"I need to teach you a lesson for defying me," Beau says, and in an instant, my leg drops down. He puts his other hand on my waist and lifts me off my chair. Landing perfectly on him, my eyes widen once I feel him against me. "Yes, darlin', you are the reason for it. And tonight, you are going to satisfy it." He holds me down, hunger in his eyes. "I'll do no such thing," I say, resisting the urge to grind my hips against him. My already wet pussy is pressed against his hard length, and I find myself wanting to pull it out so he can fill me up to the hilt and make all my dreams a reality. "Oh, you will, and you are going to enjoy it." Beau buries his head in my neck and places a kiss on my shoulder. My eyes close as he begins to grind against me. A moan escapes my lips, but Beau spanks my ass hard the second it does. "Don't moan out, darlin'," he says, putting his hand under my dress and caressing my stinging ass. "You don't want anyone to hear us, do you?" he asks, kissing my neck before burying his head in my chest. I shake my head as pleasure surges through my body. "Good girl." **** Delilah Stephen is a young architect trying to make it independently without Daddy's help. She is so close to achieving her goal when something unexpected happens. The investor meant to make her dreams a reality turns out to be someone Delilah wishes never to see again, Beau Williams. He is a handsome billionaire with a dangerous family. He broke Delilah's heart seven years ago and is now back to win her. Delilah passionately hates Beau, so he has his work cut out for him. She refuses to forget the past, but Beau doesn't give up. He will stop at nothing to make Delilah feel something for him after so many years. But for how long can he keep trying, and will he ever succeed?
Standing up from my chair and walking to the window with a cup of coffee, I look out and take in the scene before me. Many cars are trying to beat traffic and make it to work in the city of Austin. A crowd of people swarms the sidewalk heading towards the various buildings in the center of the city. I take a deep breath as the morning sun shines on my face. A ring sounds, snapping me out of my thoughts. Setting my coffee mug on the table, I pick up my phone. The caller ID reads Daddy with a crown emoji beside it.
"Hello, Dad," I say, answering the phone.
"How are you, Delilah? Are we still on for lunch today?"
"You saw me before I went to work this morning," I reply, shaking my head and smiling. I can't believe he's worried about how I'm doing.
"It doesn't matter. A lot can happen in an hour or two."
"Really, Dad?" He's nothing if not protective. If the man had his way, I wouldn't work at all, but it hasn't always been like this. We only became close after my mom died and I moved to the states from Nigeria to live with him. My parents were divorced, so I lived in Nigeria with my mom until she passed when I was fourteen. But once I was here, my dad quickly made up for lost time, and we've been inseparable ever since.
"Yes, really." He chuckles before continuing, "But did you still want to meet for lunch? I forgot to ask you before you left the house this morning. I need to know if I should reschedule my meetings or not." Dad works as a mechanical engineer and sits on the board of Tesla, so he's able to adjust his schedule.
"If you can make it work, I'd still like to meet. I want to discuss my proposal with you before meeting the investors later." A group of investors are coming into my office today. With the help of my dad and my best friend, I have managed to build a successful architectural firm in just three years. Now, my plan is to expand my business into real estate development. As an architect, I only design houses; I don't build them. I want to develop and sell. It won't be easy, but it's possible with the right set of investors. And I'm up for the challenge.
"No problem, dear. I'll have Jeremy pick you up from your office."
"No need to send your driver; I'll meet you there."
"Alright, see you later dear, bye," he says, hanging up the phone.
Despite myself, I can't help the smile stretching across my face as I look through my proposal once more. This is going to be a huge step, both for the company and for myself. Something big is going to happen today, I can feel it. And I can't wait.
***
I finally make it back to the office after spending more time than I meant to at lunch with Dad. I was so focused on pitching my proposal to him I forgot I also had to be on time for the actual meeting. I rush into the room, hoping the investors might be late and my absence won't be why the discussion hasn't started.
"Oh, thank God. They haven't arrived," I say, walking into the mostly empty boardroom.
"You are fortunate," Camila-my best friend and partner-says, turning around in her seat as I enter. I'd met Camila in college, and shortly after graduating when we were twenty-two, we'd started our company- D&C Inc. She's my partner, but her skillset is altogether different. Camila is an engineer, and a brilliant one at that. I couldn't imagine working without her. Though we both bring something different to our company, we always make a point to sit side-by-side during any meetings to show our level of authority is equal.
Getting comfortable in the chair beside hers, I notice how she's adjusting her appearance, using her phone's front-camera to see herself.. Her hand fluffs her black hair and she lightly pinches her cheeks making them rosy before smacking her lips against each other to spread her light pink lipstick.
"Why are you checking yourself out, Camila? We are about to have a business meeting, not a double date."
