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Chapter 20: Smoke and Mirrors

مؤلف: Ivy Walters
last update تاريخ النشر: 2026-01-10 19:33:15

Sheila's POV

The Uber pulled up to our gate at nearly 1 AM. The driver whistled low at the sight of the estate beyond the iron bars.

"Nice place," he muttered.

Zuki was already typing in the gate code on her phone app. The massive gates swung open silently, revealing the long driveway lined with palm trees and subtle ground lighting that made everything glow soft gold.

"Thanks for the ride," I said as we got out.

The Uber disappeared back down the private road, red lights fading into the night.
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  • All Shades of Passion   Chapter 16: Possession

    Bailey POVTwo Days later.We moved our private sessions to the college track.It made sense. Mark had just started his first semester of college, and his class schedule was packed tight. By the time he finished lectures, driving across town to Lincoln Park would eat up an hour he didn't have. The college track was right there on campus. He could walk out of class and meet me in five minutes.Simple. Practical. Nothing more to it.I arrived early that Thursday afternoon to set up. The track was empty, the sun sitting low and warm in the sky. I parked near the sports building and grabbed my bag from the back seat.I was halfway across the lot when I saw him.Mark was standing near the entrance of the main building, backpack hanging off one shoulder. He was smiling.But not at me.A girl stood in front of him. Short. Pretty. Dark curly hair that bounced when she laughed. She was standing close, too close, her fingers playing with the strings of his hoodie, twisting them slowly while sh

  • All Shades of Passion   Chapter 15: Touch

    Bailey POVThe next morning, I showed up to our session with one goal.Control.After what happened in the bathtub, I needed to prove something to myself. That one weak moment didn't define me.That I could stand next to this boy and feel nothing.Nothing at all.The first twenty minutes went fine. Short sprints. Quick starts. Full rest between each one. Mark was sharp, focused, hitting his times without me having to push.Then on his sixth run, it happened.He shot off the line, sprinted hard, and then something went wrong. His leg gave out. He stumbled to a stop, grabbing the back of his left thigh with both hands."Stop!" I shouted, already running toward him.He limped to the side of the track, his face tight with pain."What happened?" I asked."My hamstring," he said through his teeth. "It just locked up.""Sit down."He dropped onto the grass and stretched his left leg out. I knelt beside him and pressed my fingers into the back of his thigh, feeling the muscle underneath.It wa

  • All Shades of Passion   Chapter 14: Distraction

    Bailey POVI couldn't think straight all night before our private session, the next day.Every time I closed my eyes, the same images played on repeat. Mark standing in my kitchen doorway, eyes locked on my chest. The way his jaw tightened. The way he stepped closer, voice dropping low, telling me to say stop. The outline stretching hard against his wet joggers as he walked out my door.I buried my face in my pillow and groaned.This had to stop.By the time I got to Lincoln Park the next morning, I had given myself a full lecture in the car mirror, "He's your athlete. He's nineteen. You are his coach. Get it together."It worked for about five minutes.Then he showed up.Gray shorts. Black fitted shirt. Fresh haircut that sharpened his jawline in a way I had no business noticing."Morning, Coach," he said, dropping his bag by the bench."Warm up," I said flatly. "We're doing speed endurance today."He stretched his arms overhead, the shirt lifting slightly, showing a strip of tan gol

  • All Shades of Passion   Chapter 13: My Apartment

    Bailey POVWe ran through the rain to the entrance and up the stairs to my apartment. I fumbled with my keys, hands shaking from the cold, and pushed the door open.The warmth inside hit us both instantly.I dropped my bag by the door and kicked off my wet shoes. Mark did the same, stepping inside carefully, looking around without saying anything."Kitchen's that way," I said, pointing. "Give me a minute."I walked to the kitchen and started the coffee maker, moving on autopilot. Mugs. Filter. Water. Simple tasks to keep my hands busy and my brain quiet.But my body was shivering. My clothes were stuck to my skin, cold and heavy. My jacket clung to my arms. My top pressed flat against my chest.I glanced down.My breath caught.The wet fabric had gone almost see-through, hugging tight against my chest. And my nipples, hard from the cold, pressed clearly through the thin material.Visible.Obviously visible.I looked up.Mark was leaning against the kitchen doorway.His eyes were not o

  • All Shades of Passion   Chapter 12: The Ride Home

    Bailey POVThe sky had been threatening all afternoon.Dark clouds rolled in during the last hour of practice, heavy and low, turning the air thick and humid. I kept one eye on the weather and the other on my athletes, pushing them through their final sets before the rain hit."That's it!" I shouted, blowing my whistle. "Cool down and head out. Now."The group scattered fast. Nobody wanted to get caught in what was coming.I gathered my things quickly, shoving my clipboard and stopwatch into my bag as the first fat drops of rain hit the track. By the time I reached the parking lot, it was pouring.Not drizzling.Pouring.The kind of rain that soaked you through in seconds.I ran to my SUV, yanked the door open, threw my bag across the passenger seat, and jammed the key into the ignition.Click.Nothing.I turned it again.Click. Click.Dead."No," I muttered. "No, no, no. Not today."I tried again. Same thing. The engine didn't even try to turn over. Just that flat, empty clicking so

  • All Shades of Passion   Chapter 11: The Look

    Bailey POV The drive to the academy the next morning felt longer than usual. My hands sat at ten and two on the steering wheel, grip tighter than it needed to be. Last night kept replaying in my head. Lola's voice. The wine. The tears. Phillip's words. And underneath all of it, like a current I couldn't switch off, the memory of Mark's thumb brushing the corner of my mouth. I swallowed hard and turned up the radio. It didn't help. Today was general practice. The full squad. Thirty athletes on the track. Drills, sprints, cool downs. A regular session like any other. Mark would be there. Obviously. He trained with the squad just like everyone else. Our private sessions didn't change that. At the academy, he was just another athlete. Another runner. Another face in the group. That's all. I'd ignore him. Focus on the other students. Keep my distance. Keep things professional. Simple. I pulled into the academy parking lot and grabbed my bag from the passenger seat

  • All Shades of Passion   Chapter 43: Work Hard, Play Harder II

    Monalisa POV.Greg broke the kiss to nuzzle my neck, his tongue flicking out to lick me."Let's go to the room," he whispered into my ear as he nibbled my earlobe. "I want to be inside you."His breath was hot in my ear, and I heard the desperate plea in his words. I also wanted it, but I'd just g

    last updateآخر تحديث : 2026-03-24

  • All Shades of Passion   Chapter 44: Work hard, Play harder, III

    Monalisa POV. What a game! When Lil Cash had mentioned the game, I was imagining something light and funny. But this was so intense. Still trying to process the freak show I'd just witnessed, my eyes wandered over to Kayla, to see if she was okay with this. To my amusement, she was smiling at R

    last updateآخر تحديث : 2026-03-24

  • All Shades of Passion   Chapter 28: Making a Movie

    Monalisa POV. My jaw slackened, and it took me a moment before I could move my lips. "Greg!" I exclaimed, shock making my voice tremble. His eyes, which were closed, shot open, and he looked at me, a smile parting his lips. "Hi, Love. You're here." My eyes moved from him to the lady still suckin

    last updateآخر تحديث : 2026-03-23

  • All Shades of Passion   Chapter 29: Making a Movie II

    Monalisa POV."What are you doing?" I asked, my body going stiff.All the relaxation I was feeling totally disappeared and was replaced by tension.Unperturbed by my anxiety, my masseur began to rub my clitoris, saying deeply, "Relax, ma'am. It's all part of the experience."Really?Was that why th

    last updateآخر تحديث : 2026-03-23
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