Nina felt Julian's grip on her hand tighten and the cool metal slide over her finger, Nina regretted having agreed to come. She tried to look down, wondering what Julian had done to her finger, but he kept his hand over hers. Awkward didn't begin to cover it. She felt as if she'd just entered a minefield. "Mom. Dad. I would like you to meet-" His entire body tensed and he gripped her hand almost painfully. It was like he was sending her a silent message. "I'd like you to meet my fiancée, Nina Taylor." Nina froze. There was a horrible buzz in her ears, and she stared in horror at Julian. She hadn't heard him right. What kind of idiotic thing had he just done? She wasn't sure who was more stunned. Her or his family. Abby looked shocked. Loveth looked as if she just swallowed a lemon. Sam looked annoyed, while Julian's father simply frowned. ---------------------- Nina Taylor relocates to New York and reunites with Abby Martin, her best friend from high school, despite the fact that her father disagrees with her decision. But Nina is tired of letting her father dictate every aspect of her life, especially now that he has arranged for her to marry Christopher Anderson, so she is convinced that she has made the right decision by leaving. Soon Nina finds herself in the same situation with Julian Martin.... Will she walk away this time? She only has to pretend to be Julian's fiance for a while though.... She could do that. What could possibly go wrong?
Julian Martin sat on the couch, going through a bunch of emails on his phone. He sighed, realizing how much work he had to do. Procrastination was indeed the thief of time, he thought, as he realized that it was his fault that work had piled up this much.
"You will not believe who just called me... Guess who" Abby Martin said as she emerged from her bedroom, clad in pink silk pajamas.
"Who?" Julian asked casually, clearly not in the mood for small talk.
"I said, guess," Abby said.
Julian Martin turned to look at his little sister, who had a look on her face that he didn't quite understand. He rolled his eyes and returned his attention to his phone.
"I'm not going to bother about guessing anything," he said. "Because I have a feeling that you will tell me anyway. You know,... Because it's you and you can't be quiet about anything... Even to save your life. I'm not even sure that you can keep secret, so just cut the crap and tell me what it is"
"You are no fun" Abby said and she glared at her brother, but then she smiled because she knew he was right. She would tell him anyways, but that didn't stop her from picking up a pillow and throwing it at him.
"Well," she began, "I know you're going to love this... Do you remember my best friend, Nina Taylor, from high school?... Oh of course you do.. How could you forget"
For some reason, Julian felt his heart beat a little faster at the mention of that name. Abby waited for him to say something and when he didn't she continued.
"That was her on the phone. She said she decided to leave her dad's company as she was in this 'Independent... Starting over again phase'... I didn't really listen to that last part because I got so excited after she told me she got a job here and she wants to stay with me for a while. Isn't that amazing? It's been so long you know... Remember how close she and I were in high school?"
"Yeah I remember," Julian said. How could he forget? At that time, Nina Taylor was a huge part of his life....not because they were close friends or in any kind of relationship, but because he spent a great deal of time just thinking about her and getting distracted by her.
"Well, I guess that's a good thing.... for you. At least you won't complain to me about being bored anymore and maybe I can finally get some peace" he added, willing the memory to go away. It was embarrassing to think about just how much he'd been into Nina Taylor.
Abby grinned at him. "Excited about seeing her again?" she asked.
Julian gave her a puzzled look. "Why would I be excited?" he asked. "I don't see any reason why I should be. She's your friend. She's coming to live with you... Not me. I mean, of course it would be nice to see her again after all these years, but excited... Is.. Is just not the right word. Why would you even ask me that?"
"Oh please," Abby replied. "You had such a huge crush on her when we were in high school. Your eyes followed her everywhere. Remember how I used to tease you about it and you made me promise not to tell her? Because you wanted to do it, and I quote 'on your own time'.. Only that time never came because you were just too shy. "
Julian rolled his eyes, but also smiled at the memory. It had been a long time ago, but once in a while he still thought about Nina Taylor. She had been Abby's best friend at the time and he had had a huge crush on her till he left for college.
The problem was he could never bring himself to tell her how he felt back then as he thought she was way out of his league. She and Abby had been cheerleaders while he had been one of the brainy students most people saw as geeks.
Nina was sharp and really good-looking. She had long red hair and big beautiful green eyes, and most times he called her 'red' to tease her. In addition to being very good looking, she was intelligent and perceptive, and although she hung out with the Soc crowd, she was open to befriending people who weren't in her crowd. Julian was so attracted to her but couldn't never bring himself to say it to her. Why would a girl like Nina even want to go out with him anyways? And besides she was dating some jock guy then. So he had kept his feelings to himself.
