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Livia Davis follows three Rules: 1. Don't kiss a client 2. Do not sleep with a client. 3. Do not fall for a client Things will be alright as long as alpha billionaire Smith Mason respects these boundaries. She must get the money somehow because her father is ailing and she has medical expenses to cover. After a final encounter, she makes her father a vow to leave, but she is then presented with a plan that might help her with at least some of her issues. Will she cave in and put her own ambitions on hold, or will she stick to her strict principles?
"I cannot do it." My throat burned when I sipped my cup of coffee. "My last week is the following."
Lily, who has been my best friend for eight years, gave me the worst puppy dog eyes. False, Livia. Even your two-week notice isn't in yet. It's time to return the favor I gave to you, don't you think? She pleaded, snatching my hand and holding it captive between hers.
I rolled over in pain. She was alluding to the escort job she had secured for me. It was intended to sustain me till I had secured a legitimate position. That didn't occur. As long as you don't mind spending your Friday nights with lonely, desperate men, the money is nice and the clientele is fine. Whatever. At least I don't waste my weekend earnings by going out and buying things.
People's blatant dislike of what I do was the main issue. It's not like I've been fucking these guys, but nonetheless... Everyone was so quick to pass judgment. Of course, I stopped introducing myself as an escort and instead made it into a silly game of charades. But as time passes, both the game and I get older. I'm done telling everyone lies. And how long can I go without picking up a real talent before my brain starts to numb?
Lily's circumstance was worse than mine. Was she doomed to stay here forever? My brain fumbled around for an answer. Why don't you step down instead? Since four years ago, you've been doing this. Why not switch to something new?
She scowled and gave me a deranged look as she glared at me. The question "Like what?"
My mind went completely blank. She led me there. In the same way, I didn't know what to do with myself. Because of my father's condition, I was unable to take a salary cut in order to study anything new because I needed the money. Someone has to set the table with food. To ensure the survival of her family, a girl had to do whatever she could. I turned back to look at her. "Such as attend college."
Her stomach rose and fell as her shallow laughter shook her chest. You really think I want to attend college like you, Miss Prim?
My heartbeat quickened. Prim? My mouth was shut. Given what I did for a living, that was an honour. What is your issue with attending college?
Lily dismissed the suggestion, saying, "I ain't smart enough for that." I'm 25 years old, Livia. Do you not believe that to be a little too old for college?
I had been pleading with Lily for a few months to give up the escort nonsense and enroll in college with me. But she argued that she was too old and stupid to enter and change. Not that at all. The money was simply too enticing to pass up. I put down my struggle with my zipper and attempted to persuade her once again. Do you not possess more motivation today than you had when you were 18? Just climb inside and press the gas. You'll emerge from this experience a better person.
My parents couldn't afford for me to go to college after high school, so escorting became a fantastic method to get money to pay for architecture school. I was planning. Get paid to accompany, then get my ass in class. Then, though, Dad became ill, and I stayed longer than anticipated.
She was speaking, but I didn't know it until I saw her lips moving. I understand that you are prepared to give up. But I ask you, Livia, please. Grace is already furious with me for taking a sick day in the middle of everything.
Lily felt she didn't have enough going on "up top," so she took it upon herself to get a breast job. She was expected to heal in two to three weeks, but a month had passed and she was still getting better.
Our supervisor, Grace, was first enthusiastic about the breast lift, but as her crew shrank, she had to find new girls to replace the vacancies.
With a tone of disgust in my voice, I said, "Shouldn't have messed with mother nature."
between her amber eyes, a line was engraved. "Are you not prepared to lend a hand to a friend in need?"
My stomach became sluggish. She was right. Lily was sometimes a pain in my rear, but she was a faithful friend, and she expected the same of me. I found it difficult to consider putting my own aspirations aside in order to assist her. I said, "One more job won't kill me.
"Yay!" In an effort to suffocate me, Lily wrapped her arms around my neck and held on tight. "I'm grateful that you did this. It is important.
I said, pointing with my index finger to emphasize, "Just this one." "I'm done after this. I won't go back ever again.
For the first time during the entire conversation, Lily's face lit up as she bobbed her head and beamingly smiled. "I am aware, lady. You made a better professional choice than this, and I'm proud of you for that.
My dad was waiting for my visit, and when my ribs clenched over my tummy, my thoughts briefly turned to him. He experienced a heart issue last night as I was wrapping up with a client, and paramedics transported him to the hospital. We were both fortunate that it wasn't serious. I had to admit that taking on Lily's customer wouldn't hurt and that I could use the money well. My father's medical expenses never rested. I got up from the comfortable sofa. When should I meet the client, I wonder.
