A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man

It was New Year's Eve. We were streaming live when my brother called. I spoke first, "I wish you peace and a happy, long life." He gave a cold laugh. "Yeah, well, I don't want you to have any of that. I hope you spend the rest of your life in misery." I'd cut him off the year he was flat broke. Now that he was successful, this was the first thing he did—get back at me. I kept my tone calm. "I wish you peace and a happy, long life." He sounded annoyed. "Cut it out. There's no way I'm wishing you well. If I have to say something, then I hope you stay miserable forever." The host hesitated, then chimed in, "Ben, that was just a recording of Hailey's message. And yes, when she left… she was in a lot of pain and quite miserable, just like you hoped for."

On our wedding day, Jon Zeller flies to an island for a trip with his childhood sweetheart. I'm greeting our friends and family when I receive a notification to pay for their bills at an expensive hotel. When everyone doubts the authenticity of our relationship and mocks me, all Jon says is, "A wedding is just for show. You can handle it yourself." He hangs up without another word. My father is so enraged that he ends up in the hospital after getting a heart attack, and I'm in desperate need of money for his surgery. Yet Jon uses the money to pay for a romantic fireworks show for his childhood sweetheart. When my father wakes up, I tell him I'll marry the man he's picked for me.

I've been in love for six years, but my wedding has been called off 99 times by the man who claims to love me most, the mafia boss, Daniel Reed. The first time is on a private island off the coast of Sorellia. He promises me a secret wedding. But an hour before the ceremony, he gets a call saying that his new assistant, Emily Jennings, has been taken by a rival family. Without a word, he leaves me behind and sails off into the night. The second time, we're standing at the altar, exchanging vows. His underboss then leans in and whispers, "Emily's in trouble." Daniel tears off his boutonniere and walks out without looking back. Emily has been kidnapped again—this time, near the border district. He leads an armed raid that very night while I'm left behind, becoming the laughingstock in the mafia's VIP lounges. No matter when I schedule the wedding, Emily always ends up in danger. And Daniel always runs to her without hesitation. Eventually, I realize I will never win against the reckless Gen Z assistant who constantly drags him into chaos. After the 99th cancellation, I decide to break up with him and disappear from Valemont. I move out overnight, erase every trace of myself, leaving nothing behind. But I never expect him to go completely mad. He shuts down the ports, searches every villa, and unleashes his entire family's intelligence network just to find me. His eyes burn red like a wild animal on the edge of collapse. "Elara," he growls, "just give me one more chance."

"You are one stubborn lady, you know that?." His raspy tone sounded close to her ear, sending gooseflesh up her arms. And her emotions must have been closer to the surface than she'd wanted to admit, because she could feel the sting of tears behind her lids. She hid her face in his shoulder and laughed. It sounded a little wobbly, but it was the best she could produce. "You hardly know me, David. And you already made it clear to me that you don't want to" "Well, you are making it difficult for me to stick to that" "It wouldn't be so bad if you let yourself. Forget about whatever reason brought us together. Let go... live in the moment" David groaned, and then his hand was beneath her chin, tilting her face up. Bonnie smiled, thinking he had a few more questions for her, when his mouth closed over hers and she couldn't think at all. —---------- Bonnie Rimmer is in danger, and David Stewart knows that it's all his fault. He had made more than a few enemies over the years, but a creepy stalker kidnapping the woman he was meant to protect is an entirely different matter. All of this could have been avoided if he had kept to one rule: don’t protect anyone you want to screw. Don't get emotionally involved with your client. But with Bonnie, he’s caught between his job and his increasingly hard libido. The woman is way out of his league, but David wants nothing more than to take the hot volcano of a woman in his hand. To make her writhe in pleasure, until she’s at his complete mercy. She needs protection. He needs satisfaction. And the moment the line is crossed, all hell will break loose…

The Falcon Ridge Series Book 4 Six months after the Luna Ceremony in Red Rock. Set in Black Rock. A pack of 4000 on the eastern border of Falcon Ridge. Bastian Cole: I'm the Alpha. I'm the man of this Alliance. My life is perfect. That was until a young, beautiful interior decorator entered my life. That's when the weird things start. While I'm trying to further my career with the best Blue Moon Ball in history, this girl is causing me to lose that focus. She may be talented and gorgeous, but there's something really strange about her. Something the Shifter world has never seen. She needs my protection from not only the Alliance, but now the Dragons want her. I'm not sure why, but I will die before I let any of them take my beautiful artist away from me. Samantha Gale: On the surface, I seem like your average girl. But, far from it. My life was never easy. My entire family was killed in a wolf attack when I was 5. My life took an awful turn. It started to get better when the Gales adopted me. For years, I felt normal. That was until I agreed to decorate the Alphas ballroom. He presence did something to me. Not only did it start a flame, but it woke a beast I had locked up for years. I can't let it out. If I do, people will die.

