When Jennie gets invited to the wedding of the gorgeous, rich ,sexy and outrightly perfect high school frenemy, Latesha Bogart, she has to do everything to prove that her life isn't in fact as miserable as it already is. This includes a whole list of lies and a hired fiancé, will she be able to pull it off? Or will the thin string holding her facade together, rip right in the middle of everything?
Sorting through the mail, my fingers closed around the thick, glossy envelope that screamed wedding invitation. I passed it to my roommate,
Darla who was sipping her coffee while grumbling about men who tie up the bar, then leave lousy tips when she refuses to hand over her phone number.
"Shocking news," I told her. "Another wedding invitation." She was scheduled to be a bridesmaid in eight weddings over the summer and had been invited to another five. It was costing her a fortune. Thus, the grumpy attitude as she detailed the night from bartending hell. She'd been moonlighting to pay for all the wedding costs. Affordable bridesmaids' dresses are the thing of fairy tales, apparently. But she'd created a wedding advice blog detailing her adventures, so she was making the best of it. "Did you get invited to this many weddings when you lived in Boston?"
She sighed. "Nope. But Springfield's my hometown, so I know lots of people here. Guess they were all waiting for me to move back before they got married." Darla held out her hand and took the envelope from me. She
looked at the front of it and laughed, tossing it back to me. "Sorry, Jennie, this one's for you."
I jumped back and let it drop to the floor with a thwack. Darla didn't mind standing up in weddings because she had no plans to get married. At least that's what she told me privately. It was another story on her blog.
I, on the other hand, should've been married by now, or at least had a close call, and hated going to weddings -reminding me that at age twenty nine, I'd never had the pleasure. I didn't even have anyone I could bring as a date. All this, and I had twenty thousand dollars in a savings account my mother had left me before she died, specifically set aside to throw the
wedding of my dreams. A wedding she'd never see. So yeah, I had a few good reasons to hate weddings.
Reluctantly, I picked up the envelope, and slid out the card. A trail of fine glitter and dried rose petals spilled out. I read the invitation and groaned. "No, no, no. Not Latesha Bogart. Anyone but Latesha Bogart." I was waiting for a dove to fly out of the envelope next, the way she did things.
Darla poured herself another cup of coffee and doused it with creamer.
"What's wrong with Latesha Bogart?"
I slumped onto the stool and propped my chin in my hand. "She was my number one frenemy in high school before the word was coined.
Anything I could do, she could do better."
"Latesha Bogart. Sounds familiar." She held out her hand and I passed her the invitation. Reading over the details, she nodded. "Didn't recognize the name at first. I'm in this wedding. She's marrying my cousin."
"Your cousin the brain surgeon?" My voice squeaked.
"Pediatric brain surgeon," she clarified. "Yes. Despite the gaggle of models and lawyers and beauty pageant queens following him, Latesha Bogart won the game."
I whimpered. "Why? Why her?"
"You haven't seen her in a while I take it."
I shook my head.
"She's gorgeous, her father's loaded, and she apparently does things in bed that are illegal in some states." Darla shrugged. "My cousin's a talker when he's drunk."
"She's also a natural blonde with a supermodel figure and the prettiest teeth I've ever seen." I stomped my foot. "Why isn't life fair?"
Darla shrugged. "So don't go."
"She'll think my life is so miserable I'm ashamed to show up."
Darla tucked her hair behind her ears, showing off the new blue streak she'd added after moving back home. Some people get tattoos to mark life milestones, Darla changes her hair. "But isn't it true? You were just telling me your dating life is so slow that you only shave your legs once a week."
I cringed, thinking about my prickly legs. "I can't let her know that!
Besides, there should be some perks to being single, right? Not having to shave every day is one of them." I went right for my stash of emergency chocolate in the cupboard by the fridge, then settled for a cookie when I
realized the chocolate was long gone. I looked for the shopping list stuck on the fridge so I could add chocolate. But chocolate was already on the list. I grabbed the last cookie and then jotted cookies on the list.
What ties connect her past to her wedding night of a forced marriage with this stranger?