"I know, but have you seen the man coming to negotiate? He's hot. I have to look my best, and so do you." Camila tries to undo a few of my top buttons.
"Why are you trying to show off my cleavage?" I slap her hands away from my blouse.
"If I can't win his heart, maybe you can. It's long overdue for you to get a boyfriend," she says, moving to fix my hair.
"Don't you have a boyfriend? And besides, there is no way I would date one of our investors. It wouldn't be professional."
"Danny and I broke up last night." A hint of sadness seeps into her tone.
"Again?" I ask, frowning.
"Yeah."
"How long has it been this time?" Camila and her boyfriend never stay broken up for more than a few days. It's an endless cycle of breaking up and getting back together. I don't know why my beautiful friend wastes her love on such an idiot. I hate Danny with a passion. He's an arrogant bully who takes my friend's feelings for granted. I wish she would see that he is not worth her time and leave him for good one day.
"It's only been a day, but I believe we're truly done this time."
"Yeah, and I am fair-skinned," I say, rolling my eyes and gesturing towards my obviously dark complexion.
"What's that supposed to mean? I'm serious; we broke up for real this time. I am not going back to him, even if he begs me."
"Whatever," I huff.
"I am ser-"
"Miss Stephen," my assistant interrupts, poking her head through the door.
"Yes?"
"They're here, ma'am."
"Oh," I say, standing as she opens the door further to usher everyone inside.
Camila also stands, and we approach the door together, but my skirt snags on something as I'm walking. Bending down, I try to remove it without causing the fabric to rip. I successfully untangle my skirt from the edge of the table without ruining it, thankfully. It's high time I get new boardroom tables.
I lift my head, my hand stretching out to greet the investor but stop moving mid-way. Blinking rapidly to make sure my eyes are working correctly, I look at the man in front of me, and all I can think is what a sick joke the universe is playing on me right now. Anyone else among the billions of people on this earth could be here today, but it just had to be him. Are you kidding me?
His stunning gray eyes light up as Camila speaks to him. I watch as a smile spreads across his face the more Camila tries to make him comfortable. His dimples begin to show even with the slightest curve of his lips. A wave of pain goes through my heart the more I look at him. He hasn't changed one bit. His eyelashes are still the longest and fullest I have ever seen in my life, and the way they fan his face-Oh, Lord. He finally notices me, and I watch his plump, red lips pull into a smirk once they take in the shocked expression on my face. He steps closer, moving past Camila, but I can't move an inch. I just stand in place, waiting for him to get to me.
"Hello, darlin', it's been ages. Did you miss me?" He asks, filling the room with that broad southern accent of his.
When I hear his voice, the feelings I've held at bay in my heart all these years come back in full force, and without thinking, I lift my hand and almost land it hard across his face. Tears of anger build in my eyes as he holds my right hand in the air.
"Still feisty as before. I'm not surprised," he says, the smirk on his face growing wider.
"Get out." I pull my hand from his grasp and point toward the door.
"Ch-"
"Don't you dare call me that." I cut him off before the word leaves his mouth.
"Lilah, what are you doing?" Camila asks, rushing to my side. I'm sure she must be wondering why in God's name I would speak to our investor like this when I know we need him to make our dream a reality.
"I'll explain later, but right now, he needs to leave."
"Why? Do you know him? Did he do something to you?" She asks, looking between us, confused.
"Did he do something to me?" I repeat, laughing dryly. "I think I should let Mr. Beau Williams answer that himself."
"Mr. Williams," Camila says, turning around to face him.
"I forgot to mention during our meeting that I am Delilah's ex-boyfriend."
Camila's eyes widen, and she meets my gaze. "He's that Beau?"
"Yes, let me introduce you. Meet Beau Williams, my ex-boyfriend," I say, glaring at him. I can't believe he showed his face after what he did. I feel like killing him right now.
"I, Amelia Anderson, reject Nickolas Adams II as my mate." I've had enough. I don't know why I didn't reject him the moment I arrived here. What the heck was I stalling for? Nickolas and I don't have a single chance in heaven of being together. It's better to feel immense pain now than keep enduring little bits every time we run into each other. The muscles in his back tighten, but he doesn't turn back and says, "Accepting your rejection would be doing you a favor, and that's the last thing I would ever do for you." He walks away after that. ***** Nickolas, the Lycan king, had lost hope of ever finding his mate, resigned to the belief that he was destined to spend the rest of his days on Earth without her. However, fate takes an unexpected turn when he embarks on a journey to the werewolf kingdom. In a twist of destiny, Nickolas discovers his mate-a werewolf, and not just any werewolf, but the princess and daughter of his father's murderer, Amelia Anderson. Despite her royal status, Amelia's life is far from the fairy tale one might expect. A unique aspect of her identity brings difficulty, and being the sole individual among her peers without a mate intensifies her sense of isolation. The trajectory of her seemingly mundane life takes an unforeseen turn the day she encounters her mate. Suddenly, she is thrust into a reality she never imagined, and Amelia finds herself paying a steep price for a lifetime of sins she didn't commit.