Teagan Miller was raised by extremely Conservative parents and grew up attending only the best Catholic Schools. She's just like any of her classmates with the exception of one big secret, she's a full out and undeniably gay ass lesbian. As she begins to start a new journey attending college it would seem she can finally be herself but will she ever really be able to escape her past? Coming out is never easy but it can't really be impossible right? Take a look into the diary of a closeted lesbian to find out.

  "It’s just for a year. I promise to remain chaste..." Ami assured her fiancé, unaware those words would shatter her world.   Two days before her wedding, her uncle offers her a chance to transform her family’s future, an overseas trip to secure their survival after her father’s death. Torn between love and duty, and pressured by her grieving mother, Ami agrees, believing it to be a temporary sacrifice.   But what if it was all a trap? What if Ami found herself trapped in a dilemma, forced to choose between surrendering her virginity or fulfilling her family’s dream? As her world crumbles around her, can she hold onto her vow of chastity? Will her fiancé wait for her or has her promise and sacrifice already cost her everything?

Angel married the heartles billionaire para tulungan ito na makuha ang mana niya , ngunit hindi niya inaasahan na mahuhulog pala siya dito dahil sa paraan ng pakikitungo nito sa kaniya.Pero ng araw na iyon ay hindi niya nasabi Kay Lance ang totoo niyang nararamdaman dahil sa sulat na nakalagay sa kama nila "My job to you is done nakuha ko na ang mana ko at Wala na akong ibang kailangan pa makakabalik ka na sa dati mong buhay at kung inaakala mong mamahalin kita nagkakamali hinding hindi Kita minahal at kailanman,kapag Nakita pa Kita dyaan sa loob ng pamamahay ko mamayang gabi ako mismo ang kakaladkad sayo palabas" ang mga salitang iyon ang dumurog sa puso niya at ang dahilan ng pagkasira ng relasyon nilang dalawa

"Fvck you. Get off me now!" He towers over me and his hands move under the covers, going higher and higher until I gasp. No matter how I want to push him away and stomp on his body, I can't. The heat and pleasure coming from his touch makes me go crazy. "Get off me, you dimwit." Through the heat, I force out words and I close my eyes as I moan when his lips descend on my neck, teasing and nibbling. "Oh goddess. Why won't you get off me." I try to push him off, in the mist of pleasure and he looks down at me with hooded eyes. My back touches the headboard when I shift backwards but he drags me back to himself by my ankle. "I am the King, Minerva. That means what I say goes." "Well, you can go fvck yourself or better yet, let your other mate do that for you." He climbs over me with his hands on each side of my head. Luckily, the heat is subsiding due to our close range. "I've told you a thousand time. I don't want you, I need you." "Fucker! I've told you a zillion times, I don't want to be your baby making machine, you stupid son of a mammoth-" He immediately shuts me up with a deep kiss, exploding my insides. ~~~~ It's every she-wolf's dream to be the mate of the wolf king but not Minerva's. She didn't plan to even know him, she didn't bargain to become a second mate, or a baby making machine to the King who has an unusual plan set up in his head; neither did she plan to be a hybrid. He finally found a way to break her... But they were so unconcerned about the brewing evil.

The medical laboratory explodes one day, and Celia Lumley and I are stuck in the fire together. My boyfriend, Xaiden Seager, gives up on me and chooses to save her first. I don't stop or beg him—I allow him to leave me in the fire. In my past life, I used my identity as the dean's daughter and the threat of Xaiden's future to force him to save me. Celia died in the fire. Later, he took over my family's inheritance and locked me in the laboratory. I was almost due for labor, but he still set a fire and burned me and our child to death. When I begged him to let me go, he laughed cruelly and said, "If not for you threatening me with your family, Celia would never have died such a horrible death! I'll make you suffer the pain she did in a hundredfold, Winifred Zalmer!" When I open my eyes again, I discover that I'm back to the day Celia and I get caught in that fire.