Chole One word. Big. Damn, he was big. Trust me, I knew. Rather, I felt it—the hard, solid evidence beneath me, pressing against my thigh. Something hard, something big. It made my heart race, and I wanted so badly to remove the stupid clothes separating us. Forget it, this man beneath me was perfect. A stripper who’s big? That’s an extra bonus. The heat coursing through my body took over everything else—name it: common sense, decency, shame. They were all gone, thrown into the trash. I didn't even want to waste another second on small talk. I wanted to stop this back-and-forth and head straight to a bedroom, somewhere private where I could have my way with him. How good would it be if he was half-naked, entertaining me, moving for me. My pulse quickened at the thought. My body was already aching for more. I looked down at him. He had to be feeling the same thing I was, right? I mean, that evidence poking me was clear. Even though his expression was cold, like he wanted noth
Alexander Temptation. People define temptation as many things—a fleeting desire, a moment of weakness, an indulgence that comes with consequences. But I had never understood that word. If you know something is bad for you, why indulge in it? Why get tempted to take something or do something that is bad for you? So, I saw temptation as a test. Fail it, and there would be consequences. I had never been tempted to do something before. Never been tempted to hold a woman, to make her moan, to give her the best orgasm of her life, to fuck her until she couldn’t walk anymore. Desires were never my thing. But... But why on earth was I dying to fail that fucking test? Why was I dying to fuck the woman in front of me? My jaw clenched as her soft moans echoed through the walls. “Ah,” she gasped, her head falling back, her hair cascading over her shoulders as her hand disappeared under the fabric of her dress, sliding along her thigh. Shit. I dragged a hand down my face, as if the gestur
Chloe Three words. I fucked up. Ah, Chloe. You have really fucked your whole life up this time. Not only had I acted like an absolute idiot by going to a strip club of all places, but I had actually gone and done the unthinkable—I slept with a man. Not just any man. A stripper. Oh. My. God. I sat on the edge of the bed, my hands tangled in my hair as I yanked at it in frustration, trying to process what I had just done. My eyes darted to the bed, where he was still lying naked under the sheet. Please tell me this was a dream. Tell me my fucking ass didn't act improper last night. I shook my head. Yes, everything was a dream. Maybe if I just closed my eyes, I would be in my room, ready to make breakfast. And…. I blinked at him, then immediately covered my face with my hands. Ah! This was real. This was really real. What should I do? What the hell should I do?! I peeked through my fingers again, and there he was. His toned chest rose and fell in steady rhythm, and his messy
Alexander “Hahahaha!” Joshua was doubled over, clutching his stomach as loud, as he laughed loudly. His obnoxious cackling echoed through the room, grating on my already frayed nerves. I sat on the edge of the bed, my jaw clenched so tightly it felt like it might snap. The sheet rested low on my waist, leaving my upper body bare. My hair was a mess, and I ran my hand through it in frustration, the events of the morning replaying in my mind. That woman. That damn woman. I could still feel the humiliation boiling under my skin, hot and suffocating. How dare she? How dare she even think of doing this? “Does she want to meet her maker soon?” I muttered under my breath, my tone sharp and deadly. “Is she insane?” Joshua straightened up slightly, wiping tears from his eyes as he held up the crumpled note she had left behind. “Oh my god,” he wheezed, trying to catch his breath. “Let me read this again. Excuse me, Mr. Stripper—” “Don’t,” I growled. But of course, Joshua ignored me.
Chloe "Tap-tap-tap." I knocked on the door gently, glancing over my shoulder, praying no one saw me like this—at least no one who knew Logan or my family. If they caught a glimpse, news would spread like wildfire. I would be a dead woman before I even realized what had happened. “Come on, Stella, open up.” I whispered, biting my lips. The door stayed closed. I knocked again, a little louder this time. I wanted to kick the door open. This girl was probably hungover. Stella was like a dead person in the morning when she was hungover, and getting her to open her eyes was a miracle in itself. “Damn it, why don’t you fix your doorbell? I told you to fix it!” I hissed, knocking on the door again. When she didn’t open it, I groaned in frustration. “Please, Stella, just open the doo—” I was just raising my hand to knock one more time when the door flew open. A very disheveled Stella stood in the doorway, her red hair a frizzy mess, her eyes puffy and bloodshot, and her entire expres
Chloe “Are you insane?!” Stella’s scream echoed through the apartment, making me wince. “Why are you yelling?” I said, holding my towel tightly around me. My hair was damp, and I had just taken a warm shower to clear my mind. I really needed it after last night’s madness “Why am I yelling?!” she shouted, sitting up on the bed. “How could you accept a drink from someone in a club? Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?” I sighed, rubbing my temple. “The bartender gave it to me, okay? Besides, I was already drunk by then. I didn’t know what I was doing.” “This is why you should never go to a club without me! I understand this was your first time, but there’s one rule every woman must follow if you want to stay safe.” I frowned, sitting on the edge of the bed as I pulled on the clean, presentable clothes she had lent me. “What rule?” “Never, ever drink anything that isn’t made in front of you. Don’t even think about trying something different unless you’ve seen people drink