"Mr. Evans, please maintain some dignity. Don't forget I'm your brother's wife!" Having caught her husband and best friend together in the bed, Elena wanted nothing more than to exact revenge on the people she once called family. She refused to be a pitiful divorcee and vowed to make everyone who had once looked down on her beg for forgiveness. And to start with her newfound freedom, Elena indulges in a one-night stand with a stranger. However, what was meant to be a fleeting escape turns into a nightmare when she learns that the stranger is none other than her husband's older brother! Would Elena be free from the shackles of her marriage? Or would the mysterious stranger make her life a living hell since he seemed to have a personal vendetta against his family? [The story is 18+ and involves mature content.]
After being kicked out of her home, Harlee learned she wasn't the biological daughter of her family. Rumors had it that her impoverished biological family favored sons and planned to profit from her return. Unexpectedly, her real father was a zillionaire, catapulting her into immense wealth and making her the most cherished member of the family. While they anticipated her disgrace, Harlee secretly held design patents worth billions. Celebrated for her brilliance, she was invited to mentor in a national astronomy group, drew interest from wealthy suitors, and caught the eye of a mysterious figure, ascending to legendary status.
Everyone was shocked to the bones when the news of Rupert Benton's engagement broke out. It was surprising because the lucky girl was said to be a plain Jane, who grew up in the countryside and had nothing to her name. One evening, she showed up at a banquet, stunning everyone present. "Wow, she's so beautiful!" All the men drooled, and the women got so jealous. What they didn't know was that this so-called country girl was actually an heiress to a billion-dollar empire. It wasn't long before her secrets came to light one after the other. The elites couldn't stop talking about her. "Holy smokes! So, her father is the richest man in the world?" "She's also that excellent, but mysterious designer who many people adore! Who would have guessed?" Nonetheless, people thought that Rupert didn't love her. But they were in for another surprise. Rupert released a statement, silencing all the naysayers. "I'm very much in love with my beautiful fiancee. We will be getting married soon." Two questions were on everyone's minds: "Why did she hide her identity? And why was Rupert in love with her all of a sudden?"
Desperate to handle her grandmother's towering medical bills, Gianna agreed to a contract marriage with Tristan, the enigmatic man she'd once shared a one-night stand with. She assumed they'd fulfill each other's needs and dissolve the arrangement once the terms expired. Unbeknownst to Gianna, this marriage was a dream Tristan had clung to for ten relentless years. Certain she was just filling someone else's role, Gianna prepared to leave when that other woman returned. But Tristan, his eyes burning with unspoken emotion, seized her trembling hand and declared, "You’re mine. Now and always."
"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!
"You're a creepy bastard." His eyes smolder me and his answering grin is nothing short of beautiful. Deadly. "Yet you hunger for me. Tell me, this appetite of yours, does it always tend toward 'creepy bastards'?" **** Widower and ex-boss to the Mafia, Zefiro Della Rocca, has an unhealthy fixation on the woman nextdoor. It began as a coincidence, growing into mere curiosity, and soon, it was an itch he couldn't ignore, like a quick fix of crack for an addict. He didn't know her name, but he knew every inch of her skin, how it flushed when she climaxed, her favourite novel and that every night she contemplated suicide. He didn't want to care, despising his rapt fascination of the woman. She was in love with her abusive husband. She was married, bound by a contract to the Bratva's hitman. She was off-limits. But when Zefiro wanted something, it was with an intensity that bordered on madness. He obsessed, possessed, owned. There'd be bloodshed if he touched her, but the sight of blood always did fascinate him. * When Susanna flees from her husband, she stumbles right into the arms of her devilishly handsome neighbour with a brooding glare. He couldn't stand her, but she needed him, if she was ever going to escape her husband who now wanted her dead. Better the devil you know than the angel you don't. She should have recalled that before hopping into Zefiro's car and letting him whisk her away to Italy. Maybe then, she wouldn't have started an affair with him. He was the only man who touched her right, and the crazy man took no small pains in ensuring he would be the last.