With her pyjama button, Lily fumbled. Monday morning following. He is arriving to settle an issue with the boss. I'll inform Grace that you will be taking over for me. Have you informed her that you are leaving?
The growing lump in my throat was swallowed. I was dreading meeting with the boss. Texting her to quit was simply inappropriate. Two years had passed since I began working for the fiery redhead, who was infamous for loosing her cool and snapping. Since I always attempted to accomplish my work as well as possible, I had never witnessed it taking place. This coming Monday. I'll make my move with one swing of the stone. "I'll visit on Monday when he's there and speak with Grace as well. She'll recognize. A falsehood told in the spirit of hope. I worried because I didn't know how Grace would respond.
Can she compel you to stay? Quietly, Lily enquired.
My chest began to heat up as my heartbeat resounded. "Oh no way. Never would Grace get away with that nonsense. Her head would spin when I turned her in to the Department of Labor.
I took a long breath in to relax my tense neck muscles. Generally speaking, the employer was just. Rules had to be followed by customers. Grace permitted us to end the contract and still paid us if a certain client harassed one of us. No one was made to have sex. Ever. If a customer acted strangely in response, he might take his business somewhere. It was a girl's decision. I admired Grace in that manner. She might certainly get angry at times, but at least she stood up for us. I patted my sweaty jeans with my moist palm. I turned the door knob and said, "I should go." I must still check on my father to see how he is doing.
"Thank you one more for doing this, Livia. I will always be appreciative since it means so much to me. Before I slid the door shut, she gave me a hug.
My face grew hot in Florida. I'd have one more task to complete before I was no longer an escort. I wasn't against my job. I actually thought it was pretty good. I enjoyed drinking fine champagne and dressing up. I was hired to accompany dateless men to formal balls. Win-win. Right?
The issue was that I was going back on a commitment I'd made to myself. I abhor not reaching my objectives. My goal was to wed my prince and raise a family. The fact that I was an escort would never be revealed to my future children. even if I didn't screw my customers.
Wheels of a taxi cab spun beneath me. As people crossed the pedestrian lane, cars blurred by. The hospital was visible through the taxi's window when it stopped moving. In order to meet Dad, I paid the driver and jumped out.
When I entered his room, he was alert and in a good mood. One of those medical robes was on him, although it was a different shade this time. He smiled broadly when he saw me. I gave him a sincere kiss on the dry cheek while sauntering over with a smile.
He looked at my face intently while arching a grey brow as if he were evaluating something. You were asked, "Where did you go?"
I rolled over in pain. He didn't like my professional decision, but my dad and I had an agreement that I would always be honest with him. I took in a breath. "saw Lily when. I was asked to cover a shift for her.
His appearance changed, as a thin line formed between his lips. Do you remember to schedule the meeting with the college counsellor?
I straightened my shoulders and sat down on a chair that was close to his bed. No, not yet. I'm carrying this out for Lily. Since she is ill, she cannot work.
"Sick? What does she possess?
Shit. If I revealed the error of her boob job, she would murder me. I licked my lower lip. Couldn't say.
Is this your method for advancing in life? By hanging around with idiots who aren't successful at dating?
I was inundated with hot air. Even my own father was beginning to distrust me because I wasn't having any extramarital affairs. I wasn't the girl for that. Prior to having sex, I thought in love and chemistry. Right now, sex didn't exist in my reality because love didn't either. I confronted him. Do you believe I had sex with these men?
"How could it be otherwise? Who pays for a simple date and discussion, anyway?
I was at a loss for words. He was unable to understand, and I had long since become weary of explaining my position. "Do you think finding love is as simple for everyone as it is for you and your mother?"
He kept quiet. He and my mother shared the strongest love ever known to humankind.
Who else had the good fortune that I did to grow up in a loving family? They fell in love by accident. That close connection simply couldn't exist somewhere else, and my dad was naïve to think that love flowed naturally. You think it's that easy? Most people spend their entire lives deceiving themselves by choosing the incorrect partners. Considering that half of all marriages end in divorce, the majority of the remaining half should also dissolve. Marriage is a role-playing game. Since dating is a mess, I don't hold it against my customers, and I actually believe they're wise for choosing not to.
I suddenly felt bad about my negative statements. Had I actually begun to think it was all a joke? When my dad's lips began to smile, my hand had already moved toward my mouth.
He raised his head while he had his arms crossed. "If you're not open to love, you can't fall in love."
"Loving is overrated," My underarms were poked by pins. Why was it suddenly being discussed if I had a love life or not? I swiftly shifted the topic. Lily is unwell. I need to be a good friend because if I let her down, she'll lose her job.