Haisley Jefferson, daughter of the Alpha of The Ashen Crescent Pack, finds her life far from fulfilling. She yearns to meet her mate so she can finally escape the hellhole she once called home. Instead of meeting her mate and escaping, fate takes an unexpected turn on her 21st birthday. Rather than a mate, she's given a husband – Hades Stone, the future Alpha of The DuskBane Pack, and a man she has secretly loved for years. The only problem is he has his eyes set on Alice, her adopted sister. In the face of this dilemma, Haisley rejects the marriage, but destiny seems to have its own plans beyond her control. Haisley finds herself at a crossroads. While she wishes for her mate to rescue her, she's also entangled in a deep affection for Hades. A forced marriage to him was not her desire, but it seems destiny has other plans.
“Why can’t I fucking hit you?” Thomas yells, smacking the belt close to her feet. “Why,” he smacks it on the door above her head. “Why, fucking why” to the right and left sides of her body. Melina trembles against the door with her eyes closed and head tucked between her knees. She jumps, sniffing Thomas’ cologne, and tries to hide more. He’s probably bending down. “I want to hurt you, Melina, but I fucking can’t. Tell me why I fucking can’t. Tell me why,” she bites her lips to muffle her sobs as she fears they will exacerbate her situation. “Fucking look at me when I am talking to you,” Thomas says, grabbing her hair and pulling her head up. “I am- so-r-r-r-y,” she says as she turns to face him with her tear-stained face and bloodshot eyes. “Did you think it would work? Did you actually think you could get me arrested and then flee? Are you that dumb, Melina?” he tightens his grip on her hair, and it starts to hurt. Melina can’t believe this is what he thinks. How will she prove that it was never her intention to have him arrested? ******** Melina Davis was born with the face and body of a goddess. Her heart was as beautiful as her, but it never did her any good. Melina was the most unlucky woman in this world when it came to love. Her first love was an abusive con artist who made sure to exploit Melina's kindness. The second one who Melina felt was genuinely worthy of owing her heart was far more dangerous than her first. His name is Thomas Costanzo. He is the second in command of the Costanzo mafia. He was highly feared in the mafia world. Some even feared him more than the don of the Costanzo mafia. Melina didn't know she shouldn't cross him, and she did. She broke the heart of one of the most feared men on this earth, and now, he is out searching for her. Once he finds her, Melina will wish she never crossed paths with him.
Ana was like every young she-wolf out there. She couldn’t wait to meet her mate. She didn’t expect the way things would go the day she finally met him or the way he would treat her once they met. Ana’s mate wants nothing to do with her but won’t let her go. Ana feels like a prisoner to her mate. Her mind is torn on what to do. She wishes her mate would love her, but he shows no hope of that happening. She wants to try and build something with him, but he makes things difficult for her. He treats her horribly, and Ana doesn’t know why. Ana wishes he would reject or let her go, but he won’t. She feels like he is determined to make her his prisoner forever. Read and find out how Ana survives being a prisoner to her.
"Yes, we have, but I still want you to stay.” "Stefano, we just finished arguing, and you did not give me a single reason why I should stay, so I am leaving.” “No, you are not,” He says, dangerously coming close to me “Excuse me,” I say, backing up the wall “You heard me; I won’t let you leave me,” He says as his breath fans my face with every word that comes out of his mouth. “Then give me a reason to stay,” I say, looking down on the ground due to our proximity. I feel shy to look at him with how close we are. *********************************************** Andrea Lopez is a beautiful woman with a wonderful life. Any woman would wish to have her life, but you can't be sure her life is great. Andrea has everything but the one thing she desires most, Love. All she has ever received from Love is pain in return. There is no love in her life, but everything changes when she takes a trip to Italy. She reunites with her first Love, Stefano Costanzo, a cold, ruthless man who hates Love. He would rather pull his heart out of his body than feel Love, but for how long will he hate Love? Will the cold, ruthless man allow himself to love again, or will our Andrea never find Love?