Chloe “Where is your stupid friend?! Does she think she can hide it any longer? How dare she even think of doing that!” My heart dropped. Stella and I locked eyes, both wide-eyed and frozen in shock. I felt suffocated, it was as if the air in the room was closing up around me. I couldn't breathe as my mother-in-law's words echoed in my ear. “I know she is there with you.” She continued, her voice loud. “She left her phone here, so give the slut the ph—” Without a word, Stella hurriedly ended the call, her shaky fingers fumbling with the screen as she hung up. She clutched her chest, taking a step back. “Shit. H-how does she know?” she stammered, her voice barely above a whisper. “Was I right? Is she really a witch?!” I wasn’t listening. My thoughts were racing. Does she know? Does she know I cheated on her son, and slept with another man? My eyes darted around the room, and a chill ran down my spine as panic clawed its way through me. Was I followed? Had Logan sent someone a
Chloe Slam! Something struck the side of my head, hard. My vision blurred as I staggered back, a sharp pain spreading through my skull. The sound of shattering glass rang in my ears as the vase crashed to the floor, breaking into a hundred jagged pieces. I barely registered the warm, wet sensation trickling down my forehead until I saw it—drops of red splattering against the cold tiles. Blood. I blinked, my head throbbing, before slowly looking down at the growing crimson stain on the floor. “Woah, Mom,” a voice drawled lazily. “Your aim is better than before. I almost didn’t see it with how fast that throw was. Your personal trainer is really good.” I slowly lifted my gaze, my pulse pounding in my ears. Sitting comfortably on the couch, completely unfazed, were two women. My mother-in-law and Layla, my sister-in-law. My mother-in-law was casually admiring her nails, while Layla was smirking like she had just watched something mildly entertaining. “Really?” my mother-in-law
Chloe I saw my life flash before my eyes. No, really, I actually saw it. My heart skipped a beat. My ears rang so loud it felt like a bomb had gone off next to me. Every part of my body froze on the spot, too terrified to even breathe. The door swung open, and for a horrifying second, I thought it was all over. But Layla didn’t turn toward us. Instead, she stood with her back facing the room, yelling into the hallway, “Oh, I forgot, Mom, can I have that dress you wore last week? The white one—” She kept rambling about God-knows-what, but I wasn’t listening anymore. I jerked away from Tristan, who was still lying there with a unreadable expression on his face, as if kissing me in the middle of a crisis was normal. I didn’t have time to process that. I could scream at him later, but right now. I was in survival mode. I scrambled to my feet, grabbed his arm, yanked him up like he weighed nothing, and shoved him toward my wardrobe. He raised an eyebrow at me but didn’t resist as I
Chloe I stared at the man in front of me and shook my head slowly. How did it even come to this? What the hell is going on? Tristan stood there, arms casually crossed, that same annoying smirk playing on his lips. He tilted his head at me and said, "Are you not going to climb, Miss Perfect?" I swallowed hard, my mouth suddenly dry. I didn’t have a choice, did I? I had to climb him if I wanted to get into my window without anyone noticing. I sighed heavily, trying to convince myself it would be fine. Except, it wasn’t. It wasn’t fine at all. Because there was one tiny—no, not tiny, massive problem. I didn’t have any panties on. Yes, you heard right. I was naked underneath this dress because Alexander's brother threw my underwear away. If I climbed him, he would definitely notice. It would be impossible for him not to. Tristan raised an eyebrow at me, clearly growing suspicious. His eyes scanned my face, like he was trying to read my thoughts. I shuffled awkwardly on the sp
Chloe I looked at Stella, my heart thundering so hard it felt like it could punch its way out of my chest. I didn’t even need to say it, she could already read it on my face. I was screwed. “What should I do, Stella?” I whispered. “They’re—” Before I could finish, Stella shoved me straight into another body. I stumbled, nearly tripping, but an arm caught me around the waist. I froze against the hard plane of Tristan’s chest, his grip firm around my waist. His scent hit me like déjà vu, clean and infuriatingly comforting, a smell that always seemed to calm me down. I stared at Stella, eyes wide. “What the hell?” “There’s no time,” she said, already backing away. “What…Stella, no, you can—” “My car is wrecked,” she snapped, already waving me off like she was swatting a fly. “And I can’t leave it here. Plus, you don’t know this, but Tristan’s a crazy-ass driver.” I turned to look up at him, conflicted. Could I really ask him for this? Could I really be that shameless? I opened