The sneer vanished from his face, so he must have understood he was losing the struggle. "Livia, I'm sure the agency has numerous escorts. Can't someone else take charge in its place?
I emphasized, "It's one last job." "I don't want her to lose her job. She is my best friend, and she would be devastated to lose her work. The same would be true of our friendship.
He scowled as he cocked his head to the side. Like I had done with Lily before, he flashed one finger in my direction. "One more task. Then you become serious and enter the classroom.
I put my palm over his when he finally caved in. "After this, I guarantee, it will be over. But for now, I want you to put that behind you and concentrate on getting healthy, okay?
"I will. Additionally, you pay attention. Once in college, you start studying. You, Livia-girl, must not end up like me.
It was too late for that, I laughed. "I need to get cleaned up. I'll return in the morning to...
"Livia?" Eyes as resolute as mine were those of my father.
I stopped the clatter. "Yes?"
His hand gripped mine. The response is "Thank you."
I could make it work. Over the course of the following few weeks, I would keep paying his hospital bills. It only lasts two to three weeks. What is the worst that may occur?
"You were crafted for me. And I, for you," his breath caresses my ear, coaxing my eyelids to seal shut tightly. The proximity sends a shiver down my spine as he leans in, his words dripping with a seductive promise. "I was designed to love you. To make you mine," my breath hitches at his audacity, and my mind spirals into a realm of forbidden fantasies. Images of his office flash in my mind, the desk becoming a canvas for our illicit desires, and I wonder how his tongue might taste against mine. He withdraws slightly, inhaling deeply, and in that moment, his eyes, already dark as the night, seem to plunge into an abyss of even deeper intensity. "I know you crave me too, Ulrica." Strength, intimidation, cunning, resilience—Rendall encompasses them all. He's a tempest, a force of nature, and I, in contrast, am the rainbow that emerges after the chaos. Our connection is inexplicable, a convergence of opposites that leaves an indelible mark on the canvas of our destinies. As I step into the unfamiliar town of Gilgamesh to embark on my first year of university, I am oblivious to the twists fate has prepared for me. I anticipated the wild parties, the endless assignments, and the sleepless nights. What I didn't foresee was him.
"It's up to you," he declared, moving so near that our lips were on the verge of touching. "Either comply with my instructions or seek alternative employment." My heart froze as I peered into his profound, menacing eyes. In a society where women are confined to the role of staying home and appearing attractive, Elena is resolute in her struggle for independence. However, there's a significant obstacle: a formidable man obstructing her path.
Bella Williams, who is denigrated by the Thorn family as nothing more than a cook, is desperate to flee their grasp in this riveting story of ambition and bravery. She has had enough of their harassment, so when the charismatic billionaire heir Austen Trevor offers her a seductive proposition, she seizes the chance. Bella decides to protect her feelings from the infamous bad lads of Kansas by jumping into an exhilarating adventure headfirst with her heart on the line. Bella must negotiate a perilous path as the stakes rise: WILL SHE STAY UNSCATHED? OR IS HER NEW STATUS AS A BILLIONAIRE'S PARTNER JUST A GAME OR A JOURNEY THAT WILL LEAVE HER HEART STRONGER?
Isabella Waverly is your average twenty years old college student, striving to make herself and her family proud while currently studying Economics in a prestigious private University, in Florentina, Italy. She gets along fine with everyone, well everyone except her mother's cold boss who she'd discovered likes glaring at her and treating her coldly for no reason. Alexander Knight is a twenty five years old billionaire from a famous family of businessmen and public figures. He's had his eyes on a certain beauty, Isabella, his cook's daughter since she was at a very young age, having watched her grow from a teenager into a ripe, mature lady and when Alexander discovers Isabella is in her third year in university and might bring a man home anytime soon, he realizes he'll have to act fast. And act fast he did, the only way he knew how to get a woman. He claimed her. Made her know she belonged to him.
Nova is a young werewolf who has been isolated from the world for 17 years. She has never met another werewolf, and she has no idea of her own true nature. One day, Nova's father comes to her with two shocking pieces of information: she is a rare white werewolf, and she must choose a mate from among the future alphas of the four other packs that her father controls. Nova is horrified by this news. She has never wanted to be a werewolf, and she certainly doesn't want to be forced to mate with someone she doesn't know. However, she knows that she has no choice but to obey her father. Nova sets out on a journey to meet the future alphas of the four other packs. She quickly realizes that the world is a much more dangerous place than she ever imagined. She is attacked by other werewolves, she is hunted by humans, and she is forced to make difficult choices that will shape her future. Throughout her journey, Nova begins to learn more about herself and her own true nature. She realizes that she is stronger and more capable than she ever thought possible. She also realizes that she has a choice in how she lives her life. She doesn't have to be a pawn in her father's game. Nova's transformation is both physical and emotional. She grows stronger and more confident, and she learns to embrace her own unique identity. She also learns to stand up to her father and to fight for what she believes in. In the end, Nova chooses a mate who loves her for who she is, and she helps to unite the five packs under a new leadership. She proves that even a rare white werewolf can make a difference in the world.
