Novels by Penelope Sky

My brother crossed the wrong man—and now I have to pay the price. He was an idiot who actually believed he could steal four million dollars from a dangerous man that sold intelligence for a living. Instead of losing a hand or an eye, I was drugged and taken from my bed in the dead of night. When I open my eyes, I’m in a cell, and my captor is a beautiful man that doesn’t need to take a woman to get laid. I try to escape—many times—but I quickly realize there’s no escape. Even if my brother comes up with the four million dollars, this man still won’t let me go. He intends to take his revenge in a far more sinister way. With no other choice, I submit to his demands…and enjoy them. I continue to search for an escape plan, but my captor is always one step ahead of me. He implanted a device in my body when I arrived, and all he has to do it hit a button and I’m dead. If I try to escape one more time, he won’t hesitate to use it. So now I’m left with one option—to make him want to let me go. And there’s only one way to do that—by making him fall in love with me.

I found out my husband of three years had cheated on me and his mistress is the one who told me—because he didn’t have the balls to do it himself. I move out and get a new apartment, a job as a bartender, and try to move on with a broken heart. I wonder where it all went wrong, if I hadn’t been enough for him, if I’d been stupid for marrying him in the first place. I’m at work one night when he walks inside—the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen. He sits at the bar and a forest fire burns between us. I was depressed the moment before he entered, but the second I look at his blue eyes, I forget the dumpster fire that my life has become. I invite him back to my place and it’s the most passionate night of my life. I expect to never see him again. I just want him as an anti-depressant—but he wants me all to himself. I just got my heart ripped out of my chest so I want something easy and no-strings-attached, but he wants all the strings because he’s hooked. I don’t get much of a say in the matter, and that’s not surprising when I learn why—because he’s the Butcher. The crime lord of all crime lords, the boss that overshadows all of Paris, that makes everyone abide by his rules—or pay. And now I’m his.

I wish my husband were dead. I married him to save someone I loved. Now I’ve been trapped in this loveless marriage for years. He parades his mistresses right in front of me. Strikes me if I say something he doesn’t like. When he’s away on one of his business trips, I head to a bar to blow off steam. My intention is to go home alone, but that changes when I see him, the sexiest man ever. He buys me a drink. Stares at me in a way my husband never has—or any man ever. He doesn’t say much, but when he does, it’s all the right things. Asks if he can take me home, and I want to scream my answer at the top of my lungs. But I decide to tell him the truth instead. “I’m married.” My husband isn’t faithful to me, but he’s dangerous. Dangerous, as in, he kills people. Lots of people. “And my husband is someone you don’t want to cross…” “I’m not someone you want to cross either.” His stare doesn’t falter with the information. On his right hand is a diamond ring, carved into a human skull. Built like an ox, he looks like he could be dangerous too. The energy he emits from his strong body is subtly hostile, but not directed at me. “Let’s go, sweetheart.” I should say no—but I don’t think I can.

I was twenty-one when the gypsy read my future: As punishment for your crimes, you will only love one woman...but she'll never love you back. I didn't believe a word of it. Until I met Sofia Romano almost ten years later. I fell hard for this woman. Would die for this woman. But she left me. Now years have passed and Sofia needs a husband. Her father is gone and her mother is trying to marry her off to a man that can protect their family, protect their company. She's looking for someone powerful. Check. Someone rich. Check. Someone handsome. Double check. Now it's my chance to have the only woman I've ever loved...and I'll make sure she feels the same way. I have a lifetime to make that happen.

My father has chosen me to succeed him in the family business. But if I want the job, it comes with stipulations. And one of those stipulations is to never mix business with pleasure. AKA, don't sleep with anyone on the job. My father leads by example, and not once have I ever seen him get involved with anyone, not even his beautiful assistant. That was an easy rule to follow...until Axel. Axel is an expert distributor, someone who knows how to get our product past the ruthless regulations mandated by the government. My father has never had a partner, but he makes an exception for Axel because he's good at what he does. But the second our eyes meet...there's fire. He's by far the most handsome man I've ever seen, and his I couldn't care less attitude makes me weak. But I put up boundaries and reject his advances. But this man doesn't stop until he gets what he wants. One night together becomes the precursor to the most passionate affair of my life. If my father discovers our secret, it'll cost me my career...and it'll cost Axel his life. To make matters worse, I'm falling for this man...and I think he's falling for me too.