ChloePresent timeSome mornings I’d wake up in an empty bed, the sheets cold, and Tristan's voice would echo in my ear.“You and Logan can never have a happy ending.”And on those mornings, I'd ask myself the same question I’d asked a hundred times, if I could go back, if I could do it all over again… would I have listened? What had Tristan seen back then that I refused to? What had I been so desperate to believe?Now, standing in front of him after so many years, I felt like I’d been pulled back into a moment I’d tried to bury. Tristan, the high school bad boy who’d beat up seven students and walked away without a scratch. The reckless idiot who once climbed into my window like an outlaw. The boy who irritated me because he liked seeing me mad.But this wasn’t the cocky high school boy who’d broken into my dorm and commented on my terrible taste in music. This was a man.He was taller, more refined and attractive, but the look in his eyes hadn’t changed. He still had that same fie
Chloe Eight years ago I yawned. I had just stepped out of the library. My eyes stung from all the reading. I’d spent most of the day reading between book pages. My only thought was collapsing into the comfort of my pillow and sleeping. My phone buzzed. I pulled it out of my pocket and instantly felt my stomach drop at the name flashing across the screen. Psychopath: Come home tomorrow. I have something to show my lovely sister. I promise I’ll make it last longer this time. I stared at it for a long time. My hand trembled slightly around the phone. Last longer. What he meant wasn’t what anyone would normally think. It was so much worse. There was a reason I’d saved his number that way. Richard wasn’t just cruel, he was twisted. He used to torture animals, those little, harmless creatures, and he’d make me watch. He’d time it, test new ways to kill them. Like it was both a game and a challenge for him. And Father… Father never stopped him. Sometimes, he even provided the "subj
Chloe Eight years ago “I’m in love with the shape of you,” I sang at the top of my lungs. “We push and pull like a magnet do, although my heart is falling too…” I turned off the shower, still humming, and grabbed a fluffy towel from the rack. One I wrapped around my body, the other I wrapped around my hair to dry it. I snatched my phone from the counter, still blasting Shape of you by Ed Sheeran, and stepped out of the bathroom, dancing my way into the room like the pop diva I clearly was. “And last night you were in my room…” I shimmied my hips, twirled slightly, grinning at my reflection in the mirror. “Now my bedsheets smell like you…” Still swaying, I made my way to the dorm kitchen. I placed a kettle on the stove and dropped a tea bag into my favorite mug. I was halfway through another verse, hips still moving, when a deep voice echoed in the room. “You’ve played this song on repeat for like… three minutes. Don’t you have anything else?” I paused, the mug slipping from my
Chloe The car jerked forward and slammed to a sudden halt, dragging my body slightly forward. My chest hit the restraint of the seatbelt hard enough to knock the air out of me. “Stella, goddamn it!” I gasped, pressing a hand to my chest. “Do you want to kill us?!” Stella rolled her eyes and slammed the gear into park. “I should be asking you! Chloe Summer, are you trying to give me a heart attack?! I’m too young. Too fucking young to die of shock!” I blinked at her, confused, until she reached toward me. “No—wait—what are you doing?” I asked, fending her off. “I have to make sure you’re actually you,” she muttered dramatically, inspecting my face like I was some sort of alien clone. She touched my cheek, then my forehead, then her fingers slid down to my neck. I shrieked, jerking away with a laugh. “Stop that! You know I’m ticklish there!” Her hand dropped, and she slumped in her seat. “Shit. You are Chloe alright. Not an imposter.” I rolled my eyes. “When are you ever going
Chloe I looked at him. I had thought about what I would say, but now that I was here, I was acting awkward again. I cleared my throat, trying to regain some control. “I’m leaving,” I said. “My friend will be here in a while. I thought we could discuss a few things before I go.” He slipped his phone back into his pocket, and that innocent expression on his face didn’t match the glint in his eyes. The mischief was obvious if you looked close enough. I had to be careful with this man. I didn’t know him well, but I could already tell he was sharp. If I wasn’t careful, I could lose myself before I knew what was happening. I took a deep breath and stepped toward him. “I want to continue this relationship with you, and if you want to continue it with me, I’ll be happy to. But there will be a few rules before we start.” He moved closer to me. My eyes traveled downward, and I swallowed. Those abs, that V-line beneath his sweatpants... it was impossible to look away. “And what are those?
Chloe The man introduced as Logan raised an eyebrow and stiffened. “But I’m—” He didn’t get to finish, because Joshua slipped an arm around his waist, pulling him close. Logan yelped, then let out a nervous chuckle. “This is Logan,” Joshua said with a proud smile. “My fiancé.” The man swallowed and forced a smile, his cheeks slightly pink. “Y-yes, I’m Logan. Nice to meet you.” I raised a brow, looking between the two of them again. Logan? Was that really his name? Something about this felt...off. It was suspicious. But before I could fully spiral into overthinking, Alexander was walking straight toward me. “What are you do—oof!” My breath hitched as he lifted me like I weighed nothing. Instinctively, my legs wrapped around his waist, my arms tightening around his neck. His intoxicating scent overwhelmed my senses. “Stop it,” I hissed, trying to keep my voice firm. “What do you think you’re doing? Put me down, Alexander!” He chuckled, that smug smirk tugging at the corn