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."
"Ahh!" She was in a moaning mess. She did not want to feel anything for this man. She hated him. His hands began to move all over her body. She gasped when he pulled down the back chain of her dress. The chain stopped at her lower waist, so when he zipped it off, her upper back and waist were exposed. "D-Don't touch m-ummm!" His fingers rolled around her bare back, and she pressed her head against the pillow. His touches were giving her goosebumps all over her body. With a deep angry voice, he whispered in her ear, "I am going to make you forget his touches, kisses, and everything. Every time you touch another man, you will only think of me." - - - Ava Adler was a nerdy omega. People bullied her because they thought she was ugly and unattractive. But Ava secretly loved the bad boy, Ian Dawson. He was the future Alpha of the Mystic Shadow Pack. However, he doesn't give a damn about rules and laws, as he only likes to play around with girls. Ava was unaware of Ian's arrogance until her fate intertwined with his. He neglected her and hurt her deeply. What would happen when Ava turned out to be a beautiful girl who could win over any boy, and Ian looked back and regretted his decisions? What if she had a secret identity that she had yet to discover? What if the tables turned and Ian begged her not to leave him?
Iris grew from an orphaned child to the adopted daughter of the Stewart family at age ten, finding warmth in her nominal uncle Vincent's kindness. Seven years later, she became his secret lover. When Vincent's engagement was announced, gossip spread about the notorious playboy CEO finally settling down. But only Iris knew the extent of his cold, two-faced nature. Iris fell for Vincent and, through tears, begged, "Marry me," only to be met with his frosty refusal. Defeated, she accepted a lawyer's proposal, sparking public excitement. Then, on her wedding day, Vincent pleaded desperately, "Don't marry him…"
Rumors claimed that Fernanda, newly back with her family, was nothing more than a violent country bumpkin. Fernanda just flashed a casual, dismissive grin in response. Another rumor suggested that the usually rational Cristian had lost all sense, madly in love with Fernanda. This frustrated her. She could tolerate gossip about herself, but slander against her beloved crossed the line! Gradually, as Fernanda's multiple identities as a celebrated designer, a savvy gamer, an acclaimed painter, and a successful business magnate came to light, everyone realized they were the ones who had been fooled.
Lindsey's fiancé was the devil's first son. Not only did he lie to her but he also slept with her stepmother, conspired to take away her family fortune, and then set her up to have sex with a total stranger. To get her lick back, Lindsey decided to find a man to disrupt her engagement party and humiliate the cheating bastard. Never did she imagine that she would bump into a strikingly handsome stranger who was all that she was currently looking for. At the engagement party, he boldly declared that she was his woman. Lindsey thought he was just a broke man who wanted to leech off her. But once they began their fake relationship, she realized that good luck kept coming her way. She thought they would part ways after the engagement party, but this man kept to her side. "We gotta stick together, Lindsey. Remember, I'm now your fiancé. " "Domenic, you're with me because of my money, aren't you?" Lindsey asked, narrowing her eyes at him. Domenic was taken aback by that accusation. How could he, the heir of the Walsh family and CEO of Vitality Group, be with her for money? He controlled more than half of the city's economy. Money wasn't a problem for him! The two got closer and closer. One day, Lindsey finally realized that Domenic was actually the stranger she had slept with months ago. Would this realization change things between them? For the better or worse?
Five years ago, Alessia La Rosa's life took a drastic turn when, suffering from memory loss, she wed to Dominic Carter under her grandfather's mysterious arrangement. But their marriage was a facade, bringing her only humiliation and heartache as Dominic showed no love, and she couldn't conceive. Upon discovering Dominic's infidelity, Alessia sought liberation through divorce. Yet, fate had more in store for her. Five years later, spurred by an anonymous email hinting at her lost child's whereabouts, she returns to the city with her twin babies in tow, determined to uncover the truth. As she navigates the tangled web of her past, a surprising twist awaits. Dominic, upon meeting her again, finds himself drawn to the woman she has become, unaware of her true identity as his former wife. Little does he know, the woman he's falling for is not only his ex-wife but also a powerful Doctor and Master Hacker.