Caroline broke off as Nicholas took another step forward, until they were now once again standing so close they were almost touching. She gave a determined shake of her head. "Mr Connelly," "Nick," he corrected, "Nicholas" "Nick," he repeated, Caroline was a bit frustrated, "Nick," she bit out, "if you're trying to intimidate me then I think I should warn you-" "Warn me of what...?" Nicholas murmured throatily, even as he raised one of his hands to cup the warmth of her cheek, before moving the soft pad of his thumb over the softness of her lips, feeling the warmth of her breath against his fingers as he parted those lips in preparation for his kiss. His own arousal intensified at the feel of that sensual warmth against his skin. His shaft was hard and pulsing, demanding. Caroline's eyes were wide, deep amber pools as she stared up at him. "I should warn you-" "Yes...?" Nicholas prompted softly, holding that wide and startled gaze with his own as his head began to lower towards hers. She breathed softly. "I really should warn you-" "Warn me later, hmm?" he dismissed gruffly, before finally claiming those full and pouting lips with his own.
Elena stifled a smile, but he already saw her mouth start to curve upwards and he grinned at her. She ignored him. "I'm serious, Chandler." His smile was instantaneous. "Noted." She licked her lips. Her eyes were wide and nervous, and she tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "And you can't kiss me." Chandler tilted his head to the side and studied her. Pushing away from the car, he took a step closer to her. She held her ground, lifting her chin at his approach. "What if you ask me to kiss you?" he said quietly. "Then can I?" Elena exhaled shakily. "I won't do that." "No?" Carefully, he touched his thumb to the curve of her chin. She shook her head, and his hand fell away. "Maybe you won't," he told her. "But hear me right now, love, I'd love it if you asked me for a kiss."
"We'd like you to come with us to the station immediately," Vanessa's heart began to beat faster, "I don't understand," she said, "What for?" "Mrs Spencer, you're wanted as a prime suspect in the murder of your husband, Mr Christopher Wesley. You need to come with us to the station for questioning. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you do or say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. I suggest you don't try to resist. Do you understand the rights I have just read to you?" Vanessa's jaw dropped. Christopher was dead! It was impossible to believe. She'd just spoken to him that afternoon. It had to be a mistake. She nodded, "I.... I.... I need to call my lawyer," she said, when she finally found her tongue," "Ma'am, you can do that at the station. Turn around, please," ------------ Politician and governorship candidate, Christopher Wesley is dead ; shot in the head right in his own house. The killer is unknown, but the police have a suspect -his estranged wife, Vanessa Spencer Detective Alaric Harper and his partner are placed in charge of this case and at first Alaric is certain that Vanessa had killed her husband. Her motive? He's not sure of. Could it be spite? Maybe the money? Or maybe she just got tired of him delaying their divorce? He's determined to find out and he's sure that he will, but one thing he never expected - falling for her.....
"Why did you leave the party in such a hurry earlier?" Ignoring her sarcasm, Kaleb changed the subject. He just had to ask! The audacity he had! Sasha smirked. "Did you want to enjoy seeing the girl you just kissed a few minutes ago making a friendly chat with your girlfriend?" she snapped, her wound reopened. "Oh, so you left because of Claire?" Again, Kaleb's voice was mocking. "No, I left because of me," Sasha recoiled, and it was her stupidity sending him a text. "And what about you and Samson? I see the way he looked at you at the party. He seems to really like you and the both of you seem really familiar with each other. What do I make out of that?" Kaleb sounded different, odd even. —---------- When Kaleb Luthor decides to move back to the town he grew up in, Sasha Sullivan is bombarded with a lot of emotions. This is a guy she has had a crush on for as long as she can remember, and this is her chance to make him see her more than just his sister's best friend. But as she gets closer to Kaleb, Sasha realizes that he's a totally different guy from the one she has built up in her head, but she still can't let him go. A one night stand was all she needed… But she isn't prepared for the consequences that one night could bring…. And what an affair with Kaleb Luthor would do to her friendship with her best friend, Tilly Luthor.
