, a person who always strives for success, even if that means living a somewhat boring life. However, her whole world is flipped upside down when she witnesses a crime and is kidnapped on the spot. But the man she is taken to stirs up something in her despite his dangerous air. Now with her perfect life in jeopardy, why isn't she scared? And why does she find the man she was taken to so alluring? Will Leena abandon the ideal life that so many people strive for and find her place in a world of danger and instability? Everything I Never Should Have Wanted is created by Kayla Mae Francis, an eGlobal Creative Publishing signed author.
Leena Morris loves having control over money, rich men's money to be exact.
Money. That was what Leena knew to be the driving force of the world. Money and success- but weren't they kind of the same thing in most people's eyes? That's why she lived by the book and did things in order. She got her Master's Degree in business and finance. She got engaged to the son of the owner of a chain of hotels. That was her job as a financial consultant.
The walk from the car garage to the yoga studio was brisk and cold. March in Philadelphia was too cold, Leena thought. For some people, an average temperature of 53 degrees was fair, maybe even pleasant, but that wasn't the case for Leena Morris. She did not like the cold. In fact, anything under 70 degrees pretty much felt like a curse to her.
She shrugged her yoga mat bag over her shoulder and shoved her hands deep into her pockets and cursed the wind. The wind made everything worse. People only liked the wind when it was 90 degrees or when they wanted to go sailing. The wind was overrated.
To Leena, lots of things were overrated. Social media for starters. And big, fat weddings. That was the last thing she wanted. She wanted a simple life- at least, that's what she had convinced herself to believe.
And that was precisely the kind of life she was living, the cookie-cutter, good-girl who went to school and 'waited until after college to get engaged' kind of life. But, honestly, it wasn't all that. She was drowning in boring.
Her job as a financial consultant for Greene Consulting Group was a good job that a lot of people were gunning for. It was steady, reliable. It paid well. She had benefits. All that good stuff. And she was good at it. But it was boring. She went to an office every day and talked on the phone and sifted through paperwork and Excel sheets and ledgers. The walls were blank except for the generic, abstract paintings in the elevator hall.
Really, for a good, rich company she would have thought that they would put some of their time and energy into making the place more appealing. Basically, everyone could relate to things that looked pleasing to the eye. That's what got people's attention in most instances.
It was what had attracted her fiance, Brian Barclay at a random seminar in Cincinnati three years ago. She'd gone to schmooze some corporate men that wanted to invest in the Greene Consulting Group. In fact, her slightly above-average looks were probably what attracted those men at first as well.
Leena rolled her eyes as she thought about what those types of men were like. They talked down to you and commented on your appearance and your age when you were a woman. They questioned your position and your competency, and she didn't appreciate that.
But she did love basically having control over their money. It was what they held most dear to them after all. It gave her some satisfaction to secretly have the upper hand in those cases. Well, it wasn't necessarily secretly, but it was usually quiet enough to hear the gears in their little brains turning when they explained to them what their fiscal year might look like and how to develop better financial strategies to accommodate for that.
It was probably her main pleasure in life.
Yes, she had a good job and a fiance and her own home, but none of those things really pleased her. Instead, she saw them as a checklist for success. How else was she supposed to get her parents' love and affection? That kind of stuff didn't come free.
So yeah, in her parents' eyes and in society's eyes, she was a young, beautiful, successful lady with her whole life ahead of her, but when she looked in the mirror she just saw a decent-looking body that fit the mold. But it was basic, vanilla.
She wanted chocolate-dipped cherries. Not vanilla.
Just as Leena approached the building where her four-nights-a-week yoga class was located, she spotted something very pleasing to her eye. He stopped her at the door that she realized someone was holding open for her, but she didn't have the sense to walk through.
No, all of her senses were locked on the man, probably six foot three and very toned under his suit jacket. His dusky skin complimented his medium-length curly dark hair. In the sunset, his hair was like black tourmaline, and his eyes... they were too bright and captivating for as dark as they were. They almost seemed black the closer he got. Everything about him was dark.
He was definitely not vanilla, she thought as he walked towards her. He was looking straight at her, and when their eyes met after she'd done a slightly shameful thorough exploration of his physical traits, he didn't drop his gaze. He was completely undisguised.
"You goin' in?" he asked, opening the door the other kind person had long abandoned. Even his voice was dark and deep, like the purest dark maple syrup.
Leena cleared her throat and said, "Uh, yeah. Yes. Thank you."
She walked through so as not to make the moment any more awkward, but she couldn't help but turn around as she passed by him. He grinned down at her confidently, squinting his eyes slightly, which gave him an air of 'Yeah, I know I'm attractive. I see you seeing me.'
Leena let out a little embarrassed puff of hair and turned around quickly. She wished she was brave enough to be that obvious. She left the tall, dark mystery man and walked quickly to the elevator and waited. Instead of watching the red numbers change like she usually did, she kept looking out the window, hoping that he would come through the door, walk up to her, and tell her how attractive he thought she was.
The bell for the elevator's arrival dinged sharply, shattering her reverie. She entered it and went up to the third floor where her yoga class took place. Her friend Adriene greeted her warmly, like usual, and then the class began.
Leena usually tried not to get too close to people because when you get close to them, they expect a lot, and then you have to do all of these things to keep them interested in you, but Adriene seemed different. She was very... bubbly and sweet. She treated everyone like she had been their best friend since grade school. No judgment.
Really, she was like a breath of fresh air, and even though Adriene was the one who had worn Leena down enough to open up, Leena was pretty sure she was more attached, and that scared her. She wasn't attached to anyone, not even her fiance.