"What!" Ethan says in his all too familiar deep rude voice. "You hit me, which caused my coffee to spill all over me," I say, pointing out the obvious. "So, what do you want me to do about it," He speaks like he has done nothing wrong "You are supposed to say sorry," I say in a duh tone "And why should I." "Because that is what people with manners do." "I know that, but you don't deserve sorry from me." "Wow, really, and why is that." "Because black bitches like you don't deserve it." "I have told you times without number to stop calling me that," I say getting angry with his insults "Make me," Ethan says, taking a dangerous step closer to me. I don't say anything, but hiss and walk past him. I don't know why I even expected him to say anything better. It is Ethan, after all. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is a story about two people who knew how to express the word hate more than anything else to one another. Ethan hates Adina more than anything in the world and would give anything to see her perish into thin air. While on the other hand Adina could careless about Ethan other than the fact that she won't let him walk all over her with his arrogant character. What happens when a big incident changes all that. How do these two different people deal with a feeling that is supposed to be forbidden to feel for the each other. Read to find out how the person you hate the most is the one person you can love the most.
"Love is blind!" Lucinda abandoned her beautiful and comfortable life because of a man. She married him and slaved off for him for three long years. One day, the scales finally fell off her eyes. She realized that all her efforts were in vain. Her husband, Nathaniel still treated her like shit. All he cared about was his lover. "Enough is enough! I quit wasting my years with an ungrateful man!" Lucinda's heart was shattered into many pieces, but she summoned up the courage to ask for a divorce. The news caused a stir online! A filthy rich young woman recently got divorced? She was a good catch! Countless CEOs and handsome young men immediately swarmed to her like bees to honey! Nathaniel couldn't take it anymore. He held a press conference and begged with teary eyes, "I love you, Lucinda. I can't live without you. Please come back to me." Would Lucinda give him a second chance? Read to find out!
Jennifer Bennett, the rightful heiress to the Bennett legacy, fought hard for her family's recognition, only to be eclipsed by an impostor. Faced with false accusations, bullying, and public humiliation, Jennifer eventually gave up trying to win their approval. Vowing to rise above the injustice, she became the bane of those who wronged her. The Bennett family's efforts to break her only fueled her success, leading her to heights her rivals could only dream of. Someone asked, "Do you feel let down by your parents?" With a calm smile, Jennifer said, "It doesn't matter. In the end, power prevails."
It took only a second for a person's world to come crashing down. This was what happened in Hannah's case. For four years, she gave her husband her all, but one day, he said emotionlessly, "Let's get divorced." Hannah's heart broke into a million pieces as she signed the divorce papers, marking the end of her role as a devoted wife. Within Hannah, a strong woman awakened, vowing never to be beholden to any man again. Embracing her new life, she embarked on a journey to find herself and command her own destiny. By the time she returned, she had experienced so much growth and was now completely different from the docile wife everyone once knew. "Is this your latest trick to get my attention?" Hannah's ever-so-arrogant husband asked. Before she could retort, a handsome and domineering CEO pulled her into his embrace. He smiled down at her and said boldly to her ex, "Just a little heads-up, mister. This is my beloved wife. Keep off!"
Eight years ago, Eleanor was a pampered and arrogant young heiress, while Andreas was just a nameless talent from a humble background. Although she had taken him in, she never treated him with any warmth. Their fates flipped, and now Andreas was a business titan feared by all, while Eleanor wallowed in shame and despair after her fall from grace. Upon their reunion, he pinned her with a venomous glare and declared, "It was my hatred for you that drove me into becoming what I am today."
Rena got into an entanglement with a big shot when she was drunk one night. She needed Waylen's help while he was drawn to her youthful beauty. As such, what was supposed to be a one-night stand progressed into something serious. All was well until Rena discovered that Waylen's heart belonged to another woman. When his first love returned, he stopped coming home, leaving Rena all alone for many nights. She put up with it until she received a check and farewell note one day. Contrary to how Waylen expected her to react, Rena had a smile on her face as she bid him farewell. "It was fun while it lasted, Waylen. May our paths never cross. Have a nice life." But as fate would have it, their paths crossed again. This time, Rena had another man by her side. Waylen's eyes burned with jealousy. He spat, "How the hell did you move on? I thought you loved only me!" "Keyword, loved!" Rena flipped her hair back and retorted, "There are plenty of fish in the sea, Waylen. Besides, you were the one who asked for a breakup. Now, if you want to date me, you have to wait in line." The next day, Rena received a credit alert of billions and a diamond ring. Waylen appeared again, got down on one knee, and uttered, "May I cut in line, Rena? I still want you."
The dream of everyone with regards to marriage is to be able to find that special someone and settle down with them. Even arranged marriages grant you an opportunity to meet your partner briefly before the wedding. How will you feel about waking up in the morning with someone sleeping next to you who is not just anyone but your legally married partner yet with no memory of how that had happened in just a few hours of going out the previous day? This is the story of Jason Haward and Julia Harrison, two strangers trapped in a marriage they never planned. The quest to find out why led to the unfolding of a mystery which made them realize they are both living a lie. To find out more, read this amazing story of love, betrayal, revenge and murder.