The last thing Scott McCall expected to see in his hotel room one night is a beautiful waitress. A woman so desperate for a job at his company that she would do anything to get his attention…like sneak into his hotel room to talk to him. Despite his growing attraction for this woman, Scott McCall throws logic out the door and hires her anyway. Vivian Sanchez is excited. She got a job at a successful company, despite all the mistakes and bad decisions she made… and she couldn't believe it. Everything was falling into place and It was all happening like a fairytale. She vows to give this new job her best, but there's just one problem. …. Her boss Being crazily attracted to Scott McCall was a situation Vivian didn't quite anticipate when she asked for this job, and she doesn't quite know how to handle it. The long awkward gazes, subtle flirting and tension between them is enough to make anyone crazy. An affair with the boss could ruin her, but what is life without risks?....
"You are one stubborn lady, you know that?." His raspy tone sounded close to her ear, sending gooseflesh up her arms. And her emotions must have been closer to the surface than she'd wanted to admit, because she could feel the sting of tears behind her lids. Not wanting David to know how he affected her, she hid her face in his shoulder and tried a laugh. It sounded a little wobbly, but it was the best she could produce. "You hardly know me, David. And you already made it clear to me that you don't want to…i understand" He rocked her from side to side, and she could hear the smile in his voice when he spoke. "Well, you are making it difficult for me to stick to that" Bonnie squeezed herself closer, loving the solid feel of his chest against her cheek, the strength of his arms around her. She couldn't recall ever feeling so safe. "It wouldn't be so bad if you let yourself. Forget about whatever reason brought us together. Let go, and live in the moment" David groaned, and then his hand was beneath her chin, tilting her face up. Bonnie smiled, thinking he had a few more questions for her, when his mouth closed over hers and she couldn't think at all. —---------- Bonnie Rimmer is in danger, and David Stewart knows that it's all his fault. He had made more than a few enemies over the years, but a creepy stalker kidnapping the woman he was meant to protect is an entirely different matter. All of this could have been avoided if he had kept to one rule: don’t protect anyone you want to screw. Don't get emotionally involved with your client. But with Bonnie, he’s caught between his job and his increasingly hard libido. The woman is way out of his league, but David wants nothing more than to take the hot volcano of a woman in his hand. To make her writhe in pleasure, until she’s at his complete mercy. She needs protection. He needs satisfaction. And the moment the line is crossed, all hell will break loose…
As a simple assistant, messaging the CEO in the dead of night to request shares of adult films was a bold move. Bethany, unsurprisingly, didn't receive any films. However, the CEO responded that, while he had no films to share, he could offer a live demonstration. After a night filled with passion, Bethany was certain she'd lose her job. But instead, her boss proposed, "Marry me. Please consider it." "Mr. Bates, you're kidding me, right?"
Marrying her best friend was a dream come true for Kelly, but everything truly has a limitation. Pierce is Kelly’s first love, but as his best friend, she knew well there was always another woman deep in his heart. Lexi Gilbert. The woman Pierce could never forget even if he had already been arranged to marry Kelly. *** Kelly finally realized their happy marriage of the last three years was just a beautiful dream when Pierce asked for a divorce just because Lexi returned. She could only be his best friend even if she was carrying his baby. *** Since their friendship had become a cage, Kelly chose to set him free, as well as the miserable herself. But why then, it was Pierce who became the one who refused to move on? To make matters worse, her devil stepbrother also domineeringly stepped in at the same time, asking her to be his. *** Her Prince Charming vs. Her Devil Stepbrother? How could Kelly save her heart in this battle of love and hate?
On her wedding day, Khloe’s sister connived with her groom, framing her for a crime she didn’t commit. She was sentenced to three years in prison, where she endured much suffering. When Khloe was finally released, her evil sister used their mother to coerce Khloe into an indecent liaison with an elderly man. As fate would have it, Khloe crossed paths with Henrik, the dashing yet ruthless mobster who sought to alter the course of her life. Despite Henrik’s cold exterior, he cherished Khloe like no other. He helped her take retribution from her tormentors and kept her from being bullied again.
Two years ago, Ricky found himself coerced into marrying Emma to protect the woman he cherished. From Ricky's perspective, Emma was despicable, resorting to underhanded schemes to ensure their marriage. He maintained a distant and cold attitude toward her, reserving his warmth for another. Yet, Emma remained wholeheartedly dedicated to Ricky for more than ten years. As she grew weary and considered relinquishing her efforts, Ricky was seized by a sudden fear. Only when Emma's life teetered on the edge, pregnant with Ricky's child, did he recognize-the love of his life had always been Emma.
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?"