The Cricket In Times Square

I shoot to my feet and practically scream, “She?!? They’re sending a woman?” I suddenly hear the sound of heels clicking on the floor, and turn to see a pair of eyes I never thought I’d be seeing again. “Yes, Tate, they sent a woman. I’ve been hired to save your sorry ass,” she calmly states with a look of disgust in her ocean blue eyes. **** What will happen when Ashton Tate, the scandal-ridden MVP second baseman, comes face-to-face with his ex-girlfriend, Elizabeth Mason, whom the team has hired to salvage his reputation and career? Sparks are sure to fly when the two of them are forced to spend every waking moment together, in an effort to revamp his bad-boy image. Unresolved grudges, past heartache, and malicious former flames and rivals block the path to redemption at every turn. Can Elizabeth help Ashton find his way back to the man he once was, or is this his last strikeout?

I lost a game during the company’s birthday party for me. Lloyd Lane, my girlfriend’s assistant, stated my punishment while smiling. He said, “Woo the general manager of Glazed Light, and you’ll only count as having cleared the punishment after sleeping with her.” Everyone sucked in a sharp breath, as if they had rehearsed it. I said nothing and cast a glance at Naomi York, my girlfriend. Nonchalantly, she sipped at her fruit juice and said coolly, “Lloyd is just kidding. Don’t take it too seriously.” In order to ease the tension, everyone else said, “Lloyd, don’t make things hard for Claude. If you like Miss Clark so much, go and woo her yourself.” In the next second, Naomi had smashed her wine glass on the head of the person who spoke. Suddenly, I laughed. “Sure.”

Ava Gray is at a crossroads, giving up being "The Call Center Girl" for a job as an assistant in a very important hotel outside of New York City, she knows that she could improve her limited economy, even fill her refrigerator and pay bills at the end of the month, but when he goes to the interview, the warning bells ring inside his head, he feels the need to flee, but is prevented by that man, the billionaire of the club. Bilogy #ElBillonario

She bought the ring herself. Ayesha Adams planned every detail which includes the venue, the words, even the dress her best friend picked out. She got down on one knee in front of every employee at Azul Corporation and told Chris, the man she had quietly loved for four years, that she wanted to spend her life with him. He told her to get up. That she had embarrassed him. That she should leave. Her dress ripped on the way out and Gemma filmed the whole thing. The next morning, Ayesha found out her best friend was pregnant for him. So she did the only thing left with any dignity in it. She resigned, packed her life into boxes, moved across the city, took out a loan, and built something of her own. She stopped being the girl no one looked at twice. She became someone men crossed rooms for.And Chris noticed. He calls but he ignores him. He shows up at her gallery. She smiles and asks him to leave. He donates anonymously to her business but she thanks no one in particular. He follows her to galas. She dances with other men. He is losing his mind and she is just getting started. But then her mother falls ill. And Chris does something that no amount of anger or pride or self-preservation can make Ayesha ignore.

My father loved silence. He believed noise was the mark of lesser people, so he installed a decibel meter in our home. Speaking above 40 decibels meant that we would have to pay him 10 dollars, laughing above 60 decibels meant 50 dollars, and crying or throwing a tantrum was a serious offense at 100 dollars per second. The year I turned four, I fell and broke my arm. I did not make a single sound. I bit down so hard that I cracked two teeth, but I saved thousands in noise fees. He praised me for it and called me a "high-value child," one that was worth the investment. I treasured that compliment and observed the rules carefully, keeping the house wrapped in suffocating silence. Then came the stormy night a thief broke in. He had a knife and was creeping toward my mother as she slept, and I watched it all from the gap in the wardrobe where I was hiding. I wanted to scream. I wanted to shriek and wake my father, to do something, anything. However, my eyes drifted to the decibel meter on the wall, and my hand found nothing but an empty pocket. I did not have enough allowance. One scream would cost hundreds, and I simply could not afford it.

There are three types of apples that fell into this world. The one that hit my head was the forbidden one. ************ In which an English country girl goes from being a waitress, to being the wife of the richest billionaire in London. “It is simple, all you have to do is get my husband into a hotel room, and you’ll get a hundred thousand pounds” she said looking the innocent girl in the eye, their eyes met and the girl cowered as she looked at the woman, processing what she was saying and how much she was offering. “You want me to seduce your husband?” The girl asked looking at the woman who stood above her head, like a predator threatening her prey. “No, all I want you to do is get him into a hotel room, leave the rest on me” she said looking at the girl who was shocked, her heart racing as she thought of what that woman was asking her to do. “Why would you want a girl to get your husband into a hotel room? And more importantly, why me?” “I need to get a divorce, and you need to stay away from my son. See, it’s a win, win, darling”