As much as she knew it was wrong, or that it shouldn't be the way it was, Leena had yet to entertain, let alone express, any thoughts about leaving him. He was safe. He was a good box for her to check off on her Success List.
But she wanted more than just success at this point in her life. She was already twenty-seven, and... she was tired of vanilla. She wanted that chocolate-dipped cherry, that dark rich maple syrup. Not the store-bought syrup that was golden and delicate. She wanted the robust stuff with the strong taste.
Brian was golden and delicate, but that man on the street who had opened the door for her... he was robust, strong. And she couldn't help but see him every time the instructor told the class to close their eyes. Brian was the type to hold her hand in the car, but she imagined this guy would be the type to slide his hand to her inner thigh. Brian was the type to touch her gently on the shoulder and kiss her on the cheek, but this guy was probably the kind that would seize her by the waist, press his whole body against her and smash his lips to hers. Brian always apologized when Leena caught him staring at her, but this guy... he would unabashedly scan her body and give her his best bedroom eyes...
She spent most of her time in yoga class enthralled by that fantasyland where she was with dark maple, 'you can only get this commercially' syrup guy, not golden, safe, 'just drizzle on your pancakes' syrup guy.
Aliyah is a self-made home renovator who has taken on the task of renovating the Charleston Manor, a home thatâs mysteriously been on the market for over seven years. Sheâs traveled all the way to Rapid Springs, MI, far away from her home in Santa Fe, and she's left her family behind on bad terms, determined to show them she can be successful on her own. However, once Aliyah arrives in Rapid Springs, she immediately catches the eye of bad boy Neo. Aliyah didn't go there looking for love, but she's drawn to this quiet, stoic man. The feeling seems to be mutual, but will Neo be able to let her into his heart with his past still haunting him? Will he be able to love her without his dangerous world crashing down on them both? Aliyah must decide how deep sheâll let herself go for a love that seems destined to cause trouble. Refurbished is created by Kayla Mae Francis, an eGlobal Creative Publishing author.
They don't know I'm a girl. They all look at me and see a boy. A prince. Their kind purchase humans like me for their lustful desires. And, when they stormed into our kingdom to buy my sister, I intervened to protect her. I made them take me too. The plan was to escape with my sister whenever we found a chance. How was I to know our prison would be the most fortified place in their kingdom? I was supposed to be on the sidelines. The one they had no real use for. The one they never meant to buy. But then, the most important person in their savage land-their ruthless beast king-took an interest in the "pretty little prince." How do we survive in this brutal kingdom, where everyone hates our kind and shows us no mercy? And how does someone, with a secret like mine, become a lust slave? . AUTHOR'S NOTE. This is a dark romance-dark, mature content. Highly rated 18+ Expect triggers, expect hardcore. If you're a seasoned reader of this genre, looking for something different, prepared to go in blindly not knowing what to expect at every turn, but eager to know more anyway, then dive in! . From the author of the international bestselling book: "The Alpha King's Hated Slave."
Kallie, a mute who had been ignored by her husband for five years since their wedding, also suffered the loss of her pregnancy due to her cruel mother-in-law. After the divorce, she learned that her ex-husband had quickly gotten engaged to the woman he truly loved. Holding her slightly rounded belly, she realized that he had never really cared for her. Determined, she left him behind, treating him as a stranger. Yet, after she left, he scoured the globe in search of her. When their paths crossed once more, Kallie had already found new happiness. For the first time, he pleaded humbly, "Please don't leave me..."Â But Kallie's response was firm and dismissive, cutting through any lingering ties. "Get lost!"
âYou need a bride, I need a groom. Why donât we get married?â Both abandoned at the altar, Elyse decided to tie the knot with the disabled stranger from the venue next door. Pitying his state, she vowed to spoil him once they were married. Little did she know that he was actually a powerful tycoon. Jayden thought Elyse only married him for his money, and planned to divorce her when she was no longer of use to him. But after becoming her husband, he was faced with a new dilemma. âShe keeps asking for a divorce, but I donât want that! What should I do?â
When Corynn mustered up the courage to tell Elliot about her pregnancy, she unexpectedly found him gallantly helping another woman from his car. Her heart sank as three years of effort to secure his love crumbled before her eyes, compelling her to leave him behind. Three years later, life had taken Corynn down a new path with someone else, while Elliot was left grappling with regret. Seizing a moment of vulnerability, he pleaded, "Corynn, let's get married." Shaking her head with a faint smile, Corynn gently replied, "Sorry, I'm already engaged."
She was a world-renowned divine doctor, the CEO of a publicly traded company, the most formidable female mercenary, and a top-tier tech genius. Marissa, a titan with a plethora of secret identities, had hidden her true stature to marry a seemingly impoverished young man. However, on the eve of their wedding, her fiance, who was actually the lost heir to a wealthy dynasty, called off the engagement and subjected her to degradation and mockery. Upon the revelation of her concealed identities, her ex-fiance was left stunned and desperately pleaded for her forgiveness. Standing protectively before Marissa, an incredibly influential and fearsome magnate declared, "This is my wife. Who would dare try to claim her?"
For three years, Shane and Yvonne were wed, sharing heated nights, while his devotion clung to his ex. Yvonne strove to be a dutiful wife, yet their marriage felt hollow, built on desire rather than real warmth. All changed when she became pregnant, only for Shane to thrust her onto the operating table, warning, âEither you or the baby survives!â Broken by his cruelty, she vanished in grief and later returned, radiantly accomplished, leaving everyone awestruck. Haunted by remorse, Shane begged for another chance, but Yvonne only smiled and replied, âIâm sorry, men no longer interest me.â